DarkHorizon

Whether this has happened due to a bug (i.e. Marketplaces were never supposed to use RDMs but be "hardcoded, which IMO is highly unlikely due to the fact everything in the game uses the same systems that players use, even market tiles are claimed using territory units) or due to incorrect settings in RDMs, the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Did the players make a mistake by making and publicizing the "ultimate heist" on Reddit? Possibly. Most likely yes. However that only sets the scenery to what is essentially a "make or break" decision on the NQ's side.

Had NQ reacted in good humor, fixed the problem, and owned up to their mistake, they'd actually build and reinforce trust of their community. They would've come out on top, as a team that can take responsibility for their mistakes and fix them. As someone with years of community management experience, I'd go a step beyond that: I'd create a "ruin of a marketplace" with a memorial plaque that would say something along the lines of "MP15 has fallen prey to a legendary group of bank robbers", to make it part of the lore. Then I'd build a new Marketplace next to it, and recover lost items to the unfortunate players who had their stuff listed. The lesson is simple: Does it seem like bad press? Take ownership of it, turn it around, make it work for you.

It's very unfortunate that instead NQ reacted the way they have. Their response, and reaction of Discord moderators who started handing out mass bans for even mentioning the incident is what creates bad press. I mean, it's their choice to make. Just not a choice that I'd make as community manager.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

I've read this thread from top to bottom now (ending at this point, whose to say what's happened in the time I've taken to write this), while my take is nothing special and has been said several times already, I'll offer it anyways:
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement particularly.
 
Was it in bad taste, I agree, it was. I don't think anyone would disagree with you on that point.
 
The decision to leap straight to a permanent ban has me taken aback. I haven't seen anything personally, but I've heard plenty of reports about people's entire bases being stolen out from under them, even live right in front of them.
 
This blight went on for nary a time before NovaQuark finally gave us some guidance on the subject. People stealing your construct due to misconfigured RDMS is on the construct owner, and that such theft would not result in any action on behalf of NovaQuark.
 
Okay, I can understand pinning the blame on the player tester for misunderstanding the system or handing out permission willy nilly, or even setting perms to 'all', which now has a window advising players testers of the potential hazard. This, to me, is reasonable. The player tester needs to clean up their act and take it as a learning moment no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow.
 
I can even understand NovaQuarks position relating to interference with the game test. One of the marketplaces on Alioth was destroyed, and some player's testers orders were interrupted.
 
What I fail to understand here, is how NovaQuark can tell players testers who had their constructs "stolen" from them on account of faulty RDMS be given no action, only to turn around and permanently ban players testers for taking advantage of faulty RDMS on NovaQuarks own constructs.
 
It was also laid out a few days ago to that theft as a result of bad RDMS will not be actioned on by NovaQuark.
 
Did people's orders at the marketplace get interrupted, yes. 
Did a marketplace get destroyed by some players testers, yes. 
Did stuff get stolen and sold for profit, yes. 
Did some people get inconvenienced, yes.
 
Guess what:
Come atmospheric PVP and player-run markets, this kind of activity will be a daily fact of life which we'd all best get used to it.
 
Maybe for laughs, they even wrote out "Plz don't ban" in voxels when the crime was finally done. All right, perhaps it wasn't a new person that stumbled upon this but someone with experience that knew what they were doing, and the profit-seeking crime is premeditated. Instead of a seven-day ban, make it a thirty day one.
 
Sure, the beta experience got sullied, I agree. And while it was an NQ marketplace that got the wipe, it's not like it's the only marketplace on Alioth.
 
While I do agree the destruction was overboard, I think the response to this from NovaQuark was equally so. I believe NQ should take this as a learning experience, the players testers too, but more so NovaQuark. The players testers learned that no one is immune from bad RDMS, and NovaQuark probably learned a thing or two about marketplaces that should come in handy for the future feature of player-run marketplaces.
 
Dare I say we should celebrate this moment in Beta as "Hey remember that one time in Beta where a bunch of people tore apart a marketplace?" and we can all laugh around our campfire years after release...
 
Instead, what are we watching? A two-tiered justice system; rules for thee but not for me. I don't like it, not one bit.
 
