Questions about the EVE Universe(s)

[kawaiku]

Hi guys,

I've been following the current discussion about the incident with BoB and the fallout affect it had with Goonswarm, and this has lead me to ask a few questions concerning EVE...

1) Is EVE in one all-encompassing server or are there several major servers that hold all of the players? Ie.. like 2-3 or so...

2) How many people are currently playing this game (roughly)?

3) From the thread, you guys mentioned a capitol fleet was traded, does this mean one player can "general" the entire fleet like in Homeworld type games? Or are they all controlled by players?

4) How inter-connected is the community then? At least in each server? Seeing as how BoB is weakened and you guys are discussing the potential fallout from its "dismemberment"?

 

[Scott Tortorice]

My account's been inactive since October, but I can answer a few of your questions:

1) Is EVE in one all-encompassing server or are there several major servers that hold all of the players? Ie.. like 2-3 or so...

The great thing about EVE is that there are no "shards"; everyone plays on one server. This means that you often have over 40,000 people logged on and playing together at any given time.

2) How many people are currently playing this game (roughly)?

CCP keeps specific subscription numbers close to the vest, but they have indicated that there are well over 400,000 player accounts. Mind you, some of these accounts are multiple accounts held by one person, but the figure is still very healthy...and growing by all accounts (pun intended).

3) From the thread, you guys mentioned a capitol fleet was traded, does this mean one player can "general" the entire fleet like in Homeworld type games? Or are they all controlled by players?

As I never engaged in a fleet management situation, I'll leave that to others to answer. However, ships are owned by individuals, with multiple individuals organized into Corps that deploy in cohesive fleets 'captained' by senior members. It isn't really comparable to Homeworld, per se.

4) How inter-connected is the community then? At least in each server? Seeing as how BoB is weakened and you guys are discussing the potential fallout from its "dismemberment"?

As everyone is on one server, actions in the game have a bigger likelihood of affecting a large group of people. However, as with any other MMO, a given players connection to the community is only as strong as he wants it to be.

EVE always offers free trials and I strongly recommend giving it a spin. It is a great MMO - so far, the only one to ever get me to fork over my money repeatedly.

 

[kawaiku]

The great thing about EVE is that there are no "shards"; everyone plays on one server. This means that you often have over 40,000 people logged on and playing together at any given time.

That's pretty cool.. so there is something for everyone to do then? What's the "leveling" system like?

CCP keeps specific subscription numbers close to the vest, but they have indicated that there are well over 400,000 player accounts. Mind you, some of these accounts are multiple accounts held by one person, but the figure is still very healthy...and growing by all accounts (pun intended).

Wow... that's awesome!

As I never engaged in a fleet management situation, I'll leave that to others to answer. However, ships are owned by individuals, with multiple individuals organized into Corps that deploy in cohesive fleets 'captained' by senior members. It isn't really comparable to Homeworld, per se.

Oh... I meant in the fashion where you have a guy captaining a capital ship and commanding the rest from it... anyways np

As everyone is on one server, actions in the game have a bigger likelihood of affecting a large group of people. However, as with any other MMO, a given players connection to the community is only as strong as he wants it to be.

Oh that's so cool! The only MMO that I've ever played that "could" have affects on the entire world population was Planetside haha...

EVE always offers free trials and I strongly recommend giving it a spin. It is a great MMO - so far, the only one to ever get me to fork over my money repeatedly.

Hmmm... sounds MIGHTY tempting :yummy:

 

[Dr Zaius]

1) Is EVE in one all-encompassing server or are there several major servers that hold all of the players? Ie.. like 2-3 or so...

The number of physical machines is not really important. What's important is whether or not an MMO is "sharded" or "unsharded." Both types are examples of a persistent online game universe. In a sharded MMO, there are multiple copies of the game environment which exist on different servers. Therefore players can explore the same area on two different servers, but they have no contact with one another and will never see each other. In contrast, EVE Online is an unsharded universe, meaning all players interact with one another in the same persistent universe. The actions of every player and organization affects every other player and organization.

