ATMLVE

"
A most wonderful day to you, Kurock. Thank you very much for your kind words and support. Positive feedback from the community means as much to the Aether's members as it does to me. I couldn't have done it alone though, my amazing team members and Aether family deserve a lot of the credit. It's easy and exciting to work with them-- it makes every glorious sunrise a day to look forward to. 
 
Thank you, once again.
"
 
 
"
A splendid day to you, Drakor. Thank you for your support, we appreciate it a lot. We wish you the best in Dual Universe as well and we look forward to seeing more of you here on the Forums and eventually in the game. Our deepest thanks.
"

hello i am creeper, i am going to be giving some news each week. for example: newest videos, twiter posts, hot topics in the forums, growth and stats of the comunity, etc. i am kinda new and i dont know if this is the correct place to post this topic(or if there is a place) so if theres another place tell me in the comments
 
weekly growth of top 4 orgs(since 9/12/16)
 
this week stats in every org went up(obiously) this is a summary
Terran Union went from 85 to 113 in 6 days! passing frogswarm and being number two! total growth=28
frogswarm didnt grow much, since 12/9/16 they had 94 members total growth=0
BOO (Band of Outlaws) went from 105 to 116, they are still number one org growth=9
finally SLI (Silver Light Industries) went from 65 to 76 and is still growing growth=11
 
 
twitter
 
there were some interviews with JC (including a DUE interview) and a quick video showing how do pets work
 
kickstarter
 
actually the kickstarter has 316 000+ euros their goal is 500 000 remaining days= 26
 
well that was everything i could get hope youu have enjoyed, if you have a recomendacion for a topic, where i can place this, or something more you can suggest it in the comments i am creeper and this was weekly news with creepa

Hey man you can do whatever you want! If you want to keep posting news every week, go for it. I think here is fine. Thanks for taking the time to assemble all of this for the forums!

Hi ChipPatton and welcome to our forum.   There has been indeed a few people on the Kickstarter saying DAC was a "Pay to Win" feature. We also replied to why it wasn't and why we went for this feature.  We also agreed that it probably wasn't a perfect model, but it was the best we found until now.    This was our official reply:    
The DAC/PLEX/CREDD system isn't at fault there. The problem is elsewhere because without this system, the problem remains: it's just hidden. And it's not because something is hidden that it doesn't exist.   The people we got in contact with (probably your officers) turn a complete blind eye on our point of view. They didn't try to understand our position or even suggest an alternative. It's always easy to blame or criticize something without trying to come with a better option.   In this situation, how could the discussion go anywhere? Threatening to cancel the pledges (and doing so) won't change the situation either if there no dialog and just threats. We want to listen to feedbacks from all people interested in our game and take them into account, but without constructive feedback helping to find a good compromise for both sides, it's not possible. Also, while we want to satisfy as much players as possible, We are also aware that we can't satisfy everybody.    In any case, we remain open to discussion if you have more to say on this topic.   Best regards, Nyzaltar.

On-screen inside of ships, for personal use, would be awesome. That goes along with the server browser suggestion. As for advertisements, I fear people would use them less for advertising in-game stuff, and more for playing annoying videos, or promoting their channel.   I mean common... This is the internet we're talking about.

There have been some topics around this area, particularly with building ships, but I feel that the this is a concept valid for the entire game. In a huge civilization-building, player-interactions-driven game, I feel that having people skilled in just certain areas will eventually lead to a more enjoyable experience for players. And this is something that many people may disagree with upon first hearing it, but find in the long run that they think it works really well. Or maybe they'll hate it! I want to share my opinion on it though, and I ask that those reading, who may think it's stupid, give it a chance. Also remember that there are two sides to this, neither are correct, and both are valid. It's just opinion based.
 
If anyone is familiar with the game series LittleBigPlanet, the first and second iterations for the PS3 played a huge role in a season of my life. They were the main games I played for months, and I had a friend who was into it as I was. Anyway if you don't know the game, it's not important. Basically, you use some basic tools to make little minigame-ish things (I'll refer to them as levels).
 
Anyway, in the first game, there were a few levels and creators that stood out significantly from all the rest, because they were fantastic (anyone that knows the name "Lockstitch" off the top of their head is a freaking awesome person). Me and my friend, we knew exactly what tools were available, and what you could and "couldn't" do. But some few levels stood out to us because, as people who knew the game inside and out, we had no clue how they some of these things were accomplished. A fair few levels were outstanding and amazing due to their mechanics and visuals.
 
When LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived, there were tons and tons of new tools added. These were fun and great to be sure, but they made everything that made the old levels special, not special. Because, all of the fantastic things that had been done before (in the first game) were now basic and easy because there were tools to do them (in the second game). This made a lot of great content a lot more common. Which of course was a good thing. And there were certainly levels that still pushed the boundaries. But overall, by making cool and unique things easy, it made great content a lot more common and thereby a lot less special.
 
If Dual Universe makes building easy, and mining easy, and combat easy, and exploration easy... Well, then there are going to be lots of amazing ships, and lots of miners, and lots of warriors and lots of explorers. You may say, "that sounds great!" But, remember my exceedingly dramatic and emotional story. When you make it easy, it stops being special.
 
In a game like Dual Universe, where player interactions and jobs and organizations are such a key factor, it shouldn't be easy to do anything. It shouldn't be easy to switch from a being an efficient miner working for a large corporation to a stupendous explorer finding rare resources on hostile worlds at the edge of the known galaxy. Sure, you can switch job titles and do whatever you want whenever you want, because it's a game! I'm just saying you shouldn't be able to switch from being outstanding at one thing, to suddenly outstanding at another. This allows individuals the opportunity to stand out, and be known for something. "Hey he's that guy that makes that line of super efficient yet powerful ships. I don't know how he comes up with that stuff." "What, you want to send Xx_M8_SLAYR_xX to go hunting for that anomaly? He's an architect, someone else will find it way sooner!" If someone wants to be known for something, then they go for that something and only that and they end up being great at it, and known for it. Lots of people will choose to not do this, which allows the few that do to stand out.
 
I can't really say much else that I haven't said already. I believe I've gotten my point across. Regarding designing ships or stations, it's easier to see how an individual could be better at it than most others. Mining or exploration expertise could be accomplished, not just by having better equipment or skills, but also by there being hidden techniques that people just have to learn by doing it. Thank you for reading and please try and be civil in your response, as, once again, both opinions are valid!
 
 
When everyone's special, no one is...
And if you're good at something, never do it for free!

Tie the item loss upon death with the distance of the player's "dead" avatar to the nearest Resurrection Node.


You die near a Resurrection Node? Very small chance of dropping an item, or possibly none. This will negate spawn camping. This also makes carrier ships carrying Resurrection Nodes a thing, as you don't want your fighter pilots losing their equipment in a battle. Ergo, the distance determined as "near", should be in the collective clusters of a star system.


You die very very far from a Resurrection Node? High chance of losing all your items. Will make even small, single-seater couriers careful, as even they will lose items they carry on their person upon death.


The boundaries should be the nearest possible distance to a Resurrection Node and the Maximum Distance the equation takes into account. Everything between, is a statistical adaptation between those boundaries.

The equation, may look something like this :


( iV / MIV ) x ( R / MR )


iV = item Volume.
MIV = Maximum Inventory Volume.
R = Distance from Resurrection Node
MR = Maximum Distance (Point of 100% chance of losing an item at its full chance to drop)

The formula above, tells us a few things. The bigger the item, the higher the chance of it being lost, BUT, the closer you are to the Resurrection Node, the smaller the inherit chance of losing said item.


Example :

DISCLAIMER :

(Numbers are speculatory and kept round for simplicity's sake, if you can't understand the nature of an example, please, feel free to look it up in the dictionary. If you can't understand how percentages are derived, please, feel free to go back to first grade.)

Item Volume = 25 Volume Units.
Maximum Inventory Volume = 50 Volume Units (size of your personal inventory)
R = 10,000 Km from the Resurrection Node.
MR = 100,000 Km from the Resurrection Node.


Given the formula of ( iV / MIV ) x [ ( R / MR ) + 100% ], we get :


(25 / 50 ) x [ ( 10,000 / 100,000)

(50%) x ( 1/10) = 5% chance to lose the item.


That item was taking half your inventory's volume size, but given you died really close to the Resurrection Node, that chance went WAY down. It's still, a 5% chance, but let's see what happens for all those other items you carried on you.



Let's say a Kadpack (or Nanopack or magic satchel of material compression from the Lore ) has 1 Volume unit as a size, but it also contains a metric heckton of materials in it. You may be thinking "so.... is it gonna be rarer to drop than the Untamed Blade was to drop in Vanilla World of Warcraft?"

No, not really. KadPacks can follow the same ruleset, although, we add a modifier of their maximum capacity material-wise in the formula, as well as take into account the material in question (e.g. Gold is twice as dense as iron ,hence, gold may have twice the drop chance of iron).


