Dust 514 Retrospective....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZojjAvljgo

I got two years out of Dust 514. That two years includes a bit of a break with some on and offagain  gaps here and there.I joined the game in early 2014, around the end of March ( just at the 1.8 patch ) when I picked up a cheap PS3.

C. Moody

Going back through my old posts has given me an insight to level any nostalgia.

So to compare waht I thought at the time with my understanding now....




The passive skill points and the daily bonus sp each day is my major draw to the game.
Daily misisons were key to active gameplay, once they were done and the rewards claimed activity dropped off. Going from fully active in match to suit fitting and asset managment.

Community content was lacking or leetist (all or nothing/dismissive of a casual player)

Gameplay on a few matches devolved into being camped at objective choke & spawn points. Or outright redlinned; Protostomping was an issue.

Red wedding keynote happened

For me I'm hanging onto the fact that Dust 514 characters will be transferred to the new game. I've accepted the freebie weapons etc so with luck at the very least the character and skill points will be carried over if not the weapons and armour.

patch 1.9

https://www.psu.com/news/dust-514-exclusive-interview-with-developers-ccp-rouge-and-ccp-rattati/

- introducing-apex-series-bpo-dropsuits

I hooked up a mouse and keyboard to the PS3 it's changed the gameplay dramatically.
Much better control = much better gameplay experience.
Add that to the changes they have made in 1.9 and are going to make in 1.10 = a better gameplay experience.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new Dust 514 in the upcoming 1.10 release on the 9th of December.
I might even be tempted to play sooner with the current week of accelerated LP.


my own post review
https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2014/12/dust-514-my-new-experiance.html
"I've reread some of those posts and mainly about what I had thought at the time. It has been a roller coaster. The highs and lows of CCP showing how unhelpful and insightful it can be towards itself and it's customers. The fanfest fiasco and it's wake showing lessons that were learnt and ignored. I'd like to say that CCP is well on the right track to making Dust 514 the game it should have started out as. Yet I've constantly got that feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That's the biggest thing CCP has done to my consideration of the game. I like the game. I like it's idea's, it may have taken a long time to get to where it is now and it may be the precursor to a PC version. BUT there is that little "thing" in my head that says dont' invest, dont' buy into it, dont' get AURUM currency because CCP's are gonna screw it up in some way shape of form and in that moment I'm gonna be disappointed. It boiled down to that. So yes, a very big, long roller coaster."

"All in all I now had a PS3 on a monitor that gave it a sharper image, it was no longer letter boxed in game and the text and images were all properly shaped and no longer had any blurred effects. The addition of a standard keyboard and mouse made the control of the game precise and more intuitive than I though it would be. I will never use the joypad on Dust 514 again. Kudos to them on the mouse/keyboard integration on Dust 514.

The first match I played using my new setup scored me more kills than all my previous matches to date combined. The game is more accessible and more enjoyable. It feels like a new game. I can see myself getting into this game more. I think I've made the right changes to the hardware at the right time to make the most of the coming changes and updates to Dust514. I think there is more to come and a lot more enjoyment to be had.
The addition of daily "missions" with rewards you can work towards is by far teh best thing in game tht will make you say "one more game" to see if you can get the reward you've 90% progress on already just from playing."


End of january 2015:

"A new update for Dust 514, Warlords 1.0 coming in a week (3rd of Feb) looks to be giving Dust 514 some changes for the better. Details are here. Good to see there is a road map and the dusty part of the Eve universe is still loved."

Feb
"Dust 514 have been checked and played late at night. I'm a fan of the last two patches and the changes/improvements made to the game. The graphics and gameplay have been tweaked well. The added changes due to CCP listening to the community are fantastic. If only I could find a significant presence of that community online!   Eveything you try to lookup including the official youtube channel is all dated over a year ago...
At least there is the official dust514.com   /  dust514.com/news/blog/ & the forums there."

march
The last event held in the game, the 5 Million Clone challenge, was interesting. It definitely made more people play the game as matches were played with full teams on both sides. A drop in numbers was evident once the event was over. One match after it yesterday had 4 people per team, that's the worst I've seen even before the event. But the results as listed in this devblog was interesting! As were the rewards, very much appreciated.

Next up is Hotfix Echo, I look forward to seeing these changes in action.Tweaking for balance is always a good thing... most of the time!

SAXON ON A MISH

Jake Weisz

APR

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-new-eden-update.html



Trading, but you need to be a certain level within the system... level 4 loyalty? SOD that.



MAY

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/05/ongoing-dust-514.html

Dust 514 Archive

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/05/two-days-of-dust.html

"Of all the things listed in the 1.1.2 hotfix patch notes the only thing that conceres me is the

"Orbital Strike War Point cost has been reduced by 20% for all strikes", because as if they weren't bad enough to endure there will be more of them spammed about.

This game has so much promise and with a small dedicated team that is working with the community to make it better and deliver on the potential it should be reaching a spot better than expected. I have said in a post before that I fear when CCP starts to retake more interest as I think they will override decisions for a worse result.

So all in all despite the lack luster numbers from my matches I really enjoy it. The game has me going back for more. A feelings that go deeper than the numbers the game generates."

CCP Games

June

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/06/more-thoughts-on-dust-514.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/06/two-days-of-dust-pt2.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/06/dust-514-daily-aurum.html







July

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/07/dust-514.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/07/dust-514-my-krins-salvage-run.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/07/dust-514-warlords-12-patch.html

Dust 514 after the last event has seen me back to the usual War barge item collection (less the lab weapons) and the one win/one key reward daily. Mixed in with some suit fitting tests and checks. But not much gameplay outside of that. The last week long event was a borderline burnout for me so I'm easing back for awhile. A change to the less intense (severe?) BF4 might be in order... for a vacation ;-p

SEPT

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/09/dust-514-amarr-challenge.html

OCT

Crimson harvest event (reward suit)

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/10/eve-and-dust-514-my-gaming-updates-and.html

NOV

Logi Ops event (reward suit)

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/11/new-dust-514-event.html

DEC 

Lack of game news - talk of a port to another platform

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/12/dust-514-update.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/12/continued-dusting.html

https://crossingzebras.com/dust-514-is-not-dead/

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2015/12/dust-514.html

Still valid:  

TotalBiscuit

JAN

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2016/01/dust-514-battlefield-fallout.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2016/01/dust-514.html

https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2016/02/another-one-bites-dust-dust-514-that-is.html

https://store.steampowered.com/app/367270/Angels_Fall_First/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xKXyU1hul8

Dust 514.... my new experiance.

