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Stanvall Roth
Tronhadar Free Guard
Minmatar Republic
6
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Posted - 2012.08.24 16:43:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hi, Seismic Stan of Freebooted here. I've finally negotiated the complication of using a borrowed PS3 and managed to register my own DUST514 beta account. I've been playing for a few days and thought I ought to pay my way with some feedback. Sorry if this ends up as a wall of text - what can I say - I'm a blogger, I can't help myself.
My Expectations and "Use Case" Experience
As I mentioned above, I do not (yet) own a PS3 or any other console so have had very little experience with using a console controller. Having followed DUST514's development as best I could from outside the beta, I finally borrowed a PS3 for DUST evaluation purposes.
I have previously enjoyed some PC FPS shooters, particularly the Battlefield series and from everything I'd read about DUST514 it seemed to be very similar to Battlefield 2142, which I enjoyed 5 years ago (but preferred Battlefield 2). I've not really played any first-person shooters since, certainly not on (what I consider to be) a sub-optimal controller, but as I was using someone else's PS3 I wasn't prepared to shell out for a compatible wireless keyboard and mouse (but I'm glad it is supported and will be buying one when if/when I get my own PS3).
I'm an avid supporter of EVE Online and am genuinely excited by the pioneering efforts to expand the New Eden gameworld. I had the opportunity to briefly play DUST514 in the press pit at Fanfest 2012. Sadly, this experience left me frustrated and bewildered due to my spastic controller skills. My experience then was essentially: look at the floor - look at the sky - look at the floor - run into a wall - spray bullets randomly - die. Not really DUST514's fault, I admit.
First Impressions
Putting my console prejudices to one side, I endeavoured to approach this beta evaluation with an open mind. It was immediately apparent that DUST was now far more feature complete and I took the time to take in the ambience before taking the plunge into combat. I enjoyed the tranquil splash screen flyby and watched it until the dropships burned through the atmosphere and disappeared (I was hoping for an easter egg event - like a recognisable EVE ship - but nothing else happened).
Once in my Merc Quarters, I wandered for a bit and, whilst briefly interesting, found walking was very slow and I soon found that navigating the options via the UI was far more efficient. The wealth of info there was impressive and overwhelming. Recognising that there was plenty of potential depth there but with with no frame of reference, I decided to leave it be until I had a better feel for the core game, so I jumped into an instant battle.
Shot in the (War)Face
My first few battles were just as frustrating as I remembered from Fanfest, again being let down by my inability to master the console controller. Despite this, I was impressed with the jagged Alien-esque LV426-like landscape and environmental effects. Entering the built-up areas was very reminscent of the Hadley's Hope colony in Aliens. I enjoyed the atmospheric dystopian aesthetic of the battlefields, although it was grey and a bit depressing after a while. I look forward to seeing other, less barren terrain.
I knew from my Battlefield franchise experience that understanding the map pinchpoints and bottlenecks was as important to a good FPS experience as twitch-based skills, so I set out to explore. however, there were these irritating other players who kept ruining my sightseeing tour, so I decided it'd be a good idea to figure out how to fight back. I'm pleased to report that my console controller skills had started to improve and were no longer a barrier to my enjoyment (even if fine-control aiming is still mildly irritating) and the flow of the skirmishes soon showcased the well laid-out maps.
I soon figured out that the "Ambush" game mode was essentially a deathmatch arena, but the "Skirmish" mode, whilst it looked more interesting and involved, was initially baffling. I had no idea what the relevance of the various highlighted structures was. I just continued with my service of providing better players with a (sometimes) moving target.
Skilling Up
After repeated batterings leaving me with appallingly one-sided K:D ratios, I went back to the drawing board to figure out how I could develop my character to be more useful to my team. I looked at equipment and fitting options, but even with my familiarity with the EVE Online fitting interface, I was struggling to see how I could gain a foothold. Every potential improvement required equipment I didn't have the skills for. Furthermore, the need to navigate from marketplace to character sheet repeatedly to ascertain how I should apply my skillpoints was irritating and convoluted. Rather than worry about alternative and improved equipment, I opted to sink my earned skillpoints into skills that would improve my basic hitpoints.
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[continued in next post] |
Stanvall Roth
Tronhadar Free Guard
Minmatar Republic
6
|
Posted - 2012.08.24 16:44:00 -
[2] - Quote
(ctd from previous post.)
Back on the battlefield, I seemed to turn a corner. I'm not sure if the improved character skills were the catalyst, but that combined with an increasing understanding of the game mode, the character classes and the map layouts (and the fact that I was hitting the right buttons more frequently) meant I was now being useful. I would capture the occasional Null Cannon control point, revive a fallen team-mate and even occasionally kill someone.
