Demonneo

Greetings people,
 
As alpha is approaching fast we would like to announce the first player organized Mass tests, called BOOM!
For all alpha backers out there we in BOO would like to do those tests with as many people as possible. As this is an MMO with a strong focus on player interaction we want to help NQ in testing their server tech.
It’s perfectly fine if you test the game for yourself or with friends but doing the same things in huge groups has to be tested thoroughly too - so watch this thread (follow it!) or discord for the announcements of the next BOOM!
 
tl:dr facts:
- player organized mass tests
- narrated and guided by BOO staff
- two tests on the same day (8pm GMT+2 and GMT-6) for EU and US timezone
- NQ will monitor these tests for further evaluation
- weekly tests of different areas of DU
- g-drive storage for bug-reports and easy access for NQ
 
What YOU need to do:
- join https://discord.gg/CYNYpT9 (BOOs relay discord) 
- go to https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzJofzdOkjNAU0RuMkYtVWE4QkU
  and RTFM
- download the spreadsheet and enter your details (ingame name, system, drivers)
- watch out for the announcement and join the voice channel in the BOO discord
- hopefully understand english
- if you hear “CHECK CHECK” - STFU
- do what you are told to do
- have fun!
 
We plan on doing those tests on a weekly basis, depending on the server-uptime and our RL. As the adults we all are you should easily be able to understand the rules of these tests and how to deal with the spreadsheet.

If you want to help organizing stuff for these tests (building ships in advance, scripting, building bases to test in,...) feel free to contact a staff member of BOO.
If you have any questions, issues or just want to improve stuff - please reach out to us.
 
We will upload a document before each test where we will outline the basic testing scenario. Feel free to reach out to us via discord or in that document (you can edit it!) with your ideas! Each of these documents will be in the respective folder on the drive to let you guys know in advance what to prepare for the tests and what we will do.
 
The first BOOM will include:
- movement
- gathering people in a spot
- jumping/crouching/running/whatever with different distances to each other
- (hopefully) a little surprise for you all
 
*NOTE* The spreadsheet might be subject to change, as we want to make the reports as convenient as possible for NQ for further evaluation
See you in alpha
 
The first mass test will be announced here and on discord - most likely one week after official alpha release of DU
 
Note: As things change in such a phase of a game, things like the discord, gdrive and other stuff might and possibly will change too. In order for everyone to be on the safe side (NDA) and because of the ever changing nature of a pre-alpha and alpha, I'm in contact with NQ since the beginning.

Hi everyone, 
 
On one hand, it's true that some words may have been indeed confusing in the press release from last week. 
On the other hand, seeing some community/press websites not just stating the facts but starting to make assumptions without attempting to contact the studio (to check or ask for clarification) causes unnecessary troubles. It doesn't seem to be of any concern for the said websites but this is how the world works nowadays and we have to deal with it.
 
Update 14/08/2017 6.30 pm (Paris hour):
A JeuxOnline representative just contacted us to have some clarification about the unclear statement in the Press Release so the confusion should be cleared up soon.
 
So to be clear:
We still plan to give to Gold Founder backers (and above) and the ATV group access to our most recent stable version of the game (which will be - of course - still work in progress and far from being feature complete) at the end of September 2017. 
 
We apologize for the confusion that this Press Release may have generated among the community.
 
P.S: the delivery date on the Kickstarter page has never changed (and can't be changed once a Kickstarter campaign is finished). December 2018 has always referred to the Official Release and the physical reward delivery. It has never referred to the Alpha release.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

The alpha and the upcoming gameplay videos of it  

Much of which will come from players trying to get access 

I checked the user name list ... there is no one named excited.

The alpha and the upcoming gameplay videos of it  

Howdy hi ho, fellow architects of this fine world! Since scripting will be a big part of the game and not everyone grew up indulging themselves in various programming languages, I thought I'd link this little LUA tutorial here that I stumbled upon while improving my own LUA skills. 
 
 

I can't wait to do Videos/Streams xD

... Wait, is there even an official statement about this? (I will open a new topic)

And i will be patiently awaiting for the upcoming videos/streams from you guys! 

Hi ZipSnipe and Kirtis, 
welcome on the official Dual Universe forum!
 
