le_souriceau

But these arent even general texture or graphics upgrades. Madis still looks the same, so does Ion, so does lacobus, so does space. 
 
They shouldve done what the promised 6 months ago and totally revamped the planets. Instead we got some new tree and rock models. Woo. 

I WILL 

Every time I look on the ground now with this patch, I get severe fps drops... Typically it's the reverse in like... every other game.

"DU now has effectively turned itself from a promising civilization building MMO, into a quiet, enormous and extremely overpriced museum for sci-fi voxel creations."
 
Change my mind.

it again comes down to communication -- it'd be nice to know why nothing has been done in development in the last few months.
 
The new trees/rock assets were purchased from a third party, so really it's just jetpacks and org wallets, which seems like a couple weeks of work, not months. 
 
so...where has the rest of the time gone, exactly...?
 
have they invested the dev time into refactors and bug fixes so they can finally have a stable core that they can build on and maintain...? this is a 6+ year old codebase -- it isn't like code magically gets better as it gets older and bigger -- i'd 100% support spending the time to refactor and improve stability / maintainability...but honestly?
 
sounds like the devs are simply phoning it in. 
 
From their own NL:
"heating up...?" so why does this update read like it would be 2-3 weeks (at most) of work from any other studio...? Does NQ expect that updating their biomes from 1999 visuals to 2010 visuals will completely revitalize the game? 
 
TBH, i feel like NQ's devs mostly sit around and collect their checks.
 
Why should they be motivated to go the extra mile...? i've suspected bad dev morale for a long time and the high turnover, poor reviews around job sites, and complete lack of real progress supports that theory.
 
I expect management is too scared that devs will leave to crack the whip. Not like you can just plug a new dev into a 6-year-old codebase working with an engine no one in the industry uses.
 
sprinkle in work from home, crunch time, and less people needing to do more work and you have very unmotivated devs that always seem to find a valid engineering reason why things don't get done.
 
i don't blame devs for bad management, don't get me wrong -- slow dev is a symptom of a more fundamental issue...if NQ really want to release this year, 0.25 must be literally game-changing. 

Your addition "then NQ changed it (once or many times) and then the feedback transitioned to mostly positive?" really made me think for a while.
 
In retrospect, a lot of things were implemented to some extent but never got a revision. From any unnecessary features that crept into the feature list at the time and added no value to gameplay (yes, I'm looking at you Surrogate Pods) , were postponed indefinitely (yes, I am looking at you AvA), or made worse to make it more accessible
(Yes, this time looking at you thrust-to-mass ratio), there wasn't much left that met your criteria.
 
So if I take out things that are under the ATV NDA and things that are obvious like UI (optimization, renderings, accessible) then I really have to say there is only one subject for me that I can call that: Mining. It was the only one in my eyes that got multiple tries, attempts and a lot of love from all the features that DU has in it's current state.
 
I remember back then, fragments always remained and a vein could never be mined completely. The scanner always pinged and it was frustrating to look for the last piece. I am thankful that we at least have this green border and that the ore sticks together more and you can mine a vein more efficiently and cleanly. I was able to mine everything down with a calm conscience without breaking down any leftovers and my scanner stopped pinging again.
 
A few people complained at the time about how fast it was and how they wanted to make a science out of how to mine the ore. I would like to see their opinion today that it was meant for all players and not for a small group.

What is most tragic and tormenting to me personaly here, that 3/4 of things you mentioned have objectivly not that "expensive" on dev time, little of assets or complex interactions. Its just about disign in someones head.
 
I like always igniting, thinking, like, damn, give me some modder dudes from MC and we can do better job with it. So much wasted potential.
 
 

Unfortunately, I share some of the same sentiments. I was promised a PvP focused game, and the PvP is just so bland and not engaging at all for me. I like mining, I like building, but I want to play a game, not whatever DU is.
 
DU just isn't fun. I don't know what the devs are thinking, what direction they plan on taking the game, but other then flying and trying not to crash I just don't enjoy it. I was hoping for massive fights, people breaking into each others bases, and then having some form of AvA combat so you can take over the base without completely destroying it.

I no longer have hope for DU, as I feel like I was lied to, or at the very least that the initial videos the Devs made talking about DU isn't anything close to what is being developed.

I wish NQ luck, and keep working towards making a game. But, right now this just is not what I call a game, it's just not fun.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

someone shat in his cornflakes this morning.

TLDR at the bottom.

YOU may think that pvp is the GOLDEN ticket but there are far more things that they could do (and IMO, should do)  first before introducing PVP considering this engine is really not up to the task.

removal of ALL BOTS:  ore purchasers and schematics.
Replace schematics with org research. research the schematics and horde or sell them.
PROPER Tech tree with proper tiers that need to be studied AND USED to unlock. (Cyberpunk's xp system is great).
Automated defensive structures, domes, forcefields, fortifications ala every single shooting since the 80.
Energy generation and consumption and recycling, reclaiming.
WATER as a resource needed for industry
importing water to arid planets like Madis/moons.
OIL wells for energy and plastics production.
realistic resource distribution and extraction rates,
Proper resources and farming
Farming wood and other biological materials from trees and animals, not coal.
Or grow them in reactors/vats.
Tier Zero materials for land buildings like concrete, masonry etc.
Proper terrain forming tools with undo like in core building.
Requiring energy/time cool downs for local res nodes to function forcing players who repeatedly die back to earlier res nodes, further away.
 
