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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 - EVE and DUST - A Year in Review

Hey there pilots and pilettes, mercs and mercettes, Kondor here.

You know, I've found that, from the few times I've written, the best content I put out is from the posts that I don't plan. So I hope that, with this sporadic decision to look back at the year in EVE Online and DUST 514, I will be able to deliver the best content that I can for the final post for the 2013 year. So with that, here I go.

I suppose I'll start with DUST 514 first, since that was the first CCP game I ever played. I'm new to the CCP's world of gaming. I began playing DUST when the game was released as a full game on May 14th, out of a desire for a new shooter to play. I come from a first person shooter background, my big game being Call of Duty. But I wanted something new, all the other shooters were getting old. And then I saw DUST on the Play Station Network for FREE. What a perfect opportunity to try a new game, right? I downloaded the game, played for an hour and then immediately realized I needed to join a corporation if I ever wanted to have some fun - playing it by myself just wouldn't do it. So I put a message up on the forums on got a message from superhero rawdon, a heavy who has since become a great friend of mine. In the short time that I've played the game, we've been through some of the worst drama with other players that you could think of. All the politics of EVE in a FPS. Glorious. But I've had my ups and downs with the game. When I first started, I didn't know if I'd like the game. I felt that it was more based on time and money put into the game than skill, which I still believe to be mainly true today. But not as much as I thought, because I can sure waste a few proto-stomping jerks before my humble 17k ISK suit I use every match. But the game can be frustrating, and it all got stale to me - at a point I refused to play the game for a couple months. But my buddy super managed to convince me to play again with the onset of the most recent updates. And I have to say, for whatever reason, the addition of the combat rifle has been this game's saving grace for me. Ever since I started using the weapon, I've enjoyed DUST more than I ever have before. The game is finally fun for me again, and I look forward to continue playing it. But if I may, for any developer that might end up reading this, I have a few suggestions that you can choose to take how you will. DUST caters to a different group of players - console players. Console players are generally not used to waiting a long time for updates, new things, etc. If you can figure this out and make it work for you for the better, you'll have your players down to a science. And more for the game specifically, there are just a few more things. First off, game modes. If you  would add a few more game modes to your list instead of just the general Ambush, Skirmish and Domination, things wouldn't feel so monotonous sometimes. Next are your maps. You need more maps for the same reason as stated above. Also, maybe some smaller maps. Some of these maps are sometimes just too big for the amount of players that are in a game. Some new weapons for the heavies and a possible raise in the skill point cap might be good, too. And that's just some suggestions amongst others I've had or heard from other people. But overall, great work CCP. I thoroughly enjoy your game...for the time being, of course. ;-) Keep up the good work.

Now for my journey in EVE Online. I began playing EVE just a week after I started playing DUST. A guy named Eric convincede to play, and had also since become a good friend of mine. I've been through some interesting corporation situations with him as well. But through it all, he and I have stuck together. Since I started, I have two active accounts, one an aspiring industrialist, and the other has hopes of making it in wormhole space. I'm not self-sufficient yet, unfortunately. I haven't figured out a good way to do that for myself yet. But I'm working on it. Unlike DUST, I haven't had ups and downs with EVE - I've enjoyed it every step of the way, minus the times I've lost ships and been high-sec wardeced. But hey, it happens. Others have been through way worse. And I haven't quit, so that's a plus. For the EVE dev teams, I have no advice. I'm sill figuring out your masterpiece of a game. But thank you for a game that so many enjoy so much - y'all are awesome.

CCP, you are a fantastically awesome game creator. Thanks to all of you developers and employes for delivering wonderful products. Great job on a good 2013, and here's hoping for a better 2014.

Have a happy new year, and as always, fly safe.

o7
Kondor

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