More Kali Goodness

Yet another dev blog entry includes more information on what will be in the first two phases of Kali. Since it’s all there I’ll just summarise.

The seamless map is integral to the new scanning format and exploration. It seems the scanner interface is now built into the normal view. Lots of hidden things will now be available everywhere for people to find.

Related to the seamless map is improved combat awareness including hierarchical gangs. Have fleets of squadrons of ships along with better gang situational awareness and apparently built in voice chat.

Invention will provide a new path to tech II. Gather random materials and mix them with tech I blueprints to create limited run inefficient tech II blueprints.

Loot will be revamped. No more shiny canisters dropped from ships but actual wreckage with “components” that can be used to make rigs – things that work like implants for ships allowing greater customization.

And all this is in Kali 1, before we get factional warfare.

The Focus of Kali 1 versus Kali 2

Kali Coming Soon

The current problems with EVE Online mean that Kali, the next big update will probably be delayed at least a month. But some more details have been released in the latest blog, including screenshots of the new seamless zoom feature. The idea is to integrate the map into the main display and simply let you zoom out – from your ship, through to solar system, region and finally all the way to the whole galaxy.

Kali Testing

Could TalkTalk software be the problem?

A few recent entries to the list of problems with TalkTalk seem like they could be software related. People not being able to use MSN Messenger or having problems getting their TalkTalk email for instance. The first one could be caused by a badly configured firewall which the TalkTalk software installs and the second by an apparent typo in the default mail settings.

The reason I bring this up is because installing the the TalkTalk software is one thing I never did. Since I was going to use a router with a modem built in I didn’t bother waiting for my welcome pack and just tried from the day they said the broadband would be active and everything worked fine. The irony is one of the first things any broadband technical support would ask you if you had a problem would be whether you are using a modem or a router since a modem should be simpler.

The most specialized ship in EVE Online

I was just looking through the ships and found the most specialized ship in there. By “most specialized” I mean one that is suited really well to a single task and really badly to anything else. There is vaguely a choice of four (one for each faction) so I went for the best one.

It is the Charon.

The Charon is a freighter designed for carrying stuff. And that’s basically it. It’s very good at it though. A Badger, the Caldari industrial can carry about 5,000 cubic meters of stuff. The Charon can carry 785,000 cubic meters. All this comes at a price. Firstly, it’s very slow – 60 m/s without skills. And you can’t even put a microwarp drive on it. And it’s not that the Charon has limited CPU or power or anything (which it does) but that it has no fittings. That’s right, not a single slot.

There are a couple of other sneaky uses for it though. It has high shields and very high armour and hull which means it might distract the enemy in a big fight. You’d hope that they’d assume it was carrying something important. Or along the same lines you could use it as bait maybe but there are much better ways to do that.

Life is getting better in EVE

A new post has been made in the EVE Dev blog by a guy called Redundancy about the EVE economy. Lots of interesting thing about GDP and stuff. The most interesting is that GDP per capita is on the increase – that is the average amount of money a player earns is going up. In fact is has double since January.

MythTV better than Media Center?

I’ve been reading about MythTV and considering it as a replacement for Windows Media Center. Overall it has more features, has better support for multiple computers and is completely free. Unfortunately it’s only available for Linux. Which also means you have to be picky with hardware because of the lack of drivers.

I’ll write more about it shortly…

MythTV

TalkTalk unbundling

Firstly, some of the posts about TalkTalk problems are getting a little heated, especially now some TalkTalk call centre workers have posted. Trying and keep everything vaguely cordial.

Secondly I have an update (sort of) regarding unbundling. I recently posted that the unbundling dates were 31st August. Well another post on Sam Knows said they were the dates Carphone Warehouse originally posted and haven’t actually been updated since. As such some people already are unbundled – most people aren’t.

CPW, Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk, broadband, ADSL Internet

I could have a Titan in less than year

I just downloaded an excellent little program called EVEMon. It’s basically has an item/skill database for EVE and tells you how long it will take you to train skills. You can either select the skills specifically or select an item and it selects the skills necessary for that item. It also reads the XML format that the EVE website makes available so it knows which skills you already have. It also tells you if training any learning skills would make things quicker and the optimal order.

To fly a Leviathan and be able to operate an Oblivion (the Caldari doomsday weapon) will take, at best, 298 days.

PS. Just having an item and skill database readable outside of EVE in an app instead of on a website is quite handy.

Titans, Leviathon, Oblivion, doomsday, EVE, Caldari, EVEMon, EVE software

Factional Warfare in EVE Online

The next big update in EVE will be called Kali. This will include a few things, including contracts – an overhaul of the missions/escrow/market system as well a big graphical update. The thing that I think most people are waiting for is Factional Warfare. All I knew about it until recently was vague implications that the name give. But I just received issue 2 of EON (the quarterly EVE magazine) which has a more in depth description of what the developers are hoping for with Factional Warfare.

Firstly, it looks like all the factions will be involved. There’s a two page graphic that has the four big ones in the middle, Gallente, Minmatar, Caldari and Ammar. But the others are scattered around, including Jovian Directorate, Khanid Kingdom, Angel Cartel, Thukker Tribe and even Concord.

But what will it actually involve? Well it seems the big part is the ability to do a “tour of duty” with a faction. This gives you access to special missions of a fairly grand scale involving the factions. This has major downsides. I’m assuming it would also make you a valid kill target for anyone doing a tour of duty for a faction at war with one you’re working for.

Also, factions may eventually be valid targets for war declarations by alliances. Could we see Band of Brothers marching in and taking out a faction? I’m guessing completely destroying a faction would be impossible, but taking large chunks of space would be a laugh….

Remember the magazine is six months old and a lot of it is vague. But exciting things are definitely on their way.

Factional Warfare, Concord, Caldari, Minmatar, Ammar, Gallente , EVE, online games

Farewell Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin, Australian wildlife expert most famous for his TV series Crocodile Hunter has died after being stung by a stingray. Although appearances can be deceiving I would have considered stingrays fairly low down on the list of most deadly animals he’s faced. In fact he’s apparently only the second person to be killed by a stingray in Australia.

Find more info from BBC News.

News