14 DAY TRIAL // CCP, the developer and publisher of EVE Online, has just revealed all the features that would be introduced in the upcoming expansion of the game, called Apocrypha. This is the tenth free expansion for EVE Online and it will introduce sweeping changes to the space in which the game is played.
The biggest additions are 2,400 solar systems that lie just past instable wormholes. The game introduces a new set of scanning capabilities in order to see those wormholes, and players can use them to access and develop new space. They need to be aware of a fresh NPC race that exists in these systems: the Sleepers. They are deadly in their tactics and are jealously guarding a set of sites where huge technology upgrades can be uncovered.
Apocrypha will introduce Tech 3 strategic cruisers, which are modular in design and allow players to customize almost all the aspects of their ship once they get their hands on one. There's a new and improved interface to manage a ship and CCP is also aiming to make the overall experience of the game much better, creating a New Player Experience from scratch and re-designing the way that skills are queued. The graphics and the audio engines are getting an overhaul as well.
Players will get to experience the fresh Epic Mission Arcs, which are big mission sequences that will introduce pilots willing to undertake them to a variety of areas within New Eden, while also offering them a chance to learn new tactics and strategies for EVE Online.
Torfi Frans Olafsson, who is a senior producer on EVE Online, commented on Apocrypha that “Just like the human body is said to regenerate itself every seven years, EVE Online continues to grow and evolve in its sixth year of operation, with systems being added, refined, refactored and polished with every expansion we make. As the player base continually grows, we are able to increase the development team and bring in more engineers, designers and artists for each expansion. This allows us to deliver such a broad range of features catering to a variety of playstyles in a volume that we can be proud of.”