Dust 514 is a free-to-play FPS extension of the EVE universe, bringing Battlefield-style team multiplayer to New Eden. The problem is, you can only play it on PlayStation 3. That is, until Project Legion is released. This is a new shooter by C that will appear on PC. Rather than simply port Dust over—although the games do share some features—they're creating something new.
Like EVE, community is at the forefront, and a hub is designed with ing and communication with other players in mind. Here you'll access a star map and locate a battle, and then jump into a clone soldier to enter the fight from the other side of the universe. Loading is masked by a trip through a swirling tunnel of stars, which is very 2001: A Space Odyssey, before being spat out onto the map.
The developers want the alien environments to impact player tactics—although they're tight-lipped about exactly how at the moment. The map I saw in my demo, which is being played live on the stage, on PC, by the developers, is a volcanic world with glowing lava fields and an impressive volcano in the distance belching out ash and smoke.
The demo was pretty sparse. Although there were a group of developers on the stage, they never really interacted with each other. You can tell Legion is very early in development, and this was a brief taster more than anything else. I didn't get a feel for the combat, or how the team mechanics will work, but it looks pretty enough. It has that stylish, understated EVE art design, and some nice lighting.
C have talked about making the EVE universe more accessible, and you don't get much more accessible than an online FPS. Being a Sony exclusive stifled Dust, but this reimagining will get the audience it deserves on PC. Without seeing any meaningful in-game footage I can't be sure of the direction they're taking, but the multiplayer team shooter is difficult thing to get right. If C can pull it off, this could become a compelling gateaway drug to EVE Online.
