Leniver

A new scroll has finally been revealed to help you on your Golden Goober Hunt! Apologies for the delay.
 

Thank you for the message, here is my feedback on the experience.

Positive Aspects of the Event:
In a PVP zone, potentially transitioning from PVE to PVEVP, but much more interesting and risky than an AlienCore event. Randomly massive damage dealt by the boss, capable of destroying an L core in 3 or 4 hit. (that was our real challenge here...) A sufficiently powerful shield that requires a lot of time and ammunition, increasing the chances of player interactions. The server held up well with the entire Legion fleet present.
Negative Aspects of the Event:
Not announced by NQ or in-game through a message in the general chat or notifications in the middle of the screen. Timing too focused on Europe. (but it's hard to accommodate everyone) Randomly massive damage dealt by the boss, capable of destroying an L core in 3 or 4 hit. (... but Legion pilots are experienced and ship optimized and still died really fast, can be an issue for other players if involved) No damage on voxels, just CCS. Only a static core, random appearances of alien ships similar to PVE missions that follow a ship could have added excitement to the battle. A known coordinate in advance and therefore stations already in place, making surveillance and combat easier. No traces of the battle afterward, an Aphelia Core from the Boss in its final state could have added some interest. (instant despawn was a bit frustrating)
I remain very disappointed not to have had the chance to encounter opponents or even curious players coming to challenge us. With the boss's damage, our capital ships often had very low shields, forcing us to flee the combat to regenerate them... a perfect situation for the type of operations our adversaries like to conduct. Events like this should simply not be missed in terms of communication; that's the fundamental aspect. The more people are aware and prepared, the more there will be at stake, stories to tell, salt to sprinkle, and good moments to share among allies and enemies.

About the rewards; I maintain my opinion, even when some of my allies/mates will receive these rewards, that rewarding players with craftable items and resources/quantas is a real mistake; the economy is at a critical stage, and we really don't need that.

On the other side, offering a title is a good idea and a step in the right direction. Our only concern, I believe, is that you may not be able to reward all participants in the missions or the boss due to a lack of tools; many players have played in groups, some only as pilot, or performed other roles, and from what I see and think, they won't be traceable (no point awarded/no shoot fired...). We've been discussing this issue for a while now, not giving points/quantas to all players instead of just the one who takes the mission; please consider the game as an MMO.
In short, the missions and the boss event have had many shortcomings, but the improvements are easy to see and aim for in order to make such features interesting and fun.

Everything is and has always been in your hands, NQ; it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it.

Pve BOSS feedback (event)
1) Announcement. Every player should know an event is happening. Notified Monday while event is on Saturday is minimal notice we should get. In game notices + social + discord
2) Boss needs to do voxel damage, event loses all the difficulty without it. Can be discussed. At min all ships MUST take element damage to encourage repair/loss.
3) Time zones : Lock down mechanics or multiple spawns (Sat/Sun) in different time zones to get all involved. More info at bottom of post
4) Rewards. I believe a community discussion should be involved as to exactly how/why but each person should feel rewarded. Not only time but for assets used
5) If rewards are quanta/physical objects an x amount of damage should be involved to get rewards to prevent people cycling through alts on a ship
6) Mega laser should swap between it ALL ammo types. This prevents people from pushing resists against the aliens main weapon.
7) PVE vs pvepvp. If the boss is spawned in pve area the difficulty needs to be higher (higher damage/health) to make it challenging. Pvp = more rewards (not exclusive rewards)
8 ) Boss shield resist should auto adjust to damage its taking to prevent the community from bringing highest dps weapon to overwhelm it 
9) If Pve enemies (like ones in instance fights) were spawned around the boss attacking ppl the battle would be A LOT more fun

Time zones are always a pain in global games, du being a very global game it's important to strike a balance. I have 2 main suggestions

1) Lock down. Example being boss spawns EU timezone Sat, this will encourage EU time zone players to go lock the core down (damage = reward so it's saved)
The next day in middle of NA time zone the lock down ends which allows NA players to come finish the boss. Both phases should offer same rewards (same mechanic as alien cores so not hard to develop?)
 
