As you may or may not know EVE Online has been running a Direct X 7.0 engine. However, EVE Online's fan base and has been steadily growing larger and larger. CCP Games, the company behind EVE, has decided that its about time to freshen things up a bit. CCP Games will be releasing a monsterous completely free expansion that will take the graphics engine from DX7 up to DX9 with DX10 support (the face-lift) as well as add a rather large amount of new content (the boob job). This is just was the EVE crowd has been waiting for. This massive update will release sometime in November of 2007, sorry I couldn't be more precise.

The content update will include:

- Heat damage attenuation and repair while in space
- Better drone management capabilities
- Mid-flight bomb deployment capabilities along forward trajectories
- Attribute Reassignment Modifier (ARM) scripts to modify bonus attributes of sensor - boosters, dampeners and tracking modules
- Eased transition from rookie to elite pilot with revamped New Player Experience
- Fleet integration and enhanced management of fleet operations with EVE Voice
- Hundreds of new kill missions and a re-introduction of mining missions
- Multi-frequency probe for more versatile exploration
- Faction loyalty points store items
- Black Ops battleships – For undetectable infiltration and covert operations in hostile territory
- Marauder battleships – Optimized for massive damage output to spearhead assaults in enemy territory
- Suppressor Heavy Interdictor cruisers – A more lethal interdictor whose warp-jamming suppression sphere moves with the ship
- Specter Electronic Attack ships – For quick propulsion lockdown and sensor suppression of enemy ships

In addition to that, CCP announced that they are releasing a new game-play system that is reactive to the players actions and Factional Warfare. One of the most talked about additions for this expansion is the "out of ship" content. For the first time players will be able to leave their docked ships and roam the fun filled corridors and streets of each space station. Players will be able to go into shop and bars and do whatever they like. Some words have been thrown around on the topic of mini-games within the stations, I haven't heard anything official but what I've heard is talk of darts and pool and drinking in the bars. Players will also be able to carry out new missions that specifically involve leaving your ship to assassinate someone, deliver a item, or just start a rumble in the streets. Below are some pics of the new graphics for the ships and links to a few Official Dev Blogs from Eve Online.



Here are links to dev blogs; Devblog 1 Dev Blog 2
Here is a very nice Audio Dev Blog Audio Dev Blog
here is a link to an album of pictures of the new graphics Album
Thanks to Crazykinux for the photos.