 Item Drop Ratio Formula adapted for KadPacks 


[ ( iV / MIV  ) ( ( MC / MMC ) + 100% ) MQF ] x [ ( R / MR ) + 100% ]

MQF = Material Qualifty Factor ( for the sake of the example, assume Atomic Number as a factor).
MMC = Maximum Material Capacity
MC = Material Capacity
iV = item Volume.
MIV = Maximum Inventory Volume.
R = Distance from Resurrection Node
MR = Maximum Distance (Point of 100% chance of losing an item at its full chance to drop)


Let's say that for some reason, you elected to be an intergalactic moisture farmer, ready to sell your spiffy hydrogen to the Intergalactic Bureaucracy (the faction formerly known as Prince-- I mean Cinderfal Syndicate).

You are on your merry way, being stacked to the brim with so many hydrogen-full KadPacks to constitute as your very own star if one of them lit up.


Suddenly, a Honey Badger appears ( he's probably a BOO zealot ). 


Your hydrogen is on the line and you wage how much you much of it you may lose when the Honey Badger gets to you. With the aforementioned formula and my ceaseless quest in drinking more - thinking less, we may got the answer.


You know your distance from the tntegalactic bureaucracy's trading hub ( the place known as Emberstone, until some german started a barbecue on the streets and the place got its actual, more concise name, Baconstone). The distance, it's 30,000 Km. KadPacks are 1 Volume unit worth, but they are full of hydrogen. The formula, is something like this :


[ ( iV / MIV) ( ( MC / MMC ) + 100% ) MQF ] x [ ( R / MR ) + 100% ]

[ ( 1 / 50 ) ( ( 10,000,000 / 10,000,000 ) + 100% ) 1 ] x [ ( 30,000 / 100,000 ) + 100%) ]

[ ( 1 / 50 ) ( 200% ) 1 ) x ( 130% ) = 5.2 % of losing a KadPack worth of that sweet sweet Hydrogen.


Don't worry though, you got a lot of of them after all. If the material was something actually rare like Rhenium, the aforementioned result would be.



[ ( 2% ) ( 100% + 100% ) 75 ) x ( 130% ) = 400%


That's exactly how screwed you are if you were to transfer Rhenium on your own. You are guaranteed to lose the KadPack with the Rhenium voxels in it and make Cybrex the most rich kid in all of Babylon.



Tactical Advice : If a Honey Badger zealot stops you on your merry way to Baconstone, you may wager paying a toll to them. Pirates are lazy and will rather be collecting the easy cash rather than chase you, kill you, salvage your wreck and then sell them. Ain't nobody got time for spreadsheets, especially Honey Badgers. Unless you are a moisture farmer and are selling Hydrogen to mermaids. At that point you should DEFINITELY say something rude to the pirates. Trust me, it will work fiiiiiine. Say something like "fite me bro 1v1 irl".






This way, the mentality of Risk/Reward is maintained. You wanna play safe and trade within your faction's borders? You are free to do so, but people won't pay you more for such jobs. You want to be a spiffy smuggler, trading between factions, having to take long journeys in deep space that are dangerous? You get paid more, as you run the risk of being intercepted and losing all your assets on your ship and person.



P.S. : I will be expecting the hate-mail from mad carebears at the Dual Universe Discord channel, where you can flame me in alt accounts all you want.

 

I'm not sure you're getting my point. I understand all too well how much of a challenge it is to build big functional stuff. This is exactly why I think it should be kept a challenge, so that as a game it is fun for those few who have the time, patience, and skill to work on these projects and thus it is uncommon to see seriously good work.
 
I'm replying merely to state what I already have, and to again tell you that this area is opinion based, but both opinions are valid from a certain standpoint.

You mention that the building process in survival Space Engineers is painstaking, but that's the point. It shouldn't take you 45 minutes in an editor to have a battleship constructed. The point in Space Engineers is that it takes a long time to lay out and weld together a spaceship... The thing is though that that aspect, in my opinion, is perfect for that game. Having to piece together and weld your ship is great for Space Engineers, but in Dual Universe things are made of voxels, not blocks, and the welding/industrial/construction environment doesn't fit it. So I do agree 3D modeling software of some kind would be a decent addition for designing blueprints only, but to a point.
 
I personally wouldn't want it to get too easy to design a ship or building. If it's too simple, than just about anyone can have an easy time designing a ship, making the industry not difficult to be a part of, and therefore not diverse. If it is time consuming and somewhat difficult to produce a good ship, than that will allow certain individuals to stand out as being good ship designers. In Space Engineers, lots of people don't finish ships simply because they don't have the time to. This allows those who do take the time to finish a good looking and/or functional ship to stand out. With 3D modeling software, yes there would be a lot more good content, which would certainly be great; but as a game it's supposed to be fun, not efficient, and as such I think it's better from a certain standpoint to limit the abilities of individuals so that others can stand out and have fun with it.
 
