Dhara

Hehe, yeah, they never listen to us, do they?  Hire someone who knows what they are doing - BECAUSE they know what they are doing - and then ignore all of their advice. Typical.
 
That's how the government is with IT/Security as well. They don't want to spend the money on security since they can't actually SEE what the IT guys are doing.  Then when they get hacked, it's too late. 
 
I've never taken a govt contract for social or web dev I did once for some educational games and software that is used in our public schools nationwide though.  It was really great for a couple of years and it even got renewed for another grade level to do it all again.  Until the day our govt shut down the government for two weeks.  Lost the contract mid-project and almost went bankrupt over it since I didn't have any other clients booked.  Nothing I could do about it.  Never, ever will I take another government contract like that again. EVER!

None taken.
 
And you -> preaching, me -> choir. We're from the same world
 
(And nooooo - don't ever work SM in Gov - just last month got to watch one of the biggest Gov SM fail's I've ever seen... was absolutely appalling... Australia's #censusfail ... Gov's problem is that they DON'T consider it a full time thing that takes a lot of time and effort. That and building empty cathedrals and expecting people to just show up and talk rather than going where the action is.)

No offense, Anonymous, but I get paid a pretty penny for social media management and consultation.  It's not  a labor of love so much as it is a valid and important part of any marketing plan.  You simply MUST, in this day and age, attend to it with the same amount of effort as you would any other aspect your marketing endeavors.  And that's what it really is.  Social is more of a marketing tool than anything else. So I'm glad they are out there tending to what social they can.  It will be critical to the success (or failure) of this game  - and pretty much every other business these days too. 
 
As for the CS aspect of it, you also MUST tend to these channels for that as well.  We live in unique times. Young folks don't remember a time without social. A lot of them think forums are outdated and old-school (and they are).  So if you don't use social for such things you leave out many of the younger crowd.  The older crowd is more reluctant to use social but is also very active in the gaming community, more so than the younger crowd, IMO.  So, you must tend to both on-site and social equally to reach as wide of an audience as possible for both marketing and CS or you're leaving millions of people out of your demographic either way.  I could go on and on since I love this topic, but you get the idea.
 
I don't know, might be different working in government.  Those folks are not really using social in the same way.  But for business, if you ignore it or keep it on the back burner "until you get time", then you're dead in the water before you even get going.   It's not cheap, it's not easy, but it simply must be done.

Well, if you add the ones who want some warmongering (both options) it's about even.  And that's considering the third option was added after 20 or so people already voted. 
 
I still think it will be a healthy mix of both types of players.  THAT is what is going to make this game good.  If all we have are builders, we have another Landmark on our hands with nothing to do but ooh and ahh at other folks builds.  If all we have are warmongers, then we have another Eve.  We need both to have an exciting universe with lots to do for different play-styles.  So if some players are offering safety in their Orgs, you better keep that promise or those folks will leave the game.  And if no one ever wants to fight anyone, then THOSE guys will leave the game.   We need both.

Well, if you add the ones who want some warmongering (both options) it's about even.  And that's considering the third option was added after 20 or so people already voted. 
 
I still think it will be a healthy mix of both types of players.  THAT is what is going to make this game good.  If all we have are builders, we have another Landmark on our hands with nothing to do but ooh and ahh at other folks builds.  If all we have are warmongers, then we have another Eve.  We need both to have an exciting universe with lots to do for different play-styles.  So if some players are offering safety in their Orgs, you better keep that promise or those folks will leave the game.  And if no one ever wants to fight anyone, then THOSE guys will leave the game.   We need both.

