As CCP prepares the Dawn of Liberation event, scheduled to run from July 10-24, the update that kicks off the event on Tuesday comes with a number of innovations that will likely be of interest to capsuleers. CCP notes that the highlights of this release include adjustments to loot drops in abyssal space, performance improvements to rendering of missile and smoke trail graphics, and balancing updates to Zealots, Retributions, and Claws, among other changes.
CCP’s full patch notes go into more detail:
Abyssal Space
According to the patch notes, “Abyss loot drops have been updated to be more rewarding at all tiers.” As CCP Antiquarian notes in the latest “In Development” video, “we want the abyss to feel rewarding at all difficulties, and so we’re increasing rewards, especially at lower tiers.”
He explained further: “We know that finding empty caches can be especially disappointing, so we’re modifying distribution algorithms to ensure there’s always something worth the fight.”
Additional loot updates to Abyssal space include:
- New mutaplasmids for Nos and Cap Battery modules
- Triglavian Survey data appears much more frequently
- Gravid and Unstable Mutaplasmids slightly more common in T3 pockets
- T4 and T5 filament drop chance slightly reduced
- Compact and Scoped Entropic Disintegrator variations now drop as single run blueprints rather than completed modules.
Performance Improvements
“Great news for Caldari pilots,” CCP Antiquarian says, “The audio and graphics group has been taking a look at missiles.” Through several changes to missile rendering, he says, “we’ve improved frame rates in missile-heavy scenes by up to 76%.” A Devblog explaining those changes is coming soon, he said.
Ship Balancing
Three ships are being hit with the balance bat this go-around.
Zealot: CCP’s love affair with drones continues. “We’re giving the Zealot a small drone allocation to provide a bit more flexibility,” CCP Antiquarian explains. Per the patch notes, the Zealot will now have 25m3 of Drone Bandwidth, and a 50m3 Drone Bay – enough to field a single heavy or sentry drone with one backup in the bay, or to field a full flight of lights with another flight in reserve.
Retribution: CCP Antiquarian says, “We’re slowing the Retribution down slightly, to create more distinction between it and the Imperial Navy Slicer.” Patch notes indicate that the Retribution’s top speed will be reduced from 328 m/sec to a flat 300.
Claw: “We’re converting the Claw’s Minmatar Frigate Damage Bonus to Rate of Fire,” CCP Antiquarian shares, “decreasing its alpha.” Rather than a bonus of 5% to Small Projectile Turret damage per Minmatar Frigate skill level, Claw pilots will now see the same 5% bonus per level to their rate of fire. While this is an overall reduction in a Claw fleet’s alpha damage, it does result in a slight increase in DPS over a prolonged engagement.
In addition, CCP is tweaking a few certificates. The “Fighters” certificate in FAX mastries is being replaced with a new “All Drones” cert. In addition, a new certificate called “Resource Harvesting, Core” – which will contain all the same skills as “Resource Harvesting” except Ice Harvesting – will now be used with the Venture.
Structure & Deployable Updates
As the new Faction Fortizars started dying, INN reported that the Faction Citadels dropped loot as normal, but didn’t seem to contain any salvage. CCP is now adding salvaged materials to the wrecks left by Faction Fortizars. Additional changes to structures and deployables include:
- Scooping another corp’s unanchored structure in hi or low-sec will now trigger a suspect timer (and will require the appropriate safety settings).
- Structure Under Attack notifications are now sent only when a structure’s shield drops below 95%
- It is now possible to assemble T3 cruisers while in control of an Upwell structure.
- Faction starbase module blueprints will not drop in exploration sites.
CCP has also increased the reprocessing output of depracated moon mining modules, assembly arrays, and research labs.
Additional UI and Gameplay Adjustments
CCP’s patch notes also mentioned some generic additional changes, to include:
- Removal of the duel wager system that allows betting on dueling challenges between capsuleers
- Greatly reduced standings penalty for podkilling players in NPC corps
- Appropriate alliance logos displayed on Station monuments from the Outpost conversion (the patch notes clarify that monument descriptions are still being finalized and will be updated in a later patch).
- Notifications will now be sent to those running industry jobs in Upwell structures if the industry job is paused or cancelled due to offlining ro removal of the service module
- Performance improvements to blueprint loading in the industry window.
UI updates include relocating the “Bounty Office” icon from station services to the Neocom, adjusting the ways asset safety wraps are viewed and searched, adding festival launchers to the fitting simulation for ships and structures, removing station-related map filters, and displaying the sender’s portrait (rather than the recipient’s) in mail notifications.
Bug Fixes
The patch notes also included a detailed list of fixes to gameplay, audio & graphics, camera performance, planetary production, structures & deployables, text & descriptions, UI, and other technical issues. View the full patch notes for additional details on these and many other bug fixes.
Eve Vegas 2018
In his “In Development” video, CCP Antiquarian shared some details about CCP’s preparations for Eve Vegas 2018 in October. In the run-up to Eve Vegas, he explained, “Eve enthusiasts are invited to submit their own original poster designs using content from Eve Online . . . the theme of the posters should be ‘propaganda style Eve recruitment.'”
Alliance Tournament Kickoff
Alliance Tournament XVI will commence July 28. The SoCT-sponsored tournament will feature matches every weekend through August 18, and features new rule-sets including one in which teams may include only a single hull of any given ship type at a time.
CCP will broadcast the event and stream it on Twitch, and will host a live viewing party for the August 18 finale. Prizes will include special skins as well as Triglavian hulls. Additional details on Alliance Tournament XVI – to include tournament rules, entry procedures, and Twitch stream information – are available here.
More to Come
CCP Antiquarian concluded with some foreshadowings of things still down the road. He gave a cryptic warning that “We’ve received unconfirmed reports of security issues at the Bank of Luminaire. Capsuleers are advised to remain alert.” He also shared some insights on new structures planned for release this winter, to include “small structures intended to expand the capabilities of the already impressive Upwell product lines. They may augment firepower, enhance strategic options, and even provide alternative transportation.” More detail on these new structures, he said, is coming soon.
Whether it’s trying out the new Zealot drones, scooping better loot in the Abyss, attending Eve Vegas, participating in the Alliance Tournament, or surviving a wee bit longer when tackled by a gang of Claws, it would seem that capsuleers have a lot to look forward to in the next few weeks and months.
