Eve online drifters. Sudden Drifter Invasion - Drifter fleets attack nullsecs
The Drifters are a mysterious group believed to be an offshoot of the Jove, although their origins and intentions are unknown. Their technology is far more advanced than anything yet encountered in New Eden.
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observatories
The Jove Observatories are immense, formally cloaked structures of Jovian origin. They appear to be used for monitoring of life in New Eden. Their connection to the Drifters is unknown, however Drifter and Sleeper forces fixate around defending and harvesting these structures. The structures are, seemingly as a result of this, in an advanced and ever increasing state of disrepair.
Usage of Entosis Links on these structures reveals a data-store going back several decades. The information is extensive, and make it clear that the Observatories have been active for some time monitoring the development of factions and empires in New Eden and additionally, that the Drifters must covet the information contained within the structures.
unidentified wormholes
Located in close proximity to several of the observatories, these wormholes seem to be technologically generated and stabilized by the Drifters using Sleeper technology, as the various structures located around the periphery have been identified as “Sleeper Thermoelectric Converter” and “Sleeper Multiplex Forwarder”.
While at first Capsuleers could not enter these wormholes, something unknown has recently changed, and the wormholes can now be used by capsuleer ships. They seem to lead to new systems that are populated by sleeper enclaves of various types, more wormholes, spacial rifts - some that seem to be guarded by numerous weapons platforms (now inactive) - as well as other unknown structures and sites. These new systems have been confirmed as the same systems from which the Helen Tukoss broadcast originated (as his body was recently found there by a search expedition). However, while many Drifter ships are still present, the large armada he reported about is no longer there. Much exploration of these new regions is needed. The Drifter activity in these systems seem to hint of an unclear relationship with the sleepers. they use Sleeper tech and may even prey upon the sleepers themselves.
Circadian Seekers
In tandem with the appearance of the cloaked structures, capsuleers across the cluster reported the emergence of Circadian Seekers. These unusual Sleeper craft appear to be drones rather than manned vessels and it has been speculated that they are in fact scouts gathering data. Their tendency to visibly scan any object they encounter would seem to verify this as well as scanning (or maybe even downloading info to) the Jovian Observatories.
Ships
With the uncloaking of the towers came the appearance of the first of what we term the "Drifter Battleships". These sleek vessels bear little resemblance to any we have encountered thus far and seem to evince a level of technology many claims we cannot hope to match. As of yet no vessels have been captured intact but some research into them has been conducted.
The first and most obvious study was their status of aggression, or rules of engagement as it were. There have been conflicting reports but the following seems certain:
If a site of operations is approached, such as an Observatory or Unknown Wormhole, the Drifters will engage.
If fired upon, the Drifters will return fire.
If a pilot engages the Drifters, they will pursue that pilot.
They will defend Autothysian Lancers from attackers.
As far as their technology is concerned field reports offer information as to their capabilities. Firstly they do not seem to use conventional drive technology and occasionally display a light curtain "Skirt" between the antennas around the rear of the ship when not moving or moving slowly. Secondly the battleships seem to be equipped with two shield systems. Upon fully breaching the so-called "Overshield" the Drifter ships deploy what many are calling some sort of "doomsday device" akin to that equipped to our titans. One speculation would suggest that a fail-safe prevents it from firing if the outer shield layer is intact. alternatively the outer shield may in fact not be a shield but is acting as a siphon/converter, storing the energy of the incoming weapon's fire. Which is then released in one strong blast of energy at the attacker, which also breaks the targeting lock of the attacking ship.
The speed of these battleships is rather remarkable considering the protections they employ. Some reports put their orbit velocity as within the region of 2-2.5 km/s. These reports would also suggest that the optimal range of their ship to ship weaponry is in the region of 17 kilometers. Combat reports filed by those who have managed to survive the retaliatory fire indicate that although their primary weapon is capable of destroying a large in one firing, it seems to have a long recharge for whatever source powers it. This does not render the vessels toothless however as their secondary weaponry is purportedly just as deadly if unprepared for it.
