Yesterday a patch, and tomorrow a patch!

The EVE Online: Empyrean Age 1.1.2 patch will be deployed this Thursday, 2nd October and Tranquility will be down from 11:00 to 15:00 GMT.

Empyrean Age 1.1.2 mainly consists of changes to the autopilot, there are also other changes and fixes. Patch notes will be made available shortly; updates to the notes may be added should any further items be cleared through the Quality Assurance process. These updates will be highlighted with green text.

As soon as the patch notes come up, we'll post them for you!

EVE Online will receive a new patch entitled Empyrean Age 1.1.1 on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The critical changes will include a new autopilot feature that will allow you to avoid set systems and regions, a system cap on the number of players allowed in a given solar system, and an auto-move feature during login to move to a neighboring system if your current one is full.

The full patch notes can be found here or below the jump.

Also, CCP Games warned users today that an advertisement for a skill training macro sent by Gold Harvest Macro Solutions contains a Trojan. Do not downloaded this software, and scan your system if you did.

I've never met Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, but I can easily surmise that they're great guys. Not only do they create hilarious webcomics every week, but they also founded Child's Play , a charity that organizes toy drives to children's hospitals throughout the world.

CCP Games , the developers of EVE Online , is supporting this great cause by offering one player and their guest the opportunity to win a tour of CCP Headquarters in Reykjavik, Iceland. Bidding for the silent auction starts at $1,000 and ends on Oct. 22.

The folks over at Tentonhammer.com are reporting that EVE Online has just announced their winter expansion, codenamed MIDAS. True to the metallic suggestion of its codename, while much about the expansion has not been announced it is expected to have a strong industrial influence.

Another Eve Online newsletter has been published at the official site! Here is some news from Scott Holden:

A Message from Scott Holden - Lead Content Creator

As EVE Online continues to evolve, we are constantly looking to increase the content available to players. The job of creating that content is led by Scott Holden - Lead Content Creator. Based in our Atlanta office, Scott took a few moments to let fans know what his team is currently working on:

"We currently have a team working on missions full-time in Content Creation (which is now based in Atlanta). CCP plans to expand this team by the end of the year. In addition, we currently use about a dozen freelance writers to help kick out oodles of PVE content.

Missions in EVE have traditionally been pretty simple things, basically asking the player to go kill some NPCs or to fetch something and move it from one station to another. We have lots of great plans in the pipeline for new kinds of missions, though. Expect to see 'epic mission arcs' possibly by this winter - possibly - and many other new completion triggers and mission objectives starting to show up around the same time. As you might expect, we're all pretty jazzed about the whole thing."

Other newsletter topics include:

- Windows within Windows
- Reap the Rewards of Referral
- Accept our Friend Request
- E-ON is Here

Click here for Eve Online VOL. XX August 2008 complete newsletter information.

CCP Nozh has posted a developer blog detailing the rebalancing of speed in EVE Online . After a lengthy meeting in which the issue of speed was discussed, the devs laid down five basic tenets:

Speed must never reach ludicrous speed, which is defined as speeds where missiles and drones don't intercept the class of ship they were intended for.

There should be a significant and meaningful difference in speed between the ship classes.

Speed should not permit a larger ship to perform the role that a smaller specialized ship was intended for.

Afterburners should be a viable module selection for PVP.

Guerrilla warfare must remain a viable combat tactic.

Nozh's blog lays out the basics of speed, the way things were, and the way things will be. 

Sure, launch days are exciting for the players. And I'm sure you can guess that they're pretty crazy for the developer staff. Check out this video , showing the 24 hours surrounding the release of Empyrean Age, the latest EVE Online expansion. Talk about a marathon work day!

Tickets for EVE Online's Fan Fest 2008 are now on sale. This year's festivities include the following highlights:

PVP Tournament. Think of a cage match for capsuleers: your name and ship on a giant screen, battering your opponent into scrap before the rabid cheers of hundreds of fans. The prize: undisputed bragging rights and interstellar fame-plus some very cool EVE Stuff to be decided. Think you have what it takes? Then make sure you sign up for the action! Registration begins in September.

Presentations. CCP's creative, technical, and production leads give you an up-close-and-personal view of what's being done to make EVE better now, plus a glimpse at the future of EVE.

Roundtables. A personal discussion between groups of players and devs covering EVE topics such as content, game design, storyline, and more. Signups will be at the venue on the day of the event.

Jita. Are your corpmates planning a strong showing at this year's Fanfest? Then register for your own dedicated meeting area for your corporation or alliance on the venue floor!

Silent Auction. It's your chance to get some cool EVE collectable items and also be helping kids on several continents to have an easier hospital stay.

In addition, this EVE Online is encouraging players to bring their wife along for a fantastic Iclandic vacation.

We want you to bring your ladies! Iceland is a once-in-a-lifetime destination vacation. The Sisters of EVE Program will give your partner a chance to visit Iceland along with you: while you discuss the nuances of the Carrier nerf with fellow corpmates, they can take a day trip to a geothermal spa, shop in the downtown district, or tour the Icelandic countryside. And the Reykjavik nightlife is world-class!

Sounds phenomenal, but are you really going to make a girl choose between gaming and the spa? Can't we have both?!

Check out full details here .

We continue our look at the galactic empires and how they're reacting to the cataclysmic events of the Empyrean Age. This time around, our story revolves around the highest authority in the Gallente Federation, and the path he has decided for his empire.

This is the second of five weekly chronicles that give you an inside look at the leaders of the major EVE factions. So far we have published a story on Maleatu Shakor of the Minmatar, and this week's piece is Souro Foiritan of the Gallente. Next up will be a special story on the capsuleers, followed by Tibus Heth of the Caldari and Jamyl Sarum of the Amarr.

Yet mere planets were beneath the concern of the nine leaders — warlords, religious crusaders, industrial tycoons, freedom fighters, university dons and banking moguls — who temporarily set aside their differences last week and gathered here under a banner of peace. After all, they had an entire galaxy to consider.

Of course that galaxy does not really exist. Yet for the more than 200,000 players of the science-fiction game Eve Online; for the company here that created it, CCP; indeed for the broader concept of how companies relate to their customers, the inaugural meeting of the Council of Stellar Management was a watershed in the evolution of online democracy.

I take offense to calling Trinity not existing, but I'll take any positive looks at the team work that MMOs can bring to players!  Hurray to the Times, and to the players who are representing all of our needs to CCP!  Huzzah!