CCP Games has released a minor update to its recent Macintosh release of EVE Online, the massively multiplayer online role playing game. Existing EVE Online users can download the patch from the EVE Online Web site. The company also revealed details of its forthcoming release of the Trinity expansion.
EVE Online was introduced for the Mac in early November. The online game features a universe populated by 5000 different star systems players can explore. Sporting a huge skill tree to master, players can assume the identity of four different races of spacefaring humans that have populated a galaxy on the far side of the Universe. Players become spaceship commanders, and have the choice of becoming pirates, captains of industry, miners, traders and more.
The update to EVE Online for the Mac fixes a number of crashes and runtime exceptions, and also fixes support for HFS+ case sensitivity problems. Azerty, Danish and Swedish keyboards are now support on the Mac, and the transparent boy background around the HUD has been corrected. Other changes have also been made; many are specific to the Linux client.
CCP Games also revealed the release schedule for the next major expansion to EVE Online. Called Trinity, the new expansion will be available beginning December 5, 2007. Mac, Windows and Linux users will all be able to play the Trinity expansion on the same day. And unlike some other online RPG’s Mac users have played, CCP Games doesn’t charge extra for expansions to EVE. Trinity is included in the game’s monthly subscription fee.
Trinity will introduce players to new ship models, new content including new agent missions, exploration enhancements, and changes to the combat mechanics employed in EVE. Those, and many “under the hood” improvements to Trinity, will all be immediately accessible to Mac, Windows and Linux users alike on December 5th.
CCP Games has also developed a new graphics engine for Trinity, which the company has put to extensive use by redeveloping models, graphics and special effects used throughout the game. Unfortunately, these graphical changes will initially only be accessible to Windows EVE Online players, as they utilize Shader Model 3.0 technology in Microsoft’s DirectX Application Programming Interface (API). CCP Games and its development partner, TransGaming, plan to offer these changes to Mac and Linux users as well, and have indicated that EVE Online: Trinity “Premium” will debut for Mac and Linux in the first calendar quarter of 2008.
Gameplay remains the same in both versions, which will be available as free downloads.