 
This, I definitely agree with. 3D modeling software is great if you're trying to make a pneumatic press for your company. But when you're trying to enjoy a fun game, efficiency is not the purpose. And if taking the time to design a large ship in first person piece by piece is too much work for you, then the system is working exactly as it should.

Fixed

"
Thank you very much, ATMLVE. The success and joy of the Aether family is all I can hope and work for. Responses like this are encouraging, uplifting and let me know that I'm doing things right. I promise to do more to mature this Family and keep us together.
 
This means a lot, thank you, once again.
"

Glad to see we're growing in numbers! Gotta say Aetherios, you're awesome. You put a lot of work and effort into this family, and it shows. Thank you for all that you do! You make your members feel important, and that's something lots of organizations will not or cannot do.

Hello everyone !
I'm a french men and i'm 21 y.o, my real name is Remy and in-game this is Neosphaler. 
I lived in Nice and w8 for the alpha of this game a lot.

Actual games : Crusader King II, Star Citizen, Starbound, RimWorld, CS:GO, The Guild II (Hard to stop this game T.T) and Ark. 

Games i wait : Dual Universe ofc, Star Citizen, FM2017, The guild III. (FF15 a bit... But i'm scared of the result)

I actually want to enter the community and i'm thinking about the organisation i would like to enter or create (I don't think, i saw a lot of beautiful thread about organizations and i'm impressed) ! 

I don't really know what i'm going to play but for sure i want to be a part of a pacific and scientific organisation with some politics ambitions ! (Like found a city and extend it etc...)

Hi everyone! 

Considering todays post about BOO and the numbers of players in the top ten Orgs, 
I have decided to post my charts on here as well as Twitter. 

I forgot to place my name on them and now have, but figured seeing as it is fit, I would post them directly here as well, it's just been a little supervising side project of mine to see how the orgs and forums handled in posts, members, etc when the kickstarter came around as well as me just having a general interest in the numbers. 

So, I update the charts daily - with member orgs who have fallen off the top ten staying on there for up to seven days just in case they come back to the top.

Anyway, without rambling on too much longer. 
Have my charts. 
But stop asking for access, please, you won't get it, I'm just trying to provide consolidated data in a point for my own and others interest. 
 

 
The iframe isn't working currently, though I will post updates daily with images till I work it out, it may just be incompatible, I'm unsure.

Live chart can be found here
 
Edit**: Fixed some colouring issues.

This would certainly add another reason why high quality materials would be even more desired; they last longer. However I feel that components breaking down mid flight, mid battle, or mid anything, just when you're enjoying yourself, would get pretty irritating and annoying. Perhaps if the penalty for letting something break down wasn't very detrimental, but still something worth fixing, it would be less annoying and yet still present.
 
As for ship voxels getting damaged, I really don't know as we don't yet know how the damage system will work in the game. But if there was some way to detect the integrity of all parts of your ship, to forewarn you if anything was wearing down, then I don't think it would be so bad. Just so long as it takes a while.

There have been some topics around this area, particularly with building ships, but I feel that the this is a concept valid for the entire game. In a huge civilization-building, player-interactions-driven game, I feel that having people skilled in just certain areas will eventually lead to a more enjoyable experience for players. And this is something that many people may disagree with upon first hearing it, but find in the long run that they think it works really well. Or maybe they'll hate it! I want to share my opinion on it though, and I ask that those reading, who may think it's stupid, give it a chance. Also remember that there are two sides to this, neither are correct, and both are valid. It's just opinion based.
 
If anyone is familiar with the game series LittleBigPlanet, the first and second iterations for the PS3 played a huge role in a season of my life. They were the main games I played for months, and I had a friend who was into it as I was. Anyway if you don't know the game, it's not important. Basically, you use some basic tools to make little minigame-ish things (I'll refer to them as levels).
 
Anyway, in the first game, there were a few levels and creators that stood out significantly from all the rest, because they were fantastic (anyone that knows the name "Lockstitch" off the top of their head is a freaking awesome person). Me and my friend, we knew exactly what tools were available, and what you could and "couldn't" do. But some few levels stood out to us because, as people who knew the game inside and out, we had no clue how they some of these things were accomplished. A fair few levels were outstanding and amazing due to their mechanics and visuals.
 
When LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived, there were tons and tons of new tools added. These were fun and great to be sure, but they made everything that made the old levels special, not special. Because, all of the fantastic things that had been done before (in the first game) were now basic and easy because there were tools to do them (in the second game). This made a lot of great content a lot more common. Which of course was a good thing. And there were certainly levels that still pushed the boundaries. But overall, by making cool and unique things easy, it made great content a lot more common and thereby a lot less special.
 
