Clandestine Ghost Sites are new, randomly occurring sites in space which harbour “dangerous and clandestine experiments” conducted by New Eden’s frontier organisations (ie. the outlaws and pirates). They will be a variation on existing exploration sites but with an additional “pressure-cooker” component, requiring the brave explorer to use the hacking mini-game interface introduced in the recent Odyssey expansion.
The additional pressure comes from the likelihood of things blowing up in the face of the hacker, and damaging or even destroying the ship. A timer will also trigger the arrival of NPC security forces intent on defending their secrets.
The implication of these sites is that new technology is on its way which will be central to future events and game design. This is further hinted at in The Only Way is Through, a fiction chronicle written by EVE’s chief loremeister, CCP Abraxus, who explained on the forums:
“From a lore perspective, the empires have their hands full tracking down and destroying these sites all on their own, all while trying to keep the capsuleers in line. They certainly don’t want you there, but they also don’t want to attract attention to the sites, and they don’t dare anger you too greatly. (The ones you find are not ones that CONCORD explicitly directed you to; they’re ones that your scanning equipment finds unassisted.)”
The description of the “Villard Wheel” structure central to the new technology seems significant and perhaps ties into the exploration themes woven throughout Rubicon (and Odyssey), reinforcing the idea of transportation by mysterious means.
It’s been quite a while since CCP’s development has addressed the creaky PvE element of EVE Online and this new content heralds the possibility of this omission being further addressed. Content developer CCP Affinity, the designer behind the ghost sites, has expressed a desire to address this:
“With regards to the rest of PvE – this is definitely on my radar and I have had many talks with the CSM about it 🙂 I can’t say too much for now but in the new year I hope to post a blog with a bit more information.”
There is a vast amount of hidden content already within EVE, but there’s always room for more, as well as new ways to explore it…
