RektDad

Great to see all this progress - nice improvements! 😍

Welcome to the team NQ-Nyota!😁

The discussion of a wipe has obviously caused mixed reactions among the DU community. I can't read the minds of devs, but I can assume that the teams at NQ wanted to get your thoughts/opinions on taking such a measure, and if I'm honest, I appreciate the fact that it was mentioned ahead of launch - additionally, NQ announced that they are reading/considering all of our questions and concerns... and I believe they are. For many of us, a lot of time has been put into making DU creations and content. NQ understands this, period. But let's not also forget the countless hours spent by the dev team making this opportunity possible. Sure, there are some speedbumps (and possibly setbacks) along the way, and that is to be expected in an alpha or beta product. As a software developer myself, I can certainly relate to the difficulty of making decisions/changes that ultimately benefit the users of it's product in the long run, although it is not always without the risk of upsetting some of its users (in Game development even more so). Game devs are real people too - and often work many hours (unpaid overtime included) with little to no praise for all of their dedication. Bugs: Bugs are always going to be commonplace in software projects - it is next to impossible to avoid them. A small change in one place may cause something to break in another place. Oftentimes these small bugs get overlooked, especially with a smaller development team. But these bugs are no doubt on a list somewhere to be fixed (based on priority of other items). It's easy to identify something that has not been fixed, especially when it affects your gameplay, but it is not always easy to fix it in software in a timely fashion. I'm confident NQ will remedy this in the future. Schematics/Skills: I think early on, NQ wanted players to have the opportunity to explore all avenues of the game without restriction. DU being their baby, I bet it was exciting for them to see what we would do with it. Inevitably, there comes a time when it makes sense to revisit this after realizing how it impacted other experiences in the game. Were schematics the right answer? Maybe not, but it did give those who wanted to specialize in industry a clear path to do so, albeit at a great expense. I know this is a just a game, but some type of hierarchy will need to be established in order for all of us to find our niche. Maybe this could be done by implementing a top-tier profession or trade skill (i.e. Industry / Builder / Pilot / Weaponsmith / Mining, etc) where you can invest a set pool of points to become a master of your trade, but also have limited access to other professions/trades... enabling you to dabble in them, but not become a master of everything. If, at a later time, I get bored being a master of one trade, I could decide to abandon it altogether and invest my time in another profession/trade. Wipe: With regards to a wipe, I understand why it is on the table. As an alpha/beta player, I also expected this would be a possibility despite the fact that some at NQ may have said it wouldn't happen early on. Should it have been mentioned that there would not be a wipe after alpha? Probably not. Especially considering how complex a project can get as time goes on, new tools/features are added, etc. Scope creep is also another factor that devs have to work with... and I can only imagine this game has seen its fair share of those. Some may decide that they won't play after a full wipe... that will be unfortunate for sure, especially considering this is a unique game with unique challenges - I'm looking forward to those challenges post wipe/launch. And, I'm certain that many of those who leave will be missed (some maybe not :P). Value: I can't remember the amount of money I paid for my account, but I definitely got way more enjoyment beyond the price I paid initially. Am I upset that I might lose all of the items I created if a full wipe happens? A little, but I'm also excited to start over with the vast amount of knowledge I've acquired up to this point. And, thank you NQ for all of your hard work on making a game that, for many, was long overdue in the industry. In conclusion: Apologies for the long response to this topic. Just wanted to voice my thoughts on what I'm sure is a difficult discussion for NQ. And, to say thank you to NQ for the opportunity to participate in the infancy of the game. I look forward to launch regardless of whether or not my initial creations follow me. I hope other players who consider leaving give it more thought before a final decision is made.

Love the graphics updates - nice work!