The infantry weapons in DUST 514

DO YOU SEE THESE WEAPONS? Are they not the coolest weapons ever? EVER!? DUST 514's new dev post is highlighting some of the infantry weapons that will be in the game and, needless to say, they look nice. Real nice. CCP notes that they really wanted to go for a "Vietnam in space" feeling, so they designed their infantry weapons to be instantly recognizable but with all sorts of beefy technology attached.

Is anyone looking at that Amarr CAR-9 Scrambler Pistol? Man, those modelers at CCP really know how to hook a guy in...

Check out some of DUST 514's sleek light weapon designs over on the website. Then wipe off that drool.

DUST 514 highlights vehicles and their importance

Some of those vehicle designs are looking mighty fine in DUST 514's new blog post! According to this post, vehicles in DUST 514 will be highly customizable so that players can create the perfect vehicular concoction for all their... vehicling needs.

I'll stop now.

Vehicles in DUST 514 will all be able to equip a certain amount of "vehicle modules" that can modify a vehicle in terms of its overall weapon modules, engineering modules, and even electronic warfare. CCP is also stressing that even though vehicles might be predisposed to work with certain loadouts, this shouldn't stop creative players from MacGyvering something more to their needs. One example they use in the article is that a Caldari Heavy Attack Vehicle (HAV) might be well suited to using Caldari technology, like their "armor-rupturing railgun cannons," but this railgun can be easily swapped out for a variety of other weapons based on what the team needs on the field. Like guided heavy missiles.

CCP also gives a brief sneak peek at some of their upcoming vehicles. That Gallente looks pretty nice!

DUST 514 Showcases "Rapid Deployment Vehicles"

What you're seeing in the above image isn't some kind of giant hybrid tank-plane (as cool as that sounds), rather, it's DUST 514's "Rapid Deployment Vehicle." In a new dev blog posted today, CCP Remnant shows off their latest bit of in-game technology to be used for DUST 514. This Rapid Deployment Vehicle (RDV) basically allows Field Commanders in DUST 514 to drop airlifted vehicles anywhere on the map with pinpoint accuracy. While this is obviously a clever work around to vehicles simply falling from the sky (or appearing instantaneously in front of you as you take off on a jet), it also highlights some potential features to be included in DUST 514, like instant vehicle backup, or the fact that opposing teams may be able to hijack enemy vehicles as they are deployed.

At least it seems like parking won't be an issue here.

Dust 514 talks of their Mobile Command Center

With a name like the Mobile Command Center (MCC), it stands to reason that these things willl be somewhat important to winning the endless wars being waged on thousands of planets. Yesterday, CCP Remnant, a game designer for Dust 514, wrote about the MCC and how important it is in the Dust 514 world. In the article, Remnant talks of the MCC as being "colossal," "imposing," and "devastating." He notes that the MCC is the "nerve center" of any army, as it houses the commander and also seems to operate as a mobile battle station.

It's one weakness, however, is its huge fuel dependency. Without a steady fuel supply, the MCC can quickly find itself defenseless without its turrets and shields online. It seems like any pitched battles in Dust 514 involving MCCs will probably revolve around fuel sources and their control.

EVE Fanfest 2012 Moving to New Venue

Mark your calendars! CCP just announced that Fanfest 2012 will be held from March 22-24 in a new location: the recently completed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre (seen above).

Here's a list of the events you can expect to enjoy at the ultimate EVE Online community event:

  • Exclusive EVE Presentations
  • Live PVP Tournament action
  • Player/Developer roundtable discussions
  • The latest in DUST 514 presentations and information
  • The Reykjavik nightlife experience with devs in the CCP Pub Crawls
  • The famous Party at the Top of the World
  • Blue Lagoon Hangover Party
  • Live Agents, the Silent Auction, and much, much more!

Further details, including flights and accommodation and Fanfest 2012 Access Pass availability, will be announced at a later date. While you wait, feel free to browse through our coverage of this year's Fanfest.

Dev Blog: Socialization is Key in DUST 514

According to a new dev blog entry by game designers CCP LeKjart and CCP Remnant, socialization will be a key aspect of DUST 514. "We want players to be able to communicate in-battle and out; to be able to easily find and play with friends; to have the tools to meet and make new friends (and enemies) while they’re sitting in front of their PS3 and even when they’re not," they said.

Here's how CCP plans to accomplish this task:

  • EVE Gate will be the communal hub for EVE pilots and DUST soldiers. This is where players from both games can manage their contacts, check in-game mail (when not actually in-game), post on forums, check their calendar for upcoming events or post new events of their own to the calendar.
  • Corporations will be completely seamless between EVE Online and DUST 514. From a functionality standpoint, it shouldn’t matter whether a corporation member is a DUST player or an EVE player.
  • Using voice chat and text chat, DUST and EVE players will be able to communicate with one another in real time.
  • Players will find themselves spending a lot of time in the War Room – a 3D lobby where players can go over their vehicle and character fittings; stock up on items from the corp inventory or the marketplace; chat with fellow corp members or once-off hires; scrutinize potential strategies and just generally get ready for the battles to come. Each War Room supports a maximum of 32 players at once.

ZAM's E3 Roundup and Best of Show Award

E3 has come and gone, and we learned a lot during our time at the Los Angeles Convention Center. While we invite you to browse through all of our E3 coverage, we wanted to point out some of the highlights from the convention. You'll find all of our original features and a list of other noteworthy announcements after the jump!

We'd also like to take this opportunity to present En Masse Entertainment and TERA with our Best of Show Award! As we explored TERA's political system, the demo shined as the most polished one we saw at the convention. Expanding the role of politics in-game will create a whole new dynamic for players, and we believe TERA holds a lot of potential for its North American audience. We'll definitely be keeping our eye on this game as we wait for details on the testing and launch schedule.

Keep reading below for our E3 roundup!

ZAM at E3: DUST 514's Connection to EVE Online

CCP made waves this past week at E3 when it announced that its forthcoming shooter DUST 514 is a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Conventional wisdom holds that when you’re developing a new title based off of an existing franchise, you don’t cut your existing playerbase out of the picture. Thankfully, I had the chance to stop by CCP’s booth at E3 and get the skinny on DUST 514 and find out what the PlayStation 3 announcement means for EVE Online fans.

Check Out DUST 514's New Site and E3 Trailer

Last night at Sony's E3 press conference, CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson announced that DUST 514 will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive and showed off a new trailer. In case you missed it, CCP has posted the trailer on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Watch it below to see how the FPS will be connected to EVE Online.

If that's not enough DUST 514 news for you, CCP has also unveiled a new DUST 514 site that already contains quite a bit of content, including screenshots and an overview of the game. There's even a lengthy dev blog entry from Creative Director Atli “Praetorian” Mar that discusses the game's setting, economy and social aspects.

DUST 514 is a PlayStation 3 Exclusive

Remember that countdown clock that popped up on the DUST 514 site on Friday? It turns out it was counting down to Sony's E3 press conference.

CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson just announced at the event that DUST 514 will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Of course, it will be linked to EVE Online's world on the PC. He also stated that DUST 514 will support the Move motion controller and will be "extended" to the NGP PlayStation portable. It was revealed later in the press conference that the portable device is now officially known as PlayStation Vita.

The DUST 514 closed beta will be held at the end of this year. The game will launch in summer 2012.

UPDATE: CCP has released a press release regarding the PS3 announcement and Petursson has written a letter about the news for the EVE Online community, which you can read after the jump. Community Manager James Egan has also posted a lengthy introduction to DUST 514 on the PlayStation Blog and is answering questions from players.