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DUST 514 open beta starts January 22nd
Last week CCP took a big step toward DUST 514's official launch by merging the game's closed beta test environment into EVE Online's live Tranquility server. The next milestone is open beta, which the company says will begin on January 22nd. "With no further character resets, every shot, every battle, and every contract now counts," according to a CCP press release. DUST marks the first time that games from two different genres have been into a single online experience as well as the first time that titles from a console platform and the PC have co-existed in real time. [Source: CCP press release]
EVE now lets you nuke entire DUST 514 sites from orbit
CCP has completed its downtime migration of the DUST 514 beta onto EVE's live Tranquility server. The company has published an extensive FAQ entry that aims to answer everyone's questions, including how capsuleers can rain fiery hot death down on their terrestrial mercenary counterparts. As it turns out, ground forces can't fire back just yet, but it's also not possible for EVE pilots to hop from planet to planet sowing wanton destruction in their wake. Orbital strikes must be requested by DUST 514 players. After the request is made, any EVE pilot allied with the relevant militia and possessing the appropriate tactical ammo may answer the call. There's much more to it than that, of course, and the EVE wiki has all the specifics.
CCP merging DUST beta with EVE live server on January 10
EVE Online and DUST 514 players have been rubbing elbows on the Singularity test server for a while now. Beginning Thursday, January 10th, the two groups will be hobnobbing together for keeps on EVE's live Tranquility server. With the two games combining, both playerbases will be able to interact via chat channels and even join corporations together. However, even though DUST is integrating into the live EVE server, CCP points out that the shooter is not officially launching. "For now we are remaining in closed beta from the DUST side of things," the company says. However, barring any major catastrophes, CCP also states this will be the last time DUST characters are reset.
The Perfect Ten: New MMOs to watch in 2013
Oh, I had a great Perfect Ten prepped as the first list of the year, but my meanie-face editor slammed on the veto button and told me, point-blank, that I was going to be counting down the best MMO prospects for the year. Then she drove a lawnmower through a Nordstroms while huffing paint thinner and throwing empty cans at the security personnel. Even so, her idea is probably more interesting than what I had. Let me give you a few notes on today's list because I sense that I'm going to tick more of you off than normal here. My goal was to sift through the possible releases for 2013 and pick the 10 most promising, both in "will it actually launch this year?" and in its potential for success. The combination makes it a tough call because some of these will undoubtedly be delayed to 2014 or beyond and some of these we still don't know as much as we'd like about them. But who cares? Let's have some fun and kick this year off right. Here are my picks for new MMOs to watch in 2013.
DUST 514's latest build lets you bring the pain from EVE Online allies
If you've been waiting for DUST 514 to show off its integration with EVE Online, your wait is over. Now when you're in the midst of pitched fighting for an area, you don't have to wade through enemy fire and struggle against overwhelming odds. No, you can just call in your allies from outer space, bring down an orbital bombardment in the area, and take possession of whatever survived the initial blast. That's the big takeaway from the game's new build, Chromosome, and it's one that's very welcome. Admittedly the orbital bombardments are currently limited to players on the test server, but seeing as the game is still in beta that's rather appropriate. The latest development blog discussing the update also mentions that this will be the last major push before open beta, and while it's not as flashy as destroying your foes from orbit, there have been a number of bug fixes and improvements. So there's a lot to like in this update, but the best thing is raining death on your enemies with arsenals from the heavens. At least, it's the best thing until the other side has better friends.
New DUST dev diary has guns, lots of guns
There's a new DUST 514 dev diary video making the rounds, and this time the focus is on the title's guns. They fall into three categories (heavy, light, and sidearm), the first of which are restricted to mercs wearing heavy armor. As with DUST's dropsuits, weapons may be modified via add-ons and new skills in a similar manner to EVE Online's extensive spaceship fitting options. Producer Thomas Farrer, also known as CCP Wolfman, is your guide to the guns of New Eden, so join him after the break for the full clip.
New DUST 514 screenshots released
If you're a DUST 514 fan and haven't been getting enough to salivate over recently, your time of waiting is (however briefly) at an end. We've got some snazzy new screenshots for you to feast your eyes on. Here: Have some pictures of a shotgun blast, a gunner, some poor dude having just the worst day on the job ever (featured above), and some in-game weapons. Enjoy! In case you've been hiding under a rock or avoiding all CCP news for a good long while, DUST 514 is an upcoming shooter that will extend and interact with the world of EVE Online. The game's in closed beta at least through the beginning of 2013, but if you're a Playstation Plus member, you can hop in and take it for a spin. %Gallery-173461%[Source: CCP press release]
Learn about rewards in DUST 514
Pretty much everybody likes being rewarded, and it's safe to say that gamers are more or less at the heart of the group of people who like rewards. So let's talk about rewards in DUST 514. Players can earn three things from battle: money, skill points, and salvage. You'll earn ISK, the storied EVE currency, in every battle you fight. Every mercenary will receive basic compensation for fighting; the more you fight, the more of this basic reward money you'll get. Teams will earn rewards based on the value of items destroyed, and that money pool will be divided among team members based on time spent in the battle. Everyone will also receive a monetary reward based on war points earned in a battle. War points will be converted to skill points, which are used to improve your your abilities. Finally, players have the chance to receive salvage items off a loot table. In time, players will be able to equip modules to influence their chances of higher-quality loot.
