le_souriceau

NQ (JC) never actually promised there will be no wipe. Its a myth. It was "no wipe, if no critical need" blablabla. But people gone so rabid on self-hypnosis from fears to loose stuff, that they completly burned out this most important IF from their brains. And ignored obvious signs of that "critical need" all over the place. These players, with who I had fought for years, lied both to themeselves and fanaticly echochambered wrong idea to newcomers.

Well, in practical sense its being dead since 0.23 -- was absolutly clear its goner and will never recover. Majority of RMT guys I had info on "cashed out" shortly before/or just after 0.23, when someone hinted them (for several weeks in advance). Last ones exited on release, selling KS accs and some more interesting tehcnical stuff, lets say. Sure one can say its "bad people" (for a game), but they also are not stupid. -- some are very smart and analytical to earn money that way, no lyrics, just buisness. Rest after 0.23... its more a history of the body, then anything else.

I always felt, that, usuing this ship analogy, or submarine even, that NQ always little bit too practical-cynical and eager to use players as "ballast" of some kind for their buisness maneuvers. Per most well famous (but not only) example: I'm absolutly sure, they knew it will be wipe for a good part of the year before it happened. And by this intentionally allowing people to play (to keep some online) while their efforts were doomed. While its not per se scam, its not in good faith handling too, by far.

Well, its what some people seen in one way or another for years (with more evidence or less, relying on gut feeling, experience with game industry), some were better in formulating it, then others. All this discussions, about economy, wipes, population. At core it was about is NQ to be believed or not (obviously - not). Early whistleblowers, like Blaze, had it hard, with more conformistic players attacking them. Now its pretty clear to almost everyone, but some super die-hard fanatics.

Yeah, its honestly root of "personal beef" with whole story, that it happened years ago, but NQ continued to like put make up on dead body, so to say : ) And some people too stubborn to admit it.

Its certainly replace DU in priority and resource distribution. DU may tho have some time to wither naturally in parallel, on minimal life support. Not like game devs, especially KS sort, do something like this first time.

I think its 50% servers (NQ money on them), 50% they not understanding their demography. We talked over years many times about this. Its pretty much still social game with almost zero social tools. And community page just meme example, its 1000 more low dev effort things NQ never even considered.

This tho creates new assumptions, about how NQ resources used between DU and this "new project". Major point of concern.

Its impossible on other level. DU operates with very specific demography of older "space games loving" players, its simply very little of them in abosulute numbers in gaming world and DU alienated huge % already over years. Joke Steam numbers say how "interested" are everyone else. They are not. Free or not free.

Retrospectivly -- this unhealthy drift so to say is very noticeble in JCs interviews around game at start. He was super-eager, almost shinning to talk about some abstract things how everything is revolutionary and full o possibilities (usual meta-crypto-bs), but more it was time to produce actual game, more sour his face was becoming (in last videous, last one especially).

Its reverse course of events, where NQ made such PvP, creating sort of negative natural selection, where only, at best, 1% of PvP base (99% left in different levels of disdain) still "enjoying" what they have. Its totally same with economic diehard players, who will grind 24/7 no matter what, saying everything is fine, even if they last 10 players in game world. I think you quite overestimating power of this tiny chicken foot in 100 tonns NQ door.

Too many lies. Its FUBAR at this point. Only intrigue is to wait out what be final stroke of this drama -- I still waiting some "metaverse" ultra-cringe news, like now DU becomes google earth with own crypto and you can buy plot of land to build some voxel shit on it.

They can try to convert it in premium currency or make active subs into premium accounts. There is some options to fool people again. They can do again some sort of re-launch, even if this sounds pretty wierd now. Not pure wipe, but like "betrayal" reset, launching second server, so 1st one with old people just die "naturaly", without formally being deleted. There is some options too.

Yeah, I meant that its not new info (obviously), just wanted to emphasize, that DU future is now not about actually DU, but how it can be integrated in something else. I think what they can do realisticly (beyond all metablablabla) -- is to create some sort system from DU tech, allowing people to run their own servers or kinda rooms, boosted with access to dev tools of building terrain and other stuff, ability to add new assets of all sorts, etc. Likely even monetize content (with commision). So, overall, it can end up like Second Life on ultra-steroids. Tricky question tho is the same -- how to balance costs.

