however the battle systems best 4 PvP

I'm posting this here, instead of in Feedback, because I just want to get a feel for how the community would like to see Dust progress.

So the question is simple:

Would you like to see Dust become a more Open World/Sandbox experience, like the original Crysis, or the Farcry series?

Or would you like to have Dust keep its current Battle Arena setup, and see more in the way of Game Modes?

Personally, I would like to see a more Open World/Sandbox type of play, where PVE and PVP can happen at any moment, with the two being interchangable.

What would you like to see?

they can actually do both. open world is certainly the priority but contract types can be easily separated with game modes. allowing players to customize their experience and still stay true to dust lore. this would give the game serious variety and a never ending supply of both NPC and player corp contracts. a world where each contract type is a game mode would do well.

we addressed it here: http://tinyurl.com/ahwmme6

Dust 514 is getting its own battle arena mode where more classical game modes would be found.

The best part is you can set up a betting system on it and its probably going to have specially tuned maps instead of the random generated ones.

Open world and Exploration to come later though.

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.

the probly is that there are just 2 modes. increase that to 10 and add new ones regularly and you have a winner. would love to do bounty hunter and hired assassin as well.

tha was MAGs problem. they thought 3 good modes could hold players for a year but people got bored.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

I'm posting this here, instead of in Feedback, because I just want to get a feel for how the community would like to see Dust progress.

So the question is simple:

Would you like to see Dust become a more Open World/Sandbox experience, like the original Crysis, or the Farcry series?

Or would you like to have Dust keep its current Battle Arena setup, and see more in the way of Game Modes?

Personally, I would like to see a more Open World/Sandbox type of play, where PVE and PVP can happen at any moment, with the two being interchangable.

What would you like to see?

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

I would like to see this as a sideshow.

However overall I would like to see Dust514 move more towards serious conflict over resources in New Eden and openworld fights.

Corp grudge matches and laddering type things are "nice to have" but I wouldn't want them distracting from what makes Dust514 unique.

the problem is that there are just 2 modes. increase that to 10 and add new ones regularly and you have a winner. tha was MAGs problem. they thought 3 good modes could hold players for a year but people got bored. would love to do bounty hunter and hired assassin as well.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

For the OP: I see us having both eventually depended on the context of the action. I think we should always have set numbers though and let the clone count be influenced by the resources your corp has.

Even though there are only 24 or 64 or 256 on each side the clone count could vary widely. Someone could filed 8 people in a 24 v 24 match but have 1000 clones at their disposal.

Again, I think you guys are seriously mis-judging what this game is if you think it could become an open world MMO. It is 100% an arena shooter built ontop of a persistant universe to give each match meaning and have your characters persist in an impactful way.

It is COD/HALO + consequences. Thats it.

If you are playing this game, thinking it will become more, you are going to be massively let down.

You will not see the day that bases and players exist persistantly together in DUST. Players will interact in individual matches and that is about it.

It can still be amazingly cool, with the economic factors and conquest of districts/planets. But all of this will occur within the format we have now of individual matches.

That may grow, to eventually having to fly warbridges to the planet in order to drop more resources for players on the ground, etc. But it will always be "a round of DUST is being played" similar to "a round of Halo, or COD"

Honestly, its for the best. Try to play Planetside or WWIIOnline. Despite all the claims of persistance, your actions ultimately feel 100 times LESS important then a match of Halo, because you see no real results. Sure, maybe the enemy just decides the fight was boring and logs off or goes somewhere else, but it doesnt feel like a victory. And as soon as you go to bed, guess what? Everything you did is gone.

DUST has the potential to capture the FUN of arena shooters and give it a persistant, epic backbone that drives those matches. But it will never, nor should it ever, be a persistant open world FPS.

Again, I think you guys are seriously mis-judging what this game is if you think it could become an open world MMO. It is 100% an arena shooter built ontop of a persistant universe to give each match meaning and have your characters persist in an impactful way.

It is COD/HALO + consequences. Thats it.

If you are playing this game, thinking it will become more, you are going to be massively let down.

You will not see the day that bases and players exist persistantly together in DUST. Players will interact in individual matches and that is about it.

It can still be amazingly cool, with the economic factors and conquest of districts/planets. But all of this will occur within the format we have now of individual matches.

That may grow, to eventually having to fly warbridges to the planet in order to drop more resources for players on the ground, etc. But it will always be "a round of DUST is being played" similar to "a round of Halo, or COD"

Honestly, its for the best. Try to play Planetside or WWIIOnline. Despite all the claims of persistance, your actions ultimately feel 100 times LESS important then a match of Halo, because you see no real results. Sure, maybe the enemy just decides the fight was boring and logs off or goes somewhere else, but it doesnt feel like a victory. And as soon as you go to bed, guess what? Everything you did is gone.

