Latest Patch Notes

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Eve Online Guides

Basic guides to get you started making isk in New Eden.

Blueprint Research Guide

Basic guide to start researching blueprint orginals.

New to Eve Online?

Check out the Beginner's Guide

Planetary Interaction: Investment Guide

Investment Guide to designing your own PI production.

April 28, 2013

1 Billion in Networth: The Challenges of a Newbie

After 5 months of playing time, I finally reached 1 billion in net worth. I have only been keeping track of my assets and cash for the past several months but with a total of 5 months training time under my belt I surpassed 1 billion in net worth about the first of April.


Challenges of a New Trader
If your a new player and you own anywhere from 0 to 1 billion isk you find you don't have a secure way of transporting A:Large objects or B: Large volumes of expensive items. Each time I undock I take a risk. The expensive trading options can be very risky business.

The simple fact of the matter is I don't have a freighter. If I had a freighter I could "safely transport" expensive items across high sec or get into the larger ship market. Now I know what your going to say use Red Frog Freight that is all fun and games but there current rates are 1 million a contract and 500,000 isk a jump after that. With how tight trade margins are these days no way am I going to make any money using this method. Why not mission to make isk? Mission grinding is boring and I started this game to play the market anyway. Why not get some PLEX and sell those to buy your shine freighter? I can't say this hasn't crossed my mind a time or two. I don't want to buy PLEX I'll take the long road. With that in mind I have nothing to complain about really those are my options. So what does it all mean? See my new investment strategy below.

Reinvestment: My evolving investment strategy for the summer
As stated above I can't really get into the ship market until I have a freighter. It takes to long to haul the minerals to production and haul the ships back to market. I don't have that much time to play. So with that in mind I am liquidating all my module and asset production.This past week I stopped my one week production cycle and am shifting all my remaining production stock on to the market.

So for the summer or at least for the next several months I am moving into implant trading. Why implant trading you say? Implants are easy to transport in large volumes and for the time being they have decent returns something like 10% when you start hub to hub trading which is what I am usually doing. The returns on the production I was making weighed in about 25 to 30% but I was running into cargo space problems as I outlined above.

Here is hoping for the summer.

April 26, 2013

Operation Mining Laser Upgrade 1

A couple of weeks ago I just happen to be in game when some one decided they wanted to buy out the entire Mining Laser Upgrade 1 market, don't ask I don't get it either. Not only had I just returned from jita with about 1,500 of them literally minutes before they started buying them out but I had already posted a few market orders in a couple systems before the buyout. I was able to not only sell my stock for triple what it was worth but also ride the resulting bubble making 100k a unit for about 5 days. Total profit about 40 million. I'm not jumping into retirement any time soon but the laughs  were what really counts.

Over 6,000 units bought out.

April 24, 2013

Fanfested: 2013

Watch Fanfest: 2013 live over at http://www.twitch.tv/ccp. If you want to pay the twenty bucks, I think is what there asking anyway, you can pick up the HD stream, other wise head over and watch the 480p :) I'll be tuning in when I can. Full Schedule below.

Watch live video from twitchernest on www.twitch.tv
GMT/PST Wednesday 24th PST
20:45/13:45 EVE TV goes to the Symphony 21:00/14:00 The EVE Symphony 2013

GMT/PST Thursday 25th
11:00/04:00 Welcome to Fanfest 2013 with EVE TV
12:00/05:00 Retribution Roundup
13:00/06:00 Ship Balancing
14:00/07:00 EVE is Real - Bringing FTL to IRL
15:00/08:00 Game Design: Balancing Tears & Laughter
16:00/09:00 Lowsec PvP/Crimewatch
17:00/10:00 (e)Merging Economies
18:00/11:00 DUST 514 KEYNOTE
19:00/12:00 DUST 514 KEYNOTE
20:00/13:00 DUST 514 Reflecting the Universe
21:00/14:00 End of Fanfest Day 1

GMT/PST Friday 26th
11:00/04:00 EVE Economy: A Decade in Review
12:00/05:00 DUST 514 Planetary Conquest in Low Sec
13:00/06:00 DUST 514 Advancing the Core
14:00/07:00 EVE is Real - Asteroid Mining
15:00/08:00 EVE Security
16:00/09:00 Game Design - Live Session
17:00/10:00 EVE Keynote
18:00/11:00 EVE Keynote
19:00/12:00 Dev. & Ops are in a Relationship
20:00/13:00 Remixing EVE: You did WHAT?
21:00/14:00 End of Fanfest Day 2

