EVE Online: Exodus

As Time goes on, Eve is becoming an increasingly difficult game to categorise. When it first blasted onto the market it was seen as a kind of online Elite. Today, it's evolved beyond being a cocktail of 3D combat and commerce to include elements of high-level manufacture, research, personnel management and even diplomacy. Players have become specialist miners, pirates, battleship commanders and corporation managers. The ever more complex world now has a life of its own, one that isn't just a lot of fun to explore, but also one that's without equal in its geographical size, population density and aesthetics. It's ironic then, that it still remains overlooked, as online gamers scramble to try out next big things' like EverQuest II and World Of Warcraft.

Hoping to change all that is Exodus, Eve's second major update since launch and one so overflowing with new features and upgrades that to call it an expansion pack would be to do it a great disservice. This is not least because Exodus - as with all future Eve additions, will be free... To subscribers, obviously.

New Frontiers

Introducing new ship classes like Destroyers, Battlecruisers and Mining Barges, Exodus is set to boast close to 100 varieties of ship with nearly double the number of skills to train. But the biggest change is the introduction of player-owned structures' (POS) - deep space mining, production and research outposts that player-corporations have to construct away from the relative security of the inner systems.

As much opportunity for profit as these structures provide, there will of course be the danger that player-run criminal gangs, corporations and alliances will seek out and try to destroy or intimidate their owners. They're aided by the new Tactical Command feature, where hundreds of player ships can be given orders and waypoints by their fleet commander. If nothing else, at least battles will migrate away from the choke point camping' that currently hinders the trade of smaller in-game organisations.

The list of new and updated features goes on to include a new Alliance structure, a greater expanded trading system, new mining opportunities and NPC scenarios, but it's the interface and engine improvements we're most excited about. According to the developer, Exodus has been overhauled to such a degree that the game runs between 30-70 per cent faster. Eve was hardly a slouch before, but if you experienced lag during battles between hundreds of ships, missiles and drones, you'll hopefully now be man enough to blame defeat on a lack of ability rather than flabby Net code.

Ready For Launch?

So do we have any reservations about Exodus? Well, yes. First, it's a universal upgrade, applied to all players. As such it could end up as one big mess, that in a worst-case scenario will take a couple of weeks to sort out. On past experiences, its introduction is unlikely to be smooth.

Our second concern is that Exodus caters too much for the established player. Eve was bordering on being hideously complex anyway, and these new additions make it even more so. On both counts, unless you're a dedicated player who has to be a part of the experience come hell or high water, it may be best to wait a little while before opening your first account... Say, about a month, when we should have a full review.