DUST has the potential to capture the FUN of arena shooters and give it a persistant, epic backbone that drives those matches. But it will never, nor should it ever, be a persistant open world FPS.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Again, I think you guys are seriously mis-judging what this game is if you think it could become an open world MMO. It is 100% an arena shooter built ontop of a persistant universe to give each match meaning and have your characters persist in an impactful way.

It is COD/HALO + consequences. Thats it.

If you are playing this game, thinking it will become more, you are going to be massively let down.

You will not see the day that bases and players exist persistantly together in DUST. Players will interact in individual matches and that is about it.

It can still be amazingly cool, with the economic factors and conquest of districts/planets. But all of this will occur within the format we have now of individual matches.

That may grow, to eventually having to fly warbridges to the planet in order to drop more resources for players on the ground, etc. But it will always be "a round of DUST is being played" similar to "a round of Halo, or COD"

Honestly, its for the best. Try to play Planetside or WWIIOnline. Despite all the claims of persistance, your actions ultimately feel 100 times LESS important then a match of Halo, because you see no real results. Sure, maybe the enemy just decides the fight was boring and logs off or goes somewhere else, but it doesnt feel like a victory. And as soon as you go to bed, guess what? Everything you did is gone.

DUST has the potential to capture the FUN of arena shooters and give it a persistant, epic backbone that drives those matches. But it will never, nor should it ever, be a persistant open world FPS.

.

You will not see the day that bases and players exist persistantly together in DUST. Players will interact in individual matches and that is about it.

then you know nothing about dust 514. Because it IS coming and its coming soon.

*SoonTM

Haven't you seen the 3 hours of video explaining all this?

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

then you know nothing about dust 514. Because it IS coming and its coming soon.

OOOK. Keep dreaming. A game doesnt get this far into beta, for this long and go PUBLIC if what we are seeing is a small fraction of the core gameplay.

Could there potentially be some "open" game modes, with a larger map, no teams and just the ability to walk around and fight NPCs? Perhaps. But it would be more like a game of GTA or red dead redemption multiplayer, and not WOW or Planetside.

Really? Where can I read up on this supposed open world gameplay coming? I have never once heard anything about this, and I watched many videos detailing the promise of interaction between EVE and DUST. But it has always been about individual matches taking place, not an open world persistant environment for your merc to walk around in.

... Despite all the claims of persistance, your actions ultimately feel 100 times LESS important then a match of Halo, because you see no real results... But it will never, nor should it ever, be a persistant open world FPS.

Well...We're supposed to have FW and district/planet conquering along with their economy...So that's pretty persistent...

I disagree with you here. The grand vision many are describing is, granted, probably not going to be fully realized... yet. The genre is advancing and will get their someday. We are trying to help CCP push the ball as far as they can. I totally support 100 times LESS importance per individual player. Unreal Tournament/Quake Arena, COD/BF, etc. can continue the small scope style of isolated conflict that give rise to leaderboards and inflated egos. My brother and I, since we were young (10 years old or so), have desired to see a game break the mold and go for something different. Even if it sucked, you'd still have to applaud the attempt and ingenuity. WWII online is awesome in that no one player or their 1337 skills achieve anything. You need the concerted effort of an army to succeed. It's the difference between a virtual conflict and "corp battles." How about going even further? Remove kill attribution entirely. If you and your squadmates are shooting at a guy and he is incapacitated or killed, what difference in a large-scale conflict does it make who's bullet was responsible? All that matters is that he is no longer a threat. I do realize this kind of a game wouldn't appeal to everyone as many seek the individual glory and want the more immediate rewards offered in contemporary FPS games, but it would be cool to have a variety of options in the genre.

I dunno, you already have planetside for that. And what that game devolves into is a big zerg of one team running around capping bases, fighting small groups and rolling over them, while a big zerg of another team does the same, and the zergs never clash. Its boring.

The problem with a "virtual battlefield" is that war isnt fun. Its not fun to sit around at a base for hours waiting for a potential attack that never comes. And winning is always the path of least resistance, so fair, even, fun fights will mainly be avoided while massive, lopsided, boring slaughters will happen left and right.

DUST will mantain the fun of knowing you helped take that base, or helped shift that war effort, or took out that 20 million ISK tank and turned the tied of the battle, but will funnel it into fun, even matches where teams actually fight instead of taking bases where nobody is defending.

I wasn't doubting the legitimacy of your claim, talking about how soon it was. I was only reminding everyone of CCP's motto. I'm sorry if that distressed you in any way.

I would certainly love the following...

-Sports/Gladitorial event story angle thrown into it.

-Special Tailored Maps for the mode with one or two maps per season and fine tuned and fixed.