In spite of this superlative offensive capacity and the multi-layered defenses; reports indicate that their ships are wholly reliant on their shields for protection and that once breached neither hull nor armor offer significant resistance to an assault. Thus it may be assumed that if a weakness in the shields is identified, such as the electromagnetic weakness inherent in much of our own shield technologies, their defenses may rapidly crumble.
As far as defending against their "Super weapon" is concerned, it appears that whilst the Drifters possess many technological marvels, they are not immune to that most Caldari of strategies, ECM.
Pilots
Drifter vessels are piloted by one of five pilot idents, often there will be multiple of the same "pilot" on grid at the same time. The similarities in behavior and action, combined with data compiled by scans would suggest multiple clones although whether each clone possesses an individual identity is unknown.
The identities (Or designs) currently known are as follows:
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Arithmos Tyrannos | |
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Cassandra Tyrannos | Orion Tyrannos |
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Apollo Tyrannos | Artemis Tyrannos |
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Hikanta Tyrannos | Tyrannos Strategos |
Autopsy
An Autopsy was performed on a recovered drifter corpse by a small group of notable capsuleers; Dr Anslo Tetua, Dr Mizhir Starsurge, Kybernetes Moros and Kalo Askold
It would be somewhat redundant of me to list their findings in the entirety as the report is available freely, however I would also be remiss not to summarize key details.
Subject believed to demonstrate severe genetic modification.
Subject displays thorough implantation.
Subject displays unusual blood composition.
Subject displays similarities to Jove, without demonstrating a definite match.
Technology
It is believed, though I have yet to receive confirmation, that they are unaffected by tracking disruption.
Hello capsuleers,
CCP Affinity and CCP RedDawn of Team Space Glitter represent a little less than nothing in terms of the past, present and future of these mysterious entities - Drifters (Nomads).
With the release of the Carnyx update, the previously inaccessible Unidentified Wormholes spawning throughout the New Eden galaxy are now open, allowing you to enter them for the first time.
These holes only appear in systems with the sinister Jove Observatories, which are guarded by drifters and seekers in a rather aggressive fashion.
Through these unidentified holes you will find yourself in new VX systems with effects usually found in other VX, broken planets, various sites that are based on the existing riddles of the Drifters and shed a drop of light on past events.
Capsuleers have also come across large sites called Drift Sites that require more group co-op and time to get to the deepest secrets.
The presence of a large number of Drifters and Circadian Seekers is no surprise, as are reports of a previously unseen Drifter named Hikanta Tyrannos.
Whatever the secrets contained in drifter sites, they are worth defending, worth attacking, from the moment the Antikythera element was first discovered and the capabilities of capsuleers have grown with the advent of Entosis Link "a.
Briefly about Drifters
Since the release of the Rhea update, shortly after discovery of the star Caroline, the capsuleers stumbled upon ragged structures surrounded by huge clouds of lightning. These structures appear to be of Jove origin and have been visited by previously unseen drones called Circadian Seekers.
Little is known about the origins of these drones, but their appearance set off a whole cascade of events in New Eden. These are very passive drones and perhaps their purpose is to probe systems and scan anything they come into contact with, but they were most interested in cloistered structures.
During the release of the Proteus update, Circadian Seekers became more aggressive, and when players try to attack them, they will not only respond, but also call for help. They really don't want to be disturbed... but what are they trying to find?
With the update of Tiamat, for the first time, the huge structures disintegrated, which turned out to be Jove reconnaissance posts and have been in place for perhaps thousands of years, secretly watching us.
Also with the dismantling of the Jove observatories, a very hostile force appeared. Drifters have come to New Eden. All we know is that they are Jove Forerunners and they work with the Circadian Seekers.
The Drifters are very hostile to anyone who approaches the Jove Observatories and if players respond, they have to face the Drifters' Superweapon, a weapon of unknown origin that deals monstrous damage of all types of damage. They are very dangerous opponents and extreme caution is required, as seen in Video from Scope.
Shortly thereafter, with the release of the Scylla update, some of the reasons for the aggressiveness of the Drifters near the Jove observatories became clear. Both Seekers and Drifters began to dismantle observatories and take mechanical parts called Antikythera elements, and they began to collect capsuleer bodies after each battle. They took the collected bodies and elements with them to unidentified wormholes that appeared next to the Jove observatories. Whatever the reasons for the Drifters and Seekers to collect these mechanical and biological parts, they are great at keeping them a secret. Access to these VX is still closed to capsuleers.
Before the release of the Mosaic update, the drifter threat was slightly resolved. As long as you stay away from the Jove observatories and don't try to interfere with your collection of Antikythera elements, you're relatively safe. However, this is Eve, and the chance to get hold of and research a bit of ancient Jove technology becomes quite large. The Imperial Armed Forces began researching Antikythera elements and the Carthum Corporation decided to put up for public sale a module based on these elements - Entosis Link. You can learn more about this module from the CCP Fozzie blog and Video Scope.
The capsuleers soon discovered that they could use the Entosis Link on the Jove observatories to gain some insight into the Jove data that had been hidden for many years. An example can be seen at Video from Reload.
The Drifters did not approve of the Amarr Empire's research into the Antikythera elements, nor did they encourage capsuleers to use them to build more Entosis Link modules. They gathered a large fleet and decided to invade systems controlled by the Amarr Empire. The forces in the constellation Thorne Worlds continue to grow and there are rumors of an imminent war. In that Video from Scope you can see the story about the mobilization of the Imperial Navy.
With the ability of capsuleers to infiltrate Drifter wormholes and get an idea of what the Drifters have been doing all these months, and with the distraction of the Drifters by the Amarr Empire and the coming war, perhaps now is the time for their true meaning to be revealed. Videos about Drifter sites can be viewed.
Their menacing nature gives the Empires cause for concern, especially those of you who have already fallen victim to their superweapon.
What we know for sure is that the history of the Drifters is far from over.
CCP Affinity
CCP RedDawn
Translation © Farkoth
Apollo and Artemis Tyrannos, artwork of Drifters released with the expansion highlights
The are a mysterious new faction that appeared in New Eden in early YC117 (2015). So far all attempts at communication with them have failed. They are seen by most as invaders and after attacking the Amarr empire and killing empress Jamyl I, the Amarr empire declared war on them. The behavior, fighting tactics and capabilities of the Drifters have been changing continuously since their appearance, so be wary of any changes to the status described here.
By all appearances and indications the Drifters are members of the Jove race, albeit far removed and with a strangely altered physiology. The high degree of cybernetic modification that Drifters exhibit seems to go hand in hand with an implacable single-mindedness and utter ruthlessness while pursuing their mysterious goals. Whatever their ends may be, the technology at their command unquestionably rivals and perhaps even surpasses that which other Jove have been seen to use. |
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Drifters Faction
The Drifters faction is similar to that of other NPC organizations such as the empire and pirate factions. By default, no capsuleer has standing with them. As soon as you kill Drifter ships, you will quickly gain negative standings (12% per battleship kill). Negative standings don't seem to have any effect currently.
Evidence points to various connections of the Drifters to New Eden's factions:
- Jove observatories have been decloaking in k-space and Jove corpses are floating in the Drifter wormhole systems.
- Sleeper ships and installations also appear together with the Drifters in wormholes.
- Fleets of Sisters of Eve ships can be seen as well in those wormholes and the alpha clone technology pioneered by the SoE may be connected to the Drifters as well.
Emerging from the ruins of the Sleeper civilization spread throughout Anoikis – otherwise known as "W-space" – the Drifters represent a tremendous challenge and perhaps a dire threat to the empires and capsuleers alike. Seemingly the inheritors of a legacy left behind by some of the most ancient Jove, the Drifters are unafraid to wield tremendous power in response to anyone who get in their way. In this regard, the Drifters are a very different conundrum than the relatively benign presence that was the Jove Empire. |
Vigilant Tyrannos (Corp)
The faction has one member corp, the corporation. Their CEO is Tyrannos Strategos and so far eight other pilot names (nine total) have been encountered:
- Apate Tyrannos
- Apollo Tyrannos
- Arithmos Tyrannos
- Artemis Tyrannos
- Hikanta Tyrannos
- Hypnos Tyranos
- Orion Tyranos
- Tyrannos Polemos
Hikanta is only found in Drifter wormholes, Arithmos only in C5 and C6 wormhole escalations. As the Drifters have been found to harvest capsuleer, Jove and sleeper corpses, one speculation is that all identically named Drifters are clones of each other. The name Tyrannos points to the long lost 2nd Jove Empire, which was erected by the so called 1st Tyrant Miko Bour and later reigned by so-called Tyrants, powerful but not really tyrannical leaders.
