Tackling nature in space has been a challenging but very exciting element we wanted to bring to EVE Vanguard and New Eden.
Here you can see the design evolution and early stages of what we know today as ‘Solstice’.
Despite these being early concepts, you can see the direction of vegetation and rock formations and how the team has had fun exploring how natural resources can come to life in a Sci-Fi setting.
Since EVE Vanguard has always been a community driven game. We want to hear your thoughts and ideas of what YOU would like to see on the surface of new maps.
3 Likes
Alright. From the top of my head some ideas for cool maps:
I’d like to see an Urban environment, a former Caldari outpost, that got taken over by outlaws. Their organic, chaotic growth of buildings, stalls, casinos, hangars, bars, clubs, and other places cover the structured buildings of the former owners. Naturally, this map would have multiple vertical layers to explore.
I’d like a settlement that was focused on agriculture beside a river but was given up and is now partially taken over by the dunes of a desert. Maybe even sandstorms that change the map over time.
I’d enjoy a mine. Glowing ore veins and industrial machinery, illegal dumping grounds for toxic waste, elevators, stairs, and maybe even dangerous gaps in the floor from seismic activity. And while you are at it, why not add a lava lake and some shiny crystals for cool ambient lighting?
I like to have a map that’s part lush jungle, part high-tech drone hive where rogue drones roam the perimeter. Potential for amazing “horror vibes” inside the drone hive and moody fogs in the jungle.
I could also nicely imagine maps off-planet:
On a carrier in the middle of a space battle, a part of a citadel, an industrial complex, a mining facility in space - imagine you could turn off the artificial gravity at will… and of course: The good old Gallentean pleasure hub. 
3 Likes
The idea of the Caldari outpost turned into a pirate compound is interesting. Especially if CCP uses the design from the former dust maps.
IMO, what I really want to have happen is for CCP to introduce a sim city builder that’s tied to PI, which will give us dynamic Vanguard maps that are tied to static locations. Those locations could serve as community hubs (explorable city) when not in a combat state, and an interesting battle ground when in a combat state. The cities would also play host to a plethora of locations for instanced pve.
Of course, this sim city builder doesn’t have to be just tied to planets, it could also be present on moons, asteroids, and even stations.
Also, great work as always to the art team. You guys always do great work.
Another map design I think would be really good, would be a ground (or in station) based ship yard / dock / spaceport. This will give the dev team an excuse to develop interior assets for various ships for this map, which can be reused later if CCP wants to do ship boarding actions in space.
I’d start with corvettes, frigates, and destroyers (which are both still pretty large,) and work your way up to larger ships if it’s something the team wants to tackle.
This would also allow the team to develop and give the vanguard player a free corvette (just like what is done for EVE players,) which they could fly around within New Eden.
