Vagnluv

Dual Universe’s Panacea update is right around the corner, bringing with it a sizable variety of changes based on feedback from our community. 
Ahead of the update, however, we are immediately introducing revisions to territory upkeep and mining units. 
 
Read on for the full scoop! 
 
GOING INTO EFFECT ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 25th
 
Taxes will be effective again starting Wednesday, January 26th.
The day before, we are going to deploy three adjustments to address the issues mentioned in the Community Feedback regarding Territory Upkeep.
 
Territory Upkeep Reduction: 1 MM --> 500k.

Territory Upkeep was first introduced in the November 2021 Demeter update. After reviewing community feedback, we announced that territory upkeep payments would be postponed for two weeks to allow the Design team time to dig deep into the metrics and fine-tune the system accordingly. 

The upkeep rate per territory will be reduced by 50%, from 1MM to 500k quanta. Player feedback indicated that people felt they were having to sell ore too frequently to generate the funds needed to pay upkeep. In halving the upkeep costs, we will relieve the pressure to make frequent trips to the market as well as the need to sell large quantities of ore.
  Calibrations Charges:
Base calibration charge slots increase : 5 --> 25.
Talent calibration charge slots increase : 1/level --> 5/level.

Also introduced in the Demeter update, mining units were designed as an alternative to digging endless tunnels underground for ore. To keep them producing at their peak capacity requires occasional calibration; however, initial feedback from the community told us that further tweaks were needed for the calibration process. To this end, we’ve made the two changes mentioned above.

This will change the total amount of stored charges from 10 (5 base + 5 max talents) to 50 (25 base + 25 max talents).

The intention behind the charge cap was not to force a behavior in which you felt like you needed to spend charges in order not to “lose out” on charges by hitting the cap and wasting your recharge. 

In view of that, both the base and the talent bonus are drastically going up. This will not only allow you to store more charges in general, but specifically allow you to store a much longer period of time in charge recharge time, giving you much more breathing room to store charges and not waste charge recharge time.
  Calibration grace period: 48h --> 72h
  The calibration grace period is the amount of time during which a mining unit does not lose calibration. Similarly to charge slots, the intention was not to aggressively require you to calibrate mining units every 2-3 days. In our initial calculations our goal was more to hit the 5 to 6 day mark depending on what efficiency curve the player selected, and how many mining units the player was trying to maintain.
 
We are changing the calibration grace period from 48-hours to 72-hours. 
 
This change should bring us closer to the initial values we were looking for and give players more breathing room to calibrate when their mining units seem to be producing less than usual, indicating that calibration is needed.
 
CHANGES COMING WITH PANACEA UPATE (0.28) LAUNCH
 
Using industry units on offline tiles

The intention of requiring online territories for industry units was not to negatively impact industry units on planets. We initially saw it as further incentive to pay for taxes, but it was not a core requirement. This is also why industry units on Ssanctuary and space cores were left untouched.

We understand from player feedback that requiring you to operate mining units on a territory in order to not run industry units at a loss on that territory was an annoyance and many players did not want to run their industry units on the same territories as their mining units.

In view of the preferences expressed, we have decided to allow the operation of industry units on all offline territories. In combination with HQ territories, this will allow you to effectively run industry units on offline territories for extended periods of time.
  Faster extraction animations
  We are also addressing the feedback we’ve received regarding the time it takes to complete a calibration minigame, specifically the frustration from the long loading animations when calibrating a number of mining units.
 
An option has been added in the mining unit UI (tick box) that will let you significantly reduce the time these animations take, drastically reducing the period of time the animations run.
 
Additionally, a number of mining unit mini-game animations have been slightly reduced in duration, thus allowing a faster minigame completion.
 
New talents for surface harvesting
  In order to further incentivize harvesting surface rocks, and to be able to specialize in it, we are adding four talents linked to surface harvesting that will touch on harvesting speed and output.
 
The main goal is to create some surface harvesting specialization for those players who enjoy it, giving them the capability to harvest better and faster, and for longer periods of time.
 
CHANGES COMING POST-PANACEA
 
New surface harvesting controls
  To further address surface harvesting issues, we are working on quality of life-type improvements that will allow a degree of auto-harvesting similar to normal mining as well as other changes to reduce control and UX-based frustrations during surface harvesting. 
Watch for additional details as we refine our plans!
 
 New mining unit surface harvesting, rocks spawning behavior
 
Lastly, we are looking for a solution to simplify the process of gathering rocks. This is in direct response to player requests to eliminate the hassle of having to comb their territories after calibrating a number of mining units. 
 
While this is still in relatively early stages, the solution we are looking at is to spawn the rocks right under the mining unit beam, where the beam hits the ground. Players would then be able to rapidly harvest surface rocks. 
 
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE
 
Don’t forget that there’s a lot more to Panacea than the changes and tweaks discussed above. It’s also got some cool new stuff, like the Vertex Precision Tool which we’ll be talking about in the next devblog! 
 
Meanwhile, please join the conversation on the forum here to tell us what you think about revisions we’ve presented in this Devblog.
We’d love to hear from you! 
 
