Friday, December 24, 2010

VIDEO: EVE Online - Real Life Meeting with Chribba

Chribba, like you've never seen him before!

New Eden Chronicles Episode #1 - The beginnings!

iTunes - PodBean - Facebook

Well it's finally here! The first episode of the New Eden Chronicles - an EVE Online podcast dedicated to showcasing the EVE Blogging Community in all it's talent and glory.

Though we had a few technical difficulties recording this first show, Ardwulf's brilliant editing skills and Maeve's keen ears have managed to result in a pretty decent first podcast. Released earlier this week, we're still waiting for Apple's iTunes to provide us with a link and all, but you can listen and download it via our PodBean blog. Here's the direct link to Episode One.

In this first episode we introduced the 4 co-hosts, Maeve Trinity, Memoocan, Ardwulf and myself. We discuss several aspects of the EVE Blogging Community, present 2 interviews and have a first jolly good time. As new episodes get released, we'll have a more structured approached and work out the various kinks.

I'm very happy that we're finally at this stage and thankful to be working with my three co-hosts.

I look forward to our success!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

EVE Blog Banter #23: Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was New Eden


Welcome to the twenty-third installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
With Incursion giving us glimpses of what Incarna will have to offer (the the Character Creator), this month's topic, by @Minerpewpew, comes just at the right time. He asks "What are your thoughts on how Incarna will effect the current EVE Online social dynamic?" I'd like to see this questioning go a bit further. How will this affect EVE's player base? Who will Incarna attract? New players to the genre? Seduce old players back into the game? Will we see new players come in that will never leave their station? Please explore to the best of your abilities!
EVE Online is a game about spaceship combat. Right? I mean, in the end what ever you do in this virtual world, the result is some ship, somewhere, somehow, gets blown to smithereens! That's the whole purpose of the game right? Not quite so.

EVE has always been a lot more then just blowing ships up, whether against NPCs or real flesh and bones opponents. New Eden is a world of traders, miners, industrialist, mercenaries, espionage, political intrigue. And so much more. Over the years, CCP has built upon this universe of alter egos to create much more then a "game of Internet spaceships".

Over three years ago, when we first saw glimpses of - as it was called then - "Walking in Stations" all of a sudden EVE was no longer just about Space, about Ships, or Asteroids and minerals. Suddenly our avatars were no longer simple portraits. They were no longer this abstract concept of a body in a capsule within a powerful spaceship. To some, this was the promise land. To others, an inconvenient waste of precious developer resources. To many of us, it was a far away illusion that could not be grasped. Like sand in water.

Incarna has the potential to a lot for EVE Online. If CCP plays its cards right, Incarna could be the most important expansion to launched. But the window of opportunity is very narrow, and the potential for disaster exists, even if it is small.

If Incarna is to be successful, it will need to
  • No impact on the current game as it is. That is it must not create lag to the "spaceship game", or be a requirement for those who do not wish to partake (missions for examples should still be accessible from docked ships)
  • Be more then a simply avatars in an empty station. It needs to provide a means to create, to manage, to interact in a constructive and fun way with patrons (other players). And from what we've seen demonstrated, CCP understands this very well.
  • Be part of the EVE universe, and not simply a separate game within a game. 
If done well, Incarna will attract both some of the current players - myself included - curious about this new land of opportunity, and new players for whom the personification of an avatar is important. Let's face it, some MMO players out there have a hard time identifying themselves with a spaceship. We don't, they do. And Incarna will be a way to bring them in New Eden. At first they may not venture outside their station, but some will. And a whole new world will open up to them.

Now I can see a few of you already raising their hands and jumping up and down to tell me that CCP shouldn't change EVE, just fix what's broken and let the spaceship game be. I also hear the others that say that Incarna is just a test bed for the other MMO CCP is developing - which I believe involves fangs if I'm correct. You're all correct. But Incarna is a lot more then that.




Incarna is a means by which CCP will attract new players, new paying customers. Revenues which will help both the current "spaceship game" and the up coming "avatar game". It's a delicate balancing act yes, but one which I believe they can deliver. With new players, comes the assurance that EVE will continue, that it will evolve. Not everyone will be pleased of course, but who would expect that.

We've been waiting a long long time for it, but I for one am willing to give CCP and their Devs the chance they deserve.

And I hope to see you walk into my bar, sometime in the not so far future, and we can share a pint of whatever it is that you drink. The first one will be on me!

Participants List:
  1. BB 23: What comes with Incarna? | A Mule In EvE
  2. Captain Serenity: Eve blog banter #22 - Force Fed
  3. Blog Banter XXIII – Incarnal Desires | I am Keith Neilson
  4. Blog Banter 23: Nobody Will Use Incarna — the remix « OMG! You're a Chick?!
  5. Confessions of a Closet Carebear: Blog Banter #23: Who enters the new incarna(tion) of EVE...
  6. Depth of Vision (Blog Banter 23) | Interstellar Privateer
  7. Blog Banter #23 – Shiny « Roc's Ramblings
  8. Drifting: The 23rd EVE Blog Banter (December 2010 Edition) - Topic: Incarna
  9. Blog banter #23: The Incarna effect « Diary of a Pod Pilot

Monday, December 13, 2010

2019: A Future Imagined

2019: A Future Imagined from Flat-12 on Vimeo.