2) Multiple spawns. 1 on sat, 1 on sun, in different time zones to encourage participation without the lock down mechanic.
 
Even if the event boss was a one time thing for the event I do believe any type of pve boss enemy can easily be translated to a game loop without many steps from what we recently saw. 

Tier 3 ammo has 3x the cost of basic ammo. These changes do not reflect the additional cost for these ammo. 

The votes have been tallied, the NQ staff members have been polled and they voted - they also discussed all the entries and tried to convince others to vote for their favorites. We take our bots very seriously as you can tell. Even though there can be only three winners, the general consensus here at Novaquark is that these bot entries were incredibly creative, imaginative and skillfully done. A huge thank you to all of the participants. 

If you haven't had the chance to see the bots up close and personal, they are available for viewing near The Exchange: ::pos{0,2,24.7050,99.0905,147.7182}

With no further delay, here are the winners:

First place and winner of the "Brilliant Bot Builder" title as well as three months game time:

LIAM BOT by VANHERCK



Two runner ups that will receive one month of game time each:
 
LA CALCULATRICE by CORRUPTED SOFTWARE


 
STING-E by HADRON
 

 
 
A huge congratulations to all of the winners! Thank you to everyone who participated, we hope that you enjoyed this challenging build contest and if you would like to see more contests like these, please let us know.

Well done everyone, those are some crazy and awesome bots!

Yes exactly.

I am happy with the new Lua changes, but a bit upset about the fact that we can't test it on a PTS session.

Some scripts are very sensitive and may discourage many players if they stop working. There are several examples, but among there is a huge change that ArchHud won't work anymore and will generate a lot of stress among some players.
Archegeo did an awesome job following the changes and testing them on PTS for the good of the community. He is not the only one in this case, but certainly the most known.
Not allowing us to test our script and being able to have a version fully functional on release force us to not enjoy the release and having to work on our scripts. In long term people get tired and just stop.

 

Thanks, I know you are doing your best.
I just wanted to point that.

I am happy with the new Lua changes, but a bit upset about the fact that we can't test it on a PTS session.

Some scripts are very sensitive and may discourage many players if they stop working. There are several examples, but among there is a huge change that ArchHud won't work anymore and will generate a lot of stress among some players.
Archegeo did an awesome job following the changes and testing them on PTS for the good of the community. He is not the only one in this case, but certainly the most known.
Not allowing us to test our script and being able to have a version fully functional on release force us to not enjoy the release and having to work on our scripts. In long term people get tired and just stop.

 

Just read the devblog in the launcher on changes coming to 1.4. Awesome news, all of it.
 
Just a small ask, @NQ-Ligo, please document the exact changes to the API so that we can determine what we need to change.

> We've added a compatibility patch to prevent your existing scripts from breaking.
 
Could you please elaborate on this a it?
 
We're all dying to know more about the getInstructionCount and getInstructionLimit functions, could you please let us know more about those too and how they are intended to be used?
 
Br,
 
Yoarii

Greetings, Noveans!
 
Every gamer is unique, each boasting their own preferred playstyle, control setup, and comfort zones. Your game controls should reflect this individuality. That's why our Input Remapping Upgrades, coming soon in Update 1.4, are designed to give you more control - literally and figuratively.
 
Dual Universe hosts numerous controls, many of which have been hidden from players. Our Input Remapping Upgrades will vastly expand the game's control settings, making these hidden controls visible and customizable. You can rebind them to your preferred keys… including those on gamepads and joysticks! Both systems are now correctly supported. For instance, you can bind specific controls to the axis turn of a joystick.
 
In addition, we've introduced many new controls, allowing you to personalize your settings with intricate detail. If you’re a player who enjoys crafting your control schemes, you’ll find these new options on our control settings page.
 
This is just the beginning, Noveans. We’re already working on introducing more features to Input Remapping in the future, such as the ability to import and export control profiles to the server, allowing for seamless importing into applications like GeForce Now. We also aim for more direct Lua integration in future versions.
 
