Yesterday CCP Games, developer of popular sci-fi MMOG EVE Online, announced at Germany's Game Developers Conference Europe that they were adding a new component to the EVE franchise in the form of a console-based MMOG titled DUST 514. The game has been under development at their Shanghai studios for the past three years and if the teaser video is any indication the upcoming FPS is going to be amazing.
I've never been much of a console fan personally even though I do now have an Xbox 360, but damn if the trailer didn't make me reevaluate that position. Seeking to broaden the EVE universe and bring new players to the franchise, the console MMOG will not simply be a console port of the existing MMOG but a new way to expand the existing interstellar warfare that EVE is known for. As Massively explains:
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.
This ambitious intersection of fleet based combat with the more traditional sci-fi FPS means that players intimidated by EVE's learning curve can still play a vital role in a corp's expansion of territory across New Eden, bringing the EVE universe to players who previously might never have seen it. EVE has always had a sort of antagonistic place in my heart; I absolutely love the game, but it can be difficult to play if you have a hard time putting up with the monotony and repetition. As a space simulator it captures the nuances of our future expeditions into space extremely well, but the problem has always been those nuances can be incredibly boring. I've long adored games like Freelancer or the X series, and EVE is an innovative departure from the rest of the MMOG scene. Where most other games are overflowing in elves and orcs EVE is truly unique and I've always wanted it to succeed even if I have a hard time playing for longer than an hour or two straight. (EVE also happens to be a rare game that gives its players the chance to influence the larger game universe through the way they play, a dynamic I wish more games would adopt.) For me, the chance to be a part of the EVE story while sidestepping a lot of the things that makes EVE difficult to play is extremely exciting (even despite my previous objection to console games) and the moment I heard about this I've been incredibly excited. Here's hoping the release comes soon, I personally can't wait.
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