BETA PHASE 7 BEGINS FOR MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAME

2003-03-26 00:00

By Svarthol

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, March 2003 - Crowd Control Productions (CCP), developer of the highly anticipated massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) "Eve Online: The Second Genesis" announced today phase seven of beta testing has begun. Also announced today a new server cluster has gone online on the 'backbone' of the Internet. These new servers will allow CCP to host 100,000 players on a single server as opposed to "shards." Finally, CCP also announced the Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for EVE beta testers will be dropped within a week. EVE ONLINE will be simultaneously published in North America by Simon & Schuster Interactive and in Europe by Crucial Entertainment (Rated "T" by the ESRB) on May 6, 2003. "This is a very big milestone for Eve as we are getting close to the game going gold," said Reynir Hardarson, art director and co-founder of CCP Games. "We're pleased to announce that within a week's time we will be dropping the NDA for our beta testers. We cannot thank our testers enough for all their dedication and bug hunting to help make Eve the best MMOG this year." Dr. Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, lead game designer at CCP also comments on EVE reaching Beta Phase 7. "We are now entering the final phases of play testing, where all the components of the game and player run economy come together. With the increased number of users we will see how the game will evolve towards being a truly self-sustained community on the scale of a small country." About the New Servers EVE ONLINE will be hosted on brand new, state-of-the-art servers. These servers will enable CCP to host up to 100,000 gamers in the same world. Chief Technology Officer of CCP, Hilmar V. Petursson explained how these new servers will benefit EVE. "The benefit is just more power for the players. The construction of our cluster load distribution allows us to scale very high at the application server level, allowing for more simultaneous users than previously seen. Our fully-distributed game infrastructure scales by allowing EVE to acquire more computing resources as they are added to the cluster, this is greatly assisted by our use of Stackless Python helping to divide up game-play in a flexible way to best take advantage of the server nodes available." Nathan Richardson, project manager of EVE at Iceland telecommunications company Siminn who are running the server cluster and customer support commented on the geographic placement of them. "The EVE cluster is strategically placed, Internet topology vise, allowing us to equally cater for U.S. and EURO players, which is important given the fact that all play in the same game world." ABOUT "EVE ONLINE" A Galactic Scope Eve is a massively multiplayer game, set in a world of galactic proportions. This online universe is governed by a hyper-capitalistic economy where space flight is the path to all commerce, communication, and conflict. Your mission is to establish yourself as a major competitor, trusted by your friends, feared by your enemies. To accomplish this, your principle tools - apart from an impressive array of sophisticated equipment, customisable space ships and in-game corporations - will be your natural business acumen, social skills, Machiavellian thinking and cunning combat strategies. Spectacular Environment The world of EVE spans over 5,000 solar systems in astounding visual environments packed with adventure and intrigue. Pirate infested regions, military border zones, rich mining tracts, constellations controlled by terrorist organisations and militant religious cults, politically disputed territories, trade routes, war zones, rebel uprisings, black holes, asteroid fields, glorious vistas and ion storms are among the scenarios and phenomena you will encounter on your way to glory. Choose Your Destiny Begin by creating a character and choosing a career. You can opt to become an employee of a mega corporation, pick a career in the military or law enforcement, work as a scientist of a research institution, etc. To get started, you will receive equipment and missions, as well as contacts. Eventually you might want to break free and start your own operation, form a corporation, join a pirate clan, dabble in smuggling, become a bounty hunter. The choices are virtually endless. Good or evil, honest or devious, rich or poor, strong or powerless, you are the master of your destiny. Unique Characters Choose from four races: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente, and Minmatar. Customise the appearance of your character down to the smallest details. Create a look that is uniquely your own. Then, advance through an extensive skill and training system, which reflects your character's profession. You may seek to perfect your combat skills or study to be an award-winning scientist, join the military or dive into the world of Eve on your own. There are no skill point maximums, race or class restrictions. You are truly free to create a character that is individually tailored to suit your interests with a myriad of skills. Pirate, mercenary, stockbroker, spy or all of the above... the choice is yours. NPC Factions and Agents There is a multitude of Non-Player Characters in Eve to interact with. They run the gamut from a mining corporation to a multinational terrorist organisation. Developing contacts within the factions can provide you with access to specialised equipment, missions or top-secret information to help you succeed faster. NPC and Player Generated Missions Missions can be played out at any time during the game. These can involve a courier mission for a trade contact, the assassination of an Amarrian ambassador, hunting down a notorious criminal or a full-scale assault on a Caldari military base involving dozens of other players and careful planning. Player vs. Player A large portion of the game is centred around player versus player activity - it's always more fun to compete against a human opponent. Keep in mind that if you're timid, you'll find a safety zone within the borders of the empires, as killing of innocents is not tolerated within their borders. You can seek protection with the local law enforcement and make a good living under their wing, but remember that glory comes only to those who dare. No one will give you power-real power