EVE Online Postcard for the week of August 14th, 2008

I've been running a lot of missions theses days, taking a break from my daily activities of roaming the web and LinkedIn for job opportunities. That, and working on finishing our basement. So I've been looking at a lot of gates these days, and have been remembering how much their looks got improved with Trinity 2. Just take a look at this screenshot of a stargate under Trinity I. Man what a difference! To think we thought those graphics were awesome!

We'll probably have to duck tape ourselves to our chairs when EVE goes DX10, or else we'll just fall off.

Fly safe mates!

EVE Online Postcard for the week of July 29th, 2008

Ships and stations got pimped during the Trinity patch, when EVE's graphical engine Trinity, got its upgrade to Version 2. I can't wait for the next patch which will bring planets, moons, backdrops and the likes to the same level as today's ships and station. Until then, we'll just have to live with imbalanced visuals.

/me stops whining now!

EVE Online Trinity II Screenshot Slideshow

I came across this slideshow browser creator while looking for new templates for my other blogs. I thought I'd use it to share all the Trinity II screenshots I upload to Flickr. So far I've got over 250 screenshots, but that number will rise over time. Just to give you an idea, I've got 1,568 screenshots of Trinity I; EVE's old graphic engine. Yeah, I know, I'm a freak!

Hope you enjoy!

Trinity is Dead! Long live Trinity!

As I write this post, CCPers are hard at work on the latest (and greatest) update to EVE: Trinity 2. And so I take a moment to say good bye to Trinity 1, EVE's initial graphic engine, as it goes into retirement.

Though it's gotten a few improvements over the last 4 years, Trinity 1 still looked great as of yesterday. Just take a look at any of the more than fifteen hundred screenshots I took and uploaded to my EVE Online Flickr set over the last 3 years. Out of that set I chose over three hundred shots as favorites and created a seperate set. Both of these will be sealed off and replaced with 2 new Trinity 2 sets.

So have fun browsing these old screenshots, and here's to Trinity 2 and all those lovely new shots I'll be uploading very soon!

Looking forward to it, as much as we all are!

EVE Online Trinity expansion released on Dec 5th

By next Wednesday, over 200,000 EVE players will be drooling as they log into a new universe. Both the NY Times and WorldsinMotion.biz have confirmed that the latest and greatest EVE expansion will be released on December 5th, so mark your calendar, call in sick, cancel appointments cause it's gonna be showtime!

Here's a quote from the CCP press release:

CCP is releasing two versions of EVE Online: Trinity. Gameplay will remain the same in both versions and both will be available as free downloads. A Classic version of EVE Online: Trinity will be available December 5, 2007 for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh and Linux platforms at http://www.eve-online.com/download/. The Premium version of EVE Online: Trinity, which will include updated and enhanced graphics, will be available on Microsoft Windows on December 5, 2007 and to Mac and Linux subscribers in the first quarter of 2008.

The premium version is compatible with graphics cards capable of displaying Shader 3.0 graphics or better.

Looking good people!

A Universe is reborn

The Trinity expansion is just around the corner, and with it the new Trinity 2.0 graphics engine and a lot more new features. In anticipation of this, CCP has just released a breath taking video - let me rephrase that, a kick ass video that'll blow your mind away!


The video is now available for download in high-quality over at GameTrailers.com. For those who are not aware, or simply unsure, the new engine requires DirectX 9.0c, not DirectX 10. If you're looking to see if your video card will be able to take full advantage of Trinity 2.0 follow this link and run the little applet provided by CCP.

In my case, I've got an archaic AGP mobo, but I know I'll be able to enjoy the new engine since my card supports Shader Model 3 - it's an XFX GeForce 7600 GT, 256 MB DDR3, 580MHz, AGP 8x. Thanks to CCP's, good judgement. Hell, not everyone is running Vista with DX 10 and a 512MB PCIX video card.

Xmas is just around the corner folks!

EVE Online Newsletter Volume 15 is out

And boy is this one full of juicy details.

All of it covers information that was shared at the EVE Fan Fest, which 99.5% of the EVE player base did not get to see live (only a thousand attend the fan fest!).

Thankfully, CCP have put together a Trinity sub-section on the EVE Online site, just as they had done for Revelations II. It contains a ton of stuff, from features list, to screenshots, to wallpapers (updated mine to this one), to 4 must see interviews that we got a chance to see during Fan Fest. I say we, because I was able to view them through the EVE TV broadcast. But, now you can view them in high quality over and over and over.

Oh, Trinity, how I look forward to running you for the first time!

High Quality Fan Fest Trinity Teaser

Well after some poking and searching around the eve-forums and eve-files, I finally found the high-quality teaser. The 16:9 video is available here on EVE-Files.com and also over at Stage6, which has a much better quality then anything on Youtube - see embedded video below. Time to download it, show it to your friends, better-half, mother, extended family and all!!!

EVE Fan Fest Trinity Teaser

The is the teaser video of the Trinity upgrade soon to be released. I saw this one while watching the EVE TV Fanfest broadcast last Saturday, and I've been looking for it ever since. Thanks to MatChengUK for posting it up. Can't wait for CCP to release the hi-def video.

Trinity 2 Ship Comparison Model Video

With Trinity II on its way very shortly, I thought I'd share with you the comparison video that shows the improvements we'll soon enjoy when CCP rolls out the Revelations III patch. By the way, see this interesting DevBlog post on the upgrade/update patch process.

I saw this video for the first time in an interview done during the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig, which I wrote about in this post back in late August. It shows the before/after full 3D renders of 4 ships: the Prophecy, a pirate frigate, the mighty Vexor and finally the Thrasher.

I got the original video through the EVE Affiliate program and was allowed to share it with you here. I've uploaded it to Youtube (see embedded video below) for a quick viewing, but you can also download the full 55Mb version here on my Box.net account.



