CCP will introduce new overview settings for cynosural fields, changes to the Neocom user interface, a long list of minor tweaks and updates, and a new Guardian’s Gala event when the February release goes live during downtime on February 12. Downtime will begin as usual at 11:00 UTC and is expected to conclude by 11:15 with all updates, patches, and the Guardian’s Gala event fully implemented.
Guardian’s Gala
For the third consecutive year, CCP is running the popular Guardian’s Gala event, scheduled to run from February 12-26. The event challenges intrepid pilots to face one of EVE’s pirate factions in event sites across all reaches of space. The Angel Cartel, antagonists of 2017’s edition, will return to terrorize capsuleers this year. As in past years, rewards will include cerebral accelerators and Spirit SKINs. The loot system has been overhauled, however, and no longer provides the best rewards through event site drops.
Capsuleers can also earn rewards by completing challenges through the Agency menu, which is by now a familiar fixture of CCP’s events. Past events utilizing Agency tracking rewarded cerebral accelerators, fixed SKIN rewards, and even ship hulls through this feature. New for 2019’s Guardian’s Gala, however, is a new type of structure called Paradise Clubs where Capsuleers can exchange Gala tickets (presumably earned by completing sites), a set ISK cost, and an event commodity called Chromodynamic Tricarboxyl to receive Guardian’s Gala Surprise Gifts, which will include Domination, Shadow Serpentis, and Deadspace modules, Spirit SKINs, and items unique to the event.
Cynosural Overview and Neocom
In response to feedback from players, CCP has introduced an overview category for cynosural fields. This will allow players to add and remove cynos independently from other beacons in custom overview tabs. Previously, cynos were grouped with all other beacon types including permanent memorials placed by CCP, Forward Operating Bases in systems where NPC pirates established such facilities, event sites, and many others, forcing players to toggle all of them on or off in the overview. This created problems for players using cynosural fields (or hunting other players using the beacons, which are visible on overview throughout the entire system) while having no option to hide the purely PVE and ornamental beacons. Interestingly, although the feature has not yet been implemented, it is currently visible in the Celestials category of the overview settings under the name Future Home of Cyno Fields.
The Neocom menu, which CCP acknowledges to be unnecessarily cluttered and potentially intimidating to new users, will be reorganized into a system of folders corresponding to the most common types of activities. Additionally, several default icons will be removed from the Quick Access Bar, the vertical menu of icons visible on the left side of the screen. However, CCP will not remove any icons from the Quick Access Bar of active players during the February release – only new players will encounter the simplified UI. Last, CCP will remove three storage icons from the Neocom altogether: Holds and Bays, Open Item Hangar, and Open Ship Hangar. These options are all available through various inventory windows and are redundant in the Neocom.
Other Changes
The full patch notes include many other changes of varying levels of significance. Major items are highlighted below.
- Fighters loaded in fighter tubes when a carrier, supercarrier, or citadel is destroyed will now drop as loot
- The four most commonly used citadel services (fitting, insurance, repair, re-customization) will be grouped in a single icon when looking at the My Structures tab in the Structure Browser
- Cargo scanning will now display an estimated price and item count
- The drag-and-drop feature for items and players (e.g. click-dragging a name from local chat into a contract field, message, or other interface) has been expanded to work with fields where it was not previously possible, including corporation applications, contact list, fitting window, and blueprint browser
- The Industry window will include a Job Summary indicating the number of active jobs across all industry types
- Drone assist menus will display only pilots on grid with the player (whereas previously it displayed all pilots in fleet)
- Broadcast settings can be shared in the same manner as overview settings by click-dragging the settings icon
- Courier contracts (during creation and acceptance) will show total volume and calculate ISK/m3
- Minor unspecified visual updates to the Ares and Naglfar
For screenshots and additional commentary related to each change, check out CCP’s latest post on the February release.
