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EVE Evolved: Looking forward to the winter expansion
Since EVE Online's release in 2003, CCP Games has been the center of one of the most interesting success stories in the games industry. Produced by a tiny indie development studio on a frozen volcanic rock, EVE was the perfect example of how to do things right. The game's publishing deal with Simon & Schuster allowed CCP to buy back the rights to the game several months after its initial release. With no publisher taking a cut of the profits, CCP ploughed subscriptions back into the game's development and grew the development team organically. As a one-game company, CCP worked closely with players to make EVE the best game possible for its loyal playerbase. In a recent letter to the players, CCP CEO Hilmar laments that somewhere along the line, things changed for the worse. The CCP of today bears little resemblance to the "little indie studio that could" of 2003, not just housing over 600 employees in offices around the world but also developing upcoming MMOs DUST 514 and World of Darkness. Resources are spread thin, and EVE Online has suffered for it. Last month I looked back at the blockbuster Apocrypha expansion and asked why every expansion since then has cut down on the in-space development players want. Hilmar's letter and its accompanying devblog answered that question this week with a solid plan for iteration on flying in space features during the winter development period. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look forward to the winter expansion and explain why each of the issues being tackled in the coming expansion is a big deal to players.
EVE dev blog talks Incarna 1.1, additional captain's quarters
So what's the story with the next iteration of EVE Online's Incarna expansion? The newest CCP dev blog has your answer, and that answer is basically "more captain's quarters." You may recall that EVE's ambulatory makeover launched earlier this summer to a chorus of boohoos from the game's gangster elite, but CCP is nonetheless pressing on with its nefarious agenda to make New Eden into more of a sandbox. CCP Fallout says that the devs are continuing to "improve the Minmatar CQ while pushing forward with the development of the remaining racial quarters, as well as working apace on establishments." Incarna 1.1 will show the fruits of these labors in terms of the existing avatar environment, while the remaining quarters and establishments should make their way to the Tranquility test server "later this year."
'Will the door open?': CCP opens up about the future of EVE's avatars
Tactical Gamers has a lot of nice things to say about EVE Online's latest expansion, Incarna, but more than just fawning over the truly revolutionary ability to make avatars who walk around in a room, the site roped in two of the game's leads, CCP Soundwave and CCP Flying Scotsman, to jaw about the latest and greatest in the game. The first, and probably biggest, question for the devs was, "Will the captain's quarters doors ever open to allow avatars to interact with other players?" The devs confirmed that, yes, such a day is coming and will take place over a series of phases. The first stage is to include what CCP is calling "Establishments" in which players can mingle and take part in "various activities." Interestingly enough, the topic of emotes is a divisive subject among the CCP staff, with some arguing for their inclusion and others fearful that emotes will turn EVE into World of Warcraft, what with the dancing Elves on mailboxes and all. Emotes will be eventually added, but they will have "meaning" behind them. For more on Incarna, super-capitals and the future of the game, give this interview a listen!
