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music before you start reading.
There are some things that are overlooked too often when making a game. The concept art and music are one of the few places that have the purity and essence of a game. So lets talk about New Eden, not just the fictional world CCP created a back story for, but the one where thousands of players live out their lives.
Whether they be mining asteroids, exploring wormholes, tracking markets, hunting pirates, fighting wars, building ships. hauling goods, ganking, or simply roaming from place to place looking for bounties. New Eden through EVE has opened up a whole organic world, where trade hubs have formed naturally, and the greatest events are player driven. Yet so much has been left absent from the experience. As of now PI is the only way to monetize on ground resources, and walking through your hanger is the only way to experience the universe on a human scale.
So where does that leave Dusts role? As of now I would be reluctant to call it part of New Eden in any way other than in name. Instead of exploring the stars you live the life of a mercenary. So as a merc we should be able to forge out own path and claim our spot in the universe.Yet, we have no freedom, which is against the very essence of a mercenary. As of now we are hired to fight for random corporations, who all reward us the same for our deeds and we have no choice in the matter. If we choose to fight for a faction, we are treated the same, but we still have a choice of who to fight for, even if loyalty isn't rewarded. I suppose we could start our own corporations and fight for land.... and make more clones... to do more fighting? To what end?
Here is where the dilemma comes in, all the depth, freedom, and scale that make EVE one of the greatest (IMO the greatest) MMOs of all time is absent. It isn't even in EVE with regards to DUST. A large scale war was fought in null sec, one of the largest in New Eden history and not a single shot in it was fired by a merc. This game can't hope to achieve greatness if it isn't ready to fully step into New Eden. I don't know where this game went wrong, but this is not New Eden.
It really makes me sad too, because I was looking forward to doing new things in EVE with relation to DUST, like becoming a pioneer in weapons manufacturing and logistics. The current setup has a non existent eceonomy, pulling it further from New Eden. Mercs are moved without any help or hindrance from ships in the sky, which is not something that should happen in this universe. New Eden is a place of freedom to fail or succeed through any means.
With that said I understand this game has a roadmap, but it needs to keep it's focus on becoming a part of New Eden. That was the selling point, that is what makes this game different, and that is what will make it last.
We need joint forums, joint dev teams, and joint player representation, so we can get these two worlds together as one New Eden. I support this game for CCP and their future vision, all I ask is that you don't forget who got you here, and listen to the citizens of New Eden.