Don't get me wrong, I still think something should be done in the end, but I think the justice served here outweighs the crime. Meanwhile, the justice other testers are seeking for the constructs that got stolen from them is being delayed if not denied entirely. If that was the case, we'd have a month-long backlog by now (to clarify, on that issue alone on top of everything we already have) sadly, NovaQuark is in no way treating equal actions with equal outcomes and consequences as far as this particular topic of theft goes. If we're being honest with ourselves, then scoopers, dupers, and exploiters would have already gotten the boot before this event even happened. No great Quanta reset, no publicly nerfing the ice cream scoops, just bans.
 
The fact that this scenario played out the way it did, it makes me question what is safe. If I'm questioning what is safe, that doesn't exactly make me want to test anything out of fear that I might end up in the same fate. Maybe the only winning move is not to play test?
 
In most circumstances, I can see and understand in NQ's favor on crime and punishment, but this is not one of those times. Sorry to say, but you do not have my support in this, and I've also been given some things to think about as a result of this. I don't think this topic has met its end, which is what I'm waiting for before I come to my definite conclusion. Know that I'm still just a user like anyone else commenting on this thread. I can't sway NQ's opinion in any manner, and that is not my intent with this post.
 
You have my thoughts and I'm curious to see what the future holds.
 
Oh, and I'm not joining anyone's protest or movement on any communication medium. I'm simply offering my opinion on the matter which is what these forums have allowed me to do.

You keep calling it an exploit.
 
Pressing B isn't an exploit.

Bi-Weekly Update - October 12, 2020
 
Two rescues were made over the past two weeks, that’s 41 for Beta 1 and 179 overall!
----------
 
16,000L of Nitron, that’s how much @Adraenor and @Cthulhu741 needed when they landed just short of a marketplace and out of fuel, here was what they had to say:
----------
 
Work has been fairly slow in-game. With NovaQuark taking up the bulk of teleports and repairs of players in the Dual Universe Discords support channels have left us fairly lacking in the way of rescues. Hopefully, people realize that this is still a beta testing period and that this support will not be a permanent fixture.
 
To fill in the time, I’ve been doing a little offline work and setting up relationships that will hopefully prove fruitful later in Beta and beyond release in the years to come.
 
First up, I know I left off the last update mentioning Tortuga City which is being developed on Madis by @Sylvia and the Band of Outlaws organization. After some back and forth with them and an advisor, we’ve moved closer to an agreement on the construction of Eyes & Ears Helios System Headquarters.
 
A location suitable for the development of four large cores has been plotted out and I took a day to preview the space. The spot looks nice but I was hoping for some more elevation change as the spot on the map which gives the impression of a raised location along the edge of a cliff overlooking much of the city when in reality it’s more like a bumpy ride down a hill on the way to a creek. Hopefully, NovaQuark can roll out that planet update sooner rather than later as more serious elevation changes seem like a must. Thades is a good start.
 
While the location isn’t on one of Alioths moons which would have been prime, or on the Sanctuary moon, the two-thirds lower gravity will make taking off with a fuel-laden medium hauler much easier than having setup on either Alioth or the Sanctuary moon itself. Flying into either location with a full load, perhaps we should load up on brakes or ailerons. One thing that would be almost as good as rotating engines, retractable wings.
 
Speaking of a medium fuel hauler, that’s primarily what the System HQ is meant to store. I’m still thinking up the overall design and how I’ll work those constructs into it, but I’m thinking I’ll have parking spaces above and below the entry and exit points since I don’t want anyone to be having to rotate or reverse in. Just an easy in, easy out, no need for turning inside the structure (darker grey).
 
 
 
 
Gates will occupy the diagonal portions while small constructs will be parked in either wing. I want to imagine that it should serve two medium and four small constructs fairly easily. The floor should be clear (in any proper garage space) and plenty easy to navigate. Maybe I’ll sprinkle in some wells for easy access to the underside like in a maintenance shop and some pushed aside decorative debris, maybe some worn-down flight elements. Yeah, there’s a real lived-in feel!
 
While the main structure takes up three of the large cores, the fourth core will consist of a blast-pad (lighter grey) for quick vertical deployments up and out of the city without needing to navigate any traffic. It should provide a fun sight for any spectators that just so happen to be watching. The blast-pad won’t take up the entire cores space so I’m thinking of leasing it out to some small shopkeeps or use it for some other way to make some supplementary income.
 
