By Brad Cook

“Among those who share a throne there can be no loyalty; Dominion’s ever impatient consort.” The Roman poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus wrote those words centuries ago, but they remain relevant 21,000 years from now, as the EVE Online universe, known as New Eden, prepares for a major change to the large-scale warfare that determines sovereignty over regions of space.

Join the more than 300,000 players whose characters roam that persistent shared universe as you seek adventure, enhance your skills, upgrade your spacecraft and acquire new ones, gather resources, and join corporations and alliances. That last item is key, because the allegiances you forge — and break — along the way will determine your place in New Eden.

“[Dominion] is true power born from the broken hulls of a thousand starships, the genes of the ambitious and the hubris of the greedy.”

- CCP Games

Do you strive to run a major corporation, or even an alliance of corporations? Would you prefer to ply trade routes as you buy and sell resources? Could you stomach standing at the helm of a mighty warship or looking out the cramped cockpit of a small fighter as combat rages around you? Or would you like to explore the dark places of the universe and consort with pirates and others who dwell in the shadows? Any of those options — and more — await you in EVE Online.

True Power

Publisher CCP Games echoes Lucanus’ thoughts when they note: “Dominion represents the type of conquest never realized by pretty words and poetry. It is true power born from the broken hulls of a thousand starships, the genes of the ambitious and the hubris of the greedy.”

When you and your friends gain control of a star system, Dominion allows you to shape the territory by purchasing enhanced abilities, such as uncovering asteroid belts rich with lucrative resources or discovering wormholes — introduced in the Apocrypha expansion pack — that provide shortcuts to other sectors. Don’t forget, however, that all new homes come with maintenance costs, and star systems are no different: your corporation or alliance must pay for the upkeep of a system’s stargates, and the more systems you control, the higher the monthly bills will climb. If bills don’t get paid, the affected stargates will cease to function, and that area of space could become inaccessible.

Should you scheme to attack an occupied sector and wrest control from its current owners, Dominion offers new super weapons usable only by Titan-class ships and capable of massive destruction. Titans are the biggest and strongest spacecraft found in New Eden, but they’re also the most expensive to build and maintain, typically requiring the combined resources of multiple corporations. An assault fleet will likely bring a few Titans with it, but the same holds true of those on the opposite side of the battle.

Assembling those fleets has gotten easier thanks to Dominion’s new fleet management tools, starting with the Fleet Finder that allows you to advertise your fleet for others to join or easily locate a fleet whose goals are in sync with your own. When you create a fleet, you can activate the new loot logging feature, which allows all players to keep track of the spoils of war and divide them up after a battle.

A Space Pirate’s Life For You

If you’d prefer to take your chances in New Eden’s lawless areas, known as 0.0 or null-sec space, Dominion serves up a pair of new epic story arcs aimed at those who fancy themselves futuristic Blackbeards. (Or Captain Sparrows, if you prefer.) The missions you’ll undertake center around the Guristas, who need a few good saboteurs to help them fight back against the Caldari Navy’s crackdown, and the Angel Cartel, whose leaders are desperate to preserve the mysterious advanced technology under their control.

Don’t charge into the pirate storylines at the helm of a battleship or cruiser, however: CCP designed those missions around the use of Interceptors, lightly-armored spacecraft that are quick and agile and can’t be easily tracked. Long-time EVE Online players might be horrified at the thought, since 0.0 space is full of players and NPCs with itchy trigger fingers, but CCP promises bountiful rewards for these missions, as well as a large boost in standing with the relevant pirate faction. True, you’ll also suffer a loss in standing with the Caldari or other races, but that’s the price you pay for wandering around the wrong side of the trading lanes.

There’s more in Dominion beyond what we’ve discussed, including gorgeous new graphics for the game’s 50,000-plus planets, an improved mail system, an in-game browser, new tutorials, and more, so log on, hop in your favorite spaceship, and start exploring.

Far Side of the World. A fleet assembles.

World Building. Each of the game’s 50,000-plus planets now has a distinct look.

Super Weapon Activated. A Titan unleashes a powerful onslaught.

Hostile Takeover. Two corporate fleets confront each other.

Target the Engines. An outgunned ship beats a hasty retreat.

If you liked this game, check out:

• Homeworld 2
• Vendetta Online
• X3: Terran Conflict

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X version 10.5.6
• 1.8GHz Intel Core Duo processor (2GHz or higher recommended)
• 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended)
• 128MB video RAM (ATI X1600, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT, or higher video card)
• 6GB hard disk space
• 56K Internet connection (broadband recommended)