The free-to-play PS3 exclusive DUST 514 is set to get yet another point update on the December 10, 2013 when Uprising 1.7 deploys. The patch is part of CCP’s ‘rapid-fire’ monthly updates plan which lets the Icelandic studio develop the game in a much more reactive way. New features, options, balancing and content gets added every 30 days or so and the feedback from the community allows for quicker refinement of those additions. It’s a cadence that has been working well as the game goes from strength to strength–naturally with a few stumbles along the way. You can read about what was brought to the table in 1.6 here but today we’re looking at the two main features due to hit on December 10th.
Two new rifle variations will hit the market; the Minmatar Combat Rifle and the Caldari Rail Rifle. Minmatar and Caldari are two of the four races in the EVE universe, the others being Gallente and Amarr. These races all have their own design philosophy and affinity to certain technology types and this is reflected in the form and function of their gear. CCP intends for all of the game’s armor, weapons, vehicles and equipment to have racial variants which reflect the inherent racial traits. These two rifle variations complete the racial collection for DUST’s equivalent to the standard FPS assault gun joining the Gallente Assault Rifle and the Amarr Scrambler Rifle.
The descriptions below are from the Weapons of Uprising 1.7 dev blog which you can check out here.
COMBAT RIFLE (MINMATAR)
A gas-operated, short-barreled weapon, the combat rifle is a semi-automatic weapon well-suited to both short and medium range combat. Classified as a light support weapon, it is typically employed in target-rich environments: The high volume of fire produced enables operators to engage multiple targets in rapid succession, while the weapon’s extended range keeps the operator just beyond the threat threshold of most standard assault rifles.
Its advanced bullpup configuration reduces weapon weight and improves maneuverability, making it the ideal crossover weapon for urban and field combat. The modular design has more practical advantages as well: cheap to maintain and easily replaced if damaged, it’s one of the most reliable weapons in service today.
RAIL RIFLE (CALDARI)
Part of Kaalakiota’s Stahl line of weaponry, the rail rifle is a precision weapon designed for field operations where penetrative power and range are paramount. Developed using the corporation’s proprietary microscale technology, the rail rifle solves oversaturation issues endemic to sustained fire electromagnetic weaponry. However, its greater range and power are offset by a smaller magazine capacity and lower rate of fire than similarly classified weapons.
The foregrip design aids stabilization and remains cool to the touch even during prolonged discharge where the barrel can exceed mean operating temperatures. Featuring a reinforced subassembly and compact, heavy-barrel design, the rail rifle is the premier fully automatic microscale weapon available today.
The blog also covers how the weapons are categorised in terms of damage and how effective they are against DUST’s two defense mechanisms: shield and armor. Also touched upon are the interaction between weapon grade (basic, advanced and prototype) and range as well as the artistic process of rendering the weapons in game. Check it out!
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The first step to re-balancing the vehicles is the other prominent part of 1.7. Basically, the system is being stripped down to the basic vehicle roles and equipable modules so that the core mechanics can be focused on and mastered without all the additional ‘noise’. Right now CCP believes that the customisation options for vehicles are a bit convoluted and confuse the roles that the vehicles and their variations should be playing on the battlefield.
Some of the tweaks planned for this reworking of vehicular combat include changing the nature of active module usage whereby while they are active, your vehicle can be devastating but during cool down you are left vulnerable. Turret ammo will become finite so that the victor of a vehicle confrontation isn’t determined by who has the most armor or shield and the use of ammo replenishing depots will come into play.
The way that vehicles are controlled and feel to drive will also be updated. From the Vehicles blog:
Finally, one of the larger updates we’ve made is to the ground vehicle physics. The racial profile we’re using is that Gallente ground vehicles have slower acceleration and higher straight-line speed, while Caldari vehicles are quicker off the mark with slower top speed. This aligns more closely with their roles as shield-tanking skirmishers and armor-tanked bruisers. The LAVs (Light Attack Vehicle, a small buggy-type 3 man vehicle) have undergone some small tweaks giving them overall smoother power delivery, but it is the HAVs (Heavy Attack Vehicle, aka tanks) that have had the most significant update. Armor plates’ effect on acceleration should now be more evident as well.
To address the problem of random team mates jumping in your vehicle once it’s been deployed, there will be a full lock out system implemented in the future but the fix isn’t ready yet so in the interim, for 5 seconds after deployment, only the owner can enter and only squad mates can enter for the first 15 seconds.
There are a few other substantial changes coming including rendering distanceand turret tweaks. Check out the Vehicles of Uprising 1.7 for a much more indepth look at all the changes coming.
DUST 514 is unlike anything else on the market with many aspects of its core game play which are simply not found in any other military type FPS game. Aside from the content that differentiates it from the rest, it’s the first console game that has ever been developed in this manner with on going updates as CCP mold it into the grand design. Being involved in the game, playing it, keeping up with the advancements and giving feedback in the forums is a very organic experience which many have found unique and fun. CCP is a switched on studio that really listens and interacts with its community. The culture behind DUST 514 is almost as engaging as the game itself so if you are interested in being part of something greater than annual rehashes, give it a try–it’s free-to-play so there is no price barrier stopping you. Hit me up on Twitter or the forums if you have any questions about the game or would like to squad up.