The floodgates for DUST 514 details opened at E3, and there's a lot to talk about when it comes to CCP's upcoming shooter. We stopped by their booth to discuss PS3 exclusivity and EVE Online integration.

CCP made waves this past week at E3 when it announced that its forthcoming shooter DUST 514 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Conventional wisdom holds that when you’re developing a new title based off of an existing franchise, you don’t cut your existing playerbase out of the picture. Thankfully, I had the chance to stop by CCP’s booth at E3 and get the skinny on DUST 514 and find out what the PlayStation 3 announcement means for EVE Online fans.

DUST 514 Overview

As a mercenary in DUST 514, you’re essentially a gun for hire for whatever cause, contract or company that meets your pricing requirements.

“DUST 514 is the thinking man’s FPS,” says CCP’s Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson. Strategy and teamwork are at the heart of the DUST 514 experience. Given DUST’s intimate connection to what is arguably the most complex MMORPG on the market, Olafsson stressed DUST 514 would be more accessible to casual players.

CCP plans to keep DUST 514 in line with their existing design philosophy favoring “sandbox” style gameplay. That implies DUST 514 won’t have predesigned classes or roles available to new players out of the gate. Instead, DUST 514 will pack some form of EVE Online’s “skill training” system, which means no level grinding required. Unfortunately, CCP was mum on how long skill training would take and what types of skills DUST 514 would feature.

Life as a Mercenary

DUST 514 Producer Thomas Farrer promised that players will enjoy plenty of variety in the types of missions available. Every contested nullsec planet in EVE will be playable in DUST 514. Just like EVE, corporations (the game’s equivalent of a guild) will play a tremendous role in every player’s gameplay experience — after all, as CCP says, knowing who to side with is half the battle.

In addition, players will be able to spend their hard earned ISK on cutting edge equipment, planetary infrastructure, and vehicles to suit their play style. The level of customizability will be on par with EVE and many of the modules available to fit on planetary vehicles will be more than a little familiar to veteran EVE players.

EVE’s influence in DUST 514’s design is clearly evident. EVE players will feel right at home with DUST 514’s HUD (heads up display) and vehicle lead-out screen, both of which were taken straight from EVE Online’s user interface. Based on the pre-recorded gameplay footage we were shown, DUST 514’s combat system displayed a visceral and tactile feel and looked highly polished.

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