Visual Futurist Syd Mead ("Blade Runner", "Aliens", "Tron", other movies, anime and video games) reflects upon the nature of creativity and how it drives the future.
(Photographed in P2 High Definition, this featurette provides insight into the fascinating mind of one of the most influential artists of modern cinema and automotive design.)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Speedlinking for the week-end of December 11th, 2010


The last 2 weeks have been crazy in RL, but never the less I'm slowly getting ready to get back into the game. I'm about to get ready to get into some 1vs1 PvP with a folks who responded to my plea for a sensei. So I should I some interesting news and postings in the next few days. But for now, here's the latest articles that have come to my attention:


Friday, December 10, 2010

Will you be my PvP Sensei?


With the kind of schedule I have these days, it's pretty impossible for me to partake in any kind of official corp operations. Don't get me wrong, it certainly not because the guys from Mobile Alcohol Processing Units weren't playing nice or ignoring me, but circumstances just made it impossible for me to join them when there were combat operations. I either logged in and out before anything interesting was happening, or simply was too many jumps away for me to get there in time.

So I've decided to go at it solo. What! Blasphemy you say? I hear you loud and clear on that one. I myself have always told folks to get into a good corp as soon as they can find one. But right now, that play style doesn't suit me. I'm more like a 3rd leg, a fifth wheel or whatever expression you want to use.

So earlier this week, I took the jump and left MAPU. I plan on staying in Heimatar for while, until I get familiar with my Close Range PvP Vexor setup. After reading up on the great advice that given to me after I mentioned I was fitting a Vexor for PvP, I've decided to use @00sage00's setup suggestion and am now on the hunt for those missing modules. Soon though, I'll be ready to test the waters with this new ship. First I plan on testing it out on NPC missions and pirates. But I know that soon, I'll have to face some real opponents.

Before I do that though, I thought I'd through a friendly request for some one on one lessons with fellow capsuleers willing to meet face to face and teach me the basics of PvP. I've read and will try to put into practice the wonderful advice that the Tweetfleet Father has put together in this wonderful post of his, "Piloting Savviness".

So if your willing to visit me and share some advice, I promise to be nice when I share our story on this blog of mine. But be aware that this is the setup you'll be facing... ....come to think of it, give this much of info to a potential opponent might not be a wise decision... of what the hell!

Close Range Vexor PvP Setup


Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I

10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Warp Scrambler II
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator

Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Small Energy Neutralizer II

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Hammerhead II x5
Warrior II x5
Hornet EC-300 x5


Now if you'll excuse me, I have a podcast to do!

Monday, November 29, 2010

MIGS 2010 Post-Mortem: Two days ain't enough!


I recently had the opportunity to attend, for the first time, the Montreal International Game Summit, which was held on November 8th and 9th, right here in Montreal. Now for those of you who may not know about this Canadian metropolis, you might want to keep this town on your radar. It's a little known fact that this city has become in recent years the sixth-largest games developer hot spot in the world. With over 7,000 developers, most major studios have an office in town (Ubisoft, EA, THQ, Funcom, WB Games, Bioware, Eidos and many others.

And so it was with great excitement that I spent those two days as a Media Partner, having thus a chance to mingle with local developers, producers, artists and heads of studios. The summit started off with a brilliant keynote by Ed Fries who talked about the evolution of the art form of video games, and how the industry needed to break out of the various molds and limitations it had established as it had evolved, and embrace the notion of constraints and limitations (see this Gamasutra article for further reading).

And then I was off the races, trying to attend every and all the sessions that were of interest to me. That is, far to many of them! Suffice to say that if I could have split myself up a number of times, I would have had a chance to see them all. But as it stood, I had to make a few tough choices. Some of the highlights for me were  Todd Northcutt's on Leaderboards, Veronica Zammitto on Game User Research and Rui Manuel Cassais on Tech Development and MMOs.

At the end of the 2 day summit I had attended maybe two thirds of the session I had originally wanted to see, not for a lack of interest, but of time. You see, despite the fact that I use this blog as an outlet for my passion as a gamer and a geek, this blog, and the podcasts I've done (or am starting again) are just part of a hobby, an interest that I have.

Despite this, and the fact that though I tend to gravitate in and around the Montreal Game Development Community despite not being part of it, I'm starting to know a lot of folks that work in this amazing industry. And low and behold, a good chunk of them were at the summit! As such, I spent a good time catching up with old friends and getting to know new faces.

In the end, that's a lot of what this summit is about: sharing knowledge, growing your network, and looking for new opportunities. And in that senses this last edition of MIGS was a great success!

I can't wait for next year!

[Flickr MIGS2010 set]

Ben Hibon's Codehunters [VIDEO]


Via @ShurikenMonkey. Thanks Bro!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Friday Video (Belated Edition): Cowboys and Aliens [HD VIDEO]


Cowboys & Aliens hits theaters on July 29th, 2011.

Cast: Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Noah Ringer, Sam Rockwell, Ana de la Reguera, Clancy Brown, Heavy D, Jon Favreau, Paul Dano, Abigail Spencer, Keith Carradine, Adam Beach

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

Cowboys & Aliens trailer courtesy Dreamworks Pictures.

Speedlinking for the week-end of November 27th, 2010


Those of you who have been long time readers, know that I use to have this regular series of post called the Speedlinks, where I would provide a list of posts, articles and videos related to EVE Online in some way or another, or in some cases, not at all.

I'm happy to tell you that the series is back, thanks to the ease with which Google Chrome allows me to track and collect these bookmarks over the last week. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are those links:

New Blogs:

Friday, November 12, 2010

Battle: Los Angeles Trailer HD 1080p

As I head out to see Monsters with friends, I'm obligated to share this trailer from another upcoming science fiction film that looks damn right amazing!  You'll appreciate!

