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blazemonger

Alpha Tester
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Everything posted by blazemonger

  1. Come to think of it.. The exchange will probably be instanced and not accessible otherwise or have a massive no fly area, possbly even an entire tile.
  2. Oh, these "summer DACs" are the perfect excuse for the wipe for sure.. It's possibly what 6 months+ of "internal discussions" has resulted in.
  3. Well, so much for "Athena is the last major update before release", something NQ conveniently forgets to mention they backpaddle on less than two months later. Alioth Exchange What could possibly go wrong with one central place for players to advertise their goods. Anyone remember the single market idea? This will result is massive lag and performance issues, resulting in many deliberations on how to fix, resulting in each market area getting their own copy .. This somewhat resembles the idea I posted about many, many months ago with regards to how the wild growth of player stalls on markets could be addressed. Unfortunately. I may repost as I believe the original idea was actually posted in the NDA section, AKA well before beta started. Graphical/Lighting updates Looks terrible, totally unrealistic blur and emissions seemingly coming from walls and objects, Summer DAC So you want each active player to bring a friend for a month or two.. guess what.. I see more alts coming. Also, nice creation of an excuse to both wipe and set up a "now pay a sub to stay in and join the early start prior to release" idea Novean Overview Basic stuff but here is another useful bit of information hindered by the ancient and totally unsuitable UI design which has not changed since pre alpha. Lua API Will break many things and from what I expect it will barely give coders time to fix all the things it will break before release. Why this was not object oriented (like referenced in THIS post I made back in 2020) yet is beyond me. Well not really as it's to be expected and probably just he top of the iceberg. Talent point reset No idea what "technical reason" may be causing the need to do this but whatever. It will need to be redone again in a few months anyway. Asking players to respec with no UX/UI to make this as painless as possible would be terrible so please add: Copy trained talent tree to clipboard (or text file) Paste from clipboard to queue Apply TP from pool to queue
  4. I'd say NMS proved you wrong. And Albion online had a very shaky launch too.. now, 7 years later they stil up and running, doing fine. In general I'd say it's more how well the studio deals wit hte inevitable issues at launch, not the event itself.
  5. I'd disagree While yes, player pop is currently low, if not very low, NQ would set themselves up for a better chance of gaining traction early on post release if they wipe as, correct or not, the PERCEPTION of a level playing field will support that happening. Obviously, if NQ just does the wipe and then follow up with.. being NQ .. nothing will change and they will see the exact same thing happen as 2-3 weeks after beta start, a sharp decline in server pop. The wipe should be a starting point and NQ must stay alert and follow up with actions to retain players after that or they will fail to do so. My fear is that this is exactly what will happen. On the other hand, once the wipe happens, we, as the existing player community need to stop bickering and bitching about the wipe and start growing our presence in game, bringing along the new players as we go. If that does not happen and the current player base just rushes in and continues their "everyone in their ow little bubble" kind of attitude, the game will also run into trouble and this time it will be on us. So, this is a two-edged sword for sure, but it starts with the wipe and from there, each side (NQ and us) needs to do their part for the game to have a fighting chance. And because this is how I view the chances for DU, I'd prefer to know when the wipe will happen as quickly as possible so that we can start preparing and set up an "out of game" framework to allow us to support new players as they come in. In that however, I do not expect NQ to have the realisation this would be beneficial to them and the game unfortunately.
  6. I would not say "upcoming" for anything NQ has mention they are "working on" All we know is that NQ has said that the next major patch .. is release. I would expect to not see much, if any, changes between now and that patch beyond maybe some minor tweaks and fixes. On top of that I can't see NQ do any work on further enhancements until they have some sort of financial security allowing them to do so. For now, I think that scaling up again for release and maintaining that to the point where the numbers they will need can have a good experience is going to be enough of a challenge for NQ.
  7. When Hrafnkell Oskarsson left NQ so quickly many of us saw that as a first major signal something was not going so well. He was probably the one person capable of seeing through the warped reality bubble JC was projecting at the time. When you add to that the fact that a pretty substantial portion of the creative team left around the time of the kickstarter and most of them moved to the same studio developing under the Ubisoft umbrella, a picture starts to emerge..
