In EVE Online, there was a one-hour test for a new “Aether Engine” designed to enhance large battles. The goal was to make the material clashes typical of EVE flow more smoothly in space. It looks like a great success.
What was that test about? During the Game Developer Conference 2019, CCP, the developers of EVE Online, held a test on March 20. In this test, players and bots were supposed to fully utilize the “Aether Engine”.
After a new trailer was supposed to attract players to EVE, the test aimed to increase the stability of the game in the future. CCP has been working on such a project for over a year.
The engine is based on HadeanOS. The operating system utilizes cloud technology and promises to transmit even massive amounts of data in real-time. Ideal for the scales at which battles in EVE take place.
Here’s how the test went: To test the new Aether Engine, according to the official Dev Blog of EVE Online, 3,852 players logged in. They played a deathmatch, a space battle lasting an hour, where defeated players respawn and aim to defeat as many opponents as possible.
Alongside the nearly 4,000 pilots were AI players, bots that were to take the place of real players. This brought a total of over 14,000 players and bots together. Although EVE Online has even introduced its own servers for such immense battles, the number leaves many players amazed. The developers released some statistics about the battle:
- 10,412 ships/pilots participated simultaneously at peak
- A total of 88,988 ships were destroyed
- Over 14 million torpedoes were fired
The test is only said to be the first of many. The developers wrote:
There will be more tests in the future and more opportunities to help shape the future of vast virtual worlds.
How did the test end? Despite some technical problems, connection drops, and delays, the results were positive. The developers are satisfied, and the players seemed to have had fun too.
The game stuttered in some places, but for the size of the battle, it ran quite smoothly. We have included an impressive video from a player below for you.
Also in the community on reddit and in the official forum, there is currently predominantly positive feedback, though this was only available about an hour before writing this article. The scale of the test gives many hope that EVE Online will soon enable even more impressive battles.
What do you think of the images from the battle?
Things are intense in EVE Online. Another project by the developers hasn’t been as fortunate:
