Previews

EVE Online: "War on the Impossible", Part 3: Ambulation

Editor's Note: This is part three in a week long look at EVE Online called "War on the Impossible". For more, check out Part One: Introduction, Part Two: Democracy and Part Four: Trinity.

In the last year, EVE Online's plan to bring player avatars into the game has undergone more than just a name change. Now known as Ambulation, the project is slated for a 2008 release and is part of CCP's strategy to grow their niche and reach out to a wider range of prospective players.

"I always feel like we're just scratching the surface," said the brains behind the project, Senior Technical Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson. Last year he unveiled the first hints of what is now a full blown expansion, but this year he presented a full, coherent game design of what people should expect once they get out of their pods and onto stations.

When CCP looked at their game, they realized an overwhelming percentage of their subscribers were male and many people of both genders just could not relate to a game where people primarily identified with a spaceship, rather than a living being. As they continue to try to grow their game, they felt the need to fix the problem, but also did not want to change what made EVE Online so popular.

By design, Ambulation will not change the way people play EVE. They've gone to great lengths to ensure they don't waste their time with graphical representation of functionality already in the game, but instead create new gameplay for those who do wish to get off their ship and see the sights.

The design for Ambulation, though, is completely unlike what other virtual worlds do. CCP has always been unique and while most games have followed a trend towards stylized visuals, EVE Online will go the exact opposite route. In Ambulation, players will not just find photo-realistic visuals, but even find the world's rules are designed with that aesthetic in mind. They intend to limit the color palettes on clothing, for example, so that people cannot "visually grief" others. And if you take the phrase "walking on stations" any way but literally, you're in for a surprise. One of the things they want to solve on stations is the virtual world tradition of running everywhere. Players will indeed walk on stations.

Since CCP does not intend to replicate existing gameplay on stations - that's right, players won't need to physically walk in the station to sell/trade their goods - what do they intend players to do? Not combat. While Olafsson did say he'd like the ability to slap some people around, they have no intention of hand to hand combat.

The reason for the absence of combat is the "teaspoon effect", which is a situation where some newbie could theoretically walk up to a powerful fleet commander in the cafeteria and pluck his eye out with a teaspoon. It's silly, but basically, they don't want high level players to fear getting off their ship for the threat of assassination. So, not only are they not replicating existing functionality, but they're also not allowing combat on stations.

What they do intend to create is a rich crafting, social and commerce game. Some examples of potential station-bound professions include: plastic surgery, tailoring and - in true CCP style - bars.

Plastic surgeon offices allow players particularly skilled in the manipulation of the game's character creation to alter the look of other players - for a fee of course. If a player decides they don't like their nose, go to a surgeon and have it fixed.

The same goes for tailors, who can earn new clothing plans and build clothes of their own color combinations for sale in their shops. Players get to walk in, look a the mannequin, try it on and then expand their wardrobe.

Bartenders can create food and drink establishments, complete with mini-games like poker tables (Olafsson isn't sure if they'll do poker or some mini-games of their own invention, but used it as an example) so players can hang out, socialize and have some fun. They even have mechanics for when players get drunk.

And all that drinking doesn't come without a price. Avatars in EVE Online will put on weight, just like the rest of us. For those who cannot stay off the space ale, expect some love handles. One video they showed saw a naked avatar rapidly expand and contract, complete with a fat walk, as they moved the slider back and forth. Something tells me plastic surgeons will have a lot of calls for liposuction.