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Tomorrow is the last day for EVE Online players to cast their vote for the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) candidates. Members of the player-elected council act as representatives of the playerbase, bringing issues with the game before the developers and working towards keeping EVE Online a game that reflects the interests of those who play it.

EVE's Council of Stellar Management is one of the first significant implementations of a democratic process impacting both the players and developers of an MMO. Other titles and developers have taken smaller steps towards this in the past, but the first CSM was a first for the industry as well.

Among the people President-elect Barack Obama has appointed to his FCC agency review transition team are Net Neutrality advocates Kevin Werbach, assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at Wharton, and Susan Crawford from the University of Michigan, who teaches communications and internet law. Werbach, as it turns out, is a World of Warcraft player, according to Wagner James Au at GigaOM.

Werbach has written about MMOs on his blog (back in 2006), that games "provide an incentive for people to develop new software and ideas for collaborative production. Many of those ideas will translate to other group activities, including those within the business world. I think MMOGs will be, at minimum, a significant testbed for these new technologies, because users see a direct benefit and are willing to experiment with new things." Werbach plays in two WoW guilds, one started by a friend, and the other is comprised of academics whose interests or work focus on virtual worlds.

While Werbach is more of a traditional MMO gamer, Crawford is a fan of Second Life, judging by what she's written on the virtual world in the past on her blog. At the very least, it's a positive sign that individuals connected with the FCC and its policies really understand how people are using technology to socialize, collaborate, and play.

It looks like the sci-fi MMO genre is going to experience quite an influx of new titles in the months and years to come. Beyond the more standard sci-fi MMOs we've reported on in the past, one that's caught our attention at Massively is the upcoming post-apocalyptic title, Earthrise. It seems that beta testing is going to begin "in autumn", as confirmed by Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov in an interview with Polish MMO-centric gaming site The Art of MMO.

While the interview brought to light some interesting revelations about Earthrise as a sandbox MMO, it also nailed down some details such as the system requirements to run the title: minimum requirements are 2 GHz CPU, 1024 MB RAM and 256 MB VRAM video card supporting shader model v3.0, according to Atanasov. But the interview also gives confirmations about guild-based PvP (which Atanasov refers to as 'Guild-vs-Guild' or 'GvG'), character advancement, and the roleplaying opportunities he sees being available to players in the Earthrise sandbox. Check out the entire English version of the interview over at The Art of MMO for more on this title.

One of the big lures to EVE Online is the fact that its PvP isn't just shoehorned into consensual duels and battlegrounds. Instead, EVE PvP can occur anywhere whether you like it or not and punishments are levied after-the-fact for engaging in unsanctioned combat in designated safe areas. In the previous three parts of this exhaustive guide on where you can take your PvP career, I described the different types of PvP EVE has to offer from small gang warfare to massive territorial fleets. In this final part, I explore EVE's evil side as I talk about piracy and corporate infiltration.

Griefing?:
In most MMOs, stealing from other players or indiscriminately killing them for fun or profit can be considered griefing and may be against the rules or worse. In the cold, harsh universe of New Eden, however, piracy and theft are just another facet of the complex player-based gameplay. From the common gatecamping pirate to the criminal masterminds behind the Guiding Hand Social Club heist, players of all kinds are drawn into the criminal underworld of EVE Online.

If piracy, theft and corporate infiltration sounds like your cup of tea, continue reading as I delve into the dark side of EVE Online.

There's no denying the similarities between the Guild Lord in Guild Wars and the Keep Lord in Warhammer Online. They're fundamentally the same, whether you're involved in a Guild vs. Guild battle or a Keep assault, when you kill the Guild/Keep Lord, it's all over. In a recent article at Kill Ten Rats, the basic comparison is brought to the next level with an actual explanation of each category of comparisons, from Best Style to Best Loot System to Best Glory for the Winner.

So if this aspect of either or both games has ever intrigued you, check out this article for some interesting analysis. Then next time you head out for that main assault on the Keep/Guild Hall, you'll be that much more prepared!

Alliance warfare in EVE Online is a defining aspect of the game. EVE's setting of New Eden is a sprawling galaxy of over 5000 solar systems, where players are free to build empires, establish vast enterprises, and do whatever is necessary to maintain dominance over their competitors -- be it financial, political, or military. All of that freedom to do what you choose eventually leads players, collectively, into one another's sphere of influence, triggering bitter and protracted warfare. That's the nature of EVE -- the setting provides potential, but it's largely the players who drive the game. In what has been aptly described as "the largest virtual conflict ever waged", the Band of Brothers Alliance (BoB) has stood at the forefront of that struggle for dominance in EVE Online for years.

