IGN Players chime in on Dust 514

 We've spent the last few weeks getting opinions from players from the IGN community in-game and out, regarding Dust 514. These players recently got beta access from a number of different avenues and are important because they represent a more mainstream gamer. As a matter of fact, its our opinion that if the game is able to retain the massive amount of FPS players in the gamerverse, and it can, in addition to the more hardcore gamers, these are the kinds of players that it will also have to enjoy CCP's efforts.



Its not often you find players that aren't enamored with the scope and potential of what Dust 514 is trying to accomplish. At there core gamers want developers to push the envelope, so they root for the game to succeed as a whole. And in truth, its as ambitious a concept as you'll find, how this concept is implemented is where the game will ultimately succeed. 

When access for IGN Prime members was announced, the excitement in their community was palpable. Most comments and feedback ranged from "We cant wait to get in" , "I can't wait to download it" and "Finally, i've been waiting so long for this." to a few that were simply jealous they weren't prime members and wouldn't have access.

After getting into the beta many players maintained their excitement and enjoyment of the game some, however were somewhat disappointed in the beta state "I found the beta to be unenjoyable in its current state", "unimpressed. it just wasn't all that great" and "FPS mechanics are poor" were the comments we saw over and over.

After more players got into the beta the feedback varied a great deal, there were plenty of "its a good game and has loads of potential" "I was in the beta last week and was severely underwhelmed by it" to some players being baffled by character creation and "for an FPS it lacks too many fundamentals" we also saw plenty of the ever-present "Definitely needs alot of work, but I see the potential". Many players went into detail about the learning curve:
"There is literally so much already it's enough to make someone's head explode. I can't wait to see how much more stuff is added and refined by time the Beta goes public, or better releases to everyone." "Agreed. It took me two days to get my head on straight in Dust." still there were some that came away unimpressed "Waste of time. Sure it's the Beta. Too bad it's the fundamental game build that is trash and not changeable features that could be patched out."

In the end we're hopeful but we hope that the implications that the game's core mechanics will be improved a great deal is true. Each build has improved the game a great deal and this has to continue, the beta forums have been a constant stream of complaints about the core mechanics. Sub-par FPS mechanics simply won't cut it in this day and age. Dust's selling point must be its quality, depth, scope and revolutionary concept, not the fact that its F2P.