CCP is on course to see an influx of players this spring thanks to Valkyrie and the Citadel expansion, among other factors. EVE Online could benefit greatly if CCP’s preparations and calculations work out. New players from the virtual reality (VR) title may entice some players to take a look, or second look, at EVE Online. The influx of concurrent players will be a sight welcomed by active EVE players, but will the new arrivals stay?
OLD ROADMAPS
In 1993 modem prices dropped to $120, down from $380, changing isolated home PCs into roadways for social interactions. At the same time, the “graphical web” was starting to open new ways of using the internet. But, the true buzz of personal modems was the chat groups found in text-based Bulletin Board System (BBS). Many BBS sites popped up locally, giving people a place to connect. People would join them like clubs and hurry home to login and chat with friends they only knew online. That led to meetups and friendships, not unlike EVE today.
By 1995, laws had changed, opening the internet to game developers and the text-based Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) evolved into a graphical experience to match the trends set by the web and stand alone games. The merger of modems and graphics changed gaming into a shared experience. In the early days, getting online into a graphical game was expensive; Neverwinter Nights was $6.00 per hour, for example.
In 1996, Ultima Online developed and led the first generation of true massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. Around that time, CCP was starting to form to “create the most complex massively multiplayer universe ever,” as said in its first mission statement.
EVE Online launched during the second generation of MMOs, circa 2003. A few years later, it was winning awards and growing steadily while competitors were crashing down and closing on all sides. By 2013, CCP reported that EVE (along with EVE in China), hit 500,000 subscribers.
In 2014, CCP’s made adjustments to its future vision plans, moving from a multi-game strategy (EVE, World of Darkness) to a focused effort on its golden goose, EVE. The Incarna Carbon Engine animated avatars, but was so demanding it melted PCs round the world, and was stripped of further development even though work was already done on avatar-based landing expeditions. The World of Darkness IP was sold off, and some of the game design concepts were adapted to EVE, like “Freeports” in the new sovereignty mechanics. The future vision that included EVE “ambulation” (walking in stations) was closed down.
“EVE United” was introduced during the “CCP Presents” keynote at 2014’s Fan Fest. That strategy envisioned players launching their character into any of their three offerings: EVE, Valkyrie, or DUST (as Legion on PC), while preserving their identity across games. This strategy would allow players to participate in different play styles with different time commitments, from ten-minute Valkyrie sessions to three hours or more in EVE, all while keeping the immersive investment in the same character.
Establishing an “EVE Universe” ecosystem with shared social and economic structures (markets, and Aurum) was the roadmap back then, but that changed.
In January 2015, CCP’s Chief Technical Officer, Halldor Fannar, left for Nvidia. He had presided over Carbon Engine and “EVE United“ technologies. The following fanfest didn’t have a “CCP Presents” keynote to reaffirm CCP’s commitment to the “EVE Universe” plan, but the absence of a declared direction does not mean CCP is not talking through its actions. A look at CCP’s website featured Valkyrie first. The “About” section shows EVE devs with Oculus Rift headsets on, playing something virtual. Their message is “We create virtual worlds” and they state, “At CCP we see games as virtual realities.” By the looks of their website and press releases one would think CCP only developed VR titles. This overwhelming public messaging affirms CCP’s commitment to be a leading VR developer.
VR
CCP fully embracing VR as company is a calculated risk, just like the MMO trend in 2003. Like the rise of social gaming, VR looks like a genuine sea-change. Investment money is pouring into this sector:
“Venture capitalists and angel investors are apparently crowding in on the sector. As Ian Baverstock put it at Develop: “From an investment point of view, oh my God, virtual reality is the place you want to be.” – Keith Stuart and Jordan Erica Webber, The Guardian
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being raised from investors ($500 million for Magic Leap), and companies are already buying properties; Facebook paid two billion dollars for Oculus. VR headsets for PCs are just the beginning. Microsoft’s Hololens, along with Magic Leap, paint a world where real life is infused with virtual objects.