Move over Skyline!

Friday Video: I'm about to have a Geek Orgasm! Seriously!


Just when I thought TRON trailers couldn't out do themselves, but they've just done so. Watch and witness this orgasmic experience!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

EVE Blog Banter #22: The Belated Edition


We may already be in November - and the 10th at that! - but October's EVE Blog Banter was held back on October 26th and quite a few of you participated. Unfortunately I didn't not. Elements that were out of my control prevented me from participating this time, though not from lack of interest.

So here is the list of those who participated in this last Blog Banter, as well as the topic:


Welcome to the twenty-second installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month topic is brought to us by L'Dene Bean of Nitpickin's who asks: Why, and how did you pick your corporation? Is your loyalty solid or just until a better placed organization "recruits" you. The shorter version:  Who holds your Unshakable Fealty and why?
List of participants:

  1. Blog Banter #22: Corp Loyalty « Evil Silents
  2. Confessions of a Closet Carebear: Corporation Loyalty - Brothers and Sisters till the end?
  3. Who holds your Unshakable Fealty and why? | Nitpickin's
  4. loyalty isnt for sale | A Mule In EvE
  5. Blog Banter #22: Corporation Guilt? | Sarnel Binora's Blog
  6. Ask Not What Your Corp Can Do For You… « The Lathspell of Mithrandir
  7. New Eden History Student » Blog Archive » Why I went to college
  8. Esprit de Corps
  9. where the frack is my ship?: Blog Banter 22: Home is where the heart is
  10. A "CareBears" Journey - Am I Loyal, Or Just Complacent?
  11. Captain Serenity: Blog banter #22 - Loyalty?
  12. Not a Nice Game (Blog Banter 22) | Interstellar Privateer
  13. CK’s Blog Banter #22: A Fighter’s Heart « Prano's Journey
  14. EvE Blog Banter #22: Where We Stand EvE Blasphemy
  15. divagoth | wandering the gaming landscape
  16. The Eternal Ninja - The Fang
  17. An Amarrian Capsuleer: Blog Banter 22: Corporation Cooperation
  18. Nashh Kadavr's EVE Blog: Bastard for Life
  19. Double Threat: Blog Banter #22
  20. Drifting: Blog Banter #22: Corporation Loyalty - Brothers and Sisters till the end?
Expect the email for the next - and 23rd - EVE Blog Banter to go out before the end of the week!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The New Eden Chronicles Co-Host Contest: We have Winners!


Maeve and I were very excited by the number of great entries we got, as well as their originality, and though we're a few days late in announcing our EVE Podcast Co-Host Contest results, we're happy to tell you that we've got 2 winners to announce!

After going through all the mp3 clips, picking just one winner proved to be an impossible task. We can tell you without a doubt that there's enough talent out there for many more EVE podcasts! Getting back to ours though, we ended up narrowing it down to "2" co-hosts, who will be joining Maeve and I as part of the New Eden Chronicles crew, a podcast dedicated to the EVE Community itself. So here they are,
Congratulations to the both of you! 

The new podcast, New Eden Chronicles, as I mentioned, will tend to focus on the EVE Community and the amazing talent found within it. We'll cover EVE Online blogs, the EVE Blog Banters and what not, other podcasters, the artists and musicians within the community, as well as the game itself of course. Maeve and I are still working out the details and look forward to discussing this with our 2 new co-hosts in the next few days.

For the time being, we've set up a Gmail account - NewEdenChronicles@Gmail.com - for you to send in your requests and suggestions. We're also working on other ways for you to communicate with us and will let you know about those as they become available.

We look forward to your feedback and hope to have our first podcast out within the next 2 weeks! 

So stay tuned, and in the mean time, please join Maeve and I in welcoming Memoocan and Ardwulf to the New Eden Chronicles cast!

Fly safe!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Will we see each other at Fanfest VII (2011)?



With CCP Game's 7th iteration of the EVE Fanfest - thanks to Mandrill for the heads-up by the way - the most famous party at the top of the world moves from an early Fall schedule to early Spring. As most of you know, I had the opportunity to attend Fanfest V (Fall 2008) and had a blast! The experience is like no other in the world. This is the time where we capsuleers get to mingle, chat, interact and party with CCP Devs. This is also a time, where friends and foes get to finally meet face to face, share a few laughs, as well as a few drinks - ok, a LOT of drinks!

I look very much forward to this particular Fanfest, and hope to meeting with a great number of you who will also make the annual capsuleer migration to the land of Vikings and rotten shark! Since my last Fanfest over 2 years ago, the EVE Blog Community has grown quite considerably, and I've had the chance to virtually meet with quite a number of people whom I consider good friends today. During this Fanfest, I really hope that we'll get to meet with some of you and put a real face behind your avatar.

I think that @Mandrill's initiative to organize a tweet-up is a great idea, one that will surely be successful. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there!

So will we get to meet?

Monday, November 08, 2010

Visceral Games Montréal Party following the first day of MIGS

As my first day of the Montreal International Game Summit ends, I'm about to head back to downtown Montreal for the MIGS Party, courtesy of Visceral Games Montreal, formerly known as EA Montreal. This is my first attendance at MIGS and hopefully not the last. Coming out of the first day, I can already tell you that I'm very impressed with venue, the speakers and with the overall conference itself.

Since I need to leave for the event, I don't have time to tell you about the various sessions I attended earlier today, but I can tell you that Ed Fries' opening keynote surprised quite a few people, that GameSpy's Todd Northcutt sessions on leaderboards was very interesting, and that Funcom's CTO, Rui Manuel Casais, session on the Technical Challenges of Developing MMOGs was very interesting and full of real-life experiences. More on that later!