GMT/PST Saturday 27th 
11:00/04:00 Art Panel
12:00/05:00 PvP Tournament Finals
13:00/06:00 PvP Tournament Finals
14:00/07:00 EVE is Real - Space Elevators
15:00/08:00 Games as Art - EVE & other Games at the MoMA
16:00/09:00 Concept Art - Live Session
17:00/10:00 CCP PRESENTS!
18:00/11:00 CCP PRESENTS!
19:00/12:00 Prototyping the Future of EVE
20:00/13:00 EVE TV Reviews Fanfest 2013
21:00/14:00 Party at the Top of the World
00:00/17:00 End of Fanfest Day 3

April 21, 2013

Fanfest Cinematic Trailer 2012

With Fanfest 2013 only 4 days away I thought we should revisit the cinematic trailer from fanfest 2012. Now sit back and get excited for whats in store this week at Fanfest 2013.


April 19, 2013

Eve Odyssey: Prepare and Speculate


Post Updated: June 3, 2013
Eve Online: Odyssey Summer Expansion
Release Date: June 4, 2013
43 Days after Fanfest April 24, 2013
35 Days after May 1, 2013
7 Days after May 28, 2013
Patch NotesOdyssey 1.0
Test Server:
Our EVE: Odyssey Exploration features now available for testing on Sisi
Our EVE: Radial Menu now available for testing on Sisi, demonstration

Eveonline.com:
Eveonline.com/odyssey
Discovery Scanner: Using this new system, more pilots will reveal the hidden secrets of the EVE Universe. Beautiful new visuals, customizable controls and new functionality have been added to encourage the adventurer in everyone. There is now more among the stars, enticing even the most experienced veterans to explore.
A New "Spacescape": A rebalance of major areas of space from highsec to nullsec include changes in exploration sites, industrial resources, some types of NPC loot and more…
The Little Things: Continued development towards raising accessibility without removing functionality will bring dozens of changes to player-owned starbases, game UI and beyond.
The War Machines: Forged by the lessons learned from countless combat pilots, the four factions will issue forth with the latest tools of war and re-designs of old favorites - ships as awe-inspiring as they are deadly.
The Story Line Continued: The shared EVE Universe storyline continues to evolve following the Battle for Caldari Prime, with participatory events spawning unique player stories in two games at once.

Fanfest 2013: April 25 - 27, 2013
Announcements. I expect a lot of information and features to be released during Fanfest.
"A huge amount of detail coming from Fanfest then." - CCP on Video 4:10

EVE Fanfest 2013: EVE Keynote Along with the keynote all of the other Fanfest videos are up on youtube you can find them here.

EVE Universe: Origins  < New trailer doesn't really have anything to do with Odyssey though.
EVE Fanfest 2013 - EVE Keynote - New Jumpeffect and Scanner *NEW*


Forums:
Features and Ideas Discussion lots of features and changes don't make it into the devblogs check them out here. Forum links listed here in no real order:

[Odyssey] Small Navy Cap Boosters CCP Fozzie states this is the last of the changes for Odyssey 1.0 I assume.
[Odyssey] X-L Weapons Balance
[Odyssey] Clone Costs Clone Costs are being lowered by 30% can't argue with that.
[Odyssey] Navy Battleships Posted: 5/13/2013
[Odyssey] Tech 1 Battleships - Build Costs It is beyond me why they let this sort of stuff just slip into the forums. I guess they don't want mass hysteria as everyone slams the market buying up battleships. I am sure by now the price has already adjusted. So if your wondering why your paying 40 million more for your little T1 Battleship this is why. So if you thought the ore changes were going to drop prices in the mineral market think twice before dumping your stocks or speculating on that shift.
[Oddysey] Capital Rigs
[Odyssey] Cruise Missiles
[Odyssey] Large Energy Turrets
[Odyssey] Ship Resistance Bonuses
[Odyssey] Tech 1 Battleships - Amarr
[Odyssey] Tech 1 Battleships - Minmatar
[Odyssey] Tech 1 Battleships - Gallente
[Odyssey] Faction Navy Cruisers
[Odyssey] Navy Battlecruisers
[Odyssey] Tech 1 Battleships - Caldari
[Odyssey] Attack Battlecruiser balance pass
[Odyssey] Faction Navy Frigates
[Odyssey] T1 Frigate Polish Pass and Naglfar fix
[Odyssey] T1 Cruiser Polish Pass
[Odyssey] Module Rebalancing Part One: RSBs and TEs