Hi everyone!   @ghoster:   Despite how you might feel, we are not going in radio silence mode.   A few points that we want to clarify here:   - We never expected either to have a success as large as Star Citizen for many obvious reasons: we started to really communicate about the game a few months ago, we had no celebrity in our team and no big brand to put in front. That alone were legitimate reasons to keep our expectations realistic. We are already amazed to see how far we went in a such short amount of time and we are not going to stop there! - As Pang_Dread mentioned it, we communicated in the last Kickstarter update that the communication now won't be as intense as it was during the Kickstarter.  - A few things are coming soon:
1) new forum sections will be opened on Wednesday 2nd of November 2) a newsletter for the end of the week (with some stuff that might interest more than one ) 3) a fan fiction contest that will take place from Tuesday 15th November to Thursday 15th of December! (more info very soon!)   @Anonymous:   We can understand that you are concerned about our current lack of presence. However, you should understand in return that you can't expect the same presence from a Community Manager in a big company or being a part of a big structure than one in a small company. Why? Because in small companies (like indie studios), people are generally brought to do more than the exact job written on their contract. If not, then the company might quickly run into some problems to work properly.    Just a few examples: - Apart the communication from JC, all the comm from the devs is handled by the CMs (who are doing the link between devs and the community). - Managing discussions on Facebook and Twitter is totally within the job of the CMs (it's really disturbing to say the contrary). - This might be shocking but yes, Customer Support can be something a CM has to do (and right now, this is also part of our job). - Internal, invisible tasks related to Kickstarter and hugely time consuming are also among the things we currently have to do. - Despite what you're saying, Reddit can also be an appropriate place where a CM might have to interact with people interested in the game.   All in all, we would love to interact a lot more with you guys than what we are currently doing. We will do our best to increase our presence in the coming months. A few replies are coming soon to some important topics.   Best regards, Nyzaltar.

End of the Solar System Event!! 
Sat Oct 29th 4:00pm - Sun 30th 12:00am (MDT)
http://www.dualcreatives.com/events/
http://www.dualcreatives.com/forums/topic/end-of-the-solar-system/
 
This is it folks. Scientists have determined that our Sun will explode on Sunday afternoon. So we are going to have a final epic battle on Saturday night!  Everyone is invited!   Who will be the last man (or woman) left standing?
 
Capital ships, weapons and ammo will be provided to anyone new to the server who wants to attend.
 
Basically, we're wiping our Empyrion server on Sunday.  We're adding new planets to explore and a higher level of difficulty.  So if you were thinking of joining an Empyrion Server to bide your time until Dual's Alpha launches, there isn't a better time to do it! Just PM me for server details.

Looking forward to using that new base

I looked at your guild page.  It looks like a very fun group of peeps. Love your sense of humor    Thanks for the invite!!!  It might be too early to join a guild, but I will  definitely take your offer into consideration.

Welcome Alayna!  Yes, this game looks very exciting.  I too am looking forward to the building aspect of it.  We're actually looking for some builders to join our organization.  So far we have a lot of fighters, but no one has yet signed up to help us build our settlement.  You should check us out when you get a chance.  https://community.dualthegame.com/organization/the-outfit PM me if you have any questions.

Thanks Xplosiv!  Yeah, we're going to try to remain a relatively small, elite team.  I'm in this to make some actual friends, not rule the universe.

Looking good. I've always liked the idea of your organization. Don't want to be very large right?, more of a small close knit group? 
Best of luck to the Outfit!

CVC MUST happen!  I think this is a critical element of the game and am actually surprised it is a stretch goal.

Otherwise:

1. Third person viewpoint
2. Survival elements (Farming, hunting, cooking - food for buffs, etc.)
3. Character customization (outfits, hair, skin tones, etc.)
4. Ability to customize signage, logos/names for our ships, etc.
5. Moving parts: joints, rotors and pistons
6. Decorative props - preferably individual pieces that allow us to build our own props in game would be best (for instance, don't give us an entire lamp post.  Give us the individual pieces of a lamp post so we can build many different props out of those parts).
7. Weather
 
Not sure these are in the exact order of importance because the first few are pretty much of equal importance to me.

Pretty much what Dhara said, but then I tend to be a builder.
 
Add to that, regular updates of texture libraries so everything built doesn't look like it came out of the same Siberian factory.
 
 
oh, and almost forgot,
 
Breakfast served by provocative personnel 

The Outfit will be hosting an open game night on our Empryion server.  IP address is 85.190.157.205:22700
 
If you are interested in joining us it will be Friday from 9PM to at least 3:am (MST).  please PM one of us to get the PW to the server.  Hope to see some of you there.

CVC MUST happen!  I think this is a critical element of the game and am actually surprised it is a stretch goal.

Otherwise:

1. Third person viewpoint
2. Survival elements (Farming, hunting, cooking - food for buffs, etc.)
3. Character customization (outfits, hair, skin tones, etc.)
4. Ability to customize signage, logos/names for our ships, etc.
5. Moving parts: joints, rotors and pistons
6. Decorative props - preferably individual pieces that allow us to build our own props in game would be best (for instance, don't give us an entire lamp post.  Give us the individual pieces of a lamp post so we can build many different props out of those parts).
7. Weather
 
Not sure these are in the exact order of importance because the first few are pretty much of equal importance to me.

