Hey again folks.

First things first, I really have to say I’m impressed with everyone who went out after reading the last post and made a buy to help raise money for Haiti. Mogs hit their goal in no time with all of your help. A huge thank you goes out to each and every one of you.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, the devs of your favorite game and mine allowed us a little peek at the new expansion via a mass test that they were running. The basic idea was that they need to see just how much lag was going to be produced during combat. It was insane. I really have to hand it to them. You almost never see that level of player and community involvement when a company is developing the next chapter of their world. It just goes to show how smart these guys really are that they’d want the people who spend the most time with their game actively involved in its further improvement.

That being said, I should throw out a cautionary tale from when Dominion launched because I don’t want the same thing happening to you when Tranquility finally comes out.

A good friend of mine was planning on making a big Isk buy. He’d bought a few times before and figured that it would be nice to have a little extra going into the expansion.

So, he shops around and finds a new place that looks awesome. He schedules a big buy (nothing that would get him noticed, he’s no rookie after all) and can’t wait to make the purchase. Next day he goes in and drops his money via Western Union as requested and is told to wait about 4 days for delivery “for his safety”. This is actually not all that unusual around an expansion or major patch. The mods are really paying attention then, so people slow down a little to avoid getting detected.

Anyway, he plays every day or a week straight but never gets a single message about it. When he tries emailing the company he gets no response at all. Finally a few days later the site comes down. Turns out they were another scam out there.

I only bring this up because it’s really easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new expansion and get burned. I know when TQ is finally out I’m sticking with my friends at Mogs for a while since they’ve never let me down yet.

Reykjavik, Iceland March 11, 2009- CCP, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, has deployed EVE Online: Apocrypha, the tenth free expansion for EVE Online. Delivering a massive amount of content in a shortened production schedule, Apocrypha is sure to satisfy pilots of all types with the mysterious appearance of unstable wormholes that lead to dangerous and rewarding, hereto unexplored regions of space, a new level of technology that allows for a staggering echelon of ship production and a re-imagined introduction for rookie starship pilots to a life in EVE’s challenging universe. The release also coincides with a return to retail stores for EVE Online.

“Incredible rewards and certain death await explorers brave enough to fly into the unstable wormholes that have opened across EVE Online’s universe,” says Torfi Frans Olafsson, Senior Producer for EVE Online. “While EVE is certainly darker and more dangerous, it has also become accessible with our revamped new player experience, improved UI and renovated graphics and effects. Beginning your chosen path in EVE has never been easier.”

Apocrypha’s improvements include these highlights and more:

· The sudden appearance of unstable wormholes in space, making the universe 41% larger and much more dangerous. On the other side, a first acquaintance awaits to a formidable NPC group that guards the key to the next level of technology. This unknown, uncharted space allows for a true sense of exploration for those brave enough to grab hold of the dynamic new scanning mechanics.

· Strategic Cruisers come with the introduction of ancient technology into production. These modular ships allow for an extravagant level of customization and versatility.

· The first Epic Mission Arc joins an enhanced new player experience to guide fledgling pilots toward the opportunities space has to offer. This massive branching set consists of dozens of missions that are guaranteed to forge any soft-shelled rookie into a battle-hardened veteran.

· Massive sensory improvements for every player: an upgraded sound engine, brand-new animations for almost every effect in game and beautiful original assets in wormhole space.

· A newly designed skill queue allows EVE’s unique character progression system to truly shine and Neural Remapping provides an opportunity for players to refocus their development as they so choose.

· We are releasing our Premium Graphics client for Mac users and introducing Premium Lite as our new lower-end graphics suite for a more beautiful experience all around.

· Full Russian language support.

A full list of features for EVE Online: Apocrypha can be found on the features page: www.eveonline.com/apocrypha