CCP Patch Breaks Parts of EVE Online

     CCP's latest patch and expansion pack to the sci-fi MMOG EVE Online brought revamped graphics, new ships - and most recently a formal suspension of critical game activities.

     The company issued an official notice on Saturday acknowledging serious problems with player owned structures, or POSes, and declared a temporary ban on any offensive or defensive tinkering with the structures.

     POSes are used by corporations and alliances in a large portion of space that can be contested by the player factions. They help claim space, initiate moon mining and host modules that can transport fleets across systems quickly.

     Shortly after the patch was implemented on Thursday, POS personnel across alliances quickly noted a host of problems. Some functions would break after downtime - the one hour period the server is down every day for maintenance - while others worked only intermittently. A bug that allowed some enemy ships to fire rapidly at the POSes was also noticed.

     CCP said the ban on warfare-related POS activity was temporary but did not offer an estimated window of repair time. The company warned that anyone who exploited the POS problems for in-game gain would be banned.