The EVE universe is currently over 5,000 active star systems, each complete with individual planets, asteroid belts, moons, and star bases.

How many people are currently playing this game (roughly)?

EVE Online's fan base is somewhat smaller than MMO's like World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online, with approximately 250,000 subscriptions. On February 8, 2009 EVE reached a new record with 51,675 concurrent accounts logged in on the same server.

From the thread, you guys mentioned a capitol fleet was traded, does this mean one player can "general" the entire fleet like in Homeworld type games? Or are they all controlled by players?

What we meant by that was that the ships were in dock and control was turned over to another alliance.

Fleet combat in EVE is fairly complex. Each ship in EVE is piloted by a single player (a real person). Players cannot directly control multiple ships like in Homeworld or Sins of a Solar Empire. However, EVE has a sophisticated fleet combat system which allows fleets to be organized into multiple command echelons, each commanded by a commander appropriate to that level. Fleets are organized into squadrons command by a squadron commander, which in turn fall under wing commanders, which in turn fall under an overall fleet commander. The EVE interface allows each echelon to both send and receive orders and important information such as priority targets and calls for ammo or assistance.

Fleet battles in EVE often grow to gigantic proportions. It's not uncommon to see fights of 500, 1,000 or even 1,500+ pilots.

How inter-connected is the community then? At least in each server?

The EVE universe is totally interconnected as it is unsharded. It would take some time, but it is possible to fly from one side of EVE to the other.

Each system in EVE is huge. A typical system might consist of a star, five planets, 20 moons, and four space stations. Some are much larger. Ships in EVE are equipped with warp drives which allow players to move around the system fairly quickly, but it is not possible to warp to another star. To move from star to star ships have to ultilize jumpgates. Most systems are connected to adjacent systems, but not always. This means some systems are "dead ends" and there is only one way in or out.

Capital ships are very large and powerful ships which are equipped with jump drives. These are similar to warp drives, but allow capital ships to jump from star system to star system without the use of a gate. The down side is that capitals are hugely expensive, use a lot of resources, and it takes years to train the skills to pilot a capital ship.

Seeing as how BoB is weakened and you guys are discussing the potential fallout from its "dismemberment.

This situation with BoB is interesting, to be sure, but hardly unique. The big power blocks in EVE constantly war against one another and vie for control of space.

This is one of the things that can turn off new players as EVE is very dangerous and war rages relentlessly. In addition, EVE's systems are teeming with pirates, thieves, suicide gankers, and all manner of criminal organizations bent on taking what is yours and laughing at your death. Unlike other MMOs, EVE is harsh and the loss of ships and equipment can really hurt. It's part of what makes this seem like something more than just a game.

If you want to see what EVE looks like in action, here are some videos:

http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/Default.asp?a=download&vid=170
http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/Default.asp?a=download&vid=168
http://myeve.eve-online.com/download/videos/Default.asp?a=download&vid=181

 

[Dr Zaius]

What's the "leveling" system like?

It's unlike other MMOs.

In EVE you cannot "level up" by completing missions, collecting treasure, or even by fighting. Instead, characters have to train skills, which eventually lead to training higher level skills. There are only a few ways to increase training time, so it takes a very long time to train in EVE. Only one skill can be trained at a time, so it's best to decide what you want to do with your character early on and then concentrate on those skills.

That's pretty cool.. so there is something for everyone to do then?

Again, EVE is unlike other MMOs in this respect. You can pretty much do whatever you want. It doesn't mean you'll be good at it, but there are no classes.

The basic professions you see in EVE are miner, pirate, industrialist, trader, corporate manager, mission runner, and combat pilot. Most people dabble in several of these to some extent and some people do them all.

If you get bored doing one thing, just learn some new skills and do something else. EVE is a "sandbox" rather than a controlled environment, so what your character does is really up to you.

