November 29, 2012November 30, 2012

DUST 514 Dev Diary: A Closer Look at the Free-to-Play FPS’ Vehicles

Enter the EVE Universe, where intergalactic conflict among immortal spaceship pilots has spilled from the vast, empty expanse of space onto the surfaces of the planets themselves. These ground conflicts are waged in the battle zones of DUST 514, where you, the boots on the ground, are empowered to take the war effort to a whole new level. As a mercenary in DUST 514, you are the frontline against other intrepid soldiers of fortune. At your disposal you have a large arsenal of weaponry and a range of vehicle classes, from ground-based light attack vehicles and heavy attack vehicles, to imposing aerial-based dropships.

In this video, you’ll see how vehicle classes provide a rock-solid foundation for exploring specialized roles. As your persona in DUST 514 progresses, you have the choice of unlocking advanced vehicle variants that fill unique roles on the battlefield. Some of these include Logistical Dropships to provide a support presence on the battlefield, and Marauder HAVs, which are well-rounded armored units that pack a punch while maintaining a fair amount of damage protection.

These vehicle roles all have benefits that favor a particular fashion of gameplay. However, each vehicle, regardless of its level of advancement, has its own strengths and weaknesses. Even with the most standard vehicle models, you can tip the balance of power by utilizing the customization options available to you through fitting unique weapons and modules to your vehicle’s chassis. This level of customization allows you to carve out your own personalized contribution as part of any vehicle fleet.

The great thing about all of this is that DUST 514 is an ongoing, ever-evolving, free-to-play battleground where we’re continually expanding and improving upon your experience. Armed with feedback from our awesome online community during our ongoing closed beta, we’re able to identify and act upon what matters most to your experience as part of this great cross-platform massive multiplayer online adventure. Come join us and be part of something that’s never been done before by signing up for the beta at http://www.dust514.com/beta.

And take part in our Server Swarm Saturday event this Saturday (December 1st) — we’d love for you to be in on the action. We’re excited to be a PS3 exclusive, and we hope you’ll come play Dust 514 and give some of our vehicles a try!

Comments are closed.

36 Comments

StealthReborn--
November 29, 2012 at 11:03 am PST

When is the next build coming? Its been two months since the current one launched. =)
DuoMaxwell007
November 29, 2012 at 11:20 am PST

Will this game ever get as big as EVE… I see ads for retribution and see stuff like:

Bounty hunting and Crimewatch.. I wanna see that kinda stuff in Dust… the blog calls it a “free to play battleground” and thats just my issue with it.. I prefer it was a free to play WORLD where battles are option but not 100% the entire game… with EVE you have a LOT more to do that just fly around and blow up people ships.. I wanna see those kinda options in Dust… instead of it being EVEs ground based skirmish app I want it to be EVEs ground based counterpart/clone

I want it to have all the options every other game with MMO in the title has instead of it just being 100% deathmatch and little to nothing else, having npcs to fight, mining to do, crafting stuff to sell (ammo, armor, mods etc etc), housing o hang out in when youre not in battle, bounty hunting/contracts, or if you choose the ability to to nothing but mine or play the economy in a way that you could get filthy rich without ever participating in a SINGLE battle if you choose
etur0
November 29, 2012 at 11:41 am PST

@ DuoMaxwell007 greedy much just be happy that it is free

fyi they aren’t designing this game to be like eve they are are designing it to be like they way it is

and if you want to play a game like EVE THEN GO PLAY EVE and stop complaining that this game isn’t like EVE and it was never meant to be like EVE
jimmyfoxhound
November 29, 2012 at 12:25 pm PST

will this always be a “beta” of sorts or will it get a push and be launched as a normal game?
- Ryan Geddes
  November 29, 2012 at 2:12 pm PST
  
  Hi Jimmy. Ryan Geddes (CCP Sentinel) here from CCP Games. Yes, DUST 514 is definitely going to move out of closed beta and become fully available to any PlayStation user who wants to play. No specific date to announce just yet, but stay tuned!
DuoMaxwell007
November 29, 2012 at 12:32 pm PST

@3 some of us dont game on PC otherwise Id do just that… also the only reason I complain in the first place is because the label the game an MMO….. yet its not much of one.. MMOs have all the stuff I mentioned in my comment… all Dust is is 32v32 skirmishes whos outcome can affect an ACTUAL mmo (eve) Dust itself is about as much as an MMO as CoD of MAG…. Planetside on the other hand is very much an MMO..

