CCP Asia on innovation and risk with DUST 514
by James Egan 
Dec 10th 2009 at 5:00PM
Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514
This past August's announcement from CCP Games of a new title -- DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in EVE Online's New Eden galaxy -- drew both great interest and intense criticism from gamers. If successful, CCP Games will be the first game company to tie a console FPS in with a separate MMO. (Not entirely separate, however. DUST 514 mercenaries will fight it out on the surface of the same planets seen from space in EVE Online. Their successes and failures will ultimately play a role in the balance of power in EVE.)
Since that first flurry of info about DUST 514, it's been rather quiet on the news front. However, a two-part article published at Edge Online this week focuses on CCP's new game. Edge Online's "Enter Planet Dust" is something of a primer on the core concepts behind the title but is also one of the most comprehensive pieces written about DUST 514 to date. Edge also interviewed some of the key CCP Games staff working on the game in Shanghai -- Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, Managing Director of CCP Asia and Atli Már Sveinsson, Creative Director on DUST 514.
In his talk with Edge Online, Atli addresses something commonly said about EVE -- some people love the concepts behind the game, the stories that come out of New Eden, but aren't quite ready to jump into an MMO as complex as EVE. He says, "There's a lot of EVE fans who love the concept: they love the setting and the art style, but they're maybe not ready to spend this amount of time conquering the learning cliff. We felt that we had to at least explore the possibility of a product that would appeal to them more: a console product."
The new title will reach out to a wider demographic (console gamers/shooter fans) with gameplay far different from what EVE Online offers, which may give CCP the chance to bridge the gap between their hardcore MMO playerbase and gamers with more mainstream tastes. DUST 514's gameplay will blend FPS combat for your average merc with RTS elements for commanders -- players who will oversee and direct military campaigns. Atli tells Edge Online a bit about the options that will be available to commanders: there will be 10 vehicle classes in total, five of which can be committed to a given battle. Plus there will be 15 installation types, also limited to five per battle. He likens the system to card-based games like Magic: The Gathering where players prepare a deck before the game begins.
DUST 514 will not (likely) support the huge numbers per side that a game like MAG does, so 256 players on a given map isn't a realistic expectation of the game. But on that note, what remains to be seen is how DUST 514 will stack up to other console shooters. What will it offer that successful series of titles like Call of Duty and Halo don't? How will it differ from games that have come before, like Battlefield 2142?
Perhaps what will prove to be an asset for DUST 514 is that it ties into something larger. It's not just going to be about achievements and gamerscore, it's going to tie in with the political landscape of EVE Online. It's going to offer persistence -- something more than racking up points, it's about your successes having long term impact on the game itself. Whether or not CCP's take on a console MMOFPS finds favor among gamers remains to be seen, but they are offering aspects of gameplay that differ from the norm.
For instance, the Edge Online interview also details how the battlefields DUST mercs fight in will actually change over time, as the direct result of player actions. A zone that was once lush and green in one encounter could be scorched by the time a player returns in a later encounter, having been nuked from orbit by other players since that last visit. The developers acknowledge the risks they're taking with a game like DUST 514, but CCP asserts they have faith in their local Shanghai team and Art Director William Chen. The freedom that's been given to the DUST 514 team is a rarity (if not a first) in Shanghai, CCP says, where typically local talent focuses on pre-defined IPs and sequels to existing games (for Western markets) under the auspices of Western directors and designers. With DUST, the Chinese team really has a chance to create something unique.
Fans of DUST 514 will definitely want to have a look at Edge Online's "Enter Planet Dust" which is written in two parts. The first part focuses on some of the core game mechanics and ideas behind DUST 514. Part two looks at the bigger picture, how CCP envisions the interplay between their two game communities and what each can potentially gain from the other. If you're looking to see glossy new art assets for the game, you could always read the full story in the print version of EDGE as well.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
maika said on 5:09PM 12-10-2009
I'm really excited about this game, actually. I play FPS only a little less than I play RPGs. And since I like the Eve world, but am bored by the Eve Online combat system I think this could easily, very easily, be my second MMO.
If only I liked Eve too. I could play both at almost the same time.
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halfcaptain said on 6:03PM 12-10-2009
Excellent piece, James. Well written and informative. I'm not being snarky either, it was just a good read.
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James Egan said on 6:18PM 12-10-2009
Thank you!
Pedro said on 7:23PM 12-10-2009
I would try out EVE if they had a different control setting. Something more action oriented. The FPS doesn't interests me at all.
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Chris said on 7:20AM 12-11-2009
so you would like eve if it was more action oriented, and the action oriented eve offshoot (Dust) you dont want to use?
Pedro said on 7:41AM 12-11-2009
I would like EVE if it had a control system more similar to other MMOs and RPGs.
I am nnot interested in DUST because it is a console game and a FPS. I don't have a console and dislike FPSs.
Cicadymn said on 7:49PM 12-10-2009
Console only?
