December 1, 2009
EVE Online: Dominion Expansion
Released
EVE’s
12th free expansion alters the dynamics of player warfare
CCP
today launched EVE Online: Dominion, the 12th free expansion for the highly
successful sci-fi MMO, EVE Online. The battlefields of the universe will be
gorged with wrecks as the player alliances of EVE, some over five thousand
pilots strong, adapt to the new way in which territory is conquered and held.
EVE Online: Dominion is designed to catalyze player relationships, whether brief
and antagonistic, protracted and mutually beneficial or anywhere along the
spectrum—bringing the greatest opponents ever created, other players, into
closer conflict.
EVE’s
Lead Game Designer, Noah Ward, explains the driving force behind Dominion. “Our
goal for EVE is to maximize human interaction and then leverage it to make a
more meaningful, interesting game. Dominion was designed to give players more
tools to mold their experience with better means of communication and extra
rounds of ammunition. Undoubtedly, the compelling intrigue we’ve seen in EVE
will never end as pilots fight to bend the universe to their will.”
Sovereignty changes require fresh
strategies for those interested in controlling space, doing away with the
entrenched siege battles of the past in favor of more active conflict. Alliances
will now have unprecedented control over their territory, the power to change
them to suit their own goals and playstyles. Their actions in controlled space
will affect the valuable resources which become available to them through system
upgrades, allowing them to increase the number of wormholes, valuable asteroid
belts and even pirate forces within their borders.
Doomsday Devices, the ultimate
weapons of the Titan class ships, have been re-engineered to deliver a massive,
decisive blow against a single target. This change is the tip of the spear. Many
ship classes have re-emerged from the shipyards to carry the pilots that fly
them to victory.
Two of New Eden’s most infamous
pirate factions have opened up their coffers to those willing to dip into the
underworld through two of new Epic Mission Arcs. The Guristas and the Angel
Cartel favor speed over might and riches over morality. For those pilots willing
to turn their backs on the safety of the Empires of New Eden, the pirate
factions represent an expanded opportunity to engage in the cat and mouse games
of more dangerous space
CCP
is also deploying a Fleet Finder tool with Dominion, empowering pilots to
mobilize quicker when a threat lurks on the other side of the gate or when an
extra ship is all you need to finish a mission.
Improving existing technology is
always a part of every expansion. For EVE Online: Dominion, a new in-game
browser based on modern, secure and robust technology, as well as a revamped
mail system with standard tagging tools to help keep the mail organized are the
foundation of a larger community development initiative that will be deployed
early in 2010.
And last, but certainly not least,
the planets of EVE are getting a major graphic overhaul as CCP continues its
planned graphic upgrades to the game. Varied planets, from desert to ice, glow
with unique beauty, orbited by harsh moons that show the scars and craters of
their ancient formation. In the distance massive gas giants swirl with chaotic
storms, and in the depths of space the stars are revealed in even more glory
than before.
