Stranded: Part 7

Part 7 of DUST 514's Stranded series is among us. We get the gory, bitter but exciting details about what it actually takes to become a clone. We also hear the two words that will no doubt be remembered by future DUST Mercs everywhere. KILL YOURSELF.

Part 7

The EVE Community Chimes in on DUST

Recently some of our research regarding Dust 514 turned up a thread by EVE player Mitauchi where other EVE players were discussing their soon-to-be relationship with console Dust 514 Mercenaries. There are some pretty interesting views. Read on for the details.

Player Interviews: Lokekar

Our next interview is with Lokekar, a MAG player who bucks the standard FPS stereotype. Use the link below to read some of his views on Console & PC Players, why non-combat roles are important, how MMOFPS' differ from Persistent Shooters and why he might join an EVE Corp.

Dust 514 E3 Interview

One of the better and more informative Dust interviews we've seen for the game was this one that was done during E3. Use the link below for all the cool Dust 514 info.

Interview

CCP Interview at Gamescom

Here is some more information on DUST 514 from a CCP Gamescom interview. The questions answered cover EVE Intergration, Game Balance, Risk and there are even hints at an offline training mode (yay!) and potentially some single player. Use the link below for interview access.

Interview

Suggestion: Battle Simulator

In our interview with EVE's Grideris, he mentioned a feature that we haven't been able to get our minds off since. "I’m sure many corporations would love to have a Battle Simulator that they can just jump into and use at anytime."  YES. INDEED WE WOULD.

Player Interviews: The Regis Mark V

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   Unless you've been living under a MAG rock in suppression for the past year, chances are you know who The Regis Mark V is. He's the smack-talking, blue-dot trainin', fast-shootin' mouth of The Dark Flock. We're pretty sure you've heard him at least once over platoon chat doing what he can to prevent people from sniping from the spawn. Keep reading for some of his views on what we can expect from DUST 514.

DUST 514 to Redefine Persistent Shooters?

Here's a great article that Ben Gilbert of Joystick writes about DUST 514. Initially, he mentions how he hadn't anticipated being blown away by this project by CCP, the developers of EVE. He also goes into detail about an actual operation he witnessed where DUST mercs completed their objective and fulfilled a contract. Lastly, he mentions examples of DUST/EVE's real-time connection. Use the link below for all the details.

Dust 514 Article

A Trailer for the Ages

We simply never get tired of seeing this DUST 514 Trailer. It does a good job showing some gameplay and the connection with EVE. Its theme is one CCP has been telling anyone who will listen. DUST has consequences. Use the link below for access to the trailer.

Trailer

p.s. How do I get my hands on a JAX missile launcher? Those things are AWESOME. JAX > Turret

Player Interviews: Grideris of EVE

You knew it was only a matter of time before the EVE players made their presence known. Recently we were able to sit down with EVE's Grideris (also known as dust514.org's Da Chucky) for a long and informative chat.

CONFIRMED: Cross-Platform Voice Chat

 In the latest DevBlog CCP confirmed what many had only guessed at when the symbiotic relationship between DUST 514 and EVE was initially revealed. We've now gotten confirmation that the communication between the two games will be in Real-Time through chat channels, and that we'll also have the use of keyboards for text chat. These developments may not seem like much initially, but making sure the EVE/DUST 514 platforms are indistinguishable by coordinating everything on the back end is impressive. This also speaks to CCP's understanding of how paramount the social aspect of Dust will be. Warfare is only one aspect of an MMOFPS, and at some point there have to be non-engagement related activities that will round out the experience when we're suffering from the monotony of shooting people and combat fatigue...and CCP understands that. Feel free to get excited.

Player Interviews: Rainbow Gold of The Dark Flock

Do you know who the ZSA is? You Should. Apparently its a mixture of some of MAG's top clans (3C and The Dark Flock among them) with one mission: To Dominate DUST 514. Be sure to read our interview with Rainbow_Gold for details.

