Duke_Suraknar

Nice idea, I can see this work within a Virtual Environment, like you go in to a Tube and you can build what you want in it and maybe save a screenshot of your creation? maybe even make it in to a picture for a wall painting to decorate your house etc in the game world or to sell your art to other people as decorations in the markets. It could even generate miniature statues again got decoration. Yet you have to keep the focus on the Sandbox World please, not ask for separate world that have nothing to do with the interaction with other players. This is am Open ended Sandbox MMORPG, not a Solo game such as Minecraft etc.

People will always game whatever the context is. Rules or no rules. It is going to be utterly brutal, and this is not an empty prediction it is based on data of years of player behavior in sandbox games, if there are no rules no framework of engagement. DU maybe the first game to attempt something technically advanced as it does, but it is not the first game to have Open ended Sandbox Gameplay, no holds bared PvP, Player economy, player housing player empire building etc etc. Therefore it is better to have a clear framework of engagement which levels the playing field and the brutality is kept fun, and focused to the context of the game. And by the way, multiple accounts is not an issue either in reality, to each their own and all account will be subject to the same framework anyways. Why does it matter if a player has an account for crafting and commerce in one organization and another account in a pirate one with a character for criminal activities etc? Plus, It is good for the game business too as it makes more money and can finance better ongoing development which benefits all players etc. If people want to spend more it is their choice.

Oh I agree as well, it has to do with immersion it has to do with the world making sense and it also has to do with the feeling of freedom. I think it is a great feeling to have the freedom to make the choice to open fire, in a no fire zone, and having the freedom to accept the consequences of that choice. This is so fundamental to the Sandbox Context. It cannot be an arbitrary mechanism that feels artificial. Right? So the solution is Law and Order and its enforcement. This is why Societies and Empires have code of Laws to begin with. Again Civilisations cannot flourish in a Lawless Environment. And there are various ways to make this possible in a game. My favorite is Reputation/Notoriety system or if you will Security Status (more in line with a futuristic theme). So we all came from earth on this Huge Ark Ship, and then what, we were all released like animals in to a Lawless land to destroy one another and end Civilization? It makes no sense... So what I think the game needs is some strict Security Status/Rating system in place. And also these Rules need to apply everywhere with specific exceptions. Why? Because this is the "Ark Ship Imperative", we are here to preserve and save Humanity, and as such everyone should be subject to it and reflected by that security rating. At the same time, Human nature being what it is, a Utopia cannot be expected and Conflict is part of the Human Condition. Organizations and Factions with competing interests are just normal to happen, as well as individuals with own motives. So Organization vs Organization Conflict could be permitted without penalties and consequences, this is part of territorial conquest which is central to this game, while Criminal Violence incurs Security Rating hit to the point of players disqualifying themselves from certain areas accessing Ark Ship markets, and becoming KOS (kill on sight) to everyone. This gives players the freedom of choice and then consequence of the choice. I think that these Rules should apply in the Starting Solar system to discourage criminality and anarchy. And then decide how to expand it beyond. Maybe in future solar systems there is no Security Imperative at all, and any action has no consequences, while in others it applies and is enforced. This could even change based on the evolution of the game itself as more and more star systems are added the security coverage could also change. There is no reason why it should be something static. Just some ideas to entertain.

