Jaysyn Larrisen
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
166
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Posted - 2013.10.28 14:38:00 -
[1] - Quote
Patrick, +1 for the positive thread... I echo many of your thoughts on the game.
Why do I play? It's a very immersive game and is part of an incredibley fleshed out game and fiction world (if you care to look). The creative or novel approach of building a linked, cross-platform, cross-genre game is actually pretty visionary on CCPs part. The fact that they can make those connections and appear to have the fortitude to map things over the course of years and not months is pretty rare, particularly in the frenetic world of gaming where everyone is looking for the next "FOTM" game.
I keep playing because of the people I play with and we have a blast playing even with the bugs, glitches, and game rage. Also, I feel that with every patch or hotfix I'm seeing an incredible product taking shape...it's still maturing but there are tangible improvements on a regular basis.
General thoughts on CCP game direction (stream of conciousness following...)
If you compare Dust to CoD or BF4 as direct competitors then it doesn't hold a candle. I think that's a false comparison that a lot of new players make since they equate it to a F2P FPS. It is a FPS but when you look at the macro levels and the design outcomes that CCP is using to guide development it's much more than that. The game isn't a AAA polished shooter with a linear, 10hr PVE camgaign and lobby for PVP and at the moment that's actually ok. CCP is working on being better by being different and I for one like that a lot. The eye candy of varsity FPS games is pretty awesome, but ultimately it's more of the same and Dust definetly isn't that.
CCP started with the outcome or endstate of what they wanted the game to be... very similar to the concept of Design in architecture or how the US Army conducts strategic planning (believe it or not there's a lot of academic crossover). I strongly suspect that desired outcome wasn't "be the best FPS on the PS3/4". I think if you look at the recent CCP comments about their long term vision for PC and FW you are getting a glimpse at what the actual desired outcome is for Dust and they started with that same idea way back when the idea for Dust first surfaced and have been moving towards ever since. My impression is that they knew / know what they want but are going through the growing pains of finding out how to get their and again, that's ok. The average AAA FPS producer knows their product really has a lifespan measured in a few months until the next big thing hits then their numbers drop dramatically. CCP is for the most part disregarding that and focusing on much longer range goals.
How many play EVE globally on a consistent basis? I've heard numbers around 30+ million and even higher. Once EVE is fully incentivized to incorporate Dust actions (CCP vision for PC and FW) Dust will likely become two things simultaneously... 1) a pretty nifty FPS with tie into a real meta-game; and 2) The most well developed mini-game and/or alternate playmode for EVE you can imagine. Just think, let's say 5yrs from now 1% of EVE players also particpate in Dust and take full advantage of it in addition to other folks downloading it that have never heard of EVE. The folks they are going to want to pay to take planets aren't going to be going to the random fly-by-night gamer clans or unkown Corps. It will be people like us...the few thousand that were here now and have the means and the muscle to deliver on contracts.
Just my thoughts... |