Now if you don't mind, this is where I'm heading tonight:
[Note to self: before you rush out the door, hit the Publish Post!]

Thursday, November 04, 2010

6 years, 800 posts, and almost a million pageviews later...


I'm still at it! So I may not post as often nor as much as I used to in the past, but I'm still here. I first started blogging over 5 and a half years ago - February 2005 - and the sporadic posts slowly became more regular, of greater length, and hopefully quality. Later the Blog Pack was born, as did the EVE Blog Banter - which reminds me that I still need to post October's Banter!

Over those last fifty-some months, this blog has seen a lot of activity. Here is some of those stats as of today:
  • 801 posts
  • 578,473 unique visitors
  • 920,109 pageviews
  • 1.6 pages/visit
  • Visitors 2005 - 2010
    • 2005: 337 
    • 2006: 6,976 
    • 2007: 54,256
    • 2008: 135,688
    • 2009: 177,355
    • 2010: 203,861 (as of November 4th)
And so, I write this post not to brag, but to thank you for being here, for reading this blog, for commenting, and for help this old blogger keep his edge. Even he seems to be losing it these days. I could not have done it without you guys!

Fly safe, and be proud of the Community we've build!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Friday Video: TRON: LEGACY - Daft Punk's "Derezzed"


Here is a music video from the up coming movie TRON LEGACY, featuring original music by Daft Punk and a cameo of them. There is also a cameo of Michael Sheen in this clip looking like some crazy cool David Bowie from the Tron world.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday Video: The Dronelands [2 EVE Online VIDEOS]

Just as I expected when I did my Top Ten EVE video post earlier this week, I've received a number of links to some amazing EVE Online videos. Out of all those I was not aware of, the 2 that I found particularly of great quality (minus a few typos in the narrative) and visual F/X are below, for your pleasure and mine! Hopefully you'll enjoy them!





Thursday, October 21, 2010

Getting ready for my first Player Kill - A Vexor PvP Setup


After roaming systems near or within the Heimatar Region over the last 2 weeks, I've finally gathered all the necessary modules, ammo types and drones for the all 6 Gallente Vexors I've setup for PvP. And though I'm based out of GERBOLD, earlier this morning I traveled to EBODOLD, a dead-end system of 0.4 security level. I'd been told that there was a good plex in the area, one where I could test out the Vexor setup I've been so diligently putting together for my first foray into the darker side of EVE, the Player-vs-Player.

The system has but only one station, fittingly numbered CK-19. I feel at home already! My plans over the next few days are simple: test out that PLEX as I get to know my Vexor setup. It'll give me the opportunity to go through to great PvP Guides I've recenltly come across: the first is "Piloting Savviness" by @00sage00, and the second is "The New Rifter Guide" by @wensley. Both are available in PDF formats by the way.

In the mean time, here's my PvP Vexor Setup. Experts such as Wensley and 00sage00 are more than welcome to critique and provide their advice. God knows I need it!


HIGH POWER
  • 1x Medium YF-12a Smartbomb
  • 4x 150mm Railgun II
MEDIUM POWER
  • 1x DDO Photometry Tracking Disruptor I
  • 1x Y-58 Hydrocarbon I Afterbuner
  • 1x J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I
LOW POWER
  • 1x Emergency Damamge Control I
  • 1x Microcell Nanite Explosive Hardener I
  • 1x Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
  • 1x 1600mm Reinforced Crystalline Carbonide Plates I
DRONES
  • 1x Warrior II
  • 5x Hornet EC-300
  • 2x Ogre II
  • 2x Infiltrator II

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Top 10 EVE Online Videos of all time! [VIDEO]


I was recently made aware of a top ten video listing (Top 10 Animated Children’s Movies of All Time) which got me thinking about all those amazing videos that have been released over the last few years, both from CCP Games themselves, bu especially those made by the fans. That got me thinking, what would a Top Ten listing look like for EVE videos? The listing below are my picks, but they're but a brief sample of the amazing talent out there in the EVE Community!

What's your Top Ten?

#10 - Day of Darkness (Original)


#9 - No Other Destiny (CCP)


#8 - Permaband - HTFU (CCP) Couldn't help myself!


#7 - War Has Come to Eve


#6 - DUST 514 (CCP)


#5 - Tyrannis Trailer (CCP)


#4 - The Butterfly Effect (CCP)


#3 - Tortuga - Lacrimosa


#2 - Future Proof




#1 - Day Of Darkness II

Monday, October 18, 2010

New EVE Online podcast in the works! We're looking for co-hosts!


Some of you may know, if not most of you, that I was once the co-hosts of The Drone Bay, a podcast that saw 25 episodes published, and a 26th recorded but never released. My fellow co-hosts during those twenty-some episodes were none other than Crovan and Alsedrech, with Crovan as the main host of the show, working with Alsedrech providing invaluable knowledge on EVE's game mechanics, and I focusing on the ever growing EVE Blogging Community. The show had a tremendous success and was an integral part of my EVE experience for over a year.

When we relaunched the show in last April, with hopes of returning to a regular schedule shortly, the trio evolved in a quartet when the talented Maeve Trinity joined us 3 stooges! Unfortunately for our fans, for Maeve and for us, the relaunch failed to take place, and The Drone Bay never again saw a new episode after its 25th, the only one in which Maeve was a part of.

That couldn't be the end of it.