To really appreciate it you'll need to view the full version. Only then can you appreciate the leap forward EVE will undertake when Trinity II is completed.

Enjoy!

A great video interview with EVE Associate Producer

The guys over at MMORPG.com have a great 15 minute interview with Arend Stuhrmann done during the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig. There's a lot of great pieces of information in it, and a cool video comparing the before and after implementation of Trinity II, EVE's upcoming improved graphic engine - out by the end of the year. Here's a list of the major points covered in the video, though I encourage you to go over and take the 15 minutes to watch it.

• Trinity II will be out by the end of 2007
• It will require XP and DX9, not Vista and DX10 (woohoo!!)
• Dynamic Lighting (how sweet it looks)
• Trinity II lays the ground work for future DX10 improvements
• Moves a lot of the processing to the GPU, thus improving game performance (crosses me fingers)
• It'll be big at over 2Gb - a mother of a patch!
• Trinity II and the upcoming Revelations III patch might be separate patches (god, lets hope so)
• Revelations III's Factional WarFare is still being worked on
• Revelations 2.2 will have the new Rorqual Industrial Capital ship (this is one badass Carebear ship)
• A bit on the EVE economist
• "Avatars walking in station" feature is also being worked on

Told you is would be juicy!!

Here's a screenshot of a Scorpion as rendered in the new Trinity II graphic engine.

The beautiful vistas of EVE Online

One of the first that strike people when I show them screenshots of EVE, or the videos with in-game footage, is how beautiful it is. And even today, after three years of playing the game, I'm still awestruck once in awhile by its visuals.

The screenshot below gives you a glimpse of what I mean. With the current rework of Trinity, EVE's graphical engine, the future looks even better. Of the few before and after Trinity II screenshots that we've been fed by CCP, I really can't wait for them to roll it out.

I've put together a set over on Flickr of my favorites screenshots. Have a peek, enjoy, and let me know about your favorites. Oh and while you're at it, have a look at the Trinity II comparison shots I've also added.

And now, I'm off the the First Montreal EVE Player Gathering over at Hurley's on Crescent St., downtown. I'll have pictures and stories to tell in tomorrow's post. I'm looking forward to meeting fellow capsuleers and share a few war stories while drinking a nice cold one. See you there boys!

Fly safe everyone!

Gaming: Getting ready for next year

I've been trying to keep myself abreast of the latest Vista news, making sure I stay on top of things so that I don't get a nasty surprise when the time comes to upgrade.

The main reason for me to upgrade will be the new Trinity II graphics engine for EVE Online. Hell it might even be the only reason. I really don't give a monkey's ass about the 'look' of Vista - I currently run Windows XP with the bare minimum graphics fluff (the Windows 2000 look). Not that I don't have the hardware for it (1Gb of RAM, Radeon 9500 Pro 128Mb), but I prefer to keep things lean and fast. I like things to look good in EVE, not in Windows.

And so, I keep looking for information, advice, tips and all in knowing if I'll need to upgrade any parts of my current PC in order to run Vista and its new graphics engine - again, the only reason is for the new EVE graphics engine (check this flickr slideshow and you'll understand why). This morning I came across this news article of at GameSpot that has a load of goodies. Here you'll find links to the Microsoft Vista Home and to the Get Ready beta utility with which you'll be able to see if you can run Vista when it comes out or if you'll need to upgrade anything. In my case, I'll have to change my main (master) hard drive - a very old (2000) yet very sturdy and reliable Fujitsu HDD.

While you're at it, head over to these previous posts to learn about Windows Vista: "Gaming: Windows Vista review on Gamespot" - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4. I also suggest you take a look at my growing Windows Vista blinklist, with which I keep track of everything related.

EVE Online: E:ON Issue #3 shipping this week

For the eve fan, E:ON is a blast to read, full of interesting information on the people behind EVE, some short stories, insight on upcoming events, etc.

Issue 3 is no different. The table of content is below and lists a few goodies I'm looking forward to read up on, like the new graphic engine.

At the EVE Gathering, the devs mentioned that they wanted to redo the graphic engine since it was over 3 years old and showed us a screenshot of a Vexor displayed using the new engine. You'll still be able to run the old engine if you don't have the hardware for it, but you'll be able to take full advantage of the latest Windows Vista graphic capabilities when using the updated engine.

(See at the bottom of this post for a look at the details.)

·Cover feature - 'Rebuilding EVE'
The Trinity engine is in the process of being overhauled, with dazzling effects and new ship textures that will help ensure EVE stays ahead of the competition for years to come. That's the plan, at least. But how will these updates affect the gameplay? Should they affect the gameplay? These questions and plenty more are answered, whilst others are neatly sidestepped. Still, you should see the screenshots ;) yowser!!

· Test Flight
DigitalCommunist returns from last month's look at the ironclad steamers to the Red Moon era and jumps inside the must-have ships this season; the four Force Recon Cruisers, to see what they're capable of and what you should be using them for. Or not.

· Insider Guides
We have a massive guide to electronic warfare (which should be helpful for newcomer and veteran alike), plus the first part of a look inside ISD

· In Character
Seleene talks business, Hardin talks self-flagellation and Count TaSessine is searching for a nice spot for a new outpost

· Gemini history
Most of us missed the party and those of that were there have shaky memories (clone tech has come on leaps and bounds since), so for the benefit of all, Reiisha takes us back to beta, EVE's literal big bang, where the roots of today's alliances began and where legends such as Ragnar, Hellgremlin and TAOSP were forged.

· Plus
Interviews with Hellmar and Fuhry, more Postcards From The Edge, new Chronicles, EVE China update and plenty more besides."

Sweet looking ain't she!