The YC118.8 Update Lands in New Eden

It is patch day again in New Eden, as EVE Online gets its eighth update for 2016/YC118.

This month’s update seems largely focused on graphical updates for ships.

There were some mechanics updates.  For capitals, high angle weapons got a balance pass focused in fitting aspects… CPU and power grid.

Mining barges also got some mechanics changes along with a revamp of their graphics, though I think function was following form here.  A lot of the tweaks seem wrapped around the move to have all barges and exhumers have two mining laser hard points, rendering some of the changes from the 2012 revamp… which effectively gave all of the ships the base output of three strip miners, even if they had only one or two hard points… obsolete.  I also suspect that there is some desire to make the models easier to develop skins for, but that might just be my cynicism showing through again.

The YC119 Model Year Skiff and Procurer

I was happy with the Procurer hull as it was, but I suppose it won’t be all that radically different now.

What is now the OLD Procurer

(Note to self: Buy a second strip miner for that hull.)

Then there is a batch of six frigate hulls which got a graphical revamp, but no changes to mechanics.  The changed hulls are

• Slasher / Claw / Stiletto
• Maulus / Maulus Navy Issue / Keres
• Executioner / Crusader / Malediction
• Bantam / Kirin
• Probe / Cheetah
• Griffin / Griffin Navy Issue / Kitsune

There is always a bit of peril in doing a graphical rework of such old-line ships.  You never know what bit really called out to people in the design.  Frills and asymmetry have been missed in the passed, for example.

While it is hard to really tell how the models look given the CCP provided screen shots, the Bantam, Executioner, Maulus, and Probe models seem to hearken back to their predecessors enough that I think they will be generally accepted.  The two that changed most dramatically were the Stiletto and Griffin hulls.

My gut response to the Stiletto is positive.  It looks slim and lethal and much less like something from Ikea that you clip to the top of a door to use as a coat peg.

The Griffin though… it has gone from a slender, somewhat space-squid like model to what I can only see as some sort of armored space pig .  I’ll have to wait until I see it in person I guess.

That seems to be it for the ship side of the show.

In addition to all of that, the YC118.8 patch also heralds the launch of the Amarr Purity of the Throne PvE event.  Those white ship skins look/sound interesting, and will be available for most Amarr ships. (No Apostle?) The plug for the event reads:

I draws closer, there are those who consider her ascension to the Golden Throne of Holy Amarr both unjust and improper, based on archaic views that call the purity of her Udorian heritage into question.

With the might of the Imperial Armed Forces at her heel, and both the Ministry of Internal Order and Theology Council ratifying the views of the Purity of the Throne movement as heretical, bounties have been placed on the heads of their members.

The Empire is encouraging capsuleers across the cluster to strip the heretics of their colors, and wear them in support of the ascension of Catiz I to her rightful place as the leader of the Amarr Empire.

Catiz I will ascend to the Amarr throne on the 27th of the month.  I am sure nothing will happen to interrupt that.

Then there are the usual range of fixes and tweaks that come with every patch.  Further details can be found in the Patch Notes and on the EVE Updates page.  The update has been reported as successfully deployed, so we all just need to patch up and log in.

And, of course, no update is done until a song has been provided.