MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller recently spoke with EVE Online Senior Producer Torfi Olafsson about all things CCP including the new EVE expansion, Ambulation and Dust 514.

MMORPG.com:

Tell us about the Dominion Expansion.

Torfi Olafsson:

Our next expansion for EVE Online which will be our twelfth free expansion to our subscribers is called Dominion and it is coming out this winter and we're pretty excited about it. It is already on our test server Singularity. In Dominion our focus was providing tools and mechanisms for stories to emerge themselves. What that means is? As you are familiar with EVE is a sandbox heavy game. Our most cherished feature is the fact that our most interesting story is; our most compelling interactions come from alliances and players interacting with each other. So years ago we built a sovereignty system which allowed you to lay claim to solar systems, constellations, and regions. This system has been used a lot and has been the setting for many exciting battles and adventures in the game, but it was sorely needed an iteration. We knew and our players knew that it could be better, more cerebral, and more tactical. It needed a good polish. So we put our best people on collecting ideas and feedback from our community and our Council of Stellar Management and mixing those with ideas that had been brewing within the company for years. This manifested into a system that we feel is a highly engaging and an interesting system for claiming sovereignty, owning it, maintaining it, developing them and building infrastructure.

Read the Senior Producer Interview

Personally, I liked the initial comments on the changes where a constant presence in the system and continued building there determined sov rather than what I am hearing now.   Will have to wait on further details are announced, but I don't think what CCP is proposing is going to change much.

Ambulation will be offline?

Originally posted by Omrie

Ambulation will be offline?

offline in the fact that your character won't be jacked into the net.  Equivalent to meeting in a bar to discuss hiring to kill somebody over discussing it on the community activity board. As a player you will be logged on, but your character is trying to do things a bit more off the record.

that said I can't wait till fanfest!!!!!!!!

 Wished I was going to fanfest but looks like next year according to the misses for me. This interview interests me in that I dont think CCP sees things like most companies. Most companies plan out this timeline for their games and when they may or may not end. When I see interviews with CCP its almost like they dont see a end to EVE and just keep trying to innovate for it and improve it as they go. Amazing really considering where it was even 3 yrs ago.

If the developers of EVE accomplish having both podders and dusters in the same universe and able to interact with each other (ie bar fight) then they have done something nobody else has.  If they treat them as 100% seperate games, with only "words" saying its the same universe, they fail hard.

I've been dreading walking in stations ever since I heard about it. My fear is that CCP will slap some Second Life clone onto EVE and that will become a bigger focus of the game. Although, I must say, I usually stare at my ship floating in a POS/station while doing my corp work in-game. It might be nice to sit at an office or something now.

Originally posted by -Zeno-

If the developers of EVE accomplish having both podders and dusters in the same universe and able to interact with each other (ie bar fight) then they have done something nobody else has.  If they treat them as 100% seperate games, with only "words" saying its the same universe, they fail hard.

Eve Pilots are like demigods I wouldn't be caught dead with a lower life form like a Dust Merc.

The fact that I will even consider letting you fight for me on some little planet should be enough for you.

"Bar Fights" freaking mortals. Just be happy we let you live... well until we figure out how to Doomsday a planet :)

I'm disappointed information was so light on the abulation system. Is there going to be missions using the system? What kind of stuff are we looking at? What does it mean that it's going to be even deeper?

Ambulation (station walk) is still in its early stages, its still a concept with little effort invested on it. As it seems and was said in the interview, CCP is working on the "day 1" features of the game improving them with each expansion, dont expect ambulation to come out anytime soon.

I'm very interested to see the newest elements Eve will be building. They are truly pioneers in psychological gaming. Can't wait to see this new stuff.

Originally posted by andredoc

Ambulation (station walk) is still in its early stages, its still a concept with little effort invested on it. As it seems and was said in the interview, CCP is working on the "day 1" features of the game improving them with each expansion, dont expect ambulation to come out anytime soon.

Its far more along then that. Its at the We have the programming, You can get out and walk around... Now why are you here again? They are just giving reasons to get off the ship and use Incarna more then just a pure social aspect.

Eve is going to be on consoles now, did I get that right?

Originally posted by Scot

Eve is going to be on consoles now, did I get that right?

No. Dust-514 is a upcoming FPS that is set in the EVE universe. THAT is coming out for the consoles.

I am infuriated that their lack on confirmation or denial of weather dust will be on pc and console or just console only.

I will be even more infuriated (to the point of somehow tanking and winning concord in the middle of jita) if dust aint on PC.

