Trolling used to be an art form, and I know that makes me sound aged far beyond what I should be projecting, but the panache just isn’t there these days. EVE Online has been weathering a DDoS attack that began late January, leaving many unable to log in to the critically acclaimed 16-year-old MMO set in space.
Progress by developers CCP against the reported DDoS has been frustratingly slow for many users, with their fans turning on the developers in the forums.
From claims that CCP shouldn’t have accepted the buyout from Pearl Abyss, to the equally interesting claim that CCP somehow is planning the outage so they don’t have to work (true story), the forums are turning into a bit of a mess as players can’t get their galactic ship-to-ship combat fix.
CCP hasn’t exactly been sitting on their haunches during this time, either; they’ve continued to battle the alleged DDoS by attempting to patch the client, and even encouraging players to utilize a VPN to connect from different countries, with various results that are typically shortlived.
When you remove some of the more absurd theories about what is actually causing the issue, it becomes an interesting idea to ponder. EVE Online is known for massive battles that have all of the intrigue and backstabbing that Game of Thrones had, just with an interstellar flavor.
Many are suggesting that this is an in-game actor attempting to avoid a combat timer or awaiting real-life situations to settle before they allow everyone to log back in. Others are proposing that someone has been caught cheating, and this is retribution for the ban hammer that they’re received.
The truth of the situation is likely never to be unveiled; there has been a precedent set in regards to getting jail time (at the least) for DDoSing game companies. Back in 2014, the self-named Lizard Squad brought down Xbox servers and offered DDoS for a fee, and cried openly in court when they were sentenced to prison.
Currently, it doesn’t look like there’s an end in sight for CCP, and it’s unfortunate that a company is being brought low by frustrated people typically colloquially referred to as ‘script kiddies’, users that run pre-generated scripts purchased from gray markets online with malicious intent. This is immediately after EVE Online successfully ran a fundraiser that raised over $100,000 for the Australian bushfires that have ravaged the continent.
Eventually, whatever forces that are behind this will lose interest in the ploy, and EVE Online will be playable again. Until then, it’s simply a shame that thousands of users are to make do without their ideal hobby.