New DUST 514 Fact Sheet

The anticipation for many fans of the MMOFPS or Persistent Shooter genre is building. While the DUST 514 information is trickling out slowly, a new fact sheet is in the open and we've also gotten access to some new screenshots as well.

Player Interviews: YDubbs81 from RND

We're not the only ones migrating over to the EVE-verse in anticipation of DUST 514. We've had the opportunity to begin our forum interviews with more than just a few future DUST Mercs. First up? YDubbs81 from RND.

10 Things that EXCITE us about DUST 514...

After reading the latest DevBlog, our team over here in our little corner of the internet got to thinking. There sure are a lot of things to be excited about in DUST 514, aren't there? We've got some free time on our hands, so we decided to list some of the things we're looking forward to.

Stranded: Part 6

Part 6 of DUST 514's Stranded series is in the open. Part Six gives us more insight to how Berlin Ansacre becomes Balac. Hit the link below for the continuation of the Stranded Series.

Stranded Part 6

GameSpot DUST 514 Preview

"With all due respect to Bill Murray, CCP Games wants to move away from the "Groundhog Day scenario" of online shooters--that feeling that you're just replaying the same maps over and over without any sense of overall progress outside of a few unlockable weapon attachments."

GameSpot recently released their DUST 514 Preview from the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany. Use the link below for the preview.

DUST 514 Preview

DUST Internal BETA has begun

CCP_Shadow announced the Dust514 beta begun on twitter yesterday, when individuals asked how to get involved they were told “It’s just an internal playtest” and even though we're not in on the beta it’s a great sign that shows the game is on track. An earlier devblog revealed a few details about some of the features in the game such as Mic chat between EVE Online players and Dust514 players will be possible as well as dropships above the battlefield to drop aircraft and tanks etc.

Dust514  Looks set to change gaming in a whole new way as it merges the almost ten-year old subscription based EVE Online community with over 400,000 players with a brand new experience exclusively for PS3.

Stranded: Part 5

Part 5 of DUST 514's Stranded series has been released. These short fiction stories do a great job of drawing us in and giving us some history to the EVE Universe. Hit the link below for the continuation of the Stranded Series.  Part 5

DUST 514: Most Ambitious Game of Show?

"Of the many games I've seen here at Gamescom 2011, Dust 514 may be the most ambitious."--IGN's Daemon Hatfield

 am·bi·tiousAdjective/amˈbiSHəs/ 1. Having or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed. 2. (of a plan or piece of work) Intended to satisfy high aspirations and therefore difficult to achieve. 

CONFIRMED: 3rd Person Social Areas

 Make no mistake about it, we're excited. In their newest devblog the minds behind DUST 514 have confirmed that they have 3rd person social areas. Why is this great news? In a game as deep as DUST we know the ability to upgrade and customize our characters will be extensive, but in an FPS we usually don't get to appreciate how our characters "look" per se. With the addition of these Social Areas we'll not only have the ability to appreciate the look of our characters, but also the ability to interact with 31 other people in the War Room as well. Think about it as an FPS with the beauty of third person at times. If you'll remember we thought that a PS Home/PMC HQ mechanic in MAG would have given us a great space to be social/plan/strategize when we weren't shooting people. Here's what we wrote a few months ago:

PMC HQ -What could add more to the game's social aspect than a non-combat area that we can explore via our avatars and interact with others like a smaller version of Playstation Home? The ability to tour the Barracks/Clan Areas, recruit players, purchase weapons and gear, share screenshots, talk to others via proximity or group chat, test new weapons, interact via an in-game PMC message board and shoot on practice ranges? a PMC area that expands the game and provides a great place to frequent before we deploy would be epic.

The other thing that excites us is the mention of other "Social Spaces" (The War Room is the first) because this could be truly game-changing if done well. Deep and Immersive gameplay is about more than just shooting people, gloating and looking at leaderboards. We can only imagine how much a well-done Bar-Style area, Casino-Style resort or Neutral Marketplace would add to gameplay. We look forward to it.