le_souriceau

Seems like they back to rectuitment to compensate stream of run-away people. 2 weeks ago it was DevOps Eng (oouch), now is Level Disign Scripter (?).. https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/companies/novaquark/jobs/level-design-scripter_montreal Overall it means (I think) Nick not closing shop yet (as some more drammatic people here suspect). Extent of painful road ahead and what changes game will experience quite unclear tho. P.S. Their own info on this site states they have 94 empoyees. So all this narrative about "small indie studio, that can't spare a man for anything" sounds a bit cringe.

You hilariously late (at least year or so) with your suggestions/feedback. Not like anyone cared about feedback before, but at it was more relevant to post/argue about. Currently its about 100% survival/MVP -- they at best do what they can, not what you want. Where you been all that time?

Likely at some point (or points, probably waves) NQ was sneakly scaled down, now it feels like Deckard with just several other people trying to do at least something in complete agony. Nothing is ever priority (what is?). Even introducing XL atmo -- pretty mundane task of qualified 3d and textures artists, probably 2 days worth of work, positioned like unsourmountable task in next eternity. Where is everyone I always whant to ask.

No offence, but all topics you making lately, Shaman, feel like sort of twisted, sophisticaled trolling : ) Its like "for kids", hilariously delayed/naive versions of old (and obviously fruitless) discussions whe had over years before, in more serious way, with more people (while they still can be bothered). But keep on. Its in macabre way entertaining : )

Sorry for the inconvinience.

Yeah, mostly. Deckard tried to engage on several occasions in little quasi AMA in Discord, relativly in depth (not seen for long time in DU).

I'm not sure how SB super-good comms will survive influx of people. So comparisons not exactly fair. Right now, gap is extreamly wide. In SB you can relativly often talk with devs, sometimes even studio head, asking questions/details/concept behind desicions on level that cannot be even dreamt here. From NQ you can mostly expect (somewhat unstable) CM attention only, who has actualy opposite mission of not saying anything to you ("we not ready to talk about it yet"), make cover, while actual devs/leadership remain almost invisible, unreachable, even anonymous. It always felt bad, arrogant, anti-player and... not honest (considering honey worded KS promises over "transperancy"). Granted, Deckard activities produced little bit of change on this front lately (I respect him for attempt against all odds), but still -- speaking honestly, too little, too late. There is HUGE negative inertia around, immense work/a lot of time needed to turn it around and return peoples trust. As start, we can at last know who is now creative director of game and he/she can actualy talk with us, tell what is going on and planned.

No, at least not a one that survived infancy. I believe there were some experiments close to no PvE, but they all ultimatly failed. Even more, facts prove contrary -- pretty weak games in terms of overall sucess and population, still limping around on dedicated fan bases, who stay & pay solely for PvE. Reason quite clear -- sub (and not only sub) games to large extent carried by more or less casual players, who usualy prefer focus on PvE content. Its like 1+1. Hardcore players can use PvE quite a lot too, even if see its like more technical beefing up grind. So NQ desicion was horribly wrong. All this "civilization building" BS story dissipated in air and majority of people discovered there is nothing to actualy do.

Sorry for intrusion, but something its I can't keep my fingers from reply. Time! Time is another key factor of almost imminent (as it seems) wipe. Because with release postponed 1 year (at least), it will mean proportionaly longer period of of this "economic cringe in limbo" -- something fresh "release" players will be super not happy to see. And they are only hope of DU for some revival, so I hope NQ will not surrender to vets crying about saving too much of assets and sacrifice them to give noobs best possible experience. I know, cynical, but this is how it is.

I think there are 3 keys here both for DU and SB and wider voxel-sandbox "genre" to be viable: 1) Reliably jumping beyond intitial "fun to experiment" stage and providing wide demography players with more or less engaging and sustainable "end-game" loops, obviously mostly of PvP manner; but some PvE not bad too. 2) Maintaining game reasonably playable on technical level at same time; especialy for combat. 3) Not focusing too much on "builders"; in short -- they convenient, but demographicly not deciding. This last part I see as gravest mistakes of NQ. If anything, such games need more destruction. Because other way around, most people leave anyway under any pretense (hello 0.23), because its fundamentaly boring after X hours.

Yes, most of us went through some sort of own romantic period with DU. It happened in multiple waves (do not forget -- its 6th year now from KS campaign). Then you realise its all like in "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Andersen.

Why you using CMs in plural? Only Naerais visiting us now and even she become progressivly more mean and punishing. Nyz always being somewhat of ghost, "busy with super-important background work" (no one can actualy formulate). Pann doing something with 4,5 CCs left, looks like and can't be bothered to talk with plebs too. French CM disssapeared somewhere in mists of time. So no reason for plural at all.

Yeah, its old and fundamentaly flawed thing, that can be escalated to absurd. Like you buy some food and its intolerably salty. And you like, muck, can they add little bit less salt? It means you need now to be some mucking Gordon Ramsay to have valid opinion on what can be done to make thing better? Or maybe open your own cafe to have right to judge food that is done shitty way? Do me a favour. No one seriously said they are experts. It is not takes 300 IQ or some professional background to spot, that videogame is deeply flawed. But granted, IT profesionals spotted that NQ doing bonkers much earlier. So it helps.

Most of them ironicly jumped train long ago, you likely never see them again. So whole trainwreck show now its mostly for few connoisseurs.

