Costanius

They don’t have to put timings on a roadmap at all, just a list of what they’d like to achieve, and an order in which they’d like to do it. Frankly I don’t even need that, a simple statement of the games direction and priorities would suffice.

I honestly think NQ started out with a 100% focus on making DU and only that.
 
But as the years went on and the game continued to struggle, my bet is that the people behind the VC money told NQ to start looking for other means to make money. And I don't think it is a coincidence that JC left around the time this happened.
 
So in this scenario where DU is no longer the main focus, it also suddenly becomes more likely that the DU being keep alive as a 'tech demo' thing might also be true.
 
 
 

I wasn't going to write this post. It was also a post I never actually thought I would have to write, but events since release two months ago led me to this point. 
 
I don't post a great deal on these forums, but I'm an avid reader and professional lurker since joining at the Alpha stage. I try to keep my finger on the community pulse and to keep up to date on updates and the general buzz. I've played since Alpha and mostly enjoyed all the time I've spent. There has been many times when DU has fought against me and attempted to break me down. However I was always sold, like many others, on that potential carrot on a stick of "What if?".
 
Over the DU development since 0.23 and beyond, the community was gutted due to the introduction of schematics. As updates and patches were introduced to the game, I've watched with dismay the amount of players with high standing in the community, slowly turn on NQ and Dual Universe when they get that stark realisation that this game is never going to live up to that perceived potential. Some go quietly into the night, others announce their vitriol for a few weeks before quitting with much fanfare. 

Being a player since Alpha affords me an ability to see the bigger picture of what I perceive has been going on:
 
If you look at all the updates since Beta started and outside of some balancing updates to PVP and visual upgrades, everything else has been implemented to cut costs due to what I believe as woeful inadequacies at the design and concept level. The vision of this game and what was perceived could be done, didn't match the budget available and the technology. In short, the game that NQ wanted to make didn't match what they could afford to do. Hence, I believe, this is why JC was ousted and the company is now ran by the main investment company (who I feel wants their investment back). The game has had its life and soul gutted out of it, and with every "improvement" it takes another little piece of itself away.
 
When the announcement came that this game was going to be released, I'm pretty sure we as the community, were in the unanimous agreement that it was way too soon. The game was undercooked and needed a lot more time before it was ready. Any development company who wanted their undercooked product to survive would of released it as an early access product. However, Novaquark is a business ran by an investment company who wants to recoup. Keeping the game in another few years of beta or early access wasn't going to make them anywhere near the money needed to recoup. With no new investment, there was only one possible course of action, throw it out the door and see if it sinks or swims. Unfortunately they forgot to teach it how to swim or provide any floatation aids.
 
I don't want to be one of those doomsayers who, when they're not happy with the state of the game will immediately declare "zomg, this game is dead!" But It saddens me to say that, that is what I now believe. It died sometime ago when Novaquark realised that under the budget they currently have that there was no way they could afford the server costs to make it work as intended. It just took some of us longer than it should to see it for what it is.
 
So what is the immediate future? If you look at the current lack of content and updates, all that we're really getting is the completion of the supporter goals that should of been ready on release. Beyond that, as of writing this, nothing, no road map, nothing. No enthusiasm from Novaquark, no excitement, nothing. 
 
Can the game be saved? In short, no. To do this, the game would need a large, fresh influx of money, coupled with a long protracted development time to essentially re-release and reinvent itself. We are at the point of no return though. NQ, I think are running on fumes and they know it. Releasing the game, wiping and increasing the subscription prices and then going essentially dark speaks volumes to their future plans. 
 
I do wish it wasn't this way, and I am kicking myself a little for having to write one of these posts, but I felt it needed to be said. I know this game will still have its staunch defenders (I was one of them) who will go down fighting to the very last day. But this week the game broke me. As I logged in and did my busywork and realised I was barely able to cover my costs to keep the lights on with no real goal of progression any more, my love, passion and perceived potential for the game melted away. 
 