is something you must take! Combat Combat in Eve is incredibly fast and furious and will have you constantly strategising about what measures you should take to best deal with each situation. Group tactics involve formation flight and squad-based communication, allowing for massive fleet battles with military standard hierarchies. Large Scale Economy Everything that can be bought in Eve is manufactured in specialised space stations, using a variety of raw materials. Activities such as mining, selling and transporting raw materials, as well as manufacturing products, are core components of Eve's economic system. Trade and commerce can take place in global markets or directly between players. Player-Run Corporations As you enter Eve, you will be assigned to an in-game corporation. At any time you can choose to quit and create your own corporation and recruit other players. Corporations can own and colonise planets and build space stations from where they can run mining operations and manufacture equipment. More sophisticated equipment can enter the marketplace where trade monopolies are enforced with military power. Corporate Warfare Competition over limited resources and territories can give rise to corporate warfare. On this level Eve becomes a grand-scale strategy game, where mercenaries, highly trained spies and computer hackers can plot to eliminate high-ranking officers and CEO's. Ships - Over 80 Different Types Ships range from small frigates to the massive titan-class, reaching over a mile in length. A multitude of equipment and weapons can be fitted in a myriad of combinations to best suit your individual combat style. Add your corporate logo and other details to fully customise your ship. World Events and a Progressing Storyline The world of Eve is ever changing and will be affected throughout the game by colossal events, such as exploding stars, rebel uprisings, famine, deadly epidemics, presidential elections and kidnapping of corrupt politicians. All this is part of a greater story being played out by the gamers themselves- unfolding day by day as the game progresses. Social Interaction With thousands of players online from around the world, Eve is an incredible social experience. You have the option of making in-game notes about people you encounter throughout the game - friend or foe - a database of information about their behaviour. Next time you meet the guy who ambushed you, he will pay! Notorious players can be tracked down by bounty hunters craving justice - and cash! Rich Background The stories behind Eve are multifarious. You can dig deep into the world to gain valuable information, including a detailed history of the races, articles about people, places and world-based phenomena. A complete in-game encyclopaedia is included. Photo Realistic Real-time Graphics The graphics engine in Eve is capable of doing photo realistic rendering in real-time of surfaces such as rusty steel, dirty glass, oxidised aluminium and volumetric fire and smoke, as well as environmental effects such as asteroids falling on the planet's surface, comets and the aurora borealis. The Eve engine is built on DirectX9 and utilises the latest graphics and hardware technology. Cinematic Feel Eve is played from a 3rd person perspective. You see the world through the eyes of a camera drone hovering outside your ship. This gives you a much better feel for the world over the traditional first person viewpoint in classic space simulators. A 3rd person camera lets you watch as your turrets aim and fire at an enemy target. You'll see missiles flying overhead and your ship in flames if you are running into trouble. This also allows for more sophisticated options, such as controlling large battleships, attacking multiple targets, remotely controlling combat drones, etc. Easy to Learn Every action in Eve is accessible through the graphical user interface. There is no need to learn any keyboard shortcuts. The user interface is mouse operated and uses traditional point and click, drag and drop. Every visible object in the scene and on the radar can by interacted with directly. Already a Massive Community Eve has created quite a stir in the gaming community, with already over 60 fan sites and strong coverage on gaming websites all over the world. Eve has been listed as one of the most anticipated games of the year and has received incredible enthusiasm among gamers and press alike. EVE ONLINE WEB SITE For very detailed information on EVE ONLINE: THE SECOND GENESIS, please visit the web site: www.eve-online.com European Server Access The EVE ONLINE service provider is Iceland Telecomm who will handle customer service, in-game support and server hosting. European server access will be provided in London by Cable & Wireless consisting of a giant shard of over 60 servers. Game subscription costs are as follows (quoted in US Dollars per monthly charge): 1 month $12.95, 3 months $11.95, 6 months $10.95. Current exchange rates USD $1.5 = GBP £1 and Euro 1.5 NB. These exchange rates are subject to currency fluctuations and are presented as a cost guide only. Availability Eve Online: The Second Genesis will ship simultaneously to North America and Europe in May 2003. The European release will be handled by Crucial Entertainment Limited, whilst the North American release will be coordinated by Simon & Schuster Interactive. About Crucial Entertainment Limited Crucial Entertainment Limited was founded in 1999 by Company Director Ray McIntosh. Crucial Entertainment believes in entertainment for everyone where each title stands amongst the best in its class and is a guaranteed mark of quality and usability. Visit www.crucialentertainment.com About Crowd Control Production (CCP) CCP, based in Reykjavik, Iceland is a privately held company founded in 1997. It was created on a strong vision of creating online games which focus on maximising player interaction and on utilising the new, unexplored possibilities created by having thousands of players interacting in the same game world. More info. on CCP games game be found on www.ccpgames.com About Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc., is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and non-fiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed and multimedia formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon & Schuster U.K., and Simon & Schuster Australia. For more information about Simon & Schuster, visit our website at www.simonsays.com.