It’s been a few hours since CCP took the stage during Sony’s keynote at this year’s E3 conference, confirming hints and rumors that the veteran MMO developer will release its newest MMOFPS, Dust 514, exclusively for PlayStation 3 in the spring of 2020. 2012. However, a game like this wouldn’t be much of an announcement for the many FPS and MMO gamers were it not for the integration that CCP is seeking between Dust 514 and Eve Online. It’s that integration that could make Dust 514 one of the most evolutionary titles in gaming history, ensuring its success in two very competitive and cutthroat genres.
Developers have tried cross-platform console-PC integration before. Cryptic Studios attempted to sell Champions Online on the basis that it would be released on PC and XBox 360, allowing console and PC players to play together on the same servers as equals. And who can forget that Funcom hyped Age of Conan on XBox 360 as a major selling point for the title back in 2008? None of the console versions managed to see the light of day. Of course, Champions Online and Age of Conan weren’t the first MMOs to try to unite console and PC gamers into one unit; Final Fantasy XI was released on the XBox 360 in 2006 and became the first MMORPG to launch a successful cross-platform service. Unfortunately for Square Enix, it didn’t improve on “unsatisfactory” subscription numbers despite occupying the Top 10 Most Played list on XBox Live for a short time.
To the outsider like me, it seems that cross-platform gaming, specifically console and PC gaming, has been clouded by bureaucracy and greed, as well as the persistent perception by gamers that the two distinct cultures cannot co-exist. peacefully in a meaningful way. . Once upon a time that may have been a valid observation, but in today’s multi-platform, multi-genre marketplace it certainly isn’t. To a large extent, the same titles that work well on consoles work well on PC and vice versa. As much as gamers feel the two communities can’t exist in the same environment, there’s no valid reason why consoles and PCs can’t offer inclusive experiences that allow the two crowds to interact beyond forums and games. websites that serve as arenas for the platform war.
However, the problem is that a game that works on PC is not a surefire hit on console and solving that problem is not as easy as some of us would like. It’s not as simple as forcing PC gamers to buy a console controller, an idea some have suggested in the past. PC titles ported to consoles often require a major remodeling effort to be “console friendly” and the same goes for console titles ported to the PC platform. While developers have made efforts in recent years to merge the two platforms in terms of gameplay as much as possible, just look at the massive torrent of watered down RPGs that have been released in the last 5 years, there is still a huge difference between how a game is played under Windows and how it is played on an XBox 360 or PlayStation 3. The marriage of the two platforms, especially in more competitive markets like the FPS genre, highlights the subtle but vast difference between consoles and computers. And so it has been for many years.
How do you solve this problem then? How do you avoid highlighting the differences between the two platforms to facilitate their peaceful and cooperative coexistence in one integrated gaming platform?
CCP appears to have gone in a different direction than its competitors in this regard. In their minds, it seems that there is only one solution to the problems mentioned above and that is to avoid them altogether. Instead of trying to sell a single gaming experience to the two different markets, CCP has opted for a more costly but potentially more rewarding approach: selling two different experiences to the two different markets. CCP is well aware of what Eve players like about Eve, but will also be aware that the same sentiments won’t hold true for console players. It’s better, according to the CCP approach, to look at what console gamers like and take advantage of that to create an entirely new title specifically for console gamers, set in the same universe as Eve Online. Allow Eve Online players to continue their sandbox-based gameplay without fear of CCP changing or diluting the experience for console audiences, and bring a refined FPS experience to console players that allows them to have its own specific flavor of Eve. At that point, it’s simply about figuring out where and how the two games will intersect, and fleshing that out into a functionality that allows for seamless interaction between the two player bases.
For those of you who don’t follow Eve Online: CCP have already started the arduous task of building game mechanics that allow interaction between the two titles. Of course, there’s the legendary Walking in Stations expansion, Incarna, just around the corner, which will allow Eve players to walk in stations as human avatars, adding a whole new layer to a game dominated by ships and space. Then there’s Planetary Interaction, a system whereby players can take advantage of planets to collect resources by building bases, mines, and other facilities on the surface. You may be wondering, what does this have to do with Dust 514? Well, it is these very planets, the planets that Eve Online players are developing and building, that will serve as the battlefields in Dust 514. It is on these worlds that console players will fight each other, protecting, destroying, or occupying the same. Builds that Eve players have dedicated their time and ISK build. This creates an enormously compelling reason for Dust 514 and Eve Online players to interact on an ongoing basis; for example, Eve players will be able to hire Dust 514 players to raid certain worlds for their benefit. Additionally, Eve Online players will be able to provide support from orbit with fleets of ships, allowing Dust 514 players to call in orbital strikes, reinforcements, armored vehicles, and more. These will not only be provided by NPCs on NPC ships in NPC worlds in NPC space, or Empire Space as it is known in Eve, but also by fleets and player ships in NPC worlds. players in player space, known as Sov or 0.0. The same will happen in reverse, of course, with Dust 514 players who will be able to contract with Eve Online Corporations to provide support and logistics for their battles on the surface of the many planets in the Eve universe. At some point in the future, claims the ever-churning Eve Online rumor mill, Eve Online players will be able to fly their ships over the surfaces of planets and Dust 514 players will be able to join Eve players on orbiting space stations, walking and talking. to his fellow occupants of Eva.
If you’re not convinced that Dust 514 will revolutionize the way we look at cross-platform integration now, I don’t know what else to tell you. This is a bold, courageous and ultimately unsolicited step in a crazy new direction for the CCP. A studio that prides itself on being the most technologically advanced team in gaming has seemingly surpassed everything they’ve accomplished with Eve thus far simply with the promise of Dust 514. The idea that two games could occupy the same virtual space and interact with each other . in this way and on this scale is, frankly, a wonder to behold in itself. Even if the title never sees the light of day, or if most of the features are thrown away as development progresses, the concept itself is a wonder to behold.
More importantly, if Dust 514 manages to achieve the lofty goals it has set out to achieve, then it may well set a precedent in video game development, inspiring other developers to tackle the problem of cross-platform interaction in the same way. If Dust 514 succeeds in bringing PC and console gamers together, there’s no reason for larger studios to avoid the prospects of such a model with their own titles, tweaking two games for two platforms but integrating them at a foundational level that inspires. both communities to interact. with each other, while having a direct, significant and noticeable impact on each other’s gaming experiences.
What does 514 powder mean for gaming? It could well herald a new chapter in gaming history and the start of a new era of progression on two platforms that are seeing innovation stall. It could be the creation of the next decade of console and PC gaming.