The Daily Grind: How will Ambulation change EVE Online?

Going purely by the recent NY Comic Con video, EVE Online's upcoming expansion Ambulation will be an incredible addition to the game universe. Aside from the sheer fun to be had in designing your avatar, the socialization component has the potential to cause players to reevaluate their interactions with others, both friends and enemies.

There will likely be some über-hardcore, there-from-the-launch, "back in MY day" kinds of users who will feel that this ability to step outside of the ship is a dilution of what makes EVE great. There is also something to be said for the argument that this could possibly attract more people to try out EVE, by adding something familiar (a controllable human avatar), thus inflating the population to the point where things no longer feel the same -- sort of the "bridge and tunnel crowd" attitude. What are your thoughts? Are you for or against this new expansion? What do you think its effect on the game will be?