Yesterday CCP has announced the first Incarna feature, which will make its way into the game this summer. It will be available for testing even sooner on the Singularity test server (CCP claims it should be possible to test this before Fanfest, I will definitely give it a shot).
What is it going to look like?
The first Incarna installment will bring Captains Quarters – your very own place on the station. It is supposed not only to be there as a decoration – it is going to be a part of immersive 3D interface to the game, things like fitting ships or planetary interaction will be possible straight from your CQ. It is also going to bring some immersion to things like injecting new skillbooks etc. Another news is about Aura, whose voice was removed in one of the latest expansions. She will make a full recovery.
Another big change is the dock environment – it will be changed into a balcony, where your character can look at your ship. This reminds me of the game Freelancer, which had this kind of station environments back in 2003.
All images are property of CCP hf. and are used only for illustrative purposes.
CCP has also released this trailer on Fanfest in 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yCcRMNT-WI&NR=1
Sadly,
you will not be able to interact with other pilots just yet; Captains Quarters are supposed to be a private, single player environment. But Incarna does not end here; CQ is merely the first milestone on its way.
But, to cheer you up
I’ve mashed up a quick and dirty wallpaper for the upcoming Incarna expansion:
