Behold, The Prophesy…

~or “Can There Real Meaning in a Prophesy… Video?”

(This is now becoming a ‘thing’ with me… again)

Kirith Kodachi, of Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah… NinvayAhh… Ninvay… NIN-vee-aah? How in hell do you pronounce that anyway??? Anyhoo, he of The Unpronounceable Blog recently posted ‘Dissecting the Prophesy Trailer’, in which he takes his mental scalpel to ‘The Prophesy’, the EVE Fanfest 2014 trailer… a trailer which I am very very much liking.

Now what he does is kinda what my mind has been doing in the background as twere… I’ve been ruminating on the question… What can we take away from, learn from… glean from this trailer about events that are planned to unfold in EVE over the next year or so? What does this tell us, if anything, of CCP’s “vision” for EVE? I mean… it is a Prophesy after all.

Kirith’s take is… well, go read the post, it’s… interesting. It is definitely worth a read and in the end he basically sums it up this way…

- Capsuleers will build gigantic stargates that lead to new space with lots of resources to allow the alliances that build them to become independent of the Empires.

- The empires, or at least the Amarrians, are not happy about this.

Kirith posits: “Does this mean building stargates will have actual in game consequences for those alliances in empire space? HA! Probably not but one can hope.” and…

“As for the prophecy itself, I find it very interesting and suggestive of a new NPC type, perhaps some rogue drone type AI that humans lost control of...”

Im’a take a different angle, where he says,

“I'm going to ignore overall the Dust / Valkyrie / Capsuleer working together component in this post because part of me thinks it’s just marketing and pipe dreams and interests me less than what this trailer means for the development of Eve.”

Here I strongly disagree… I fully believe that Legion and Valkyrie are not just marketing and pipe dreams, I believe they are THE best possible new features that can come from the New Vision for EVE… that is the best features for solo, casual and small gang players… and no, I am not ignoring DUST or writing it off, it’s just that I am a PC gamer not a console player, so DUST is something I have never even tried out… for me, personally, to have that boots-on-the-ground or in station experience in EVE, it will be Legion or nothing.

I say this because you see, I recently received an email where it was pointed out that CCP Seagull had interestingly ‘side-stepped my actual question’… and on re-reading her response carefully… I think he was right. It WAS a well worded reply, and while she did say clearly that solo & small gang players were going to have a place in the ‘vision’ for EVE she did NOT say we all would have access to the Player Built Stargates and New Space… in my Open Letter after my 'question' I did say,

“When the new Player Built Stargate is built, will it give ALL of “us” access to fascinating new space? or, will it be’ Go Null or GTFO’?” … by ALL of “us” I meant solo, casual, small, large and massive groups.

This is what “should” have been the ‘direct question’ and is the part he feels was side-stepped. What CCP Seagull did say was,

“I want EVE to have more things to do for small scale groups and solo pilots - and all over space, not just in null sec.” and she talks about solo and small gang being important and to look for this to be visible in the upcoming Corp & Alliance changes… OK, I will, but dammit, he is right, she DID NOT say we would all have access to the New Space... so back to ‘tinfoil and CT’ on that I guess.

So in that light, unlike Kirith who feels the PBSG and New Space it the best thing to come out of this for the future of EVE, I feel that that may still possibly be only for nullsec as has been feared by so many, me included. So the new experiences, gameplay and such that those of us left in Old Eden might get will have to be Legion and Valkyrie… Cause if the PBSG’s do actually turn out to be a null only venture…

If those of us not in null are left to only read about the great new exploits and resources and such in Greater New Goonland… well, TBH, I’ll probably buy old Dimsdale a beer right after I unsub… so, let’s all hope and pray CCP aint really that stoopid mkay?

That said, let’s see what I get from this admittedly fascinating and very well done EVE trailer…

The Prophesy: "From the formless void, there springs an entity more primordial than the elements themselves. And its wake, it will follow a storm."

Hmmm… Kirith thinks it says, “In its wake, it will follow a storm.” I disagree, I listened to the clip over and over and over and my dottir says it's ‘AND its wake’ not ‘IN its wake’. In which case the wording does make sense as a storm does leave a wake behind, but it’s a Prophesy, not a business statement… so meh. I do like the lore he discovered about this prophesy… worth repeating IMHO…

From the 2nd episode of the new Hydrostatic podcast he learned that the prophecy is one in the description of the Erebus Gallentean titan which reads:

From the formless void's gaping maw, there springs an entity. Not an entity such as any you can conceive of, nor I; an entity more primordial than the elements themselves, yet constantly coming into existence even as it is destroyed. It is the Child of Chaos, the Pathway to the Next.

