Ten Groups we can't wait to see in PS2

 With sincere apologies to the many individuals and FPS clans we have encountered while blogging like GUN, DocEroc, Plymco Pilgrim, JLongshot, Geirbiscohn, Alyoyo, AimFix, El Capitrucho, Englishsnake and the Last Ninja, there are some well-known groups we just can't wait to see on Auraxis.

All are FPS Luminaries for different reasons, but the prospect of seeing them all in a huge landscape is inviting to say the least. To be clear, its simply one of the things that excites us most. In the past 5 years many games have promised an environment where FPS clans can wage war in the massive social, political, violent fashion we all love so much, but all have failed for one reason or another. Planetside 2 could be the title that finally delivers on the promises of so many titles before it. Imagine for a moment great FPS mechanics, hardcore gameplay, a complete library of vehicles and other assets, with battlefields bigger than MAG and Dust 514 combined, but in a legitimate polished and thoroughly tested AAA title. Add to that a developer willing to listen to its playerbase, all wrapped up nicely with the all-are-welcome nature of F2P. How can you not be excited about Planestside 2? It may well be the one place where all roads that lead to a true MMOFPS converge.

Planetside 2 Beta Announced!

Yesterday we finally got the news that the Planetside 2 Beta will launch on 1/20/15 signup is here
The excitement is growing exponentially among the many communities invested in a true MMOFPS of this scale. Many FPS luminaries have expressed genuine excitement at the prospect of Planetside 2. Are you a former MAG clan or Dust corp excited to wage war on the battlefields of Auraxis? Let us know in the comments!

The Planetside 2 Whiteboard

The PS2 Whiteboard is quite simply, THE BLUEPRINT. Console players are eagerly anticipating the massive battles only Auraxis can offer. Castoffs from MAG and Dust 514 are understandably excited about joining the PS2 community as its the only game remotely close to providing the scale they are looking for.

New Eden Hiatus

While our blog will continue to monitor and cover EVE: Legion and New Eden, due to the mass exodus Dust has undergone due to its slowed development, we've decided to shift our blog to the considerable community now forming from Dust 514 and MAG castoffs in anticipation of Planetside for the PS4.

The Dust Hall of Fame

Love them or hate them they are the most dynamic individuals in Dust's short history. As the core community and luminaries leave and the game draws to a close, we felt it was our duty to highlight New Eden's most influential planetside mercenaries and powerbrokers. Without further ado:  Your ten Dust Hall of Fame members.

Ashes to Ashes...

"There's been a change of plans, Dust Bunnies."

Like many members of the community our blog writers were both shocked and disappointed to learn that Dust 514 development was being slowed to a crawl. For more balance we decided a piece with two perspectives would be best so that more than one voice could be heard.

We The Fanbase [by Matobar]

 Forum poster Matobar of Onslaught Inc. recently posted an essay that gets right to the core of why so many Dust 514 fans are furious with CCP. He perfectly illustrates the frustration, betrayal and anger that longtime fans of the 'groundpounder window' into New Eden are feeling at this stage. Keep reading for a really great read.

Interview: Hayden Dingman of PCWorld

In a move that few saw coming, CCP used the Dust 514 Keynote at this year's fanfest to advise the gaming community of two things 1) that Project Legion was its new version of their ground-based MMOFPS and that it was being developed for PC and 2) Dust development was essentially over and the game's support would slow to a crawl [although for some reason they seem hesitant to admit it] it could have something to do with the prospect of no more sales of AUR items, but who knows.

It might seem odd because although we disagree [wholeheartedly and passionately] with the way this was done, we agree it was a decision that had to be made. For a myriad of reasons Dust couldn't succeed on the PS3 and had to transition to a better platform. We get that part, but 1) why delay this announcement when the decision was made months ago? and 2) why continue to take money from and mislead the community with promises of Soon™ and ask for patience when players were essentially paying for a glorified beta and nothing close to the vision they were sold on.

CCP Rouge interview with PC World [copy/paste]

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

 Dust 514 is dead. Long live Dust.

Okay, not really. Dust 514, CCP's "first-person-shooter-tied-into-EVE-Online-through-some-kind-of-magic" still exists and will exist for the foreseeable future. They're not shutting down the servers anytime soon, and in fact every CCP developer I've spoken to at Fanfest has reiterated the company's commitment to Dust 514 players.

But as a PlayStation 3 exclusive there's no doubt its days are numbered—and no doubt that Dust 514 didn't really pan out as well as either CCP or EVE players hoped.
So why not start anew?

NPE Template: Iron Wolf Saber

Though he is sometimes handled roughly on the Dust 514 community forums due to his activity level [he posts regularly] Iron Wolf Saber not so long ago made as critical a contribution to the development of Dust as any CPM has ever made. He detailed a step by step, idiot proof method of exactly how the NPE should be designed. Rarely has any player CPM or otherwise, contributed this much detail into resolving a core weakness inherent in this title.

One Way Trip by Vesper AEon

Bryce Arrankan scrolled through the list of job offers on his datapad, idly dismissing most of them without even reading them. It wasn’t a particularly long list, his group’s existence wasn’t known to the general public, but Arrankan rarely did business with people who messaged him without a prior introduction. When he was finished culling he found he had six offers, all from previous employers or people those employers had recommended to him. Reaching out he picked up a steaming mug of kaff and sipped at it as he scanned the six offers.

Dust Fiction: Threats by Vesper AEon

An ambitious CEO bent on changing the rules of warfare, A brilliant scientist talented enough to develop a revolutionary process. A corporation unaware of the powerful forces forming to obstruct them: Threats by Vesper AEon.