Conservation of Energy

Virtual worlds have long explored how various forms of matter, such as minerals, can be transformed into other forms of matter, like spaceships. This process, seen in games from EVE Online to Minecraft, is typically governed by blueprints or recipes, sometimes influenced by time, waste, or probabilistic outcomes. In EVE Frontier, we take this further by introducing energy as a core concept, bringing the world closer to E = mc² holding true. By embedding the laws of thermodynamics - where energy, heat, and entropy are conserved - we establish a foundation that allows for even greater freedom and innovation in the world’s evolution.

Energy manifests onto the Frontier largely in the form of fuel. Fuel is refined from Crude Matter, which is mined from rifts in space and time. Every action a player or program takes in the world spends energy through the use of fuel and fuel products. This in part equalizes the agency that players and programs have in the world.

In most virtual worlds, automation through programs (commonly known as botting) leads to an ongoing struggle between the operators and adversaries, frustrating both the participants and caretakers. In EVE Frontier, we address this by embracing the reality while still optimizing for human skillsets. We empower players and the world itself with built-in automation tools, ensuring it’s part of the design from the ground up. But to prevent rampant automation, every action made consumes energy, making it economically more difficult to Sybil attack the virtual world and their emergent economies.