---

The Novaquark team

Hello fellow Noveans! This is your friendly neighborhood coder, Nikolaus (Ephranor#8746), here with yet another big update to the DU Factory Generator:
 
https://tvwenger.github.io/du-factory-generator/latest/
 
Given a set of items to build, this tool will determine a factory plan from raw ores to the final products. The factory is designed to support the production rates of all intermediate industries. Therefore, this is a factory plan that will maximize production efficiency even after production interruptions.
 
Some new features in version 4.0:
Support for talents! Calculate ore values of produced items Add some missing items Minor bug fixes and performance improvements   Give it a go and let me know what you think! If you have any questions or problems, please let me know. Links to the Github repository and Discord server are on the bottom of the website.
Happy building!

Dear Noveans,
 
Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
 
We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
 
As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
 
We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
 

Hi Noveans,
Thanks for the warm welcome! Since I've joined I've been amazed by the incredible job the Novaquark team is doing, working hard on delivering the dream of Dual Universe. I’m also very impressed by how you, our community, have been supporting the DU project from day one. Let's all keep moving forward together!
Cheers,
Nouredine

Question is what will be state of seat to return.
 
Realisticly they likely hard wipe on official release (this why I hesitant to put any effort since .23). This needed to squeeze maximum hype from new wave of players, because genre is super competitive and no one will be glad to see 2-3 years worth of difference at day 1 of "new" game. Restart of competley failed economy will be nice bonus too.
 
Sure, remaining vets will be in tantrums, but I feel it will be like choice for NQ of cut your leg or die.
 
 

let's do a COMPLETE WIPE...and be done with it. EVERYONE starts off new and fresh with all the new goodies. This is fair for everyone! 
 

Since beta keeps coming up in these subscription topics... can't we just agree that this is by no means a beta, but still an alpha build?

Since beta keeps coming up in these subscription topics... can't we just agree that this is by no means a beta, but still an alpha build?

Since beta keeps coming up in these subscription topics... can't we just agree that this is by no means a beta, but still an alpha build?

Illusion of content.
 
Before many felt like they had nothing to do  - they had a factory that could produce everything and they just needed to sink in hours mining to throw in the ore to get the stuff out on the other end.
 
Now - they need to sink in months of mining to get the same factory running again. They have a 'goal' now - to get back to where they were a week ago - or they can quit.

Worst part, that even this forum/discord arguments about situation feel so meaningless...
 
Same people just repeating all same story how everything is not right and what NQ should do in ideal world (me included). Other same people repeating (to counter first part indeed) all over again same story of "this is beta", "give devs some time", "all is fine, I'm enjoying the game". Somewhere in middle personal fights ignite (because nothing new to add anyway). At this point I generaly even know names, that will be involved and roughly what they will say and how interact with each other.
 
I feel like we all prisoners of some cursed dark forest of something, just making endless rounds trying to find exit and fighting each other because of evil enchantment.
 
 
 
 

I hate that I love this game

Yoinks... You make this sound like it's akin to being in an abusive relationship.
Oh, hang on... now that you mention it... LOL.

Star Citizen has a pretty cool Xeno event on at the moment and Elite Dangerous will be basically releasing Phase 3: Odyssey.  (phase 2 was Horizons and Beyond)
And NMS continues to morph into something incredibly sprawling and vibrant.

And then there is EVE, of course. LOL.

But even with all those,  DU is still the game that stands like a the promise seen in a powerful shimmer emanating from beyond the next range of mountains...
And after wading across the desert, cresting the jagged mountains and gazing down upon the light, it could well end up indeed being the idyllic City of Light... or wind up just being rows upon rows of abandoned and broken solar arrays from an older time, reflecting the sun back into space.

In some respects playing DU feels like building sandcastles on the beach when you don't know the tide level. Will your castle be there tomorrow ? who knows.

This is strictly talking pve.
 
Just like you can not be good at waiting for the bus, there is little to be said about ship building skills.
 
More voxels mean more mass without any non cosmetic benefit.
Obstruction is bad, but easily avoided.
Mass (HUB) to the middle, adjuster to the outside.

Those are the basic rules, as long as you follow them any ship is only a partlist. Give me and 5 other players the parts and we will each end up with a roughly equally good ship, and character (not player) skills have far more impact compared to any amount of thought put into the design, and that is sad.
 
It would be quite simple to fix this without killing any "normal" ships:
-get rid of the "what propels you can not turn you" rule, ships with all wings in the back should pitch forward.
-Wings/Ailerons/stabs keep their current stats, but try to counter any unintentional rotation by increasing lift by up to 50% (or whatever) at the cost of increased drag. So an unbalanced ship still works perfectly fine but may start tipping at high cargo mass. It will also have slightly higher fuel consumption/decreased topspeed.
-Same with engines, if you have most engines high up, they will have to run at reduced power so your ship does not tip forward. Which means you still fly, but less efficient.

So this would allow practical builder to actually shine and at the same time not destroy all other bots, it would just mean thoughtless building is less efficient.