I'm going to recap on some thought and write about my new Dust 514 experience so it's gonna be a long waffle....

It's been a long time since I've played an online first person shooter with a mouse and keyboard. The last time was when I was into Quake and Unreal Tournament in there various forms some years ago. Nostalgia had brought them back to be reinstalled over time but I was not really back to them online. The only online shooters I've played recently have been on the Xbox 360, CoD and BF being the main two. I have to say that BF beats CoD in my view, due to it having more variables to increase it's "realism"  complexity. 
So when CCP said they were bringing out an FPS in the Eve universe I was of course interested. The fact that there were some goodies in the Eve collectors edition that I could use for Dust 514 added to the mix.
About 8 month's or so ago I bought a cheap PS3 on sale and used some vouchers that helped to lessen the cost. The game is free after all so I started to check what it was all about.
Over the course of those 8 month's I've blogged about that roller coaster ride.

These are the main blog posts where I waffled my lil cotton socks off:

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/04/dust-514.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/04/dust-514-started.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/04/dust-in-my-eye.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/04/dust-to-dust.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/07/dust-revisited.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/11/return-to-dust.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/11/more-dust.html

http://acasualcarebear.blogspot.ie/2014/12/dust-its-alive.html

I've reread some of those posts and mainly about what I had thought at the time. It has been a roller coaster. The highs and lows of CCP showing how unhelpful and insightful it can be towards itself and it's customers. The fanfest fiasco and it's wake showing lessons that were learnt and ignored. I'd like to say that CCP is well on the right track to making Dust 514 the game it should have started out as. Yet I've constantly got that feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That's the biggest thing CCP has done to my consideration of the game. I like the game. I like it's idea's, it may have taken a long time to get to where it is now and it may be the precursor to a PC version. BUT there is that little "thing" in my head that says dont' invest, dont' buy into it, dont' get AURUM currency because CCP's are gonna screw it up in some way shape of form and in that moment I'm gonna be disappointed. It boiled down to that. So yes, a very big, long roller coaster.

Anyway, enough of my "considerations" of the game and onto my newest Dust 514 experiences.
My new experiences of the game have been great. The best way to describe these experiences is to say that it hasn't been the game or any changes since it's last update. It's nothing CCP has done. I've updated the way I use the PS3. Visual output and control method changes. That's a PC monitor and keyboard'n'mouse instead of a 32" tv and gamepad. Ho-Lee-Hell has it made a massive difference.
I bought a PS3/Wii to VGA cable. I had other spare components that made the connection to an LCD screen with speakers no hassle. I added a standard usb keyboard and mouse to the ps3 and what a difference. Did I say they made a difference..... Night and Day!

The cable is this one. The other bits I needed were from a local shop here and here.

Connecting the screen was finicky from the PS3 settings.
I needed to have the screen and new cable connected ans setup/powered while keep the PS3 connected to a TV, make the changes in the PS3's settings ensuring it was changed to use the D VGA out, scroll right to get to the next option letting it go to a black screen (because the monitor wasn't connected), unplug the video cable from the PS3 and plug in the new cable from the monitor and finish the settings change process.
Finicky.
No wonder people would just hook up the PS3 expect it to work straight away... see a black screen and say it doesn't work.
At least with the Xbox360 it was automatic and detected the new screen.
Once the PS3 was on the new screen and it all worked and sounded ok I was happy.
So I powered everything off and tidied up before setting up the PS3 in it's new home (my desk beside the 360). I can see myself buying some sort of vga switchbox with 3.5mm audio jack.... This looks interesting.... Hmmm I'm not an AV geek .... honest!

All in all I now had a PS3 on a monitor that gave it a sharper image, it was no longer letter boxed in game and the text and images were all properly shaped and no longer had any blurred effects. The addition of a standard keyboard and mouse made the control of the game precise and more intuitive than I though it would be. I will never use the joypad on Dust 514 again. Kudos to them on the mouse/keyboard integration on Dust 514.

The first match I played using my new setup scored me more kills than all my previous matches to date combined. The game is more accessible and more enjoyable. It feels like a new game. I can see myself getting into this game more. I think I've made the right changes to the hardware at the right time to make the most of the coming changes and updates to Dust514. I think there is more to come and a lot more enjoyment to be had.
The addition of daily "missions" with rewards you can work towards is by far teh best thing in game tht will make you say "one more game" to see if you can get the reward you've 90% progress on already just from playing.

Dust 514....

I  can only hope that CCP does take into consideration the current crop of multiplayer games if they are considering a port or a "new" version of an Eve FPS. To be a success they need to take whats out there improve on it and be better via slapping on the Eve brand or style of the New Eden Universe. Not a thing CCP is known well to do.
A good analysis on current multiplayer value and worth in games, including player expectation is better said by a video that I've seen from TotalBiscuit. Also well worth a listen.

Dust has always had so much potential but little to stand up and say it has achieved. One thing that it has is the Dust 514 community, it is strong and committed. 
CCP Rattati I hope will have a major input for any port/new game but not even he will have all the answers CCP needs. Above all for a port there has to be communication. Without it CCP will repeat the mistakes of the past if they do not listen to the current Dust 514 playerbase.
The current community can be a pillar a new game can stand on to be promoted well.

  
A port would see a lot of people leave no matter what the port moves onto.
Even if it were to a PS4 not all PS3 owners are going to get a PS4. I'm an Xbox 360 owner and I dont' have an Xbox One.
If the future of the new game/port is on PC then there is still the need to recognise Dust 514 players time and efforts from their PS3 days.
I think that it's very important to recognise the current playerbase but without communication from CCP it is hard to say what can actually be moved if at all.
- I'd like to ideally see everything as is moved over from my one room "hanger".
- If not then a conversion of items/suits/fits/skins into an equivalent item on the new/ported game.
- Alternatively to that there should be a system where items are given an isk value, BPO's given an Aurum value and then that ISK and Aurum are transferred over.
That all sounds doable but it gets messy when considering SP.
There is a lot of thought to be had on that front.. There is no easy quick fix. Not without more details. Will the new game/port even have SP. I hope it does as I like that aspect of the game.
If it does maybe players have their old SP amount returned to them slowly over time as an extra daily bonus.
My current main has just over 25 Million SP, if I was to get that back over a year I would get a daily amount of  SP that is just shy of 70k. At least knowing that I was getting it back would take the edge off the subject for me.
A lot needs to be worked out and balance is going to be key.