- It's true the introduction post was a bit brutal. It's understandable as many developers released games promised a lot and didn't met the expectations of the players, and now every game projects having any significant ambition is welcome with caution, suspicion and/or disbelief. And that's okay. We don't ask to be believed just with words. We force no one to support us before having seen the game. We understand your decision. We have no problem with that.
 
- It's also true vylqun's answer was a bit brutal as well. It's understandable as we had many aggressive introduction in the past from people who think to know what Dual Universe is about and bash it, before even inform themselves on the game. So those who took the time to inform themselves have sometimes to a hard time to answer kindly to this kind of introduction post.
 
- Regarding the role of the veteran community members (and especially the members of the ATV group):
True, we are happy to get feedback from the active members, but we are also happy if they welcome the new members and help them to integrate the community: "welcoming new comers and reply to their questions, even obvious ones without being rude" is one of the factor on which the ATV members can be selected as mentioned there. 
 
Now to answer the main question of the topic:
 
Games like Space Engineers or Empyrion were originally designed to be multiplayer for small groups of players, hosted on private/personal servers. Going this way has its pros and cons. Among the pros, there are some that made the popularity of these games like the physics applied to voxels where you can ram into a spaceship with another spaceship and breaking it in two parts moving independently. It's this kind of "waow" effect who made Space Engineers well known for example. The problem here is this kind of things is hardly compatible with massively multiplayer technology (if you want to avoid big lag problems), at least with the current level of technology across the world and the average internet bandwith of a player. 
 
In Dual Universe, this is the kind of topic that we decided to "sacrifice": where Space Engineers put physics applied on voxels at the top priority (and it makes sense if you aim for a multiplayer game with a few friends), we put the priority on the massively multiplayer environment, while physics come second. This is essential for a single-shard universe (where the whole community is gathered on one server cluster). If we can implement physics in some aspects without stressing too much the server where we are in a situation with hundreds or event thousands of players gathering at the same place, then we will probably implement it. However, physics applied to voxels, water physics and other type of realistic features that are "unfriendly" with massively multiplayer environment will most probably never implemented unless there is a technology breakthrough to handle that properly in a MMORPG. 
 
Large scale battles of Planetside 2 are also a great achievement, but they can't push much further as FPS real time mechanics can become a factor that limits the massively multiplayer environment. That's why we opted for a "lock and fire" mechanics in PvP combat similar to EvE Online, instead of FPS Mechanics a la Planetside 2. "lock and fire" mechanics enable us to refresh the position of players very far away less frequently without making it a gameplay issue = less data to transmit to all clients = more massively multiplayer friendly.
 
In the nutshell:
- We are favoring massively multiplayer environment (trying to avoid as much lag as possible) over physics.
- We are favoring massively mutliplayer environment by chosing massively multiplayer PvP mechanics optimized for it ("Lock & Fire").
 
So we are not trying to make a perfect game impossible to make.
We had to take tough design decisions to make the best game possible while keeping in mind the constraints to make it doable.
 
That doesn't mean either we promise there will never be any lag: so many factors come into play that there might be situations where you will have lag, depending on your computer configuration, your internet bandwith, the ping you have, etc... But we will do our best to minimize the lag whenever it's possible. That's one of our priorities.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

Okay, so for 1.1.4 I cut out all of the 2 member orgs in order to gain some performance. I know there are a lot of you that are no longer going to be on the map, but it was seriously laggy. Just go invite a friend or family member and you will be on the next map. (Please don't just make alts. It's not allowed and a great way to lose reputation or your org.)
It seems that all orgs with Ardour as legate have "mysteriously" vanished. Not gonna comment more on that, but here are the orgs I noticed missing: Unity League, Galactic Exchange, Coming soon, AEF Counter Intelligence Agency, The Bulwark Treaty.
Cartagena is still being a pain and tying a bunch of orgs down. (Organizations should be allowed to be free! This captivity is a crime! Join Soul Nebula to be free of Cartagena's bondage!)
Would be interested in seeing how the community is growing. If only @Anasasi would update his charts... (the updated community page probably messed up his gathering method though)
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.4 8-1-17
and image!

 
 

I was beginning to find it frustrating trying to hunt down little bits of information in videos in order to help people out so I thought that I would make a summary of the Dev Diaries.
 