After month of thinking about it, pondering the pros and cons, I've decided to launch a new podcast, focused on our very dynamic EVE Online Blogging Community. The exact content of the show isn't finalized, but Maeve and I have agreed that we want our focus to be on what the EVE Community does best - with such topics as the unfortunate death of Capsuleer (I'm writing a post on that for later this week), the First Person Fanfest Project, the EVE Blog Banters, the Hulkagedeon and other interesting initiatives within our blogging community. Of course, we'll have tips and advice for noobs and veteran capsuleers as well, but we'll do so by leveraging the expertise of the blogging community, by having them as guests on our shows.

But we need your help!

As I've hinted last week, Maeve Trinity and I are looking for a 3rd (and who knows, maybe a 4th) co-host to come along and spill their EVE guts for the Community's pleasures and delights! So if you've ever wanted to have your EVE Online podcast and feel as though you've got what it takes, then we need to here from you.

What do you need to do? Very simple: send in a 2 to 5 minute audio clip of you, where you either tell us why you'd make a great co-host, share some of the advice you'd share in a regular episode, or anything you think will get you noticed and picked as a co-host! You can edit the clip as you see fit, or send it in non-edited. Maeve and I will listen to every clip you send in and pick a winner!

The details:
  • The Deadline: Submit your audio clip from now until October 29th, 2010 11:59:59 EST.
  • The Format: An .mp3 file of 2 to 5 minutes in length
  • Email your clip to CrazyKinux@gmail.com with "Podcast Co-Host Contest" as the subject
  • Additional information: your tweeting/blogging name, your timezone and availability to record shows
The winner(s) will be announced by November 5th 2010.

Good luck to all!

Monday, October 11, 2010

EVE Online Postcard for Monday October 11th, 2010

No words will describe the scenery captured below as I passed a gas giant on my way to my end destination. If I recall, I actually reduced my speed as I was heading to the stargate.


Original on Flickr

Friday, October 08, 2010

The new EVE Online character creator: It just gets better! [VIDEO]

The more we learn about the new Character Creator that will get realeased with Incursion, the more I get excited about Incarna! And despite the fact that the following videos shows a work-in-progress version of the creator, it hints at some major tweaking ability which will hopefully allow for some character diversification - when it comes to their looks.

I'll let you be the judge!



Friday Video: Sintel (A Short Animated Movie)

Though I got word of this last week, through numerous tweets, I only got to see it today. Very impressed with what they were able to achieve with Blender.



Description:
"Sintel" is an independently produced short film, initiated by the Blender Foundation as a means to further improve and validate the free/open source 3D creation suite Blender. With initial funding provided by 1000s of donations via the internet community, it has again proven to be a viable development model for both open 3D technology as for independent animation film.

This 15 minute film has been realized in the studio of the Amsterdam Blender Institute, by an international team of artists and developers. In addition to that, several crucial technical and creative targets have been realized online, by developers and artists and teams all over the world.

www.sintel.org

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Over 6 years of EVE Online Screenshots for your pleasure!


I recently asked some of you how long you had been playing EVE and if you ever saw yourselves playing in another five. The answers I got confirmed that most of us would still be capsuleers in that time frame. All this brought back memories of the last 6 years or so that I've been flying through New Eden, and of all the screenshots I took during those years.

Below you'll find links to 3 Flickr sets of screenshots taken between October 5th 2004 and up to last night. In all, that's over 2400 screenshots taken from various parts of the EVE universe, as I traveled, mined, did PvE and God knows what. It's fascinating to see the evolution of the UI, and how the back-drop & the ship have all evolved over that time!



Trinity I


Trinity II


Trinity II (2010)

So, how about yourself? Do you do a lot of screen capture, or is this just a weird hobby of mine?

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

EON Issue #021: 2010 - Table of Content

Though I've yet to receive my copy of the 21st issue of EON, I thought I'd share with you the content that was forwarded to me by the editors.

I can't wait to get my copy as this issue is filled with content that's dear to me: the EVE Storyline and the EVE Fanfest! The EVE universe is a fascinating place and the EVE Chronicles have allowed us to learn a bit more about this dark and hard place we capsuleers call home. I've even stated in the past, and reiterate here, that I'd love to see some hardcover book on EVE - similar to those big fat beauties from Pathfinder.

As for the upcoming Fanfest, I'm already looking at my possible itinerary and maybe extending my vacation a few more days to spend it with MrsCK somewhere in Europe! How about you? Will you attend the Party t the Top of the World next March?




IT’S STORYTIME
It’s always been there, but EVE’s storyline has never been the most overt aspect of the New Eden universe. All that’s set to change with Incursion, as CCP is looking to bring the back-story firmly to the front. With player events back on the agenda and everyone from the mightiest 0.0 alliance to the lowliest high-sec miner invited to take part, it looks as if your reasons for doing what you do are about to get ever more dramatic.

CONSTRUCTING FANFEST
As we wait patiently for 2011’s extravaganza on the roof of the planet, we take a trip back in time through Fanfests of old to discover how they came to be, why they came to be and who came to... uh, be them. Whatever. The moments that made CCP realize getting a large group of its players together under one darkened roof was all worthwhile, the lessons learnt, and what we can expect from future trips to the sunny shores of, er, Iceland.

SURVIVING EVE
Of course we love EVE more than life itself, but that doesn’t mean that life should be neglected in the pursuit of one more can-flip or podkill. We take time out from staring at the monitor to examine ways to step back, smell the flowers and still appreciate our beloved game for all its worth but without becoming totally burnt out in the process. Remember traveller, a healthy capsuleer is a happy capsuleer and vice versa.