Those that have bought into the game via Aurum should 100% have that reimbursed at the very least.

Only CCP communication can give answers on whats actually happening. Or heaven forbid if they actually ask for input on "What wold you think of" type of questions.


I have bitched a lot on my blog posts about the way CCP has treated the Mystery code holders of the Eve Second Decade box set.
I think CCP sees Dust in the same light as that boxset. CCP has a "working" product, they have taken the players money and can get more cash from players with it. But CCP don't need to change or do anything else.
This article from Polygon shows what CCP says publicly about Dust 514.
Here are the last two paragraphs of that article : 
This is one of the most surprising things from Fanfest this year: CCP is happy with DUST 514, and the game is going well. I also asked about Project Legion, the sort of announced game from last year that CCP said may or may not become a product. I was told there was nothing to announce.
"We’re looking into a lot of options for what’s going to happen next for Dust," Pétursson said. "It’s too early to say anything to be honest. The game is now a profitable business for CCP, and that’s a good thing."
That article came before the Legion copyright was abandoned by CCP.
What is certain is that CCP are in some way "thinking about it" and that they are not pushed about it on any kind of timeline. That's it.
All other interviews are the same. As non committal as can be and as vague as possible. The usual CCP way.

A port for a game CCP is not talking about and is not really doing anything with means I have real fears and doubts about a "better" future for Dust.


That is where the community comes in and forces CCP's hand to make them take notice and speak about it. Communication via blogs, podcasts and forums is the only way to get a player base message to and from CCP.  When there is enough widespread pressure. Lets hope things on that front ramp up.  An Eve style summer of rage really is needed for a port but more than anything else a summer of rage is needed for communication. It all sounds like an uphill struggle. Where is the CPM. Hidden behind a wall of NDA. At least if they pushed for a public comment from CCP no matter how vague that comment would be, at least something would be better than nothing. Maybe they dont' want to say anything to move the applecart from it's knife edge.

I have no doubt that CCP can cut the Dust 514 cord and not give a damn about it or the players.
It is easier for me to foresee a plan where CCP takes one last hurrah for Dust 514 in an event where the empires in Eve no longer have a need for the Dust soldiers and take action to wipe them out in one fell swoop via an order 66 or a lysine action. With all the dust soldiers dead in one weekend the servers could be shut off and that would be that.
As long as Dust is 0.01 cent/penny in the black and not in the red they won't cut that cord or change Dust from it's current "maintenance" mode regarding development never mind a port.

Speak CCP Speak. I won't accept any old port in a storm.

Dust 514....

Dust had it's December event. I did get to login and play most of the day's. I missed the start due to Christmas day priorities and the last day I ignored because I didn't want to waste my game time doing the daily on two characters just to get a snowball launcher.

Overall I found that the event may have brought back a large contingent of older players, as the total áss whooping was a lot harder than normal. I saw a lot of high end, co-ordinated groups. Which is not so much fun for a solo player in public matches. So I mainly found myself running expendable infinite militia suits to get the job done. If I'm gonna be spam in a can I may as well do it in a free militia suit getting kills that would make an Eve player blush about their killboard. I still really really enjoyed killing officer geared players with a militia weapon/suit.

There's been no real news on the Dust 514 front about the future of the game. I think most players who care about such things are past the caring stage due to a huge amount of apathy. CCP's silence is of concern.

So much could have been done with Dust there was promise in the game, then it fell flat on it's face and no amount of resuscitation can help get it back on it's feet never mind sitting up straight. At the moment it is what it is. Better than the mess it was due to CCP Rattati, he has helped the game and the CCP/player bridge for sure but there's so much more out there that does things better. Dust's uniqueness is on a knife edge and CCP overall aren't helping.

I'm surprised I never got into Planetside 2 where dust has that "something" that hooks me in. There was this blog post that may bring light to a port, hopefully that site will bring port news front and center.

I was pleased to see a return form a youtuber regarding Dust 514 gameplay and fitting video's, 

SAXON ON A MISH.(closed and removed now). I come across his corp a lot and they are pro players. I only hope that I've been a minor irritant in some way to them as they have been to me in most matches I find them in :)

His video's are well worth watching. I only wish my main character had half the amount of SP his does.

Dust 514 - Back In The Saddle (Commentary)

Dust 514 - MK.O Assault Shotgun Fitting (Commentary) 

New Dust...

I'm no forum warrior nor am I at the cutting edge of the tinfoil haberdashery for what the old Dust 514 community needs/wants. I'm really, really not a spreadsheet gamer, I've never calculated blast radius etc. etc. But I have enjoyed blasting faces accumulating stuffz and getting scores. So my overall enthusiasm for the Eve universe has me interested in what the Eve FPS mark 2 will be.

The best way to see what the new game is going to be like is to look back a few years to the last fanfest presentation that famously became the red wedding. It left 99% of the dust community in shock in a very WTF moment. It also left players in no doubt that Dust 514 was dead and the new game was the way forward.

It's been three years since that presentation and a year since they poked their heads up to show a demo at fanfest 2016. CCP still hasn't given anything other than vague dev one liners. I find it hard if they were trying to keep any further disappointment from the community as it's been so long since solid information. But they are the masters of silence and doing their own thing regardless of the world spinning. In some ways they have their heads in the sand. They work away on a project based on an idea that can be outpaced. As CCP's work on World of Darkness shows they do persist with what they got. So I think that more can be gleaned from what was shown then than anything else in the realm of tin foil forum warriors.

Besides the 2014 keynote video there were also these two of interest:

Learning from Dust 514 - player progression

 Legion Graphics

So if all that was worked on and there has been years of progress since, is there any real point to me waffling on here, maybe not but a guy has to look at what was said and have a bit of hope for the future of the new game.... right....?