December
Dev Team Territory Units Rendering/Lighting Beginning bot test server Ore Scanning  
January
Biomes Day/Night Cycle Smoother & Undo Tool Building Jetpack Engine Force Physics POV details Test server with 100s of bots  
February
Ship element redesign Some example ships Ghost Preview of elements Copy tool Started cockpit widgets (HTML/CSS) New Texture Baking Alpha moved to September  
March
Further cockpit widget work Atmospheric/Orbital Physics Improved Interpolation Detector & Logic Gates Interactive Component Demonstration (Laser Trap Puzzle)  
April
€650,000 milestone (construct vs. construct) Refined total flight Physics Ice Biome Crafting Basics Build Mode Detailed Information (w/ live element ghost updating)  
May
3rd Party Play-Testing Interplanetary Flight Work Stardust & Trajectory Monitor (Orange Sanic Rings) Artificial-Friction Generating Retro Engines Reentry Heating Effects 3D Planet map w/ hexagonal tiles Bookmarking Destination Tracking Pulser Unit & Pressure Plate Logic Component Redesign  
June
Alpha Information Building Brush Shapes Building on 2D plane Remote Ship Control Player Momentum Continuity 1000 bots & 100 constructs test server  
July
LUA scripting
Control Unit & Script Editor Window
Element Events & Functions
Screen Unit
Text & HTML/SVG
Imported Images
LUA programing
Emergency Control Unit Simple Damage Model & Repairing  

I would think that the Dev Diaries won't stop at Alpha. Even once the game releases, they are still going to be developing new content. 

The other day, I've been asked if there are uninhabitable planets. 
I responded we don't know yet, but the chances are quite low for something like that to appear. That's when I thought of some kind of permanent weather on life hostile planets, for example a corrosive or poisonous atmosphere or a planet with high radiation. Things that are simply always present in a planet's atmosphere might be feasible if a dynamic weather system is difficult to implement.

Hi everyone,
 
Please remain polite on the forum toward everyone, even if you are in conflict with some participant(s) in this thread.
As this topic starts to be recurrent, it seems there is a need to clarify publicly our stance regarding subReddit channels.
 
1) Please do not bash Reddit and Subreddit communities. 
 
Yes, there are drama, conflicts, rants and many other negative things that can be found on some subreddit channels, like on any platform. It’s the Internet. However there are also a lot of positive discussions and nice people on many channels. So please refrain to condemn redditors as the whole, without exception. Also, as mentioned before, Reddit is an efficient way of giving more visibility to Dual Universe. Not all Reddit readers are bad people (far from it) and it would be nice if we can show them that Dual Universe exists and might be a game they were waiting for.
 
2) Reddit insists to avoid having company staff in charge of the subreddit(s) talking about game(s) of the said company and we understand that. 
 
While it might seem as a poor excuse to get a non-qualified person in charge, but it's not: even if it's not the case of the majority, there are some companies that don't behave professionally when it comes to communication by silencing dissenting without exception. That’s sad to say but even it’s a minority of devs, some don’t act ethically when they get moderation rights. We are a few at Novaquark to have already witnessed that. Is the current subreddit management mode perfect? Probably not, as other abuses can be made, but we have to deal with it. For the same reason, we also understand that Novaquark has no right to put in charge any community member on a specific subreddit. The request must come from the community member alone.
 
3) In case of subreddit Moderator abuses.
 
The Reddit policy invites anyone targeted by an abusive moderation on a subreddit channel to contact directly the official Reddit staff (contact@reddit.com). You can tell us for informative purpose if you have been the target of an abusive ban by a subreddit moderator, but we won’t be able to help on that matter. To be more precise, here is an official (and understandable) stance of Reddit Staff:
 
4) The current situation between both subreddits talking about Dual Universe.
 
- On one side we have the oldest subreddit and the biggest number of followers, but with an erratic activity (nearly no activity during one year after its creation, then highly variable activity afterward) and not tightly connected to the existing Dual Universe Community.
- On the other side, we have a younger subreddit, created due to the inactivity of the first one, with less followers, but with a stronger activity and well connected with Dual Universe Community as it is managed by active members of the existing Dual Universe Community.