  8. I'm pretty sure the early pitch revolved around how the server tech and voxel engine would unlock the metaverse and generate opportunity for NQ to lease the tech as a service, I am pretty sure NQ was shooting to be a competitor to the then very hot Spatial OS. Knowing the way JC overpromised on pretty much everything, it is not unlikely he managed to secure the funding and seeing how he and the owner of the main VC were high school buddies, personal factors may also have played a role. Problem is that the entire core of NQ's voxel engine and server tech was based on early 2000's ideas and theory, it was already outdated by the time the initial work started and both technology and other companies caught up with NQ very quickly. In the hopes of maybe eventually recouping some of the investment, the VC pretty much were then forced into being investors in the game rather that the technology as the house of cards JC built pretty much came crashing down in 2020. I honestly do not see how NQ will be able to make DU a viable and sustainable product. The pieces they have are just too rough and unfinished to stand a chance. IMO, only if an experienced publisher like say Coffeestain got involved somehow and started pushing development in a direction that would make sense could I see DU survive for more than a very optimistic year or two past release. And even then, NQ will need another 8-figure funding round to come in.
  9. While true, because of the many "safeties" build into the game and the many supportive mechanics and features allowing anyone to travel anywhere (outside of maybe wormholes) and pretty much know what is happening around them, EVE pretty much puts you in control of the amount of risk you are willing to take and will provide means and support to mitigate that risk at pretty much every step. DU has none of that. I've said this before, in EVE I would spend most of my time in null and wormhole space because that is where my activities are and the rewards of these are such that, even when I consider the occasional loss, it's still massively profitable. DU has none of that. In EVE, my activities in null or WH space pay well, they allow me to support my gameplay and enable me to not ever paying a subscription for gametime with $$. At the same time, what I do delivers high tier materials to market which are bought by industrialists who in turn build the modules and ships from the materials I sell to feed into the people playing a more PVP focussed game style. DU has none of that. Now, EVE has had many, many years of time to evolve and was released in a very different time. That said though, NQ is clearly trying to kickstart an EVE style MMO but forgot to add the crucial underlying and interconnecting mechanics and features which tie the top-level ones together. Many of which have been pointed out by a good few backers pretty much from the get go but were not once acknowledged by NQ.. not surprising obviously, but it's what happened.
  10. I hope you realize this makes no sense at all right? While yes, retaining core BPs will retain the ELEMENT buffs the construct has, it will not maintainthe PLAYER buffs which really are as, if not more important. And only retaining core blueprints actually AIDS the designers and builders as they do not need to redo their work and can start selling again as soon as they either get the materials or players have been able to build up their bank accounts again. NQ has already been clear that CORE blueprints will be persistent across the wipe as well. Of course players whould not be able to retain the ships or blueprints they previously bought. You can only have core blueprints if you are the construct creator or if the construct is DRM free.. Frankly.. what you on?. You make very little sense, so please.. just sit down already.
  11. I have never said I was against that, in fact I believe it needs to happen once the right mechanics are in the game. Difference between you and me it seems, is that I see removal of these as a result of progreess in game design while for you it is what you need to make the world burn.
  12. While I can see the purpose for PVP combat in a game like DU, IMO it is not what NQ has allowed to evolve. I agree with most of what OP says and I'd add that from that could follow conflicts can arise between player groups organically. Over territory, supply lanes, remote high value sites, strategic locations etc. Player groups would use diplomacy and negotiation to settle these and only if these fail and there are no options left the "military" option could be put in play. Pretty much, the game is designed to follow "normal" lines of how these things would go. Yes, of course there would be "pirates" and small groups of bandits which is fine too, your average organisation would be able to counter that with some effort but never needed excessive or massive force. That idea has all but abandoned because NQ is unable to design a game which accommodates this due to their very limited vision and their tendency to not be able to make tough calls and say no. There is a saying that if you try to please everyone, you please no one but if you design what you feel is right, then in general a good many people will follow and appreciate what you are doing. NQ can't make up their mind about what kind of game DU should be and they do a bit of this, a bit of that and in the end do not finish anything. The core idea of the game was good and had NQ chosen a path to follow and stick to it, creating pillars in the game which all serve the game and not become a goal in and of itself, DU would be a different game now. It's a shame as the potential and promise were always there, NQ just never really saw it or choose to ignore it. And the recent podcasts and half-baked attempts at PR and trying to justify pushing a massive part of what was pitched as the base game (well) beyond "release" is not helping.