CONCORD intelligence reports indicate that Drifter military formations are operating under a single command structure represented by an enclave level organization with the designation "Vigilant Tyrannos". Despite monitoring the movements of ships broadcasting the identifier of this organization, no further information as to the motivation or goals of this force has been gleaned. |
Ships
Little is known about the Drifters" ships, but so far capsuleers have encountered the following ships:
CONCORD's analysis of this battleship has been hampered by its advanced hull and shielding. The propulsion system is unfamiliar but tentative theories have suggested that the vessel somehow directly interacts with the fabric of space-time while moving. The standard weapon systems of this ship appear to be semi-autonomous and effective against a range of targets. DED contact briefings suggest the free floating turrets are a secondary weapon, with an extremely dangerous primary weapon held in reserve against those this ship's commander considers a significant threat. |
Encounters with these ships have revealed several unique mechanics related to them alone. One such mechanic is that of an "overshield" - an additional layer of shielding colored blue on the targeting display. When this blue shield has been depleted, target locks on the Drifter break, in the manner of ECM. Many have also reported that the Drifters" weapons deal massive amounts of damage, difficult for any sub-capital ship to tank without a specialized fit. Even capital ships are not immune, with many carriers being lost to Drifters, many by players attempting to test Drifters drop blue loot and Antikythera Elements.
There are 3 different types of Drifter battleships:
- The type flown by Apollo and Artemis features an overshield and a doomsday weapon, but has a relatively poor tank. It can be found in known space and in Drifter wormholes.
- The Hikanta type is similar but more dangerous. It is only found inside the Drifter hive sites in Drifter wormholes.
- Finally the Arithmos type has no overshield or doomsday, but has a very strong tank, neuts with an impressive 6GJ/s and is warp core stabilized with 5 points. It can only be found in C5 and C6 wormholes, where it spawns in site escalations. It holds high-value loot, but does not despawn and will roam the system until destroyed. Spawning multiple Arithmos in a system affords interesting challenges and opportunities.
Drifter battleships can reach up to 3500m/s and do about 1300dps of omni damage with their standard Lux Kontos suspended weapon system. Their additional doomsday-like weapon that does about 750000 damage.
Note that both the stats and the engagement tactics of Drifter ships have changed several times and can not be relied upon. Detailed - but possibly outdated - stats can be found at Drifter Battleship (chruker) .
Autothysian Lancer
The Autothysian Lancer is a Drifter-allied drone with a similar base design to the Circadian Seekers but is much more dangerous, sporting an upgraded array of defenses and weapons. Though highly militarized in response to capsuleer resistance, the drone still explores New Eden with the mechanical indifference seen in previous, weaker variants. |
These appear to be cruiser sized scout drones that operate in groups of four or five and scan all installations and ships in New Eden. They appear in all systems that have Jove Observatories in them and are generally not hostile unless attacked. There are exceptions to this: if you"re near a Jove Observatory or a Drifter Wormhole and Autothysian Lancers or Drifter Battleships show up, they are likely to aggress you if you don"t leave quickly. Once this happens, the drifters in that system can aggress you anywhere.
When engaged they usually warp in another wave of Autothysian Lancers but there is also a chance a drifter battleship will warp in. Note that they - unlike other NPCs - will pod players. If they killed each drop 2 Sleeper Data Libraries and have a chance to drop an Antikythera Element - which is used in the production of entosis links . They do about 76dps (EM/Thermal) at ranges up to 100km, have about 10kHP with high resists (73%-85% shield resists, weakest is EM). Their max speed is 1240m/s and they try to orbit at 10km. Because of their sturdy tank but relatively moderate dps, they can e.g. be hunted in active tanked cruisers with short range weapons equipped with a web and a prop mod.
