EVE-ONLINE: THE SECOND GENESIS ENTERS STAGE 5 BETA TESTING
By Svarthol
Thursday 23rd January 2003/... Crucial Entertainment Limited today announced that the highly anticipated Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) "Eve Online: The Second Genesis" has entered its fifth stage of beta testing meaning that it stays on track for a Q1 2003 release. Also announced today 'Eve Online' will use Microsoft DirectX 9.0 allowing gamers the ability to play across multiple monitors. 'Eve Online' is on schedule to hit retail in March 2003 and will be published by Crucial Entertainment in Europe and Simon & Schuster Interactive in North America.
EVE to Use Microsoft DirectX 9
EVE ONLINE will use the latest technology available to deliver an engaging experience for gamers. Hilmar V. Pétursson, Chief Technology Officer for CCP Games explains the benefits of using DirectX 9. "By using DirectX 9 we will make Eve 'future proof,' meaning we can patch in special dx9 features, post release, without requiring a reboot. This will be for both sound and 3d abilities. There are greatly improved runtime checks built into the debug runtime, which reduce the time to find bugs on various hardware. As EVE is doing some amount of unconventional use of the 3d pipeline, this has already helped us to find problems."
He added: "On Cards which have a DX9 class driver (ATI Catalyst 3.0 being one), there are also new features in DX9 that increase EVE performance on hardware/drivers that support it: Two Sided Stencils, Scissor testing and Asynchronous queries."
EVE To Be Playable Across Multiple Monitors
For those gamers who want to see everything around them while in space, EVE ONLINE will offer the ability to play across 3 monitors. Support for the Matrox Parhelia card allows for players to experience a full panoramic display of nearby space. Adding this feature will give an entirely new depth to the senses.
Become a Beta Tester
Gamers who would like to become an EVE ONLINE beta tester can sign up via the EVE ONLINE web site at www.eve-online.com. To date more than 85,000 gamers have signed up.
Eve-Online Story
EVE is a world far away from mankind's original habitat, planet Earth. How far away, and where no one knows. Humans got there through a natural wormhole and gazing upon a sky never before seen, were completely unable to determine the whereabouts of this new world. From the system of New Eden, where the gate of EVE that once led to the old world lies, humans expanded in all directions at a great pace, exploring and colonising.
Then, seemingly out of the blue the EVE gate collapsed in an apocalyptic catastrophe of a scale never before witnessed by the human race, ruining the New Eden system in the process. Thousands of small colonies were left in isolation to fend for themselves. For many millennia they endured on the brink of extinction and only a handful survived. Of those surviving colonies, five were to rise up and become the major empires that hold between them the balance of power in the world of EVE today. These are: the Amarr Empire, the Gallente Federation, the Caldari State, the Minmatar Republic and the Jovian Empire, plus several small independent factions and states.
For more than a century the five empires have lived together in relative peace. They've strived hard to maintain this peace as each of them realises only too well the grave consequences of a massive inter-stellar war. Recent technological breakthroughs in FTL travel, and the ensuing increase in space travellers has shaken, but not broken the fragile peace - at least not yet...
Gameplay
Players begin EVE ONLINE by developing a character to control in this massive world. They can choose to be one of four races:
Amarr – The largest of the empires in the world of EVE, Amarr spans 40% of the inhabited solar systems.
Caldari – A state built off corporate capitalism. The Caldari State is run by a few mega-corporations which divide the state between them, controlling and ruling every aspect of society.
Minmatar – A tough, no nonsense race, the Minmatars are a determined and independent people. Their home planet on Matar is a natural paradise although centuries of abuse have taken much from its beauty.
Gallente – The Gallenteans are self-righteous, meddling, pompous and tiresome, or virile libertarians and defenders of the free world. Love them or hate them, you simply can 't ignore them.
Once a race is chosen, players select a profession (which vary by race). Professions range from bounty hunters to pirates, space traders and the military. Players also have the option to choose various background info for their character, such as ancestry and physical traits. Each one provides a basic skill set from which to build a character 's personality. Better players earn more money and go further in the EVE universe. Players can fully customise the look of their characters in a unique 3-d face morphing system – from head shape all the way down to the tattoos they have.
Gaming on a Massive Scale
EVE ONLINE: THE SECOND GENESIS will be the largest online game ever. The servers for this game will be capable of handling thousands of gamers who can compete simultaneously across a fully 3D galaxy which includes 5000 solar systems. Players can choose from more than 60 ships to pilot and customise them with missiles, lasers, particle accelerators, shields, power cores, sensors, armour and engines. EVE ONLINE is an ever-changing universe. Even after a player logs off the online world will continue to evolve and change as players from around the world are actively conducting business and fighting battles. While playing online, gamers can converse with one another through an elaborate communications network including email, instant messenger and message boards. This communications system will also allow players to leave messages for those off-line via this unique email system so that when they return to EVE they will receive the message.
It's all about the Cash
Just like in the real world, money will be the commodity of choice. Players can earn cash by accepting work from Non-Player Characters (NPCs) who will reward gamers with cash which can be traded for goods or other items. Also gamers can earn money by working for a "corporation." These corporations are comprised of gamers who have pooled their resources and are working together to dominate the universe. A solo gamer can approach the head of a corporation for a job and can be paid in cash.
EVE ONLINE will have a unique "stock exchange " in which gamers will be able to purchase stock in corporations. The stock exchange will go up and down as trades occur, just like the real world. To date there are more than 200 corporations already established – even though EVE ONLINE has not yet been published. These corporations have elaborate web pages detailing infrastructure, location, business models, and mission statements.
NEWS FLASH!
Space is a busy place, and gamers will be able to keep tabs on events throughout their universe with a news update. Major events and business updates are provided on a regular basis. The news will be available on-demand by clicking a button on the display.
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 March 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.comAbout 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