EVE Online - A Space Game Incarnate
Company: CCP Games Product: EVE Online: Incarna
Incarnate - adj \in-ˈkär-nət, -ˌnât\ a : invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b : made manifest or comprehensible : embodied c : finally getting a physical body in EVE Online... - with apologies to Merriam-Webster Today is the launch day of the new Incarna 1.0 version of EVE Online. While, previously, you had only a 2D picture of your character (or a 2D snapshot of a 3D model, more recently), with Incarna, EVE Online will be getting a richer experience in space stations, with the introduction of the Captain's Quarters.
The Captain's Quarters serves as a 3D interactive environment that puts your needed data at your fingertips, from hologram communication with agents, to a computer interface for placing orders on the market, to a much more grand view of your ship - one that helps give a better sense of size.
I'm excited to see this step towards making a more immersive environment for the game, personally, but many players are concerned that the new Captain's Quarters will introduce lag. CCP developer are aware of this concern and have declared a "War on Lag" to ensure that the new embodied experience doesn't cause undue lag in the game. When I, personally, first tried it out, my system tanked. Hard. However, I had pretty much maxed out the settings when I made my 3D character, with fabric movement simulation and high detail. After a brief visit to the Settings screen, where I trimmed a couple of things back - including a new Interior Detail setting (bottom right), things were much better... well, at least after the initial load.
The new environmental U.I. centers around a futuristic command room that I would love as a home theater, with big screens up on the wall, a small one on the table in front of you and a holographic representation of your ship. Oh, and that small sceen on the left side of the, um... "coffee" table gives you access to the new Agent Finder tool. This tool allows you to quickly search for an agent with missions of your liking at the right risk/reward level. That should help out quite a bit. It's out there now, though, so check it out yourself. If you play EVE Online, you'll encounter it next time you dock at a station. If you've never played EVE Online, but you'd like to check it out, why not try out the 14-day trial, below?
-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins
Related Links: Official Website of EVE Online: Incarna EVE Online 14 Day Trial Definition of incarnate on Merriam-Webster.com
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