Still got some other details to work out with Tortuga and while I was thinking of reducing our profile to an outpost, I think I’ll take a risk here and go bigger. I’m placing a lot of trust that we’ll be able to operate effectively as Tortuga has that stigma attached to it that it’s run by pirates. Whether or not that trust can be maintained, we’ll wait and see.
----------
 
Some other relationships that have been kicked off over this period: 
 
@Starsz with the Special Tactics Rescue Service. While operating primarily within the Empire’s space as a military element, STRS will be making up an important security branch of our operations which has been a topic of some internal discussion.
 
@Grixis with Mineral Co.  Working in the industrial space, these folks will be key for refining mined material and sourcing crafted material.
----------
 
I did work on finishing up the inside of the transport that I posted an exterior shot of in the last update. Added some support structure at the expense of a couple of seats on each side of the aisle. It looks nicer than it did before, but something about it still feels incomplete. Going to be experimenting with some decorative elements like cables and such and see if I can get something I like.
 
 
It can comfortably lift 9,520L of both Nitron and Kergon (19,040L total) in its fuel stores up from Alioth which is something I intend to expand further with additional skills. Seating has been reduced from 40 to 35 although realistically speaking, I could probably squeeze in another 40 seats and make it look sorta good? It would sort of ruin the look but I’m not exactly going for aesthetics. Remember, I’m a function over form (but just enough form to still look good while doing it) kind of person here.
 
2,600L of storage space for scrap is available, although double stacking it is very much doable. I could triple stack but then the containers would be inside the voxels which feels sort of meh. Would also probably be a hazard when it comes to banking and other fun stuff.
 
Behind the screenshot is two medium fuel tanks for the engines, and one small space tank for the vertical boosters. Also, an easy lift fully loaded at 207t, 111t with the reserves empty, and 85t when fully empty. 
 
On the starboard side is a recessed pilot seat with fairly good observation angles above the construct, landing it will be fun however, that will probably just be a skill to develop over time as you get a feel for the craft. On the port side across from the pilot’s chair will probably end up a gunner’s seat for purposes of radar observation. The whole thing would explode with one hit from a large gun and leave nothing left. If the fuel tank explosions had any actual effect on their surroundings, then it would probably still go up anyways with a hit or two from a small gun.
 
The best offense is a good defense right? It probably won’t be a part of my final rendition unless I can make it look half nice, but will two rocket boosters help? I think I’ll try that out for fun tomorrow. Got some tanks on loan from an org mate, only got space for two extra smalls however which makes it the emergency type use case which is all it’s intended for.
 
Still got work to do, of course, don’t know how much, but I do know it ain’t finished yet.
----------
 
Further work progressed in my other pet project, Dual Universe Classifieds. Lots more advertisers at the markets now so I contacted them all and got a dozen more curious eyeballs interested and in the roster while one organization went live.
 
Still waiting on two other organizations from the original group to link their pictures, then I think with that said and one peculiar exploit fixed, it’s about time this be pushed to the masses. The markets, let’s just say that they look awful. Can’t wait to see what impact we have.
 
I got an idea that I’m bouncing around in my mind that could very well solve this, but it’s on the back burner for the time being. I’ll probably discuss it with some of the advertisers and get their take on it before investing in the idea.
-----------
 
Well, I think that’s about everything. A couple of days late but I hope you enjoyed the read nonetheless.
 
Take care, and fly safe!
- DarkHorizon
 

A good first couple steps would be limiting weapon sizes to core sizes but maybe that's too much where as expanding upon the idea of a power system beyond mere buffs would be more agreeable to all?
 
Based on all I've seen so far, the stalking is the only fun part of PVP. Once you've found your prey, it's simply a matter of getting into range, loosing a shot with a button press, then repairing the wreckage and scooping the loot. One shot, where's the fun in that for either side of the hunt? Here I was always thinking engagements between single players would be more drawn out from the first shot to the kill, but that is simply not the case here.
 
I'm not entirely a fan of the fighting segment of PVP in general, but I eagerly anticipate a rework of the current mechanics.

A good first couple steps would be limiting weapon sizes to core sizes but maybe that's too much where as expanding upon the idea of a power system beyond mere buffs would be more agreeable to all?
 
Based on all I've seen so far, the stalking is the only fun part of PVP. Once you've found your prey, it's simply a matter of getting into range, loosing a shot with a button press, then repairing the wreckage and scooping the loot. One shot, where's the fun in that for either side of the hunt? Here I was always thinking engagements between single players would be more drawn out from the first shot to the kill, but that is simply not the case here.
 