Drop the MMO label off Dust then I can take it for what it actually is “another deathmatch/object based oriented FPS” and thus no longer have anything to complain about.
MakoSOLIDER
November 29, 2012 at 12:46 pm PST

Wud I be wrong to expect this game to be delayed to next year
USRevenge2
November 29, 2012 at 2:10 pm PST

@2
no it won’t be as big as eve, eve is just too big and as an eve player that knows console will always be better then PC for games, Eve will NEVER work with a controller. if you watch actual gameplay you would understand

Dust is supposed to have more then the 32player matches, it is supposed to have missions vs NPCs and other things as well I wouldn’t expect to fly in space with eve players though. I wouldn’t call dust an MMO either, but it doesn’t mean it is bad.

It could potentially have zones that are just players not killing players, I an see how it would work. I know most yu guys are new to the beta but know this, the previous builds maps were bigger.. I can see combining some of the maps and throwing 20 guys into it and saying ” yea there are some NPC guys killing everyone) and haveing a horde/free for all killfest.

bounty hunting could work but won’t be in at launch it might simply be % of kills you get go to your wallet.
DuoMaxwell007
November 29, 2012 at 2:25 pm PST

@7 well i dont expect it to be literally as big as EVE bu I expect it to be as big as any other game that calls itself an MMO… even DCUO I can see how thats an MMO even though it lacks content, has only 2 cities and two base hubs.. it snot big at all but its still an mmo as its not all PvP… you have an open world to explore.. you see other players out in it and interact with them.. you can help them with quests, etc etc and its not big at all but its very MMO like….

some of the stuff you just named sounds very mmo like but has it been confirmed that any of that will happen?

@Ryan in your reply you said Dust will move out of closed beta and open to everyone…. that doesnt really answer the guys question.. he asked if it will ever move from closed beta and be a “normal” game.. your reply could very well just be talking about the game moving from closed beta to OPEN beta.. but its still a beta and not a “full/normal” game… kinda like Playstation Home has been in “beta” for 5 years now… will Dust always be a ongoing forever beta (even when its open to everyone) or will it eventually shift from bets status to full release?

THATS his/her question
supvic
November 29, 2012 at 2:56 pm PST

@8, of course it’s going to become a “normal” game eventually, why would ANY developer make a game without ever intending it to be released for everyone to play? geez use your head, it’s just freaking common sense.
Ender_Bean
November 29, 2012 at 3:28 pm PST

@8 C’mon guy. You are not even being pedantic here. At this point you are just being rude. Take a chill pill.
DuoMaxwell007
November 29, 2012 at 3:29 pm PST

@9 obviously you know nothing about gaming if you think thats “common sense” I can name lots of games that have been around for years that are still calling themselves a open beta and have yet to transition to “full release” and probably never will:

space cowboy/Ace online
9 dragoons
2moons
Last chaos
PlayStation Home (even though it isnt a game)

want me to keep going? As thats usually how F2P MMOs are
DuoMaxwell007
November 29, 2012 at 3:33 pm PST

@10 its not my fault this game was announced back at VGA in 2009 and as an MMO (caps for emphasis) and I had high hopes for an FPS MMO.. I just wanna be sure I havent been waiting 4 years (it hasnt been 4 years yet but i doubt this game is coming out before 2013 soooo) for a game that utter crap or less that what I hoped for..

and all the negative stuff people who are playing the closed beta are saying about the game isnt exactly doing much to reassure me that itll be worth the wait
tusunami
November 29, 2012 at 3:38 pm PST

I have to get back to playing this, with blackops2 out i forget to play this.
ratchet6009
November 29, 2012 at 5:18 pm PST

WHEN IS THE FULL GAME GONNA BE REALEASED!? AT LEAST TELL US THAT. and please no TBA 2012. i’ve heard it won’t be realeased until sometime in 2013. please after waiting for this game for a long time. we deserve a exact release date.
YungShep
November 29, 2012 at 5:53 pm PST

i cannot wait til its out of beta testing! i want some trophies!
USRevenge2
November 29, 2012 at 11:03 pm PST

it will always be considered a beta most likely because it will never be “finished” it will be getting updated for years down the road.
my best guess is winter 2013 release day. if it IS coming out this year, it will be around december 4th but I highly doubt it will be released then ( though I wish it was ready)
DuoMaxwell007
November 30, 2012 at 5:32 am PST