In considering the new game it's not just the likes of Overwatch it has to contend with but I'd like to point to a level of competition with games in it's own genere (broadly speaking futuristic/sci-fi based content). There is no way there can be any competition with Overwatch.
For me at the moment the three games that the new shooter will have to contend with are:

Planetside 2 (link)
Warframe (link)
&
Ghost in the Shell: First Assault (link)

Those three games alone are a lot of competition to see and work against for an upcoming FPS. To gain players from others they gave to offer the same but better. Can CCP do that in an FPS?


Looking back at Eve three years ago and seeing the changes and development I can only hope that the new FPS has also been brought forward just as much. I'm sure there is a cool new unique angle the game will take to make people flock to it....


They had so much to talk about in 2014.Talking about it is so much better:

Fanfest 2014 - More Sand in the Box for DUST 514

Nobody has said anything of how much of the 2014 footage is still relevant.

The 2014 keynote says that they have a vision of the sandbox FPS game under four pillars:
- Balanced competitive shooter
- Experience emergent behaviours (players going off script - PVE
- Player trading
- Immersion in the Universe of New Eden

It's a pity that the early feedback they got made them turtle up and instead of taking it on the chin and moving forward with explanation and enlightenment they went dark.

When considering the new FPS it is hard to not fight the battles of the past. Considering old game map design and game mechanics and saying all the old shoulda, coulda and woulda phrases.
There is no idea what CCP are really doing unless there is a leak of information or they actually say something meaningful. The 2014's red wedding peeved the community by saying way to much about the games replacement as well as the move away from the platform.

Can they really compete and be successful?
Will they give a damn about the old Dust players?

I would say there is only going to be a token offer for your troubles in being a fan of the old game going into the new. Never mind any old assets and accumulated effort (SP/ISK/Aurum). As for the mystery code that got me to play Dust 514 in the first place. Dont' get me started on the Mystery code, you wouldn't like me if I waffle about the mystery code... Yes CCP have given me doubts or rather "trust issues" in the past. So if you havnt' guessed it by now take my commentary with an ocean of sea salt in that regard.

What I would give to have a near complete transfer of assets/isk/aurum & be rewarded for previous effort or at least their new game equivalent/conversion. I don't see that ever happening but I do see "a" recognition of being a previous 514 player. Something that really isn't of value in or out of the new game. The more I think about it the more pessimistic I tend to get so I'll leave it there. Maybe there will be a unique forum something or other I'll never use/see. <insert satirical cheer here>

I think and hope the newer game will be a radically different beast to the Dust 514 already experienced. With luck it will have great game mechanics that CCP can hang any veneer and style on. Without a good base it'a ll going in the quicksand. CCP's FPS team in China are a good group I'm not putting them down in any way. But CCP overall does have a tendency to jump on an idea bandwagon and float off with that fancy idea(s). Those idea's of fancy are usually blatantly obvious from the communities perspective. The mix of a small team with limited resources makes sticking to a dedicated and correct plan from the start a real necessity. In other words they need to figure out a good game mechanic system from the code up and a way to implement it to a point where it's future proofed to keep players playing features longterm. Then stick to their guns(yes that was an fps gun pun, hardy-har-har).

Around this time last year, Fanfest 2016 gave some visual enlightenment. That brought out hope and a greater need to ask many, many questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLGdp9lp2Kw

Dust 514....

Over the past year I've had a niggling feeling at me to get into Dust 514.

As Dust shows no signs of going to the PS4 there would be no point in investing in one of those.
With the game being a sony playstation exclusive means to try Dust I'd have to get a PS3.

A friend and his brother have raved about enjoying dust matches. What I've seen so far I've liked.
It's been a while since I did something like splurge on a random piece of tech geekery. 

I've always been an xbox fan, I've had the original xbox, an original 360 which served well and then gave up the red ring of death; A newer special edition 360 that I've had for a few years now, and then repaired the older 360. Both are still going strong. I'm still dedicated to my xbox 360's. BF4, Splinter Cell Blacklist and a few other games that reside on the xbox and not on the shelf shows I play them.

I've stood my ground and not even thought about getting one of the new consoles. Even if the PS4 looks to beat the Xbox One. Yes the graphics look great and the increase in game abilities like the number of players that can play in battlegrounds is a lot better then the older consoles. Right now for me they dont' do or play anything that would justify getting one.

So PS3 it has to be.
 
The good thing about the PS4 being out is the price drop of the PS3 with retailers. Second hand PS3's are currently selling for more or about the same as the reduced shop prices. I've seen none that have games/extras that appeal to me. None that warrant paying a lot more than just getting the console and a free game in a shop.
My thinking places me with the perspective of why buy second hand when I can have a new one for the same price that also has a guarantee.
 
The best deal I can see at the moment gives a 12GB playstation 3 + a game for 169.99 (euro) reduced from 229.98. A voucher I received as a present for that store will take that reduced price down to 109.99.

Not bad at all for a console that still has a few years left too it. I've read it should be a supported platform until 2017, am sure it will be.

The only point that makes me hesitate a little in going ahead with the PS3 is the fact that Dust may be released on pc after the summer.... its a slim chance but the internet blog pundits all seem to be divided on what will happen.

My research has lead me to a few blogs/sites and youtube vids that show self upgrading the HD of the PS3 slim will be easy, I already have a 500GB sata drive ready and waiting to be used. 

 

 
Granted the brackets are cheap online, but I dont' want to pay for something that should have already come with it...   If the ad-hoc fit seems really unstable then I'll see about the proper bracket.

During the weekend I also registered on the playstation network for a user name and listed Dust 514 as a download.

Another great thing is that I have Dust 514 items to redeem after buying the EVE: The Second Decade Collector's Edition for Eve Online.
These are listed in the description as:

Digital items (DUST 514)
Blind your enemies with the reflection of their defeat in your shining Amarr dropsuit while unleashing a torrent of pain from your new arsenal of weapons. These EVE: The Second Decade Collector's Edition items are permanent gear, requiring no restocking or replacement.