I'm not entirely a fan of the fighting segment of PVP in general, but I eagerly anticipate a rework of the current mechanics.

That aside, a-hecking-men.
 
With the advent of Beta, I was expecting to get a massive windfall of requests for help so much so we'd be having to do bulk runs where we load up on a dozen or so people going to one planet, then fly around and hit them bing-bing-bong-bong-bing-bing-bong. Our number of requests was fairly nominal as we became more well known through advertising on the forums, in the DU-scord, and from advertising at marketplaces. We're not yet advertising at the markets because DU Classifieds isn't yet fully operational, and I don't want to plop just a lonely screen there anymore.
 
Instead, what have we gotten, barely a trickle. It started out good early on with a high of 26 in the first two weeks, then it fell to seven in the next two week period, and for the previous two weeks, only two rescues. I watch the troubleshooting channels, and I just feel dissapointed. I want to help out, but that would likely be interpreted as unwanted advertising with how the rules are set up. All in all though, I really feel like support is playing a game of twister with one player, itself. They say it's exhausting and stressful at times, I've asked if I could help in-game and I'm in a queue for discussion but my confidence is fairly low at this point.
 
In the event of legitimate problems, I can see the need for GM's to assist, but if this is something that another player can do, then a player should be required to do so. While I can understand the issues regarding favoritism, I do believe that NQ needs to turn off easy mode support and tell these players to get their feet wet with the community, because the response I've received so far has been not very appetizing.
 
When NQ (hopefully) stops this come release, a lot of people are going to be stuck and not know what to do. If they quit, it's unfortunate, but this pre-"release" state is where organizations can really grow their roots, and I feel like I'm being hamstrung. I don't like waiting in this queue to hopefully get seen by NovaQuark, but that's what I'm left to do for now. 
 
Come to think of it, wasn't this supposed to be a more of a player driven game? Wasn't that puzzle supposed to take years to solve, and here we did it in a couple weeks? Yes there was stuff before beta involved, but I think this player base has been vastly underestimated.

And no, I'm not here to pick on NQ. I'm pointing out a problem, in fact, I knew this would be an issue a long time ago which was why I started E&ESAR to begin with. I'd like to solve it on my own as a member of the community, but I'm not being allowed to, so we're here with support because this was allowed to happen. Like a lot of people, I would have blazed a different path than NQ did, probably starting in Alpha 2. I'm not a developer though so the best I can do is offer my support, well wishes, and hopefully this can be taken as somewhat constructive feedback.

That aside, a-hecking-men.
 
With the advent of Beta, I was expecting to get a massive windfall of requests for help so much so we'd be having to do bulk runs where we load up on a dozen or so people going to one planet, then fly around and hit them bing-bing-bong-bong-bing-bing-bong. Our number of requests was fairly nominal as we became more well known through advertising on the forums, in the DU-scord, and from advertising at marketplaces. We're not yet advertising at the markets because DU Classifieds isn't yet fully operational, and I don't want to plop just a lonely screen there anymore.
 
Instead, what have we gotten, barely a trickle. It started out good early on with a high of 26 in the first two weeks, then it fell to seven in the next two week period, and for the previous two weeks, only two rescues. I watch the troubleshooting channels, and I just feel dissapointed. I want to help out, but that would likely be interpreted as unwanted advertising with how the rules are set up. All in all though, I really feel like support is playing a game of twister with one player, itself. They say it's exhausting and stressful at times, I've asked if I could help in-game and I'm in a queue for discussion but my confidence is fairly low at this point.
 
In the event of legitimate problems, I can see the need for GM's to assist, but if this is something that another player can do, then a player should be required to do so. While I can understand the issues regarding favoritism, I do believe that NQ needs to turn off easy mode support and tell these players to get their feet wet with the community, because the response I've received so far has been not very appetizing.
 
When NQ (hopefully) stops this come release, a lot of people are going to be stuck and not know what to do. If they quit, it's unfortunate, but this pre-"release" state is where organizations can really grow their roots, and I feel like I'm being hamstrung. I don't like waiting in this queue to hopefully get seen by NovaQuark, but that's what I'm left to do for now. 
 
Come to think of it, wasn't this supposed to be a more of a player driven game? Wasn't that puzzle supposed to take years to solve, and here we did it in a couple weeks? Yes there was stuff before beta involved, but I think this player base has been vastly underestimated.

