GECs
Eve players stage giant online space battle
MUMBAI: For five hours on 28 July about 4,000 players took part in the epic battle between two of the game’s biggest alliances.
The two sides were fighting for control of resources within several of the game’s solar systems. Time was slowed down in the virtual universe to help servers cope with the huge numbers of players and ships.
The battle pitted spaceships belonging to CFC against those from the test alliance in a region of space known as 6VDT. It ended in victory for CFC.
Eve Online is a detailed space simulation that sees players fly spaceships through thousands of virtual star systems, seeking resources they can use to prosper. The resources can be found on planets and in asteroid fields or acquired through piracy or other underhand means. Ships vary in size from small trading vessels to giant capital ships.
Erlendur Thorsteinsson, one of Eve Online’s developers, confirmed in his tweet that the battle was the biggest ever seen in the game. At its peak the battle involved 4,070 pilots and their ships.
Game time was slowed to ten per cent of normal to lighten the load on servers working out who was shooting at whom. The pivotal moment in the battle took place two hours in, when CFC sent in a large fleet of capital ships – the most powerful in the game. Their arrival prompted many members of the test alliance to try to flee.
By the end of the conflict, thousands of ships are believed to have been destroyed. Their destruction has a real-world cost as the game’s internal currency can be bought with real money.
So far no-one has worked out the total value of the ships destroyed, but a far smaller battle earlier in 2013 laid waste to far fewer spacecraft that in total were estimated to be worth more than $15,000.
The giant battle was the culmination of a long campaign by CFC to force the test alliance out of 6VDT.
Some have speculated that it may be one of the first of a series of conflicts that seek to extinguish test.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