    Amarr "Templar" Assault Dropsuit
    Amarr "Templar" Logistics Dropsuit
    Amarr "Templar" Heavy Dropsuit
    Amarr Scrambler Pistol
    Amarr Scrambler Assault Rifle
    Amarr Laser Rifle

As I pre-purchased the Collector's edition I have an extra item code for an Amarr Drop Uplink.

A permanent item spawn point generator for strategy-minded mercenaries. Regroup your team on your terms for the tactical edge.

So it will be good to make use of these items. Maybe they will give a bit of an edge.

I'll be visiting the store this week, I can say that I'm 99% going to buy it.

Eve Online Update....

I've had this in draft's for a while now but I'm only getting to write it up and flesh it out now. With luck I'll finish this post and write up a decent view of what I'm doing in Eve with my characters tomorrow. It's late now so I'll see how much I get to waffle and what I get to remove from this.

CSM voting has been completed and I'm glad to say that I got to vote my selection with all my accounts. And the results given in the fanfest keynote presentation today were a win for my top pick.


The scope news spots are continuing and are great to watch.

I really, really enjoy them.

The latest video to carry the story forward is from fanfest and is a real teaser.

 
 Another major part of fanfest's presentations today was the Eve Valkyrie video.

Eve Valkyrie looks like it will be a big title on PC and PS4, I'll be very much staying with it on PC and will look forward to it.
Part of me can't help but think back to when video's like this were shown about Dust514 but I think that CCP had well learnt it's lesson. Indeed Dust 514 may not have had much "air" time or mention at all in the live feeds but Dust is listed on the Fanfest scedule. Listed along the lines of the playerbase and "learning" from the experience. There does not seem to be any current info on what they are doing with the game and where it's future is going.
Dust would have so much more and the community would be so much more forgiving if CCP was clearer on details, for fanfest I'd have expected more. Dust 514 is after all a product and CCP does employ a number of people in the Dust 514 team, why should merchandising and Eve Online models get more of a mention than a subsection of the playerbase that IS in the sandbox.
The current playerbase has already slated the lack of Dust 514 in the keynote and I think the video and comments in the forum best represents the overall generalised view Dust 514 players have about CCP. Maybe my comments are premature as fanfest is ongoing. Things can change. But I read this with interest and the response is also interesting.

For some reason the way CCP is going about their VR games very much reminds me about my love for the Splinter Cell games. I like Splinter Cell. I played it on the original xbox and on the 360, each release after the other. I knew about the Splinter Cell offshoots on phones and DS's etc, but I was never tempted to keep up with them even when those other "smaller" releases had free gifts and unlocked items for the main triple A releases on the main systems. That memory makes me wonder how much CCP will push each new slice of the Eve universe on every platform/system/device they can and how much they will want to swing off the Eve Online branch. Maybe I need a tinfoil hat.


Fanfest is worth watching (http://www.twitch.tv/ccp), the future year ahead of Eve is looking to be quiet a blast. And the Eve Valkyrie should be very interesting.

I'm not a fan of the new UI icon's I can see why they would want to do it but modernisation for modernisation sake is not always a good change.
Maybe it's just me but they new icon's, especially the drone identifiers look very space invader...

As for adding the plus sign on top of the NPC icon's again for me this looks completely naff and throws the icons off.

Overall I think the new icon's add a new form of hieroglyphics to the game that the spreadsheet fans will love bit that if you had to describe all these new icon's to a new starter to the game. really if a vet reading a dev blog is making faces then a noob has no chance. Thankfully they are tweaking these and with luck they will get good feedback and adjust things to be "better".

There is so much information from fanfest, form the keynotes/main presentations, that it will take time to look into in detail and as fanfest continues there is sure to be more information and further details. I have to say that I was surprised by the "stats" presentation, fro enjoying it and for the surprise that the last two years worth of data is available for each character.... I almost looked up one site that would present my characters data but I think I'll leave that till I have more time to really check it out.

Nullsec sov is a key point and as with every ting in Eve is related to so much more, there is no way even with all that's been said and argued about it that a proper conclusion can be seen as the future is hidden in NDA'd material, Even the info from Fanfest hinted at more structures that would truly change the face of what we know... time will tell, the other side of fanfest may be clearer.


Besides Watching Fanfests details I tried looking for more updates to the Eve 101 video's but It looks like CCP has taken over eve 101's spotlight on video's on eve. CCP are doing their Flight Academy well but I did like the 101 series.


There was a great article on mmo player behaviour from PC Gamer that is worth reading.


Evogenda had a good post here as well that seems to echo elements in my own game time in Eve.

I'll leave this post and waffle about my characters tomorrow. Apologies in advance for the spelling, a late night spelling check is no spelling check at all. o7

Eve Online FPS....

EVE Online shooter cancelled to make way for a new EVE Online shooter; An article of things said before.

Here's my gut reaction and rant....

I've played Dust 514; Been interested(if not enthusiastic) in every attempt from CCP to get a shooter 'made'. Project Legion, Project Nova. Each a variation on an FPS New Eden theme.

My initial gut reaction to CCP stopping and starting another FPS is 'meh' with a side of snarky comment.

The problem(in my view) with them doing an FPS is that the playerbase they are trying to pander to isn't based on Dust 514. It's based on a new playerbase that they can cash in on, while also taking as much of the old playerbase as they can. Not for love of a game, continuation of a playerbase or the universe they are in. Just for the cash business.

The reason I started Dust 514 was because of the free items in the 10th anniversary collectors edition box..... #Mysterycode...... That's a whole other story I've waffled about before. Anyway.
Being Eve based it hooked me. Like a lot about CCP and Eve it promises a lot more than it delivers.

CCP devs have tried to maintain the Dust playerbase and have previously maintained a connection. The Devs are or were dedicated as much to the community as the universe. They'd take comments that help... BUT, CCP has a very bad habit of getting blinkered. Overriding the plain in their face facts. They will take simple idea A with simple idea B and before you know it, it's mutated out of control in their own little weird echo chamber bubble world, machinations of greatness. OR the very reverse that's then shown to a small packed room at fanfest, who are aghast at what they see. The players of the old game and universe enthusiasts gasp in horror and have 1 million practical questions about it. Then as aghast as the players, the Devs recoil in horror and fear at what they have done/decided/chosen due to the reactions in the room. It would be funny if it hadn't have happened.