I appreciate my rantings here are purely opinion and conjecture, but if you take the time to take a long hard look at the past few years of this games development, the clues are there. Many of us already know it and made their comments known on the various channels. The tone and overall feelings of the community are at an all time low right now and that should tell you everything as to what the community is currently feeling. 
 
I'd love to be proved wrong, I still want the game to succeed, but my joy and passion, like many others past and present in this community, is gone and it would take a truly Herculean effort on the part of NQ to get it back again. However, judging by recent efforts I won't be holding my breath.

Yes, but when NQ provides a platform for communication,  and seemingly don't use it, I fail to see the logic in asking for another platform for communication.
Seems that starting of by using what's already there would be the best option.

Or they could just read the forums and respond to major complaints.

Same. I was really disappointed in the the "announcement". And I felt sorry for Shamsie for being thrown under the buss by NQ like this. He did his best with what he was given, but as that was next to nothing, it was all just "meh".
 
NQ really has to step up their game and show that they are committed and willing to improve DU or players will just give up. I play this game every day, but I have to be honest and say that it is disheartening to see how bad NQ is at managing player expectations and generally how little they interact with the community. We all get it, they can't share detailed roadmaps with dates, but they can share the general direction and they *need to*, otherwise the only conclusion that can be drawn is that they have no direction or goals.

Diese Dinge gefallen mir nicht:
- Dass die Wirtschaft wieder nicht durchdacht ist und zu Problemen und Inflation führen wird.
- Dass der Einstieg für neue Spieler nicht zugänglicher gemacht wurde und bei Release die Tutorials teilweise verbuggt waren.
-Dass NQ im Steam-Forum nicht auf Fragen und Bemerkungen eingeht.
 
Diese Dinge wünsche ich mir:
- Mehr Kommunikation von der NQ-Chefebene / Management mit der Playerbase. Über den aktuellen Stand von DU und die kurzfristigen, mittelfristigen und langfristigen Pläne mit DU, die Vision, die Ziele für 2023, eine Roadmap.usw. Dass über Probleme gesprochen wird und Vorschläge der Community diskutiert werden.

Diese Dinge gefallen mir nicht:
- Dass die Wirtschaft wieder nicht durchdacht ist und zu Problemen und Inflation führen wird.
- Dass der Einstieg für neue Spieler nicht zugänglicher gemacht wurde und bei Release die Tutorials teilweise verbuggt waren.
-Dass NQ im Steam-Forum nicht auf Fragen und Bemerkungen eingeht.
 
Diese Dinge wünsche ich mir:
- Mehr Kommunikation von der NQ-Chefebene / Management mit der Playerbase. Über den aktuellen Stand von DU und die kurzfristigen, mittelfristigen und langfristigen Pläne mit DU, die Vision, die Ziele für 2023, eine Roadmap.usw. Dass über Probleme gesprochen wird und Vorschläge der Community diskutiert werden.

I don't know if a colony ship like in SC will make any sense in DU. When the new planet has the ressources, You can just go there with a small ship and build there. Probably bring pre-made blueprints and construction schematics with You. It'll only be necessary to bring the needed ressources if the planet You want to build on doesn't have any or the wrong ones.

Greetings, Noveans! I'm NQ-Pann, the latest addition to the stellar (see what I did there?) Dual Universe Community team. It is my esteemed privilege to be here, entering into my second week at Novaquark. 
 
Some of you may know me from previous projects. My MMO journey began as an Ultima Online player. It wasn't long before I began writing for game sites (mostly UO Stratics) and joining the UO volunteer program. This led to my first "real" job in the industry as the original community manager for EVE Online. I've also worked on Tabula Rasa, Auto Assault, Imperium: Galactic War and, most recently, Crowfall. 
 
I'm a native Texan, living in the Austin area with my husband (whom I met in UO!) and our very large, spoiled rotten cat. 
 