If Dual Universe makes building easy, and mining easy, and combat easy, and exploration easy... Well, then there are going to be lots of amazing ships, and lots of miners, and lots of warriors and lots of explorers. You may say, "that sounds great!" But, remember my exceedingly dramatic and emotional story. When you make it easy, it stops being special.
 
In a game like Dual Universe, where player interactions and jobs and organizations are such a key factor, it shouldn't be easy to do anything. It shouldn't be easy to switch from a being an efficient miner working for a large corporation to a stupendous explorer finding rare resources on hostile worlds at the edge of the known galaxy. Sure, you can switch job titles and do whatever you want whenever you want, because it's a game! I'm just saying you shouldn't be able to switch from being outstanding at one thing, to suddenly outstanding at another. This allows individuals the opportunity to stand out, and be known for something. "Hey he's that guy that makes that line of super efficient yet powerful ships. I don't know how he comes up with that stuff." "What, you want to send Xx_M8_SLAYR_xX to go hunting for that anomaly? He's an architect, someone else will find it way sooner!" If someone wants to be known for something, then they go for that something and only that and they end up being great at it, and known for it. Lots of people will choose to not do this, which allows the few that do to stand out.
 
I can't really say much else that I haven't said already. I believe I've gotten my point across. Regarding designing ships or stations, it's easier to see how an individual could be better at it than most others. Mining or exploration expertise could be accomplished, not just by having better equipment or skills, but also by there being hidden techniques that people just have to learn by doing it. Thank you for reading and please try and be civil in your response, as, once again, both opinions are valid!
 
 
When everyone's special, no one is...
And if you're good at something, never do it for free!

There have been some topics around this area, particularly with building ships, but I feel that the this is a concept valid for the entire game. In a huge civilization-building, player-interactions-driven game, I feel that having people skilled in just certain areas will eventually lead to a more enjoyable experience for players. And this is something that many people may disagree with upon first hearing it, but find in the long run that they think it works really well. Or maybe they'll hate it! I want to share my opinion on it though, and I ask that those reading, who may think it's stupid, give it a chance. Also remember that there are two sides to this, neither are correct, and both are valid. It's just opinion based.
 
If anyone is familiar with the game series LittleBigPlanet, the first and second iterations for the PS3 played a huge role in a season of my life. They were the main games I played for months, and I had a friend who was into it as I was. Anyway if you don't know the game, it's not important. Basically, you use some basic tools to make little minigame-ish things (I'll refer to them as levels).
 
Anyway, in the first game, there were a few levels and creators that stood out significantly from all the rest, because they were fantastic (anyone that knows the name "Lockstitch" off the top of their head is a freaking awesome person). Me and my friend, we knew exactly what tools were available, and what you could and "couldn't" do. But some few levels stood out to us because, as people who knew the game inside and out, we had no clue how they some of these things were accomplished. A fair few levels were outstanding and amazing due to their mechanics and visuals.
 
When LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived, there were tons and tons of new tools added. These were fun and great to be sure, but they made everything that made the old levels special, not special. Because, all of the fantastic things that had been done before (in the first game) were now basic and easy because there were tools to do them (in the second game). This made a lot of great content a lot more common. Which of course was a good thing. And there were certainly levels that still pushed the boundaries. But overall, by making cool and unique things easy, it made great content a lot more common and thereby a lot less special.
 
If Dual Universe makes building easy, and mining easy, and combat easy, and exploration easy... Well, then there are going to be lots of amazing ships, and lots of miners, and lots of warriors and lots of explorers. You may say, "that sounds great!" But, remember my exceedingly dramatic and emotional story. When you make it easy, it stops being special.
 
In a game like Dual Universe, where player interactions and jobs and organizations are such a key factor, it shouldn't be easy to do anything. It shouldn't be easy to switch from a being an efficient miner working for a large corporation to a stupendous explorer finding rare resources on hostile worlds at the edge of the known galaxy. Sure, you can switch job titles and do whatever you want whenever you want, because it's a game! I'm just saying you shouldn't be able to switch from being outstanding at one thing, to suddenly outstanding at another. This allows individuals the opportunity to stand out, and be known for something. "Hey he's that guy that makes that line of super efficient yet powerful ships. I don't know how he comes up with that stuff." "What, you want to send Xx_M8_SLAYR_xX to go hunting for that anomaly? He's an architect, someone else will find it way sooner!" If someone wants to be known for something, then they go for that something and only that and they end up being great at it, and known for it. Lots of people will choose to not do this, which allows the few that do to stand out.
 