I'm no stunning linguist, I'm here to waffle. I just can't/don't get CCP's thinking. It blows my mind how detailed yet unfocused they can be with such large projects.

If Dust 514 was still active I'd be there. Instead I got into Battlefield 1. If CCP had ported Dust to PC and made some enhanced changes over a year for it to 'work properly' it could still be a thing. Just look at Warframe or even Planetside 2. I mean come on .... PLANETSIDE 2 is still a thing!

Frustration abounds, but it's CCP so no surprise.

I don't think CCP actually knows what it wants, beyond profits and what it thinks it's belief in New Eden as a franchise universe. There has been so much effort, so much work, development, planning and attrition that the FPS game they think players want has been lost in a whirlpool of attempting to most profit them.

Maybe there's something in the trace elements that remain, CCP may actually be doing work that is worth it and will result in a great shooter/universe experience.

The quotes in the article have me thinking development has gone back to what sounds like a Project Legion like game. That could be a good thing(How they even went from Legion's planet/space combat to a Nova deathmatch arena shooter is beyond me). Valkyrie syndrome perhaps.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The last paragraph of that article is telling. CCP back in their mutation bubble echo chamber.

" 
But don't expect news on this new project any time soon. Kellion also said CCP Games would refrain from revealing projects too early in the future. "We want to show you rather than tell you how we have evolved this concept and we’re looking forward to doing so when the time comes to present this concept as a fully-fledged game."

"

Time will tell. Again.

Dust 514.... Started....

So I did it, about this time last week, after my post on Dust 514 and before my lengthy afk, I went and bought a ps3, new from the store.  I used that voucher as well so that the reduced price from the shop was reduced further, so I spent €109. 

Once I got it home and had it setup there was an oh oh moment... the controller didnt' work. I tried the reset fix but that was a no go ... a return to the shop was needed.  They gave me a new one off the shelf.

One new controller later I was up and running. The PS3's wireless connection to my home network was working perfectly. It did a few updates as I found my way around the menu's, tweaking options as I went.


My previous registration for the Playstation Network gave me a head start and I got logged in and had Dust 514 already in my downloads waiting to be clicked on. The download of about 2.5 GB didn't take long. 
As I waited for it to download I decided to log into the Dust514 site with my PSN login. This let me create a character and redeem my 10th anniversary and pre purchase codes.

Within Dust I went through a few of the interactions needed to get some free items, it was a mini Aura intro tutorial. This intro was the opposite of the Eve tutorial it was too short and too quick it made me feel like I was missing things.

I had setup the PS3 with its composite+scart connection. I feel that the graphics suffered due to this.Although I only got to get once match done, it was all about familiarisation and getting used to the controller ( xbox is way more intuitive for me, the xbox controller feels a lot better in the hands  ).

Later I moved the PS3 to the main TV and used the composite directly to the tv, graphics were a bit better but still a bit 'blurred'. I tried tweaking options to remove and sharpen the image but this was not happening.
The bigger screen it was on now was not much help as it highlighted the "problems" more.... maybe I just need to get used to the look.  In comparison BF4 is crisp and clear. Dust is grainy. I don't think getting it setup on a HDMI cable will make a difference.

I got into a few more matches, My Kill to death ratio was about 2 to 1, better than I had with my latest BF4 starter experience.

BF4 is a true tweaked multiplayer shooter. Dust feels like it has a ways to go yet. For dust to add in a few other modes of "contract" like team or free for all deathmatch or objective based matches would only require a few tweaks and be faster paced, they would open up the game so much.
If Merc's are like Eggers then they should have no problem with throwing resources at any endeavour they want.... like random killing of 100 clones to get prestige.

There are a lot of things done well in Dust, the look and feel of the hud was good but the letterbox view give a very fish eye lens feel. Some have commented on this https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=53821.
The feel of the weapons so far has been great, very satisfying to fire.
The way the loadout/fits are done is good and as an Eve pilot very much the same as doing things for ships.
The way that microtransactions are setup in the market/store are also done well. I had to hold myself back from buying aurum to use to get items like the active/passive skill boosters. Thankfully I was able to get an active booster as part of the tutorial and will use it on a day I can get a good few games in.
The gaining of Skill points and then allocating them is also great, I'd love to see a version of this in Eve, or perhaps being allowed to buy skill points..... that's another wish.

Dust is hardcore just by being the way it is.... hard to put a finger on it.... 

http://dust514.wikia.com/wiki/Guide_For_Beginners

So far I've played my matches with the controller, this will be changed to a mouse and keyboard as soon as I can get a permanent home for the ps3 with my pc etc. I'll need a ps3 to vga cable for a monitor etc to get things started. For now I'll remain with the controller.

While I was waiting for the controller to be replaced I took a browse a the second hand games on offer for the PS3. I might pick up one or two as they were all in the €10 - 12 price range. Maybe some metal gear games that I had missed out on.... time will tell.
also after the controller was fixed I added in a 500GB drive with the bent old member ship card trick. It is working perfectly.

At the moment I seem to have infinite sets of the starter gear in its variants ( 4 I think ). That's to be expected.
I've not messed about with the gear I've redeemed yet.
I have bought some items and gotten 50 sets or basic militia gear/fits.
I also seem to have 10 of 1 vehicle type and 5 of another, they are one more thing I have yet to mess about with.
I'm sticking with the starter gear, the weekend may see me use the militia gear if I feel I've gotten a good handle on the game and how to survive.

After doing a little digging about the web these blog posts are of interest:


http://crossingzebras.com/dust-514-feature-incomplete/

https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=798252
https://forums.dust514.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=1525618

Dust 514 & Project Nova....

It seems that there's a lot of ongoing work with Nova. I've not seen any announcements if there were any; But I got a mail today "Claim your DUST 514 Name".

It would seem that there will be nothing carried over to the new game except one character name. Other characters names and all assets/inventory/wealth and SKINS are being ignored and reset. That's a pity; As is loosing the mystery code items that got me into the game in the first place. I presume they are just more casualties. So just my highest SP characters name and that's it.....

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. Salty to be sure because I expected more than just a name to be moved. But resigned and muted in a way as well as if this was inevitable.