I'm officially disappointed. So much for Dust 514
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Halldorr said on 8:08PM 12-10-2009
My son and his friends are absolutely pumped for this game. I keep showing them pictures and stories and letting them know I can hire them to fight on the ground for me - I have an army of teenaged minions MWAHAHA!
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ethereal.wolf said on 8:11PM 12-10-2009
i was looking forward to this until i found out it was console-only. pass.
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UTech said on 8:38PM 12-10-2009
For me, not playing EVE is not about the learning cliff. I love EVE, I just don't like non-consensual PvP. If CCP made a carebear EVE I'd crawl inside and never come back out.
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halfcaptain said on 10:40PM 12-10-2009
It's funny, EVE has this reputation as this dog-eat-dog-eat-ship type of mmo, and while true, it's a little misleading. There are many, many players that stick, for the most part, to high security space, and make a very decent living out of it. If you pay attention, you can avoid pvp for months on end - and I'm not talking about running away; I'm talking about never being attacked. One of my friends, a pretty solid mission-runner, has had fewer than 5 pvp engagements in his 3 years of EVE. According to him, pvp isn't his 'bag,' but that doesn't stop me from razzing him about being a carebear. In a way, you 'consent' to pvp by taking high risk routes or joining corporations with a penchant for making enemies.
SgtBaker said on 3:32AM 12-11-2009
They really should remove lvl4 missions and valuable ores from high-sec. Jeez. 3 years as a mission runner?
Chris said on 7:19AM 12-11-2009
i've lived in highsec also for 1 year, but im planning to WH and get into nullsec alliance... highsec is relatively safe for even carebears, but its not 100% safe a retriever properly aligned and mining can easily escape any suicide pilots... the thing is people need to stop worrying so much so what if u loose a ship i was a relative carebear, its a game, learn to loose ships and just buy a new one!
halfcaptain said on 4:51PM 12-11-2009
@ SgtBaker: Yup. He does some mining on the side, but for the most part he rakes it in by hauling and running missions. I've accompanied him on a few of his lvl 4's and 5's with friends and he's got that shit down pat.
th0r.615 said on 11:24PM 12-10-2009
I just started playing EVE and trying to force myself past the curve... maybe by the time this comes out i'll understand what im doing. lol
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caj190 said on 6:35AM 12-11-2009
I played EVE for a while and for me it was not the learning curve but the experience levels. The gap between the players in PVP is considerable. I was a 1 year player and was getting attacked and Pod'd by players that had 3+ years experience. I understand the "how" and "why" of the system but with no hope of "catching" or "winning" was just disheartening. Ultimately I quit because of it. Great game except for the experience system in my own opinion.
As for DUST... console only . that is just BS. I was excited to hear about Station Walking last year and DUST was mention as a FPS these last few months. I thought ok.. I may comeback... but console only... not a good move CCP. Sorry...
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GHudston said on 7:07AM 12-11-2009
I'm always telling players this because I've felt that way before. You can only use a percentage of your skills at any given time, i.e. if I'm flying a frigate, all of my cruiser and battleship skills are useless. I happen to know how to use hybrid weapons, but if I've got projectile weapons fitted then my skills with hybrids are pointless also. The longer you play and train, the MORE things you can do but you can't do them all at once. You can be competitive in EVE PvP after 2 or 3 months, or sooner with some friends.
Get yourself in a cheap tech 1 frigate with cheap tech 1 fittings (you should be given one in the tutorial), and maybe 5-6 other guys in the same, and (if you're smart) you'll be able to take out much larger ships like they're made of paper, the best part is that large guns won't be able to touch small targets like you. You'll need less friends as you get more skills, but once you get to about 6 months of training time you can be as good as any 3 year character at flying one type of ship. Look up Agony Unleashed, they sorted out my worries about "never being able to catch up".
Chris said on 7:16AM 12-11-2009
i am soooo tired of hearing about people complaining about skill gap, a 20m SP player vs a 2m SP player can beat the 20m player easily, especially if that person is diverse training, also who knows maybe your in a frigate that you spent 2m solid SP learning and, the 20m SP player spent it on battleships... sorry to tell you even though the battleship is bigger and more powerful chances are that frigate pilot with a proper ship fit will totally f*ck him up
Th0r.615 said on 7:56AM 12-11-2009
What's with all the console hate? How is "a bad move"? Look at the sales numbers for mw2 on consoles vs pc. If ccp is putting out a shooter why not put it on consoles? Honestly.
general said on 10:57AM 12-11-2009
@Thor
That's because mw2 was a half assed port over to PC. If you're going to port over a game, and shit on it instead of doing it properly, expect low sales numbers for that port. Same goes with PC to Console.
The console hate is mainly due to the fact that EVE is a PC MMO with a hardcore and loyal fanbase. That fanbase has been waiting for the day they can walk out of their ships or even fight on the ground. Making it console only is kind of a slap in the face to that fanbase.