And no, I'm not here to pick on NQ. I'm pointing out a problem, in fact, I knew this would be an issue a long time ago which was why I started E&ESAR to begin with. I'd like to solve it on my own as a member of the community, but I'm not being allowed to, so we're here with support because this was allowed to happen. Like a lot of people, I would have blazed a different path than NQ did, probably starting in Alpha 2. I'm not a developer though so the best I can do is offer my support, well wishes, and hopefully this can be taken as somewhat constructive feedback.

Bi-Weekly Update - October 12, 2020
 
Two rescues were made over the past two weeks, that’s 41 for Beta 1 and 179 overall!
----------
 
16,000L of Nitron, that’s how much @Adraenor and @Cthulhu741 needed when they landed just short of a marketplace and out of fuel, here was what they had to say:
----------
 
Work has been fairly slow in-game. With NovaQuark taking up the bulk of teleports and repairs of players in the Dual Universe Discords support channels have left us fairly lacking in the way of rescues. Hopefully, people realize that this is still a beta testing period and that this support will not be a permanent fixture.
 
To fill in the time, I’ve been doing a little offline work and setting up relationships that will hopefully prove fruitful later in Beta and beyond release in the years to come.
 
First up, I know I left off the last update mentioning Tortuga City which is being developed on Madis by @Sylvia and the Band of Outlaws organization. After some back and forth with them and an advisor, we’ve moved closer to an agreement on the construction of Eyes & Ears Helios System Headquarters.
 
A location suitable for the development of four large cores has been plotted out and I took a day to preview the space. The spot looks nice but I was hoping for some more elevation change as the spot on the map which gives the impression of a raised location along the edge of a cliff overlooking much of the city when in reality it’s more like a bumpy ride down a hill on the way to a creek. Hopefully, NovaQuark can roll out that planet update sooner rather than later as more serious elevation changes seem like a must. Thades is a good start.
 
While the location isn’t on one of Alioths moons which would have been prime, or on the Sanctuary moon, the two-thirds lower gravity will make taking off with a fuel-laden medium hauler much easier than having setup on either Alioth or the Sanctuary moon itself. Flying into either location with a full load, perhaps we should load up on brakes or ailerons. One thing that would be almost as good as rotating engines, retractable wings.
 
Speaking of a medium fuel hauler, that’s primarily what the System HQ is meant to store. I’m still thinking up the overall design and how I’ll work those constructs into it, but I’m thinking I’ll have parking spaces above and below the entry and exit points since I don’t want anyone to be having to rotate or reverse in. Just an easy in, easy out, no need for turning inside the structure (darker grey).
 
 
 
 
Gates will occupy the diagonal portions while small constructs will be parked in either wing. I want to imagine that it should serve two medium and four small constructs fairly easily. The floor should be clear (in any proper garage space) and plenty easy to navigate. Maybe I’ll sprinkle in some wells for easy access to the underside like in a maintenance shop and some pushed aside decorative debris, maybe some worn-down flight elements. Yeah, there’s a real lived-in feel!
 
While the main structure takes up three of the large cores, the fourth core will consist of a blast-pad (lighter grey) for quick vertical deployments up and out of the city without needing to navigate any traffic. It should provide a fun sight for any spectators that just so happen to be watching. The blast-pad won’t take up the entire cores space so I’m thinking of leasing it out to some small shopkeeps or use it for some other way to make some supplementary income.
 
Still got some other details to work out with Tortuga and while I was thinking of reducing our profile to an outpost, I think I’ll take a risk here and go bigger. I’m placing a lot of trust that we’ll be able to operate effectively as Tortuga has that stigma attached to it that it’s run by pirates. Whether or not that trust can be maintained, we’ll wait and see.
----------
 
Some other relationships that have been kicked off over this period: 
 
@Starsz with the Special Tactics Rescue Service. While operating primarily within the Empire’s space as a military element, STRS will be making up an important security branch of our operations which has been a topic of some internal discussion.
 
@Grixis with Mineral Co.  Working in the industrial space, these folks will be key for refining mined material and sourcing crafted material.
----------
 
I did work on finishing up the inside of the transport that I posted an exterior shot of in the last update. Added some support structure at the expense of a couple of seats on each side of the aisle. It looks nicer than it did before, but something about it still feels incomplete. Going to be experimenting with some decorative elements like cables and such and see if I can get something I like.
 
