The developer CCP sees itself as having a duty to bring some excitement back into the lawless 0.0 in EVE Online. With the November update Phoebe, phase 1 of this plan should now go live. Especially travelers will not be particularly pleased.
Change in November: Long-Distance Travel
To soften the entrenched power blocs in EVE Online, CCP is changing a lot about the travel behavior of large fleet operations. Capital ships can now use jump gates in 0.0 as well as in Low-Sec. This is especially worthwhile from distances of 20 light-years, as these can be completed faster than using jump drives via Titans. With jump fatigue, which brings a cooldown timer for jumps, and a maximum jump range of 5 light-years, a journey across the galaxy will now take some time.
Logistics pilots with jump freighters can breathe a little easier: The Rorqual and jump freighters will receive a new role bonus that somewhat mitigates jump fatigue. However, the transport of important war supplies will also be made more difficult.
The Consequences of Phoebe
This is only phase 1 of the overall plan, to bring more action into the rigid 0.0 situation. Therefore, we can only speculate on what this change will bring. One thing should be clear: The more systems an alliance holds, the harder it will be to defend them. Fleets will now take significantly longer, and the infamous hotdrop will probably no longer exist. However, we wonder how smaller alliances want to establish themselves in the dangerous 0.0 and whether these changes might invite them to stay in their own space instead of going on the hunt. The further one moves away from their own safe haven, the weaker one becomes. Politics and diplomatic skill seem to come to the fore once again.
What about Phases 2 and 3?
The further phases will see changes in the SOV system. The way player organizations can conquer and maintain a system will change. CCP refers to this with the keyword decentralization. Phase 3 will probably not come until 2015. Changes will be made to POS and other structures. The developer hopes for a more dynamic warfare. We are curious about what the future holds, which is notoriously difficult to predict in EVE Online.
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