As an alliance, their strength is undeniable. But the power they've gained has sparked a fiery resentment from the much larger non-BoB playerbase in EVE, polarizing the community into those who either love or hate them. In many cases, it's been the latter. After all, for some time, Band of Brothers' goal was to control all space in New Eden, beginning in the lawless frontier of 0.0, where most alliance warfare rages, and eventually consolidating control over Empire space and its commerce. Band of Brothers set a goal for territorial control that's simply not possible in the game, however. The times have changed, and now the old paradigm of territorial grabs characteristic of the epic conflict with The RedSwarm Federation has been replaced with the MAX campaign, and a different nemesis -- the Northern Coalition. As vendetta-turned-alliance policy, MAX is intended to be a wave of destruction that cuts through the hulls and holdings of their opposition.

The man behind the MAX campaign, and the Band of Brothers alliance, is SirMolle. Massively recently spoke with SirMolle about the pressures of leadership, the impact Band of Brothers has had on the game, and the endgame of control over New Eden.

Band of Brothers fields the largest capital ship fleet in the game. Obviously this provides your alliance with an advantage, but how do you respond to what many players feel is a problem of capital ship proliferation? Do you miss the days before capital ships and POS warfare became the norm?

EVE is ever-changing. It has evolved since the early alpha and beta days to early release, to today's EVE. It will never stop changing, and the players have to evolve with it. You can always say "remember the good old days", but, that's just nostalgia. Evolve or die, adapt or be overcome.

I could say I miss ninja-mining, I could say I miss dura-Mallers, I could say I miss splash damage from torpedoes, I could say I miss the days before POS's were in the game. But all in all, EVE is a larger game, a larger world, a more complex world today than when it started. Changes are a part of your EVE-life. Embrace it.

The most important ship in EVE is not a capital ship; it's the battleship.

The 2008 Fanfest for EVE Online is almost here, and it seems that some things will be different this year, not limited to the new PvP Tournament scenario. CCP Wrangler writes: "With EVE Fanfest 2008 approaching we decided to let you ask the Fanfest organizers some questions. Murinae and Krisnitori will join us... and Whisper will be asking them your Fanfest related questions."

The live dev blog will take place on Thursday, October 30th, at 20:00 GMT. To hear it, you'll need to enter the in-game channel 'Live Dev Blog' and enable EVE Voice via your right-click menu. As with the previous live dev blogs, the way to get your questions answered is to post in the announcement thread, from which the devs will select questions to field.

CCP Games announced that EVE TV is going to returning for EVE Online Fanfest 2008, and will still operate under the principle of being "something made by EVE players, for EVE players."

That's the word from one of newest members of the Marketing team at CCP Games, CCP Charlie, who introduces himself by announcing the scheduled content from Fanfest that they'll be recording and making available to everyone. He says, "Every video will be made available for download within a week or two after the Fanfest," and lists the specific content we can expect to view:

Dee Carson is a Director at EVE University, a corporation in EVE Online devoted to showing newer players the ropes of the game. Budding industry-types in EVE (as well as players interested in other professions) will want to refer to Carson's recent post at the Miner with Fangs blog -- he's made his 'EVE University Co-Operative Mining Guide' available as a pdf, and is definitely worth a read.

The guide walks a newer player through all aspects of mining in groups, from the skills required to the different ship choices and their relative merits. Most importantly, he lays out why players should mine cooperatively rather than it simply being a solo pursuit, namely that it's more profitable and adds a social dynamic to the activity. Of course there's safety in numbers, particularly when you've got a good mix of the different professions in EVE represented in the operation -- an ideal operation being comprised of miners, haulers, salvagers and 'top cover' damage dealers. Given that the guide was originally intended for EVE University students, the terminology and information imparted in the guide are accessible to most any pilot in the game, regardless of their familiarity with the industry side of EVE Online. It serves as an excellent introduction to the mining profession, and a stepping stone to more advanced guides like Halada's 'The Complete Mining Guide'. You can find the link to EVE University's guide in Carson's post over at Miner with Fangs.

