Ambulation -- some Metagaming thoughts for the EvE Blog Banter

Ambulation -- walking about on/in a station.

Three thoughts:
1. I'm looking forward to seeing myself, and to being able to be seen, especially if we can buy outfits. I already have an idea of the four I want: a Jet O'Conor ship suit (one or two piece comfortable thing for on-board), a set of tough overalls, for going to buy Stuff, and for repairing the ship when I don't think the station crew will do it well enough (or for bolting on slightly illegal gear, like the Rogue Ponie Scanner), a smart business suit for going to see agents, and a party outfit. Really, I have no preconceptions as to what I'd like to do -- that will depend on what the programming allows. Looking out at deep space (or at stellar phenomena) would be nice. So would a bar/restaurant, and a holo-cinema, to watch Star Trek #149 (the one with the ambiguous scene involving the Ferengi harem and the pangolin).

2. PvPers won't like it. Unless there's combat involved. In which case the carebears will never use it. Which means that, sooner or later, there's going to be combat -- probably planetside. It makes sense -- you spend hours learning to fly a spaceship (or several), you become very good at it, so good you can shoot down enemy battleships, so next thing you want to do is go ground-side and take on someone whose entire back-life has been playing 1-on-1 shooters. I'll pass on that bit, thank you.

3. It'll be optional. They're hardly going to disassemble all the market they've spent years (and an economist) building up. We'll still be able to buy and sell and use station services, but now we'll be able to do some of it avatar-to-avatar if we want. Which, in counterpoint, will mean that those people who didn't really want to fly spaceships, but did want to do research or build things, or {so forth} can spend most of their time in-station, in ambulation mode, interacting, and will only need to go out to fly to another station (which in high-sec isn't that bad a grind), or to spend a while mining, or fetching stuff, or going to see specific agents. So, we could well see a rise in overall population, as well as some of those jaded by being blown away (yes, I'm looking at you, Mal Garamite) deciding to come back and try the New Experience.

And there are all sorts of other possibilities :: one forum thread talked about three-D strategy sessions for gangs and alliances, to plan engagements in detail. If it happens, more power to their elbows.
And to what extent will the stations fit their billing ? Will we see beautiful Promenades, with scintillating light shows outside the casinos ? Will we actually *see* the workshops where NPCs glue our ships back together (or in the case of mine, add 3/4 of a mile of new baling wire) ? What will waking up in a clone mean ?

Three things are certain :: it's coming (CCP are being paid to develop the tech for another game, and Eve will act as the test-bed), it won't (we are assured) cause lag (now, where have I heard that before ?), and someone somewhere will find a way to exploit it.

Looking forward,
Jenni C