Recently released Incursion 1.0.1 static data dump (you can read more about EVE data dumps here) contains a funny (but rather unsettling) Sansha related easter egg. Database dump also contains the Revenant, which means we might encounter this mighty supercarrier in the next developer-run incursion.
EDIT: This is a product of reprocessing Purloined Sansha Codebreaker.
True Slave Decryption Node
“Functionally, this piece of hardware – obviously of Sansha origin – is an extremely sophisticated parallel processing unit. Connecting it to a standard interface bus and running a few diagnostics reveals that it has been configured to act as the master node for a quasi-distributed decryption system, and its response rate suggests that it’s exceptionally efficient at this task.
It is, however, difficult to ignore the fact that it’s also a head in a jar – particularly when it opens its eyes briefly, looks around, and frowns.”
Second part of Incursion expansion to the well-known sci-fi MMORPG will be published on the next Tuesday. So, what does this part of Expansion bring? First off, all Learning skills, are going to be removed from the game. Previously, every character had to train Learnings in order to train all the other skills faster. Instead, each character is going to get a permanent bonus of +12 to every attribute. This makes it a great moment to start playing EVE.
Second gift for christmas is a new ship – Echelon. It is a new limited edition ship, which all active players are going to get for free. The new ship is a CONCORD project, containing some reverse engineered Sansha technology and is rigged specifically for hacking and breaking electronic locks (Hacking is a mini-profession in the world of EVE).
We still have to wait for the final part of Incursion until January 2011. The last part is going to bring the brand-new character creator based on Carbon technology, along with the title Sansha Incursions. Until then, all players can still participate in developer-run incursions.
EDIT:
Because of FIRE in CCP server room (one of the Blade’s faulty power supplies caught fire) the deployment has been rescheduled one day to 15th of December.
Last monday Apple has released new version of iOS 4.2.1 which is available for iPad’s, iPod touch 2gen and later, and iPhone’s 3G and later. This new software brings some minor changes listed below:
For iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
AirPlay (replacement of AirTunes, AirPlay will offer stream video, music, and photos over Wi-Fi)
AirPrint Wireless Printing with Print Center (select models)
Import .ics calendar files directly for events
Birthdays icon has been changed in calendar
Updated Carrier Settings (Orange Poland again shows as Orange instead of PL OPL)
New fonts for Notes in Settings (Helvetica and Chalkboard)
Added an indicator in the App Store which shows if an App supports Game Center
Support for CoreMIDI
YouTube voting
Minor improvements in UI graphics – new icons
New wallpapers
Fixes the alarm bug caused by daylight saving time changing, affected on a part of iPhone and iPod Touch owners located in Australia, New Zealand, and some European countries.
Improved iPhone 3G performance
Additions to multitasking tray: Volume controls & AirPlay controls
Assign different text tone alerts to each contact (iPhone only)
CCP has released a dev-blog about the future of Learning Skills which need to be trained by each and every character in the game to make training efficient. Basically these skills improve 5 basic character attributes, and all training times are based on these.
CCP proposed to remove all these skills, allow players redistribute skillpoints from Learning skills to other areas and reimburse cost of all Learning skillbooks bought from market but not yet used.
Players have been asking CCP to remove Learning skills altogether for almost as long as EVE exists, as unnecessary months of training each character had to take.
A bug ate my Apple. Fortunately the said bug did not hit me as hard as it did others, because in Poland 1st of November is a holiday. It was still a monday, so my iPhone tried to wake me up, as it was told to. Almost. I was really surprised to see that the time is one hour PAST the usual time of alarm. I am running most recent version of iOS 4.1 (8B117) on iPhone 3G. I have tested it a few times and found out the following:
Alarms with no repeating will sound properly at the right time
Alarms with everyday repeating will sound at the right time as well
Alarms set to repeat on selected days will sound at a different time
Additionally, after quick research on Google I found, that:
In Europe the alarm will sound one hour past the set time
In US, NZ and Australia it will sound one hour earlier than set
Sansha Mothership, Fighterbomber (we do not know yet if it is going to be available to players)
New playable ship – the Noctis salvaging vessel – more info about the ship in the recent devblog
New forums in EVE Gate
More group oriented PVE content – new NPCs with sleeper AI even in high sec
New loot, new visuals (visual effects?)