CCP has been getting into financial shape to take advantage of these opportunities. The company raised thirty million dollars in investment money to further explore VR, and before that, paid down twenty million dollars in debt bonds.
“It’s definitely the best VR experience I’ve had in the three years since I put on the first Oculus Rift prototype” -Aaron Souppouris, senior editor, Engadget
As CCP approaches the launch of a new game, comparisons to its last game launch are naturally made.
VALKYRIE LAUNCH DIFFERS FROM DUST’S
Although both Valkyrie and DUST will be free to play initially, Valkryie will have a wider release. DUST was only available to PS3 players, something EVE players grumbled about when it launched. Valkyrie will ship free of charge with Oculus Rift, a headset used with PCs, but also be purchasable for Sony’s Morpheus, which connects to the twenty-million-strong PS4s.
Aside from access, Valkyrie and DUST have opposite strategies. DUST arrived late into PlayStation 3’s (PS3) lifecycle, and didn’t set itself apart from other FPS games on the console. The game’s unique selling point was its integration into EVE, through Faction Warfare, socially, and through limited combat in the form of orbital bombardments. Valkyrie will launch on the wings of a whole new technology.
DUST is still only on PS3, but CCP’s “Legion” project may yet port the game to PC as part of the “EVE United” plan, though little information has been released on that effort. There has not been any news on moving DUST to PS4 either. DUST devs were called back to Iceland recently to talk about the future of the game, but no public announcements have been made.
While DUST was seen as an avenue to connect to EVE, Valkyrie is being pushed as a separate product. Developers are more likely to talk of it as an example of an e-sport title for competitive flight sim fighter pilots, than to refer how it fits into EVE Online. A connection to EVE may develop in the future, but those plans are not in the works yet; only backstory ties Valkyrie to EVE. DUST players might have created EVE accounts to support their mercenaries, but there is no need for Valkyrie players to do the same.
HOOKING VALKYRIE PLAYERS
New camera option available in EVE bring an amazing sense of scale back to the game, the same scale felt in Valkyrie. EVE has a new first-person view that allows EVE pilots to fly like they are in the cockpit of a fighter, and recent WASD key-mappings allow manual piloting. Using a joystick to fly an interceptor is now possible, and CPP has said there is more to come, perhaps thruster, pitch and yaw controls. Hint: try a microwarped fly-by of a station or capital ship. The combination of new camera options and manual piloting make it quite a different experience.
The gameplay in EVE has changed too. Devs desire to make individual pilots make meaningful decisions while in combat is on the record. New mechanics are breaking up the old “anchor on the FC and shoot shoot the primary target” meta, a practice made even worse by assigning drones and fleet warps. Under this system, Fleet Commanders did all the meaningful work.
Recent changes to logistic and e-war modules are also encouraging pilots to make more decisions themselves. In Valkyrie, there is no sitting back to let things happen, and EVE is going down that route too.
Even capitals are being pushed into this new mold. There used to be a split in tactics between sub capitals and capitals, especially super capitals. Battles would usually form around supercapitals that assemble into a buddy-repairing blob, but game mechanic changes will break that up soon.
“Capital ships should be effective in most combat situations without completely dominating the battlefield and without invalidating other ship types.” – Dev team Team Five 0
CCP is bringing caps and supers into alignment with sub-capitals by nerfing e-war immunity, creating refitting timers, eliminating remote repairs, and bringing native EHP down. All of these changes are counterbalanced with new modules, specialized ships, and new abilities, forcing players to make choices on the battlefield. The massive offensive advantages of supers—fighters. fighter-bombers, or doomsday blasts—will need tactical targeting by a pilot too.
Essentially, CCP has been making the EVE more exciting to fight in, and that will also appeal to Valkyrie players who might want a little more persistence in their virtual reality. EVE offers markets, manufacturing, resources harvesting, exploration and exploitation that Valkyrie does not.
In 2016, we will see new players in EVE. The question is if can they be retained, or if they will fall off the learning curve.
Materall’s next article will explore retention efforts by CCP, and how you can help.
