Everyone was more than a little surprised by the announcement and sudden appearance of DUST 514, the console-based shooter cousin of CCP's EVE Online. Information about the game has been coming at a steady and yet almost agonizingly teasing pace, but MMORPG.com has brought out more information regarding the design and playstyle of DUST 514's battlegrounds and matches. The game's integration with EVE has been a consistent point of explanation, but we're beginning to see more of the points of difference between the two games.

Certainly many parts of the gameplay will feel familiar -- in particular, there will be no preset "classes" as found in other MMOFPS games, but rather there will be several outfitting options that force players to select as they feel best for a given role. Advancement will happen via in-game accomplishments unlocking more powerful options in what's being called an "achievement matrix", as well as increasing the power and available equipment in a given match by capturing strategic points on the map. The article also discusses the role of the battle commander, who remains inside the main command center and relays order and information with a wider range of intel than the troops on the ground -- but no real ability to offensively affect the battle. Read the article for more details and points, and to get even more of a sense of how the game will tie into the extant CCP universe.

Solidifying the design of DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.