At New York Comic Con, Managing Editor Jon Wood caught up with CCP designer Matt Woodward to talk about the recently announced EVE expansion, "Empyrian Age".

Yesterday, MMORPG.com news Manager Keith Cross talked about EVE Online and their Ambulation project that will eventually see players  able to get out of their ships and interact as characters rather than as space ships. While that’s all fine and good, and will undoubtedly add a lot to the sandbox game, but we’ve heard about Ambulation before. Turns out that there’s a new kid on the block that we haven’t talked about yet and that’s exactly why I sat down with EVE designer Matthew Woodward at NY Comic Con.

When CCP launched their last expansion, Trinity, players were treated to all kinds of new stuff, not the least of which was a major graphical upgrade that saw the realism of EVE kicked up a few notches. This time, with the announcement of the follow-up expansion, Empyrian Age, the developers are adding to the story of the game and the depth of the universe by starting a great war between four empires.

Read it all here.

Ah, the ever-promised faction warfare.

If they pull it off, I might have to start playing again.

Can't wait! 

I just don't see this bringing a lot of people into the PvP game of Eve.  I think that the people who want to PvP already are and the people who don't want to PvP aren't.  This to me seems like it's just expanding the PvP for the PvPers and that's great, but as I said, I just don't see it bringing many non-PvPers into PvP.

It reminds me the concept which should be in Warhammer Online - pick a faction, do missions and PVP for it, die for it . The others will do it on the opposite side, flags changing everywhere constantly.

Looking forward to it. All for Amarr!

You called the next expansion both "Empryian" and "Empyrian".

However, the correct name is "The Empyrean Age".

Copy-paste, anyone?

Hey, the long awaited Factional Warfare!

When this and "ambulation" goes live EVE Online will not only be an entirely more advanecd game but will likely canabalize a large portion of the player base from games like SWG and EQ2.  Can't wait! 

I've been looking forward to Factional Warfare for years, it's the only expansion which matters to me. Empryian Age, what a great name for an expansion.

Originally posted by mindspat

Hey, the long awaited Factional Warfare!

When this and "ambulation" goes live EVE Online will not only be an entirely more advanecd game but will likely canabalize a large portion of the player base from games like SWG and EQ2.  Can't wait! 

Very doubtful.  Sure SWG has a "space" interaction facet, but EVE plays nothing like it.  I fail to see how a point and click, space based, player driven economy, pvp biased game such as EVE has any comparison to EQ2 either.

Reading the reports about "Ambulation" I get the impression that social interaction will be limited to chat channels and a handful of emotes.  No "ambulation" combat.  No handguns.  No light sabers.  Nothing to do but chat. So I get the impression it will be nothing more than a 3D chat channel.

Eve is still dominated by pvp, and rightly so.  That is its roots.  I'm not for one second suggesting that they change that.  However, shoe-horning in factional warfare won't actively attract pve players into lower sec space in the game. 

On the contrary, it may in fact, help to drive pve based players away from the game if factional warfare spills into "high sec" space.  Now.....if you're wanting an alternative to SWG's space combat...........people are starting to look at Jumpgate Evolution......but that's a different story entirely.

I'm not really a PvP lover, but this certainly has my attention.  I'm wondering if, rather than selecting any faction you can be against all factions... a baseless pirate of sorts...  That might be intriguing as well.

Ofcourse that would require that players be able to build their own stations, and I don't think they are ready for that... or perhaps just implementing a nuetral faction that services any faction.

Originally posted by sythrael

I'm not really a PvP lover, but this certainly has my attention.  I'm wondering if, rather than selecting any faction you can be against all factions... a baseless pirate of sorts...  That might be intriguing as well.

Ofcourse that would require that players be able to build their own stations, and I don't think they are ready for that... or perhaps just implementing a nuetral faction that services any faction.

Players already build their own stations and full size outposts.

As for neutral or Pirate factions. I am sure this will be a part of it as these factions already exist. There are plenty that are not part of the Empires.

Cheers CCP! Keep up the good work!

From what i understand at first when it comes out Ambulation will mainly be a 3D social forum set in various different types of detailed space station interiors. It will however have other stuff to start with like the ability to rent shop space on the shopping promenades where you can add furniture and arrange it how you want to make your store look good for selling your products. There are also going to be abilities fro you to make a casino or bar and club instead of just a shop.

You can even set up a standard bar setup with some under the counter black market goods. Also there will be shops designed to change your clothing and even plastic surgery shops which can change your look [for a price]. Also most importantly over time the player base like with EvE itself can come forward with ideas to add to the Ambulation system, Speaking of which right now is floating the idea of some kind of arena system which you can put onto your shop floor based on the Cash sports system [its a bit of EvE fluff and holds lots of ways of spending cash and involves 2 virtual Mechs with interchangeable parts].

so, the mission runners, mostly composed of folks which run these pve missions because they DON'T want to pvp... 

yes, there's no way in hell this is going to implode upon impact.

