CCP: DUST 514 (MMO-FPS) New game set in the EVE Universe...

[Mangala]

http://www.massively.com/2009/08/18/ccp-games-reveals-new-eve-online-console-mmo-dust-514/#continued

CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson delivered a keynote presentation at GDC Europe in Cologne today, and unveiled the project their Shanghai studio has worked on for the last three years: DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in the EVE Online universe.

Massively speculated in the past that CCP's hiring of console developers was in connection with either the EVE Online FPS or the World of Darkness MMO. The timing of the DUST 514 trademark registration led us to believe this would be the game title announced at this week's GDC event.

So then, what is DUST 514?

According to the game trailer, it's "One universe, one war." While EVE Online lets players struggle against one another for dominance in space, DUST 514 will let console gamers fight for control of planets in EVE's setting of New Eden.

The company stated, "The primary gameplay of DUST 514 features brutal ground combat that takes place on the surface of planets from EVE, delivering the visceral, adrenaline-fueled experience of futuristic firefights. Developed for the current generation of consoles, DUST 514 combines equal parts battlefield reflexes and strategic planning, giving commanders and ground infantry real-time configurable weapons and modular vehicles to manage dynamic battlefield conditions."

In his talk at GDC Europe today, Hilmar stated that DUST 514 will reach out to two different audiences, fans of first person shooters and MMO players, and their aim is to ultimately meld the communities of EVE Online and DUST 514. He elaborated on this and explained the various ways that the two games will tie in with one another.

DUST 514 will figure prominently into the CCP Games strategy to revamp EVE Online's system of galactic control, called sovereignty. It was originally discussed in the current issue of EON magazine that planetary control would be an aspect of changing how EVE's player alliances gain control of territory. Apparently, what players can do in DUST 514 will also play a major role in EVE moving forward. Hilmar explained more about how the terrestrial gameplay of DUST 514 will be interconnected with the ship-centric gameplay of EVE Online.

Currently, player alliance sovereignty (regional control) is tied to maintaining numerous player-owned structures across different solar systems to establish a territory as belonging to that alliance, and as shown on the game's star map. Since DUST 514 is set in the same galaxy as the core MMO, with the same planets, EVE players will have the option of contracting DUST (player) mercenaries to gain control of planets.

Hilmar said, "DUST battlefields will dictate who control specific planets inside the EVE MMO. If a player contracts a DUST mercenary team to go and conquer this district of a planet. Then ultimately he will be able to control the planet, and therefore the solar system, and therefore the constellation, and the region."

He explained more about the interplay between EVE Online and DUST 514. Hilmar said, "You will increasingly have to fight with your fleet [in EVE Online] but you will also have to contract people who play DUST, the console MMO, which then feeds into the sovereignty control system of EVE. Then EVE feeds back into that again by funding the mercenaries, giving them goals." In a nod to Starship Troopers, he said, "The fleet does the flying, the infantry does the dying."

When you bring these two communities together, that "one universe, one war" means that the EVE PC MMO and DUST 514 console MMOFPS gamers will form interconnected social structures and meld over time.

This is CCP's hope, anyway. Hilmar says he'd like to see specific DUST corporations and alliances that bridge the gap to the EVE MMO, as the ground game adds new dimensions to the space-based gameplay of EVE Online as we know it today.

Hilmar added that the backstory for the DUST infantry will tie in with an upcoming EVE Online novel, which we think will most likely be Hjalti Danielsson's The Burning Life. He did reveal that the cloning technology that imbues EVE Online's capsuleers with immortality has been adapted for broader use, and is applied to the ground-based warfare that comprises DUST 514's gameplay. Further revelations of the DUST 514 story will likely be held back until EVE Fanfest 2009.

He stressed their commitment to this new direction they're taking the EVE Online IP, and that DUST 514 isn't just a side project they're working on. Hilmar said, "We are leveraging all of CCP's international infrastructure into this project." The game has been in development for three years at the CCP Games Shanghai studio.

The new MMO announcement came as part of Hilmar's presentation "CCP: Winning the War" which was a look back at the company's history, from their early days as a small, unknown company trying to create something different to today, where they stand as a major MMO developer.

This is what we know about DUST 514 so far. Gamasutra was on the ground at GDC Europe today for the game announcement, as was Develop, so further info can be gleaned from their event coverage. More details on DUST 514 will be announced at EVE Fanfest 2009 this October in CCP's hometown of Reykjavik.

