June 11, 2008
Factional Warfare Erupts in EVE
Online with Launch of Empyrean Age CCP Unfolds New Storyline and Gameplay in
Free Expansion
CCP, one of the world’s leading
independent game developers, today announced the launch of the eighth free
expansion for EVE Online, its popular massively multi-player online game (MMOG).
EVE Online: Empyrean Age destroys the peace of New Eden as long suppressed
political tensions between the four major Empires of EVE boil over into direct
conflict. Stalwart starship pilots join the newly mustered militias and make
solitary strikes deep within enemy territory. By choosing sides in this epic
war, players have the power to direct the course of the conflict. New players
can quickly immerse themselves in the EVE universe by diving into large-scale
factional battles.
The events leading to the outbreak
of war in the expansion are based on the science-fiction novel, EVE: The
Empyrean Age, utilizing a rare and dynamic creative style where an MMO and
traditional literature mirror each other’s development. Written by EVE novelist
Tony Gonzales, EVE: The Empyrean Age will be released in the UK by ORION Books
on June 19, 2008 with worldwide distribution to follow.
"Factional Warfare has been on the
wish list for a while and we’re excited to be able to introduce it in this
expansion, giving players a new framework to engage in roleplaying and PvP,"
said Noah Ward, lead designer for CCP. "The focus is on accessibility and fun.
The features in Empyrean Age will appeal to players on many different levels: a
tightly integrated storyline, social camaraderie, focused combat and battle
statistics."
The dawn of the Empyrean Age entails
the following new features: – Factional Militias and Ranks – The militias serve
to organize each government’s war effort. All militia members will share a chat
channel to allow them to quickly coordinate strategy. The ranking system rewards
talented pilots by granting titles and recognition within their chosen militia.
– Factional Warfare Agents – More than 260 new militia agents coordinate the
activities of militia pilots and assign missions inside enemy territory. –
Statistics – Pilots can track their own warfare victories and kill statistics,
as well as those of their corporation and militia. In addition, the galactic map
has new options to show system control status and to detect the presence of
hostile militia forces. – System Occupancy – Occupancy is gained by winning
conflicts in contested complexes and indicates that the militia is succeeding in
capturing and holding valuable territory for their empire. – Combat Zones –
Starship pilots will find a variety of combat zones in low security space. Each
of the systems within a combat zone contains a System Control Bunker which
coordinates all activity within that system’s Factional Warfare Complexes. Once
a militia defeats a certain number of complexes, they are authorized to attack
the bunker. A victory against the Control Bunker shifts control of the system to
the victorious militia. – Factional Warfare Complexes – Militia pilots that
successfully scan for a hidden deadspace complex and hold it uncontested for a
set amount of time will claim it for their faction, and be rewarded with
corporate standing as well as more tangible benefits. – World Shaping – The
confines of settled space cannot contain a war of this scale, causing the
fighting to spill over into a new region. Named "Black Rise," this new region
contains 49 new star systems, 80 new agents and nearly 40 stations, many of
which are already sworn to one faction or another.
A list of features with full details
can be found at
http://www.eveonline.com/empyreanage/index.html.
Availability: EVE Online: Empyrean
Age is available for subscribers as a free download at
www.eve-online.com/download/. Non-subscribers should visit the EVE
website to sign up for a free 14-day trial account. EVE: The Empyrean Age,
published by ORION Books, will be available in the UK through online outlets
such as Amazon, PLAY, Waterstone’s and The Book Depository as well as select
retailers including Borders and The Forbidden Planet.
About EVE Online Set tens of
thousands of years in the future, EVE Online is a breathtaking journey to the
stars, to an immersive experience filled with adventure, riches, danger and
glory. With over 230,000 subscribers worldwide inhabiting the same virtual
universe, EVE features a vast player-run economy where your greatest asset is
the starship, designed to accommodate your specific needs, skills and ambitions.
EVE offers professions ranging from commodities trader to mercenary, industrial
entrepreneur to pirate, mining engineer to battle fleet commander or any
combination of these and much more. From brokering business deals to waging war,
you will have access to a diverse array of sophisticated tools and interfaces to
forge your own destiny in EVE. Learn more and sign up for a free, 14-day trial
at www.eve-online.com.
Definition of Subscribers EVE Online
subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an
active electronic time code (ETC) to play EVE Online, as well as those who have
purchased the game and are within their free month of access. The above
definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or
cancelled subscriptions and expired ETCs.
