le_souriceau

My overall feel, that beyond all initial buzz about super-tech this and that, millions of players, they actualy encountered immensly more tech trouble, then expected initialy. Painful process to make things reasonably work in multiplayer enviroment (still dodgy and not finished yet), eaten up almost all dev time, leaving other aspects (actual quality disign of gameplay systems/assets) in completly miserable state. They hastly throwned something together just to not be completly empty-handed. Now NQ acting on huge (if surmountable ever) "gameplay" debt. This also I guess principal reason for global lack of transperancy and wiggling around. They can't just say, yes, were failing to make game technicaly work as advertised for years and spend all time on this.

Its not that drammatic, obviously. Still, one can clearly notice preferential treatment -- or at least -- preferential communication (thing that sometimes even more important, when we all starved on this front) here and there. Its happening for long time. Bit more help and noticebly faster, minor inside or hint wispered -- about incoming features or NQ internal workings. Individualy its not much (and even can be explained by context), but piles on and eventualy there is big difference what "golden boy" and "noname player" can expect on average in similiar situation, being it trouble or just curiousity how development is going. And I'm not talking rumors, some things I'm seen by my own beady eyes or even benefited in inderect way. I guess is natural in bad way, because empoyees only humans (and humans are usualy end up with some favorites, personal and collective ones), but still, from standpoint of égalité is quite shitty. Standards can be higher, especialy considering how its important in managing fair (PvP!) sandbox. Latest development indeed BIG (this time) step in wrong direction.

Deckard somewhat not said full truth in this statement, also. Because Elias issue was obviously super prioritized, up to involving not only GM, but actual developers. Not something "per usual" ticket can expect in several hours from support that always "overhelmed".

You expect wrong. NQ tried to recover code for Elias in first hours (4-5 h from accident) by their admin technical means. But failed to do so (getting only usless corrupted version -- because some unuasal symbols in code). Actual, only working version was returned by pirates. Anyway, while I was initialy fully on Elias side in this accident emotionaly, took it to heart and tried to help (even thinking about some crowdfunding for ransom and other shennegians), but it seems level of cover NQ (and all sidekicks) ready to provide in "special cases" beyond all expectations and makes all such worries irrelevant, even hilarious retrospectivly. Muck, they even worked on week end for this. This "vanishing" of constuct is disturbing. If they dare to ban someone of pirates after this, I will not take it easy.

You twisting here. He said in development, not in public. It was in development 6-7 years. JC himself: "So, I got a first prototype working back in 2014, and Novaquark was born soon after." In older interview he even says about prototype in 2013. I remember when they pitched in KS, they said game in development for 2 years or so too. In terms of public access they planned it much faster (but NQ failed do so), here from 2016 article: "An alpha version demonstrating the unique single hard cluster (CSSC) and planetary engine with a preliminary set of gameplay features is planned to become available at the beginning of 2017." So, factual base generaly proves point of many people here about development timeline.

As far I know and talked with Elias, it was his intent from start -- to make it open source.

Usualy its same scenario here, some "instantly super-friendly" mucker appears, eager to talk and help (usualy quite superficial, low effort way, pretending be noob or stupid, to not waste too much energy) and joins some obsure micro org with naive leadership. Dudes in such low tier orgs are always so starved on rectuits, that accept anyone and kiss him in ass all the way (giving all rights to show how they love him), asking zero of questions to themeselves why guy even here, what is his agenda... Almost same story everytime. I personaly not fan of eve-style shit in games (too softhearted myself to see such drama and horrors), but... honestly its often punishment (if cruel) for lack of social skills from victims. Most of scammers are not super smart/talented people (some are plain stupid) and giving endless signals for attentive observer about their crap.

Ironicly, I think, some of most rabid WKs who were "endlessly enjoying the game and planned do so for next eternity" silently... quit themeselves. I guess even seen couple in Discord of that other game. So its now relativly calm time to put good ol "critical feedback". Sure, some weak ones still skulk around, but mere annoyance, nothing our troll brotherhood can't handle.

Wipe will make some sense, if they approch it with serious (if not total overhaul) of economy/balance/zoning, etc for release. Considering, that 9 of 10 (or more) people generaly not liked game in current state/direction (left totaly or just not playing for months), it will be not that bad of gamble, even if with some sad losses. As being said in many instances, it can't be worse already. Will NQ have balls/capacity to make such drammatic changes? I doubt it. More likely slow torment of not working/cringly half-measures (like 0.23) awaits us.

Yes, NQ has a great difficulty with understanding gamers behaivors in sandbox. Totaly mind boggling. We broken like trillion lances over years WHY.

* sigh * You must be relativly new, if not given up yet on "disign suggestions to NQ". Let me tell you secret: its useless. Still. Problem here is much deeper then just industry, because, realisticly, other activities are quite "passive" too, just a bit different way. Most things are slow, predictable, mostly without any risk (beyond boredom) or imagination, even if they need human participation -- quite automatic by their nature, not adding anything of value too loops and dynamics. So this stale enviroment indeed produced situation, where 7/24 playing people (also boosted by NQ stupid mistakes and all sorts of exploits) are sitting now on billions and mega-factories (producing everything with bands of 5/5 alts, pissing fountains on JC ideas of specialization). This was even more futhered to mockery levels with 0.23 and famous schemgate. Economy of DU lagerly at this point, pardon my french, FUBAR.