DUST 514 video diary explores the nuances of vehicles
When you're shooting your way across the planets in DUST 514, you don't want to be walking everywhere like an animal. You want to be riding in style, especially if you can be riding in something that also has armor plating and variable thrusters. That's where vehicles come into the game. A new video narrated by Ryan Thornton (also known as CCP Blam!) explains how vehicles will work in the shooter and what players can expect from their earliest rides and more advanced offerings. The game's vehicle system starts everyone with very basic items, but as time goes by you can upgrade your rides with the use of skill points and different configurations. You can make your dropship logistical support for other vehicles, or you can turn it into a heavily armed and armored transport that clears a landing zone and puts down troops. Or you can turn it into a lightning-fast transport that brings players across the map faster than enemy players can react. Take a look at the full video just past the break to see more of the vehicle system in all its glory.
EVE Evolved: Impressions of the New Eden Open
If you like to watch spaceships shoot at each other with graphs and numbers all over the screen, then the New Eden Open might be right up your street. It's EVE Online's latest competitive tournament and the first one to have a cash prize, pitting teams of players against each other in a bid to win a cut of $10,000 US. Until now, EVE's only foray into the competitive gaming space has been its annual Alliance Tournament in which in-game alliances compete for billions of ISK and blueprints for rare ships. The addition of a cash-prize tournament with fewer entry restrictions is a welcome change; hopefully there are more to come. The Alliance Tournament has historically been filled with drama and politics, with some teams using spies to manipulate the outcome of matches. With real cash prizes on the table, players have worried that even more rampant spying would ruin the New Eden Open. After three weeks of great fights, however, the tournament seems to be going strong. In fact, EVE's metagame has actually helped the tournament in a way that no one expected. In this week's EVE Evolved, I give my impressions of the $10,000 New Eden Open, highlight an early match I liked, and look at the strategies players are using to win.
Dust 514 dev diary and screens dig into closed beta's vehicular warfare
This dev diary and gallery of screenshots focuses on the vehicles roaming around the closed beta of Dust 514, EVE Online's interconnected sibling shooter on PS3 and Vita. Also, make sure you watch the video's intro closely. %Gallery-171540%
CCP considering mech vehicles for DUST 514
CCP has released a new dev diary video for its DUST 514 sci-fi shooter. The PlayStation 3 exclusive, which shares chat channels and an economy with MMO EVE Online, will initially feature three main vehicle classes. The game's current beta build boasts light attack vehicles (think jeeps and small transports), heavy attack craft (i.e., tanks), and drop ships (the DUST version of a helicopter). CCP is also considering additional vehicle classes. Yes, including mechs. Lead vehicle designer Ryan Thornton gives us a preview of the current classes in the video after the cut.
CCP talks about connecting DUST 514 with EVE Online
CCP is going into uncharted territory in its attempt to fuse its new console shooter, DUST 514, to its long-running MMO, EVE Online. When breaking new ground like that, it's sensible to take it slow, make sure you're not going to fall into an endless pit, trip over a sleeping cobra, or suddenly throw an incredibly advanced economy into total disarray. CCP's Chief Marketing Officer, David Reid, talked with Joystiq about the challenges the company faces in this endeavor. "If there's anything about EVE that's particularly notorious, it's the fidelity of its virtual economy. You can equate the loss of a giant ship in EVE to some real world amount of money, just based on the time and effort it takes to build. It's really important that, when we do join the games, and we do allow ISK [an in-game currency that can be purchased with meatspace money] to flow between EVE and DUST that we don't accidentally institute some hyper-inflation in one game or the other." Of course, interaction between the games won't be limited to trading. Reid says the grand vision includes space elevators and the ability for EVE characters to go planetside and DUST marines can visit a space station. Check out all the details over at Joystiq.
