The “Proteus” expansion to the sci-fi MMO EVE Online was released yesterday, marking the game first update of the New Year. It comes a month after the game’s Rhea expansion, and perpetuates CCP Games’ initiative to deliver more regular, smaller updates rather than push out a larger patches months apart. The Proteus expansion not only tweaks a specific class of in-game ships, but it also improves asteroid fields, adds new exploration sites and mining locations for newer players.
EVE Online players who like to scout out areas before giving the green light may be happy to know that all of the game’s recon ships have been rebalanced. After spending time on the drawing board, recon ships have returned to New Eden with – along with a suite of other tweaks – a change that allows them to become immune to deduction from Direction Scanners for Combat Recons. This new trick for recon ships is said to make them “incredibly deadly ambushers.“
The asteroid fields that litter EVE Online have also been given a touch-up, as new effects have been added that bulk up their presence. Rather than a sparsely populated belt of rock, Proteus “beautifies” existing asteroid fields to include a more atmospheric view, which include “pulverized rocks, dust particles [and] light rays.“
EVE Online explorers and miners will also have more places to spend their time. High-end exploration sites offer adventuring players a new place to find “hazards, traps and lucrative rewards,” while new mining locations ensures players will always have “a fresh store of Veldspar for those venturing into the first few days in EVE.“
Proteus also streamlines and simplifies 10 more groups of modules, which was done to maintain EVE Online’s sophistication whilst not overdoing complexity. The game’s new star map (which is currently in Beta) has been updated as well, with improved visualizations and new features.
Finally, the game’s new expansion also redesigns on of cruisers for the Gallente race: the Exequror. You can read more on EVE Online’s Proteus update by visiting its dedicated webpage here. You can watch CCP Games’ in-development video for Proteus via the embedded video below. EVE Online’s next expansion, “Tiamat“, is scheduled to release on Thursday, February 12th.
[ Source: Press release ]