EVE Online is a wholly unique MMO, and the developer's upcoming shooter, DUST 514, looks to continue CCP's legacy of creating unorthodox experiences. While it looks like a traditional FPS on the outside, it's actually a hybrid FPS/MMO/RPG, with a number of features that set it apart from everything else in the genre, including a deep connection to EVE Online that gives us a glimpse into the future of gaming.

Take a look at some of the things that make DUST stand out.

You’re not going to have to spend a dime to download DUST 514 from the PlayStation Network when it launches later this year. All you’ll need to do is… well… download it, and then you’re ready to go.

Once inside the game you’ll find some microtransactions, with different items and customization options for sale, but CCP promises that these will simply be alternative to the ones unlocked through regular play. It has assured gamers that “pay-to-win” isn’t an option. It’s a shooter, after all, and skill overrides a shiny gun any day of the week.

The mercenaries in DUST aren’t your traditional modern-era soldiers – they’re from the future, where people use laserbeams and wear suits of thick armor and stuff. Because of this, battles are slower, with players soaking a lot more damage than they do in games like Call of Duty, where a few well-placed shots to the chest will drop someone.

It’s more akin to games like Tribes or Section 8, where fights are like duels of competing titans, blasting each other with missiles instead of peppering them with bullets. There’s still some bullet peppering going on, and a well-placed headshot can still end a fight, but the battles are generally bigger, making for more consistently epic encounters.

The dropships, tanks, and jeeps of DUST don’t sit around randomly waiting for players to jump in. They, like everything else in the game, are a resource, and must be called into the world by the player. Thankfully, this is a relatively simple act: tapping on the D-Pad brings up a menu, which allows anyone to call in vehicles at almost any time. There can only be so many on the field at any time, so spamming isn’t an option, but we prefer this to having random tanks spawn around the map, as it definitely makes for a more dynamic experience.

Though there will be a number of default characters to choose from, your character in DUST will be highly-customizable. Rumors are you'll be able to deck out your character with cosmetic upgrades, but the only things shown off at Fanfest were the actual skills and enhancements. You’re essentially able to create your own class, switching out your armor, weapons, and skills as you see fit, creating the perfect mercenary for the job.

EVE Online isn’t split up into different servers like most MMORPGs. Instead, everyone is on one, giant shard. Why is this important? Because DUST 514, too, is in that very same universe. And we’re not saying it “shares a universe” like different spin-offs share a universe, they literally share the same space. The planets you’re fighting on in DUST are actually physically in EVE, and you’ll be able to communicate with EVE players. Everyone sharing a universe is one of the reasons EVE has been so successful in building a strong community, and CCP hopes this same practicality will help DUST grow.

Besides being able to chat with EVE players, you’ll actually be able to take on contracts from them to try and take over different planets. But that’s just a small part of the way the two games interact. The really interesting part shows up when players on the ground call in for an orbital bombardment.

Instead of signaling a nonexistent cannon, it actually calls for an EVE player to shoot at the planet, and if he does, the shots will hit the ground in DUST, destroying whatever target the mercenary was pointing at. We saw it in action, and the synergy was truly remarkable.

The interaction between EVE and DUST players isn’t a one-way street. EVE’s planets are rich with resources, and paying a group of DUST mercenaries to take them over could be extremely beneficial to an EVE player.

So beneficial, in fact, that CCP expects that EVE pilots will pay rival mercenary groups to take over a planet, leading to battles on the ground and in the space above the planet, as pilots attempt to destroy their enemies in order to get into position for orbital bombardments. On the ground, you’ll be able to activate defenses that will attack the sky, too, supporting your space-bound ally as they support you.

EVE players are a… peculiar bunch. Wait, no, that’s not the right phrase. We mean that they’re a bunch of jerks. This isn’t a controversial statement, it’s a badge they wear proudly on their sleeve, joking about how the “nicest EVE player would be an absolute scumbag in any other game.” Some of the best EVE stories we heard from players at Fanfest were about them griefing each other, and this hazing is one they will extend to DUST players in any way they can.

We talked to over a dozen EVE players about this, and every single one of them said that they were planning on finding ways to piss off DUST players. “I think a lot of EVE players are looking for that feeling of power,” said Zorr from NorCorp Enterprises. “Sometimes you squash a bug just because you can.”

David from Tactical Nightmare said that the only thing preventing EVE players from being complete and total jerks is the limitations, though he isn’t going to let that stop him. “If there is any opportunity I will find it and maybe kill my own teammates,” David said with a smile. “I don’t know what I can do. Just extort some money or whatever. I will try to come up with something.”

Some, however, were actually anticipating some of this scumbaggery floating upwards, laughing about how the average Call of Duty player should be able to hold his own against EVE’s griefers. “They’ll be able to teach us a thing or two,” he laughed. “They’re not carebears themselves.”

Though we enjoyed hearing about the promises of the DUST/EVE connection, playing DUST 514, as of now, isn’t entirely fulfilling. The controls are a little loose, and the gunplay, in general, leaves much to be desired. We blasted enemies from point-blank range with machine guns and watched their health slowly tick down, and fired rockets at point blank that didn't seem to do anything of consequence. We felt absolutely no sense of contact when we blasted enemies with rockets or lasers.

Even melee felt weak, leaving us confused as to why these giant, armor-clad mercenaries didn’t seem to have much impact. We’re hoping that the gameplay is cleaned up over the next few months, since the potential is absolutely there, but as of now it’s going to be hard to convince FPS fans to ditch their favorite game for an MMOFPS that is lackluster in the FPS area.

But we're still interested. Now that we've witnessed what CCP was able to pull off we're amazed at the potential not just for this game, but for gaming in general. If nothing else, DUST 514 has kicked open a door we didn't even know existed, and there's something remarkable about that.