These changes are designed to empower you and make Dual Universe more accessible by supporting gamepads, joysticks, and more. Whether you plan to intricately craft your control schemes or simply enjoy flying across Helios with a HOTAS system, we hope you’ll have a great time with the Input Remapping Upgrades in Update 1.4.
 
The Novaquark Team
 

Greetings, Noveans!
 
This is NQ-Ligo again.
 
We’ve heard your questions on script compatibility since announcing the Lua changes coming in update 1.4. I’m writing to share more information to enable you to better prepare for the update.
 
There's only one change that we haven't been able to make compatible with existing scripts. For everything else, a compatibility layer has been added, there is no need to worry about that!
 
The "breaking" change is the Boolean type fix. For a long time, functions that were supposed to return a Boolean, such as unit.isRemoteControlled, returned an integer (0 or 1). It took a while to correct, but from now on, these functions will return a Boolean (true or false). However, functions requiring a Boolean argument will continue to support integers in addition to Booleans.
 
To assist you, here's an exhaustive list of EXISTING functions that currently return an integer and will now return a Boolean:
 
unit.hasDRM
unit.isRemoteControlled
unit.isMouseControlActivated
unit.isMouseDirectControlActivated
unit.isMouseVirtualJoystickActivated
unit.isAnyLandingGearDeployed
unit.isAnyHeadlightSwitchedOn
databank.hasKey
databank.clearValue
transponder.isActive
transponder.setTags
shield.getState
shield.setResistances
shield.inLockdown
shield.isActive
shield.startVenting
shield.stopVenting
shield.isVenting
shield.setLockdownExitTime
door.isOpen
forcefield.isDeployed
forcefield.setMaxLength
landingGear.isDeployed
light.isActive
light.isBlinking
weapon.isOutOfAmmo
adjustor.isActive
adjustor.setTags
adjustor.isIgnoringTags
brake.isActive
brake.setTags
brake.isIgnoringTags
airfoil.isStalled
airfoil.setTags
airfoil.isIgnoringTags
engine.isActive
engine.isTorqueEnabled
engine.isOutOfFuel
engine.hasFunctionalFuelTank
engine.setTags
engine.isIgnoringTags
antiGravityGenerator.isActive
receiver.hasChannel
receiver.setChannelList
core.isEngineIgnoringTagsById
core.deleteSticker
core.moveSticker
screen.isActive
screen.getMouseState
gyro.isActive
laserDetector.isHit
laserEmitter.isActive
manualButton.isDown
manualSwitch.isActive
manualSwitch.isDown
radar.setSortMethod
radar.isConstructIdentified
radar.isConstructAbandoned
radar.hasMatchingTransponder
construct.isWarping
construct.isInPvPZone
construct.isPlayerBoarded
construct.isPlayerBoardedInVRStation
construct.isConstructDocked
construct.setDockingMode
construct.dock
construct.undock
construct.forceDeboard
construct.forceUndock
construct.forceInterruptVRSession
player.isSeated
player.isParentedTo
player.isSprinting
player.isJetpackOn
player.isHeadlightOn
player.isFrozen
player.hasDRMAutorization
system.destroyWidgetPanel
system.destroyWidget
system.destroyData
system.updateData
system.addDataToWidget
system.removeDataFromWidget
system.isFirstPerson
system.isViewLocked
system.isPlayingSound
 
As for other changes, such as the JSON library change, we've made sure to maintain compatibility with your existing scripts, either by making added arguments optional (thanks to the implementation of the nil type in our API), or by adding derivations. However, in the future, I recommend including the "json.lua" library instead of "dkjson.lua" to avoid using the compatibility layer if you want to optimize your script.
 
As with every update, we'll also be pushing an updated Lua API mockup on the game's official GitHub.
 
We hope this helps you better prepare for the upcoming Lua changes in update 1.4! Happy coding, Noveans!
 