There is a reason for being long winded. This is a core issue and lots of different players maybe reading and it is good to give several examples that people can relate to. That said, you understand the gist of it which is a very good start. Now, you said PvP will just magically fix the issue? I am not sure it will at the level that you think that it will. In my opinion, many of the people who say that the game is boring do so because many do not really know what an Open Ended Sandbox Experience is about, and are expecting some type of PvE to keep them busy. Many players of MMORPG's today are not accustomed to interact with other players to the level of a Sandbox experience of Empire building offers. That is one. Lets not forget this is the Themepark post Wow Era...Sandbox MMORPG is making a come back but just showing up will not make a game a success. The other factor, in my opinion, and from feedback of my peers thus far is that the game is too granular in certain areas. In other words it requires too many steps too much time and too much effort to do certain things. Where in the long run it becomes boring. So imagine now, on top of this you open up PvP and the possibility to lose that which takes too much effort and time to accomplish. You have a recipe for disaster and the road towards a niche game right there and then. In my view, the key is to streamline and simplify certain mechanics, so that PvP seems like an exciting endeavor for conquest glory and sheer fun instead of a chore and a punishment mechanism. In onther words, PvP does not fix things on its own, it always depends within what context it takes place. In Ultima Online PvP was fun, because, while a player could incur total loss of their gear inventory and worn items, that same player could fall back in to the safety of their House, or NP or Player Town where non combattant fellow guild mates dwelled doing what is fun to them and quickly re-equip themselves so they can return to the fun of the PvP fast enough to keep the play session fun. Another element here, is that you cannot force all players to PvP because not all players are PvPers. A Civilization Type Game has to cater to all types of players which form the basis of a Civilization in the first place. If you get in to a fast fight and you lose something that required several days to make...you can kiss this game goodbye! I will not stay around and neither will many of my peers and many other players. The game will go the same way as many others, due to lack of vision, and because PvP's consequence is Fun itself. The consequence of PvP cannot be Fun itself. PvP itself must be part of the Fun. And you have to Balance this in multiple levels now, from the Individual level to the Family type small Organization, to the Specialised Organization (crafters, pirates, traders etc) to the Large and super large Organizations. I will reply about the "No shoot zone" next, since I do not want to scare anyone away with long posts, haha

I think the issue is larger than simple technicalities or even founded in applied sciences. The issue is related to Humanities and and Sociology in my view. First of all this is a Game, we are all here to have fun, but at the same time this implies that there is no real consequences to one's actions, it is a game. No one really gets hurt. So this means that players will simply divide themselves between hunter and prey and go at it in many different ways as permitted by the mechanics of the game. This will continue until the carnage reaches a certain threshold and it all explodes, it will be followed by Devs trying to address the problem and further alienate players left and right, until the game gains its reputation a a "niche" game, like EVE online...a Dystopia only good for "hardcore" people of a specific sort... or worse, just die, like so many other Sandox Games have because of the same mistakes repeated over and over...such as Darkfall for instance. This has all happened before and it will happen again. I have seen it happen in so many MMORPG's since I play them, (and I play them since Ultima Online 1997)... but it does not have to be like that. All this can be prevented provided that the Devs do not just expect players to Balance the in game life/society on their own like in real life. See in Real life real lives are lost, and people have an interest to engage in Diplomacy and Trade instead of War most of the time, or until some Narcissistic Sociopathic Leader charms their Troops to go on conquering their neighbors instead out of ambitions of grandeur, resulting in suffering pain and death. But in games, there are no real consequences. Who wants to do diplomacy and Trade, and Building Civilisations when it is more fun to just destroy stuff and laugh at people raging? You can just engage in War until there is no one left, and move on to another game after that. So in order for this game to be a long lived experience, that many want it to be (I am assuming Devs as well as many players), then of course there needs to be some basic rules in place, and the in-game society dynamics defined in such a way as to promote Civilization Building rather than total Anarchy and Constant Conflict out of which no Civilization in History has ever been built. Yes Civilizations have clashed in our bloody history, but before the Competition comes the Cooperation. Civilizations are built in Cooperation. If the game remains an Anarchy in Space, and a Constant competition, no Civilizations will be Built. And then it will simply succeed in chasing away the Socializers the Explorers and Achievers, which are equally required for Civilization Building in Favor of only the Killers niche. I hope it does not follow that path and does not make the same mistakes like so many others before it, it is still in BETA and many things can really change and be improved to ensure a good production release as a game with a positive and healthy foundation upon which Civilisations can be built in this futuristic Theme and with its amazing Technical capabilities, Voxel Technology etc. It is not an easy thing to do, and a testament to this is all the Sandbox games that preceded it and failed no matter the theme, Fantasy or Futuristic. Cheers!