We don't have an official teaser trailer for DUST 514 but Golem.de shot video footage from the "CCP: Winning the War" presentation, which we're embedding for you below

http://video.golem.de/games/2283/dust-514-ego-shooter-im-universum-von-eve-online-gamescom-2009.html

[Mangala]

new MMOFPS for consoles....

the big deal being that it's set in the EVE universe on planets and will apparently have an impact on sovereignty within EVE. so the obvious questions are, online FPS on consoles? that and it has an impact on an already existing game? am i going to have to pay 2 subscription fee's to play EVE? the game already encourages multiple accounts, is it now a requirement for 0.0 which already has a huge entry barrier? While Dust 514 wont show on PC's apparently, its possible at FF 2009 CCp will show off a variant for EVErs that we get.  After all we do control space and the dust folks will just fight our ground wars at our behest - they are the non pod pilots of the world   Integrating it so the FPS world has influence on the MMO world (since its the same world) is truly groundbreaking and innovative.

seems really odd for a game that prides itself on being one server to add a completely new game on a different gaming system. they just released a new advertising video for the game dealing with the butterfly affect. they are taking a huge risk with what is EVE's biggest selling point. but if it has little or no impact on EVE whats the point? if it plays a big role in 0.0 sovereignty why make it console(only?)?


just seems like one of those things that sounds great(and it certainly seems cool) but implementation is what will make or break it. if its consoles only then they have already broken it.

[Mangala]

Top shot shows a command room in a station, with a mother loving Wyvern Mothership in the background!!!  Video also has a megathron blowing up in atmosphere...

Edit: random thought - we get to make console players our bitch

[Kathras]

When do we get modules for orbital bombardment?

[Mangala]

When do we get modules for orbital bombardment?

We technically have them - we could sit in orbit at 250km and rape a planet with BS or dreads etc.  But I do want the ability to rain bigger death on a planet

[Mangala]

When do we get modules for orbital bombardment?

[Mangala]

This revalation has made me both uber hard for CCP and worried they may kill eve, as can be seen by my posts in the thread

Either way, we are in for an exciting future!

[Mangala]

K: When we did set up this interview, we thought that we will talk about future plans for Eve. Not too wrong, but your announcement seems very abitious and surprising.
CCP: That's how we like it.

K: Now we need to ask further. YOu said that Events within DUST 514 will influence the Eve universe and the other way. How synced are the two worlds in detail?
CCP: Very synced, honestly. A fight on a planet taking part within DUST will have immidiate impact on the stratetic control a single Eve Player or group of players will have over this planet. And it is very simple to keep these things synced. It might have a large impact, but it is not much data that we have to transfer.

K: But this won't enable one to watch fights in DUST from within Eve and the other way?
CCP: No. In the PC game you will make offers to DUST marines. This group of mercenaries, will be in the center of DUST. The marines accept the mission, if the conditions are right and the result will be sent back and influences the gameplay of the PC game. But there won't be a Spectator camera or similar things.

K: A mission given out by a PC player is a quest for a DUST player?
CCP: We don't call it quest, but in principle: yes.

K: And between the Employer in Eve and the soldiers only money is transfered? Or are there more ways, which would mean the Eve player could support his soldiers.
CCP: Through higher values of money the player supports his soldiers more. And yes, money will be the minimum an Eve player can transfer to his soldiers.

K: And in return the Eve player get's the corresponding Sector of one planet, if his soldiers win the battle. If he owns most sectors on a planet, he will own the planet. But what does he get from that?
CCP: What can be done with the planets will be announced next year at the time our next expansion is due. This will introduce planetary control. If a player controls a certain amound of planets in one sun system, he will own the whole system. That expands our souverenity system and makes warfare within Eve more transparent and shifts it to a whole new level.

K: What we have been asked by our readers is: why only make the game available for console and not for PC?
CCP: Shooter on a console are different as shooters on the PC. We want to concentrate on developing a good console shooter.

K: The game isn't a sole shooter, but from the announcement also a MMO. How massive will be your multiplayer, how many people can take part in one skirmish?
CCP: If we take how many people can take part in one skirmish, I wouldn't call it MMO. We rather take the huge world of Eve Online in which the game takes place, and where many people account for. I can't tell at the moment how many players can take part in one fight. For one this is limited by the hardware but also which team sizes make sense and how the maps will look like etc.


K: From all those things you could have added to Eve, why you decided for a console shooter?
CCP: A shooter is from all game types the farest from what is Eve. Exactly this is the reason. We wanted to do something completly different. We wanted a whole new group of players encounter the world of Eve and enrich it. This way we can let player that aren't interested in PC games take part in Eve Online.