I have cancelled my eve subscription, after the next 2 months or so im off till dust comes to PC.

Originally posted by Silver_Leaf

I have cancelled my eve subscription, after the next 2 months or so im off till dust comes to PC.

Can I have your stuff till you come back? :D

Originally posted by KevinKenobi

Originally posted by Scot

Eve is going to be on consoles now, did I get that right?

 

No. Dust-514 is a upcoming FPS that is set in the EVE universe. THAT is coming out for the consoles.

Did they confirm whether the actions done in Dust-514 will have any effect on the current EVE universe? I thought that the games were supposed to be intertwined someway. The thought makes me excited as it will create a whole new set of politics in the EVE game world: the ability to own and control planets on the ground, not just the space.

Originally posted by xanphia

Originally posted by KevinKenobi

Originally posted by Scot

Eve is going to be on consoles now, did I get that right?

 

No. Dust-514 is a upcoming FPS that is set in the EVE universe. THAT is coming out for the consoles.

 

Did they confirm whether the actions done in Dust-514 will have any effect on the current EVE universe? I thought that the games were supposed to be intertwined someway. The thought makes me excited as it will create a whole new set of politics in the EVE game world: the ability to own and control planets on the ground, not just the space.

They've hinted that it will, but nothing specific yet. A friend of mine was at PAX and met the CCP devs and they refused to answer any questions about Dust until the EVE Fanfest with starts tomorrow, so we should learn more about it then. Like I said in my piece about the sov changes, I think it will tie in 0.0 space, considering all the other changes CCP has made/announced to null sec recently (sov mechanics, capital ship nerf/boosts)

Edit: *points to below post*

Originally posted by xanphia

Originally posted by KevinKenobi

Originally posted by Scot

Eve is going to be on consoles now, did I get that right?

 

No. Dust-514 is a upcoming FPS that is set in the EVE universe. THAT is coming out for the consoles.

 

Did they confirm whether the actions done in Dust-514 will have any effect on the current EVE universe? I thought that the games were supposed to be intertwined someway. The thought makes me excited as it will create a whole new set of politics in the EVE game world: the ability to own and control planets on the ground, not just the space.

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/14/view/news/page/1/read/14742/EVE-Online-CrossPlatform-Play-in-DUST-514.html

CCP has been long on promises and short on delivery. While I enjoyed my time in EVE, I was disappointed in the the "promises" made by CCP and the "delays" in bringing things to life. To those that are still there, stay. It was, and still is, not for me.

Originally posted by Gruug

CCP has been long on promises and short on delivery. While I enjoyed my time in EVE, I was disappointed in the the "promises" made by CCP and the "delays" in bringing things to life. To those that are still there, stay. It was, and still is, not for me.

What promises?

I know Ambulation was never given an official release date so what else are you talking about?

That Atmospheric flight demo? that wasn't given a release date either?

Seriously you guys see a tech demo and then imagine a date in your heads and get pissed when CCP doesn't release on this imaginary day.

I think what they are saying is that WIS will offer a certain level of privacy to it’s players and open the doors to the blackmarket. There is already a blackmarket on EVE and with WIS, you’ll have that “off the record” feel roaming around the stations.

Sounds brilliant!

Also, CCP has never made any promised dates on Ambulation or other features. People imagine things...

Hell I think that in comparison to other developers, like SOE NCSoft and Funcom that CCP is better at keeping the hype machine down a notch, they and Turbine are probably my favorite developers as far as PR goes.

What I love about EVE is that it is what you make of it.  

I don't know, sounds like CCP is actually backing away from WIS. Did they not hype the sh*t out of it last year? Maybe I missed it but I didn't find anything in this years brochure, no panels no nothing. Interesting they also gave this interview before FanFest, every media interview I have seen asks about Ambulation's status, maybe they are preparing us for the eventual project cancellation. I hope I am wrong.

Now, I know NO release date was ever given but don't give me this BS that people are imagining dates in their heads. This has been, until this interview, a project THEY have hyped to both the fans and media outlets for years. It isn't about dates, it's about over marketing something you don't have, sending into a black hole for a while then emerging out the other end with squat. It's about credibility, their ability to give us a glimpse at the future and deliver on it in some form or another and not sweep it under the carpet and hope it will go away and move on to the next shiny.

I guess we will just need to wait for FanFest's conclusion, hopefully we will get some additional insight into this project.

YEah im waiting till fanfest is over then decide if I want to quit or not...