EVE Online creators are not content with coming up with maybe the most cerebral MMO on the market; they plan on making it even more taxing on our poor little gaming brains. The developers working for CCP, which created and is now publishing the game, are interested in adding new players to the economic model of EVE.

 

So it seems from the interview that Arend Stuhrmann, a producer of the game, has recently given to specialist site MMORPG.com. The next expansion, which will be free to players, is due out in December and the world of EVE will gain in complexity. Stuhrmann says that "Our game design team is looking at all aspects of science, industry and research, making sure we can optimize wherever we can, making sure we make the management of industry and production easier and more comprehensible". There will be more ways for players to make money from creating blueprints and from manufacturing, while the research system will be made somewhat clearer.

 

The last expansion for EVE Online, dubbed Empyrean Age, was focused more on the in-game ongoing conflict between various factions. Based on ethnicity, the players can now join the war effort of their nation, taking out enemies and contributing to the struggle for contested sectors. Stuhrmann mentioned that upcoming patches will add more content for the nation versus nation struggle while also making some balance changes.

 

In addition to the new economics focused expansion CCP is also working on a standalone module for the game, which will likely debut in 2009, that is set to let players access and use in-game physical bodies to explore star stations and to interact with other players. More news on the future plans that the company has for EVE Online will be offered at the annual fan convention which will take place in November.