Yes, it looks amazing Dhara ! 

Looks good Dhara!  

We are The Outfit!
 
We are The Outfit! - DU's First and Oldest Space Trucking Organization.

We are a small group of outcasts including, traders, smugglers, merchants, rogues and like-minded entrepreneurs. Some might even call us pirates from time to time. But those are their words, not ours!! Mostly we just take the jobs we can get and we do what we have to do to survive. We WILL make a name for ourselves in this strange new sector of space in which we all find ourselves stranded.
 
And we are currently recruiting!
 
The Crew:
 
We are going to build a strong fleet of ships and are in need of dedicated players who are interested in participating in PVP related game play to assist in our transportation services and related PVP activities.
 
If interested, you can learn more on our website:  https://dualtheoutfit.com/the-crew/
 
 
Settlers:
 
The Outfit is not just a crew of people looking to make a living off our our trade skills and our fleet though! We are also looking for a few brave players who are interested in staking a claim with us in this brand new Universe.
 
The benefits will be numerous.
 
If interested, visit Our Settlers page for all of the details.
https://dualtheoutfit.com/settlers/
 
 
Freelancers:
 
For those who would like an even more casual relationship, these new positions might be just the right fit! Freelancers deliver customer shipments, run security, or mine for us on a contractual basis.
 
Learn more here:
https://dualtheoutfit.com/freelancers/
 
 
 

We are The Outfit!
 
We are The Outfit! - DU's First and Oldest Space Trucking Organization.

We are a small group of outcasts including, traders, smugglers, merchants, rogues and like-minded entrepreneurs. Some might even call us pirates from time to time. But those are their words, not ours!! Mostly we just take the jobs we can get and we do what we have to do to survive. We WILL make a name for ourselves in this strange new sector of space in which we all find ourselves stranded.
 
And we are currently recruiting!
 
The Crew:
 
We are going to build a strong fleet of ships and are in need of dedicated players who are interested in participating in PVP related game play to assist in our transportation services and related PVP activities.
 
If interested, you can learn more on our website:  https://dualtheoutfit.com/the-crew/
 
 
Settlers:
 
The Outfit is not just a crew of people looking to make a living off our our trade skills and our fleet though! We are also looking for a few brave players who are interested in staking a claim with us in this brand new Universe.
 
The benefits will be numerous.
 
If interested, visit Our Settlers page for all of the details.
https://dualtheoutfit.com/settlers/
 
 
Freelancers:
 
For those who would like an even more casual relationship, these new positions might be just the right fit! Freelancers deliver customer shipments, run security, or mine for us on a contractual basis.
 
Learn more here:
https://dualtheoutfit.com/freelancers/
 
 
 

We are The Outfit!
 
We are The Outfit! - DU's First and Oldest Space Trucking Organization.

We are a small group of outcasts including, traders, smugglers, merchants, rogues and like-minded entrepreneurs. Some might even call us pirates from time to time. But those are their words, not ours!! Mostly we just take the jobs we can get and we do what we have to do to survive. We WILL make a name for ourselves in this strange new sector of space in which we all find ourselves stranded.
 
And we are currently recruiting!
 
The Crew:
 
We are going to build a strong fleet of ships and are in need of dedicated players who are interested in participating in PVP related game play to assist in our transportation services and related PVP activities.
 
If interested, you can learn more on our website:  https://dualtheoutfit.com/the-crew/
 
 
Settlers:
 
The Outfit is not just a crew of people looking to make a living off our our trade skills and our fleet though! We are also looking for a few brave players who are interested in staking a claim with us in this brand new Universe.
 
The benefits will be numerous.
 
If interested, visit Our Settlers page for all of the details.
https://dualtheoutfit.com/settlers/
 
 
Freelancers:
 
For those who would like an even more casual relationship, these new positions might be just the right fit! Freelancers deliver customer shipments, run security, or mine for us on a contractual basis.
 