 

[Dr Zaius]

As I explained earlier, EVE is one big giant game environment with everyone playing together. Obviously, it's a much greater technical challenge to pull this off than it is to run a sharded universe like other MMOs. And the more people logged in and playing, the more complicated it gets.

For this reason, the CCP team includes some of the most gifted programmers around. I believe I have also read that Nvidia and other companies also have representatives assigned directly to CCP to assist the EVE development team. They frequently post video lectures where senior members of the team demonstrate new technology or reveal art techniques not seen in online games before.

Because of all this, EVE players do face one issue that usually isn't much of a problem in other MMOs: lag. There is no limit of how many people can enter a single system. Most of the time, you can see on you local chat window that there are anywhere from 10-100 people in a given system. Some are mining asteroids, some are merely transporting goods through the system, some are doing business in one of the many space stations. It's not uncommon for systems to be completely empty. It's also not uncommon to see systems with hundreds of people.

There is one system that has become known as the best market in EVE, and you will rarely find less than a thousand people in Jita, buying and selling their wares. Jita is a system that is so busy it runs on its own node. It's transparent to the player, but Jita runs on a superfast custom server built specifically for this purpose.

To keep things running smoothly, there are several places in EVE which run on 64-bit specialized computers which can handle huge numbers of traders buying and selling, or even gigantic fleet battles of 1,000 on 1,000. CCP has recently deployed a number a 64-bit machines with cutting edge optimizations and stackless IO to deal with this, however, when fleet battles get that big, lag becomes a problem that no current technology can completely erase.

Some alliances will intentionally attempt to overload a server as a defensive tectic when on the losing side of a major battle. It's not uncommon for Goonswarm to crash a server node when they jump into a system with a fleet of 1,500 players.

But by and large, lag is not something you have to deal with. I've been in some pretty big battles and lag hasn't been an issue yet.

 

[pward]

Slight adjustment on the shards. There is a second active server in China, but you can't get there from here. (And apparently they can't get here from there.) There are also the two test servers, but they get reimaged from time to time off the live server, so advancement and amassing wealth on the test server is fairly pointless.

EVE is fairly limitless. Last night I was mining a missions asteroids with my corp. It was an almost all hands affair to get the ore back to station from the mission deadspace. The logistics involved meant some folks were mining some running back and forth carrying ore, and one of my accounts was providing leadership bonuses and tractor beaming the ore down to the warp in point. Teamwork at it's finest.

Tomorrow I may be running missions for an agent (think quests). At some point I may decide to try my hand at PvP and head to lowsec or nullsec. (But don't hold your breath.)

All the while, whether mining or mission running, I'm working on the blueprints I've collected and making some things for sale on the side, dabbling in the amazing market that EVE has compared to other MMOs.

Give the free trial a chance. If you decide to sign up after that it's the same as if you signed up to begin with. Slight extra fee for the initial month to create the account, then the normal monthly fees after.

 

[kawaiku]

Jeez, the way you guy's describe how the game works is very... enticing.

Which leads me to another question, how customizable are the ships? And say if you own a larger ship, can you launch smaller fighter type.... spacecraft??

 

[Dr Zaius]

Jeez, the way you guy's describe how the game works is very... enticing.

I play tons of games because it's my job. I play EVE on my personal gaming time.

Which leads me to another question, how customizable are the ships?

Very. EVE has a highly complex combat model and it takes a long time to master one style of fighting in the game (I know about 1% of what there is to know).

Each ship has a number of different kind of "slots" available for fitting. These slots can hold weapons of various sorts, repair systems, remote repair systems (for assisting the other members of your fleet), electronic warfare modules of all kinds, radar and tracking equipment, scanners, shields, extra armor, and all manner of systems to enhance ship systems and capabilities. There are nearly endless combinations of how these modules can be fitted, but certain types of ships excel at performing specific roles.