My role here will mostly be behind-the-scenes, writing news and blogs. I'll also be the primary point of contact for content creators, so if you stream, make videos, or resources for Dual Universe, I look forward to meeting you soon. 
 
Head over to my AMA thread and let's get acquainted! 

Heyho! You can now register your ships on our website. 

Dear ladies and gentlemen,
this offer is for German speaking players only, please respect that.
 
 


Hyperion - gegründet mit dem Ziel ein Wirtschafts-Imperium aufzubauen,
dessen Name, Produkte und Entwicklungen auch in den entlegenen Winkeln
des Dual Universe bekannt sind.
 
Als Teil starker Allianzen bietet Hyperion den Rahmen, um in Sicherheit und
mit Rückhalt Neues zu kreieren und wirtschaftlich zu handeln.
 
Die derzeit größte und aktivste deutschsprachige Community sammelt, erforscht und
baut bereits heute - gemeinsam - Großes.
 
Werde auch du Teil dieser Gemeinschaft und lerne uns kennen:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ÜBER UNS
Hyperion bietet euch das größte deutschsprachige Netzwerk in Dual Universe von Handel, Missionen, Kopfgeldjagd bis zu Rettungsmissionen. 
Mit der Mitgliedschaft bei Hyperion erhältst du Zugang zu allen Einrichtungen von Hyperion, ein eigenes vQuanta Konto, Lehrgänge mit Betreuung und vieles mehr!
 
 
WAS IST UNSER ZIEL?
Mittelfristig möchten wir gemeinsam eine Heimat aufbauen, um weitere, spannende Projekte voranzutreiben. In mehreren Teams aufgeteilt, realisieren wir Raumschiffe, Stadtkonstrukte und diverse, andere Bauprojekte. Die Möglichkeiten für andere Geschäftszweige sind schier grenzenlos und somit liegt es auch an Dir, welchen Weg du beschreiten wirst. 
 
 
WAS BIETEN WIR?
Eine freundliche Gemeinschaft deutschsprachiger Spieler und den Zugang zum Hyperion Netzwerk. Erhalte die Möglichkeit an großen und spannenden Projekten teilzunehmen. Hol dir Aufträge vom schwarzen Brett oder nutze unseren eigenen Markt. Bei uns kann sich jeder frei entfalten und seiner Kreativität freien Lauf lassen, solange es dem Wohl der Gemeinschaft nicht schadet und die Gesetze/Richtlinien von Hyperion, sowie auch der Ascendancy eingehalten werden. Des Weiteren bieten wir Sicherheit und Territorium durch die Ascendancy. Dies ist die größte Allianz im Spiel.
 
 
WAS SUCHEN WIR?
Jeder deutschsprachige Spieler von Dual Universe der keine Augenklappe trägt und sich Pirat schimpfen lässt ist bei uns willkommen. Wir fordern lediglich eine geistige Reife und die Einhaltung einiger Regeln. Solltest du bei der Hyperion Corporation mitmachen wollen, dann solltest du vor allem teamfähig sein. Ein gutes Betriebsklima ist uns sehr wichtig. Wir haben uns außerdem für ein Mindestaufnahmealter von 16 Jahren entschieden.
 
 
WAS MUSS ICH TUN, UM BEIZUTRETEN?
Du kannst dich förmlich auf unserer Homepage bei uns bewerben oder besuche uns auf unserem Discord und schreib uns persönlich! Dort kannst du uns weitere Fragen stellen, gerne auch im Voice.
 
Wir freuen uns auf dich!
 
 
 
 

Moin,
als Norddeutscher finde ich den Namen natürlich gut.
Dann seid mal schön nachhaltig hier im Spiel. Also keine Strände mit Betonbauten zupflastern, nech!
Viel Spaß und viel Erfolg!

Wir haben beim Raumstation-Bauwettbewerb mit unserer Raumstation "Themis" den vierten Platz gewonnen. Ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt, an dem viele Mitglieder in ganz unterschiedlichen Aufgaben und Funktionen dran beteiligt waren.
Auch jetzt und in Zukunft können natürlich immer auch Neueinsteiger bei uns mitmachen und sich an größeren und kleineren Projekten beteiligen...

