Synergy is a word you’re likely to hear on corporate conference calls around the globe on a daily basis. The core concept is simple: two elements working in tandem will deliver a higher result than the output of both things working independently. CCP’s DUST 514 is the paragon of synergism.
Having already one super-popular persistent game in Eve Online, Icelanders CCP will launch symbiotic MMOFPS DUST 514 next year. Based in the same universe as Eve Online on the PC, console-bound DUST 514 will focus on the ground battles that rage on the myriad of worlds populating the 7,500 star systems Eve players have been fighting over for years.
Events in both games will influence the other. Controlling a planet with soldiers in DUST 514 will result in the planet’s political allegiances changing in the Eve Online world. Communities from both games are expected to merge over time, with DUST 514 players able to communicate with their space-faring PC cohorts, offering assistance in campaigns and generally “doing the dying while the fleet does the flying.” Accordingly, Eve Online players can fund mercenaries and set objectives for console players. DUST 514 players themselves will have a commander who can dictate battles through an RTS-esque interface. Customisable vehicles will also feature.
The blurring of lines between genres and platforms is something that has us polishing our space-boots, giddy with excitement. Not only does this take the massiveness of games such as MAG to the next level, but the opportunity of joining an already robust online community (Eve Online has 300,000 monthly subscribers) and participating in a multi-tiered/multi-platform war is literally breaking new grounds in gaming. Also, as we’re sure you’ll agree from watching the debut trailer below, it’s also no harm that DUST 514 looks absolutely gorgeous.
It was announced at FANFEST 2009 that DUST 514 will be free to play and use the micro-transaction model.
Quote paraphrased from CEO of CCP Hilmar Veigar Petursson speaking with Gamasutra.
mcduff1979
i been playing eve online for a while now and i cant wait for this
mugsybalone
The trouble I’ve found with Eve, having played for a couple of years now, is that despite the 300,000-strong base (which can equate to 50,000+ concurrent users), the ‘turnover’ of players does seem to be rather high – in the current issue of E-On (the Eve quarterly magazine) had an article on dealing with burnout from overplaying and getting too caught up in it all. Hopefully with Dust-514 players can experience the richness of the Eve universe without becoming overwhelmed, and have a part in the goings-on of both games.
aerobes
I’m horribly confused already, therefore, interested.
bigdon23
I thought it was “From Dust” at first
Kovacs
Nope – though From Dust was included during the voting stage of this feature. So, you never know, it might appear later.
bigdon23
i hope so, its not a game that comes to mind straight away but looks awesome
Parker
I’ve been keeping an eye on this for a while, haven’t seen much of it though, hope to see some more soon.
mugsybalone
I think the thing about Eve is that it’s major strength is that it is built on the players that take part in it. More so than MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, that appear to be largely event-driven where someone at Blizzard orchestrates an event that the players react to, the universe in Eve, despite having it’s own backstory, racial alliances and so on, is shaped by the players themselves, just as in BigAl’s link. Events like that, where an entire player-run corporation is demolished from the inside, assets stripped and territories lost, aren’t unusual, and almost encouraged – events that would see other game’s moderators reaching for the banhammer seem almost everyday occurrences at times.
The flipside of Eve’s player-driven approach is that it is beaten in to you from your first few days experience of the game that fun times and success won’t be gifted to you on a plate if you don’t take part. It’s very much a game where you’re concious that you get out of it what you put in and you can’t really get away with skulking along quietly by yourself and expect to become a big shot all by yourself. As a result, this gives players a drive to apply themselves more and more into the game, spend days/weeks/months getting into a corp, learning the game, developing their character, building relationships with other players and becoming a part of something bigger than their own characters within the game.
Some players (myself included) become so involved with Eve, trying to wring every last drop of involvement in the game, trying to put that bit extra in to get that bit extra out, that it becomes a bit of a chore, and you find themselves having to take a bit of timeout from the game and go to their happy place (ah, the sweet embrace of the Master’s League), and then return a while later and resume. This where Eve’s (almost infamous) player turnover comes from, that it forces players away for a while who then return later, meaning that it seems like you’re playing with people on some kind of Eve-related breakdown rotation system.
What I hope for from Dust-514 is that it enables players to still feel a part of the fantastic, massively rewarding Eve universe and yet not feel obliged to drop everything to be in it 24-7, that it’s rewarding without being overwhelming, because there’s a lot to enjoy about Eve.
Kovacs
Eve-related breakdown rotation system. Nice.