Connecting worlds with Dust 514 and CCP chief marketing officer David Reid
There is no road map for taking a first-person shooter and injecting it into an existing MMO universe, so developer CCP Games is attempting to draw one. Combining the worlds of the (extraordinarily intimidating) cult hit EVE Online and its upcoming, self-published free-to-play console shooter Dust 514 isn't as easy as tying a narrative thread between both games, there's a sensitive balance the developer has to consider."If there's anything about EVE that's particularly notorious, it's the fidelity of its virtual economy. You can equate the loss of a giant ship in EVE to some real world amount of money, just based on the time and effort it takes to build," CCP Chief Marketing Officer David Reid tells Joystiq.Reid says that because EVE's in-game economy is so unique, it's essential for the developer to introduce changing aspects – like a completely different game's economy – gradually. Currently in closed beta, Dust 514 is testing its in-game links to EVE Online, but it's a careful play of checks and balances and minuscule tweaks that will make the games work well in tandem.%Gallery-163006%
EVE Evolved: Merging EVE with DUST 514
When console MMOFPS DUST 514 was first announced, players were cautious of the game's ambitious goals. Developers promised that DUST battles would decide the ownership of planets inside PC MMO EVE Online, and that this would tie into system sovereignty and ultimately ownership of entire regions of space. We expected the two games to have separate communities and economies that would interact only when EVE players hired DUST mercenaries to take over sectors of particular planets, but we couldn't have been more wrong. Two years later, CCP blew our expectations out of the water with details of how DUST and EVE will be practically joined at the hip. We learned that the two games would share the exact same corporations and that ISK would be transferable between games. We also got a glimpse of the incredible plans for realtime integration, with EVE ships able to deliver air strikes to planets and DUST players able to shoot down ships in orbit with ground cannon. But have those ambitious goals stayed in focus during development, and what can we expect from DUST when it launches early next year? In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look through the public information on DUST 514's launch integration with EVE Online and speculate on how the link may evolve after release.
Dust 514 beta codes available right here [We're all out!]
Update: Hopefully you snagged one our keys, because we're all out of them now!Dust 514 isn't in open beta just yet – that happens early next year – but it's open to you. Joystiq readers can jump into the closed beta on PS3 right now, simply by clicking the link below and getting a code for beta entry.There just happens to be a Double Skill Point event going on right now, so you can catch up in terms of skill points while you're catching up in ... actual skill.
CCP's DUST 514 will stay in closed beta into 2013
CCP's DUST 514, the console shooter that connects to and extends the scope of EVE Online, is staying in closed beta at least through the end of the year. During a recent media and developer play session, Chief Marketing Officer David Reid mentioned that while the team doesn't yet have a start date for open beta, he's "confident that it won't be much longer after year end." Reid stated that the team wants to take its time with the beta. Nobody has ever really attempted this sort of connection between a console game and long-standing PC MMO before, and Reid says that the testing process will take time to ensure the kind of quality that CCP and fans expect of the game. This is, of course, terrible news for anyone who isn't a PlayStation Plus member (and is therefore unable to access the closed beta), since we all know that the world is going to end in late December. CCP's belief that the world will persist long enough for DUST 514 to go into open beta is noble, if ultimately foolish.
Dust 514 open beta in early 2013; earn 'Double SP' in closed beta until Nov. 8
During an online multiplayer session pitting CCP against media, the developer's Chief Marketing Officer David Reid noted that the Dust 514 closed beta will continue throughout 2012."We'll be in closed beta for the rest of the year," Reid reiteratted to Joystiq following sessions of the free-to-play, PS3-exclusive shooter. "While determining the precise date for commencing open beta definitely will depend on player feedback, we're feeling confident that it won't be much longer after year end."Reid wouldn't tell us precisely how many users have participated in the closed beta, which had been available to download for PlayStation Plus members earlier this year; however, he said the team has welcomed "hundreds of thousands of people" into the game since launching in August. Users can register for access on the game's website.CCP seems intent to take its time with the game, with Reid citing the team's desire to run what they "think of as a 'real beta,'" a point expanded upon in our August preview of the game."Given the technical complexity of being the first developer to ever connect a console game to a live running PC MMO [EVE Online]. This takes time to ensure we're meeting the quality bar we've set for ourselves and our players expect, and we're committed to doing this right."To keep Dust 514 closed beta participants locked into the game's large-scale battles, CCP is holding a 'Double Skill Point' event from now until November 8. Servers are online each day of the week at almost 24 hours a day, save for a regular daily maintenance window.
Way of the Mercenary video explains all you need to know about DUST 514
CCP has released a new DUST 514 video called The Way of the Mercenary. The three-minute clip acts as a pretty good primer for New Eden newbs, as it covers everything from DUST's roles, skill loadouts, and equipment loss to the game's tie-in with EVE Online. The vid also highlights the many uses of the Neocom, DUST's chat setup, and plenty of gameplay footage (including orbital strikes and vehicular action). See for yourself after the cut.
The Firing Line: On Star Citizen, DUST 514, and DayZ
Welcome back to The Firing Line, folks. While I don't have any nifty sequel announcements or contentious community issues for you this week, I do have some interesting tidbits on three upcoming shooters that you might have missed. Join me after the cut for a chat about Star Citizen's hardcore aspirations, DUST 514's PC potential, and DayZ's upcoming standalone client.