DevBlogs:
Sensor overlay changes in EVE Odyssey
Odyssey Ship Balancing
U and I made some changes: Odyssey UI changes A few consolidations of right click menus and a few other chat changes.
Probe Scanning and other Goodies for Odyssey A great list of changes coming to exploration and a few other things explained.
Reinventing the Radial Menu for Odyssey
Dual Character Training Wow, this is an excellent feature that I think will only increase the ability for this game to reach out to more players. I don't think we can even see how far reaching the effects of this change will be for isk, PLEX, and players.
Hacking in Odyssey  "This first release of changes to Hacking and Archaeology are just the tip of the iceberg. In the future we hope to add in much more variety into the subsystems you encounter whilst hacking." - CCP Bayesian
WantToTrade: Tags for Security Status The complete run down on the new system for gaining security status from -10 to 0, as explained during CCP MasterPlan's Fanfest presentation.
Resource Rebalancing in Odyssey: Numbers!
Resource Shakeup in Odyssey: Just don’t call it a Cataclysm Reading through these changes nothing strikes me as an oh snap I am going to invest/change what I am doing. I guess there will be even more ore so prices will go down? I guess the scanner could be cool. This whole devblog seems like a piece to a puzzle that we haven't quit seen the whole thing.
Odyssey Summer Expansion Starbase Iterations
In the Navy: Changes to Navy Ships in Odyssey
The Great Ship Skill Changes of Summer 2013 "All of this will happen for the Summer 2013 expansion." Which we now know is Odyssey. This Devblog has the most far reaching effects for me in-game and you would do well to sit down and take a hard look at all the skill changes being made. For new players the skill change for industrial ships will go a long way towards letting you fly around with a little more cargo. Also note if you could fly it before you can still fly it after the expansion goes live.

News and Blogs:
Neural-boost.com/odyssey
Torchwood Archives: Eve Online: Odyssey Status Post < great list of explanations for a lot of subtle changes coming patch day. The closet thing to patch notes we have right now.
Massively's EVE Evolved: EVE's Odyssey expansion could be incredible
PC Gamer's EVE’s Odyssey expansion will bring much requested Starbase improvements

Videos:
CCP In Development: the features of EVE Online: Odyssey
CCP's Fanfest 2013 All videos
CCP's PAX East 2013 EVE Online Odyssey world premier reveal
Curse.com's EVE Online Odyssey Expansion - Interview - PAX East 2013
Amir Hamzah's Eve Online - Odyssey Capital Ships V3 
EVExploration's Eve Online Odyssey Update: New Gallente Capital Ship Textures And Hangers!

April 14, 2013

EVE Fanfest 2012: Last Years Video Trailers

As Fanfest 2013 nears I have been watching some of the video trailers from last year. I really can't wait tell for all the exciting videos and trailers this year.


April 10, 2013

What is Eve Online? Frequently Asked Questions

Are you thinking about playing Eve Online? Or new to the game?. You might have a few questions about the game, I know I had a lot of questions. It can be hard to find answers to some of your questions. Below is a list of Eve Online related questions and answers from my perspective as a new player.




What is Eve Online?
Eve Online is a Sci-fi spaced based MMO. Based on one continuous server, everyone plays in the same game server. The game is a sandbox style, you can do what you want. Check out the Eve Online Wikipedia article or the official Eve Wiki About Eve Online article for more information.

When did Eve Online come out?
Eve Online launched in 2003. The game has changed a lot through its many expansions.


How are the graphics? Have they been updated?
Yes, the graphics have been updated several times over the years and still look sweet. Ship models are constantly being updated. Here is a link to the latest System Requirements.

Is Eve Online Fun?
The game is incredibly fun noting that I am biased. Maybe fun isn't the right word more like addicting.

Is Eve Online Hard?
The game mechanics can be complicated. It is hard to just jump in but like all games the only way to learn is to just jump in and play.


How much does the game cost?
Eve Online costs $19.95 that lets you buy the game and gives you your first month of time to play. Sometimes you can get the game through steam for as little as $5 dollars during one of their weekend deals. Also if you have an old account they sometimes have special offers for resubscribing.


What is the monthly subscription fee?
The monthly subscription fee is $14.95 dollars a month.

Are the expansions free?

Yes, to date all the expansions have been free.

Is it worth the subscription fee to play?
For me I started playing the 14 day trial and loved it. I wasn't doing anything exciting or fancy I was just playing with simple ships and mining asteroids I subscribed after a week of playing.


What is a PLEX?
Pilot Licenses Extensions or PLEX is an actual in game item you can redeem for 1 month of Eve Online game time or trade on the in-game market.
 
