le_souriceau

Something like that. I stuggle to formulate this in english (with my level of language), but I think JC kinda agressivly dreams to make "serious" game of some "scientific simulation of civilization" narrative, but in meanwhile arrogantly butchering actual "gaming", "fun" component of loops and systems, that makes games... games. So we constantly ending up with half-assed "simulator" that takes too long and give too little (for majority), then enjoyable mmo we promised initialy in pink glasses phase. Slow development just not helps in any case, only makes any problems more noticeble and painful. Yet I bit disagree on "conspiracy" of old big orgs or something. Probably at some point NQ little bit overflirted (so to say) with "landmark" part of community, but even this likely in past at this point of trajectory. Most large orgs totaly disfunctional or practicly disbanded (because of less and less members interested). So they fell victims as anyone else, solo or small group.

I think JC hates (almost) everyone then, if we follow your logic here. Because overhelming majority of so called "large orgs" are totaly FUBAR in current state of game. Problem much deeper, then solo-small-big org balancing, its about content severly lacking for many potential playstyles (independedly of grouping and its size). So, realisticly, does it even matter if you go to quitting from boredom/burnout alone or along with several friends or 100 other people. End result is same.

Speaking of promotion (beyond moral issues of this particular event). Simple fact: DU promoted on its "landmark-style" aspect for years now, every mucking day Twitter and FB have have: "Look at this another fancy crap built by another voxelmancer, DU is so amazing blablabla". For some reason its generaly only kind of post DU SMM guy (?) bother to master. Yet, its also safe to assume, this "promotion" not exactly working. Millions of players not storming our front door. Sure, here and there some nerd get exited over his own Death Star with blackjack and hookers, but majority of outside gamers (who can join us) I think want some actual (idealy -- comptetitive -- this is MMO) gameplay action.

Question of CMing torments me since Alpha and brought upon me even some troubles. As I understand it, its more of some twisted internal policy to "not waste time on peasants", then real lack of stuff or ability to provide forum/discord presence of CMs. Granted, as usual with NQ, thing is absolutly not transparent (we do know who doing what, fired, on vocation, kidnapped by aliens etc.) On paper we have 4 CMs. At least Naunet role initialy was stated exactly to work more directly with people, maybe something changed. At any case, considering how tiny is our community and volume of this forum, realisticly, 1 CM can easly cover almost every topic (even with some posting and participation) in 2 hours on average day, some days much less. Generaly, CMs now more in fire team mode on "legal issues" or something like that or some extreame verbal violence.

Blaze, I doubt this bring any result : ) This is like 100th time?

I bet in some new (false advert, as usual) trailer on words "player driven economy and markets" they use scripted footage of bots happly using market terminals and bot ships flying in mock skyscrapper city in unrealistic trejectories simulating some super-activity, that never happens. And totaly NOT these sickening junkyards of real in game markets.

Its simple, especialy with EVE as obvious reference point. In EVE chunk of people doing all kind of things for shits in giggles (because they can), but game have so much relevant venues of content (both PvP and PvE), that most players busy with meaningful goals and, in working on them, forming this emergent, interconnected gameplay. That, with some caveats, works for years. DU, currently, has so little content (for most players, but especialy PvP ones), that only things that remains -- this shits and giggles (in most primitive forms), cringy 30 k speed piracy and rare "organized jousting" to not die from boredom. So its somewhat tragicomical to put any responsability on Sylva with it here. OR, if we following this line of logic, with even more prejustice you can ask why all these emperors, presidents, ceos, and other useless muckers with presumably hundreds of peoples orgs not "improving quality of gameworld" or something. Totaly irresponsable, right? On side note I personaly not fan of "crashings" too and not find them anyway amusing. But generaly its much better to ask NQ why game still so little to offer on god knows which year of development.

We fantasised a lot during Alpha (and even before it) about things like this. Only problem, with NQ developing priorities it all sounds almost impossible (or so far in future, that currently irrelevant). Thing is, all this stuff is "meat on bones", nice thing to have, when base is working. NQ development still stuck on level of macro "bones" systems, and even there they suffering from some sort of chronic calcium defeciency.

We asked this ourselfs (mostly) and NQ endless times since Alpha. This whole forum in this regard feels like sort of "Groundhog Day" sort of insanity. @Kruzer formulated quite well: likely NQ so preoccupied with survival level issues, that this inconvinience (even if very irritating for players) shoved shomewhere deep into "can wait" list.

We can LARP some Fredericksburg here too next time. I will be with Stonewall.

For me it becoming progressivly worse (because markets obviously continue to accumulate constructs every week). On some of of my "popular" markets, my rig started noticebly choke, I even crushed recently because of lag.

They are. To extent, I think, all endless (in special cases -- hysterical) shit-talking produced by some aspiring PvPers during Alpha kinda convinced NQs itching hand to make larger SZ and overall go current rather clumsy worldbuiding, because they were scared about abuses fresh players may experience from such "dangerous" folk around. So, in way, local PvPers kinda have habit of shooting in their feet with some good buckshot rounds. And while NQ not intervened directly, internaly they likely* on side of eventers and this may even reinforce idea of private arenas intances and all this way around issue. Future of SZs is also open and related question. * because so far, empirically, NQ always try to cover butts of more casual/peaceful players.

To be honest... I spend years in MC, playing (considering population composition) to large extent with kids too... May be western ones behave better, but many eastern european ones I encountered were most merciless gaming criminals I ever seen, full of insatible lust for destruction for sake of destruction, greedy thieving and disturbingly sadistic tendencies. Local PvPers are christmas elves in comparison to brutality of this little villains. And yes, they don't give muck about boring games like DU.