  13. The answer was laughable. The argumentation flawed. So, loading one XL core would equal the cost of loading 8 L cores, so? By not providing XL cores while players clearly ask for them you force players to build multicore constructs which means a few things: it's risky It's cumbersome It directly impacts the number of constructs other players can load in depending on their settings Quite honestly, if an XL core actually takes 8x the resources to load in than the same construct on 8 L cores then I’d say the way NQ has designed this is not done very well. For one, the voxels are meshed and effectively 1 XL mesh should really load faster than 8 L meshes PLUS loading elements on one XL core should also be faster. Did NQ consider that players who have set their core count to load at 100 core will see half a ship if there is 98 cores on grid and a multicore constructs enters the area? How would that work? It is _EASY_ to provide for XL cores to be viable: Can't be used in multicore designs has a limited element count Can only be used in space Only limited number of XL cores per player/org NQ has said XL cores are possible, so why does NQ not communicate"OK, so we could do XL cores but with these conditions/limitations" and see what the community says, as in you know.. maybe actually engage with us to get proper feedback? How difficult can this be, I mean really.. NQ never thinks in solutions, they never think in options which could achieve an objective, in conditions under which an option would work. It's always what they can't do, what would be a negative impact on performance, what would be a lot of work. Generally, NQ always tries to create reasons to not do something. It is this attitude which has caused the game to be where it is. Not setting correct priorities and spending to much time on debating/arguing excuses to not do something.
  14. They will know because it will be announced and marketed as such. The wipe and a subsequent "head start" period is a marketing tool to get as many people as possible to sign up with what probably will be multi month subscriptions to get as much money as possible in the door at release. A wipe, followed by a period of head start is always going to be attractive for many. It will probably include a special deal for beta key holders who will lose access at the point of wipe and so will need to sub if they want to stay. Beta key holders get early access at wipe when take a 6-month sub. New players can sub for a year to get in at the wipe and 6 months to get in halfway the head start, probably with a smal extra discount on the first period. And the money will come in as many will fall for this.
  15. "there is some cool things about player markets" .. no NQ, it was part of the Kickstarter pitch as coming to the game and has been on the roadmap pretty much until the second to last one. Problem is that you implemented markets is a way that is cheap and risky as the M15 debacle exposed quite painfully. And the fact that you clearly have not bothered to actually start work on getting this to players is at best disapointing. And then the answer on the energy system _directly_ contradiscts the Creative DIrector's "letter" which set up energy as coming. It's good to know that NQ will be opening up DAC to RMT .. It will offer a decent path for many to recoup the pledge made 5 years ago. What is interesting is that it sounds like there is no plan to make Quanta an item you can sell on the markets, just trade for goods.. oh dear.. Goldsellers will have a field day with this one, not to mention this may wel imply that DAC can be lost as it must be kept in inventory or in a container.. Overall once more it feels like one part of NQ is pretending like there is no release a few months away and just keeps babbeling on as if you are stil lin Alpha stage of development.. but wait.. you actually are.. And release is just a label you will stick on what you have now to try and make enough money to actually complete the game. The more you say, the more concerned I am this is not going to end well.
  16. The game has barely enough players to hold Alien cores and a handful try to fight.. You want to ensure this game is dead before it really starts? Then this would certainly have a good chance of achieving that. There is plenty of space for those who want to engage in combat to do so. DU is not a "PVP above all else game", in fact quite the opposite. If what you suggest would happen it would probably drive away the vast majority of remaining players as a handful of pewpew trigger happy ones will go around destroying whatever they find in their way without reason or recourse. It's just amazing to me how some will keep trying to force their choice of gameplay, regardless of their choice being perfectly fine, on everyone else.