More dynamic and simplified system for Planetary Interaction.
From the description of the coming changes it looks like a rather small expansion, similar in its scope to the Quantum Rise.
I took a minute or two to mash up the images from the Incursion website to make a nice wallpaper for the new expansion. Copyright owner of the images is (c) CCP.
EVE Incursion wallpaper (1280x800)Noctis salvaging ship (Primae Hull) (c) CCP
Last friday I have noticed a small change in how iPhone shows the network. There is no longer “Orange” displayed, as it was for the last 2 years. Now it says “PL OPL”. OPL as in Orange Poland I suppose.
Curiosity requires me to check if this was operator related change or Apple changed iPhone’s carrier XML file.
FIX: Unfortunately it happened two times so far (running iOS 4.2.1 on iPhone 3G) and the only working fix is to Restore the iPhone from backup. It works, but takes some time.
A few days after upgrade of my 3G iPhone to iOS 4.1 I tried activating the Field Test. To my surprise it worked, but as you can see on the screenshot – not quite what I expected. It seems that 3G’s baseband is not supported, or the Field Test app is not yet ready. Either way, it is a good sign, that Field Test is back. Too bad is not really useful, at least on my iPhone 3G.
Besides that, iOS 4.1 speeds up a lot the old good iPhone 3G. Both springboard and menus are much more responsive – it works just as fast as 3.1.3 did (finally).
I am a gamer. And I don’t deny it. Is it an addiction? In EVE case, probably so. All MMORPGs are addictive and that’s good from business perspective: playerbase paying monthly fees warantees a steady cash flow. From players point of view being addicted is not good. It means additional monthly expenses, lots of lost time, etc. On the other hand, if you manage to keep that addiction in check, it means you have a large game world to explore, lots of content and many other people you can talk to, play with, or compete with. Persistent world means you do not have to start from scratch every time you play the game, and even if you are not playing, the game lives on. Meaning lots of good quality entertainment.
I have been in computers almost my entire life, programming, configuring, repairing them, even building new rigs. That means games are for me just as natural as the TV. But for others to see this, I needed some gaming apparel.
So I have ordered some t-shirts from an online shop called “J!NX“. At first it was two EVE related tees: one with Gallente Myrmidon and the other with Matari Hurricane. Of course for people not playing EVE they are just some pictures meaning nothing at all (but still looking good). So I have gone unnoticed by my workmates (except the one sitting next to me). Since curiosity kills cats, one of my coleagues checked what EVE is, and found out it’s actually known as EVE Online, and it’s a game. I was still ignored (as a gamer) by most of the staff. Or so I believed.
It seems, that the guy who spied on the markings of my t-shirt must have told others, that I am playing an online game, because a few days before Starcraft II hit the store shelves, few of my coleagues approached me asking about it. They weren’t surprised that I know what they’re talking about and that in fact I am going to buy the game as well, once it’s out. After that, 6 or 7 people asked me on the 27th of July if I already bought Starcraft II, some asked me how the game feels like, is it worth buying, have I finished it already and so on. The biggest surprise was the fact, that some soon followed in my wake and bought a copy of SC 2 as well. One of my coleagues even tried EVE Online (he’s playing another MMO so didn’t stick to EVE – too bad).
It is nice to know that I was wrong; I was sure people at work just laugh at me, being 27 y/o and still playing video games (even if they did, I don’t care). But in the light of the recent events, my being a player, a *gamer* – makes me proud.
(c) 2010 J!NX. Used for illustration only.
PS. Because of the success of my EVE tees, I have got myself a Starcraft II shirt for a change.
PS2. Speaking of J!NX – they are a serious business, focused on making their customers happy. One of my orders was probably lost in the shipping, so I have contacted J!NX. After checking the fate of my previous shipment with Polish Post, J!NX sent me the same merchandise free of charge! (of course the second shipment made it through without further problems).
“Functionally, this piece of hardware – obviously of Sansha origin – is an extremely sophisticated parallel processing unit. Connecting it to a standard interface bus and running a few diagnostics reveals that it has been configured to act as the master node for a quasi-distributed decryption system, and its response rate suggests that it’s exceptionally efficient at this task.
