Eve Online is a player-driven persistent-world massively multiplayer online game set in a science fiction space setting. Players pilot a wide array of customizable ships through a universe comprising over five thousand solar systems.
Most solar systems are connected to one or more other solar systems by means of jump gates. The solar systems can contain several entities including but not limited to: moons, planets, stations, asteroid belts and complexes.
Players of Eve Online are able to participate in any number of in-game professions and activities, including mining, manufacturing, trade and combat (both player versus environment and player versus player). The range of activities available to the player is facilitated by a character advancement system based upon training skills in real time, even while not logged in to the game.
It is developed and maintained by the Icelandic company CCP Games. First released in North America and Europe in May 2003, it was published from May to December 2003 by Simon & Schuster Interactive, after which CCP purchased the rights back and began to self-publish via a digital distribution scheme. On January 22, 2008 it was announced that Eve will be distributed via Steam. The current version of Eve Online is dubbed Trinity.
Background
A Gallente constructed Catalyst class destroyer undocking.
The fictional background story[6] of Eve Online explains that long ago, humankind, having used up most of Earths resources, began colonizing the rest of the Milky Way. Eventually, humans expanded to most of the galaxy. Resources became contested and war broke out. One day, a natural wormhole was discovered, providing a link to another galaxy. Because the wormhole was known to be unstable, construction began on the Eve Gate, an artificial wormhole generator that would link the galaxies after the natural one closed. Dozens of colonies were seeded in the unexplored galaxy - dubbed New Eden - at the other end of the wormhole. Unfortunately, when the natural wormhole eventually collapsed, it destroyed both itself and the Eve Gate. Cut off from Earth and its much-needed supplies, New Edens colonists starved in the millions. Only five known colonies managed to return to prominence, eventually rebuilding society together. These colonies make up the five major empires in Eve: the Amarr Empire, the Gallente Federation, the Minmatar Republic, the Caldari State and the Jove Empire. Players may choose from four of these races (Amarr, Gallente, Caldari, Minmatar) when creating a new character. The fifth race (Jove) is currently not playable, though CCP have said they intend to use the race within the Eve storyline.
Economy
An example of Eve Onlines in-game market screen.
There is a single currency unit in Eve Online, the Inter Stellar Kredit (Eve Online ISK), which takes its name from the Icelandic króna, whose ISO code is ISK. Players can barter between themselves for items, use the in-game market system for Eve Online ISK-based transactions, place and accept contracts between players for assets and services or use a Loyalty Points store.
The Loyalty Points systems allows one to use non-transferable Loyalty Points in combination with other assets to purchase standard items at a reduced rate or to acquire otherwise unattainable items.
A large proportion of the in-game economy is player driven; Non-player character merchants supply some basic blueprints, items and trade goods. Players, through the use of blueprints and in-game skills, can gain the ability to build items ranging from basic ammunition to cutting-edge capital ship hulls, and manufacture them for personal use or for sale. Pricing and availability of goods varies from region to region within the Eve universe. These aspects contribute to an economic environment influenced by factors like scarcity of resources, specialization of labor and supply/demand dynamics. The economy is closely tied with the (also player driven) political aspect of the game. Player corporations (the Eve equivalent of guilds) rise and fall as they struggle for market dominance as well as territorial control.
From a technical point of view, the economy in Eve is known as an open economy, that is there is no fixed amount of money or materials in the universe. CCP did attempt to implement a closed economy (that is an economy where there is a fixed amount of currency and therefore materials) early on in the games existence; however, it proved too difficult to balance the effects of new players entering the game with the capabilities of older players able to earn more ISK or obtain more materials. The current Open economy is automatically balanced by introducing extra materials in underpopulated areas to encourage an even spread of players.
Eves End User Licence Agreement forbids the exchange of Eve ISK for real currency; however there is a secure in-game system for trading "Game Time Codes" (GTC) in exchange for in game currency. In a similar way selling and buying characters for in game currency is allowed.
On 27 June 2007 CCP announced that an economist had been employed to assist in the development of the economic side of the game. Dr. Guðmundsson has stated that he will be responsible for compiling quarterly economic reports for the community and providing ongoing analysis of the economic facets of Eve, along with coordinating research with other interested parties |