Fitting all this equipment takes skills, and skills take time to learn. Therefore, you have to take the time to get good at one thing, then move on to another skill. Really experienced characters are not necessarily more powerful, but more flexible in the roles they can perform.

EVE is a game that rewards teamwork. Small gangs rove around all over EVE, and most of these gangs contain a variety of specialized ships so that the gang can fight and survive in a wide variety of situations--or at least have a chance to escape if necessary.

And say if you own a larger ship, can you launch smaller fighter type.... spacecraft??

Some ships can do this and others can't. It depends.

There are four races in EVE, and each of the races excels at specific tasks and their ships reflect a characteristic design philosophy well suited to the type of fighting they prefer. That said, any character can train any skill, so with proper training you can fly any ship you want and use any type of equipment. The races just give you a starting point.

Getting back to your question, some ships can launch robot-like ships which are controlled by the pilot in addition to his own ship. These small unmanned units are called 'drones,' and drone warfare, like everything else in EVE, is a style of combat that can take a while to train up. That said, beginner pilots can start utilizing small combat drones pretty quickly. Over time and as drone skills increase, pilots can control multiple drones, and eventually can utilize combat drones, combat support drones, utility drones, etc. Very experienced characters can control up to 5 heavy tech level II combat drones capable of chewing up a battleship given enough time.

The Gallante race excels at drone warfare and their ships reflect this more than those of other races.

The pinnacle of drone warfare is the carrier. The carrier is a large capital ship that takes a huge amount of skill to fly properly. It's primarily used in fleet battles as a support platform, having the capability to assist other ships as well as dish out some serious pain.

Each race has a version of a carrier, and carriers are equipped with drone bays that can hold huge numbers of all types of drones. This means the carrier pilot can attack, then switch to electronic warfare, then repair, etc. Carriers are also unique in that they are the only ship capable of fielding 'fighters.' Fighters are essentially very large and powerful drones that are equivalent to cruisers. A carrier pilot can control up to 10 drones or fighters simultaneously, which means a carrier is capable of dealing with a small gang of other ships by itself.

Which brings us to one of the best ships in EVE: the mothership. While not the largest ship in EVE, the mothership is essentially a "super carrier." Sporting extremely tough shields and armor, motherships are immune to all forms of electronic warfare and can field up to 20 fighters simultaneously (25 with special equipment). This makes the mothership a deadly vessel that can take on a number of battleships and support ships and wreck havoc. Motherships are typically seen in big fleet battles, fighting as a group or working alongside dreadnoughts. They are one of the most expensive and skill-intensive ships in the game, and it will take ~2+ years of real world time to acquire the skills to pilot one of these beasts. Even then, raising the ISK to buy it and coordinating with a shipyard willing to build it is a story unto itself.

 

[kawaiku]

I think you've convinced me to try the free trial...

edit- Btws, should I be worried about "dying"

 

[pward]

I think you've convinced me to try the free trial...

edit- Btws, should I be worried about "dying"

Ship losses are usually expensive, but not really "death" for the character.

Death in EVE is handled by clones. Your ship loss results in the "pod" ejecting into space, no loss to the pilot yet, but the pod can be destroyed as well. Pod deaths cause you to lose any implants (in your brain), and may cause you to lose some skill points if you haven't updated your clone lately.

I've never been pod killed (no low- or null-sec for me) but I think you have to repurchase your clone each time. (Mostly a money sink.)

Every so often, spend the cash to update your clone to the next level of Skill Point protection, and you should be good.

 

[Dr Zaius]

I've never been pod killed (no low- or null-sec for me) but I think you have to repurchase your clone each time. (Mostly a money sink.)

You don't need to go to low sec to get pod killed. I've been tracked down in missions and ambushed any number of times. I'm harder to kill now than I used to be because I have learned to expect the worst at all times, but there is no safe place in EVE. The nerf to suicide ganking probably didn't hurt.

 

[kawaiku]

So just from my brief experience so far, I take it that there are certain stations you can go to for certain skill updates and or ship updates??