Circadian Sleeper
The design of this Sleeper drone is unlike anything that has been seen to date. The drone explores with a mechanical indifference to the monotony of its task, executing each new maneuver with a flawless, unthinking precision. |
Since the Ascension expansion, Circadian Seekers only appear during the initial tutorial storyline for new players. They have only 20 HP and do minimal damage, so they can be defeated in a Corvette.
Fighting Drifters
Drifter battleship under attack by capsuleer fleet
There are currently 3 tactics to take down Apollo, Artemis and Hikanta Drifter battleships including their possible Autothysian Lancer and sleeper support:
- Capitals and a few subcapitals (e.g. Paladin, Abaddon) are able to tank the doomsday at full health. This requires a very blingy tank on the primary and a support fleet with dps and logi.
- A swarm of cheap high burst dps ships (with webs) will take a Drifter down easily, but lose at least one ship in the process.
- Since the doomsday weapon has tracking and signature limits it is possible to survive the doomsday in a fast close orbit with a small signature radius. Often logistics with Halo implants are used. A fleet of 20-30 ships (dps cruisers with logistics, tracking disruption and webbing support) can take down a drifter in seconds with careful piloting and timing and (mostly) without losses.
For more details on (slightly outdated) ships and tactics see Drifter Hive Doctrines: History and Evolution (pdf)
There are groups organizing public fleets to run sites in wormholes:
- The ingame channel "Consortium Operations" runs weekly open fleets in Drifter wormholes with a doctrine around T3 destroyers (Confessors) and T1 cruisers. These fleets are PvE focused and newbie-friendly. The associated roleplaying channel is "Arataka Communications Router".
- A group named vulfpeck runs fleets into C5/C6 wormholes and runs sleeper sites including Drifter escalations. They are open to any pilot and use a doctrine around T3 destroyers (mainly Confessor) and T2 logistics (Guardians). Most Vulfpeck fleets focus on ISK making and avoid PvP - although there are also NPSI PvP fleets.
Drifters in Known Space
Jove Observatory
In a large number of k-space systems huge Jove Observatories can be found. They are visible on the Overview as a beacon. These Observatories seem to have fallen into disrepair. k-space entries to Drifter Wormhole systems seem to only appear in systems with a Jove Observatory. Systems with a Jove Observatory are the only systems where Autothysian Lancers are seen, and when Drifter Wormholes appear, the systems are also roamed by Apollo Tyrannos and Artemis Tyrannos battleships. The battleships and seekers seem to roam the system and guard the Jove Observatories and the Unidentified Wormhole sites, attacking any ships that get too close.
Drifters in Sov Space
Reports have started arriving that Drifters are now roaming 0.0 security systems and are reinforcing and destroying Upwell structures.
Drfiters reinforcing a station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFoLs9dlg0
Drifters destroying an Upwell jump gate: https://zkillboard.com/kill/77498342/
Drifters Wormhole Systems
There are 5 known Drifters wormhole systems that are similar to shattered C2 wormholes with certain system effects. Although they are named by the typical J-type designs, they are often informally named after their predominant structure: Vidette, Redoubt, Sentinel, Barbican and Conflux. Note that the first four names suggest an advanced military fortification. In each system, both the main hive site and a Sisters of Eve Flotilla appear as beacons on the overview. All Drifter wormhole systems seem to have 20 connections (though as of 8/30/2019, 60 connections were seen and maintained in Sentinel) to known space (k-space) plus a C2-C2 static. K-space connections always appear in system with a Jove Observatory. Their k-space connections are quite different from all other wormholes however:
- On the K-space side the wormhole is marked by a beacon called "Unidentified Wormhole" and is thus visible on the default overview.
- On the wormhole side the connections carry the usual K162 designation after being opened, but are deadspaced, so you will always warp in at 80km distance.
- Drifter battleships regularly visit these connections and will attack anybody trying to approach or travel them. A cloak and/or MWD is highly recommended.