 
It can comfortably lift 9,520L of both Nitron and Kergon (19,040L total) in its fuel stores up from Alioth which is something I intend to expand further with additional skills. Seating has been reduced from 40 to 35 although realistically speaking, I could probably squeeze in another 40 seats and make it look sorta good? It would sort of ruin the look but I’m not exactly going for aesthetics. Remember, I’m a function over form (but just enough form to still look good while doing it) kind of person here.
 
2,600L of storage space for scrap is available, although double stacking it is very much doable. I could triple stack but then the containers would be inside the voxels which feels sort of meh. Would also probably be a hazard when it comes to banking and other fun stuff.
 
Behind the screenshot is two medium fuel tanks for the engines, and one small space tank for the vertical boosters. Also, an easy lift fully loaded at 207t, 111t with the reserves empty, and 85t when fully empty. 
 
On the starboard side is a recessed pilot seat with fairly good observation angles above the construct, landing it will be fun however, that will probably just be a skill to develop over time as you get a feel for the craft. On the port side across from the pilot’s chair will probably end up a gunner’s seat for purposes of radar observation. The whole thing would explode with one hit from a large gun and leave nothing left. If the fuel tank explosions had any actual effect on their surroundings, then it would probably still go up anyways with a hit or two from a small gun.
 
The best offense is a good defense right? It probably won’t be a part of my final rendition unless I can make it look half nice, but will two rocket boosters help? I think I’ll try that out for fun tomorrow. Got some tanks on loan from an org mate, only got space for two extra smalls however which makes it the emergency type use case which is all it’s intended for.
 
Still got work to do, of course, don’t know how much, but I do know it ain’t finished yet.
----------
 
Further work progressed in my other pet project, Dual Universe Classifieds. Lots more advertisers at the markets now so I contacted them all and got a dozen more curious eyeballs interested and in the roster while one organization went live.
 
Still waiting on two other organizations from the original group to link their pictures, then I think with that said and one peculiar exploit fixed, it’s about time this be pushed to the masses. The markets, let’s just say that they look awful. Can’t wait to see what impact we have.
 
I got an idea that I’m bouncing around in my mind that could very well solve this, but it’s on the back burner for the time being. I’ll probably discuss it with some of the advertisers and get their take on it before investing in the idea.
-----------
 
Well, I think that’s about everything. A couple of days late but I hope you enjoyed the read nonetheless.
 
Take care, and fly safe!
- DarkHorizon
 

"Oh it's you..."
"Fenton..."  
Doesn't DU have an in-game achievement for that?
So you're saying the moment an unborn human starts consuming its mothers resources, that they've entered PVP space? Damn, and here I was thinking 16 to 18 years old (or in some cases younger) was where PVP began...
 
Actually, come to think of it, Mum can get PVP'ed out of the game world before your unborn self starts consuming her resources because they're already inside the PVP space.
 
It's almost like there is no natural or truly safe space in the real world. The only temporary safe spaces are the ones we create ourselves in the form of housing, when we bear arms to protect ourselves from others (yay 'murrica!), and when the people of society abide by a set of rules.
 
Such rules are of course made to be broken and they frequently are, just watch the news; how many arsons, thefts, shootings, assaults, etc happened today, last week, last month? Of course, those are the most flagrant examples, but lets go by what you suggested.
 
I'm inhaling oxygen which is useful to me, and exhaling carbon-dioxide which is a waste and not useful. This simple act of life, breathing, is PVP according to you. Drinking water, something useful to continuing my own life, is PVP according to you.
 
I haven't met a single person in my neighborhood or local community that doesn't breathe air and drink water. With this knowledge, I can deduce that breathing air and drinking water is a normal function of society, both acts being PVP.
 
I could go on and on and on for the next hour and hope that the last bit I quoted was an argument of some kind, if it wasn't, I'll be somewhat dissapointed.
 
PVP is everywhere, and while there's a lot that needs fixing, remember that this is still beta. Organizations will get cleaned out, and people will get shot. I paid $500 for a lifetime subscription, so it sure shit better not stop me or that is money not well spent. I came here to be entertained and have fun, if you're seeking the same thing but not having fun, then what are you doing here exactly?

"Oh it's you..."
"Fenton..."  
Doesn't DU have an in-game achievement for that?
So you're saying the moment an unborn human starts consuming its mothers resources, that they've entered PVP space? Damn, and here I was thinking 16 to 18 years old (or in some cases younger) was where PVP began...
 