THE 50M ISK CHALLENGE
Give a bunch of pilots a (relatively) small lump of cash, tell them to spend it on whatever ship and fittings they think are best and record the results. Following Issue #019’s 200 million ISK ship-building challenge, we thought we’d try it again but with a more modest amount. You’ll be surprised just how far a tiny budget goes in New Eden’s chop-shops these days.

PLUS

  • The Mod Delusion – how EVE’s greatest fans are taking New Eden into other game engines
  • ‘Condemned To Repeat’ – an all-new, exclusive Chronicle of espionage and deceit from Danny Schalit
  • In depth ‘Insider’s Guides’ to Militia Fleets, getting the most from EVE’s communication tools and the first of a multi-part look at Drones
  • Interviews with EVE TV veteran and CCP Video Producer Stevie Ward and Technical Director and ‘Lag Warrior’ CCP Yokai
  • Behind the characters of Silentbrick, Niccolado Starwalker and Sakura Nihil
  • Profiles of Art Of War Alliance and Veneratio Venator Alliance
  • The latest news from CCP and the latest reports from 0.0 space
  • Postcards, Funnies, My Two ISK and much more


Oh, and there’s one more thing... E-ON is going digital, but they’re not abandoning the hard-copy magazine – far from it. As a special incentive, ALL subscribers to the hard-copy edition will receive FREE access to the coming-soon E-ON Digital, which will be able to be viewed online or offline on a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device. The print edition will still retain its glossy-page collectability, but the digital version will enable us to bring new features such as full archive searching, lower cost and instant availability. Go tell the world, E-ON Digital is coming soon...

Table of Content Coming Soon...

Monday, October 04, 2010

EVE Online Postcard for Monday October 4th, 2010

New beginnings are often, if not always about change. And New Eden is the virtual proof of that. As I gather the various modules, drones & armaments I'll need as I take my first few steps in PvP, I've had the chance to visit quite a few systems in and around Heimatar, the region where I've establish myself. The screenshot below was taken during these travels. Awe inspiring isn't it?

Original on Flickr

Friday, October 01, 2010

Friday Video: STASIS


In the future, an Ex-Soldier is placed in virtual exercises to cure his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the simulations, he sees glimpses of a mysterious girl, presumably someone from his past. When a Stranger appears in his facility offering answers, the Soldier finds himself once again asked to kill, this time for her...



STASIS from Christian Swegal on Vimeo.


Starring Reshad Strik, Beau Bridges, Ernie Hudson, and Rachel Specter

Directed by Christian Swegal
Produced by Ian Colhoun
Written by Benjamin Murphy
Executive Produced by Adam Hendricks
Cinematography by Max Goldman
Production Design by Zach Matthews
Costume Design by Marta Villalobos
Sound Design by Jamie Hardt
Edited by Christian Swegal & Tom Muldoon
Music by Cyril Morin

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

EVE Blog Banter #21: The Lure of the Wild


Welcome to the twenty-first installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by none other than me, CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month topic comes to us from @ZoneGhost who a few month ago asked “Is Low Sec the forgotten part of EVE Online?” Is it? I’d like us to explore this even further. Is Low Sec being treated differently by CCP Games than Null Sec (Zero-Zero) or Empire space is? Can one successfully make a living in these unsecured systems where neither Alliance nor Concord roam to enforce their laws? What’s needed? Or is everything fine as it is?
The Wilds. A No Mans Land where pirates can hunt you down and ransom you, where you become canon fodder. That's the perception of Low Sec. Except there's a problem. It's rarely true. And that's where part of the problem with this vast territory that exists between Empire Space and Null Sec.

As many of you know I've been a Carebear for as long as I've been playing EVE, which is over 6 years now. And as many of you, I used to try to avoid Low Sec (and Null Sec as well for that matter) like it was the plague. But then I began to travel long distances, which saw me travel in Low Sec for many systems. After a while I started to notice something strange: Low Sec is a very empty and lonely place. Where is everybody?

Now I've never been a pirate, so I can't tell you how these folks make a living in Low Sec. What I can tell you though is that is should have been blown up and podded many more times then has happened over the years. And yes, I'm avoiding all together the PvE that's available in Low Sec. To me Low Sec should be the ultimate PvP arena. A wild realm where more often then none, one would be faced with destruction and "life and death" combat at the hands of pirate and poachers!

So I'm very happy to see folks like Mynxee put together an initiative like the "Making Low Sec Matter committee" in an effort to reinvigorate this vast underdeveloped area of New Eden. Not to say that CCP hasn't done its share trying to bring in capsuleers to this practically uninhabited part of our universe; but when dedicated, intelligent and knowledgeable players come together to improve our game, good things can only come out of this!

And in a few month, when I have roamed Low Sec looking for a victim, and know more about Low Sec, maybe I'll venture myself to a few ways for improvements. For the time being, I'll let the experienced partake in this noble project.