Can you buy in-game money with real money?
In a way you can buy whats called a PLEX through your account management for 19.95 for 1. A PLEX is an actual in game item. You can a) redeem this item for 1 month of game time or b) trade it in-game for in-game money(ISK). Current In-game PLEX prices can be found at Eve Central.

Can you make enough in-game money in your first month to buy a PLEX?
With no help, no in-game friends, no corporations, I tried mining I played about an hour a day average. All I did was mine and trade some. I made 240 million ISK. A PLEX at the time(July 2012) ran about 500 million ISK. You will have loads more fun in game if you don't worry about the money and just pay for the subscription but everyone has to learn for themselves. If you work hard after 3 to 6 months in, you could be paying for your game with PLEX.

How many characters can you have on an account?
You can create up to three characters on a single account, only one character at a time can train skills though.

Can you have more than one account?
You can have more than one account. Lots of players use more than one account and I have heard of some big corporate hot shots having as many as 22 accounts. 
 
What is Dust 514?

Eve: Dust 514 is a free to play FPSMMO for Sony's PS3. The game is played out on planets within the Eve Online Universe. Check out the Dust 514 Wikipedia article for more information.

Is Dust 514 free to play?
Yes.

April 5, 2013

Bridging the "Cliff"

What to do after you hit the Cliff? Now a lot of people are going to tell you different things for example: just try everything, or go make money, or just play. Find the one style of game play that you like and do that. While all these are great suggestions they don't really point you in any direction and they don't address the two biggest challenges with the cliff. So if your just finishing your 14 or 21 day game trial subscription or your just activated your subscription for the first time lets bridge this cliff and get you moving in a direction.

http://www.restokin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Sensory_Overload.jpg

What are the two challenges you need to confront when you hit the "cliff"? First, you don't have very much isk to try different play styles out and second you don't have very deep skill training in anything to make a lot of isk thus compounding the challenge. For example you don't have any Planetary Interaction skills yet, if your on a trial account you may rudely be awakened to the fact that you can't train industrial ships. You might be shocked to find that the Accounting skill (Used to lower the cost of Trading on the market) cost 4.5 million isk and you have only 3 million isk to your name.When I found out it cost over a million isk to buy a cloaking device I think I stopped playing for two days. Now that you understand better what your limitations are lets take a step back and get a perspective of the greater game here for a minute.

With the above reasons in mind I want to explain something to you before you play this game much longer. Eve Online is what you might a Real Time MMO, this is for two reasons your skills train in real time and your plans to play the game are going to happen over real time. You can't log in one weekend grind for 48 hours straight and be level 100 and have all the skills and gear there is in the game. It just isn't possible. Your going to have to, at the very least, write down some goals read a little, and maybe just maybe, think. I know its hard but life sucks and then you die but that's it, it's ok to die, because you know what? You get a clone in-game that will forgive your mistakes and bring you back to life(just not your expensive implants).

The reason I like this game is because it is long term and you can actually make plans on how to play the game and you won't be patched over making all your hard work irrelevant after only a three months. This is the exact reason I stopped playing WoW, two years ago. Because after you have been playing for several years you realize you will never get ahead ever! The reason they patch all your gear into oblivion every three months isn't to help you go anywhere its to keep you subscribing for the game. Opps, did I just give away their scam of a business model. Sorry folks, grinding for the same gear I just spent three months grinding for is in of itself a mindless arcade game that just takes a couple days longer to beat. Back to Eve, long term, stay with it, long term.

My advice is when you reach the cliff you need to do two things:
  • Make some isk.
  • Make a skill training plan.
And if your lucky enough to have a vague idea of where you want to go in the Eve universe, I suggest making a good skill plan around that as well as a good outline of what you want to do your the lucky one here.
How do you make some isk? Now if you have an idea of what you want to do in game and you are training towards that good for you this guide isn't for you. To start making some isk you can do two simple things.
  • Run Missions
That will give you some income to A: try different aspects of the game out or B: get going on that plan for galactic domination you outlined or what ever you are trying to do.

How do you make a skill training plan? Download EveMon first of all. Then do some searching around the web, you can find a lot of guides about professions in Eve and they usually mention a few key skills that you will need. Use these as a templates and put together a list of skills you want to be working towards.

Remember think long term, when I say long term I mean one month is short term, three months is getting there six months is getting about right, a year? not unheard of.

Note: If you start down a path say a month into training some skills and it just isn't your thing that's ok, start working towards something else. My main has deep skills into a wide assortment of random things. Life happens your plan is just a template of what you hope you want to do.