EVE Online

E3 Coverage

Wednesday, May 10th

• EVE Online at E3 2006

About EVE Online:

Europe's first foray into the MMO fold came with "EVE Online"- an intense space-based MMO from Icelandic developer Crowd Control Productions, Inc.(CCP). The idea of a spaceship-bound online RPG is nothing new: BBS'ers from the early 90s might remember "Trade Wars 2000" or gamers in general might celebrate EVE being what early '00s lead balloon "Freelancer" should've been.

On most of the important points, and especially graphically, EVE delivers. Novelties abound, some are treasures- like the ruthless capitalistic sense that pervades the player-run economy- and some are a little questionable - the offline training system that eliminates encounter-based skill raises by making training mods, once obtained, simply a matter of winding down a real-time clock (on- or offline). This system seems to accomplish what the concept was trying to prevent- the conclusion that length of time played is arguably the biggest factor in a character's development. The game's tragic learning curve, sandbox-style quest system, and slow combat pace are other long-time sticking points. Many complain that the game really doesn't begin until a few hours of "mining" buy players their first ship upgrade, and even then the game seems to be more about the accumulation of wealth than the destruction of enemies.

Quirks aside, EVE is a masterful MMO with all the hallmarks of a classic, including continuous growth for almost two years now. Success for CCP is measured in terms of concurrency, and at one point in early March 2006, EVE's universe was stacked an impressive 25,665 players high. EVE's highly anticipated fourth expansion, Kali, is set to release in Q2 2006.

[from the TenTonHammer Game Profile Archive]

About Crowd Control Productions (CCP):

Icelandic developer CCP was founded in the summer of 1997 with the goal of becoming a leading massively multiplayer game company. With the launch of EVE Online in May 2003, CCP has established itself as one of the leading companies in the field, winning numerous awards and receiving critical acclaim worldwide.

CCP is dedicated to the development of cutting edge massively multiplayer games. CCP is founded on the principle of pushing the envelope and breaking new grounds on all levels. CCP is not about making copycat products with compromised quality. CCP is about making dreams become a reality.

[from the CCP website]