I can't really say much else that I haven't said already. I believe I've gotten my point across. Regarding designing ships or stations, it's easier to see how an individual could be better at it than most others. Mining or exploration expertise could be accomplished, not just by having better equipment or skills, but also by there being hidden techniques that people just have to learn by doing it. Thank you for reading and please try and be civil in your response, as, once again, both opinions are valid!
 
 
When everyone's special, no one is...
And if you're good at something, never do it for free!

I have been a proponent of the "harder is better" philosophy from the beginning.
 
I think that things in the game will be more rewarding if you have to work to get them. 
 
Wurm Online was 99% grind and it was still super rewarding after you built something massive, even if it took months to do it. I'm not saying DU should be grind, but it should at least be difficult.
 
Getting into space should be a rewarding feeling, like you managed some huge accomplishment. Going to another planet should feel the same way, putting a space station into orbit, etc. All of those grand things should require a massive amount of logistics to accomplish, and will then feel that much more rewarding. 
 
I also like the idea of having survival mechanics like food and weather/temperature. I know that food has generally not been a well received suggestion on the forums, but I still would like to have food/beverages in the game, at the very least for RP sake.
 
 
You and I can be in the "everything difficult" club because I feel like this suggestion won't be well received  

There have been some topics around this area, particularly with building ships, but I feel that the this is a concept valid for the entire game. In a huge civilization-building, player-interactions-driven game, I feel that having people skilled in just certain areas will eventually lead to a more enjoyable experience for players. And this is something that many people may disagree with upon first hearing it, but find in the long run that they think it works really well. Or maybe they'll hate it! I want to share my opinion on it though, and I ask that those reading, who may think it's stupid, give it a chance. Also remember that there are two sides to this, neither are correct, and both are valid. It's just opinion based.
 
If anyone is familiar with the game series LittleBigPlanet, the first and second iterations for the PS3 played a huge role in a season of my life. They were the main games I played for months, and I had a friend who was into it as I was. Anyway if you don't know the game, it's not important. Basically, you use some basic tools to make little minigame-ish things (I'll refer to them as levels).
 
Anyway, in the first game, there were a few levels and creators that stood out significantly from all the rest, because they were fantastic (anyone that knows the name "Lockstitch" off the top of their head is a freaking awesome person). Me and my friend, we knew exactly what tools were available, and what you could and "couldn't" do. But some few levels stood out to us because, as people who knew the game inside and out, we had no clue how they some of these things were accomplished. A fair few levels were outstanding and amazing due to their mechanics and visuals.
 
When LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived, there were tons and tons of new tools added. These were fun and great to be sure, but they made everything that made the old levels special, not special. Because, all of the fantastic things that had been done before (in the first game) were now basic and easy because there were tools to do them (in the second game). This made a lot of great content a lot more common. Which of course was a good thing. And there were certainly levels that still pushed the boundaries. But overall, by making cool and unique things easy, it made great content a lot more common and thereby a lot less special.
 
If Dual Universe makes building easy, and mining easy, and combat easy, and exploration easy... Well, then there are going to be lots of amazing ships, and lots of miners, and lots of warriors and lots of explorers. You may say, "that sounds great!" But, remember my exceedingly dramatic and emotional story. When you make it easy, it stops being special.
 
In a game like Dual Universe, where player interactions and jobs and organizations are such a key factor, it shouldn't be easy to do anything. It shouldn't be easy to switch from a being an efficient miner working for a large corporation to a stupendous explorer finding rare resources on hostile worlds at the edge of the known galaxy. Sure, you can switch job titles and do whatever you want whenever you want, because it's a game! I'm just saying you shouldn't be able to switch from being outstanding at one thing, to suddenly outstanding at another. This allows individuals the opportunity to stand out, and be known for something. "Hey he's that guy that makes that line of super efficient yet powerful ships. I don't know how he comes up with that stuff." "What, you want to send Xx_M8_SLAYR_xX to go hunting for that anomaly? He's an architect, someone else will find it way sooner!" If someone wants to be known for something, then they go for that something and only that and they end up being great at it, and known for it. Lots of people will choose to not do this, which allows the few that do to stand out.
 
I can't really say much else that I haven't said already. I believe I've gotten my point across. Regarding designing ships or stations, it's easier to see how an individual could be better at it than most others. Mining or exploration expertise could be accomplished, not just by having better equipment or skills, but also by there being hidden techniques that people just have to learn by doing it. Thank you for reading and please try and be civil in your response, as, once again, both opinions are valid!
 
 
When everyone's special, no one is...
And if you're good at something, never do it for free!

