So, if Gamasutra is to be believed, this “Dust 514″ thing is a new CCP (of EVE Online fame) project that introduces a “dirtside” aspect to the EVE universe, specifically for console gamers. It’s supposed to be a part of EVE, inasmuch as the “EVE proper” players and the Dust 514 players will have effects on each other, fighting on different fronts in the same war.
That’s a different notion of MMO console/PC cross pollination than I’ve seen so far (including the Champions Online proposed console version, not unlike FFXI’s PS2 version). If anything, it reminds me a bit of Savage, where you could be a “general” commanding troops in typical RTS form, or a “foot soldier” on the ground, executing the orders firsthand.
I like it. It’s an interesting idea that lets the devs tailor the gameplay to the hardware and the player base. PCs and consoles do have significant differences between them, and it’s smart to play to the strengths of each. I’m not sure if the different sets of players will play nice, or if the intersection will be significant enough to offer some fun interactions. Still, this looks like a pretty cool idea.
The only surprise I have is that (at least, from what I read) its planned on being console only? More difficult to pull from your existing and enthusiastic customer base if that is indeed true.
Imagine the internet explosion of WoW’s new MMO was console only.
I think it’s an awesomely ambitious idea. Wish I actually liked FPs games because I’d love to play and see how it pans out, even if just because I love the scope of their thinking.
Makes CO and Aion feel like very tired old rehashes of existing games.
I can’t imagine the deal-making that is going to have to go on, if they actually release for PS3 and MS.
Sony & MS are going to have to let their players interact, even if indirectly through the CCP servers?
Just getting MS to allow data flow between their servers and CCP’s is going to be a challenge, I bet.
Sorry to be so negative, but I’ll believe this one when it launches. My guess: at some point they’ll decide to make it a PC title afterall.
I’m a CCP fan after this news, definitely. Whether or not they really pull it off, I think they have a really huge potential for innovation.
I’ve played Eve for some time (around a year and a half or so) and some things I encountered there are pure jaw-droppery…
Couple that with the expected WoD MMO (well, expected by the playerbase, not really confirmed anyplace AFAIK) and you get a company which really does things differently, without falling into “niche” and “bizarre”…
Looks like someone actually took one of our ideas and ran with it, eh Tesh? *chuckle*
Aye. The FPS thing isn’t my bag, but it’s an innovation and in MMOs, innovation is practically a dirty word. Everyone uses it, but nobody does it.
Still… I’m waiting on WoD. I’ll break my no-beta rule for that one!
I love that CCP are being innovative and, pardon the cliché, thinking outside of the box. It’s great to see some new ideas coming from a MMO developer.
@Pete: What’s so strange about games interacting with “other” servers? 360 games do it all the time. Every single EA game you get will login to EA’s servers. Chromehounds has a “persistent war” so it has to check Sega’s servers with every login (well, until Sega shuts it down in January…) EndWar also has a “persistent war” if you’re playing that mode, so it has to check Ubisoft’s servers. The CCP guy already said it’s a shockingly minute amount of data that Dust needs to share to the EVE servers. He also said Dust is NOT an MMO…
Scott… so does Dust count as an EVE minigame?
(I like that it’s not another MMO, actually; it scratches different itches under the same EVE universe blanket.)
Not sure I’d call it a mini-game per se, CCP is just taking advantage of the popularity of FPS on the console platform and setting theirs within the EVE universe.
From what I’ve gathered from reading (then mostly forgetting) the interview with the CCP guy, they’re hoping EVE players will consider Dust players to be mercenaries and will be able to create “missions” for the Dust players to complete within the various maps, and all that will contribute a tiny bit to EVE’s sovereignty.
Expands the EVE universe into a whole other element, let’s EVE players play EVE, let’s the FPS players play Dust whether they give a damn what EVE is or not, and everyone can be fat, dumb and happy in their own little corner of the universe.
If Dust is my type of FPS (ie. not an Unreal Tournament arena style bunnyhopping fragfest) I’m interested anyway, as I’ve never managed to muster any interest whatsoever in EVE itself.