Both parties have reasons to claim their legitimacy. 
 
5) Which factor(s) we value as the most important to work with a subreddit channel.
 
Reddit seems to give more importance/legitimacy to the following factors:
- The seniority of a subreddit channel 
- The number of people who follow
 
While we respect their choice, we have however a different approach regarding the factors we value the most for a possible partnership, especially:
- The most regular / highest activity of a subreddit channel
- Regular members of the subreddit are already informed on all basic questions, being able to answer to newcomer questions without difficulties.
 
Why we chose these factors over those chosen by Reddit:
- We favor organic growth: in our opinion, a young but active subreddit is going to attract more naturally and efficiently new followers than an old but less active subreddit.
- Interesting discussions/debates can emerge on Reddit only if a large part of the readers are already well informed about the basic knowledge on the game.
 
In the case where the two subreddit channels talking about Dual Universe don’t merge peacefully, we see two scenarios:
 
a ) No subreddit merge but at least a gesture of goodwill from both sides to gather the whole group of Dual Universe fans on Reddit.
Considering the other subreddit channel as a “subreddit” sibling and inserting a link pointing towards it (which would mean that there is a link on /r/dualuniverse pointing to /r/dualthegame and another link on /r/dualthegame to /r/dualuniverse. Maybe even share the activities between both subreddits (like all basic questions would be posted on /r/dualuniverse and all the more complex discussions on /r/dualthegame. That’s just a suggestion based on how both subreddits have evolved until now and absolutely not an order). If such agreement is reached, there will be no problem to partner with both subreddits. However, it will be up to subreddit moderators to submit to Novaquark possible events they would like to do on their subreddit (not the other way around). Then we will discuss how much time we can allocate to such events.

b ) No subreddit merge and no agreement reached.
In that case, we will partner only with the subreddit that has the highest activity and connectivity with the community, for the reasons stated above.
 
As the moderator of /r/dualuniverse seems to be someone else than AidenAiden now, the new moderator will be contacted to inform him about our stance toward subreddit channels and we'll see what comes from the discussion. 
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.
 

Wow, all of the name changes!
There seems to be some kind of amalgamation between the Unity League, Galactic Exchange, "Coming Soon", and a few others (former TVR).
The Eldritch Nation (former TUAF) seems to have settled on their name, same with The Opean Federation after their merge with The Brotherhood.
Also a newcomer "??????" makes me suspect that Yamamushi is growing his cult.
THE United Political Rebels seem to have almost vanished.
And finally, Soul Nebula is at 24 members; yay us!
(I ran a few of these facts past @Kurock, so blame him if any of them are wrong )
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.3 7-20-17
image as always...

"
Argh! Zebra's got some pirate news from DU to deliver!
...fixing the hook...
 
...fitting the hat...
 
...waiting for the Parrot...
 
...searching for rum...
 
...no rum!
 
...spotting merchant galley...
 
...attacking for the booty...
 
Arrgh!
"

I'm not so sure it's an issue that really needs to be dealt with from NQ's perspective. If we want it to look nice, we should buy up the territories around the Arkship and preserve it.
 
 

"
Hello.
 
Outpost Zebra is still active, and spaces for adverts are still open. For the next batch, we have two more ad spaces free and we're currently taking requests. Despite the silence, there is no shortage of content: the brains behind the site needed to update and patch certain aspects of the sites for a smoother user experience - little bugs here and there. As a matter of fact, there is a new article up today - not by me, or Falstaf, or ATMLVE, but by BenFargo: a notable member of the Community that I'm very sure you have heard of at least once. 
 
Feel free to read and comment here. 
 
Cheers.
"

"
While I'll be taking a break from writing lore, I have decided to employ what tiny spare time I have left on something else. 
 
We've seen a lot of organisations spring up in the last few months and a lot of them are in need of a good logo, signature, banner and perhaps some text to give the organisation in question some solid footing. 
 
This is something I'll be doing personally: sans Aether, TRANCE, or Outpost Zebra. 
 
What does the Premium Content Pack contain? 
 
A tailored Photoshop logo for your organisation - mostly created from scratch. It will be unique and I assure you, you won't find it anywhere else on the internet.
 
A signature image. All the cool organisations have it (mine included), why not yours? 
 
