The focus of Kali 1 versus Kali 2

Thought I should put a few lines on the focus, since I'm seeing a lot of threads about it on the forums. This is, of course, a byproduct of many people blogging and the authors talking about what they are working on and what they feel to be interesting. It's also a side-effect that blogs are taken very seriously, which they shouldn't really be as they are blogs. Intermittent tidbits and thoughts of developers working on EVE. Obviously, serious issues and clarifications also occur here, but it is a mix, please keep that in mind.

Following this, I'd like to clarify the focus between in the upcoming releases. Kali 1 is focused on necessary improvements to current systems, many of them are required for Factional Warfare. In some cases you can say the improvements are so big they are new features - and that certainly is true, but in the core, it's an improvement to an existing system.

Contracts are a vast improvement to Escrow & Courier system, adding more flexible Item Exchanges, Loans and of course the long-awaited Auction ability. This is by far the most extensive, complex improvement in Kali 1.

We also have the Combat Organization project consisting of the seamless map, improved system scanning, new gang hierarchy (fleets, squadrons) and better situational awareness through gang information broadcasts and integrated voice communication. Combined, the sum of these improvements are far bigger than Contracts although the parts are not. This will most likely change the nature of how gang bonuses work within a fleet if this system is ready on time.

Exploration is part of the improved system scanning. With Exploration we're specifically improving the ability to find hidden encounters. To begin with, we have a couple of hundred new encounters, ranging from archeological sites and various other mini-professions, to new asteroid belts and the gas cloud sites which provide ingredients for combat boosters. Exploration is the way most Complexes and locations will be found instead of the current static placements. Other improvements in general to encounters are "escalating paths" and the "triggers and events", both greatly improving the possibilities to create more varied and less predictable encounters.

Invention is heavily improving R&D services, allowing you to finally be able to access Tech level 2 through other means than the lottery. You need Tech 1 blueprint copies, knowledge and information gathered through such means as hacking, items and tools from exploration encounters. You will also need tools from research agents - which you exchange for your RP. The trade-off currently is that you have less chance of winning the lottery, but then again, I never won either, so no love lost there. The drawback is that Invented Tech 2 blueprint copies are highly inefficient.

Combat Boosters and their associated COSMOS regions are also quite an improvement to 0.0 space, where we're adding more locations for Alliances to fight over. There are complexes and once-per-character agents there, mainly as support for the backstory and to distribute the tools, skills and equipment required for Booster manufacturing - and to teach you how to cook everything up! You'll see a couple of Gas Clouds, the main focus of the regions since they are the resource required for Boosters, but you need to explore to find the rest.

We also wanted to improve loot in general, so we finally went ahead and exchanged that pristine can that drops for a proper wrecked ship. That shipwreck is now salvage-able, where you will find scraps of components required to create Rigs, the new ship upgrades which currently have a heavy defensive focus.

You know about the 8 new ships, adding to two of the most popular ship classes in EVE, the battleships and battlecruisers and we're opening up 8 new outer regions.

For short, Kali 1 is improvements.

Kali 2 on the other hand is Warfare, carnage of epic proportions. Well, actually, that's up to you because we're simply going to provide more toys to play with, it's yours to choose what you do with them.

Without going into too much detail at this point, (after all, Kali 1 isn't out!) and while we're spotlighting the current Tranquility focus, we do have some tidbits we can share at this point in time. However, we should point out that this does not include the plans for the PvE teams and general improvements, those are still to be determined.

Factional Warfare is probably the term that you are most familiar with, but our goal here is Factional Warfare is an introduction to the large scale Warfare already happening. At some point in time, you should want to be your own master, claim your own Territory and vie to be the next major Empire.

However, note I said warfare. Kali 2 adds and improves all warfare, for corporations, alliances and factions alike. You'll probably be wondering what that could be all about, so let's get right to it and drop some names.

Improved Starbase Warfare, Improved Outpost and Station Warfare, Constellation Sovereignty, Solar System Defenses, New Starbase Structures, Upgradeable Outposts, (limited) Gate Control, Corporation and Alliance Improvements, Medals, Ranks ...

For short, for there to be warfare, there has to be a solid player infrastructure in place to fight over and there is a lot of player infrastructure coming.

There has to be goals, and the goals you achieve by conquering or building instantly become the goal of someone else to conquer and destroy. Those are the goals we want to achieve.

How much of this we'll be able to achieve remains to be seen, but at least now you know where we want to go.

Tata for now, we have a fix patch to get out.