Maken Tosch
DUST University
Ivy League
13259
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Posted - 2016.04.22 01:39:00 -
[1] - Quote
Here are some videos posted by our fellow Dust mercs Dennie, Saxon, and Kirk covering the new game that CCP is developing under the temporary name of Project Nova. Yes, I call it temporary because project names don't normally end up being the final title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZhOSQEcnEI
https://youtu.be/YLGdp9lp2Kw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJ7mE2vpbQ
I want to make it clear that any theory crafting you see me perform here should not be considered as the final word. Anything related to theory crafting must always be treated as if I was wearing hats made of the finest tinfoils in New Eden. Ok, now for the details.
First off, the smooth frame rates is a major plus. I don't know what black magic CCP pulled here using Unreal Engine 4 but it seems to me that the game is running close to 60 frames per second (probably 40-50 FPS if thinking conservatively). Either way that is a significant improvement over the aweful frame rates we have with Dust on the PS3 which often feels like it runs at less than 30 FPS. The increase in frame rate seems to help with placing shots along with the fact that the game is being played with a mouse and keyboard.
Second, the mini map look very useful this time. In Dust the mini map is just a blank image with circles. In Project Nova, the mini map gives you a direct reference using a 2D representation of the map you are in which reduces the need to constantly use the overview. Speaking of which, the overview looks very clean and it is no longer a 3D rendering of the current map which is known to cause problems here in Dust. Instead it is a 2D representation of the entire map for project Nova which probably means faster loading times and better overall performance since the game is no longer having to render an entire terrain model just to show you a stupid map.
Since I mentioned maps, that brings me to the third bit. The map in the footage is actually that of a Chimera which is a well known fighter carrier in Eve Online operated by Eve players. I'm not saying that the Chimera they are fighting in right now is currently piloted by a player. For all we know it's just an NPC carrier. I'm just letting you all know that the ship is flyable in Eve Online. And it's a big ship. Here is a link showing you the a comparison chart of the different sizes of each ship.
http://eveinfo.net/wiki/inde~347.htm
To get you started, a Merlin is a frigate that is slightly smaller (65m) than that of a Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet (70m). The Chimera is over 2,500m long. Most maps in Dust often feel like you're fighting in an area no bigger than a fraction of that size even on the biggest map which is Skim Junction if I recall correctly.
Fourth bit of detail...
Notice the shield and armor indicators on the bottom left of the screen? They seem to be segmented based on HP. I'm not exactly sure why though. If you look at Dennie's video you will a dropsuit with about 60 HP in shields and 170 HP in armor. The shield is only 1/3 of that of the armor while the number of segments for the shield is like 3 compared to the 8 segments for the armor. Seems logical, right? But then look at Sgt Kirk's video and notice another dropsuit which is a heavy that has 525 HP for shield and 390 HP for armor yet it has close to the same number of segments as one another. This seems to indicate that shield and armor resistance might be at involved here. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be indicated on an opponent who is confronting the heavy. Seeing segments of your opponent's shield and armor bar might help with determining which weapon is best to use against that player (anti-shield or anti-armor?).
Fifth bit of detail...
That Minmatar Sniper Rifle. Yes, the Matari finally put together enough car parts and duck tape to create their own sniper rifle. And guess what. Its scope is adjustable. BEAT THAT, CALDARI! SCREW YOU AND YOUR THALES.
Other bits...
About 0:60 into Sgt Kirk's video you can hear this one guy with some kind of Count Dracula accent asking where is the laser tag with the gold and the amarr.  I have to admit that that is a good question. Then about 1 minute into the same video there is a moment when the player earned extra points for getting a double kill.
Graphics are great as well but I'm more into whether or not the game is practically stable as a shooter. You can give me the best looking shooter in the world but if the gameplay is crap then the entire game is crap. And as Ubi Soft's Assassin's Creed Unity is any indication, you can create a game that looks like Leonardo DaVinci made an artistic masterpiece with it but still get terrible performance and excruciatingly bad reviews from players who tried it out.
Finally, notice the indicator that gives the player direction to the objectives?
Eve Online Invite
https://secure.eveonline.com/trial/?invc=ed64524f-15ca-4997-ab92-eaae0af74b7f&action=buddy
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