MeinMMO was in Iceland with CCP to take a look at a new game from the EVE Online developers: Project Nova. Lead Game Designer Kevin Clarke answered some questions in an interview.
Project Nova will be a first-person shooter set in the EVE Online universe. This game continues where Dust 514 left off and connects to the MMORPG. The trailer for Project Nova was first shown at the “EVE Vegas” event in 2018. We had the opportunity to conduct interviews beforehand.
Project Nova will play together with EVE
MeinMMO: How will Project Nova and EVE Online work together. Will online players create items for Nova players, or will Nova players sell their items to EVE Online players? Is anything planned?
Kevin: We have a lot of things planned and nothing concrete yet. Right now, we want to focus on the core FPS experience for Nova and ensure that it is a solid foundation to build upon. Ultimately, we want it to be more than just a formative link to EVE Online.
We want there to be a real link, a gameplay connection where actions in one game can affect the other and vice versa. All these things are definitely possible. We mentioned the idea of sending mercenaries from Nova to loot a destroyed ship in EVE to acquire those materials and modules, and maybe they could even craft these items.
These are all things that are currently on the table; nothing is absolutely decided. The ultimate goal is to connect the two games, but right now our main focus is on ensuring that we create a very strong, solid foundation that we can build upon.
MeinMMO: Speaking of which and since it’s pretty big at the moment: Is a battle royale mode planned?
Kevin: Our community has mentioned this repeatedly, and we absolutely have no plans for a battle royale mode.
I mean, I think, as I said, we have many ideas for game modes in the future, but battle royale is, in my opinion, just already saturated.
I don’t think… I think if we had anything that resembles a battle royale mode, it would be an EVE-style battle royale and something completely different than what people are used to.
Nova could be big – and an eSports title
MeinMMO: I’m glad to hear that. What about eSports?
Kevin: eSports is also one of the things we are discussing. However, it is a topic for the future. One of the reasons we are making this game is because we can actually work with our community, based on Dust 514. We still have some very loyal and passionate players who are already behind us, talking with us, and we are developing Nova with the help of our community, relying on their feedback and working with it.
If they really advocate for it, then there’s no reason why we can’t actually delve into eSports. I mean, we already have many ideas about how that could work, and it’s just a question: Is there a demand for it?
MeinMMO: Regarding the game itself, will the fights be map-based or ship-based, in smaller sections, or larger scales, like on planets or even in the open world?
Kevin: Initially, as you saw in the presentation, our first battles take place on the surface of ships, but we are already looking at our next map set, and we want to ensure that we have diversity in place.
We want to utilize more of the EVE structures that players might not interact with much in EVE Online, and things like fighting on planets are definitely something we are considering. Or, as mentioned, really fighting in space stations themselves. That’s another direction we could potentially go.
We don’t want to limit the combat to the surfaces of ships, but right now it’s about getting the foundation right, ensuring that people engage, and then we are really trying to expand this EVE experience, finding new environments and more interesting and unique places where people can actually fight.
A game for everyone
MeinMMO: What about the technical requirements for Nova?
Kevin: We have not finalized the specifications yet, but we want to offer this game to as many people as possible. That’s why we are trying to ensure that it looks fantastic on high-end machines.
But we also want it to be playable on many low-end machines, so there are no set specifications yet as it is still something we are working on. However, we will try to make it accessible to as many different players as possible.
MeinMMO: Okay, sounds good! What about the class system? Will there be more? What about class development?
Kevin: Oh yes! I mean, what we have tried to do is keep the barrier for each of the ultimately four players very low by offering them these dropsuits that are essentially fully equipped.
Everything you need is there:
- you have cool dropsuits,
- you have the weapons,
- you have the gear that comes with them,
- you have the ability to build towers on the surface of the ships, so that every player can easily get involved.
He finds his dropsuit class that suits his playstyle, has the right weapon, the right gear.
Players can play this game from day one and be really happy with it. However, what we also want is to provide an experience for those players who are looking for a deeper experience. They will have the opportunity to upgrade dropsuits, swap gear, maybe change the weapon and the additions on their weapons, and basically immerse themselves and create their ideal dropsuit.
We also want to add things like crafting, and crafting and trading. But all these things should be what we consider “opt-in complexity.” If you’re just a casual gamer who wants to play a good and solid first-person shooter, everything is there. You can easily play from day one.
If you’re one of those players who appreciates the complexity of “min-maxing” or crafting your own materials, or takes pride in making something and selling it to other players to use, we also want to offer you those options. I mean, those options are still a long way off. First of all, we want to ensure that this core experience is solid and good before we start developing further.
Nova will be complex but coherent
MeinMMO: Since EVE Online is already pretty massive: Are there plans to have RTS, PVE, and PVP components in Nova? Will they all be found together in one game, or how will you bring it all together?
Kevin: That’s a very good question. I mean, right now we will only focus on the 2 game modes: PvE, which you will play later on, and then PvP. We will keep these modes very separate from now on.
But we have many ideas on how to develop with different game modes and even integrate a PVE and PVP experience together. These are all ideas on our path; they are all on our roadmap, and these are all things we are discussing.
But right now we will only focus on this one PVE experience and this one PVP experience and then build on that.
MeinMMO: Will the two modes have separate developments for the player?
Kevin: Uh, no, at the moment the progression system is a simple unlock system. There will be things you have to do in PvP to progress and things you have to do in PvE.
We don’t want it to feel too much like these are two entirely separate modes and not linked in any way. You will be able to progress by playing both.
MeinMMO: Thank you for the interview.
Not enough yet? You can find the first part of our interview here and CCP reveals who should play the shooter:
