Dust 514

[Kinsari]

Surprised no one's posted this yet...

Video on this page (http://www.golem.de/0908/69136.html)

Cologne, GERMANY, Game Developers Conference Europe – August 18, 2009 – CCP today revealed DUST 514™, a console-based hybrid MMO/FPS set within the EVE universe. The announcement, which included a video featuring gameplay footage, was made during a keynote address by CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson at the Game Developers Conference in Cologne, Germany.

DUST 514, featuring first-person shooter and RTS-style gameplay, will interact directly with EVE Online, CCP’s critically acclaimed flagship MMO. This interplay between the two games opens the EVE universe to console gamers and gives them a chance to become part of one of the most massive cooperative play and social experiences ever.

“We launched EVE Online in 2003 and have experienced steady annual growth– a fact we appreciate as a rarity in the world of MMOs, especially given the global economy of the past year,” said Petursson. “Our success with EVE Online has afforded us the highest caliber global design and production talent in gaming. With a team of the best minds in the industry, we conceived an ambitious new take on virtual world development with DUST 514.”

The primary gameplay of DUST 514 features brutal ground combat that takes place on the surface of planets from EVE, delivering the visceral, adrenaline-fueled experience of futuristic firefights. Developed for the current generation of consoles, DUST 514 combines equal parts battlefield reflexes and strategic planning, giving commanders and ground infantry real-time configurable weapons and modular vehicles to manage dynamic battlefield conditions.

Now entering its third year of production, DUST 514 is the primary development focus of CCP’s Shanghai studio. The team includes veteran designers of EVE Online and experienced talent from various sectors of the video game industry.

“Since opening our Shanghai studio, we have invested in building a team that wants to push the envelope in gaming and be pioneers in the industry,” said Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, Managing Director of CCP Shanghai. “Having led the design and development efforts of the project from start to finish, our studio is honored to call DUST 514 our first title release.”

Screen 1 (http://pics.krawall.de/1/krawallbrand_DUST514_WB_CommandPit.jpg)
Screen 2 (http://pics.krawall.de/1/krawallbrand_DUST514_WB_MCCStagingArea.j pg)

[Eyrothath]

This should be a very, very awesome game.. Being a MMOFPS, it will have FPS combat, and all the features and the sandbox style of EVE..

Sweet..

[Kinsari]

Translation from this thread:
EVE Online | EVE Insider | Forums (http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=1153056&page=1)

K: When we did set up this interview, we thought that we will talk about future plans for Eve. Not too wrong, but your announcement seems very abitious and surprising.
CCP: That's how we like it.

K: Now we need to ask further. YOu said that Events within DUST 514 will influence the Eve universe and the other way. How synced are the two worlds in detail?
CCP: Very synced, honestly. A fight on a planet taking part within DUST will have immidiate impact on the stratetic control a single Eve Player or group of players will have over this planet. And it is very simple to keep these things synced. It might have a large impact, but it is not much data that we have to transfer.

K: But this won't enable one to watch fights in DUST from within Eve and the other way?
CCP: No. In the PC game you will make offers to DUST marines. This group of mercenaries, will be in the center of DUST. The marines accept the mission, if the conditions are right and the result will be sent back and influences the gameplay of the PC game. But there won't be a Spectator camera or similar things.

K: A mission given out by a PC player is a quest for a DUST player?
CCP: We don't call it quest, but in principle: yes.

K: And between the Employer in Eve and the soldiers only money is transfered? Or are there more ways, which would mean the Eve player could support his soldiers.
CCP: Through higher values of money the player supports his soldiers more. And yes, money will be the minimum an Eve player can transfer to his soldiers.

K: And in return the Eve player get's the corresponding Sector of one planet, if his soldiers win the battle. If he owns most sectors on a planet, he will own the planet. But what does he get from that?
CCP: What can be done with the planets will be announced next year at the time our next expansion is due. This will introduce planetary control. If a player controls a certain amound of planets in one sun system, he will own the whole system. That expands our souverenity system and makes warfare within Eve more transparent and shifts it to a whole new level.

K: What we have been asked by our readers is: why only make the game available for console and not for PC?
CCP: Shooter on a console are different as shooters on the PC. We want to concentrate on developing a good console shooter.

K: The game isn't a sole shooter, but from the announcement also a MMO. How massive will be your multiplayer, how many people can take part in one skirmish?
CCP: If we take how many people can take part in one skirmish, I wouldn't call it MMO. We rather take the huge world of Eve Online in which the game takes place, and where many people account for. I can't tell at the moment how many players can take part in one fight. For one this is limited by the hardware but also which team sizes make sense and how the maps will look like etc.


K: From all those things you could have added to Eve, why you decided for a console shooter?
CCP: A shooter is from all game types the farest from what is Eve. Exactly this is the reason. We wanted to do something completly different. We wanted a whole new group of players encounter the world of Eve and enrich it. This way we can let player that aren't interested in PC games take part in Eve Online.

K: Fromt he press release, DUST will have also RTS elements. How can we imagine that?
CCP: If you fight another team in DUST, you can use different tactics. We call this Off-Map-Support. This way "things" can be called to the battle and will last for the whole battle.

K: Can you give examples?
CCP: Well ok. Stationary weapons would be such an example.

K: Okay. How about a Commander-Feature known from Battlefield? A strategic overview from where a commander can lead his troups?
CCP: Yes, this will be included.

K: Will it be the same in functionality and amount? Or rather low level? It is hard to display such tools on consoles.
CCP: Our focus for one is, to create a shooter with strategic elements. We will support the player with the tools he needs to do strategic decisions and accomplish them. I can't say more atm.

K: How strong will you link both games? Will I be able to link my accounts together when I am playing both? Are you planning to create one big game in the long term?
CCP: The things you enumerate have all been discussed at least. I can't talk into detail, we are just not ready. At the moment we primarily want to develop a first class console shooter. That is our goal. And after that we take those things into account. And if time is not enough, we will support DUST as constant with updates like we do in Eve.

K: Will DUST require a monthly fee?
CCP: Atm I can't tell anything.

K: MMOG must provide new content in certain time intervals, to keep the players. Shooter like DUST consist of well designed maps which would make it very expensive. And consoles are very limited on memory space...
CCP: Like with Eve, we will deliver the tools and the information the players build their own world. This means, we don't necessarily need to deliver new content. The content will be created by the players when they are giving life to the world. Our philosophy is: The guys playing the game are more important then the game itself.

K: There are really great stories in the world of Eve and they are very fascinating. But it is very hard for newcommers to keep an overview and even to notice all those things.
CCP: that is right. We try to highlight those stories through our Eve magazine, through news posts and many more. But we surely can do a better job.

K: In addition many console gamers won't have had contact to Eve. The Eve community seems (to us) not to be console junkies.
CCP: Well, how do people know that Paris Hilton was at a party, even if they are not interested? Through rainbow press, through news...

K: Will there be a Eve news show?
CCP: No, not likely. Our newest attemt is our upcomming Social Networking System. People can use this for chatting, leave notes, twitter-like announcements or just meet each other. In such a community stories will circle even faster. Communication is our solution, or yet again, to give our players the tools they need to utilize this functions.

K: It seems hard to imagine, that people from a console want to use all those text based communication...
CCP: If they are gaming, yes. But when they don't play and sit at work our just surf the internet, I think they will want tp step deeper into this world.

K: How deep woll the DUST soldiers be embedded into the Eve world? Will they have a home town in the game, are there things like player housing?
CCP: Atm: no. In the future? Who knows. We will listen closly what the people have to say.

K: Well, on of the first questions our readers asked, when we reported your announcement was: Can I encounter console players in the PC game, for example when we can walk both in stations. An expansion for Eve with this is allready planned.
CCP: Yes.... sounds like a great idea. *laughs*

K: How about the character of a player. Does he get expirience, will he advance in levels?
CCP: The character will evolve, but different from other MMOs and different from Eve.

K: Is DUST just the beginning of a whole set of modules you want to add to Eve? Maybe there will be a RTS on top?
CCP: Well, you know we are crazy. And we have crazy ideas of course. But for now, we need to focus on this step.

K: But is this really the strateg: We go on and the we will see? Or do you have a vision - is DUST just a small step of a greater plan you want to follow over many years?
CCP: I'd say: if you look at Eve and if you imagine it as an ultimative science fiction package for all your entertainment needs, then this is how Eve should be one day. Whenever you want SciFi entertainment, this shall be your brand delivering. Not matter what.

K: Will there be a singleplayer campaign?
CCP: Maybe there will be some kind of training mode, but else we limit it to the online mode.

K: Will there be only player versus player, or also a cooperative mode against NPC?
CCP: Uhm, I don't think I can answer this question. There are some things we didn't fix yet. And I don't want to but presure on the team by fixing things with a statement.