K: Fromt he press release, DUST will have also RTS elements. How can we imagine that?
CCP: If you fight another team in DUST, you can use different tactics. We call this Off-Map-Support. This way "things" can be called to the battle and will last for the whole battle.

K: Can you give examples?
CCP: Well ok. Stationary weapons would be such an example.

K: Okay. How about a Commander-Feature known from Battlefield? A strategic overview from where a commander can lead his troups?
CCP: Yes, this will be included.

K: Will it be the same in functionality and amount? Or rather low level? It is hard to display such tools on consoles.
CCP: Our focus for one is, to create a shooter with strategic elements. We will support the player with the tools he needs to do strategic decisions and accomplish them. I can't say more atm.

K: How strong will you link both games? Will I be able to link my accounts together when I am playing both? Are you planning to create one big game in the long term?
CCP: The things you enumerate have all been discussed at least. I can't talk into detail, we are just not ready. At the moment we primarily want to develop a first class console shooter. That is our goal. And after that we take those things into account. And if time is not enough, we will support DUST as constant with updates like we do in Eve.

K: Will DUST require a monthly fee?
CCP: Atm I can't tell anything.

K: MMOG must provide new content in certain time intervals, to keep the players. Shooter like DUST consist of well designed maps which would make it very expensive. And consoles are very limited on memory space...
CCP: Like with Eve, we will deliver the tools and the information the players build their own world. This means, we don't necessarily need to deliver new content. The content will be created by the players when they are giving life to the world. Our philosophy is: The guys playing the game are more important then the game itself.

K: There are really great stories in the world of Eve and they are very fascinating. But it is very hard for newcommers to keep an overview and even to notice all those things.
CCP: that is right. We try to highlight those stories through our Eve magazine, through news posts and many more. But we surely can do a better job.

K: In addition many console gamers won't have had contact to Eve. The Eve community seems (to us) not to be console junkies.
CCP: Well, how do people know that Paris Hilton was at a party, even if they are not interested? Through rainbow press, through news...

K: Will there be a Eve news show?
CCP: No, not likely. Our newest attemt is our upcomming Social Networking System. People can use this for chatting, leave notes, twitter-like announcements or just meet each other. In such a community stories will circle even faster. Communication is our solution, or yet again, to give our players the tools they need to utilize this functions.

K: It seems hard to imagine, that people from a console want to use all those text based communication...
CCP: If they are gaming, yes. But when they don't play and sit at work our just surf the internet, I think they will want tp step deeper into this world.


K: How deep woll the DUST soldiers be embedded into the Eve world? Will they have a home town in the game, are there things like player housing?
CCP: Atm: no. In the future? Who knows. We will listen closly what the people have to say.

K: Well, on of the first questions our readers asked, when we reported your announcement was: Can I encounter console players in the PC game, for example when we can walk both in stations. An expansion for Eve with this is allready planned.
CCP: Yes.... sounds like a great idea. *laughs*

K: How about the character of a player. Does he get expirience, will he advance in levels?
CCP: The character will evolve, but different from other MMOs and different from Eve.

K: Is DUST just the beginning of a whole set of modules you want to add to Eve? Maybe there will be a RTS on top?
CCP: Well, you know we are crazy. And we have crazy ideas of course. But for now, we need to focus on this step.

K: But is this really the strateg: We go on and the we will see? Or do you have a vision - is DUST just a small step of a greater plan you want to follow over many years?
CCP: I'd say: if you look at Eve and if you imagine it as an ultimative science fiction package for all your entertainment needs, then this is how Eve should be one day. Whenever you want SciFi entertainment, this shall be your brand delivering. Not matter what.

K: Will there be a singleplayer campaign?
CCP: Maybe there will be some kind of training mode, but else we limit it to the online mode.

K: Will there be only player versus player, or also a cooperative mode against NPC?
CCP: Uhm, I don't think I can answer this question. There are some things we didn't fix yet. And I don't want to but presure on the team by fixing things with a statement.

K: If I want to play late in the night online and only people with bad connection are available, I'd be happy about bots.
CCP: Yes, in such a scenario it makes sense, and I think we will provide a solution. But our goal is that players play against human players. Everything reaching this goal and not disturbing interaction between players will be supported by us.

K: If we listen to all this - the first time that a console game and a MMO are connected this way.. seems like a situation Microsoft usually knocks the door and wanting that game with exclusive rights. Did someone ring your bell allready?
CCP: *laughs* Can't say anything about this.