A profile image (mostly a combination of the logo or something else within my power). Some organisation leaders love their organisations so much, they take it upon themselves to carry the face of the organisation everywhere. Besides, it is a perfect idea for an army of identical alts. 
 
A banner or an Ad artwork. A few organisations have websites of their own and we all know every organisation with a website has a banner that goes along with it. So, if you are in need of a 1024px or greater banner, that's included as well. 
 
Some background lore text. I love writing and I couldn't resist the temptation to include this in here. Granted: I will not be writing a book for your organisation. Rather, it is some text of your choosing and setting that gives your organisation a lot more life than a basic description and a picture. No great nation is without a history. 
 
 
You get five different items in a single pack and all of them are tailored to your demands. Sounds good, no? 
 
Talk to me via DM, or leave a request below and I'll get back to you. I have a busy schedule, but if there's the need to make time, I have my ways. 
 
Cheers. 
 
P.S. Kindly note that I am not competing with anyone to make logos. It's an idea I had a few weeks back but, lacked the right opportunity to make a solid offer. If you do make logos or work with Photoshop and you'd like us to work together, I'm more than open to collaboration. I've made logos for other organisations and most of the Aether artworks are products of my spare time and Photoshop skill. I'll be doing some more Photoshop works for the Aether and I think this a perfect opportunity to do more with less time.
 
 
"

EDIT: Maps by date:
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.1 6-25-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.2 7-7-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.3 7-20-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.4 8-1-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.5 8-19-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.6 9-16-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.7 9-27-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.8 10-2-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.9 10-21-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.10 11-11-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.2.1 12-04-17
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.2.2 02-24-18
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.2.3 04-18-18
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.2.4 06-05-18
(newer images found in the last pages of this board)
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone, this is Shockeray, GM of Soul Nebula.
 
After waiting for an updated version of the original community map to show itself on the forums for a long time, I finally took it on myself to create my own up-to-date version. After a lot of original set up, my method now requires little time and almost non-existent server strain, allowing me to refresh it many times a day if there ever was a reason to. Due to my limited knowledge of this type of undertaking, TheGreatSardini helped me with the start up. Unless I missed one, this map should contain every organization with at least two members.
(Although Graph Commons may not be the best available method of displaying this node map, it is the best that I have found available to the public.)
 
Shockeray's Dual Universe Community Map 1.1.1 6-25-17
 
And for those who can't load the page, I have attached a completely oversized screengrab below which will give you the general idea.

Hi Neolithic,   Most of your questions can find an answer if you read the FAQ and all explanations available on the Kickstarter page. While the Kickstarter campaign has ended almost everything regarding the Founder packs of the Kickstarter campaign remain true for the Post-Kickstarter Founder packs (minus exclusive Kickstarter rewards). So please, read everything there.    As for the "unusual" questions for the highest Tier - Packs:    - Can I start a family with a member of the Novaquark team?  Nope, you can't start a family with one or several members of the Novaquark team. That's not part of the deal.   - What does it really mean to spend a day or half day with JC and/or the team?  It means you can follow the daily life of the studio and discuss with Novaquark staff about Dual Universe for the time described in the pack. Nothing extraordinary here: it's a kind of reward that has already been seen several times in highest tiers of other crowdfunding campaign. Note: a full day is not 24h but a full working day.   - What if Novaquark staff is being attacked?  Anybody could be attacked. No one is safe. It takes courage from getting out of the bed every morning. It's part of life. If you want more details regarding the answer to life, the universe and everything, we suggest to meditate on the number 42 or try to find the supercomputer Deep Thought.    - What if Novaquark is hacked?  Same answer as for the question above.   - What if a DU Secret is exposed?  Those participating to a DU secret will be only aware of the secret they are involved in. Moreover, there will be a NDA on that topic. If someone want to blew up the DU secret he/she's involved in, he/she will be in for legal problems, without counting how he/she will be perceived by the community members, who will most likely not see this with a good eye. Not a very smart move and a very expensive joke, but that's just our opinion.   Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

My prediction what will actually happen.
 
Alpha This Fall
Beta More Near The Fall Of 2018
Release Spring / Summer 2019

Release: end of 2018
Beta: mid 2018
Alpha: September 2017