Actually, come to think of it, Mum can get PVP'ed out of the game world before your unborn self starts consuming her resources because they're already inside the PVP space.
 
It's almost like there is no natural or truly safe space in the real world. The only temporary safe spaces are the ones we create ourselves in the form of housing, when we bear arms to protect ourselves from others (yay 'murrica!), and when the people of society abide by a set of rules.
 
Such rules are of course made to be broken and they frequently are, just watch the news; how many arsons, thefts, shootings, assaults, etc happened today, last week, last month? Of course, those are the most flagrant examples, but lets go by what you suggested.
 
I'm inhaling oxygen which is useful to me, and exhaling carbon-dioxide which is a waste and not useful. This simple act of life, breathing, is PVP according to you. Drinking water, something useful to continuing my own life, is PVP according to you.
 
I haven't met a single person in my neighborhood or local community that doesn't breathe air and drink water. With this knowledge, I can deduce that breathing air and drinking water is a normal function of society, both acts being PVP.
 
I could go on and on and on for the next hour and hope that the last bit I quoted was an argument of some kind, if it wasn't, I'll be somewhat dissapointed.
 
PVP is everywhere, and while there's a lot that needs fixing, remember that this is still beta. Organizations will get cleaned out, and people will get shot. I paid $500 for a lifetime subscription, so it sure shit better not stop me or that is money not well spent. I came here to be entertained and have fun, if you're seeking the same thing but not having fun, then what are you doing here exactly?

"Oh it's you..."
"Fenton..."  
Doesn't DU have an in-game achievement for that?
So you're saying the moment an unborn human starts consuming its mothers resources, that they've entered PVP space? Damn, and here I was thinking 16 to 18 years old (or in some cases younger) was where PVP began...
 
Actually, come to think of it, Mum can get PVP'ed out of the game world before your unborn self starts consuming her resources because they're already inside the PVP space.
 
It's almost like there is no natural or truly safe space in the real world. The only temporary safe spaces are the ones we create ourselves in the form of housing, when we bear arms to protect ourselves from others (yay 'murrica!), and when the people of society abide by a set of rules.
 
Such rules are of course made to be broken and they frequently are, just watch the news; how many arsons, thefts, shootings, assaults, etc happened today, last week, last month? Of course, those are the most flagrant examples, but lets go by what you suggested.
 
I'm inhaling oxygen which is useful to me, and exhaling carbon-dioxide which is a waste and not useful. This simple act of life, breathing, is PVP according to you. Drinking water, something useful to continuing my own life, is PVP according to you.
 
I haven't met a single person in my neighborhood or local community that doesn't breathe air and drink water. With this knowledge, I can deduce that breathing air and drinking water is a normal function of society, both acts being PVP.
 
I could go on and on and on for the next hour and hope that the last bit I quoted was an argument of some kind, if it wasn't, I'll be somewhat dissapointed.
 
PVP is everywhere, and while there's a lot that needs fixing, remember that this is still beta. Organizations will get cleaned out, and people will get shot. I paid $500 for a lifetime subscription, so it sure shit better not stop me or that is money not well spent. I came here to be entertained and have fun, if you're seeking the same thing but not having fun, then what are you doing here exactly?

Bi-Weekly Update - September 28, 2020
 
Seven rescues were made over the past two weeks, that’s 38 for Beta 1 and 177 overall!
 
----------
 
Here is some of the feedback that we’ve received:
 
9/25 - Eitrius
I entered atmo way too fast, burned up on re-entry. Needed a ride to my ship .8 su away. Service was great, got someone to my location, and they helped me get my ship down to the surface. Price was fair for the service. 
 
----------
 
The only major change to our discord server actually happened while I was writing this up just now.
 
The discord bot which handles our tickets had gone down due to rate limiting reasons. I’ve added a new announcements channel managed by the bot’s owners which will advise on the status of the bot so if there is ever a time when it is not working, the ticket-tool-status channel should explain why.
 
There is a premium version of this tool that explicitly states increased uptime due to fewer users purchasing said version. I’m debating the merits of this and all the other extra features that come with this against the $60 yearly price tag.
 