K: Would you think about an exclusive release?
CCP: Everything helping to realize this crazy idea in the best possible way will be taken by us. If exclusivity is the right way, we will walk it.

K: How long will we have to wait for the game? One year? Two? More?
CCP: Well, we work for three years on this title and you have seen our trailer... I can't say more.

K: If I am a pure Eve gamer, how much will the game change with the release of DUST?
CCP: The game itself won't change too much. But the world will change heavily. You will see youtube vids from important battles, many new players will flood our social network and there will be a more thrilling fight over dominace in the universe. But the principle of the game won't change.

K: In Eve there are masses of technology and items. Will there be as many weapons in DUST or more like a usual shooter - ten gunz and that's it?
CCP: The plenty technologies will be also seen in DUST. There will be many technologies and items.

K: There are vehicles and air units seen, right?
CCP: Yes.

K: Do you tell more about game modes?
CCP: No.

K: But deathmath is definatly included?
CCP: This time I won't tell anything, really. *laugh*

K: Okay, we wish you much luck and a soon(tm) release for us.
CCP: Many thanks.

Translation of this: http://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/Allgemein/18568/1970953/ I believe.

[Gunnarr]

Just a thought, having a succesful PC game and adding on a console game (where many PC gamers don't own a console and many console-players don't bother with PC games) seems a dumb idea.
More so since FPS games play better on a PC anyway (granted, that last bit is imho)

[Mangala]

The way it looks on the surface it does seem silly, but looking at it from a "OMG I get to send men to their deaths" pov, this is going to rock.  ANd there HAS to be a PC version as a its trademarked already and b CCP willw ant their EVE playerbase fully on board, this is probably going to replace Ambulation and be announced for EVE PC somehow at Fanfest i'd think

I also agree that FPS's play better on PC (or an xbox with mouse/keyboard), and yet again this DUST thing has both sides of my brian itching.  (Apparently Dust 514 is an eve rlated thing, no one anywhere has worked out what...)

Edit it may be an FW tie in as http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=557  was written on 5/14th (may 14th )...

[Caradir]

i like the sound of this

rich podpilots get to bribe/pay/gift mercenaries to fight the ground battles for them, and if they have big robots and guns and planetary defenses that fire at opposing corps who get too close adn allow orbital bombardments and make POS useless except for industry and setup an ISDN type news network to keep the war stories coiming without the players "my balls are bigger than yours you suxxor" being the only way its spread it could work, but it could fall on its arse very ambitious indeed.

[Mangala]

Its Planetside without SOE really and with extra added politics and fights that matter. 

It really is tearing me (oo-er) as I can see both sides of how this could turn out.

[Mangala]

i like the sound of this

rich podpilots get to bribe/pay/gift mercenaries to fight the ground battles for them, and if they have big robots and guns and planetary defenses that fire at opposing corps who get too close adn allow orbital bombardments and make POS useless except for industry and setup an ISDN type news network to keep the war stories coiming without the players "my balls are bigger than yours you suxxor" being the only way its spread it could work, but it could fall on its arse very ambitious indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTz9nIUkGc

[peo]

The idea sounds super
Afterall we (pod pilots) are "immortals" and among the most powerful beings to have ever existed in new-eden.

The idea of merging the two kinds of communities will be weird to say the least.
Who will be attracted to being other players pawns? Will the death penalties be similar to in eve?
What will the entry barrier be to get control?

Lets say the fps gets 100k subscribers (i have no idea about how pay to play mechanics on consoles work and how popular they are). How many of them will be needed to secure for example a entire region?
How long will you have to react to a invasion by them? Do we have to transport the infantry and make sure they get to where they are supposed to be?
Can we stop a invasion in space?

One big benefit is that it will probably be impossible to control infinite amounts of space, heck might make it very hard indeed to control even a entire region. However then the problem comes with how to improve not only sov but also the value of most 0.0 which is pathetic.
(since even people in providence or cloud ring have to be able to pay the grunts to die for them)

Have a feeling it might turn into a game of musical planets so to speak.

[Jeremiah]

What a marvellous age we live in I shall start signing my nephew and his console loving mates into bonded servitude in preparation for this.

I understand Mangs worries, but if there's any gaming company that can be trusted with keeping the dream alive I feel its CCP and their dream of EVE, if it could ever work I feel they, and the nutters who play and love EVE, will be the ones to make it happen.