EVE Online News

Masterful Capsuleers,

The awesome GM Week is nearly upon us once more, and that means competitions, prizes, events, and more to look forward to from 14 - 19 September! Get into the GM Week spirit and join in with this annual community event for the chance to win great prizes, interact with devs in-game, whack some bots from New Eden - and most of all - to have some fun in space!

There will be opportunities to grab Orbital Stashes, with containers planted around specific locations in New Eden. These containers will test your knowledge of EVE before they give up their goods, and you can expect clues to be given out during GM Week.

The Scavenger Hunt will see GMs issue invitations to players to come and find them somewhere in space, with more hints and clues given out through official channels, for the chance to get more loot!

The schedule for this year is packed and we have several activities and contests that will be taking place at different times throughout the week, pending Game Masters availability because, you know, they still want to reply to your tickets as soon as possible!

Week-long events include:

• Orbital Stash
  
• Scavenger Hunt
  
• Game Masters visiting rookie systems
  
• Game Masters interacting with players via in-game official language channels
  
• Short Story Competition*
  
• Potato PC Competition*
  
• Worst Ship Fit Competition*
  

*All competitions will start on Monday 14 September at 12:00 UTC and close on Thursday 17 September at 23:59 UTC. Exact details will be shared next week via the official thread on the EVE Online forums.

In addition, there are a few events that will start at specific times:

• Whack-A-Bot in Yulai – Monday 14 September at 17:00 UTC
• Fleet with BjornBee, GMs, and ISDs – Tuesday 15 September at 17:00 UTC
• Reddit AMA Game Masters Edition – Thursday 17 September at 15:00 UTC
• End of week and competition winners announced – Friday 18 September at 17:00 UTC

As mentioned above, there will be more details released on all the GM Week 2020 competitions, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Today, 10 September, is World Suicide Prevention Day, and we at CCP would like to take this opportunity to raise awareness of this delicate, yet extremely important subject.



Nobody is immune to affliction. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people commit suicide, and that it is among the three leading causes of death among people aged 15-44.

We are all currently experiencing turbulent times that demand changes to the way we each conduct our daily lives. Many are facing new and unexpected challenges, experiencing grief or self-isolation. It is more important than ever to let as many people as possible know that they are not alone.

There are specialized hotlines around the world that operate 24/7, so if you are having suicidal thoughts, feeling overwhelmed with your life or just need somebody to talk to, then please dial the number for your country and share what’s on your mind with a professional.

At CCP, we take all reports regarding intentions of self-harm very seriously and have internal procedures to ensure a lightning fast response, as well as swift contact with local law enforcement.

Our EVE Online community has also established the Broadcast 4 Reps program with a dedicated public Discord server that you are welcome to join should you feel like speaking to another space friend. There will also be a series of informative streams and podcasts to discuss this subject that you should absolutely check out:

• Thursday, 10 September at 01:00 AM UTC – Dylana, Ivy, Mal Elecon, and other guests will be diving deep into the topic of Suicide Awareness Day at Lasers and Lace.
  
• Monday, 14 September at 01:30 PM UTC – A German stream from dedicated to the subject by Walldeck.
  
• Saturday, 19 September – EVE University will tackle suicide prevention. Please check their website and Twitter for more details and time.
  

Not everyone is trained to assist people in emotional distress, but we all share a collective responsibility to look after our fellow colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and strangers in need. Should you witness anybody expressing intentions to self-harm, please help them get to the next level of care by encouraging them to speak with a professional. This simple act could ultimately result in the saving of a life.

Fly safe and fly together. You are not alone.

Fearless Capsuleers,

The Depths of the Abyss update coming in September will introduce new tiers to Abyssal Deadspace, allowing players who are unfamiliar with the Abyss a chance to experience it at a more accessible level, while also offering more experienced Capsuleers even greater challenges and rewards!

The introduction of Tier 0 sites to Abyssal Deadspace will offer less experienced, curious Capsuleers an opportunity to dip their toe into Abyssal Deadspace with less danger. This will allow them to become familiar with the kind of ships and environments they can expect to encounter at higher tiers.

For those who are looking for a greater challenge, new Tier 6 Abyssal Deadspace pockets are also coming as part of the Depths of the Abyss update! Offering even better rewards, these new sites will give even seasoned Abyss runners something new to master.

Other elements of the Depths of the Abyss update will include being able to enter all Abyssal Deadspace tiers in a team of two Destroyers, the introduction of velocity increasing clouds and Capital module mutaplasmids.

In addition, there will be new groups of NPCs for Capsuleers to face at all tiers of Abyssal Deadspace. Expect some different Triglavian foes, and even pirate faction adversaries that have not been seen in the Abyss before!

You can try out these new updates yourself by heading over to the Singularity test server. Stay tuned for more info coming soon about the Depths of the Abyss update.

