Opinion: Tutorial Will determine Dust's future

Our guest writer give us his opinion of what will ultimately determine Dust 514's success or failure. We share his view on many points, and have said so on many occasions. Use the link below for some of his thoughts:

"While many have said the core FPS mechanics need improving, from a depth standpoint no console game can touch what CCP is attempting with this game. They're trying to create the deepest, most complex console game ever made. One that stays true to its PC roots. I don't play EVE Online but people that do will have a natural advantage. They already speak the language, so to speak. They also seem to be doing a really did a good job addressing many of the bad aspects of FPS.

The beta period is going to be beneficial because it will be easy for them to see what's broken and just needs to be tuned a bit or even thrown out. The open beta period will undoubtedly give the devs more data to be able to craft a great title with.

I'm concerned a little about the graphics, but in the end, good gameplay and large amounts of players usually makes graphics suffer. That's a trade-off I'm cool with too. As long as we get games with more than 48 players.

Communication will be huge in this game. There are a few aspects of it we really hope they expand, however. Adding Proximity Chat is a must.

This is one of the first games I can see where grinding is actually going to be an enjoyable experience. It isn't the kind of game where you're going to unlock everything after 2 months. But i'm praying CCP will give Dust plenty of game modes so it won't get montonous, because most people will play it a bunch. We can can already tell its the kind of game where you're anxious to keep coming back so you can progress. The game's consequences also add to its value because the stakes are high--you're really winning or losing and it matters.

The last thing i'll mention is the Learning Curve. The mechanics of this game are really advanced when you consider what console shooters usually offer. EVE feels like a bloody math test. It will take time for people to adjust to this level of detail and complexity. I've played COD, BF, MAG and tons of other shooters and nothing comes close to how intricate this game promises to be. I'll close by saying that Dust 514 must have the most thorough, complete and user-friendly (but mandatory) tutorial ever done for a console game or it won't come close to its potential. That will be a tragedy because people will love this game if they get past the initial complexity. Someone unfamiliar with a game this complicated will be in a hurry to shoot people, jump into a match, fail horribly and remark that "the graphics suck, guns are weak" and that they're much better at Call of Duty. You also can't make the mistake that games like MAG made by assuming other gamers will train new players. They'll train a few but most will fall through the cracks. This game needs a Game Tutorial that will tell players about every aspect of the game, how to be successful and even little things like the differences between Amarr and Minmatar, what PG and CPU are and how the info tab is your friend. This just isn't a forty-yard dash, its a marathon. And if the tutorial isn't well done you'll miss out on a lot of players."

-Thomas