 
NOW we have valuable resources that need to be gathered and pooled, we have real reason for conflict and PVP.
Once this is in place, remove the safe zones and allow air / air-ground PVP.

Before any of this is in place, PVP is just grandstanding/ganking/willie waving and roleplaying. It has zero strategic value as currently implemented.


TL;DR: PVP isn't the golden ticket, it is the icing on the cake, IMO

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

For me most of magic died out, when I realised, that (at least -- currently) game not about cool space empires/interconnected society, politics and wars, but about small groups (or even solo) of boring nerds, sitting on their factories and containers, bragging how much useless shit they producing, owning or building. Amazing creations.

NMC Special
 
Recent divisive and irresponsable actions of president Porco lead to widespread protests in tribal areas of Madistan. Local people who hold Phallus as most holy symbol (along with Salt) were deeply offended by so called "Dick Measuring Contest" organized by Porco. Desert shamans burned president effigies, crowds filled squares and streets in bitter anger and resentment, holding anti-porcan and anti-aliothian banners, chanting religious and patriotic songs.
 
Betwen protesting madistani we see large groups of MLF (Madistan Liberation Front) resistance fighers, mostly from groups lead by brigadier general personality_matrix and prophet gentry -- their idealized portraits used by their men as shoulder patches.
 
Young warrior with brand new Hyperion-made rail-rifle steps forward, his eyes burning with anger:
 
- May coward Porco know, this perverted dog, that we make ground burn under his feet! Justice will be done, six pillars of hell crush upon him. By Salt allmighty! Madistan!
 
- Madistan! Madistan! -- other warriors join in mighty roar, raising their weapons. Some start to fire in skies passionatly, wasting a lot of ammo.
 
 

I got 2 beta invitations with my pledge, which gives me 3 accounts. Each of these accounts has access to PTS. 
 
So 6 out of 12 planets (not including moons) can be covered by me. I can log into an alt account on PTS while I am flying somewhere on the live server and use it to find ores. This alt account is of course skilled to get the best out of the scanner tool.
 
Imagine you have a buddy who does the same. Or a few people in the org who you pay (later on the live server) to do it on the pts.
You get to know the spots without using fuel or warp cells on the live server. And the whole thing is made easier on pts with the fact that instead of getting 100k quanta like on the live server, it's a total of 1,000,000,000 quanta per day. You are not interested in a territory scanner unit if you are much faster than waiting 15 minutes per tile. Above all, you don't even have to make a big effort. 
 
That's why it's just plain ridiculous that your seed is freely available on the pts.

For me the number one tell is the “lapsed subscriptions not actually lapsing” fiasco. 
 
Have you ever heard of companies not charging for something they said they were charging for? Repeatedly and regularly? Imagine cancelling your mobile subscription and still being able to access the network for free. Nevagunnahappen. 
 
A company that is regularly and repeatedly kicking their remaining paying customers in the happysacks is not long for this world. IMO. 
 
 

OMG guys, what you arguing about. Its quite clear.
 
1) make logical mechanical hierarchy who (what entities) can ovveride ownership;
2) when, via some timers of non-activity/subs end;
3) write clear and detailed rules about it, put some warnings in game, e-mail system to warn;
4) set it work automaticly! control bugs and unentended hard abuses;
 
0) make it so from start of live service!  
 
We even done this on amateur-unpaid-run MC servers without that much trouble, when dealing with territory ownership. All you need is clear head (1) and (1) semi-competent programmer who can establish semi-ok database. May even be same person.

OMG guys, what you arguing about. Its quite clear.
 
1) make logical mechanical hierarchy who (what entities) can ovveride ownership;
2) when, via some timers of non-activity/subs end;
3) write clear and detailed rules about it, put some warnings in game, e-mail system to warn;
4) set it work automaticly! control bugs and unentended hard abuses;
 
0) make it so from start of live service!  
 
We even done this on amateur-unpaid-run MC servers without that much trouble, when dealing with territory ownership. All you need is clear head (1) and (1) semi-competent programmer who can establish semi-ok database. May even be same person.

We discussed with Naerais yesterday ...I'm suspicious ? Source ? 
 

It's safe to say that after seeing the gross negligence and poor management execution NQ has experienced that this game is better off getting sold off to someone who can actually get the job done. The absolutely fucking dumb restrictions of NQ putting on their public facing people thinking it's a great idea to withhold transparency THAT THEY PROMISED have just only added to the internal inherent issues going on within the company.