It was totaly BS excuse from begining, considering they bragged on KS: Our team is an experienced team of industry veterans from Sony, Apple, Ubisoft and several other French game companies. So, as we say here in my country: either take off your cross or put on underwear.

Welcome to reality, where whole NQ industry/resource disign is unsustainable bonkers. For additional pleasure I recommend rewatch JC video where he had delirium tremens about specialization and screw factories (iphone production at backyard). Aged well, like good wine.

@XKentX, important detail: SC side (author of this short story), as I know, also not made any "official complains" via ticket. Partly I published this exactly as sort of "rhetorical question" in air, beign overall neutral, but bit trolly party in whole affair. Technicaly, NQ likely just even not knew about accident. Returning to starboxes and baserules. As I mentioned in first post, I have my doubts how far this system of "be good or else" rules can go before becoming unsustainable. Thing is, while you have your Eve experience to bring into matter, I have my Minecraft one. Long ago I was deeply involved in managing quite large ru pirate "server group" (several servers united in one project), with pretty serious infrastucture and up to 300-400 concurent players at zenith. Most of them were children, obviously or individuals kinda leaving this status, but not exactly responsable adults. And we run set of rules relativly close to what SB devs trying to do (like they stolen our old textbook!), with punisheble griefing, stealing, scams, traps, lures and other "distruptive" behaivor. Why? Because without such rules (even if not super-well enforced) whole situation repeatedly disintegrated to total clustermuck with kids both gladly contibuting to chaos and suffering from it, hating it, crying (literaly) and quitting (and server loosing players and money). In short, with liberty they were able to produce only self-destruction. Its all not that simple. So, I guess, SB devs somewhat running this way, suspecting their players base will behave like fast and furious 12-13 olds playing Minecraft, not some smartass 40 yo Eve players with middle age crisis. Are they right? Hate this stupid quote, but time will show. But I guess they somewhat downgrade strictness of rules to keep them sustainably enforced. So it will be less cringly and more realistic.

We tried...

I have some concerns over how "soft" it will be too (and where is limits before its bad). But realisticly. Sure, 1% of Eve vets are ultra-horny on whole concept of stealing shit by infiltration (personaly I think sometimes -- unhealthy so, but its long topic), but for 99% of players (even in DU with much more Eve-like vibes and ghosts) its berely any... value to have such thing possibile beyond fear or something like that? So for younger and more causal auditory of SB it will be even less relevant. In PvP zone its still FFA full loot. So, its not that drammatic overall. As relativly soft hearted person I kinda can live happly whithout stealing from kids in games in SZ by pretending that I'm their friend.

DU is not vaporware, obviously. But, sadly, with every passing week (and people taking "breaks" or quiting), it feels less and less salvagable. Population dynamics is utterly unforgiving for MMOs, especialy with one shard idea. Well known competitor likely outpace ever slugginsh NQ with Release vs PvP update (may), making things even worse and comparisons even more mocking.

Schems, to be fair, only drammaticly accelerated collapse of whole thing. If you imagine for a moment that 0.23 never happened, does it (honestly) makes game anymore fundamentaly fun? No. People just be getting exausted and quiting slower and with less bitterness. Because beyond stuff NQ stolen from us (by locking away with ransom) with 0.23, there is still no good content generating mechanics. Game is pretty sterile (in some aspects -- blatant tech demo) beyond building.

Our latest BIG artricle on Utopia. https://mmopress.wixsite.com/newmeroviachronicle/post/utopia-be-sure-to-wear-flowers-in-your-hair

Btw, people people (who not in terminal stage of DU-induced gangrene) may try to find attempt of salvation here: https://mmopress.wixsite.com/newmeroviachronicle/post/utopia-be-sure-to-wear-flowers-in-your-hair (shameless advert)

But its kinda... natural? : ) Beyond some periods of experimentation/old and new coexistance (caused by changes in tech or in societal order with some lag), even IRL military ideas constantly gravitate to some "meta" (2-3 or one). Only critical difference, that IRL meta most often checked by some circumstance (material base primarly), so diversity generated by not by love of different things, but compromises... per example, every medieval warrior likely was quite informed what is best armor or horse available, just was most often not able to afford them. In games is harder to limit players with material base, because even if meta is hard to achieve, they will grind anyway.

Honestly I think marketing team (or who invented this very questionable thing) was just in dire need of Q1 report to show some activity to JC, so they lets do some... poll just for sake of poll. Why not? Because if this poll is actual attempt to answer mystery "why people leaving game and not invite their friends", then its very sad.

I sometimes envy NQ twitter man how such low-effort work still getting him monthly paycheck.

After some lazy period behind, we done bit of come back lately with new inveriew. About legendary ghost-lag -inducing-ECM ship! (and state of DU development). https://mmopress.wixsite.com/newmeroviachronicle/post/icari-boo