Starlit City

I not-so-regretfully return to the world of New Eden for this posting. I allowed my account to lapse on Pirates of the Burning Sea, and as such do not have access to the game world.

Cities in New Eden are mostly unseen by the Pod Pilots. Cities are too rustic, unfit for men and women of their position. There are cultural centers, social centers, and economic centers visible in EVE, but not always centered in the same place.

Social and cultural interaction usually takes place via the chat channels. Without a concrete location for players to idle in game other than a space station (which restricts you to the hangar), the primary communication tools find themselves filling in the gaps caused by being de-centralized.

As far as other needs are concerned, the space station is the closest you can get to a city within EVE. Certain stations (Such as the JITA 4-4 station of The Citadel Region) are more popular than others, but they all fill the same needs. They provide a point of trade, housing the markets and escrow items. They repair vessels, allow pilots to rearm and refit their ships, and facilitates trading.

Only part of the system can function without other players. Vehicle repairs and fitting services function just as well with or without other players. Agents can be spoken to (NPCs), and missions accepted and completed. However, trade, contracts, corporation offices and market interactions all require another player.

The station is very much an obvious illusion. UI elements display the functionality of the station, not physical travel and interaction. Simple menu navigation and UI manipulation accomplishes all possible tasks. However, there is work being done to allow the avatars to move about the station.

Currently, the internal views of the station shows illusionary activity. News tickers and advertisements for in-world, but inaccessible services flash by. Observation lights pan around, and vehicles even move about on these interiors.

All in all, cities are largely simulated in stations, but are actually represented by the tools present in the communications within Alliances, and the economic hubs of regions.