Dust 514 is an upcoming free-to-play console-based MMOFPS set within the Eve universe, developed by CCP Games. It was announced on August 18, 2009 at the Game Developers Conference in Cologne, Germany and was introduced with a short trailer featuring realtime footage of the game. This game will be the first game developed by CCP since Eve Online, and it is currently being developed by CCP's Shanghai studio. According to Hilmar Veigar Petursson, the CEO of CCP Games, the game is being developed exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
Description
The game features users fighting ground battles in wars on planets in the Eve Online universe. According to a preview by Edge, the events that happen in this game will affect the EVE Online universe. Battles in this game can also determine who controls various planets in the EVE universe, and users in DUST 514 can interact with users from the EVE universe such as providing mercenary assistance during planet battles.
In an interview conducted by Simon Carless of Gamasutra, Petursson said that he hopes "these [Eve Online and DUST 514] communities will meld over time", bridging the two environments. He also wanted to establish a relationship between the flying-oriented nature of Eve Online and the infantry-oriented nature of DUST 514, saying "while the fleet does the flying, the infantry does the dying". According to Game Informer, this gives fans and players of Eve Online a new challenge in testing their FPS skills. Brandon Laurino Executive Producer of Dust 514 has stated that there will not be a set number of maps at launch, "We are covering literally a universe of planets, so there's thousands of different maps and they're all available to everyone who's playing." Laurino revealed. He added that these maps will not be "blocked off" in any way.
The EVE Online-inspired MMOFPS will be making an appearance on Sony's PlayStation Vita device but as a companion app rather than a full-blown game. CCP's Brandon Laurino explained "At the most basic level, you can do transactions on the market, equip and customize your character, your vehicles, set up strategies with your friends and corporation members -- all of these sort of companion functions on the go." Laurino also says that the DUST Vita launch date has yet to be determined. "As we continue to explore what the possibilities are between Vita and PS3, of which there are many, we'll keep updating the app with stuff like that over time," he explained.
A preview in PC World states that the plot behind the game will deal with cloned soldiers, and that some of these plot elements will be explained in an upcoming Eve Online novel.
On March 10, 2010 CCP Games and Epic Games China reached an agreement to license Unreal Engine 3. Dust 514 will be free to download and play.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Dust 514 will follow a similar setup to titles like MAG while still including its unique features. Players take the role of a freelance mercenary available for hire (confirmed multiplayer-online only). Also available is CVC (or Corporations vs. Corporation matches) which take place at the request of Corporations in Eve. Although the Dust players will be mercenaries, they can also seize territory from planets within the EVE universe for their own alliance and corporation, which will take place in the form of Corporation vs. Corporation matches. This allows Dust corporations to build infrastructure on captured territory, but it is unclear what manufacturing power Dust corps will hold.
The current limit for online matches is set at 48 (24 vs 24) However, CCP has stated that testing has been done with up to 128 players (64 versus 64) at once in game. CCP has stated that the limit may increase by release or afterward. Players will be able to customize weapons, vehicles and dropsuits.
From gameplay so far, it seems that matches revolve around the capture of territory and the depletion of the enemies' clones, which Dust 514 uses to explain respawn. Further in the interaction between Dust 514 and EVE Online, players in EVE Online can lay out an Orbital Bombardment, which can be called in from the Dust 514 mercenaries, similar to an airstrike in Call of Duty. Similarly, Dust 514 mercenaries can fire orbital cannons at starships in orbit. It has also been hinted that environmental destruction in the game might be a feature, although to what extent is unknown.
