My fellow corp member TrueXer0z has posted an interesting thread here asking about the idea of industry in Dust itself.

As the development of a long term and stable economy in Dust, separate from the Eve side is a concept I'd like to pursue as a CPM member, I'd invite all to post their ideas here too.

o7

Sorry, should've made that clearer.

A combined economy is of course the end game. But I'm also a pragmatist and realist.

PC has been a unmitigated disaster from day one. The passive ISK, blue doughnut, the proto stomping it finances has killed any meaningful opportunity to create a non inflationary link between the games where new players aren't going to be at a severe disadvantage. Anyone attempting to defend it should make clear how much ISK they or their corp has made from it.

If you were going to press me on a timeframe for a linked economy, I'd say its going to be a problem for CPM2/3. The game is in no fit state right now to even attempt a link. The UI is such a mess that the those using an Eve client and not a Dust client would have major advantages. API for the game is lacking and we have the problem of the PS3 trying to do all this without melting.

The brutal and honest truth is while the game is on PS3, every player should dismiss the notion of an Eve/Dust happening at all. If the previous management had shown some foresight and waited till PS4.... Until the game is on a more powerful format it isn't happening. In terms of developing the game so it is ready for the link to be actioned and in a timeframe that we'd all like, I'm reluctantly forced to admit that a switch to the PC format would be the way to achieve it.

That being said, a separate economy for Dust is I feel achievable within the restrictions of the PS3 format and that it can be used to create a meaningful, stable and more importantly, demographically diverse economy able to be used by new and veteran players. This will put any future Dust economy in a much stronger position to survive integration when the inevitable switch to a more powerful format happens. (You'll have noticed that no one at CCP has said 'laser focused on the PS3 recently)

In short then:

Build a strong internal market for Dust accessible to all players.
Further develop it till it can survive linking it to Eve.
A more powerful format switch to enable the link that can share data and maybe economic UI with Eve client. PC being the obvious choice but PC based architecture of PS4 and Xbox One are also options.

Oh I don't think a PC release this year is on the cards at all. From all accounts CCP Rouge is unwilling to promise anything that he can't show tangible progress on or be released in a reasonable time frame.

But I think that a technical brick wall has been hit by CCP on the PS3. The longer it remains on the older format, the longer it'll take to reach our expectations.