Ghosts in the Machine

Updated with a new clue from CCP Fozzie on Reddit

Announcing a new contest, sponsored by EveTimeCode.com!

New Eden is a complex universe full of mysteries. In the past, organizations such as the Arek’Jaalan project have sought to unravel these great mysteries. There is one great mystery that many capsuleers have reported seeing, if not understanding: the phenomenon known as the ‘Children of Light’ or ‘Iyen Pixies’ by locals. While not much is known about them, it seems to be only observable in Iyen-Oursta on the Perimeter stargate, an otherwise fairly unremarkable border system between the Federation and the State.

Each empire has their own superstitions regarding this phenomenon, and among capsuleers, theories of its meaning abound. To this day no one really knows where the lights come from, or more importantly, how to make them appear. One thing is known, it does seem to be a direct result of pilot interaction with the Stargate.

Hydrostatic Podcast, in cooperation with EVETimecode.com, a popular third-party seller of CONCORD Pilot License Extensions, has offered up an incredible bounty on the answer to this great mystery. Any capseleer resourceful enough to decrypt the secret will be awarded with a voucher to upgrade their license to the ‘collectors edition’ pass, including such perks as the Genolution 'Auroral' AU-79 implant, limited edition Thrasher, and a smattering of goodies from New Eden’s long history.

To be eligible you must either demonstrate in video or in person the process by which to create this effect, and explain the process that (hopefully) will be repeatable. Recreation of the phenomena on the simulation ‘Singularity’ is also eligible, as long as the process can be performed in the real universe. In the event that multiple contestants achieve the result, the person who contacted us first about their technique will win the grand prize. Contact us at hydrostaticpodcast@gmail.com with your entry!

Members of CCP, Aideron Robotics, and Hydrostatic Podcast staff are ineligible for the Collector’s Edition prize.

Good luck pilots.

Here are some known resources about the phenomena. For more information, check out Hydrostatic Podcast’s episode where they discuss this event, as well an in-depth discussion with none other than CCP Fozzie!

• http://hydrostaticpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/08/hp-9-always-have-more-guns.html
• http://evetravel.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/children-of-light/
• https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Children_of_Light_%28Chronicle%29

Update: We've heard from CCP Fozzie that Children of Light will appear differently on Singularity than on Tranquility. Sometimes it will be easier to trigger on Singularity, sometimes on Tranquility. It's fundamentally tied to some aspect that makes the two server environments different.

@webspaceships @phyridean @Blind_Hope Cryptic hint: Every single idea I've heard players suggest is far more complex than the real trigger.
— CCP Fozzie (@CCP_Fozzie) January 13, 2015

@webspaceships @phyridean @Blind_Hope Hint #2. Behind the scenes the trigger only uses mechanics that have always been common in PVE sites.
— CCP Fozzie (@CCP_Fozzie) January 13, 2015

Fozzie has provided another hint on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/2tonb1/children_of_light_a_cautionary_tale/co17tws