New details surface about EVE's 'Walking in Stations' expansion

Ambulation, or 'Walking in Stations' as it now seems to be known, is a hotly anticipated feature coming to EVE Online. It represents the first effort by CCP Games to add a more interactive dimension to the game, where players will finally be able to step out of their ships to socialize, play games, and ... modify one another's bodies? Apparently so.

While some information about Walking in Stations is already known, EVE Stratics recently turned up more details. Trish "Seridove" Bennon and Michael "Solace" Lutes recently got some face time at PAX 2008 with CCP Games devs Jeremy Albert (Associate Producer) and Noah Ward (Lead Game Designer, aka CCP Hammerhead) who talked about aspects of the expansion.

Players will receive their own captain's quarters where they can customize their space. Promenades will exist where players can socialize and conduct business through shops and offices, while earning isk. Players who opt to have their own establishments in stations will have NPC employees, whose interactions with other players are customizable through conversation trees that the employer can create, Ward told EVE Stratics. Indeed, this level of customization could pave the way for player-created mission content in the future, the EVE Stratics piece hints.

Body modifications, either as tattoos or as plastic surgery, will be other options available to players through the Walking in Stations expansion. On the topic of looks, avatars will be able to be set to a mood, which alters facial expressions and even body language to match. From these additional details, it's clear that customization is a major aspect of Walking in Stations for players, as well as a design impetus for CCP Games. The first public preview of Walking in Stations is still slated for EVE Fanfest 2008, this November in Reykjavik, Iceland.