I thought there will be no Skill or Talent System in DU...
Someone sayd that in Interviews 2 years ago
The Reason was DU should not restrict people in theyr playstiles.
Now we get a system, where you have to spend skill points gathered by time.
This may lead into heavy Multiaccounting like in EVE Online if you ask me.

Hi everyone,
 
As an exceptional case, we are replying this topic, even if it’s closed, to avoid any misunderstanding. As an exceptional case, as the involved user has explicitly asked for public explanation and the customer support agrees with it, we are in a situation where both parties agree to make it public, so it doesn't break the confidentiality policy. We also want to share this as an example that things don't happen for no reason (and in the case of an error, we are ready to fix it).
 
Just to put things in perspective:
- Emtec3PL account wasn't suspended regarding the game (the account has never lost his rights to play the game when the time will come).
- Emtec3PL account wasn't suspended on the forum and was still able to contact Community Managers in private.
- Emtec3PL account was suspended on Customer Support side.
 
The situation:
- Emtec3PL pledged 1 euro as a symbolic donation during Kickstarter campaign (in which case it was clear it was a donation, with no rewards attached to it).
- Emtec3PL pledged then an Iron Founder Pack after the Kickstarter campaign, which has been upgraded as a Silver Pack shortly after.
- As explained in the news on our website here the access time, depending on the founder level, was pretty clear and self explanatory: 
All Kickstarter Founder Backers get access at Alpha 1.  Post-Kickstarter Founder Backers get access at the earliest at Alpha 2. Emtec3PL becomes a Founder Backer after the Kickstarter campaign, first as an Iron Founder, than as a Silver Founder, so he's rightfully considered as a Post-Kickstarter Backer and will get access Alpha 2. Emtec3PL contested that fact and asked repeatedly to Customer Support for an access to Alpha 1. Novaquark Customer Support denied the request and explained why. The last answer from Emtec3PL to the Customer Support was the following:
 
Emtec3PL sent this reply because he will have access to Alpha 2 (as planned), and not immediately (as he wanted). Obviously there was no possible discussion anymore, and as part of the process for harassment prevention, the account has been suspended on the customer support side. If Emtec3PL is willing to come back to a more constructive discussion, the account can be unsuspended.
 
This example might be useful to put in light how we manage customer service here at Novaquark. Globally there are two schools of customer service:
 
The old school: "Customer is king."
This vision implies that no matter how the customer behaves, the customer service agent needs to endure and gives satisfaction to the customer. In our eyes, this way of doing things is relevant as long as customers and customer service agents behave with mutual respect.
 
However, with internet promoting anonymity and online interaction, a growing number of customers started to consider mutual respect as being optional and/or lost focus that the customer service agent at the other end of the line is a human being, not a machine, and he/she is there to help, not to endure someone else's anger or frustration. Having daily customers being rude or threatening can damage a team morale, especially when rudeness or threat is undeserved. 
 
Customer Support is not an outlet for customers to let their frustration run wild.
It's a place to answer customer questions and help them when they have a technical issue.
Some people would easily throw there: "Hey it's part of the job. If they can't handle it, they can find another job" or the famous “HTFU” (which is perfectly fine in a game where a part of the fun is to compete to see who is the toughest guy. It’s less fine when it applies to your real life where you can’t log out) Our answer to this is "No, it's not part of the job, unless it has been decided that way by the company. It's not up to the customer to decide this part." 
 
At Novaquark we value Customer satisfaction as much as Employee well-being. 
The reasons? We don't want the job of anyone becoming a chore because we aren’t interested in burnouts and high turnovers, and also because we are convinced that, having people less stressed and less harassed than the average in the industry will benefit indirectly to the Customers themselves. So we won't encourage negative behavior from some customers, quite the contrary, by applying consequences to this kind of behavior.
 