- The k-space side connections carry unique signatures that are related to the type of wormhole:
Drifter System Name | K-space signature | j type | System effect |
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Vidette | V928 | J164710 | magnetar |
redoubt | R259 | J174618 | wolf rayet |
Sentinel | S877 | J055520 | red giant |
Barbican | B735 | J110145 | Cataclysmic Variable |
Conflux | C414 | J200727 | Pulsar |
Combat Anomalies
Each Drifter wormhole contains five unique combat anomalies. They are visited and defended by regular Drifter patrols. More detailed information is available via Drifter Hive Systems Anomalies (pdf) . All listed wormholes are of the violent type and not passable.
Vidette | Ship Graveyard | Sleeper Engineering Station | Spatial Rift | Sleeper Enclave in Coral Rock | Crystals and Stone Circle |
redoubt | Ship Graveyard | Caged Wormhole | Spatial Rift Generator | Sleeper Enclave | Hollow Asteroid |
Sentinel | Monolith | Wormhole in Rock Circle | Opposing Spatial Rifts | Sleeper Enclave Debris | crystal resource |
Barbican | Wrecked Ships | Unstable Wormhole | Spatial Rift | Heavily Guarded Spatial Rift | Crystals |
Conflux | Monolith | Caged Wormhole | Rock Formation and Wormhole | Particle Acceleration Array | Guarded Asteroid Station |
Hive Sites
Drifter Hive and support installations close to a shattered planet in a Redoubt wormhole.
All Drifter wormholes contain a huge Drifter Hive protected by a sequence of deadspace pockets and connected via acceleration gates and warpable Rifts. The layout of these sites is slightly different in each of the 5 different Drifter wormholes, but the main rooms are the same. The entrance appears as a beacon on the overview under the name of the site, e.g. "Conflux".
It has long been a tradition in EVE Online to release one summer and one winter update. Sometimes it could be a spring and autumn update, but the essence remained the same: that which is closer to Christmas was more fundamental, the summer one was easier. And all year before these culminating events, detailed explanations of the developers came out about what was being changed, added, and redone for what. Such explanations, of course, prevented the players from perceiving the world as somehow whole and alive, with God-given laws once and for all. After all, if someone is digging under the hood of the world with you, constantly changing something, it is difficult to dive into pure roleplay.
Although the principle of release of updates changed, devblogs, round tables at fanfest and away events, heated discussions about the laws of the world on the official forum and reddit took place constantly. The players felt themselves, to some extent, co-authors of this universe, helpers of the demiurges. And once last week in the form of an invasion of drifters on zero sectors, you can not miss the continuation of this story. After all, it turned out that we have such a “plot liner” to turn off the local chat in zeros.
In the latest issue of The Scope, we informed all capsuleers that the local chat system will be changed in the coming days.This change will affect all systems with a security level below zero.
Local chat in such systems will be switched to delay mode. This means that the chat will work the same as in wormholes: pilots will only show up in the chat window if they decide to use this feature.
Of course, this change greatly affects the mechanics of zero-security systems. That is why we want to inform you about this change before it goes into effect.
The duration of the loss of communication has not yet been determined. We will be monitoring developments and how this will affect the cluster. Pilots will have 48 hours before the communications shutdown to prepare for this event.
Like, now everything is clear. We're witnessing an in-game role-playing of the mechanics change, not some strange attack of null alliances at the hands of the developers. True, several questions remain.
- Is a situation in which one of the parties was not warned about the production and suffered real losses considered roleplay?
- What is the purpose of disabling local chat in nulls?
- Is this event part of a larger picture?
Okay, I agree that now it may just turn into a new zero sector physics law - a constant threat from drifters who attack everything that moves and does not move in zeros, and even breaks the player capsule, which other NPCs never did. But this is also worth discussing. As discussed in detail before, for example, bonuses from processing ore and setting up production in zeros, or other efforts to create "greater attractiveness of zero sectors." Recent developments hardly fit the bill of making zeros more attractive, but any explanation will do. Like, we do it for this and that. And not "because drifters."
The same goes for disabling local chat in nulls. Main question- for what purpose? This intention must have a purpose. Let's take a closer look at this point.
The developers have long admitted that they really didn't put as much information about the presence of players into the local chat function as it carries today. But portraits of other players who are in the same planetary system as you appeared in EVE Online for a reason. Even if they were added by developers intuitively.
You do not need to do this if there is visual contact between the players within the location. Let's say you can see the player on the horizon, or at the bottom of a valley by a stream. But the locations in EVE are such that you can meet another player by chance in open space only at the dock space station. As it should be open space. If you imagine that in EVE there were no portraits in the local chat, most likely you would not know that someone is playing next to you.
There has been talk of disabling local chat in zeros for as long as I can remember the game. That is more than ten years. But I didn’t hear any intelligible arguments, except for the cat’s desire to make the mouse blind, otherwise she’s so smart.
The arguments of the "cats" did not impress me at all, because I do not see a sane alternative. Especially after we had specific example with disabling the display of pilots in the local wormhole chat until they decide to speak there. An alternative security measure was the constant scanning of the surrounding space.
Now imagine: you have only a small panel with one button, on which there is even no way to put a cycle. A new line may appear on this panel in tiny letters. The more often you spam the button, the sooner you will detect a threat. That is, your eyes should be riveted for hours on a small black panel on which nothing happens, the cursor should be on the scan button, and the mouse should beg for mercy, because you frankly tortured it. She just doesn't know how much you've tortured yourself. In Game. About a small black socket waiting for a tiny white line. This is the ultimate "gameplay" that EVE offers as an alternative to seeing new portraits in chat.
Now they want to introduce this in zeros. At the same time, many players in wormholes simply ignore the podscan so that they really effectively monitor the space throughout the entire game cycle, and not just at dangerous moments when someone else's presence is detected. There is no gameplay in this. Only the terrible inconvenience that blindness brings.
No one is in a hurry to give answers, why, along with the invasions of drifters, turn off the light in all zeros, making the players blind, no one is in a hurry to give.
The forum has both rather gloomy moods and threats to “leave forever”, as well as joy that, they say, “finally”. And there is no dialogue. But at least we haven't lost our memory.
During the general presentation of new structures in the global devblog, the “Observatory” was mentioned, which the owners of the territory can build as part of the development of the infrastructure of the planetary system.
Here is a description of this structure.
Service capabilities: increase, decrease or completely block information transmitted to the general star map of the universe; block direct scanning of ships, preventing enemy reconnaissance; track the location of specific characters in the case of working in a distributed network, and also allow you to detect ships that are in stealth mode.
That is, instead of turning off the light, we have very cool opportunities for developing the territory and improving the safety of its inhabitants. The hosts receive serious bonuses, as it should be, in fact, the hosts. And, by and large, this whole thriller can be just a lead to the commissioning of such facilities. But it is completely incomprehensible, if this is the case, why it is necessary to do what was planned in such a strange sequence: first, drop drifters on the head, then talk about disabling the local chat, and only then, maybe, announce the addition of such a structure. What we can't know for sure, we just hope for common sense.
And if no one remembers this structure and everything is limited to just “turning off the light”, bringing zeros to the chaos of wormholes, I don’t even know what to say about this. Wait and see.
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The massive EVE Online: Invasion addition, as it turned out, was not limited to the standard Triglavian Invasions into high-sec systems. Started out of the blue Drifter Invasion- Drifter Fleets have spawned throughout New Eden in null-sec zones. Unknown ships have launched attacks on the bases of corporations and alliances.
Attention Still not familiar with EVE Online, the largest space MMORPG of our time? Then it's time to join the ranks of the defenders of New Eden and, together with thousands of other players, repel the Invasion that threatens the entire population of the star cluster. Create an account and conquer space right now!
Sudden and deadly Drifter Invasion
Developers from CCP Games seem to have caught the wave of players who enthusiastically accepted the fresh expansion and eagerly rushed to protect peaceful systems from the Invasion of the Triglavian Collective. Thanks to this, the Drifter Invasion turned out to be a complete surprise - the Drifter Invasion event caught literally the entire population of "nullsecs" by surprise.
As it turned out later, their ships are literally invisible. They do not have early detection systems, including Combat Probes, and the presence of Drifters in the system can only be detected by confronting them face to face. Given that the average size of an Invasion fleet is between 50 and 100 ships, this may be the last thing capsuleers will face on this ill-fated day.