Originally posted by sythrael

I'm not really a PvP lover, but this certainly has my attention.  I'm wondering if, rather than selecting any faction you can be against all factions... a baseless pirate of sorts...  That might be intriguing as well.

Ofcourse that would require that players be able to build their own stations, and I don't think they are ready for that... or perhaps just implementing a nuetral faction that services any faction.

Players have been building their own stations for I think close to 2 years now.  Since Revelations, they've been able to claim "sovereignty" over whole systems and I believe constellations even. 

I'm guessing that corporations that don't affiliate themselves with any one faction will be neither liked nor hated by any faction.  I don't think you'd have missions for that kind of gameplay though.  Unless the pirate groups already in the game (guristas, etc.) are going to be giving out missions.

To damian: It's a very small step to go from missions that reward you for killing npc ships to missions that reward you for killing pc ships.

I already plan on renewing my account for these PvP missions, because I'm a mission runner, and it's not that I don't "want" to PvP, I would just rather follow a pseudo storyline and reap rewards from a agent/faction for doing it.

I think the added pvp missions will be a huge hit, and will give non-pvpers a reason to pvp other than for the rush of it, or for the gain of an alliance.  It makes PvPing viable for the slightly more casual person.

Perhaps it is time I reactivate my Eve account.

Originally posted by TookyG

I just don't see this bringing a lot of people into the PvP game of Eve.  I think that the people who want to PvP already are and the people who don't want to PvP aren't.  This to me seems like it's just expanding the PvP for the PvPers and that's great, but as I said, I just don't see it bringing many non-PvPers into PvP.

Speaking as a missionrunner i must say it has well the potential to bring me into pvp.

Was doing pvp quite a while ago for 2 months, but from my point of view it had no purpose, so i gave it up. Grab 20 guys and go roaming for few hours till you find find an enemy gang that is willing to engage and not dock. And when you finally met one, your coward FC tells to warp to a savespot and avoid combat, since they have few ships more. Or you wait 2 hours at a gate to "protect" the entrance to your ally's space, 2 hours nothing happens. Then there are reports that a fleet 3 times larger that the gatecamp is coming in and again FC decides to give up the camp. Or you finally catch a smaller gang and kill them, but can't feel realy good about it, as it wasn't a fair fight / their intel sucked up.  Maybe it's just me but i need some sort of motivation to kill someone, don't like kill people randomly like a pirate.

And this is what factional warfare might provide, a solid background story, a motivation to do pvp to protect your empire (and not some dumb decisions of your alliance ceo). You don't have to give up your freedom, making your ceo planning your eve time, it's more for the casual player i guess, unlike alliance warfare.

I stockpiled billions for this event, it was announced years ago and was delayed many   times so i don't know if it won't be delayed again, but if it will come this year and will be about that what i think it will be, i (as a missionrunner who didn't do that much pvp yet) will for sure participate and throw hundreds of battelships into it .

Let me see if I understand this clearly.

In an earlier article it was reported that 80% are PVE and 20% are PVP. So CCP is putting out a PVP expansion?

Are the folks at CCP taking advice from the Star Wars Galaxies team?

Where is the expansion for the PVE people? The 80% of your subscriber base?

It is not difficult to join in the PVP experience. It can be fun.

I agree with an earlier poster: the guard duty thing stinks.

If CCP wants to work on an expansion, how about expanding the graphics for the crafter?

The spaceship builder gets to watch a timer count down as the ship is made? A lot of room for improvement.

The miner watches the cargo bay fill up? A lot of room for improvement. 

A researcher looks at the same count down. Things to improve. Just my opinion of course.

Originally posted by Wagrof

 

 

 

Speaking as a missionrunner i must say it has well the potential to bring me into pvp.

Was doing pvp quite a while ago for 2 months, but from my point of view it had no purpose, so i gave it up. Grab 20 guys and go roaming for few hours till you find find an enemy gang that is willing to engage and not dock. And when you finally met one, your coward FC tells to warp to a savespot and avoid combat, since they have few ships more. Or you wait 2 hours at a gate to "protect" the entrance to your ally's space, 2 hours nothing happens. Then there are reports that a fleet 3 times larger that the gatecamp is coming in and again FC decides to give up the camp. Or you finally catch a smaller gang and kill them, but can't feel realy good about it, as it wasn't a fair fight / their intel sucked up.  Maybe it's just me but i need some sort of motivation to kill someone, don't like kill people randomly like a pirate.

And this is what factional warfare might provide, a solid background story, a motivation to do pvp to protect your empire (and not some dumb decisions of your alliance ceo). You don't have to give up your freedom, making your ceo planning your eve time, it's more for the casual player i guess, unlike alliance warfare.

I stockpiled billions for this event, it was announced years ago and was delayed many   times so i don't know if it won't be delayed again, but if it will come this year and will be about that what i think it will be, i (as a missionrunner who didn't do that much pvp yet) will for sure participate and throw hundreds of battelships into it .

Eve's PVP is a sad parody of a real "war".