People quit mostly because there is very little (enjoyable) content in game beyond building for sake of building (and building in very niche way, its not MC).

At this point i like 95% sure, DU kept alive only to be "frankensteined" in some way or form into plan B with metaverse/3d blog/some other nonsense. So it will become something between demo and stepping stone for this new project. Also to save some initial, hardcore landmarkish population as bonus for new thing too. Most likely it was course since JC removal -- venture cap bought it out to recycle into something else, that will, actually, provide some ROI.

Its little bit trickier. Depends on who you ask. If you ask players who expected something even remotely on level of EVE, player-driven galactic opera so to say -- at this threshold game as dead as your egyptian mummy. If you ask someone who are mostly for "Landmark in Space" and comfortably enjoying their stuff on level of large Minecraft server (as you mentioned above) -- game for them is totally alive. And they are right, inside their framework. This why we have sometimes arguments and lots of passive-hostility in these talks. Because people speaking pretty much about different planes of existence.

Well, to be fair, no one seriously argued that people not doing them at all. Game on Steam, after all. And some old timers can never have enough alts. Discussions usually go gloomy on pop bleeding from bad retention. Like how many (in meanwhile) quit in this 2 weeks or decided to play less, etc. Because its about balance.

Yep, its likely only commercially viable solution right now in games with such type of ambition. Starbase (despite their own long list of bs and failure) was, I think, on relativly right track with this, hybriding p2p and own servers things. Probably if some top tier company with money and talent really go hard on such idead, it will work really good eventually. Overall its bit about balance between bulding and combat sides of game like that (and where cut corners). I still think DU drifted too much to "Landmark" from "EVE".

Current model (made by chain of development decisions) is unsustainable in terms of not retaining enough people to make sandbox element strong/juiced enough. Its not about ore that i can or can't mine. In short, you enjoy empty Minecraft server (and its ok, all diamonds yours). I want full one (it seems impossibility).

I value your attempt to counter-attack, so to say, but, as brits say, you kinda missed the plot here. Even in best of times I was mostly social, then anything else player, never grinded much or bothered with hoarding something. So, whole this usual deflectve-revealing narrative of "aha! you envious because of our stuff, lazy communist bastard!" being old since wipe talks. Its not my motivation at all. Keep it. My train of thought usually steams around fact, that people defend unsustainable things produced by NQ (bad for game long run), because it gives them bit of coping that their little isolated "success" (whatever it is, but usually something in game riches or comfortable state of affairs) is secure. Or even idea, that game on course of stable surivval. But I find it delusional in terms, that as long game in bad trajectory, nothing is trully safe even mid term. Believe me, I'll gladly be poorest person in WORKING DU as it was more or less intended initially. With pillars and lot of players, other cool stuff. But its not the case, obviously, with current state of game. NQ pretty much can do anything in half of year/ year from now because of all problems. With adequatly sad face and "not taken lightly" ritualistic phrasing.

Well its same story as with wipe (even with same people involved in talks). Usually its "old guard" people who have time and experience in game, who grabbed/grinded stuff and now sit on it, inventing 100 reasons why its never can be touched and all noobs absolutly dreaming to be in forever disadvantage and its good for them actually. Is kinda both obvious and understandable position (but nothing to do with game balance, just egoistic interest). Remember this argument, that on release noobs will love to start in "developed" world? Not fresh clean wiped one? This why old timers with trillions totally cannot be wiped. Hahahah. But these people eaten wipe, I guess eat next tasty thing from NQ too, when time comes.

And they likely know it from moment of KS, when they baited people with AvA to sqeeze last bits of funding. With, likely, idea, that its long time when they will be acountable for this trickery and they figure something out.

Its more bad joke of disign, this "scarcity" happening with just several hundred people playing pretty much (with 2-3 dozens no-lifers among them). It means game not disigned even for thousands in terms of balance with current world generation.

Reason is ultra simple. Most resources gained via passive afk ownership, that cannot be contested any way. For MMO loop/balance its like madness.