In EVE Online, developer CCP has taken away the chat from players. This also eliminates their alarm systems. The “Blackout” makes planning and playing in the MMORPG significantly more dangerous. And this is welcomed by the game’s supreme tyrant.
What are the three regions of EVE Online? The MMORPG EVE Online has 3 important, distinct zones:
- Highsec is the trade and tutorial area, where NPCs patrol – and it is peaceful
- Nullsec is the vast space where PvP takes place. Here, the wars, dramas, and intrigues of EVE Online unfold
- Wormhole systems are zones that are in flux and have special rules.
Until now, there was a lot of information in Highsec and Nullsec about who was currently in the zone, but not in the wormhole systems. Now there is a blackout. As a result, information is disappearing everywhere.
This is how it normally was in EVE Online: Players designed tools that allowed them to know exactly what to expect in a sector.
This information was extracted from the local chat of the respective sector:
- Who is currently here?
- What kind of ship is he flying?
- On which side is he fighting?
As a result, players in “Known Space”, in the known area, could decide whether to stay in that sector, whether to attack, or whether to retreat.
Large fleet maneuvers, where hundreds of ships flew through various sectors, were immediately noticed and could be reacted to. A cautious player could calmly pursue his plans.
This is how it is now: Now the entire universe is treated like a “wormhole” system, where things are hidden and the chat does not immediately reveal who is doing what.
Why is this so? CCP Games justifies the “Blackout” with the invasion of the Drifters. Due to their attack, important resources have become scarce, and that is just how it is now.
What does this mean for MMORPG? EVE Online has become significantly more dangerous now. The balance of power could shift again. It is possible to be unpredictable for the opponent and surprise them.
The supreme space tyrant Alex “The Mitani” Gianturco, the leader of the alliance “The Imperium”, welcomes the move. This had been discussed long before.
The irony is that CCP justifies the blackout with the Drifters. The NPC invasion was still dismissed by Mittani as “PvE nonsense”.
Other players also welcome any change that questions the status quo. Many players see the danger in EVE Online in the hardening of power structures and that nothing happens anymore because the powerful are untouchable.
It is night, and at night, the animals hunt
The US site Polygon also quotes David “Matterall” Mora. He explains that the change makes “Nullsec” really dangerous now.
Previously, players could farm there and make money and felt safe doing so. That is no longer the case: “Now it is night, and at night, the animals hunt.”
Is the change permanent? That is unknown. CCP says they are monitoring this and looking at the effects.
In EVE Online, it seems that a lot is in motion in the summer of 2019. 16 years after the release, the MMORPG from Iceland seems to want to make its mark again. They have plans for the future, especially since the acquisition by Pearl Abyss.
