I was talking to a corp mate last night about the special problems that Dust514 presents when it comes to meeting and recruiting players and I was reminded of a recent EVE online dev blog that talked about the China server for EVE online. How when it launched that players hadn't yet formed good social bonds within the game which in part explained the sharp decrease in subscriptions after the game launched.

I think there needs to be serious consideration as to how to facilitate players meeting each other in the game to prevent a similar situation with Dust

It's important to recognize that a large proportion of PS3 players won't have access either to a keyboard or a microphone, so we won't be seeing them chat in local or hearing them in a battle, but we will see them.

So the question is, given these constraints on the ways players can interact with each other in Dust514, what features can we suggest to help players build strong social bonds in the game.

I think there are 3 keys areas that need work in this regard.

1. Players need to be able to publicly show off their achievements and individuality, as this will help them present themselves as someone worth interacting with. Some of the ways EVE does this currently is with the certification system, which allows players to make their skill competencies public, in Dust this could also include trophies that a player has received. Visual enhancements (but not hats lol) for your avatar that are tied to achievements are a great way of doing this.

2. There needs to be public social spaces of some kind, whether it be a bar, corp office or whatever. One of the interesting things about EVE is that is has a number of activities such as mining that don't require that much focus, and instead turn into opportunities to socialize with your fellow pilots whilst still achieving something ingame. Dust514 needs a similar activity (maybe being able to gamble over Dust514 matches or games of slay in a bar) that frees up player focus so they can actually talk to each other whilst still being engaged in game.

An important thing to note when it comes to creating social spaces in computer games is that you don't necessarily won't them to be too complex with too much to do, otherwise players will just focus on those activities. If I was to suggest a basic feature set for a social space it would be a bar with the ability to gamble, watch dust matches (or even EVE tournaments) and to be able to trade illegal goods (Boosters that give you temporary enhancements to shield, armor, etc)

3. EVE gate integration. EVE already has a social networking tool called EVE gate, which allows you to post updates, message friends and can even host your corp forum. I know that Dust players will be able to access this as well eventually, but all I am suggesting is this needs to be done prior to the launch and be accessible via PC, PS3, and the Vita.

Please feel free to add to my suggestions.