EVE Online News

[h2]Battle-ready capsuleers,[/h2]

The Drifters have struck and New Eden has answered. From highsec to lowsec, fleets have formed, ships have fallen, and puzzling information is coming to light. The latest intel has been gathered, and it paints a picture of war.



Amid the chaos, the Arataka Research Consortium and other dedicated groups have uncovered fragments of a mystery lurking out there, leading to rumors and theories, all of which remain unconfirmed at this time.

[h2]You Are Ready for the Fight[/h2]

The Drifters are not an untouchable force. They fall to disciplined fleets, coordinated fire, and capsuleers who dare stand their ground. This is not a battle for the elite, but a war for all of New Eden, with skirmishes taking place in lowsec and even highsec. A well-piloted Tech I cruiser, a few allies at your side, and the will to fight will go a long way toward turning the tide. There is plenty of time left to join the fight, and reap great ISK rewards for your valor. In addition, capsuleers have reported spotting Drifter officers in some of these sites, so there may be even greater glory and riches to be had.



If you’re looking for advice on getting started in the war against the Drifters, these community resources are a great place to start:

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A particularly resilient group of capsuleers recently became the first to bring down a Vigilant Dreamer structure in a Crisis Resolution site, despite overwhelming adversity. These pilots have been awarded a medal for their achievement. Read more about that here. A special thank you to capsuleer Walter Islands for capturing the image at the head of this article, marking the occasion.



Using telemetry gathered during the Vigilant Dreamer’s destruction in Tash-Murkon, the Society of Conscious Thought has been able to synthesize new upgrades for Crisis response fleets. Targeting computer modifications and improved hyperspace tracking methodologies will ensure Vigilant Dreamers remain available for assault as long as they are in a system.

The storm is brewing. The fight is now. Victory is yours for the taking.

Capsuleers,

EVE Online uniquely allows players to explore the vastness of space, engage in a complex and ever-evolving community, and carve out a place in a living universe. At the heart of that experience is your ship – your identity in New Eden.

As part of EVE Evolved, changes have been made recently to elevate ships beyond other items in the inventory, overhauling how they are presented and interacted with. These updates are not just visual improvements - they enhance usability, refine how ships are represented in the game, and lay the groundwork for further improvements.

[h2]Cards Against Monotony[/h2]
The first baby step toward improving ship interaction and giving your vessels the spotlight they deserve was the introduction of ship cards in the hangar. This goal is to bring more information to the forefront, making it easier to see ship types at a glance, and providing quick access to traits and fitting details for owned ships.

While developing ship cards, it became clear that there is a lack of a central authority for ship groups and classifications which presented development challenges. Improvements are needed to streamline ship categorization, but as this is a large undertaking, it was not addressed in this update. However, refining these systems in the future will be highly beneficial.

While not a particularly complex feature, ship cards add a great deal of clarity and usability to ship interactions. Further enhancements to hangar interaction are planned, as many areas of inventory management still have room for improvement.

[h2]The Ship Info Overhaul[/h2]
The Ship Info window was a much bigger project and greater challenge. Unlike ship cards, which introduced a new way to display ships, this was about rebuilding one of the most used windows in the game – one of the cornerstones of EVE Online!

The most important priority was preserving functionality while ensuring any changes elevated the experience. The approach taken was to frame the new Ship Info window as though it were a manufacturer’s technical brochure, reinforcing the concept that each ship is a real, physical object within the EVE Universe.

A game in continuous development for over 20 years inevitably accumulates technical debt, and the Ship Info window was no exception. Originally implemented early in EVE Online’s development, it had never seen a dedicated overhaul. As new features were added over time, its structure became increasingly difficult to maintain.

A major part of this update involved restructuring the various services and components that the old window relied on. The first step was extracting all necessary functionality into a base class, allowing the new window to be built upon a more stable and maintainable foundation.

One of the more unexpected challenges involved rendering the 3D scene in the background. The existing renderer is primarily designed for objects in space, so additional work was needed to integrate it smoothly into a UI environment. A solution was developed that not only worked for this window but also sets the stage for more 3D rendered UI elements in the future.

The result is a more immersive and functional Ship Info window, improving how ships are viewed in the ship tree, in hangars, and in space.

[h2]The Community Response[/h2]
A change of this scale was bound to generate strong reactions. Some were a bit more vocal than others, and some, let’s say, interesting bug reports were submitted. Despite some particularly passionate opinions being voiced, most of the feedback gathered was constructive, thoughtful, and quite valuable.

The support is greatly appreciated and was very useful in refining the final product.
The Ship Info window is only the beginning. Many ideas surfaced during development, both internally and from community feedback, for example compact mode which was added recently. Some other great ideas also surfaced but didn’t make it into the first release. These include further improvements to the 3D view, triggering warp animations, further improving the fitting panel, and more that will be explored in the future. With the new framework in place, these and further refinements will be easier to develop and roll out and might lead to more specialized UI elements as well.

[h2]The Boarding Cinematic[/h2]
Ships are the heart and soul of the EVE experience. They represent investment, progress, and identity. In a game built around acquiring and piloting different vessels, boarding a new ship should be an exciting experience, not just a menu action. The goal was to make boarding a ship for the first time feel like a milestone. It should be visceral, satisfying, and feel like an achievement.

With hundreds of ships and multiple hangar types, a universal solution was needed. The challenge was to create a system that worked across all ships without requiring individual animation work for each one.