@16 umm MMOs are always constantly getting updated years down the road.. yet they leave “beta” status…. EVE just got a huge update recently.. is it still a beta? so the logic you used is a bit flawed
Grayfox2k8
November 30, 2012 at 6:50 am PST

1:20 the mother of all camp spots.
D4rkl1ght3r
November 30, 2012 at 7:09 am PST

Logi Dropships are fine and all but pilots get no points for spawning, drop offs or anything that amounts to any points to level a character. Compound that with the problem that only missiles can kill anything effectively and missiles just got a huge nuke. It works if your all maxed out and don’t care much about leveling, else stay on the ground for build of the DS.
Khal-Ynnoth
November 30, 2012 at 7:24 am PST

@ratchet6009 – sorry man but CCP coined the term soon(tm) they will release it as full release when it’s ready and not before and they won’t bow to community pressure to do that before it is done as they have stated many times. They are however trying to get the community to do some high load testing this weekend which I would see as a step towards making the beta open as they have done similar things when releasing content from the EVE staging server to the main server, so definitely a step in the right direction.
Khal-Ynnoth
November 30, 2012 at 7:25 am PST

@DuoMaxwell007 I agree that Dust514 is not quite at what you would expect from an MMO RPG but I think that they are definitely billing it as more of an MMO FPS.
There is already more persistence between matches than any online shooter that I have played (I did not play Mag) but having kept up with the dev blogs and announcements over the last couple of years.
CCP really want to add a bunch of features that include corps being able to build their own infrastructure and having to defend said infrastructure from both PC and NPC shenanigans and the ability to interact both financially and physically with the rest of the EVE universe.
Khal-Ynnoth
November 30, 2012 at 7:25 am PST

@DuoMaxwell007 contd. Drone infestations and the like have been mentioned for PvE content and crafting is already a part of the EVE universe so I would expect manufacturing and the like to come into Dust. Mining in game is not something I would imagine that they want to put in (in the same way as EVE), but resource management and the ability to make your own kit probably is, but planetside mining is certainly not where resources in EVE come from.

Remember this is not an Everquest MMO RPG, but an MMO FPS like planetside, I mean how much mining and NPC interaction did you ever get in Planetside? SO expecty more shooting and a lot less asking the Dark Elf for a quest to kill Spiders and make leggings from their silk.
Khal-Ynnoth
November 30, 2012 at 7:26 am PST

@DuoMaxwell007 contd. I still want all the stuff (bar the mining) that you mention in your first post, it’s just that like EVE things will be released when they are ready and they want to get the core gameplay (which is FPS) as close to perfect as possible, the other stuff will come and because it’s CCP I believe that they will deliver everything they say they will and it will be awesome, but most importantly they will LISTEN to their players and change things that don’t work and add the things that they want, this is what CCP do best.

OK Wow I seemed to have a lot to say, please take with a heap of salt :)
LoVeRSaMa
November 30, 2012 at 8:22 am PST

@Ryan Geddes

Nice of you to answer back in this post, I do have afew quick questions.

I find that the big guns on the vehicles don’t have much splash damage, so Ill fire a big cannon and hit right next to someone and it wont touch them (it makes it feel very unreal.. as such)

Also with a sniper it is very very hard to hit someone unless they are standing 100% still, and even sometimes when I hit someone it does no damage.

Are these things that will be fixed soon?

I feel like this game could be awesome, but at the moment it does not feel like a fun FPS only because the controls are very weird and out dated, I feel like I am being forced to use classes I don’t want to purely because the other classes are better then the sniper at low levels..
- Ryan Geddes
  November 30, 2012 at 11:52 am PST
  
  Those are things we’re constantly evaluating in beta testing. That’s an important point, because as Khal-Ynnoth mentions above, we deeply value opportunities to let our community tell us what is working and what is not. Your patience with that process is appreciated. :-)
  
  Your point about the sniper rifle illustrates one of the things that make DUST 514 so different than a lot of other shooters. When you first pick up a sniper rifle in DUST, you’re not going to be 100% proficient. Scope sway, reload time, damage, accuracy and other variables can all be individually trained to your liking. That said, it should still be satisfying to pick up a sniper rifle and start popping heads. Our challenge is to walk that line between ease of use and deep customization. And with your help, we’re getting there!
  