To put it simply, we are following the other school: 
"Customer is king... but even a king has its limits."
We will always do our best to satisfy a customer as long as:
- the request/demand is reasonable and motivated by common sense.
- the request/demand is made in a respectful manner.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

@Birkenhoff
Und für den längeren und ausführlicheren Gedankenaustausch haben wir dazu auch ein (internes) Forum.

Take it as good news: Performance must be fairly good to be going for more features.
 
But take it as another cycle: New features are in their infancy and need a lot of testing.
 
It sounds good that the economy and creating and distribution of resources and maybe later crafting are all integrating into the game before alpha.
 
I'm very happy to hang on until then and the game hits alpha and the nda lifts and a lot more eyes see a good state of DU (it will be).

Only sandbox-MMOs with player-made content and gameplay systems and mechanics that can be used and influenced by the players and that enables and requires player-interaction and that enables emergent gameplay give long-time motivation to me to play a MMO.
 
If You play a Themepark-MMO and go through the offered content and experiences its all over at the end and becomes boring fast. Especially, if no player-interactions are necessary. Then You can better play a single-player game.
 
So I just follow and play non-fantasy MMOs with sandbox elements, if possible on a single world or at least massive persistent universe and with a monthly subscription or B2P-model.
 

Good job on this writeup!
Must have been a lot of work.

Hi and welcome!
 
Hallo und willkommen!

Subscribe to the newsletter, check their twitter and facebook, check the kickstarter update section. Lots of info and (smaller) updates there. The AMA from february was also published on the DU website!

I'm excited and I like:
- To be able to build my own spaceships and fly them around in a MMO-Universe.
- A sandbox-MMO with player-cities and player-driven-economy from an european developer.
- Subscription model, no item-shop p2w BS!

In short, as I likely posted elsewhere in time already:
 
The subscription fees make sure the game keeps running or that the devs can calculate better, more or less, while the ability to in theory purchase game time through in-game efforts serves as good compromise or enticer for those who do not necessarily want to pay hard cash for each month.
 
The DAC idea is a good compromise and can get players into the game that would not pay initially. And if they are successful (and / or lucky) in the game, they might not even have to pay a dime, or only rarely, per month.
 
I'd argue that most players can also manage to pay the monthly fee in hard cash, at least initially. Those who have trouble or might have trouble and are aware of this now, or in other words, interested in playing the game, they have plenty of time to save up until it becomes relevant.
 
And for all others or those who cannot, there's still an option in theory: Earn game time by working for organizations without playing the game. You can surely offer some service and earn a DAC or two. Not everything is done in the game.
 
If all of that fails and if you lack money long-term without wanting to contribute to orgs on a meta or out-of-game level, you likely have other problems.

I was 100% against monthly fees but now I defend them with 100% conviction, and here is why...
 
Keeping up quality online content and thousands of high quality servers running daily, assuring all gameplay goes smooth for thousands and thousands of players is quite expensive, is not the pledges and game purchases that will be insuring that quality continuously for months and years
 
A company has only 2 choices
 
1 - Ask for a monthly fee, assuring payment equality for all gamers, bringing free updates and avoid too much of a grinding for ingame resources
 
2 - Bring on micro-transactions that will degenerate everything, give advantage to bigger wallets and forcing devs to create horrible grinding, promote grieffing against grinders, launch very expensive contents and impose many paywalls to force people to get fedup and go pay for micro-transactions
 
I'm addicted to GTA5 Online and if you check on youtube about shark cards you will see what happened to an once great game
 
If your online maintenance income is micro-transactions you must force people to get tired and bored with grinding or else you go broke, so yes, monthly fees are the way to go
 
And please do not answer me people should not be lazy to grind - On GTA nowadays you spend half time and half stress working at Macdonalds to pay for micro-transactions than actualy grinding ingame for the same currency amount, and Im not exagerating at all, I actually did the math, and that is if people grind in teams, not solo
 
Monthly fees all the time, PLEASE