Why only pewpew? There is stuff beyond pure instance scale PvP dimension. Shipbuilding in SB objectivly much deeper and interesting from functionality/interactivity/immersion standpoint, promising capital ship mechanics with really large ships (end game for large groups). Industry planned to be again with focus on interacitivity/engineering challenge (conveyor belts with programmable robot arms etc). Some exploration/expedition elements (hostile enviroments). There will be obviously more healthy population (at least -- initialy), so politics and social/diplomacy things -- at least on level of average MMO with factions/clans wars. Granted, SB have lesser scale (ambition), then DU and quasi-one shard, there is still fun with voxels vs premade parts, but competition actualy more complex, then simplified pewpew against so called civilization building. With all this I still hestitant to super hyping SB, because its jumping from one rough Alpha to another bit less rough one, with own share of problems. There will be people dissapointed about SB too. But what is fore sure -- FrozenByte seems to be leagues ahead more responsable with what they doing and communicative with players.

Reason I think quite simple and nothing to do with "complex technology" or "studio size". JC lied for years about actual state of game, both from technical and disign standpoint (something that become painfully obviously from latest post-JC blogs). Generaly he gone into Beta with completly (saying in card game terminology) empty hands, bullshiting us about "no red flags". I kinda repeat myself on this, but can't stess enough how its answers most of problems around. In this situation, its obvious that they just can't do "honest" weekly updates without compeltly unmasking what kind of mess going on inside, with years long tech debt and no clear understanding of road ahaed. Actualy I think most of time they work not with things we expect (like actual new features), but trying to fix falling apart backend or something. So this why we can only have very rare and rather small updates about stuff they kinda less fearful to actually show. Its like you mucked up exam preparation and desperatly want to talk only about bits you somewhat know.

Yes, its useless. In short, it was made for different game disign concept, but before "Beta" release NQ completly lost any idea what they doing/want to do/suffered from knee jerk "change of plans", so Sanct ended up as cringe leftover.

Truth is, majority of people who planning to try/migrate or do whatever on 17th, are already not playing DU. Not much will actualy change. I, agree, realisticly, nothing can be done already in short run (momentum is severly lost, tech debt piled) -- only way is hard work on huge improvments for year or two, then game reset with full wipe, clean start for new wave of players (and surviving old). 2020 attempt to start game world, as for me, totaly compomised.

Its one of my greatest and longterm points of... can't find good word in english, let's say, severe disappointment over NQ. Posting of ideas on forum as common pleb is 99.999% just waste of time (Idea box section with thousands of posts is total mockery in context). Promised during KS "work with communinity" not happened. So far only real interaction possible with NQ: 1) Mass rioting. Idea here not to influence NQ high-level congnitive mechanisms, but just make them so uncomfortable, that they can't just wait out (like they GLADLY do with minor shit). Usualy its end up with shitty solutions, but at least something. Reaction on irritation. 2) Having accesss to "kings ear", well, at least to someone of some importance in NQ. If you worked your way there, being succusseful simp or just nice useful and diplomatic (like zipped you mouth to tell only good things) guy, you can start your influence game, lobbying your shit to extent that is possible inside NQ usual disfunctionality (so absolutly no results garanteed).

It feels like NQ now have even less collective incenitive to hurry somewhere, then before. Booted JC kinda took serious chunk of failure baggage with him, somwhat defusing situation (psychologically). New money from Quanta Nick secured paychecks. Release postponed comfortably to (at least) 2022, so there is no hot deadlines to bother with. Now they can actualy afford relativly lazy walk to MVP (this is not totaly bad thing, but... not good either). Yet, at this point, speaking toxicaly, I think it will be more cat & mouse game with Nick to survive on his goodwill (pleasing him with fancy paperwork and BS), then any sincere comitment to older "promises", especialy to initial backers. I see it like we beyond this point and pretty much betrayed.

DU not only tech demo in many aspects, but as it was confirmend with latest blogs (AKA "we still not sure what we are doing"), JC also lied about actual state of game for years. "No red flags about 21 release", do me a favour!

Here is my idea how it can be done realisticly with game mechanics sense: Obviously closer part of belt to established SZ base will be most contested/dangerous, but more patient miners can approch from much less popular angles. So it will be balanced in that sense. Weak part is time/maintenance dependant respawn, but if NQ able to do it wth more finesse automaticly (like respawn regions where not players present on live server) -- even better.

I agree -- its one of bigest weak spots of game. Building in DU is glorified (and 99% mechanicly useless) plastic molding. This why dispite heavly-promoted minority enjoying it as wannabe 3d model editor, majority, who want something more then cosmetics (gameplay sense), voted with their feet like "nope".

Don't want to sound salty/nothing personal (+ I kinda semi-retired for summer)... But. Thats almost intolerable to read how misguided some of you, guys, are. Whole idea of single-shard-player-driven-whatnot-game is literaly self defeated if you start to divide "pvp" and "pve" players for matters of "mental peace and conviniece", especialy -- economicly (something NQ methodicly doing for some time, and this is grave mistake). Because this degrades whole experience to pretty much isolated, instanced gameplay, where nothing beyond your own bubble affects you. Sure people can visit each other, show off their stuff, but thats it. You can do it in every not even true multiplayer, but just coop game. Moment players get enviroment with no risk or barriers to get stuff, they naturaly disperse for solo/small group play. Orgs just can't offer real benefits beyond being some loose "interest clubs" and die as meningful entities. Ofcourse, SZ must exist on level of "building museum" or "reserve storage base", space to learn how to fly in safety, fool around, socialize. Yet ast same time SZ must allow only minimal economic activity (idealy -- nothing beyond some basics that important for true noobs). New -- have your time. Come just for building decorative stuff in peace -- welcome. Want to be at least somewhat rich and impornant, produce stuff en-masse? Go and actualy risk your fat ass. Currently this fundamental princple that makes keystone sense for true player driven sandbox is absolutly broken, to level of mockery.