One of the nicer aspects of establishing an alliance identity in EVE Online is that you're not stuck with the standard mix-and-match of graphics to create a logo. You can submit your own custom image which then becomes your alliance logo, viewable in-game. EVE dev CCP Loktofeit stated that there are now going to be changes with the Alliance Logo System which should cut down on the time between submission and when your logo is visible in-game.

Unfortunately, as this new submission process goes into effect, any alliance that has submitted their logos but have not yet received approval will need to re-submit. Loktofeit said, "All previous submissions have been purged form the database in preparation for the new system." If this situation affects you or your alliance, you'll need to review the updated submission criteria, and read up a bit on the new submission/review/acceptance processes as well, which are detailed in CCP Loktofeit's dev blog and being discussed on the forums.

The 6th century B.C. military treatise, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, serves admirably as a tract on corporate espionage and warfare in EVE Online's far future backdrop of New Eden. It is, after all, a corporation-dominated setting and game where player organizations perpetually fight for supremacy over their competitors. As The Art of War is required reading in some MBA programs, it stands to reason it could have some practical applications to a game based around military conglomerates. Warfare in EVE, while limited by game mechanics as to what's possible (as all games are of course), can have a heavy social component. Paired with the sandbox nature of the game, there are numerous possibilities in EVE that most other MMOs simply don't offer, or can't offer through their respective game mechanics.

Much of The Art of War focuses on deception, situational awareness, and overcoming your opponents through cunning rather than brute force. Of course, brute force has worked rather well for some prominent alliances, but without strategic thinking guiding their campaigns, it would all come undone at some point. Strategy is the focus of a new series of articles from Black Claw of EVE Online blog "The Travels of Black Claw." He's just kicked off the first in this series based on a guide to warfare he created for his EVE corporation. First up is "The Art of War: Laying Plans" -- which deals with assessing your own organization and the relative strength of the opposition, then figuring out how best to counter that opposition. Black Claw stated that next up will be "Waging War." Sun Tzu's The Art of War also deals with topics like stages of a competitive campaign, the importance of varying tactics, and the use of spies. Assuming Black Claw continues with his guide along these lines, it should be an interesting series of articles.

Medals and certificates are two of the new features coming to EVE Online, as recently announced by developer CCP Greyscale. These features may prove useful for newer players in dispelling some of the complexity of skill training, while providing some bragging rights and easier recruitment (less need to request another player's API) for veteran players, but there's still some confusion about how they'll be implemented in the game. With this in mind, CCP has decided to hold a live dev blog on this feature, slated for tomorrow, October 16th. CCP Wrangler announced:

"It is time for another Live Dev Blog and this time it's Chronotis and Greyscale who will answer all of your questions about Medals and Certificates. As usual Mindstar will be there to ask them your questions. This event will take place on Thursday, 16th October, in the in-game channel 'Live Dev Blog.' It starts at 20:00 GMT and lasts for about one hour." EVE players are already getting their questions in on the forum thread linked to this announcement. Given that the live dev blog will take place tomorrow, if there's anything you really want to know that wasn't addressed in CCP Greyscale's dev blog on certificates and medals, now is the time to ask in the thread.

EVE Online is one of the few MMOs where players in guilds (corporations and alliances) have some valid concerns about spies from rival groups infiltrating their ranks. The concept of being a spy or saboteur is a profession of sorts that arose in the game. There aren't any game mechanics that necessarily enable spying or make it into a viable profession, nor are there any rules that prohibit most of these activities.

Wes from EVE Tribune recently wrote a piece called "Metagaming", dealing with how espionage can impact rival corporations and alliances in EVE. Wes asks, "Why is everyone so paranoid about spies and metagaming?" then goes on to explain how espionage in EVE works, categorizing spies by their modus operandi:

First off – don't worry, it is indeed Saturday, not Thursday. We've just decided to move Behind the Curtain to a weekend slot; you didn't just hallucinate the last couple of days.

How serious are you when you're either creating a guild, when you're inviting people to join, or when you're looking to join one yourself?

Guild drama is always just one forum post away for many guilds today, and if you're not careful you could end up one of the many, many casualties to appear on the pages of Guild Watch on our sister site, WoW Insider. Drama doesn't happen all by itself – it's created by the people in your guild. More specifically, it's created by the personalities in your guild; it's not uncommon for guilds to have more personalities than they have people in them.