K: If I want to play late in the night online and only people with bad connection are available, I'd be happy about bots.
CCP: Yes, in such a scenario it makes sense, and I think we will provide a solution. But our goal is that players play against human players. Everything reaching this goal and not disturbing interaction between players will be supported by us.

K: If we listen to all this - the first time that a console game and a MMO are connected this way.. seems like a situation Microsoft usually knocks the door and wanting that game with exclusive rights. Did someone ring your bell allready?
CCP: *laughs* Can't say anything about this.

K: Would you think about an exclusive release?
CCP: Everything helping to realize this crazy idea in the best possible way will be taken by us. If exclusivity is the right way, we will walk it.

K: How long will we have to wait for the game? One year? Two? More?
CCP: Well, we work for three years on this title and you have seen our trailer... I can't say more.

K: If I am a pure Eve gamer, how much will the game change with the release of DUST?
CCP: The game itself won't change too much. But the world will change heavily. You will see youtube vids from important battles, many new players will flood our social network and there will be a more thrilling fight over dominace in the universe. But the principle of the game won't change.

K: In Eve there are masses of technology and items. Will there be as many weapons in DUST or more like a usual shooter - ten gunz and that's it?
CCP: The plenty technologies will be also seen in DUST. There will be many technologies and items.

K: There are vehicles and air units seen, right?
CCP: Yes.

K: Do you tell more about game modes?
CCP: No.

K: But deathmath is definatly included?
CCP: This time I won't tell anything, really. *laugh*

K: Okay, we wish you much luck and a soon(tm) release for us.
CCP: Many thanks.

[The Critic]

This should be a very, very awesome game.. Being a MMOFPS, it will have FPS combat, and all the features and the sandbox style of EVE..

Sweet..

This was simply a sublime troll. 10/10

[Tenebrion]

Seriously, shit sounds fuckin' sweet.

I'm going to have to get my ass into EVE....

[Aacevedo]

Really nice idea I hope they don't put a darkfall.

I won't play it though , no PC support = :(. and I don't play console shooters, it's mouse aim or nothing.

[Tenebrion]

I won't play it though , no PC support = :(. and I don't play console shooters, it's mouse aim or nothing.

I strongly agree with this, and I'm slightly irritated that they'd make a console-only shooter.

I suspect Microsoft's big bucks are behind that decision.

[Jasdemi Krontan]

What a epic idea! I will be definitely following this! :D

[Fro]

I don't get it....

[Jasdemi Krontan]

I don't get it....

Poor Forumfall victim.

[StrawberryClock]

I too shall fap to the concept/idea of this game. Luckily since its a console shooter, I will remain flacid and can therefore last longer then two minutes.

[GFH_Spike]

Their primary market is comprised of PC gamers, many of which would gladly pay for a PC shooter/RTS expansion. Requiring a console is a moronic move, in my opinion, and won't excite nearly as many current players.

[Kinsari]

Their primary market is comprised of PC gamers, many of which would gladly pay for a PC shooter/RTS expansion. Requiring a console is a moronic move, in my opinion, and won't excite nearly as many current players.

I think the idea is to try to expand to the console market, which is a lot larger than the PC one. It could (potentially) draw in a lot more players than a PC game ever would...if it's done right.

Not saying I don't want a PC version, but the reasoning behind the decision makes sense from a money point of view.

[GFH_Spike]

I think the idea is to try to expand to the console market, which is a lot larger than the PC one. It could (potentially) draw in a lot more players than a PC game ever would...if it's done right.

Not saying I don't want a PC version, but the reasoning behind the decision makes sense from a money point of view.

My point is that they aren't taking advantage of a proven market or expanding upon the game for existing customers, instead choosing to risk entry into a market that they have no experience with, doing so with a product which will be bought by console players who mostly won't be able or willing to join EVE Online outside of the shooter/RTS element, and who won't be receptive to a subscription for continued play. Their choice isn't conducive to the long term success of the MMORPG or shooter, though it might generate substantial short term profit.

[Drift0ner]

This is why I love EVE.

CCP always pays attention to their customers and continues to expand on their content. Well, maybe they were forced into doing so because their game sucked back in 03 but yeah, its gone a long way now and EVE continues to expand.

Well, looks like im gonna be digging into my wallet for my 3rd alt - in DUST 514. :)