NQ-Ligo

You're not wrong, but I think the smarter move would be to embrace existing code editors instead of doing their own, as well as other tooling that already exists in the community.

Good news!

The editor could need a bit more love, like being able to "Ctrl+Z" to cancel last change.

DEVBLOG: 1.4 LUA API UPDATE
 
Greetings, Noveans! This is NQ-Ligo again,
 
Some time ago, we redesigned the Lua API of Dual Universe, introducing new features and opening up many possibilities. Today, we’re launching the next major update to the game’s Lua, addressing the remaining fundamental issues and adding numerous new features.
 
In this post, I’ll present some upcoming 1.4 changes to give you ample time to adapt your creations. I’ll walk you through the changes we're making to the backend, as well as some cool additions to the game’s Lua API.
 
Fundamental Changes
 
Let’s start with the fundamental issues we had yet to address in the game’s Lua.
 
- Update of the Lua Environment
 
To leverage the optimizations and basic improvements in the Lua environment, we have updated it to version 5.4.4. You can review the changes on the official website of the language (https://www.lua.org/manual/5.4/readme.html#changes. Still, please note the introduction of new features such as:
New generational mode for garbage collection
New attributes for variables (const and to-be-closed)
New implementation for math.random
New semantics for the integer 'for' loop
Optional 'init' argument to 'string.gmatch'
New function 'coroutine.close'
String-to-number coercions moved to the string library
New format '%p' in 'string.format'
 
- Replacement of the dkjson Library
 
For some time, we have been addressing performance issues with Lua systems. A significant factor related to these performance issues is the use of JSON. Thus, we reduced the use of JSON in favor of Lua tables. However, after consulting many of you, it appears that JSON is still widely used by our players. Hence, we decided to replace the dkjson library with the json.lua library (https://github.com/rxi/json.lua), a pure Lua library that is much more efficient.
 
We've added a compatibility patch to prevent your existing scripts from breaking.
 
- Boolean Type and Nil Support
 
Until now, booleans returned or used in the Lua API were treated as integers 0 or 1. While this may seem minor, it was crucial to resolve for several reasons, including performance and backend considerations.
 
Good news: we've now resolved this issue, allowing the Lua API to accept arguments and return real booleans! This will allow you to optimize your scripts.
 
Additionally, we've integrated nil. Until now, we could neither return nor accept nil as an argument. Again, while this may seem minor, resolving this issue allowed us to introduce the concept of optional arguments and optimize the Lua data stack. You will see its application in the additions we are introducing.
 
In addition to these visible fixes, we've made several backend improvements to the game's Lua binding. Consequently, we decided to use this opportunity to increase the instruction limit of the Lua environment (the limit that triggers the CPU OVERLOAD error). Starting from version 1.4, this limit will be increased from 2,000,000 to 10,000,000 instructions, accessible with the getInstructionCount and getInstructionLimit functions added to the Lua system API.
 
With this change in Boolean support, you will need to adapt your existing creations to ensure they continue to function as expected. We believe the benefits of these updates justify the effort and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to improve the game's Lua environment.
 
Improvement of the Syntax Highlighting
 
We've enhanced the syntax highlighting in our code editor interface to simplify your coding experience. We understand that coding can be challenging, especially for beginners. That's why we took the time to create a straightforward syntax highlighting system to make coding in Dual Universe easier and more enjoyable.
 
While we've improved syntax highlighting, it isn't a full-fledged code analyzer. It's merely a tool to help you read and understand your code more easily. We aim to make coding more accessible and affordable for everyone, and we hope this update will contribute to that. The new system incorporates the coloring of APIs for system, unit, library, construct, player, and Lua operators.
 
Enrichment of the Lua Codex
 
We're thrilled to announce a new section in the Lua CODEX - the "Usage Example" section. This section provides detailed explanations and code examples to help you better understand how to use the functions within our API. It will be added to each function or event that requires further explanation.
 
