Revelations

29 November 2006

• Contracts
  
  The Contracts System is a player-driven mechanism for characters and corporations to formalize work agreements with each other, providing an intuitive way to engage in directed commerce transactions currently supported by the market. Auctions, Item Exchange, Loans, and Courier will be the first contract types introduced to EVE. Contracts will be an invaluable tool for corporation management, allowing tasks and missions to be created that are available at all times.
  
  
• Combat organization
  
  Transitioning between the star map and the view of your ship is now seamless, providing a real-time strategic perspective of the battlefield for the first time. In addition, a new Solar System map has been introduced to facilitate tactical coordination of fleet, scanning, and POS operations. More information is available at-a-glance, with System Scanning and Exploration integrated into a 3-dimensional view of the Solar System map. A new hierarchical fleet option has been provided, enhancing situational awareness, command structure and organization, and fleet broadcasts.
  
  
• Exploration
  
  Space exploration is now a viable profession requiring extensive use of the new System Scanning feature in the seamless view. With this tool, you can discover hundreds of hidden locations, which could potentially lead to escalating encounters and higher rewards. Exploration ties into Archeology, Invention, Hacking, Salvaging, and Mining. While the act of discovery is likely to be a solo activity, capitalizing on what you found will require good connections through contracts or the market. Escalating encounters will also require a group effort, as the sites you discover will be heavily defended.
  
  
• Invention
  
  Invention will open wider access to the Tech Level II industry, specifically by gathering data, tools, materials, and technology through Exploration and Research Agent means. By processing this data using decryptors and datacores, utilizing Tech Level I blueprint copies, and disassembling altered versions of modules, you can create limited-run blueprint copies of Tech Level II items, but with one disadvantage: They will be very inefficient and time-consuming to manufacture. This provides you with a way to break into the Tech Level II business, providing market competition opportunity for those willing to put in the effort, while still allowing original Tech Level II manufacturers to keep their edge in longevity, efficiency, and production time.
  
  
• Combat boosters
  
  Combat Boosters introduce a new angle to combat, allowing you to temporarily boost your combat abilities at the cost of random penalties to other attributes. The emergence of Combat Boosters begins with 0.0 COSMOS constellations that contain unique resources, specifically gas clouds that must be harvested to create the Boosters. The manufacturing process utilizes the skill set of mini-professions, and uses specialized starbase structures required to process the gas clouds. The eight new COSMOS Constellations each have their own unique Booster, with the more advanced Boosters requiring ingredients from all over the universe.
  
  
• Rigs
  
  With the introduction of rigs, you can tailor your ship's capabilities to excel at a specific role, and specialize your character in the new Salvager or Rigs Manufacturer professions. Because of rigs, ship destruction is now integrated into the economy. Both player and NPC ships will leave shipwrecks, which can be salvaged for materials required to manufacture rigs. Additionally, new rig technology levels will be accessible through Invention.
  
  
• New battleships
  
  A third battleship is introduced to all races. Battleships are one of the most utilized ship classes in EVE, used by pilots to fulfill multiple roles in both industry and warfare.
  
  
• New battlecruisers
  
  A new battlecruiser is introduced to all races, adding platform versatility and efficiency in terms of its high firepower-to-cost ratio.
  
  
• Salvaging
  
  All ships destroyed in the game will now leave a shipwreck. Wrecks will replace the loot cans that previously dropped from ships upon their destruction. While regular looting of a shipwreck will not require special skills or equipment, ships equipped with Salvaging gear have an increased chance of recovering ingredients needed for manufacturing rigs.
  
  
• Eight new regions
  
  Eight new opportunities for conquests, wealth, and the birth of legends. Traveling there unarmed is not advised.