But what about Incarna? Many players were interested in walking in stations, and CCP hasn’t entirely abandoned the idea. At a panel, CCP discussed the possible inclusion of derelict vessels and space stations that would be scattered throughout the EVE universe. This would bring the avatar gameplay that was introduced in Incarna into a more prominent role, but they didn’t have anything to show at this time. There were some really interesting gameplay possibilities discussed -- consider boarding one of these abandoned ships, only to have another player come along and weld the door shut behind you. In any other game, this would be considered unfair. But EVE is different. We heard plenty of stories of players tricking or scamming each other but according to CCP, unless someone violates the EULA, it’s all fair-play.

This is what makes EVE Online different, and Fanfest so great. The single-server, shared universe means that everyone you run into is a potential friend or foe in the game, making this player gathering a unique opportunity to meet the person behind the ship they’ve known for so long, and swap war stories with erstwhile foes. And it was great to see CCP interact with their fans and customers, and take feedback based on the conversations and discussion panels during the show. With the launch of Dust 514 and the continued growth of EVE Online, I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2012 has in store for the game, and the community.