We understand that learning to use a new API can sometimes be daunting, especially if you're new to coding. Therefore, we believe that providing examples, use cases, and deeper instructions on how to use the various functions in our API will help you better understand our game's API, making your coding experience more enjoyable.
 
 
Radar Data Pre-filtering
 
Despite our efforts to optimize and make the processing of radar data more flexible, particularly by integrating the getConstructs function to return the list of constructs in scope as a Lua table, we've considered and studied additional improvements.
 
Thanks to the integration of nil support in our Lua environment, we decided to improve the getConstructs function by adding the following optional pre-filters:
[bool] isMatching: True to filter out constructs with a matching transponder, false otherwise
[int] constructKind: The construct kind id to filter out constructs (Universe = 1, Planet = 2, Asteroid = 3, Static = 4, Dynamic = 5, Space = 6, Alien = 7)
[string] coreSize: The construct core unit size to filter out constructs ('XS', 'S', 'M', 'L', 'XL')
[bool] isAbandoned: True to filter out abandoned constructs, false otherwise
 
This filter is in the form of a table in the third argument of the getConstructs function. So you can, for example, filter:
{isMatching = true}, to list only constructs with a matching transponder
{isMatching = false, constructKind= 5}, to list only dynamic constructs with a non-matching transponder
As you can see, this filtering is combinable and optional, enabling you to filter the data you receive before processing it through Lua, allowing you to optimize your scripts.
 
Conclusion
 
We hope these updates and performance upgrades will improve your Lua experience in Dual Universe. There are still many other additions to the Lua API waiting to be discovered in this release. Happy exploring!

Should have gone FTP or had cosmetic store for launch

Please don't bring toxicity into discussions about legitimate concerns regarding the design of the game. The main reason Lodestar stopped engaging in alien core content was because we felt it wasn't worth our time. It required 4-6 hours of our day, every other day, in large part due to NG's harassment strategy of using the combat lock mechanic to waste our time instead of giving both player groups a fun fight. We didn't want to retake Alpha if that was going to be our pvp 'content' when we owned it. This reaffirms my point - the mechanics and general design of the alien core feature is ill-suited to the type of game that DU is. Introducing more of the same while pretending that it's adding content to the game is a bad decision imo.

I'm looking forward to trying the PvE and testing the new PvP changes and adding them to my guide. However I do want to mention that if nothing has been changed with alien cores, there will be no participation and so no reason to introduce three more. Very few players are willing to devote so much time and effort to take an alien core and hold it. I expect Legion will claim them unchallenged and sit on them for months.

Plasma-related objectives need to be reduced in participation scale: less time investment, less cooperation necessary(since the game doesn't really support 40v40 battles right now and since the playerbase is dwindling), and less rewards. They need to be small scale, randomly scheduled events, much like asteroids. Or similar to daily, bi-daily, or weekly events like other MMOs have. The current implementation forces way too much time investment, rewards the group with the largest player participation, and also allows continual rewards for no effort or investment after the fighting is over.
 
Yes, even with the current element lives system, there's too little element turnover. Most players have had to replace only a few ship's worth of elements since launch. PvE could become a major driving force for element turnover, so most difficulty levels should remove element lives.

Hello, Noveans!
 
During our most recent livestream, NQ-Deckard and NQ-Entropy joined us and answered questions about upcoming features in update 1.4, which will be coming soon to Dual Universe. We know you have many questions, and to make it easier for you to stay informed, we wanted to summarize what was shared.
 
PvE Missions
 
We are excited to add PvE Combat missions in update 1.4, where players participate in missions against NPCs using familiar PvP mechanics. Here's an overview of what to expect in PvE Missions:
 
Difficulty Levels: Missions will have various difficulty levels, from very easy to very hard. Players can solo the lower tiers, but as the difficulty increases, players will need to team up to complete the missions using ships with a crew equipped with multiple sets of guns.
 
Challenging Gameplay: Even for experienced players, the higher-difficulty missions will be tough. Players will need to strategize and optimize their ships to achieve victory.
 