  17. NQ is of the mindset that "an MMO is never really finished", which for them means that hey can just push half a game and try to complete the base game as they go. I can almost guarantee that NQ will use the above excuse once the criticism arrives about the game not being "finished". They do not seem to realize yet, or not care about, the given that the reviewers and YT "professional game commentators" will trash the game if it is released in its current state, which is what seems to be the plan. The comments will be like "8 years in the making, Novaquakrk delivers something which barely passes for a game in Dual Universe, here is why .." And from there all the stuff missing form the base game will be listed and where all the stuff promised for release but at this time "planned with no ETA". This game is not even close to ready for a release but I expect NQ has no choice in the matter anymore.. Maybe someone will pick it up from the ashes after a few months or maybe it will go open source.. Although, that might just reveal how bad things really are. Anyway, still confident we'll know what happens in 8-10 weeks from now. We will probably not be at release then but we will have the "release Candidate", at least on PTS
  18. Let's try and stay fair here.. He said that while it has issue, on the occasions it works, it is really enjoyable and fun. The one doing the "mental gymnastics" here to try and validate their opinion is really you..
  19. No idea, I just know that happened and it caused them to close down.
  20. The problem with another global wipe is twofold: Money has been taken from many for two years now which can't just be ignored At several times NQ has made a clear statement they would NOT do another global wipe again unless absolutely needed. Would I personally be bothered by another full wipe? No, if that would happen, I'd be fine and just start over, even if that also meant no blueprints. I agree that even on a complete reset, backers and beta key holder will have a massive advantage, knowing the game well and especially if some group up they will bounce back and get ahead from the rest very quickly. Do I think NQ has the option? Well sure, technically they do. But the fallout and potentially long-lasting bad rep it would result in may not be what NQ is looking for. Effectively, having existing player retain talent points to respec will not have the massive negative effect on new players some seem to think, I've shown the math on that several times now and it’s just not there. In fact, new players will greatly benefit from this as they join orgs with such players. And herein lies one of my points about he "internal discussion" NQ keeps bringing up. I can absolutely see them consider these options around the wipe and I can see how making the choices needed can take time and be difficult. I can't however see how the choice between "wipe yes/no" is still a thing because if it were, the consideration of the first point would not be given the time it needs as we're very quickly approaching release at this time.
  21. I have at several times said that I believe that if NQ would push the combat aspect in DU more towards a strategic mechanic and less an action based one that it would benefit the game as a whole. It was always the intent for the game to be the sum of it's parts with no single "major" pillar. That said, some pillars are easier to make work than others and as it stands pillars like Exploration and RPG really are not present in game at all because the core game does not provide the means for these to become an active part in the game. Industry work but is very "flat", it has no depth in that everything is on one level and there is no way to extend that right now. There would be ways to do so but NQ seems uninterested in even exploring these options. A good start would be to fix the schematic mechanic. Not by removing it but by making it an actual integral part of the game like I suggested HERE Mining has been reduced to a numbers game, there is asteroids sure, but the main mining mechanic does not interact with the environment at all, it is purely an "in the UI" mechanics, likely driven by the lack of funding to support bandwidth server side. Economy is mostly dead because bots drive the markets, people complain that T2/T3 materials are near or at T1 levels and that is only because T1 is being kept where it is by the bots. These need to go. If NQ would expose market data through API, it would bring in a whole new gameplay option which would fit the "excel warrior" well PVP is really the weak link for me though. A big problem here is that it appears many combat focussed players seem to not want to be part of the game itself, they just want their pewpew and with that want access to as much of the game as possible, regardless of how that would impact players who think and play differently. And that is a dangerous slope. NQ seems to try and desperately shoehorn combat into the game where it really doesn’t fit and with it is skewing the game as a whole.
  22. Actually no, they did not. JC said "IF you want to cal lthis a soft launch then sure..", which is not exactly the same thing. And here also lies the problem which spans across al of this, NQ refusing to take anysort of accountability or ownership of their actions and always pointing at "reasons", "circumstances" or others. For a moment that seemd to change in April last year when they posted the three devblogs as they kind of did admit mistakes were made in the first two but then went right ahead and fell back to their usual self in the third.
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