o7 Show YC 118.9.25

Another o7 Show has come and gone, and while some o7 episodes seem to contain more fluff than content, this week’s was packed full of information about the things coming in November.

For the uninitiated, the o7 Show is a recurring production of CCP’s community team. Hosted by CCP Guard and CCP Mimic, the it mixes community news, ship highlights, and previews of new features. The September update was mostly focused on the November expansion, but also mixed in other segments that have become mainstays of the show.

The show began by jumping straight into an interview with CCP Cognac and CCP Rise on the subject on the Alpha and Omega clone state change. While nothing particularly new was presented, they did reaffirm the concerns about multiboxing and some services (such as PI and the threat of Catalyst multiboxing gank armies), however no specifics of how to combat these concerns were discussed.

The next segment was based on the CSM summit, including soundbites from most of the CSM members. The clips were focused on the positive feelings of the CSM summer in general, with a strong focus on the new player experience. The previous year’s CSM seemed to be fraught by non-stop controversy, and this clip really drove home the positive vibe that we have been hearing both from the CSM and their handlers. Mr. Hyde113 made a particular point to comment on the extensive nature of the balancing sessions, only lamenting on the fact that there was maybe not enough time.

The news segment hit on the major points of the next month or so, starting with the coronation of Catiz Tash-Murkon. Interestingly, in spite of lore experts doubts, it seems as if Catiz herself may be part of the event, which will be held in the system of Amarr. CCP Mimic optimistically said that it should be full of her “loyal followers, and fans”. However, with the terrorist group Purity of the Throne, and capsuleers being as they are, the ultimate result is unpredictable. Second, Mass of Wrecks is hosting their second major event on October 2nd. The theme of this event is the Caldari, and is open to anyone who are willing to fly Caldari hulls.

The o7 report is a regular segment of the show, and this week highlighted many of the recent events including the alleged founding of the #NewWorldOrder. This was followed by the EVE Prosper Report which focused on the markets reaction to the various announcements concerning the November expansion.

The next segment was on the upcoming Alliance Tournament, and it appears as if there is a lot of momentum behind making this year’s AT a big E-sports event. The Alliance Tournament is a long tradition of EVE Online, but often has felt more like a redheaded stepchild. This year they showcased all of the CCP members involved in the production, as well as the new Thunderdome server that allows for the use of the tournament infrastructure for AT training. It was also announced that after the AT, Thunderdome will remain open for use by players in arranging their own tournaments, showing that YC119 may be a big year for EVE E-sports. When dojos were announced, many people were unhappy about the idea of their inclusion in the game, this seems to provide an avenue for this kind of gameplay, without disturbing Tranquility.

General Stargazer returned with “Stargazing with Stargazer” a segment that highlights awesome places in new eden. This episode focused on Titanomachy.

Next came the first big reveal, Ghost Fitting. This feature has been being talked about for over a year now, and is a new fitting tool for the EVE client. In essence, the new fitter allows you to simulate a ship even if you do not have the skills, the ship, or the modules to fit it. Much like external tools such as Pyfa or EFT, this new tool allows you to quickly search for any module based on a plethora of filtering options. This should go a long ways of making the process of fitting ships in EVE more intuitive, and make learning the possibilities in EVE easier. Additionally, it allows ship fitters to quickly review saved fits, make changes, and purchase builds off the market. Another cool feature is you can simulate the various states of the modules, including overheating them. Overall, this feature seems to have people very excited, and looks both well designed, and well needed.

In contrast, the new character sheets have come with mixed reviews at best. They are reworking the character sheets in an attempt to make understanding them more intuitive, and to reduce the number of windows needed to get a full view of your charactor. However, many people are concerned about the layout, especially the sideways text on the skill categories. Others are excited thanks to the new easier-to-use skill interface, however, it unfortunately seems as if pausing the skill queue to clone jump will still be a thing.

Overall, this month’s o7 Show was a solid offering from CCP games. It provided a good mixture of reviewed information, new information, and insight into the culture of EVE Online. What is most clear is that with the upcoming November expansion, and subsequent Alpha invasion, CCP are really stepping up their game as far as production quality, information density, and showmanship.

And as CCP Guard says, don’t forget the greatest ship in EVE is friendSHIP.

The full video can be viewed on CCPs Youtube channel.