Customizable Mission Ships: Players must build their own mission ships within the parameters set by each mission. Restrictions may apply, such as not allowing large battleships in easy missions. Players can choose their preferred weapons, shields, and variants for their ships.
 
Instanced Battles: Missions will be instanced, using similar technology as VR challenges. However, players can now bring their own ships and enter the same instance alongside multiple other players. You must also supply your own ammunition, scrap, and fuel; any lost elements during the mission will be your loss.
 
Rewards: Completing missions will earn players quanta, addressing feedback requesting more ways to make in-game currency. PvE Combat provides an alternative method for players to fund their gameplay, similar to hauling missions.
 
Scaling Difficulty: The intention is for very easy missions to be accessible to new players with a few days of talents without requiring perfect equipment. As players progress to higher difficulties, missions become more demanding and require precise strategies.
 
Loss Consequences: We are currently finalizing what happens when players lose a mission, with the goal of not being overly punishing. One possibility is allowing players to salvage their ships if they fail a mission.
 
Mission Retreat: If players find a mission too difficult, they can retreat to the entry point to save their ship and resources. Completing the mission isn’t needed to escape.
 
More information about PvE Missions, including specifics on the consequences of losing a mission, will be provided as we develop and refine the feature.
 
PvP Changes
 
We are implementing significant changes to our PvP mechanics, including:
 
We’re changing the tracking formula that runs hit or miss calculations, especially the impact of ship cross-sections on the formula. We expect this to shift the meta away from lighter ships with small cross-sections by removing the protection they currently enjoy from the low probability of being hit by medium and large guns.
 
We’re also adjusting most parts of PvP, with changes to systems such as base weapon stats and removing debuffs from weapon variants.
 
Shield venting is also being changed, and stasis weapons are being buffed to make them more powerful and relevant to their role, for instance, in tackling small ships that get caught.
 
We are also investigating server issues and lag in PvP. To help us address these problems, please submit detailed reports with player names, ship names, times, and any other relevant information when lag occurs. These issues are difficult for us to replicate on our end, and being specific in your reports will enable us to analyze our logs better.
 
Planets
 
In Update 1.4, we aim to reintroduce two planets, each with exciting new features and locations:
 
Sicari: Retaining its original feel but visually enhanced with more interesting elements and a new location.
 
Sinnen: Completely reworked from the ground up and placed in a new location.
 
Following player feedback, we are experimenting with closer positioning for the new planets. Stay tuned for upcoming images showcasing these planets in the coming weeks.
 
Additionally, Update 1.4 will introduce three new Alien Core Units, enabling access to all types of plasma in the game.
 
LUA Changes
 
We are implementing several updates to the Lua system, which may cause temporary disruptions but are essential for long-term improvements. Some changes include:
 
Update Lua version to 5.4.4 Slightly improve the syntax highlighting Fixed the boolean type to return 'true' or 'false' instead of 1 or 0. Seeking faster solutions for JSON encoding and decoding.  
We've taken the opportunity to introduce some minor changes to radar to help filter signals.
 
We will have more detailed information coming on the Lua changes soon.

 
Joystick Support
 
This feature has taken significantly more resources than we had anticipated, but it does look like we’ll have full joystick support in update 1.4.

 
Thanks for reading, Noveans. If you have any questions about the PVE Mission System, you can submit them to our upcoming PvE special episode of Ask Aphelia using this form and we’ll do our best to answer them.
 
The Novaquark Team

I did some test on Linux, for the short period of time I was able to play on it the FPS were better than on Windows 10 on the same PC.
Sadly if I want to continue the tests on Linux I will have to pay 1 month on steam.
 
I had some issue with EAC, but I think it could be resolved because it seems to be only a "communication" issue.

