It's not going to be open world. Look at the game we are currently playing, is that remotely open world? You dont release a beta to a game that is nothing like the final product.

The "open world' meta game will involve contracts and PERHAPS moving war barges and the like in EVE space to prepare for attacks. But the actual DUST gameplay will be 100% like we are seeing now with two teams figthing an arena style match.

There wont be a mode where I walk around a planet exploring and randomly run into other DUST players.

If you want that experience, i guess, go play planetside?

But trust me, most FPS players will get bored of that experience cause it seems pointless. DUST has a chance to shine because of how its implementing individual matches (with wins and losses so the player feels their experience had a point, and a goal) with a bigger meta game to drive the importance of those results.

The lack of an open world design is what allows that to work. Open world FPS is a really cool theory, but from WWII Online, to Planetside, to Planetside 2, it just isnt all that much fun once you get passed the novelty.

It's not going to be open world. Look at the game we are currently playing, is that remotely open world? You dont release a beta to a game that is nothing like the final product.

The "open world' meta game will involve contracts and PERHAPS moving war barges and the like in EVE space to prepare for attacks. But the actual DUST gameplay will be 100% like we are seeing now with two teams figthing an arena style match.

There wont be a mode where I walk around a planet exploring and randomly run into other DUST players.

If you want that experience, i guess, go play planetside?

But trust me, most FPS players will get bored of that experience cause it seems pointless. DUST has a chance to shine because of how its implementing individual matches (with wins and losses so the player feels their experience had a point, and a goal) with a bigger meta game to drive the importance of those results.

The lack of an open world design is what allows that to work. Open world FPS is a really cool theory, but from WWII Online, to Planetside, to Planetside 2, it just isnt all that much fun once you get passed the novelty.

i remmaber CCP saying that corps that won districts/planets will have the option to customize it. By that i mean like putting defense instalations and other things like radar scaners (from the 2009 show). Also that is if you think about it somewhat Open world, but what i dont get is when mercs take over districts (for eve pilots for ressoursec, we get money and territory right, so can we use the same ressources like to build our own stuff?). Any ways open world would be great but in my opinion you shouldn't be able to walk around districts/maps, that corps allready own other wise you'd see what they have built for deffence and would be really easy to go and try have a strategy before the battle even starts. But +1 for the idea

A few contributions to the conversation if I may:

As I've had lot of experience with beta testing both normal software and games (including those on consoles) I can say it is a given the "finished" product can and often does differ drastically from alpha and beta stages. There is still a lot of content not yet implemented that has been advertised in promo material (ie ground drones). We have yet to see the full scope of even CCP's initial concept.

In the matter of persistence, statements of plans would indicate it would be more on the Eve side for actually creating those aspects. I'm sure that I'm not the only person that also plays Eve that sees the structures DUST mercs fight on and around are directly modeled after Eve PI components, I can easily identify Extractor Heads, Command Centers, and Storage Facilites. Also if memory serves it was stated in the future DUST will play a part in securing PI interests in Souvernty outside of Faction Warfare.

I would think CCP is trying to make something more than a run and gun arena death-match, and there has been some interesting PVE EVE cross over suggestions, with positive feedback from developers and players alike. Will Dust characters do industry or world/universe shaping on their own, I find that highly unlikely. Would they be involved in things other than simple PVP conquest, it would seem like a good option to have and a degree of immersion similar to a MMORPG only for those elect to pursue it.

Since I have no knowledge of the electronic logistics they have or will employ, I will only offer a educated guess that districts, planets, solar systems etc. will be partitioned in a manner that each relative unit would be on it own independent but otherwise linked to the whole encapsulated within a node of the cluster. From experience I do know certain MMORPGs owned by the company that the console Dust runs on handles real time action of upwards of 200 or more in a single zone with less advanced technology. (If anyone is curious about the technical things I'm happy to share but it would be improper to bore those not interested)

DUST in its very concept is ground breaking, it would be a shame to clone other options en mass when it can be so much more and offer things that are a matter or choice in the way an individual chooses to play or not depending on their preference much like Eve itself.

Announcing, Ladies and Gentlemen, The First Annual New Eden Olympics!! Bring the children, and watch the Carnage!

Seriously though, I think this would be a great idea. Espescially if players not involved in the match ups could watch so as to monitor their bets (or secretly try to aid one side or the other. This IS New Eden after all).