RightBigToe

Subscription pays for Server Maintenance, Customer Support, and Free Expansions. Small % goes to profit, as it does for all for-profit corporations. There are no "micro-transactions" in DU, however there are PLEX-esque (EVE Online) items you can buy and sell in-game that can be exchanged for 30 days of playing.

Yea I doubt that there will be much of an issue surviving. The purpose of the game is creation and interaction, not surviving the elements. I wouldnt be surprised if it is added in time post-release, but I cant imagine NQ adding something like weather or astronomical anomalies (which is taxing technologically) until they have a stable core gameplay and player base.

This is something that is likely a later kickstarter stretch goal or a +1/2 year post-release objective. Its not core gameplay and doesn't provide additional functionality, but is nice to have so they will likely add it eventually, just not anytime soon.

I doubt that NQ would render magma cores just for funs if we can't get to or see them.

In the Kickstarter comments, NQ partially addressed this: 1- Will there be real industrial automation? Similar to the game Farlight Explorers with conveyor belts, ore extraction machinery, robot arms, trains, etc... 1) About industrial automation: it should be technically possible with LUA script. From that comment alone, it seems the ability to automate industrial process such as mining is up to the skill of the scriptors and the availability of pre-defined elements with moving parts. To take it a step further, NQ has mentioned that interacting between ships outside the atmosphere and the surface will be limited by the ability of the pre-defined weapons/tools available. Considering that I do not think you can move planetary bodies with constructs (at least at this time), "plate mining" also seems unlikely for the near future.

The devs have mentioned in the dev blogs and elsewhere that territory borders will extend 1km from the planet skyward, and all the way to the center of the planet. In reality, you can only dig so deep into the planet (there is an unknown barrier). https://dualuniverse.gamepedia.com/Territory_Control

I think at this time, the elements such as engines are only directional and dont have intakes or exhausts so technically yes, ethically no

These tools are explicitly mentioned in the building dev blog (https://devblog.dualthegame.com/2016/02/20/builder-gameplay-voxel-tools-elements/#more-531)

Found out by recommended videos on youtube

NQ mentioned that multiple-biomes per planet is a possibility post-release, but I am not sure they have investigated anything with reaching lava within the planet. You should ask in the KS comments for the AMA.

Great job!

Dunbal, not sure if you have played EVE recently, but they modified the bounty system where you only collect the portion of a bounty relative to the cost of the ship destroyed. Obviously that is not really a viable option in Dual Universe where the players are designing and building the ships, but it is possible that a relative cost to the amount of voxels/elements present could be used to give a portion of the kill to the bounty hunter (albeit I am not really sure what counts as "killing" a ship in DU)

In effect, these are all things that will be/become possible. NQ has stated before the ability to create mechs specifically as a result of additional elements provided post-release (see Mesh Elements https://dualuniverse.gamepedia.com/Builder_Guide),but I am certain that with some creativity you can turn movable components, elements, and scripts into just about anything. To clarify there is no "DLC" for Dual Universe, there will only be free regular expansions (similar to EVE Online, large updates with the addition/modification of features)

NQ said in a Kickstarter comment that there will be a bounty system: Novaquark Creator 6 days ago@Alex Hobbs: Yes, we are planning a bounty system, to prevent or at least discourage free playerkilling, especially on novice players. And there will Safe, large Non-PvP areas in addition, if you don't want to be bothered by PvP.

Well, I am using the Spaceship Building Demo as my frame of reference, but I do understand your point and will wait to see what alpha brings. (https://youtu.be/2zfnAtb6MZQ?t=9m5s)

I dont think anyone is proposing a 2 minute flight through atmosphere or a realistic depth to the atmosphere, but in the gameplay demos the devs have passed through the atmosphere in less than 5 seconds which, to me, completely removes any sort of barrier between the surface of the planet and outer space. Somewhere in the 10-30 second range would, to me, provide for a more genuine experience and provide a border between space and surface.

The diameter of the Earth is around 12,500km. I think what they are saying above is that the ~1-200km planet that is in the tech demos does not have remotely interesting atmospheric thickness and the height of surface features extends beyond the bounds of the atmosphere, and can provide a highly unrealistic experience for some users who would prefer to see a more realistic absolute depth to the atmosphere (as in, not relative to the size of the planet, but similar to that of Earth). From what I've read, Alioth is supposed to be in the 1-200km range, but other planets will be larger and smaller (not sure about whether the atmospheric depth will be at release... someone ask on KS?)