This is question, that torments me for long time. Who will lead forces of light and order in our little space opera? Who is worthy of proverbial sword in stone? I think target audience so starved for some competent "lawful good" leadership, that dozens will flock to fight under banner of such champion, if he/she trully arisen in our midst. Yet, so far most pretenders not succeed and I won't even start on all buffoonery we sadly suffered from this corner.

Feeling bad for SW fans, but it was kinda... obviously expected? Such events never safe in open world PvP games (by my 20 years MMO experience -- some "crashing" is always happens). Only ways to make them more viable: combination of secrety, smart choosing of place, diplomacy, sometimes -- armed guards to fend-off random intruders. And even with all this something can go horribly wrong. Its just risky buisness (that demands plan B).

Totaly agree. It, by all bits and pieces we had, was initial idea -- just drop us on Alioth empty handed near Ark and let build everything from ground up. Clean world, new start, makes sense. Yet, for some reason, NQ made deeply wrong (as for me) bet on some sort of idea, that more "established" world bring them more success with new (and, likely, more mainstream) audience. So they crudly made it "established", while we obviously had all ability to make it so much more organic and interesting way. Its very badly lost opportunity.

I was thinking a bit about it and come to conclusion, that some people probably hate. Only hope for DU higher levels of societal organization is endless WAR. Reason is quite simple, if not obvious on surface. Every peacful (mostly economical) global interactivity will be overpowered by hardcore grinders and alt accounts working in small groups (as micro-clan or core of larger org). So, no matter how you roll skills, resources, industry or anything, as long its not includes physical conflict (projection competition) people will be fanaticly workarounding any system thrown against them, and totaly not willing to be "civilized", progenating same "isolated farmsteads" thing, that now rules DU. Do workarounds with war much more difficult: people can't replace 10 people ship crew all by themeselfs (if we exclude some very limited play on 2-3 computers). Probervial field of battle allows more or less "honest" degree of people/characters ratio and, to some extent, less importance of bruteforcing via solo/small group 24/7 playtime. Also in war you need alies, that will realisticly generate larger groups from smaller ones.

Their rented hardware ops are closely guarded secret, obviously, so no one of peasants knows for sure. Yet before (on border of Alpha and Beta) we experienced bit of dramatic rollercoaster of "life quality" going from pretty good situation to pending ops hell and then back and forth, so some sort of "scaling callibration" things were presumed (even ligthly confirmed) reason for this. As it comes, more negative people tend to suspect, that NQ sometimes going too far with attempts to squeeze us somewhere as cheap as possible, while positive dudes like "oh, its nothing, minor tech issues", and most positive smearing negative ones with shit for even 1 word of such vile heresy.

subscription-S- Time-based skills pretty much is alt milking, even if devs trying to make faces like its totaly not the case. From pure disign perspective of 2020s game trends (and audience) its more or less horrible choice for newcomer game as I see it. This age demand fresh ideas, dynamics, interactivity to capture people attention.

Try "Mongol Invasion" universal magic tool drives, they can drive you out of initial position quite far.

Its actualy not that simple. Like not all actors involved are per se NQ employees. It may not be widely known fact, but NQ outsouring quite a bit. First -- marketing (speaking of advertising strategy) -- with at least 3 different companies (HomeRun PR, MSM, WarningUp). Extent is unclear, but interestengly, press contacts on official website give only those outsourcers, no one from NQ proper. Second -- support. Last summer, before Beta, I believe, NQ actualy had opened position of some sort of support supervisor on welcometothejungle.com with task to control/coordinate all other (oursourced) GM/support stuff. So its also a bit question of company structure, compomises and priorities.

Recently I also experieced quite a return of pending ops (at least -- while doing little bit of mining on Alioth). This maybe some connected issues with servers.

I'm not saying building part is problem. Its more about that "visual" part, that was pretty successful on surface, likely influenced NQ perception, that everything is OK (people building stuff and happy, something will develop from this) -- at least hugely delaying alarm bells about need of actual mechanics. I think JC kinda "visual" guy -- in every trailer (since 2016) you see generaly same mockup skyscrapper city, scripted "activity" of avatars and ships, annoyingly same scenario again and again -- and I bet we see it in some future trailers too. So its all kinda clinked wrong way. Like contary rude example: If people from moment one of working game started build only ugly shit and rabidly rioting, that they need more actual mechanics, maybe, just maybe, we will be at better place (contentwise) now. Anyway, this kinda depths, in short -- we need more PvP.

Retrospectivly (observing this game since 2016) I think "building" part of game kinda served very bad service to NQ. In way it provided sense of false security -- people done all kind of fancy builds, NQ gladly promoted them in social media, so its established this sugary narrative and endless talks of "what players can build in our game, just look how its cool". But its very... decieving thing to rest upon, because as builds fancy (and creative), as they hollow (and useless) in way of actual dynamics and systems of gameplay. And they, to be honest, main "food" for minority (in terms of paying population such MMO needs). Majority need something else. Buildings =/= Civilization. Im meawhile its very telling (and very observable) how most (if not all) of "political" life of game, starting pretty vigorously in 2016 gradualy died out -- because despite all efforts social players not found anything to base their efforts. Game just lacked (and still largely lacking) any content for them. Even community page broken and abandoned for whole year.

My special speculation today: they busy with something so epicly butthurting (for us to discover), that this is now their main priority, even more important, then some lost cents, community page down for year or lots of other things. Next big news will be utterly shocking.