Learn more here:
https://dualtheoutfit.com/freelancers/
 
 
 

Yes, it is very exciting, isn't it? That's why I supported this game.  If they try and fail, so be it.  But I'd rather support the people who are trying to push the boundaries of what can be done instead of the guys who are doing the same-ole, same-ole.  This game fits that bill and I am very excited about what I have learned so far.   Is it a risk?  Sure.  But this team just might be the one that pulls of something new after so many years of the mundane.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed until release  

Yes, it is very exciting, isn't it? That's why I supported this game.  If they try and fail, so be it.  But I'd rather support the people who are trying to push the boundaries of what can be done instead of the guys who are doing the same-ole, same-ole.  This game fits that bill and I am very excited about what I have learned so far.   Is it a risk?  Sure.  But this team just might be the one that pulls of something new after so many years of the mundane.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed until release  

https://www.dualthegame.com/technology#cssc
 
"This involves what we call "Dynamic Space Splitting", server nodes are assigned to regions that are more densely populated, and these change the frequency of updates of remote entities to maintain a fluid experience for nearby entities."
 
As a database software engineer, this is what I'm getting from this:
 
When there's sufficient density, players will have a "primary" node assigned to them for rapid updates for them and anyone near them, so if you have 20,000 people in a city, everyone in that city will be on a single rapidly updating database instance.  That data will be replicated to all other nodes, but those updates will be less frequent than the "focus" instance for a given cluster of players.
 
Say that the fleet of 2,000 players on instance ABC123 is jumping into a system where the players are focused on instance XYZ789.  As they pass through the jump point (or their FTL drive brings them into proximity) their client machines will start sending updates to instance XZY789.  The last thing ABC123 hears from them is that they have moved out of that cluster.  
 
After that, ABC123 will still hear about the players in the fleet, but they'll hear about it every 5 minutes as a job replicates all updated data from all nodes on the continuous shard to all other nodes as opposed to updates from the focused clients which happen every 10 milliseconds or so.
 
Presumably there will be a designated failover node for any given node on a different physical server, so one of the non-focus instances is getting updates perhaps every few seconds rather than every 5 minutes.  If the focus node fails, the clients get a blank screen for a few seconds as they reset to the failover server and pick up where they left off.
 
It's a guess but I think it's a fairly educated one.

Consider the w,x,y,z coordinate of each person (w being the quaternion variable for rotation), you would only be able to provide the location of something like 15 clients PER TICK when using a 508 byte packet (the largest IPv4 packet that is guaranteed not to be fragmented).
 
Accounting for 1000 players would require 66 ticks to successfully be transmitted.  And this wouldn't account for dropped packets.  That means that each player position would be updated ONCE a second at 60 ticks/sec.
 
This doesn't account for anything other than positioning packets.  Any other type of packet will add to overhead.
 
To optimize this, JC has already indicated that players closer to you will be tranmitted more frequently, while those far away could update more slowely.  Possibly once every 2-3 seconds.
 
So, what needs to be done is to create a stream of packets.  This stream would look at queues of information and transmit that information according to priority, by filling that 508byte packet with as much information as possible. 
 
So you would have queues setup something like this:
 
Critical -> Transmitted immediately
HighPriority -> After Critical
PositioningClose -> Filling in the remainder of the 508 bytes after HighPriority
PositioningMedium -> Every 5 ticks or some other algorithm
PositioningFar -> every 10 ticks or some other algorithm
LowPriority -> every 60 ticks or some other algorithm
 
Say there are 60 players in PositioningClose, and no Critical or HighPriority "chunks of information". Packets 1, 2, 3, & 4 would be required for all positions to be updated.  If there were no other players, everyone would update approximately 15 times a second.
 
But once you add more players and start adding critical events, that positioning would be updated much less frequently.  That's where "Client Side Prediction" comes in.
 
If this were a shooter, there's no way, that many positions could be updated quick enough to provide a smooth an acurate transition.  But since this is tabbed targeting, it's not a problem.
 
Remember,  the bottleneck is not usually the server side.  It's the clients bandwidth.  Does the client have to acknowledge each packet?  Probably not.  If positioning data is incorrect, or not received it will receive a newly updated packet shortly.  The client just continues to use "client side prediction" to account for the lost packet.  And the server infrastucture "shouldn't" be the problem if it's designed properly.
 
As you can see... The server guy has his work cut out for him.  He could risk larger packets, at the risk of fragmentation.  Or he could use some other solution.  But at the moment, even the high end FPS shooters are only transmitting at 60 ticks/sec.
 
(btw.  This analysis is based off of gafferongames.com)