There have been some topics around this area, particularly with building ships, but I feel that the this is a concept valid for the entire game. In a huge civilization-building, player-interactions-driven game, I feel that having people skilled in just certain areas will eventually lead to a more enjoyable experience for players. And this is something that many people may disagree with upon first hearing it, but find in the long run that they think it works really well. Or maybe they'll hate it! I want to share my opinion on it though, and I ask that those reading, who may think it's stupid, give it a chance. Also remember that there are two sides to this, neither are correct, and both are valid. It's just opinion based.
 
If anyone is familiar with the game series LittleBigPlanet, the first and second iterations for the PS3 played a huge role in a season of my life. They were the main games I played for months, and I had a friend who was into it as I was. Anyway if you don't know the game, it's not important. Basically, you use some basic tools to make little minigame-ish things (I'll refer to them as levels).
 
Anyway, in the first game, there were a few levels and creators that stood out significantly from all the rest, because they were fantastic (anyone that knows the name "Lockstitch" off the top of their head is a freaking awesome person). Me and my friend, we knew exactly what tools were available, and what you could and "couldn't" do. But some few levels stood out to us because, as people who knew the game inside and out, we had no clue how they some of these things were accomplished. A fair few levels were outstanding and amazing due to their mechanics and visuals.
 
When LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived, there were tons and tons of new tools added. These were fun and great to be sure, but they made everything that made the old levels special, not special. Because, all of the fantastic things that had been done before (in the first game) were now basic and easy because there were tools to do them (in the second game). This made a lot of great content a lot more common. Which of course was a good thing. And there were certainly levels that still pushed the boundaries. But overall, by making cool and unique things easy, it made great content a lot more common and thereby a lot less special.
 
If Dual Universe makes building easy, and mining easy, and combat easy, and exploration easy... Well, then there are going to be lots of amazing ships, and lots of miners, and lots of warriors and lots of explorers. You may say, "that sounds great!" But, remember my exceedingly dramatic and emotional story. When you make it easy, it stops being special.
 
In a game like Dual Universe, where player interactions and jobs and organizations are such a key factor, it shouldn't be easy to do anything. It shouldn't be easy to switch from a being an efficient miner working for a large corporation to a stupendous explorer finding rare resources on hostile worlds at the edge of the known galaxy. Sure, you can switch job titles and do whatever you want whenever you want, because it's a game! I'm just saying you shouldn't be able to switch from being outstanding at one thing, to suddenly outstanding at another. This allows individuals the opportunity to stand out, and be known for something. "Hey he's that guy that makes that line of super efficient yet powerful ships. I don't know how he comes up with that stuff." "What, you want to send Xx_M8_SLAYR_xX to go hunting for that anomaly? He's an architect, someone else will find it way sooner!" If someone wants to be known for something, then they go for that something and only that and they end up being great at it, and known for it. Lots of people will choose to not do this, which allows the few that do to stand out.
 
I can't really say much else that I haven't said already. I believe I've gotten my point across. Regarding designing ships or stations, it's easier to see how an individual could be better at it than most others. Mining or exploration expertise could be accomplished, not just by having better equipment or skills, but also by there being hidden techniques that people just have to learn by doing it. Thank you for reading and please try and be civil in your response, as, once again, both opinions are valid!
 
 
When everyone's special, no one is...
And if you're good at something, never do it for free!

TL;DR Give enough depth that building excellent ships is hard, but building good enough ships is easy.
 
I'm here to advocate for a ship design system that is complex and deep enough that it requires a certain level of skill to get the most out of your designs. I don't know how the Dev team plans to work out ship statistics, so I'll lay off the specifics and focus on the general concept of what I think would make interesting gameplay.
 
Key Concept: Functionality should be easy, Excellence should be hard
 
It shouldn't be hard for your average player to figure out how to put together the necessary parts for a space ship or building. A couple basic components and you should be good to go (I know the Devs want it to be relatively hard to get into space at first. I absolutely support that, this is just a comment on the general complexity of building things, not the easy of acquiring resources). It should be easy to make something that flies, because a space game (which is how 90% of people will look at DU) is about flying a space ship. So building your first space ship should be relatively easy. But that first space ship you make by yourself should suck. Like really suck. It should be 1 step above barely functional, and achieving anything better than that should require a decent amount of knowledge and expertise.
 
Like with fitting ships in EVE Online, there should be a clear performance difference between the people who know what they're doing and the people who just throw on things that seem good. Then there should be another clear difference between the people who know the basics, and the real Fit-Masters. But with DU, there's also the possibility for complexity in the actual ship hulls, not just what you put in them. So when it comes to building ships, it should be complex enough that only real masters of the craft can design ships with the best speed, or most HP, or most damage, etc. Then those people should be able to sell those superior designs for more money on the market.
 