The darkness shall swallow the land, and in its wake there will follow a storm, as the appetite of nothing expands over the world.

From the formless void's gaping maw, there springs an entity.

Dr. Damella Macaper

The Seven Events of the Apocalypse

Now the Prophesy reading at the Council makes sense, “…in its wake there will follow a storm.” matches up quite nicely with, “And its wake, it will follow a storm.” Just kinda inna Yoda’ian way… my drift, if you catch. Hmmm…?

So I had some real fun with this and it turned into one of my more impressive walls-of-text, well, actually not text so much as PICTURES!!! with some text… So Im’a give my synopsis here and leave them as want to, to scroll down through the screen caps and descriptions after.

What I take away from this is,

1. Empyreans, and still most probably nullseccers, are gonna build massive new stargate(s) to SomewhereElse ™  (though I find the whole 1 man Hisec War Deccing Drekar Alliance building a Stargate… inna Deadspace pocket no less…  to be, somewhat fanciful. But I guess CCP might just be being careful about actually showing us a defending fleet with that stoopid effin BumbleBee logo on all their ships...)

2. The Empires are gonna get they panties inna bunch over this, in a big way.

3. Legionaries, Valkyries and Empyreans ARE going to work and play together in the same sandbox. (YEAH!)

4. When they try, CCP can make a damn fine video.

Unlike Kirith I’m not gonna make any predictions… just dunt have any in mind… I just WANT Legion and WiS and exploring Sleeper Stations and even bounty hunting… up close and personal like...  =]

That said, let’s move on to…



The Beginning is a very delicate time…

OK, so we start off at an Amarrian Theology Council Listening Post in Mamet in the Domain Region, in Null… orbiting WAYYY too effin close to Mamet’s M0 class Orange Radiant sun for my tastes… I mean I like summer but damn! We’re taking SPF5000 here… and I now understand those great huge arches… AC Units. Anyway, a Robed Faceless Sweaty One voice overs ‘The Prophesy’, and someone, sounds like Empress Jamyl Sarum to me, says “The Prophesy is true.” “The Heretics have constructed The Gate.” The Bearded Sweaty Faceless One says, “It must be Destroyed!”… mkay. Ya gotta wonder if the heat is making em cranky though…

From there we cut to the Drekar Alliance Command, Deadspace Construction Facility.

Drekar Alliance [DREKA] is, interestingly enough, real. An ingame Alliance… with a member count of… 1. And a description of: “High sec war dec corporation.” The lone member is ‘LF test’ who is a 10.10.12 toon, was in the State War Academy for almost 5 months then he went to Drekar and has been there since… I smell an alt.

Anyhoo… so this one guy, this lone Hisec War Deccer, seems to be building a Stargate... inna Deadspace. Now, I dunt know about you but the only way I ever get into a deadspace pocket is via a mission given out by an agent from an NPC corp… sooo... the new Stargates are missions??? Stranger and stranger it gets…

So, Mr. LF test is has this meeting with an unnamed DUSTer (Legionnaire?), Ran, the Leader of the Valkyrie and some random Empyrean dudes. He goes on a bit about Dawn, Keys, New Worlds, Wealth and Independence. Then he… (da da da DAAAA) Reveals The Gate… yea, like none of them saw the frakkin huge blots-out-the-sun thing on the way in… anyhoo, the Initiation Sequence is announced and a stand-by is called for Preliminary Evacuation… ooohh ahhhh… And ol LF test gravely announces that “Once the gate is active, it will change our world forever.” Well duh.

Cut to, Imperial Fleet Staging Area, Aridia Region… 80 systems, 10 Hisec, 42 Lowsec, 28 Nullsec. As there is a Titan in fleet, one can assume it’s in one of the 28 null systems. One of the Robed Faceless (not so sweaty now?) Ones is there with an Amarrian Lord (oooh ahhhh) and advises, in perfect cringing form, “The fleet awaits your command… my lord.” As troop transports load up DUSTers (or mebbe Legionnaires!) in a huge hangar bay on one of the carriers or supers… or mebbe that Titan… do Titans have hangar bays? I dunno, I’m but your humble reporter and I live in holes anyway and we dunt has Titans… so meh.

