CCP has unleashed the first episode of the official DUST 514 podcast.
CCP Cmdr Wang and CCP Frame talk with CCP Praetorian about some of the major changes coming with the May 6 release of DUST 514’s Uprising build. CCP Praetorian (aka Atli Mar Sveinsson, DUST 514 Creative Director) explains that the new build has had major improvements across the board making it an overall better experience in terms of playability and accessibility. He also touched on the the radical redesign of the skill system in DUST 514.
Since the beta began, there have been about 100 skills available in-game. These skills have five levels which improve your capabilities for using armor, weapons, support items, and vehicles as you advance them. The user interface currently consists of a list that categorises 100 skills into their respective fields. In Uprising, CCP promises a skill progression system that will give players a clearer understanding of how they can develop their soldiers. The system has been simplified with a node-based interface that gives a much better overview of the various areas to train. Although the system has been simplified, more skills have been added to make the progression system more in-depth and diverse.
That’s all very nice, but what about months of SP grinding which has already been invested in skills by players? CCP Praetorian has some excellent news:
"When we launched the beta, we didn’t have the full dropsuit, weapon, and vehicles systems in place. We’ve now progressed a lot further with these systems–to the point where we have realised the role-based, vehicle, and dropsuit progressions and we believe due to these changes, many people may feel that they have specc-ed some of their points on something that was awesome at the time but doesn’t suit their playstyle."
So, players will have all their SP refunded when Uprising goes live and will be able to redevelop their soldier with all the benefits of the new system.
An overhauled skill system is just the tip of the iceberg of improvements coming. Check out the rest of CCP’s podcast for more insights into the future of DUST 514 and stay tuned as the developers bring you ongoing information and updates in the official Merc Cast. Also, check out PSU’s article on the upcoming Uprising build.
PSU has a growing community for DUST 514 which has its own section in our forums and a corporation–the PSU GHOST SYNDICATE. We accept anyone who wants to play and have a lot of experienced and passionate members who would be glad to show you the ropes and help you out if you have questions.
CCP’s sci-fi juggernaut-in-the-making is shaping up to be an amazing free-to-play experience, only on PS3. As CEO of PSUGS and an editor and writer at PSU, I’m committed to both the expansion of our corp and community as well as keeping PSU’s news page up-to-date with news and info on all things EVE Universe-related. Of course, in the spirit of PSU’s community outreach, corp members with a flair for writing and a desire to help cover the game are more than welcome to get in touch with me. You got something to say?