Participants:
  1. CrazyKinux's Musing: The Lure of the Wild
  2. Banter 21: Arr, Yer be talkin’ bout me lowsec | TheElitist
  3. Banter 21: Low-sec- Chocolate Heaven
  4. Subs' suds: Forever a noob in Eve: Low-Sec - the forgotten part of EVE Online
  5. Blog Banter XXI - Lo-sec = Low Priority? | I am Keith Neilson
  6. In the Ghetto | A Mule in EvE
  7. where the frack is my ship?: Blog Banter 21: What's good for the goose...
  8. Blog Banter #21: Change? | Sarnel Binora's Blog
  9. Low Sec = Wild West ~ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah
  10. a merry life and a short one: Low Sec: I Wanna Talk to You
  11. Low Sec = No Sec | Diary of a Garbageman
  12. EVEOGANDA: Blog Banter 21: Friggin' Low Sec
  13. Drifting through the Stars: Blog Banter #21: Low-Sec - The Forgotten part of EVE Online
  14. Captain Serenity: Eve blog banter #21 - Low Sec, The Forgotten Part of Eve
  15. Low Sec: the Best part of EVE Online | Nitpickin's
  16. Aeroxe's Assault - “Is Low Sec the forgotten part of EVE Online?”
  17. Eve Blog Banter 21 | A Scientist's Life in Eve
  18. Latro's Bunker: Eve Blog Banter 21 - Low-sec
  19. A "CareBears" Journey » Blog Archive » EVE Blog Banter #21: The Low Sec Conundrum
  20. EVE Blog Banter 21: Low Security Space « The Nomadic Gamer
  21. EvE Blog Banter #21: Where Now?!? – EvE Blasphemy
  22. Low-security space is for people who care « EVE's parity bit
  23. Blog Banter 21 – Fish Heads and Baby Ruths
  24. EVE on Real Life: Obsession with Lowsec
  25. Stand by to Repel Boarders (Blog Banter 21) | Interstellar Privateer
  26. EVE Blog Banter #21: Location, Location, Location « The Lathspell of Mithrandir
  27. Blog banter #21: Stuck in the middle with you « Diary of a Pod Pilot
  28. Persephone Astrid's YarrJournal » Blog Archive » Living la Vida Lowsec
  29. Freebooted: BB21: Low-Sec - If it Ain't Broke, Introduce a Law-man
  30. Flashfresh - The Pirate.: EVE Blog Banter #21 'Low Sec Needs Fixing? Yes but not too much...'
  31. Nashh Kadavr's EVE Blog: EVE Blog Banter #21, low-sec love...
  32. New Eden History Student » Blog Archive » Blog Banter #21
  33. Blog Banter 21: No Man’s Land « Yarrbear Tales
  34. Omnis Arcanum of EVE: EVE Blog Banter #21: Is CCP indifferent to developing Low Sec??
  35. More coming shortly...

Monday, September 27, 2010

EVE Online Postcard for Monday September 27th, 2010

It's been a long time since my last EVE Postcard, but the following screenshot, which is my wallpaper as well, got me back into it. Hopefully this will continue to be a regular feature. Would love to see yours as well!


Original on Flickr
EVE Online Dev Blog

Monday, September 20, 2010

Looking forward to the Montreal International Game Summit 2010


Besides Fanfest, I've never been to any other gaming convention. And though I do plan on one day attending E3, GDC, PAX East, and a few others on my bucket list,so far I haven't had the opportunity to attend one of those. But that is soon about to change, and it's a lot closer to home.

Actually it is home! Early this fall, on November 8th and 9th, I'll have the chance to attend MIGS 2010 - the Montreal International Game Summit. Over the years, this developers convention has grown into something quite important in the industry. With Montreal being a major game development hub, it's no wonder that the MIGS has grown to such importance.

So earlier last week, when they released their schedule, I was quite excited. See, despite the fact that I'm not a gaming developer, nor do I work in the video games industry, I've always been interested in going further than simply reading video games magazine or websites. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be part of it. For the time being, attending MIGS, and Fanfest 2011 for that matter, is plenty enough to satisfy my appetite. Anyways, let's get back to that schedule of mine!




So after perusing their program schedule, I started picking the sessions I was going to see. The following is the schedule for those 2 days, with session and the speakers name.

Monday, November 8th
11:15 Collective AI for Next Generation Gameplay (Jeff Orkin, PhD Candidate @ MIT Media Lab)
13:30 The Art of the Sell: Pitching Your Ideas (Chris Ferriera, Creative Director @ A2M)
14:45 Leaderboards Can Suck It: 7 Better Ideas for Visualizing Player Data for Fun & Profit (Todd Northcutt, General Manager @ GameSpy Technology)
16:00 Marketing and PR: The New Rules of the Game (Scott Steinberg, CEO & Author @ TechSavvy Global)
17:15 Positive Play, Real World Gains (David Edery @ Fuzbi, Ann DeMarle, Dante Anderson @ Seriosity, Genevieve Lord, Chris Crowell @ Woozworld, Michelle Hinn @ Pursuit of Happiness Foundation and Alex Hutchinson @ Ubisoft Montreal)
21:30 MIGS 2010 Party @ B-Side Bar

Tuesday, November 9th
11:15 Post-Mortem of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Stephane Gravel & Martin Rhéaume @ Beenox)
13:30 Feature Animation Techniques vs. Gaming Animation Techniques: Bridging the Gap (Samantha Youssef, Artistic Director @ Studio Technique)
14:15 Cloud Gaming is the Near Future (Steven Thomas, Senior Software Engineer @ HaiVision Network Video)
16:00 Building Your Game Studio (Greg Boyd, Attorney @ Davis & Gilbert LLP)
17:15 New Kids On the Block: Studio Heads Tell All (Ken Schachter @ Trapdor, Miguel Caron @ Funcom, Jason Della Rocca @ Perimeter Partners, Martin Carrier @ WV Games Montreal, Yannick Roy @ Bioware)

Quite a busy two days, but so many great topics to cover and learn about. I'm excited!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Firefall: A Game to Keep an Eye Out For [VIDEO]


I've been following for a number of years the folks over at Red 5 Studios, ever since these ex-Blizzard developers opened shop back in 2005. Though they went through some difficult times recently, it seems that they're on track to deliver a great looking futuristic Free to Play FPS/3rd Person hybrid.