Anyhoo, cut to… Cloaky Helios Scout (and BTW why dunt my cloakies have that nice shimmery effect?? I mean the whole wireframe thing is kinda spooky…) reports to Mr. LF test about the existence of the Imperial Fleet. He, in true damn-the-torpedoes style says “We’re NOT aborting the sequence.” “Prepare for battle.” Whilst on screen he is show the Priority Evacuation warnings with the EMP Ignition Zone mapped out as an area larger than the frakkin huge ass gate itself.

For them as dunt know it, EMP stands for Electromagnetic Pulse, basically EMP is a pulse of electromagnetic energy... I know I just defined a thing by saying the things name in a different way… you go read the Wiki sheesh. Anyway it’s really frakkin dangerous and at very high energy levels… say the kind you get from a great-frakkin-blots-out-the-sun-gods-damned STARGATE… its deadly to all life and incredibly destructive for kilometers in all directions… mkay? Hence the Evacuation Warnings mkay?

So, cut to… lots of people preparing for battle but not doing any of that evacuating stuff…  most ALL of em are in fact are running and flying to group up right around the thing what is gonna kill em before it  can make em rich. We see DUSTers/Legionaries running hither an yon, and Valkyrie old style Wraith Mark Is taking off with Ran leading Bravo Wing. Cut to scenes of the defense fleet prepping… comms chatter, gun and missiles readying… all good stuff, “All wings in position, blockade is ready.”

Now all this is very cool, but what comes next is nothing but awesomesause… We get a nice look at that new Warp Effect, you know the Startrekkian Light Barrier Flash when a starship breaks light speed or drops below light speed. That great distant sound as if large artillery was being fired just at the edge of hearing… whump… whump… whump, whump, whump… whump, whump, whump, whump…

The Amarrian Fleet starts landing on grid, and then, the Pièce de résistance… that Titan bridges in… !!!WHAM!!!

And it immediately fires a Doomsday… (so no lock n load delay after cynoing huh, who knew?) I assume it’s a Doomsday… never seen one and TBH, can’t say I care to either… look what happened to that Hel FFS!

So, now the fight begins in Earnest… well, ok, we actually don’t know what system it is, you know it being a deadspace pocket and all… which of course, begs the question… how did they get the WHOLE fleet through the acceleration gate with one a them one-time keys? And I thought you could not bridge or cyno into a deadspace pocket? The whole deadspace thing is starting to sound like a ruse to me…

But, I digress…

Next we hear, clear as a bell… OK, well, staticky and rough, but still clearly, ”Valkyries, intercept those troop carriers.” Ah HAH!!! So we know for a fact that Valkyries are on the field and on the side of Drekar Alliance! Schweet! We hear Katee Sackho... uh, I mean, Ran respond, ”Multiple bogies inbound, launching fighters.”

We watch as one of the Valks, strafes a Troop Carrier and the carrier burns and peels off… as the massive battle rages all around them. Then… “(garbled) field is online, clear the ignition zone now!” and our old buddy Mr. LF test of course, responds, ”Negative! We defend the gate!”

The battle, if anything, intensifies… Then you see several of the Troop Transports moving in and you hear, “They’re getting through. Prepare for breach.” We see the Troop Transports land on the gate and begin cutting their way in…

Then… what I have been waiting for, hoping for happens… we watch as a boarding team runs in attacking a group of defending troops… they are in Drop Suits… could be DUSTers, could be Legionaries, either way they are FIGHTING IN THE STATION!!  WOO HOO!!! THIS, this is what I want most in EVE.

That deserves another look!

Hells yea! OK, so we leave the DUSTers/Legionaries to slug it out below decks and return topside to the main fight… “They’re closing in on us! Keep up the pressure.” We hear over comms, “On your six,I can’t keep em off… ” The voice trails away when we see the EMP pulse wavefront wash across a flight of Prophecies… (LOL Prophecies) as they get knocked out of the fight… as EVERY SHIP there gets knocked out and they all drift out of power and out of control…

Into that stunned silence we hear Aura announce, “Ignition complete.” and watch as the gate spools up to fire…

First, all the ships now drifting powerless in space and smashing into each other are drawn inwards, as the gates systems power up… then

Boom… the gate fires for the first time… hurling the dead and broken ships from both fleets away from itself…

And we are left… with the gate, active and ready to transport us to new worlds… surrounded by hundreds of ruined hulks and… thousands… of the dead and the dying who fought over it.

"And its wake, it will follow a storm."

Fly in Fields of Wrecks... and see you in the Sky  =/|)=