At least there is an effort to "reward" veterans previous dust 514 players; Regardless of the amount of SP/time played never mind any real world cash put in. I say that because I don't believe they had any prerequisites for characters to meet per account as they say.

Having to look up my old character name is dragging me back into trying to remember characters specs and which and who was doing what.... Main, Minmatar scout alt, Gallente starter mess-about.
Seeing screenshots of items I'll never get to mess about with  or suit spin. It's bringing up so many memories, all the old assets, accomplishments and rewards I had. And had hope for with Nova. That non of them matters any more isn't a nice feeling. If I feel like that without having spent a cent on the game than others that did must be really narky. If the Veteran rewards are for old items then that would be something.

Damn it CCP has me starting to care about all this shít again. From old Dust 514 and the new Nova hopes and what if's....

More info needed, more questions than answers and CCP is never that forthcoming.... I don't think I've even seen one Nova newsletter since I signed up to it.

Project Nova....

Massive amounts of waffle ahead.....

Nova....
Nova........
Nova............

Project Nova; Where do I start.

I've been waffling in huge swath's of text trying to make sense of the latest news and information from Eve Vegas. I've deleting more paragraphs than I care to mention, nit picking, over-analysing. Ultimately I don't accept the premise of CCP's thinking in the distillation of Dust 514 into Project Nova. But why should I justify my thinking, this is a blog and I can be opinionated.

I'm not in the know and info from CCP is very wishy-washy, mainly because they don't know the answers yet themselves(even if it's to just say 'no'). CCP seem to be trying to fit the essence of Dust into a smaller more streamlined Nova container. All the same great feelings with none of the technical problems. Ditching dead weight like game mechanics, dust players and possibly good will.
Yea I'm bitching. Because the more I think about it the more I now know that Legion was the Dust replacement the community needed, not Project Nova.

I'm disappointed in what was shown about Nova and in what the game promises to be, a basic FPS with no grand vision.

Nova seems like it will be a constantly ongoing project that has no end. It's nice to have a company behind a long term product but Nova is not a whole product to begin with. It doesn't know what it's supposed to be. Basic PvP arena shooter? Drone rush/wave PvE co-op?

As a product whats there to get behind?

CCP can show all the video story-lines they want but there's no vision for nova in gameplay terms at all. Not like Dust. Dust was about ground troops in a massive war, Nova is a smaller scale ship boarding party..... Is CCP once fps bitten twice fps shy?

I liked Dust because it was a product. It delivered. Maybe not fully formed and not flawless but it had broad form and function. Having player feedback added and improved  the game via CCP Rattati, the man, the legend, the Dust godsend. Players could see the potential and could lobby Rattati for change/additions. Rattati did his best with what he had at the time. Nova is starting off as so much less of a game, but sells more of a promise of improvements and additions in the future. Promises for players to hang their hopes on. Hopes for a better game without knowing if Nova is aiming in the same direction. CCP has never done well with promises.  CCP promises may as well be a meme at this stage. But CCP don't seem to say they have a plan outside of a New Eden based FPS, cutting out 90%(or more) of what Dust had. CCP is being more CCP than ever with Nova. And that's frustrating.

All in all I don't trust the internal working process's of CCP to deliver a great Dust replacement.
Like Eve they are making Nova a niche title. Nova will be niche in it's Eve/New Eden theme/graphics and not much else. There not aiming for mass markets. Fair enough. Bigger picture, longer term planning(I hope!). But to what ends? I have faith in CCP Rattati, but there are too many 'but's'. It's sounding like Nova will be a never ending Beta on "release", like so many FPS beta's on Steam.
Worse still they may just be doing Nova as an alt-tab game for Eve players just because it's New Eden based...... Such a downgrade in vision!

While I'd have liked a great or a good replacement for Dust 514, it seems that Project Nova doesn't cut the mustard.  Not just because it's in a pre Alpha stage but the long term talk from CCP does nothing at all for me. No vehicles, no planetary maps and the bare minimum of player trade interaction. Let alone a veterans need to be acknowledged for past property and deeds.
Where is the ambition. I swear Nova would be more exciting if CCP asset flipped a generic shooter and presented it as it's own Ta-Da!.

Proof is in the pudding and time will tell. But that waiting is as much a killer for Nova as anything else! Especially not having enough of a game on 'release'!

Here I go again waffling.

Sure you'll get players to return and their friends but if I'm a veteran returning and I'm not feeling the love for the game I'm not gonna be promoting it. Never mind trying to build up to where I was in Dust. Not that Nova will have anywhere near the same range of weapons, suits or fitting options(suit spinning). Dust was Lego Technic, Nova is Lego Duplo! Dust felt right. Maybe Project Nova will as well with time. But we're at the foundation and I'm not liking a lot of whats there. Will that grow into the leaning tower of Nova....

I didn't like the comment that Rattati made about other games doing "ground better". Talk about a total surrender of what Dust was. Very disappointing. I recall being excited seeing the Legion volcanic scene. Legion now seems so much more kickass over Nova... What happened.
I don't care what other games do with planet based gameplay; I wanted to see Nova's take on planet based gameplay!!! Now there won't be any!!! I mean why even bother with anything if CCP has the "other people do it better" attitude..... Under that logic CCP will be canning Eve once Star Citizen is released because they do spaceships better!!!!

Overall Project Nova seems interesting in points, in theory; At the moment it seems like a team based arena shooter with what sounds like an objective driven PvE co-op mode!?! On the hull of a ship in space.
Who will care about the location after the first few ogling eww and ahhh's. All players will see from there on in are the sights they're aiming down.

Dust was a PvP game, there were calls for a PvE side but in fairness Dust was always a PvP game. Why are they making Nova pander to a PvE side now? Why emulate a Call of Duty Zombie mode as PvE, it's been done to death. Will a drones enemy and A.I. be that good.
BF1 has a massive single player story mode and I've not really touched it. CoD's latest has binned single player altogether.
Where is CCP taking Nova with this. Balance? To force a player to earn greater isk only through PvE? Of all the things to bin and of all the things to bring to Nova, this!

I have way more questions than answers. I don't see that changing any time soon.
In the Q&A session video the answers only brought out more questions. And highlighted to me that this is not the game to replace Dust. Not for me.