Committed Capsuleers,

The first phase of the new Quantum Cores series of updates is now live in EVE Online! In this big update to structure gameplay in New Eden, Quantum Cores are newly introduced items that are necessary in the deployment phase of structures. This follows on from the recent string of updates to structure gameplay in EVE, such as Kicking Over Castles and Forsaken Fortress.

The Quantum Core is installed into the most central and heavily protected location within the structure, the Core Room. As a result, they will always survive the ultimate destruction of the structure, and they will drop 100% of the time from a structure's explosion.

By focusing on the consequences of player actions and increasing the significance of placing or destroying structures, structure spam will be reduced and the incentive for attacking them will also be increased, as will the likelihood of both sides turning up for a fight!

There will be three distinct phases to this update, and more information will be released on the subsequent phases closer to their release, so keep an eye out for that! Be sure to read the dev blog for full details on the Quantum Cores updates.

Committed Capsuleers,

In the continuing efforts to revisit and iterate on core gameplay features of EVE, a new update to Structures is coming. These upcoming changes will have a timeline associated with them which you can read about below.

In the next release on 8 September, Quantum Cores will be introduced, and they will be an integral mechanic of structure gameplay moving forward.

Quantum Cores will become a necessary item involved in the deployment phase of structures. In order for a structure to fully complete its deployment phase, the Quantum Core must be installed into the structure after the initial 24-hour anchoring phase. Once the structure becomes dockable after this anchoring phase, the Quantum Core will need to be installed into the Core Room in order for the structure to proceed past the initial onlining vulnerable state.

Once the Quantum Core is installed, the structure will begin the 15 minute repair timer that, when completed, will transition the structure to the shield vulnerable state. If no Quantum Core is installed, the structure will remain in the onlining vulnerable stage where the hull HP layer is exposed and the structure is vulnerable to destruction.

The Quantum Core is installed into the most central and heavily protected location within the structure, and because of this security, they will always survive the ultimate destruction of the structure intact. That is to say that the Quantum Core will drop 100% of the time from a structure's explosion. If a structure is unanchored instead of destroyed the Quantum Core will not be destroyed but also be placed into the same container that any fitted modules or service modules would be.

Here is an updated flow chart detailing the process for transitioning between structure state, with Quantum Core installation included in the new flow:



Each structure will require its own specific core variant to be installed. The table below reflects the required core for each structure.



Please note that the Faction Citadels and Palatine Keepstar will require Quantum Cores appropriate to their respective variants, the Fortizar and Keepstar.

All Quantum Cores will be available to purchase from the stations owned by these NPC Corporations:
- Ducia Foundry
- Eifyr and Co.
- Chemal Tech
- Propel Dynamics
- Outer Ring Excavations

The following NPC corporations will purchase Quantum Cores from Capsuleers:
- Modern Finances
- Amarr Trade Registry
- Bank of Luminaire
- Pend Insurance
- Garoun Investment Bank

[h2]Rollout[/h2]
There will be three distinct phases which will be communicated further closer to the time of each phase. Whilst the first one will go live on 8 September, the next phase will go live in October and the final phase in January 2021.

1. Seeding - 8 September 2020
2. Required for new structures – 13 October 2020
3. Required for existing structures - 12 January 2021

[h3]Seeding[/h3]

Beginning with the update on 8 September, Quantum Cores will become available on the market. This will allow you to begin acquiring them and moving them to your existing structures in space, or to prep for deployment of new structures.

All existing structures will have a new bay available to them, the Core Room. During the seeding phase, you will also have the ability to install the core into any existing structure's Core Room to be fully prepared for the future.

[h3]Required for new structures[/h3]

The second phase of the rollout will enforce the rule that Quantum Cores will be a required installation to complete the anchoring process for any newly deployed structures. This phase is expected to go live during the October update.

Deploying a structure in space will also include a notice of requirement for the installation of a core through the deployment UI window when choosing a structure name, profile, and reinforcement settings.

[h3]Required for existing structures[/h3]

The final phase for the rollout of Quantum Cores will see some basic services that all structures offer become disabled until a core is installed. Without a core installed, ship fitting, tethering, and ship/module repair services will be disabled. As soon as the core is installed into the structure, these services will become operational again. This phase is expected to go live in the December update.


[h2]Consequences and Stakes[/h2]
In EVE, death is a serious matter.

Many of the current efforts in the EVE ecosystem are focused on the consequences of player actions and the stakes required to make them. It should mean something every time you place a structure and every time you destroy one. At the moment, that isn't always the case. Deploying structures haphazardly to bait opponents is often seen by many as a good strategy, because razing them all down can be unsatisfying and laborious. By placing an ante in the core of every structure in space, the amount of structure spam will be reduced. The incentive and reward for attacking structures will be increased and the chance of both sides showing up to fight is also increased.

Fly safe,
o7