Invasion Beach Heads
Utilized in Invasion Chapters 1 & 2
Initial design by Dylan. Implemented by Gregor
The macro-structure of the early Triglavian Invasion content utilized a pre-existing deployment system called “tales.” This system automatically progressed content linearly through a series of phases according to points accrued passively over time, as well as actively via completing spawned content. Typically, this process took a few days. Gregor and I wanted something less linear, but this was the strongest option available within our tight deadline.
Following a series of selection criteria, a solar system was targeted for invasion content. As this content was completed, it progressed through a series of escalating phases. Each phase increased the intensity of content available, applied system-wide buffs and de-buffs to players, but also spread it to the target’s “neighbourhood” and “fringe” (solar systems one and two gate jumps away, respectively). At any given time, there were three active invasion instances, allowing the player community to engage in a sort of “whack-a-mole” as they pushed the beach heads across the New Eden star cluster.
Please note: prior to release, our Narrative team utilized in-world conventions to assign more narratively interesting names to any player-facing terminology. I have here stuck (generally) to the terminology we used in development, as these are likely much clearer to portfolio readers not immersed in EVE Online’s lore.
At the very beginning, a beach head would feature only the smallest amount of content: a select few “escaping” scout parties. These were not standard-fare dungeons, but rather small fleets that would roam around the system, seeking out players to engage. The small size of these fleets meant that they effectively served as a warning to the residents of the incoming threat, and gave a taste of the new and unusual AI logic fueling the NPCs.
During this phase, players could still typically enjoy local content as per usual, but needed to keep an eye out in case things suddenly escalated. The exception to this were AFK and botting players. These low-interaction accounts often failed to react appropriately, and were typically the first casualties of a beach head.
The second phase increased the number of scouts and their reach—spawning them all the way out in fringe systems, where they greatly disrupted merchant vessels autopiloting between markets—and introduced the core Invasion content, including a shift in gameplay balance thanks to system-wide player (and NPC) buffs. Vanguard escaping fleets were significantly more formidable, and featured both crowd control and self-healing mechanics. At this stage players found core invaded systems to be quite dangerous for the unprepared.
Stage two also introduced Rift dungeons. These were the Invasion’s version of more traditional EVE Online content—locations that players could warp to, with enemies to defeat and sizable rewards to be gained upon completion. These were largely owned by Gregor, and were capable of spawning escaping content of their own depending on how players engaged the sites.
The third and fourth stages marked a progression from scouting parties and strategic prodding to full-scale invasion and war. These were the experiential climax. Escaping content not only increased in number, but difficulty as well, with large amounts of escaping content in the Fringe and Neighbourhood, and sizable Invasion fleets making normal gameplay in the region impossible. These stages also featured the final two content pieces of Invasion: Part 1.
A rare NPC fleet would spawn from time to time and serve as a “white whale” of content. The group was elite, with some NPCs tricked out with better health and damage, and the group’s composition optimized for survival. Their AI told them to call for help when engaged, run when they were losing, and find a quiet space to lick their wounds and return prepared—but if players managed to catch (and kill) them, these NPCs provided excellent loot well worth the time and effort.
Additionally, the “capstone” dungeon spawns during this time. In Chapter 1, this was the Triglavian World Ark—a dungeon I designed to introduce some elements of classic raid-style gameplay to EVE. It was a large, arena site where we tested a number of experimental AI behaviors, mechanics, and content design techniques that we would later perfect and utilize liberally during Chapters 2 and 3. During Chapter 2, this was replaced by Gregor’s “Observatory Flashpoint”—a dungeon that similarly served to test experimental AI behaviors (in this case “pick your side”) that would be key to later Invasion content. Once completed, these dungeons would disappear, sometimes for hours, making the rewards they offered extremely sought after and engagement with them content highly competitive.
Finally, the Invasion would wind down, the Triglavians retreating. A few roaming scouting parties would be left—stragglers from the main force, defending the flanks. This stage could not be expedited through play. Instead, it sat for a day. This had two purposes:
First, it offered players who had maybe been rushed in the beginning an opportunity to engage in the easier content without the risk of sudden escalation. This was predictable, and ensured that anyone who had relocated specifically for Invasion content was able to enjoy at least some if.
It also served as a cool-down period. The beach-head would eventually re-deploy elsewhere in the game, but this gave players the opportunity to breathe, to either ease themselves back into normal life in that part of the universe or re-supply and prepare for the next invasion. Either way, it provided a bit of predictability to a content cycle otherwise marked by unpredictability and the unknown. Players eventually tire of always reacting—while it is important to knock them off their feet from time to time, they need the opportunity to stand back up in between, to take measures that help them feel prepared. Otherwise, their sense of agency is lost, and the game has no meaning.