If the recent footage shown at PAX 2010 is any indication, Firefall (which currently has a release date of 2011) looks very promising! Additional links following these 2 videos.

I for one, have registered for the BETA and look forward to seeing what looks like a gem of a game!






Red 5 Studios on Firefall:
FIREFALL is a team-based action shooter. Join your friends in an epic online campaign across a vast open world to stop the Melding and fight for the survival of humanity against the army of the Chosen. Advance your army and character through technological upgrades. Level up different character classes. Compete for supremacy in various multiplayer game types. Push back the Melding. SAVE EARTH!

Links:


So, you want to be part of the next EVE Blog Banter?


The last few months I've been getting emails from a lot of you asking me how to get into the EVE Blog Banters. It's a very simple process which involves sending me (CrazyKinux@gmail.com) a short email asking to be added. Once I've added you to the list, I send you a quick email to confirm this.

Though you don't need to be on the mailing list to participate, being on it gives you a heads-up on the next Banter topic with the date that it goes live. This way our EVE Banters have the greatest impact and best chance to generate a good discussion amongst us.

Let me also add that you do not have to have an EVE Online Blog to be part of this. Though it's called the EVE Blog Banter, only your specific post has to be about that month's Banter topic, not your whole blog! So if you've got buddies that have blogs (not specifically about EVE Online) and play EVE, you can certainly tell them about the EVE Blog Banters so that they may participate!

I'll be emailing you all about September's Banter topic this week, so if you want a head start in writing your post, and have not been added to the list, then now's a good time to do so!

Fly safe!

Friday, September 10, 2010

EVE Blog Banter #20: Care for a little griefing tonight?


Welcome to the twentieth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by none other than me, CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
With the recent completion of the 3rd installment of the Hulkageddon last July, @CyberinEVE, author of Hands Off, My Loots!, asks: "Griefing is a very big part of EVE. Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming are all a very large part of the game. What do you think about all these things? You can talk about one, or all...but just let us know your overall opinion on Griefing, and any recommendations you may have to change it if you think it's needed."
[Though I was not able to participate in our last EVE Blog Banter due to RL confilcts, I still wanted to have it up with the list of participants. The next Banter promises to be a great topic and I will be part of it!]

Participants:

  1. Blog Banter #20 Spoiled Children « Roc's Ramblings
  2. Griefing, Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming | Nitpickin's
  3. Blog Banter: SPACE POLIC HARASSMANT.
  4. Guns Ablaze » Blog Archive » [EBB 20] Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked
  5. EVE Blog Banter #20: Griefing, Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming
  6. Victoria Aut Mors » Blog Archive » Blog Banter 20. Quit Yer Damn Whining!
  7. EVE Blog Banter #20: A Very Simple Proposal | Venoms Bite
  8. where the frack is my ship?: Blog Banter #20 : Think like a Capsuleer
  9. Out of pod experience - 20th Blog Banter: You’re a Griefer, NO You’re a Griefer!
  10. 2010 August 23 « Industrial Crisis
  11. Adventures in Mission Running » Blog Archive » Blog Banter: Good Grief!
  12. Blog banter #20: Griefing, not just for the tears « Diary of a Pod Pilot
  13. Blag Banter #20: “Griefing” | Sarnelbinora's Blog
  14. (OOC) CK’s Blog Banter #20: Griefing And Changing. « Prano's Journey
  15. Vive Virtual: Motivated Grief
  16. BB20 – A Shifting Opinion | Shifter's Mumbles
  17. Fiddler's Edge: EVE Blog Banter #20: Pirates and Griefers
  18. Banter 20: Scamwiches- Chocolate Heaven
  19. mikeazariah » Blog Archive » BB 20 Blaming the victim
  20. Freebooted: Dear God, Please Kill Them All
  21. The Anti-Griefer « Revolting Carebears
  22. Latro's Bunker: EVE Blog Banter #20
  23. Blog Banter on Griefing: Express Yourself
  24. Griefing… a Blog Banter | Diary of a Garbageman
  25. Blog Banter #20: The Joy of Loss « Evil Silents
  26. Did I miss anyone?

Saturday, September 04, 2010

EVE Online "Causality" Video - Part of the Universal Glory Sweepstake

CCP Games just released their latest trailer, called '"Causality", the spiritual offspring of "The Butterfly Effect". And with the release comes a very interesting sweepstake with some cool prize. So pay close attention while watching the video and head over to their contest site to participate! Good luck to all!

Friday, September 03, 2010

Friday Video: Nashh Kadavr's Celebrity Death Match #20 - Arrhidaeus


I'm always amazed at the talent, entrepreneurship and dedication of members of the EVE Community.This gaming community is full of them, Chribba, Winterblink, Mynxee and the Nashh Kadavr! Nashh is the man behind the "Celebrity DeatMatch" an event where he goes one on one against other known figures in the EVE Blogging Community.

To this day, Nashh has face 22 opponents and survived to tell the tale! The video below shows him pitted against Arrhidaeus, the blogger behind the well written "Cogito Ergo Yarr" blog.

One of these days, when I have a few battles behind my PvP belt, I promise myself to give him a run for his money. I'll definitely try! :p


Well done Nashh, keep up the great work you do for the community!