The illustrious creation of CCP Game’s Dust 514 had recently been released but was it too late?
Not only has CCP Games lost a lot of momentum by pushing the game back 7 months with multiple beta testing –and in the middle of new console reveals– but no talk coming out of those beta tests were necessarily good. Having played the beta tests myself and now the full game, I can honestly say there is plenty of room for improvement.
CCP may have definitely missed its window and not wholly delivered but there may be some ways to salvage this game and do well by the ambitious project. Here are the 5 ways I imagine:
Now, with all kidding aside…
1. Polish the FPS Aspect:
CCP Games has stated that they don’t expect many players to fall down the “rabbit hole” of EVE Online and Dust 514’s connectivity but that Dust is a FPS that anyone can play and that the $0 price tag will, at the least, entice them to try it.
The problem with that tactic is if players don’t care about the main, highly advertised feature, the rest of the game has to be solid enough to keep players playing, which Dust is not –nor by a long shot. Why would a player stick to a mediocre shooter when they probably have Call of Duty or Battlefield sitting next to them?
The FPS section of Dust 514 does not feel good. It’s a subpar shooter, plain and simple. Remember the plethora of WWII shooters during the late-PS1 through early-PS2 era? Those felt slightly better than Dust 514. I literally went back to play Medal of Honor (on the Ps2) so I could justify this statement to myself.
On top of this fault, the atmosphere and graphics feel cheap, making the lack of gameplay quality all the more glaring.
2. Push Connectivity with EVE Online:
When your number one feature is predicted to be underutilized there is a problem. Is it because people don’t care? No, Dust 514’s connection to the massive and constantly growing EVE Online intrigued a lot of people, myself included. Thoughts on paper and execution almost never line up exactly and this is one of those things where it was easier said than done.
Exploring the flood of menu screens without guidance proves life difficult in this universe of unknowing. Lowering the learning curve so that interaction with EVE is second nature will make everyone happy. Now, while you’re at it…
3. Lower All The Difficulties:
The lack of instruction in Dust is daunting in this already difficult environment and will turn away a lot of FPS players that are used to the jump-in-jump-out style of popular shooters.
Making the customization and business side of Dust 514 more accessible by including some form of tutorials or a less extreme complexity would do wonders for a game that needs players to stay alive.
I’m usually an advocate for the “games are too easy” argument and never stray to the side of dumbing games down, but being dropped into this universe without a clue of what’s going on would strain even a genius mind.
4. Constantly Patch:
Patching and updating frequently may frustrate current players, but the sooner the game can be accessible, streamlined, and polished, the better.
The updates should initially be geared towards user friendliness as to allow players intrigued by the critical features and free price point to play a game that they can actually learn, grow and participate in.
All other updates are necessary, but aesthetic or gameplay improvements and tweaks should be put on the back burner as teaching players to use the game should be the biggest concern for CCP Games.
5. Port Dust 514 to PS4:
It may be easier said than done, but releasing an ambitious F2P MMOFPS (what a mouthful) during the last 6 months or so of a console was not a good idea. Taking these ideas, improvements and include them in a port to the PS4 seems to be the only way to make this project worth something.
CCP brought too much of a PC methodology to the business of releasing a game on a console by thinking they had time to work and tinker on Dust 514 –not that delays are ever good for a wavering game.
Too much of an investment to make Dust 514 eternal was made, so releasing it at the very tail end of a generation boggles my mind. Why not use these next coming months before the PS4’s release as a very, very open Beta test and then port it to the PS4.
Now I’m not saying that Dust 514 is a bad game, it certainly has the potential to be a great game, but as of now it is far too complex and unpolished for the casual gamer to give it a try and love it.
Just as likely as Dust 514 is to fade into obscurity, remembered as a good idea badly executed, it could certainly grow with a niche audience. It’s not unrealistic for some of the EVE Online players who own consoles to give the addition to their familiar universe a shot. Only one thing is certain, if CCP Games wants the casual gamer they need to make Dust 514 just that; casual.