If I don't get a chance to play the Alpha I'll ignore Nova and see what it's like in a year or two after it's "developed"; If it's still there.....

mumble...
mumble....
mumble.....

Like shooting guns. Being niche(New Eden theme!) means seeing it from your perspective!!!!!!
Because someone does something better is not a reason to ditch it from your game CCP!!!!!!!!
Who else does New Eden better than CCP for a ground based FPS!!!!! 

mumble...
mumble....
mumble.....

If others do it better CCP, why do anything at all.....

https://store.steampowered.com/app/611500/Quake_Champions/

https://www.epicgames.com/unrealtournament/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/230410/Warframe/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/444090/Paladins/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/218230/PlanetSide_2/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/440/Team_Fortress_2/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/530700/Argo/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/550650/Black_Squad/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/291480/Warface/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/302670/Call_to_Arms/

even...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/835860/Dreadnought/

More Dust for the new year....

I've been playing more Dust 514 and still haven't touched Battlefield 4. I enjoyed BF 4 but I'm enjoying Dust a whole lot more. There is something to be said for being able to have an FPS with keyboard and mouse support on a console.

A new update for Dust 514, Warlords 1.0 coming in a week (3rd of Feb) looks to be giving Dust 514 some changes for the better. Details are here. Good to see there is a road map and the dusty part of the Eve universe is still loved.

Ongoing Dust 514....

My Dust 514 gameplay is progressing, mainly by doing the dailies. The dailies are good for their overall reward for doing X amount of dailies and not just the dailies themselves. I find myself quickly scanning the dailies list to see if the overall reward is doable and/or worth doing/getting.

Skill points are slow to accumulate, 24k per day passively with the 6k per day logon bonus (maxed at 6k after a weeks worth of logon's) on top of that. That's getting hard as the more SP you have the more SP you need to upgrade your skills so it take a lot longer.
I'm now at a point where I am considering changing my active sp gain to my alt. That alt needs about 1million skill points to get into an advanced combat suit that would be a nice gain for gamplay. I have that alt as a bit of fun. Some matches are a laugh on that alt. No frills or perks and so little sp. Maybe it's just me.

My main has been having some problems with suits and fittings, the recent changes are not helping much as they have altered a lot. I've found myself messing alot with the fittings. Suit spinning as it were. A lot of the freebie/claimed or won weapons and suits bpo's that I have are looking a lot less on par with isk bought items. I can't remember the last time I used a bpo weapon/suit like the Templar stuff. So I've been messing about with getting the isk bough items that my skills will allow.
The other suits, items and weapons that have accumulated are either not skilled into yet (and may never be) or have lower item statistics so are not used. The amount of older gear that I will never use again is getting ridiculous. I found this site great for info on the suits and fits.

The trading limit is down to level 2 but is still a joke but maybe in another year I'll get my main to trade stuff with oh wait my alt is probably take 10 years to grind to level 2 ....  I don't play that character that much. That's a waste of time grinding that really shouldn't be there. Trading should be universal.


I've been tempted to buy some of the lower priced packs from the Dust store.
Originally I was thinking of the starter pack for my alt...

But in reading up on these packs details I was more aligned with getting two of the combat packs....
Once for my main:

 And this one for my alt:

But even after considering these and their lower price I dont' think my main would benefit at all.
I am still wondering if the Minmatar pack for my alt would give a better suit than grinding SP to get the enhanced suit. although they say there are no race restrictions on any of the packs I wonder if there is still training required.

For now I'll remain a truly free to play user.

The addition of the skin modules is of no relevance to me whatsoever, despite seeing my character in his/her quarters for a short time I dont' see my character in matches and to be honest if others see a specific shiny suit they will shoot at it. The more invisible I can be on the map the better. Some like the faction specific skins are looking really cool.....

(another) But... I can't see myself ever buying them... price in Aurum is way too much and even if there was an isk version that would be an unreachable amount. Not going to happen.
Maybe if they were part of a pack or some freebie versions going.

A lot of the player base must be buying them as CCP is saying Dust is turning a profit. And judging my the top end ranks of people I get killed by it's a hefty percentage of players. Makes me wonder how many people like me there are just plugging away at the game solo and not paying for items.... Hmmmmmmm

My dailies will continue and I'll play the game and see how things go with it. I do like it and I do like that things are being improved and that there is a continual change and update agenda. Maybe I do need to buy into it to make life in it a bit easier. There is a fine line between challenge and walkover.

I do like the new second Dust 514 birthday gift of an active booster.

Dust 514 update....

My Dust 514 update that is...
There seems to be a lack of info about the next Hot-Fix, changes or patch coming up.... A lack of news is disappointing.
There would be no point in comparing other shooters from other companies saying that 2 years after launch they are in X,Y and Z condition with free this and that.
Dust is like an underdog, despite it's flaws it is compelling. In saying that if it were not for the daily missions I check on it would be a lot longer between login's for me. Particularly the lock box key missions, it is nice to try and get an item that is above par, BPO's for example.
The Events help as well. The last one the Logi Event was a lot better than previous versions as the requirements for completion were not so stringent. I did the logi event with 2 characters over 3 days and wasnt' rushed about any of it.


There is increasing talk about a port of the game from the PS3 to "something/anything" else.

Crossingzebras has a good article on why they think Dust 514 is not a dead game and what positive hope is in the future.... With luck there will be a port to PC (not PS4, not PS4). #PortDust514

Dust.... It's alive!

I've been really surprised by Dust 514/CCP, far from shelving Dust 514 after the fanfest farce it seems that they have been doing things in the long term department to plan and change the game for the better. the Uprising 1.9 release was a massive boost. Now this dev blog for the next update/expansion also shows insight into the planning and future of the game. They are getting a roadmap together. About time! 

Again I admit I've only played a match or two in the last while. But since I hooked up a mouse and keyboard to the PS3 it's changed the gameplay dramatically.
Much better control = much better gameplay experience.
Add that to the changes they have made in 1.9 and are going to make in 1.10 = a better gameplay experience.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new Dust 514 in the upcoming 1.10 release on the 9th of December.
I might even be tempted to play sooner with the current week of accelerated LP.