Hey Novaquark Team,
As an enthusiastic player of DU, I really have to tell you that you have a chance to turn things around and lead the game to the success road again. I've heard that you're planning new PvE content, and I'm begging you to not have it take place in instances, but rather in the open game world!
From a game design perspective, there are several reasons why it makes little sense to put certain content into instances, especially in a game like DU, which focuses on an open game world:
 
Artificial separation of player experiences: Instances can create an artificial separation of player experiences by interrupting the smooth transition between different aspects of the game. This can lead to the game feeling less coherent and less engaging, as players feel like they are switching between isolated, disconnected areas rather than playing in a cohesive world.
Loss of emergence and unpredictability: One of the main advantages of an open game world is the ability to experience emergent and unpredictable events that arise from the interplay of various game mechanics and player interactions. Instances can limit this emergence and unpredictability by creating controlled, closed environments that provide less room for spontaneous encounters and interactions.
Reduced social interaction: In an open world, social interactions and shared player experiences are an important aspect of the game. Instances can restrict these social elements by separating players into isolated areas where they may have fewer opportunities to meet and interact with other players.
Restricted dynamics of the game world: Instances can limit the dynamics of the game world by isolating events and challenges within confined areas. This minimizes the impact of these events on the entire game world and on players who do not participate in the instance. An open world, on the other hand, allows the effects of events and challenges to spread throughout the game, creating a more dynamic and vibrant game world.
Repetition and monotony: Instances can cause the game to become monotonous and repetitive, as they often rely on pre-built scenarios and predetermined sequences. In an open world, however, players have the opportunity to constantly discover new and diverse experiences resulting from the interplay of game mechanics and interactions with other players.
 
Overall, embedding content into instances in a game like Dual Universe, which focuses on an open game world and shared player experiences, can hinder the player experience and lead to the game being less engaging, dynamic, and interesting.

This could truly be a turning point for Dual Universe. The decision whether to turn things around and make the game successful or remain stuck in your current thought patterns could make all the difference. If you don't opt for an open-world solution, challenging times for Dual Universe may lie ahead. You have the opportunity to create a lively and successful gaming environment that keeps players engaged in the long run.

Surlick-Zek
 

Your 1.4 joke update is not funny at all. It's just looks stupid, and is a waste of time.

The only point to playing is to throw money at NQ so they can spend it elsewhere 🤷‍♂️  Not exactly the most honest way to run a studio, but I guess that's how they approach PR in general. 
 
As for their other project, here's what their CEO posted a few hours ago:
 

 
NQ's higher ups don't view DU the same as players.
 
To them, it's still a stroke of genius and all about "breaking boundaries" and innovation. This is how web3/crypto people think, though -- they don't care about use case or implementation or game design or anything else that exists in the real world. These sorts can't distinguish between "innovative" and "good" -- novelty isn't always intelligent. 
 
This general lack of humility is why NQ's next venture will turn out no different than their previous one. They still don't understand why game design matters more than tech or innovation...and it's shocking to me that they'd actually work on another game with this mindset, having learned nothing from the last 8 years of failure. 
 
If all you can see is how great you are, you'll never learn from past mistakes -- and NQ has shown over and over that they don't learn from past mistakes. 

Thanks, Leniver. For me as a rookie this is very helpful.
One of my two favourite adresses to go to if I need ideas or help what colors and materials to choose.
I especially like how you present every honeycomb as a plain surface AND as a ball - since so mayn of them look and behave differently in different light and movement.
 

The speed changes were another nail in the coffin of DU for me. There is no rationale to having mass-speed relationship, neither in physics nor in the game's lore or appreciable need. It could have all been handled with mass/acceleration - the "old school" way. More mass - less acceleration, less mass - more acceleration. Sure you couldn't outrun anything that's already heading in a direction at max speed, but as soon as you turned you'd gain lots of distance away from a heavy weight pursuer.

In a way, the clipped element debacle was the nerf way to go around something that could have been solved with buffs. Devs could have added more OP high-tier engines to satiate the need for speed, at the appropriate (high) cost, instead of messing with everyone's constructs even if they don't PvP. The turn rates also go nerfed for PvP reasons but affected 100% of people. This is all the examples of the wrong direction the devs took, and lets be really honest here - the only reason fast PvP ships were needed was to chase down the multi-mission haulers who weren't interested in PvP and rob them blind.