To use another EVE example, it never ceases to surprise me how many people don't know how to fit their ships properly, because the system is deep and complex enough that it takes a great deal of knowledge to fit the best possible ship. Most people are acceptable, many people are terrible; but after 7 years of playing I still see fits every now and then and say "wow... that guy has a really nice fit that I've never thought of".
 
Ship building in DU should be like that. Simple enough that anyone can get by, but deep enough that quality takes real skill. Then extend that complexity where possible to buildings and space stations, etc. But especially to space ships.
 
Thoughts?
 
 

This definitely needs to be a mechanic in the game. Some sort of assurance that when people make something they are guaranteed to be the sole author of that something, unless someone else replicates it from scratch. It will really drive people to put work and effort into making awesome things. That's definitely an important factor, I know I won't have much motivation to try hard on a ship if I think someone else is just going to steal it and take credit for it. That's why I can spend so much time making things for Space Engineers like I have, because I can put it up in my name and it is there permanently with me as the author.

Copyright eh?
 
With props to the OP (who poses the question - and it is a good one, so no flame intended, I'm just a sarky bastard...)
 
While Aetherios is indeed correct (show off  ), might I also posit the following:
 
"If someone buy's your ship and then uses that to make their own version, or steals your blueprint and does the same, and does either in such a way that is still within the ToS (no RL hacking for instance) and the RDMS, well yes - you probably are completely within your rights to prosecute that person for breach of copyright and or IP infringement.
 
Now - just point me towards your copyright lawyer, and the local Alioth court house and lawyer, and the underpinning legal framework you're working under and we'll get this sorted.
 
Oh - you mean that in this lawless godforsaken world, that guy I just shot in the face for coughing near me was your lawyer? Bummer..."
 
OK - serious face on again - stuff like copyright, ownership etc, IN GAME (and not as determined by a game mechanic designed to simply manage the assets of the game) is all Role Play.
 
Out of game / game mechanic  wise - while the RDMS will manage things as Aetherios states - that in itself creates the awesome counter-game mechanic (or playing opportunity) to develop a black market / knock off industry.
 
I personally think that if made right it would really add richness to the game. (Someone remind me to put these in the idea box):
 
a) You could have "uniques" - original creations by real players - the thing which serves as the template for the blueprints (which could then be mass produced). While mass produced versions may actually be the same or even superior in stats, the fact that a "unique" is by definition unique, creates essentially both a market for Art etc, but also drives a realistic system of people being recognised as master craftsmen.
 
"This baby? It's an ATMLVE original, not one of them cheap [insert ship company org name here] knock-offs. Gonna cost you triple."
 
You could have "masterpieces" - items which, in the process of original creation, are just "better" than anything even the AI's can reproduce. Again, adding to the value chain of craftsmen vs mass producing from blueprints.
 
c) Custom pieces and once off's - items (tagged in the RDMS as "no-blueprint" or the like) - unique pieces of art or equipment which can't be reproduced (or shouldn't be). This would include art, possibly food (nothing tastes quite right when made with a machine?), custom weapons and ships.
 
d) Knock-offs The game could have a reverse-engineering skill, allowing you to deconstruct an item and make a blue print out of it. Items thus produced would be tagged as "knock-offs" and will ALWAYS be inferior in quality and specifications. Of course - one could then improve upon a knock-off blueprint to make something even better than the original idea.
 
e) An inventor tag. This one I think is important. Rather than "locking" a design/item to the original creator (which is kinda a game mechanic for "intellectual property" which I'm still not sure I agree with in terms of it could limit RPG gameplay in that sense), make sure that EVERY item/ship/weapon/thing that gets invented/made has an Inventor tag. It becomes a part of our collective history - when we look back in two years and wonder where some ubiquitous item or design which just "works" comes from, that 50 organisations produce as a staple, we always know who to give the real kudos to.
 
Anyway - just some drive by thoughts per usual.

Lets say I make an awesome ship and I sell it on the market for a certain amount. What's to stop some guy from buying it, saving it as his own blueprint, then selling it and making tons more currency because he is able to get more attention drawn towards it? Also, whats to stop someone from just saving a ship or construct I'm working on as a blueprint?
 
I was thinking along the lines of constructs being owner specific, even if created from blueprints; so the first person to place a block for a construct permanently owns it and all copies of it. The only problem with that is, what if I take a piece of crap ship and make it 100 times better? Then I can't make a blueprint from it.
 
I was also thinking there could be an "ownership block", where whoever places it on a construct owns that construct permanently. But then that could simply be broken and replaced by someone else to call the ship theirs.

It seems to me like he answered the question. Is there something else you're confused or concerned about that wasn't addressed?