The SF MMORPG EVE Online has a special plan for Chinese rule-breakers: They will be punished severely. They will probably have to break stones to get out of space prison. This seems to be common in China.
Data miners have found: The data miners from Hoboleaks have discovered concerning strings in the EVE database. They are about forced labor that can be used to earn back freedom.
These planned changes were found on the test server of EVE Online, called “Singularity.”
The data indicates that offenders should rehabilitate themselves through penal labor to regain their freedom and be released from a kind of space jail. At least this was the conclusion drawn by the data miners.
As forced labor, a specific ore is to be mined that serves no other purpose in EVE Online than to be mined.
No worries, it’s only for Chinese!
Therefore, players reacted uneasily: As one might expect, EVE players were quite confused about what CCP is planning on the test server. To the players, it seemed like EVE was now going to crack down hard on local players. Memes and confusion arose.
This is how CCP clarified the matter: Quickly, a reaction from EVE Online came in the form of a blog post: The test server is now also used to test the Chinese version, which is run by NetEase. EVE Online plans a major relaunch there in China in the fourth quarter of 2018.
One important part of the agreement with NetEase is that the Chinese server “Serenity” is to be as close as possible to the international server “Tranquility.” Therefore, the test server “Singularity” is used as a testing ground for both.
The big China relaunch of EVE Online was already expected by many Chinese after the previous Chinese server was neglected. Chinese players had already fled to the international server.
In fact, the punitive measures that CCP is preparing on the test server are intended only for China. CCP says so.
What’s behind the findings: NetEase explains to the US site Kotaku that EVE Online will function in China according to the house-specific “Guardhouse System” rules.
These systems actually refer to such punitive mechanisms and will probably be used in other NetEase games.
This is the other approach in China: Anyone who breaks the rules in China will face other problems than just account penalties.
Chinese players are known to cheat more often for cultural reasons. The Western EVE players seem to be more amused by the penalty and assume that the Chinese will just bypass it.
Who is NetEase? NetEase is one of the major Chinese gaming companies and a competitor of Tencent (LoL). Here in the West, they are known for the MMORPG Revelation Online. In China, NetEase has earned a fortune by distributing Blizzard’s online games.
Additionally, they are quick to create mobile clones of successful games. For example, “Fortcraft” is from NetEase. And with PUBG “alternatives,” they have had great success – though they have also faced legal repercussions for it.
EVE Online and CCP seem to be increasingly orienting towards Asia:
Common offenses are:
- Cheating
- Botting
- Code manipulation
- or illegal real-money transactions
In China and with NetEase, it seems customary not to ban cheaters’ accounts, but to take away their “lifetime” by making them crack stones in a digital prison to earn back their freedom.
They have to invest time to regain their account.
How the system works exactly will surely become clear when EVE Online restarts in China.
This is how Western fans react: The Western EVE players on reddit compare the penalties to “chain gangs.” This refers to groups of convicts who are chained together and made to break stones. The thread starter refers to it as a “gulag.”
Chinese players are known to cheat more often for cultural reasons. The Western EVE players seem to be more amused by the penalty and assume that the Chinese will just bypass it.
Who is NetEase? NetEase is one of the major Chinese gaming companies and a competitor of Tencent (LoL). Here in the West, they are known for the MMORPG Revelation Online. In China, NetEase has earned a fortune by distributing Blizzard’s online games.
Additionally, they are quick to create mobile clones of successful games. For example, “Fortcraft” is from NetEase. And with PUBG “alternatives,” they have had great success – though they have also faced legal repercussions for it.
EVE Online and CCP seem to be increasingly orienting towards Asia:
