I remember way back when , God knows how many actual years, when I first dipped my feet into the vast spreadsheet-cruncher-in-space MMO, EVE Online . Like most first-time players, I assume, my experience with EVE Online at the time went smoothly, from what could be defined as “smoothly” during EVE Online’s expansion at that time.
That was until I unwittingly got myself into a PvP fight, and subsequently lost my little Caldari starter frigate in a flustercluck of bright particle flashes and younger-me not knowing what the heck was even going on. Needless to say, I abandoned EVE Online for a while after that, until my interest in it was piqued again during what I believe was the Revelations II expansion, back in 2007. That’s when my I fondness for EVE Online really grew, and have since been playing it on and off whenever I could afford a subscription, or whenever there was a five-day reactivation offer going around.
As a result of with this fondness, I’ve since had a little fantasy of one day going to EVE Fanfest. This year’s EVE Fanfest is the tenth consecutive Fanfest in the 11 years of EVE history, and is promised to be the most expansive yet, as it’ll be a time where three games of the EVE Universe will converge into the one place: EVE Online (that’s a given); DUST 514 , the PlayStation 3 counterpart for EVE Online ; and EVE: Valkyrie , a dogfighting game designed for Oculus Rift.
As detailed in a press release that was published yesterday (February 28), CCP Games announced the the first round of programming for this year’s Fanfest, which consists of panels, presentations, PvP tournaments, round tables, demos, pub crawls (no joke, you can actually go on a pub crawl with the CCP devs!), concerts, parties and “exotic local excursions,” apparently. The press release also highlighted more than a few things of what to expect whilst at EVE Fanfest, which are as follows.
Whilst at EVE Fanfest, the will be a live demo of EVE Online’s upcoming summer expansion, along with additional information regarding the long-term vision of the game itself. With that, there will also be reveals on what’s next in stall for DUST 514 , plus a chance to try out its latest evolution with a world-first hands-on.
Additionally, there will also be a dedication ceremony of the “ Worlds Within a World ” monument devoted to the players of EVE Online . Taking place in Reykjavik Harbor, where the monument will be installed, this ceremony will feature the monument’s creator, Reykjavik city officials and players from around the world.
On the presentation side of things, there will be speakers talking about the science of EVE Online and how such technology featured in-game (i.e. interstellar space travel) might not be that far off from reality. Among the speakers will be Dr. Michael Meyer, who will be talking about his work as the lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, and how the Curiosity rover that landed on Mars back in mid 2012 has changed the way scientists search for extraterrestrial life.
Speaking of hands-on, there will also be a hands-on with an entirely new build of EVE: Valkyrie , followed by what’s planned for the game for the future.
What’s more, there will also be updates on the upcoming EVE Online TV series, as well as CCP’s collaboration with Dark Horse to create graphic novels based on player-driven stories that happened in EVE Online , the first issue of which is already available .
Finally, to finish off the three-day event, known as the “Party at the Top of the World,” Z-Trip (US) and FM Belfast (Iceland) will be sending off EVE Fanfest with their chiptunes and DJ shenanigans.
That’s just some things that can be looked forward to for those who’ll be attending EVE Fanfest (lucky sods). Much more is said to be revealed between now and the end of April, with several surprises in store for the event itself.
If you’re interested in hiking over to Iceland for the Fanfest, ticket information, along with additional information on the event itself, can be found here . This year’s EVE Fanfest will take place in May, from May 1 until May 3, and will be hosted at the Harpa , EVE Fanfest’ venue of choice since 2012.