EVE Online developer CCP will be broadcasting the highlights of this year's Fanfest event starting Wednesday. The stream will be free in standard def, while $20 (around £13) will get you the HD stream and a couple in-game EVE items: a Quafe commemorative t-shirt and a Pirate Faction Rookie Frigate.
No, our latest episode's title is not a slam on EnMasse Entertainment’s upcoming TERA, which you'll hear Gavin talk about glowingly this week. Sadly, in addition to otherwise joyous impressions on Legend of Grimrock (which you can WIN right here!), as well as Josh's updates on EVE Online and Dust 514 fresh from Fanfest, we say a heartfelt goodbye to a member of the PC Gamer US team.
PC Gamer US Podcast 311: TERA-ble News
A lot of information came out at last week's FanFest convention about EVE Online and it's console shooter cousin, DUST 514. We sat down with EVE Online's lead game designer, Kristoffer Touborg, to get the backstory on how these design choices were made and why they won't stop EVE players from griefing the "dustbunnies" playing DUST 514.
In EVE Online's lore, our characters are immortal. For all intents and purposes, we are gods that rule our universe. Console players who enter our domain when DUST 514 launches later this year have good reason to fear their space-dwelling overlords: we will make them fight, and die, for our amusement.
Fanfest is less of a convention and more like a giant, booze-fueled family reunion. Devs and players hang out together all week long to laugh about the stupid things that happened in their EVE family this past year, argue about the way things should be done, and play a ton of games.
And at this family reunion, nothing's more anticipated than the big EVE keynote, where the developers reveal their plans for the entire year. But like most family reunions, it's ten times too long for anyone outside the family. So, for you outsiders or on-and-off EVErs, here's a quick rundown of the big changes you should care about.
This afternoon at Fanfest's hugely anticipated EVE Online keynote, Senior Producer Jon Lander revealed their plan to update EVE Online throughout 2012, complete with release dates for each element.
The plans include the usual two expansions, along with a few new additions to their annual update plans.
CCP has been very upfront about the mistakes they made with EVE Online's Incarna expansion last year. Namely, they believe they added large features too quickly, which moved the focus of the game away from space combat.
This morning at EVE Online's Fanfest player convention in Iceland, I asked CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson if he was concerned that they were making the same mistake by having their upcoming console shooter, DUST 514, interact with EVE Online at its launch.
He doesn't think so. "We’re not trying to cram [DUST 514] into EVE Online. So it’s different [from Incarna] in that sense: it’s not going to affect your everyday EVE experience unless you want it to."
Fanfest brings together EVE Online fans and developers in what just might be the largest gathering of gaming boozery known on earth. But they also talk about games! It's three days packed full of events, interviews, developer talks, parties and more. PC Gamer is sending our own Josh Augustine and Owen Hill to rub elbows with EVE Online's finest. This year CCP is also livestreaming it all to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage.
Be sure to catch the Dust 514 Keynote on Thursday and check back in for the World of Darkness MMO talk on Saturday. You can find the full schedule on their website or inside the post.