Another change will include our Dispatchers occasional cleaning out of persons with the Victim role. It would appear that not everyone seems to replace their victim role with the guest role once they close their ticket. A message prompt has been added to the dispatch-center but our dispatchers will still take manual action as seen fit.
 
-----------
 
An issue cropped up with our pricing calculator over the course of a more recent rescue.
 
Up until now, everything had worked out fine assuming no major purchases had to be made. The rescuers would split the income made off the rescue, half of it going towards the rescue team, the other half going towards the organization. So far we were just doing fuel and scrap deliveries along with transports to crashed ships, things were kosher. 14 warp cells at just over 200k total had exposed the current version of our pricing as flawed.
 
After our setup resulted in our rescuer being put in the red, the organization forfeited its half of the earnings so the rescuer could turn a profit again. This resulted in some revisions which are as follows in update v9/27:
 
Pricing changes:
- Multipliers added for distance and atmospheric entry/exit
- Rescuers and organization equally split distance and atmospheric transfer income
- E&E purchases supplies
     (rescuers will purchase supplies from the nearest market and be reimbursed by E&E upon conclusion so we can keep things fast as we are not yet storing materials)
Cosmetic changes:
- Atmosphere/Distance split metrics added for user reference
- Atmosphere/Distance non-split metrics hidden for ease of use and to prevent confusion if checking results via paper. Only multiplier shown.
- Organization expenses along with organization and rescuer profit shown and color coded
 
While this culls the organization’s income since we are now covering for the cost of supplies and not our rescuers (they shouldn’t have been paying out of pocket to start with, how could I be so blind!) rescuers should no longer incur any sort of debt as a result of going out on a rescue operation.
 
Of course, this does assume that the rescue mission is completed and that we are paid in the end. Eyes & Ears willingly takes on a debit in the expectation that payment will come. Maybe not right away (especially where new players are concerned), but that our books will be black and at the very least, balanced.
 
I’m not exactly a fan of this as we are now operating on a proper ‘margin’ of sorts. And there’s always that risk that our rescuer gets blown up out in PVP space and the mission is never completed. That’s a straight 360 loss, period. For the time being, we’re collecting at the end of the operation when the customer is all good to go, but if the mechanics are ever introduced, however, I hope to be able to invoice customers so we can receive payment ahead of time (with the deposit into an org wallet) before the rescue is launched as security against a variety of threats.
 
Right now most of our income is coming off splitting the distance and atmospheric transfer costs as well as the additional 5% tax on the final bill along with whatever donations get thrown in. 5% is tight in my opinion and just looking at the numbers, I’m feeling encouraged to bump it up to 10%, just to keep us in the black and help with expansion.
 
I mentioned donations and I’ve always said it. Donations are never expected but always appreciated. Even if you’re not rescued but just want to throw some quanta our way, donations are not used for any individual profit but go straight towards the organization to fulfill its needs so we can go out and help the community whenever and wherever they’re in a bind.
 
----------
 
As far as in-game activity goes, the only stuff worth talking about is that I’ve mostly gotten finished on my first small core rescue craft. Below is a picture along with a tidbit of history.
 
 
----------
 
Finally, Tortuga. More details on that in the next update.
 
That's all for now, until next time, take care and fly safe everyone!
 
- DarkHorizon
 

Patience is something that is in short supply, especially among the more *fingerguns* types.
 
You know what also is in short supply that's been teased for years?
 
 

There is no resource drain at all cause nothing is destroyed, everything can be repair so there is really no sink. PvP is in shambles anyway and needs a major overhaul before anything else is done/added.

Hold on, if PvP is so highly loved by so many, surely there must be thousands of people feely engaging in PvP, as so many love it.
 
Why do you need to force people into PvP if it is such a great thing?

A lot of Discords use bots that focus on keywords, which highlight stuff like profanity faster than non-constructive or FUD type posts. 
Keeping in mind that a small mod team can't see every post in real time - and reporting posts/comments can help - it could be an automod caught you because of profanity and the other person just had non-constructive but non-automod rule breaking comments. 

RE: the "questiong of moderators", I haven't been to the Discord yet, but if there's a rule about it (No Discussion of Moderation publicly, etc.), I mean, it's pretty obvious that rule was broken. 

If I may recommend (unsolicited, of course) something? If, in the future, you get an infraction, rather than post it in General or publicly, reach out directly to a moderator. They should be able to tell you what rule you violated and how you can move forward without further infractions. 

Anywho, have a good one and good luck!