The answer was to add anchor points to ship models, allowing the camera to follow predefined paths. Ships were grouped based on size and shape, ensuring smooth transitions while maintaining consistency.

Some ships, such as titans and other uniquely shaped vessels, required custom camera movements. For the majority, however, a system based on broad groupings worked to create a seamless and immersive experience without hand-crafting sequences for every single ship.

This feature, while not directly impacting gameplay, strengthens immersion and reinforces the connection between capsuleers and their ships. The groundwork laid here also opens the door for more dynamic cinematics in the future.

There are still multiple factors that can be added and improved, and as ever, this will continue to evolve along with EVE Online. These are strong foundations to inform future enhancements to the UI for a deeper immersion than ever before.

Fly safe.

o7

https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/EVE_Online/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1872800/EVE_Vanguard/

Visionary capsuleers,

New Eden is never static, constantly in flux, and ever evolving. Every connection, every ship, and every interaction in the cluster is part of this vision: a living, breathing universe that endures forever. This is where EVE Evolved comes in. A commitment to continuous innovation and technological advancements that bring you a smoother, richer, and more immersive experience, it has already brought many significant technical improvements to EVE Online in recent years, including DirectX 12, Photon UI, and much more.

This February, we want to highlight some of the technical challenges and innovations that go into improving your experience today while laying strong foundations for tomorrow, which is the essence of EVE Evolved. These are not just updates but innovations that fuel the battles, victories, and epic stories that make the EVE Universe unlike all others.



[h2]Better Local Chat[/h2]
Communication is the lifeblood of New Eden, and now local chat is stronger than ever. With the migration to the Quasar infrastructure, capsuleers can rely on a more stable and responsive system, ensuring that no conversation or critical intel is ever lost in the void. Thank you to those who joined the recent Singularity mass test. Your efforts have strengthened the communication pipelines of New Eden.

Local chat is just the beginning, though. In the coming weeks, a number of deep dives into the technology, challenges and innovation that powers EVE Online are heading your way, including:

• It’s All About Spaceships: Spaceships are the heart and soul of EVE, and they’ve been getting the spotlight they deserve with redesigned ship info windows, ship cards in hangars and cinematic intros. An upcoming dev blog will dissect the technical challenges they imposed, and how they were solved with the ultimate goal of bringing your ships to life in ways you’ve never seen before.
  
• Quasar & SKINR: Discover how the SKINR technology empowers real-time interactions and unlocks new possibilities for fleet flights and beyond. Don’t miss the detailed dev blog and then tune into the live discussion on CCP TV on 20 February at 15:00 UTC, diving into the nitty-gritty of SKINR in Quasar and finally answering the age-old question of whether painting your ship red really does make it go faster!
  
• Empowering ESI: The EVE Swagger Interface (ESI) powers hundreds of community-made websites and applications, Killmail tracking, the Excel Add-in and more, providing capsuleers with seamless access to in-game data. Get the latest info on recent improvements and upcoming advancements, showcasing how ESI continues to enable new possibilities for pilots and developers across New Eden.
  

Furthermore, the Paragon Hub continues to evolve, and today’s updates make it easier for players in NPC corps to join player corporations, introduce the ability to randomize specific slots, and more.

[h2]The Future Unfolds[/h2]
At its heart, EVE Evolved is about you, the capsuleers. It’s about creating a universe that runs smoother, looks more immersive and beautiful, and supports your most ambitious goals. It’s the warp drive behind New Eden’s future – a constant process of refining the systems that let you explore, conquer, and thrive.

While some of these changes may happen behind the scenes, their impact is felt across the stars. From breathtaking visual updates to advancements in infrastructure, every step forward strengthens New Eden’s foundations. With EVE Evolved, your experience in the cluster is not only supported, it’s elevated.

Throughout February, stay tuned for dev blogs and streams where we’ll share the challenges, innovations, and breakthroughs behind these improvements.
Fly safe, dream big, and embrace the future.

o7

https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/EVE_Online/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1872800/EVE_Vanguard/

Capsuleers,

A storm is brewing in New Eden. The Drifters have begun their largest offensive yet, launching coordinated strikes across highsec and lowsec star systems to test the limits of those who defend New Eden. The empires are under attack, and you are called upon to respond.

[h2]Crisis Sites[/h2]
As the Drifters extend their aggression in New Eden beyond Zarzakh, capsuleers will encounter them in multiple systems in highsec and lowsec, and pilots of all skill levels are called upon to assist in beating the threat back. Various sites and activities are available to Tech I ships up to battlecruiser class. These engagements are perfect for small gangs and provide opportunities for exploration, salvaging, and enforcer career followers to thrive. Eliminating threats will unlock a Crisis Resolution operation at the heart of the affected systems, the successful completion of which will force the Drifters to withdraw and regroup.

[h2]Fight for New Eden and Great Rewards[/h2]
Dark forces are gathering in New Eden. Your faction needs you to help defend against the Drifters, fighting off this early wave of attacks. The rewards for those who rise to the challenge include significant ISK payouts, in addition to the glory of victory. Will you stand against the Drifters and protect the future of New Eden?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/EVE_Online/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1872800/EVE_Vanguard/

Sandbox space MMO Eve Online is going strong in its third decade, with developer CCP Games outlining its slate of 2025 development plans in a recent stream. It'll feature two major expansions and the return of some much-loved fan favorite in-game events...
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