-Player designed maps using ingame means and mechanics (such as isk costs in desinging and owning that arena) similar to halo's forge in arragment and properties.

-Traditional Game modes - Deathmatch (not ambush) Capture the Flag, Domination ect ect.

-Various Game modes.

-Eve Side Betting.

-Dust 514 side Betting.

-Obsever Mode.

-Replay Mode.

-Rules such as no orbital strikes from a barge, no havs, no vehicles, no suits, no officer gear.

-No teams, Team size, Multiple Team options.

-Having to pay arena rent :P

-Team Coloring (after all its a sporting envrionment)

OOOK. Keep dreaming. A game doesnt get this far into beta, for this long and go PUBLIC if what we are seeing is a small fraction of the core gameplay.

Could there potentially be some "open" game modes, with a larger map, no teams and just the ability to walk around and fight NPCs? Perhaps. But it would be more like a game of GTA or red dead redemption multiplayer, and not WOW or Planetside.

Really? Where can I read up on this supposed open world gameplay coming? I have never once heard anything about this, and I watched many videos detailing the promise of interaction between EVE and DUST. But it has always been about individual matches taking place, not an open world persistant environment for your merc to walk around in.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Woah i love this idea... "agreed upon terms" basically what you mean is a Live Wager system.. where one team bets something against the other. that would be SICK whether its ISK, items, or even SP!

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Again, no one is disagreeing with how FW and Corp Matches, and such, should dealt with in the game. What we're asking for is a more Open World Experience in addition to the the standard PVP that we see today. As in, I don't want to go take over a planet today, I just want to explore it. And yes, they've already said that the topography of the maps will match the topography of each individual planet that they are on. It will be the same topography that EVE players see when they look at a planet from space. So there are going to be thousands of of maps. I'll try to find where exactly this was said so you can see. If someone wants to pitch in on this effort that'd be great.

That may be reasonable. However, I would suspect that if they are serious about their "thousands of maps" (which i personally always thought seemed a little too ambitious and unrealistic, but we will see), and those maps are big enough, and filled out enough to be worth exploring, they could implement a mode where each planet is its own little open world experience similar to the multiplayer on red dead dedemption and gta.

However, with so much space to explore, what would be the odds of finding other players? What would be the point in all this exploring? Do you think they will populate 1000 different planets with enough content to make them worth anything?

The most realistic possibility is this:

Every planet does have a number of unique maps procedurely developed based on various stats of the planet. A map for every district.

Every planet will have a "open world" instance that allows players to just hang out, explore, fight NPC stuff, maybe player kill. These instances will consist of the pvp maps, strung together with some rather useless, boring environment connecting them.

To make the world feel connected, players will be kicked off the planet when a pvp match is scheduled, and players can not re-enter until its over.

That is probably as close to a truly open world experience as youll get in this game. And even that is a bit of a long shot.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

Open world just isn't possible on a console FPS, just forget about it its never going to happen no matter how much you wish for it.

Dust 514 is getting its own battle arena mode where more classical game modes would be found.

The best part is you can set up a betting system on it and its probably going to have specially tuned maps instead of the random generated ones.

Open world and Exploration to come later though.

None of those games are MMOs, the ones that do have multiplayer don't have 16 vs 16 on their open worlds, and in many cases during the single player, parts of the world aren't loaded so it actually runs at a playable speed, not something you could do with multiple players in an open world.

As much as I can understand a lot of the feeling for centering around PvP content, I feel there is a need to instigate a little counter perspective rather than just agreeing.

It is well and good that PvP is the center focus and anima of this game, we are also disregarding the ability to make this game something more. As I and others have gone over a few times in discussion: https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=49714&find=unread there is a very sound number of reasons why PvE content is both good and quite necessary in a persistent MMO.

Rather going into some of the blatantly obvious notions such as time-player gaps and Full matches, let us consider as a premise that one of the most intensive PvP experiences coming from Eve Online is on the backdrop of PvE content and simpler gameplay. If I had to play strict PvP in an open world, there would be little else than the best fighters and the rest. I've met many of them and they are both good and well-funded. However, in Eve this is largely due to a dependence on others (as far as territory, rent, and resources go). Players who are exceptionally good a PvP only become so as a direct product of those who are more interested in other things such as PI, Mining, or trading. Likewise, the special equipment and tech is found almost exclusively from PvE content and turned around either for a profit or for personal use.

This is the nature of both an MMO and an economy. Taking this towards Dust, there is an impasse. Are we an independent game with it's own economy, players, and empires? Or are we simply a PvP-based game that is largely dependent on a fixed market with only the hope of being traded over to another game's (Eve Online) players for profit? If the later is true, than many things about this game will become rather fixed and quite possibly stale. As in every similar game, there will be the best at PvP and consequentially all else by this nature. Likewise, there will be much less dynamics than Eve, more akin to other FPS's and Clan dramas. However, this is not necessarily bad if we are to follow in suit as many other FPS games as we be something that still stands out in a larger picture. We can still remain very innovative as we allow more features such as boarding (being a pirate) or massive warfare in Conquest mode (Out in Null-Sec) or even arena and live events. But we will remain slaves to that system with very little control over our own destiny.