Currently what you see on the pic works, just sort everything alphabetically and smack it on.

Getting tired of these stupid builds that stack brakes, wings, etc ... or even hide working parts inside ships. It's a real game breaker to me. If you have to dumb it down so much that people can't conceive why planes work and they can't just make a flying brick, then don't try to apply any reality to the game. Just build pretty things, ignore reality.

Hello all Noveans,
So ive made a small program that i call Screen++ that enables you to add animations to your screens easily. You can use it to create geometrical shapes like ovals, circles or lines and animate them. You can make the geometrical shapes to move in x or y coordinate or change the colors of the border och background of the shapes in intervalls. You can add text and animate them the same way you can animate the geometrical shapes. Check out the newest version (below) to see what new features has been added.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW VERSION 3.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------- DATE: 2020 11TH OCTOBER
--NEW in version 3.0:
-- added ability to set background image, import any picture you like and display it on your screen, normal (use base64)
-- +/- in displace elemets in all direction
-- added rotation for all functions, clockwise or counter clockwise
-- added triangle, normal and animated
-- added rectangle, normal and animated (square, width=height)
-- added ability to set backgroundcolor, normal and animated
-- Z-index, whats elements that should be behind or infront of other elements
-- added so all functions can have filled or transparent background (only border will show)
-- possible to use Hexcolors
-- use variables
-- link code/animations to external elements (like a door for example)
 
Tutorial on how to use Screen++ 3.0:
I STRONGLY recommend that you watch the video on youtube and not here. Because ive putted timestamps so you easier can navigate through the video
 
This is the link to the codes that you need to copy and past into your programming board (github):
https://github.com/robarzangana/dualuniverseRepo/blob/main/screenplusplus_version_3.0
 
If you have any questions/requests be sure to tell me about them here or on youtube.
I hope you'll enjoy it!
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------- OLD VERSION 2.0 --------------------------------------------------------------------
Ive made a tutorial on youtube on how to use Screen++,  and im sorry in advance,  because i mess up few times in the video.  (its my second video):

This is the link to the codes that you need to copy and past into your programming board (github):
https://github.com/robarzangana/dualuniverseRepo/blob/main/screenplusplus_version_2.0
If you have any questions/requests be sure to tell me about them here or on youtube.
I hope you'll enjoy it!

Happy you guys like it, yeah css can be nasty sometimes ?
Sure thing mate, i will leave some example codes that are commented in the upcoming updates.
I will very soon release Screen++ version 3.0 with new features that has been added. I will post it here in this post, so stay tuned! 

Has NQ even said anything about these problems? 
 
All I see on their social channels are posts about how much fun people are having -- no mention of issues, timeline for fixes, or apologies. Generally no reply to anyone complaining in the comments. They didn't even bother with an apology in the email where they reset all our passwords.
 
I also have seen some people on these forums that just want to shut down anyone with anything critical to say about DU. If mods are also shutting people down on discord? 
 
It isn't a good look for a community.
 
I get it if you are mad that people aren't seeing the game for all its potential...but NQ needs to at least say something about the problems people are having, never mind quickly fixing them as people would expect of an MMO at any public launch.
 
"Sorry we didn't expect it to be so popular, give us a week to fix things, and we'll credit every account 1 free week of playtime" would go a long, long way to keeping people interested and happy. Radio silence and trolly "loyal" fans is not really a winning strategy imo. 
 
(if y'all alpha players that saw the game at its best really want to help NQ, be patient with new players especially if the issues are clearly NQ's fault) 

Dear NQ,
While I am sure you are working steadily and extremely focused on dealing with the current server issues. I feel it's warranted since it's been nearly a week dealing with these issues, that server issues need to come to an end. And sooner than later. All Betas have a rough start. However this is the worse my community and myself have ever seen.

Server issues for much longer are simply not going to be accepted by the DU community. We are starting to lose players, because they have a bad taste in their mouths, and most will not return.
Players are spending hours and in some cases days on loading screens. Players are dealing with the constant pending operation, computing data, and terrain that doesn't load.
Players can't voice their concerns on Discord, due to the Mod Staff actively silencing discontent, and issuing unwarranted mutes. Which I assume you have directed. And on top of all this we get no communication at all. Just random restarts that actually make game play worse.

Regardless, the server issues need to be wrapped up and soon. You are charging for a Beta, that has no current way to cancel the subscription, and you expect players to just keep dealing with these issues. That's not how this works. Deal with the server issues, even if you have to schedule employees around the clock to get it done. There is no more time on this issue. NQ you are killing the game in the first week of Beta. There is only so much to do in the game, and currently players can't even do it.

I think Discord is a horrible place to have any kind of support, you ask a question and if you blink you miss the answer unless they tag you're name in it. And don't get me started on the search facilities in discord total waste of time, you find someone asking the same question as you want answered you click through on it hoping to see an answer and after trawling through 100+ non related posts/comments, you give up and head back to the forum where at least you question might not get answered but at least you will find it again.

I think the idea of having support located on a third party program like discord, is a horrible idea.