  We’re approaching this as a true beta, which is rare for console games. And as we further connect the planetary battles in DUST to the space combat of EVE Online, we’ll be doing even more testing to ensure everything runs smoothly. It’s an experience you can only have on PlayStation 3 — we’re excited about the journey, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride!
tulaib_100
November 30, 2012 at 8:32 am PST

i hope this game support trophies, please let it be. And Ryan please tell your team to improve the graphics and physics DRASTICALLY !!!, enjoying the beta though just get these two things done please
DuoMaxwell007
November 30, 2012 at 8:38 am PST

@khal

” but an MMO FPS like planetside, I mean how much mining and NPC interaction did you ever get in Planetside?”

not very much but what i DID get that was MMO like was an open world to explore.. I didnt HAVE to fight.. I could walk around the world.. see a battle taking place.. walk right past it and into another one.. or i could see other players who arent in the middle of a fight casually strolling around like I am (or picking fight with those of us that are casually strolling around).. the world was “active”

unlike Dust which is just “go to lobby, search for match, get ported to match.. when match is over go back to lobby and search for the next one” the world itself isnt interactive… I dont feel like Im on a planet I feel like im in an arena. how am i supposed to build bond and or backstab people (like what happens in EVE a lot) with a system thats like Dust’s?
DuoMaxwell007
November 30, 2012 at 8:39 am PST

As for the game can be updated… yeah true but there sone problem… its on PS3… EVEs been around for like 10 years.. how many ppl do you think will still be playing Dust on PS3 in 10 years? heck or even 2-3 years? Also Dust is free whereas EVE is P2P… P2P games are usually MUCH better in the constant updates/editions departments than F2P games are.. so Dust might be highly neglected in that area
guitarded77
November 30, 2012 at 9:45 am PST

I keep forgetting this game exists… I’ve played a few times, but it’s a bit overwhelming with the amount of depth. I just have so many games, DUST keeps getting put on the back burner. I wish CCP great success with the game, but I probably won’t be all in until it comes out of beta… just too much going on right now. Will there be trophies when the game comes out of beta? This will be a game where you could constantly add trophies with updates, and I could see DUST having 500+ trophies for the committed.
ABrownCowNow
November 30, 2012 at 1:44 pm PST

@ Duo and the rest of skeptics. Trust CCP, they are very good at what they do. The reason EVE has been around for 10 years is because CCP has adapted to the evolving industry and has worked hard to implement feedback from it’s players. The difference between F2P and P2P has nothing to do with the output of updates, or the amount of attention that CCP intends on paying to Dust. They are using a F2P model for Dust because it is currently the model that will work for it’s purpose.
As far as release dates and gameplay goes, CCP will release it when it’s ready, but more importantly they will release it when EVE is ready for it. They’re performing a very delicate operation that has never been (successfully) implemented before, if ever even attempted. The goal is for Dust and EVE to meet somewhere in the middle. Dust Corps will tied to or associated with EVE alliances, so many MMO/Diplomatic ventures will overshadow the actual FPS gameplay. In addition, Once the transition is made, you aren’t (hopefully) going to be sitting in Jita all day/every-day with unlimited access to every module in Dust. Gathering your assets and suits, and playing the market will obviously be essential in Dust. The edge of space is cold and lonely.
ABrownCowNow
November 30, 2012 at 1:51 pm PST

@12, Like it has been mentioned before, CCP is pioneering here. Many of us have been waiting more than 4 years, but if you look at the progress that has been made over the duration of that time, or even in the last 6 months, you’ll find that you can expect great things by release.
ratchet6009
November 30, 2012 at 2:14 pm PST

I’m glad CCP is taking there time with this game, and i hope it turns out well. i am kinda getting tired of the beta, 1. buy some items 2. go into battle, and earn isk and skill points 3. return and restock on items. 4. repeat. i just hope the full game is ALOT more than this.
Ryumoau
November 30, 2012 at 2:50 pm PST

The beta is pretty boring. i don’t see myself playing the final product not only because the betas not that fun but it is also too big. Around 11GBs if i remember correctly.
ratchet6009
November 30, 2012 at 4:01 pm PST

@Ryumoau it actually about 4.6GBs. its not that big.
DonRodie
December 1, 2012 at 5:37 pm PST

This game is pretty good. When is the update though?