It is my hope that this is not quite the endgame for Dust 514.

<3 Punk

None of those games are MMOs, the ones that do have multiplayer don't have 16 vs 16 on their open worlds, and in many cases during the single player, parts of the world aren't loaded so it actually runs at a playable speed, not something you could do with multiple players in an open world.

Oh stop it. You know as well as I do that it years away. Expectation management, you has none.

There was also an argument that if the planet exploration is set up, then most likely you won't find other players. But that actually might be the beauty of it. To think about it, in all MMOs nowadays you are just one among the others; you do the same quests, explore the same locations, etc. There is really nothing heroic and unique and discovering something that has been discovered long before you, even if it grants you personal satisfaction.

In Dust (optimistic ideas follow), if every single planet holds something valuable to explore, not counting the beforementioned stations and ships, I think every player will have a chance of finding something really unique. It could be a new piece of Sleeper tech, or a blueprint of a Terran weapon, or an altar that is crucially tied up to the history of New Eden. I, personally, would do anything to participate in this sort of exploration, exploration where your discoveries are truly leaving an impact on the entire world and its economy.

DCUO might be an MMO but its not open world none of those games are they just have big maps, if your idea of open world is 1 large randomly generated map for each planet then i guess thats possible until a large amount of players try to enter the same world and the servers completely crap themselves.

Indeed, I would love to be a part of a game that offered truly unique experiences. Ones where only the players who there got the bragging rights to it, similar to the "I Was There" ads for EVE. Stories that could be like: My team and I were hired to kill Tibus Heth, let me tell you what happened..."

Hope this is not too divergent from the OP, but arena matches between groups of players (not necessarily corporations) with agreed upon terms (reward, match type, map, etc.) and that allows betting from others. Discuss. I am interested in hearing what you guys think.

Hope I don't need to say this, but I am: This is just something I would love to see, not something we are doing. I just want to get your guys opinion and feedback on it.

I dunno, you already have planetside for that. And what that game devolves into is a big zerg of one team running around capping bases, fighting small groups and rolling over them, while a big zerg of another team does the same, and the zergs never clash. Its boring.

The problem with a "virtual battlefield" is that war isnt fun. Its not fun to sit around at a base for hours waiting for a potential attack that never comes. And winning is always the path of least resistance, so fair, even, fun fights will mainly be avoided while massive, lopsided, boring slaughters will happen left and right.

DUST will mantain the fun of knowing you helped take that base, or helped shift that war effort, or took out that 20 million ISK tank and turned the tied of the battle, but will funnel it into fun, even matches where teams actually fight instead of taking bases where nobody is defending.

open world for conquest and arena for dueling.

I see each battle in Dust 514 being like a system in EVE. Persistent battlefields, but not "open world".

Perhaps sitting around waiting for an "attack" can be circumvented by an alert 15 mins of more in advance of an attack on a base. A contract is taken, an alert posted, and the two factions have an opportunity to mobilize forces to the soon-to-be-contested location.

Separately, in regards to the lopsided battles... Yes, I support them outright. I know this opinion won't be popular, but I don't think "small corps" should be catered to. They don't stand a chance in conquest and hopefully CCP could provide another niche for them to fill. Every FPS in existence centers on relatively small player counts. I'd be interested in a game where battles are decided just as much if not more beforehand in the warbarge than on the actual battlefield.

The maps aren't randomly generated, they've already been generated. Each planet has a unique topography, so whatever a planet looks like from space in EVE, that's what it will look like on the surface as well. And really large maps are really all an Open World/Sandbox is. We're just asking (and hoping) for the chance to explore them, and the New Eden universe outside of PVP. And FYI, EVE/Dust both run off a single server called Tranquillity. If it can handle 2000+ ships fighting over a single planet and not crash, I think it can handle a few hundred Mercs scattered across one planet and be just fine.

ugh I wish eve players would stop assuming that everyone else in dust doesn't know what eve is, i've been playing it for years, It CAN'T handle 2000 ships mate, they have to do time dilation, I dare say that 2000 mercs firing ARs and strafing back and forth will produce more server problems than 1000 clients pressing F1 at target 000231, in grind 0005 at so and so gate/moon.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to play in an open world, but people getting their hopes up and expecting all this open world PVE vs drones stuff are really jumping the gun and are just going to end up bitter and disappointed, atm this game barely seems to be handling the larger maps with 16 vs 16.

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).