They did mention in the dev blog that it can be underground, and it definitely does not have to be at the center. In fact they said you can centralize several (assuming adjacent territories) TCUs at one location.

I understand your confusion. Unfortunately it is not clear how these mechanics will work at this time and will be fleshed out through alpha, but my understanding is that the exception will be the ability to enter territories that you are not allowed to, as other combat would be impossible. As opposed to the rule that if you dont have the right to perform an activity (such as mining) you are simply disallowed. Hopefully the interview by Dual Universe Explorers this weekend will answer this question.

I am not certain that you understand the scale of this universe. Even attempting to control the area directly surrounding the arkship is a ~60km (as in ~40 miles) circumference safe zone that would require an unreasonable amount of resources to even attempt control the ingress and exgress of this area, not to mention the ability of players to simply leave the planet from within the safe zone. That is not to mention that the starter planet itself will be approximately 200km wide, making the ability for anyone to really control even 70% of a planet requiring many tens of thousands of players working together, which if you follow EVE news, never lasts for very long. I am not sure what assertions you are attempting to make by saying dont let the players control the economy (as is done in EVE) or dont have hierarchical skill progress (which +- a month of training in EVE doesnt stop anyone from getting involved in any aspect of the game). I don't see any inherently wrong issues with allowing for vast control of the economy to be placed onto the players, especially as NQ has no interest in any meaningful amount of NPC-interaction. Furthermore, players would be unlikely to "suffer heavy losses" from a lack of skills as NQ has already mentioned construct v construct combat will be first and foremost tactics-based (unknown in what way), and as in EVE, the use of small ships that new players can fly in combat will likely be pivotal in any conflict. Please let me know if I misunderstood

I think you missed my point where I mentioned that without the right to mine on your territory, it likely wont be physically possible.

Digging a hole to get to your enemies base is not considered abuse, and is even mentioned as a legitimate strategy by the devs in the dev blogs. As someone mentioned above however, if you own a territory (or have the correct rights to it) you can restrict the ability to other entities to mine or enter your territory. Being able to restrict the ability to mine should be able to resolve your primary concern of people tunneling under your base. What has not been mentioned yet is how entities (players/organizations) are actually restricted from entering a territory, is there a big digital wall surrounding your territory (Second Life), or are you tagged for trespassing in a way that makes you easily targettable by defenses, we simply dont know yet. Considering outside of the arkship's safe zone it is supposed to be a bit of a free-for-all PvP area, I cannot imagine that people would be physically blocked from entering a territory they are not permitted to enter. As you also mentioned, if you are mining yourself and accidentally leave a hole to your base in the landscape, that is your fault for not closing it off.

Based upon the details they have already provided about the Rights & Duties Management System, and also stating that they've only scratched the surface, I am relatively confident that we could find a way to use the assignment of tags with associated duties and warranties to provide some sort of guarantee. I compiled the details on the wiki if you have not read the devblog yet, but considering they've mentioned that tags can be given temporarily to allow someone to fly a ship, I assume the same can be said for riding in one. https://dualuniverse.gamepedia.com/Rights_%26_Duties_Management_System (Edit is underlined)

So many thoughts wrapped up into one post... I am going to try and address some of your major points from my opinion and general(ly poor) knowledge; I think the necessary tools for creating a transit company already exist. As you say, a player or organization could fly a shuttle between the arkship and one or several major cities or organization's capitols based on advertisement boards that have been placed by those organizations in the closest spot possible to the arkship. Furthermore you describe in my eyes the only systems really necessary, the ability to claim land, the ability to form organizations, and the ability to distribute rights (to land and organizations). Regarding a newspaper or equivalent, that is something I am actually hoping to take on, as in creating an organization that focuses on collecting, compiling, and distributing information (in-game news, interesting places/achievements, and mapping of the planet primarily). That said, as you seem to be aware, the primary source of revenue for such an endeavor is advertisement within the publication which could easily be on an out-of-game medium, while receiving payments for advertisements in-game. A sort of service like this does not seem to be something NQ would entertain for the sole reason that it is something players should be able to accomplish on their own using in-game and out-of-game resources. I imagine a combination of the in-game mail, mailing lists, and physical billboards being an easy enough way to distribute information of this sort. I would be shocked if a large billboard with script-able or importable images was not something available at launch. Let me know if anything I said was stupid

Any chance I could convince you to turn this into a page on the wiki? (or could I adapt this into one)