Suddenly, I had purpose. If I used a Recon dropsuit I could run further, faster and grab control points. As Logistics, if I read the ebb-and-flow of the combat I could position myself better to revive fallen allies. I got a real dopamine hit when the post-battle report informed me of my increased skillpoint haul. I realised that if I saved up enough, I could learn the skills to use remote armour repairers to bolster my squad. With a character development goal in mind, I set about my matches with new enthusiasm.
At this point, I was hooked. Not only was I making a meaningful contribution to the battle, I could see beyond the individual matches to a grander objective. Suddenly, the need for "just one more battle" kicked in as I desperately pursued the skillpoints needed to use new equipment. In those battles I had the opportunity to be a gunner for some competent LAV and Dropship pilots. Hell, that was fun. just one more battle...
In Conclusion
That is pretty much where I am now in my new career as a DUST514 mercenary. Although with the creation of a new PSN account so I could access these forums, I'm going to have to start again. It's no problem though, that is the nature of a beta test after all.
In a few short gameplay sessions, I've gone from complete bewilderment and slight irritation to being a focused and enthusiastic DUST player. The gameplay itself, whilst offering no real revolution in FPS terms, seems slick and has a solid feel to it. It still reminds me very much of Battlefield 2142, but this is no bad thing - I used to enjoy that game. I am not in a position to compare it to other, more modern shooters.
I now have good reason to be optimistic about what DUST514 can bring to the New Eden universe. It offers the immediacy of a solid FPS experience combined with the option of far deeper, more involved elements once the basics have been grasped. The passive skillpoint acquisition combined with the Free-to-Play model would make me come back and check it every few weeks just for a quick blast. I can see this appealing to FPS shooter fans who would also play other FPSes, but would then return to DUST514 between flirting with other franchises. The depth offered by character and vehicle development is a powerful hook.
And that's without even considering the tie-in to grander EVE Online activity.
Evaluation Notes
As I played, I took a few notes. What follows are a few feedback points on specific elements based on my game experience.
PROBLEM: When browsing skills on the market, it is unclear if I have already learned a skill whilst looking at its info. There doesn't seem to be any distinction between 'prerequisites met' and 'already learned'.
SUGGESTED SOLUTION: A clear explanation of the interface icons with distinct differences between the skill states.
PROBLEM: When viewing equipment and item prerequisites on the market, I am forced to remember or make a note of what skills are required and at what level before going to my character sheet to amend skills. I found the steps required to then enter a separate UI element to compare my current progress quite irritating.
SUGGESTED SOLUTION: Perhaps a quick purchase option of required skills would be helpful without having to remember which skills are required and finding them manually in a different menu. Presently the only option on the equipment prerequisite pane is 'Back', so there is certainly room for 'buy skill' and 'go to character sheet' options.
BUG: Sometimes on the battlefield spawn menu, all available dropsuit configurations are marked as invalid and I will be unable to spawn. Leaving the battle returns me to my MC, but then the controls become unresponsive.
SUGGESTION: On dying, the use of "Ask for help" to call for revival seems ambiguous - I half expected a conversation box with a helpdesk operator to appear. Perhaps "Call for Med Support", "Request Revival" or "Medic!" might be clearer.
SUGGESTION: When choosing a respawn option, I found myself routinely having to perform several key-presses to select the dropsuit I had been using throughout the battle. Defaulting to last used loadout as the top option would be a great quality of life improvement.
REQUEST: Having spent some time initally playing on a friend's PSN account, I had invested some effort in skill development, but subsequently started my own PSN account and a new DUST account. Obviously I don't care during the beta, but are there any plans for enabling character transfer between accounts? |
Stanvall Roth
Tronhadar Free Guard
Minmatar Republic
6
|
Posted - 2012.08.28 22:57:00 -
[3] - Quote
Sven Lindblad wrote:If you R2 on the skill interface you can buy the skillbooks from there.
I know you can buy skills from the skill interface. But when I am browsing the market for equipment and looking at the prerequisites, the skills are listed and it displays a red cross if I don't have a given skill. What I was pointing out was it would be a great quality of life improvement if there was functionality to quick purchase rather than having to exit the market and go to an entirely different interface. Also, there doesn't appear to be a distinction between 'skill book owned' and 'skill injected', which would also be useful on the item prerequisite display (to prevent unnecessary double purchases of skills mis-recalled as not owned). |
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