EVE to introduce player-owned bars

By Oli Welsh Published 7 November, 2008

Shopping and Drinking in Stations, more like.

CCP has revealed the kind of content players can expect from Walking in Stations, the expansion that will bring 3D player avatars and interiors to space MMO EVE Online. And it's not quite what you might expect.

Instead of crafting extensive content for the expansion itself, CCP will encourage players to fill empty space-station promenades with their own bars and shops.

You'll be able to buy blueprints for establishments, install them in empty "sockets", and then customise them with rules, products, hired NPCs and even custom dialogue.

Products and services you'll be able to sell include beer, tattoos, clothes and plastic surgery. The idea, senior producer Torfi Frans Olafsson explained, was to use a player-driven market economy to stimulate activity in social areas that would otherwise be empty.

"Although the invisible hand of economics doesn't work outside of EVE currently, I'm hoping it's going to be working inside of EVE," Olafsson said.

All players will also have a customisable "captain's quarters", a private space that they will default to as soon as they take direct command of a ship. Corporations will have offices with public recruitment areas and private meeting rooms.

Space stations will also host mini-games: a chess-like strategy boardgame with a hexagonal layout was shown, and CCP confirmed that players would be able to bet on games.

CCP is about to show Walking in Stations code running for the first time at its Fanfest convention in Reykjavik, Iceland. We're there, and will bring you full first-hand impressions as soon as we can.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (4) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • RedPanda #1 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • ZuluHero #2 3 years ago

    i thought EvE pilots were supposed to be all plugged into their ships and floating in a vat of jelly?

    Thats going to make it a bit tricky (and probably a bit slippy) getting in and out of your ship! :p

  • Kelduum #3 3 years ago

    The pods do come out of the ships, and there are these 'shower' inventions, which get rid of the goo stuff... :)

  • Vistrix #4 3 years ago

    Sounds awesome, been waiting a LONG time for this.

    Hopefully poker is playable!