The change in question is the upcoming test-server release of the new character generator, and in addition to a couple of nifty screenshots, the blog features a hypothetical question-and-answer session that details several aspects of the new system. For starters, Olafsson reiterates the fact that Incarna is coming in 2011, and these character changes are merely the first step. He also notes that the changes are not optional and that the player portraits are some of the last remaining original art assets from the game's launch in 2003. "The assets we are replacing are some of the oldest in the game. Most of our avatars were built in 2001-2003. That's a very long time ago. Nokia banana phones were still considered cool and futuristic," he writes.
Olafsson also notes that CCP is sympathetic to those veteran players who may balk at the changes to their traditional portaits. That said, progress waits for no avatar, and it's clear that this is merely the first salvo in an upcoming onslaught of improvements and additions to the universe of New Eden.