Details of the surprise full-scale attack on New Eden
Representatives of the Drifter race in their hangar full of deadly battleships
As of today, it is known that the event codenamed "Drifter Invasion" has begun June 26, 2019 at 02:44 ET, in system BY-MSY located in the Esoteria region. In this "nullsec" one of the most powerful bases of the largest alliance of New Eden is located - TEST Alliance. And they almost missed the attack, as their warning systems were not designed to be attacked by AI-controlled NPC ships.
Players who were the first to BY-MSY, have confirmed that the TEST Alliance Citadel is being attacked by a fleet of ~100 ships . One of the leading diplomats of the alliance, Dran, suggested that this was sabotage - NPCs of the Drifters were often used to farm, provoking and pulling them to the base so that the guns would destroy them. But the suspicions were not justified - 38 TEST Alliance bases were attacked in 12 hours.
At the same time, reports began to come in that the event, called the Drifter Invasion by the players, covered most of the systems with zero security. Moreover, the Invasion affected not only alliances, but also players simply flying through dangerous systems. The attacks of the Drifters, both large formations and small groups, were unprecedentedly brutal:
- Chinese alliance Fraternity almost lost the Citadel.
- Coalition The Imperium prematurely broke off the war with another coalition Pandemic family(PanFam) to protect their possessions.
- Player scarab san lost the super-heavy aircraft carrier "Hel" (Hel SuperCarrier) worth over 16 billion ISK.
- Alliance Pandemic Horde lost the Ansiblex Jumpgate.
Hard Facts About Drifter Fleets (For Now)
Concept art of the Drifter faction NPC battleship and their weapons
Despite the fact that only a couple of days have passed since the start of Drifter Invasion, players throughout New Eden managed to collect a fairly large amount of information about the enemy. The collected statistics show that the once peaceful, but dangerous ships have turned into a super-heavy steamroller of destruction. Here's what's been revealed:
- alliance fleet Pandemic Horde out of 150 ships, Ferox (Ferox BattleCruiser) successfully held off the attack. The size of the enemy group and the losses of the alliance are unknown.
- Citadel weapons are extremely effective against Drifters.
- The smallest fleet is 10 cruisers and 10 battleships, not counting small ships.
- Ships cling to a single battleship and in this state move at speeds up to 3500 m/s.
- Drifters' weapons do not have a DPS cap.
- There have been reports of Drifter Invasion ships using super-heavy Doomsday Weapons.
- The Invasion has no logistics ships or support.
- There are always interceptors a couple of hundred kilometers from the main fleet.
- Between attacks, Drifters are based in asteroid fields for up to half an hour.
- Invasion fleets were not seen in the Anomalies.
The Arataka Research Consortium has begun a detailed study of the Drifter battlefields. Thanks to the prompt actions of the players, partially united in the face of a general threat, it is possible that ways will be found to effectively counter the Invasion.
The Unstoppable Invasion of EVE Online and Commentary CCP Games
Official description of the Drifters (Nomads) faction and their leader Tyrannos Strategos in EVE Online
At the moment, CCP Games practically does not comment on the situation that has developed since the start of the Drifter Invasion. We know for sure about the confirmation from the GMs that this is not a bug, and "everything is going as intended" ("working as intended").
The developers are hinting at the fact that the Drifters are literally getting stronger in those territories where the largest alliances of corporations are entrenched. And this means that the Invasion will not stop until it clears the territories of the "nullsecs" from the players! At least that's how it looks.
Players on the forums and in the comments under the Invasion progress have already compared the smart NPC fleets to the Necrons from Warhammer 40,000, the Reapers from Mass Effect, and even the Yuuzhan Vong from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Many are excited about how CCP Games shook New Eden like a snowball.
But many also were skeptical to such an event. Some even believe that the Icelanders simply ran out of imagination and that this was the strangest way to get rid of long-standing corporations and alliances that were firmly entrenched on the outer edges of the cluster. This was especially true for the coalition The Imperium which many people hate and for good reason. According to a message from its leader, Mittani, the coalition, embittered at CCP Games, decided to hide en masse away from the Invasion.
"The Scope" news flash about the sudden invasion of the Drifter race