 

[Dr Zaius]

So just from my brief experience so far, I take it that there are certain stations you can go to for certain skill updates and or ship updates??

If I understand what you are asking, it really isn't the station itself that is at issue. What you seem to be talking about is the marketplace.

The marketplace isn't directly tied to the station, it just happens that someone is selling the item or skill book you need and it is located at that station. Most of the time you will find what you are looking for offered at a wide variety at stations, so you either go to the closest one or the one with the best price. Just bear in mind these items aren't being sold by the station (the station isn't a store), they are being sold by other players and are available for pickup at that station.

Station services (medical facility, repair facility, etc) are different. Unlike the marketplace, which is really just items offered for sale by other players, station services are offered as part of the station itself and vary from one station to another. For example, not all stations have a medical facility.

EVE's marketplace is much like the real world. In very active areas there is a high demand for everything, thus there is usually a good supply of most items and prices are competitive. In less active areas it can be difficult to locate even basic supplies and this can be a serious issue unless you have a plan to keep yourself equipped. That's where corporations come into the picture.

 

[kawaiku]

Ahh well you answered both in a sense there Don.

And how does a corporation work? On my trial account I'm trying a entrepreneur and noticed that I'm already part of a corporation...

 

[Dr Zaius]

And how does a corporation work? On my trial account I'm trying a entrepreneur and noticed that I'm already part of a corporation...

See here:
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?t=82859

 

[kawaiku]

Wow that was quite informative. Thanks Don.

And I read the new thread about the WH's and I was wondering how do logistics work? Seeing as how many of the members from the forum were discussing the logistical problems of warping into a sleeper area.

 

[Dr Zaius]

And I read the new thread about the WH's and I was wondering how do logistics work? Seeing as how many of the members from the forum were discussing the logistical problems of warping into a sleeper area.

Can you be a bit more specific? What is it you want to know about logistics?

 

[pward]

You don't need to go to low sec to get pod killed. I've been tracked down in missions and ambushed any number of times. I'm harder to kill now than I used to be because I have learned to expect the worst at all times, but there is no safe place in EVE. The nerf to suicide ganking probably didn't hurt.

Excellent point, but for the most part I didn't take the bait for can flippers (have Orca, don't need jetcans) and haven't been scanned down in a mission yet either. Unless someone has a serious gank attack, most of my mission ships would survive long enough to get help from concord. Enough gank ships coming into my mission and they could kill my mission ship, but I'm not concerned with that too much. I'm not in a CNR and I don't do faction fits. (Too damn expensive).

 

[pward]

Wow that was quite informative. Thanks Don.

And I read the new thread about the WH's and I was wondering how do logistics work? Seeing as how many of the members from the forum were discussing the logistical problems of warping into a sleeper area.

There is a "industry in W-Space" thread on the EVE site, under the science and trade forum.

Essentially the concern is that if you setup a control tower at a moon, will you be able to bring in the NPC only goods required to run it on a regular basis? Those logistical issues are being thrown around, except nobody really knows how often the wormhole is going to be back anywhere near your home systems from your w-space location.

Wormholes will close, either timed or after enough mass has traveled through them. If you're on the other side when it closes, you have to wait for another wormhole to appear, figure out where it leads, then decide to explore more w-space if that's where it leads, or you're back in known space and can send in the goods needed for the tower.

There isn't any specifics on the mechanics of how the endpoints of the wormholes are generated. It is possible, but the devs haven't mentioned it, that the w-space systems are always going to connect to the same region or constellation, but I doubt it. (Current exploration and "random" DED deadspaces are constellation centered.) More likely, it's going to be tiered like security levels, and will connect to any similar "level" in w-space or k-space. Maybe with some give and take, say a 1.0 k-space system might connect to a ".9" w-space. But there isn't CONCORD intervention there so security level isn't really going to be available. (Or system names for that matter.)

Whatever methods are used, someone will figure it out before too long, and hopefully put out a guide to wormholes.