Traveling through wormholes

With EVE Online inching closer to the implementation of the latest installment, Apocrypha, players have been eagerly absorbing any news relating to the mysterious Sleepers, the space they live in, and the wormholes that bring you to their doorstep. Since the expansion hit the test server, blogs, pictures, and videos have been filtering out and into the hands of capsuleers everywhere. So what are the latest details?

Wormholes are essentially the gateway to the new and uncharted territory CCP has been talking about since the announcement of Apocrypha. Within the mysterious new realms they lead to are the local residents, the Sleepers. A mysterious new faction, they are intent on protecting the secrets they hold within their precious cargo holds. Their destruction and the exploration of their space will lead players to Tech 3 technology and a whole new gaming experience within EVE.

A wormhole appears

Traveling through wormholes is not like taking a Sunday stroll through The Forge. They will appear all over New Eden and are an unstable method for getting to the goodies the Sleepers possess. These wormholes are not instances, but gateways into active solar systems that will be placed inside the existing universe. Once one dumps you out, you (and hopefully some friends) will be all alone in a cold and dark world. There will be no direct route back to where you started, but there will be an exit wormhole that can be scanned down. It could dump you anywhere within the “old” New Eden, making for a journey that could prove to be perilous. Yet the risk is certainly worth the rewards since within W-space, the Sleepers and their technology will open the doors to one massive isk vault and a new arsenal of weapons.

Sleepers are the new rats, so to speak, and are going to prove to be a challenging opponent. They are smarter than your average Guristas, with the ability to change targets, recognize new threats, and use various bits of ammunition bent on wrecking whatever resists are your weakest. One test pilot claims that the Sleepers even recognize the dangers of EWAR and will attempt to move out of range if the situation demands it. To make matters worse for explorers, adventurers, and relic hunters, these vessels will allegedly come fully equipped with their own EWAR that prevents weapons, capacitors, and other critical ship components from functioning properly in a fight. If these systems are in place and implemented appropriately, a fire fight should prove to be more than a challenge for even the most experienced capsuleers.

Once you get into W-space, the look and feel of things will differ as well. Not only are there new and shiny views of space, but some changes to the way we communicate and hunt each other. Characters will only appear in local once they have said something in the chat window. If a hostile enters quietly and says nothing in local, that hostile will remain “hidden” in the local channel. This could allow hostiles to get moving on tracking you down before you even realize you’re in danger. There has been some debate over the use of local chat as an intelligence tool, and the delay of data seems to be a bit of a compromise between the two sides of the argument. Regardless, the space you clear and claim will never truly be safe. Though anchoring is possible, gaining control through Sovereignty will not be possible. Sov will not be a feature in these new systems and supplying your territory will be a logistical jigsaw puzzle due to the complexity of wormhole travel.

A dangerous Sleeper

If you’re eager to get your Megathron out there for a look, the Singularity Test Server is the place for you. If you’re disinclined to give that a whirl, one capsuleer took his vessel and his camera out for a test run. The Apocrypha videos contained here offer tutorials and a great look at the features currently available to players on the test server.

What lies beyond these current features? We can only wait and see. From what we do know, new rats, improved AI, wormholes, and eye candy that put our current system colors and murals to shame await. Despite hesitancy over the complexity that T3 may bring, the expansion appears ready to deliver on promises of grandeur. While we wait to see what these changes will bring in March, there are plenty of resources keeping players up to date:

• Massively.com’s James Egan has been keeping tabs on EVE and Apocypha since news of the expansion first hit the air waves.
• Kirith Kodachi - Testing the crap out of W-space and because when the pirate queen asks, you better deliver.
• EVE Bloggers - Keeping you up to date, by the nano second!
• CrazyKinux provides links, videos, and pictures very often.
• EVE’s Weekend Warrior’s 99 screenshots
• The EVE forums has a growing discussion about an encounter in W-space.
• Scrapheap Challenege has tons of useful tidbits.
• The CrazyKinux Blogpack provides links to the latest news from the blogging world.

Until the release, good hunting and enjoy the last days of a comfortable and familiar New Eden!