Kiklix

I think of myself as Chaotic Good in real life - with the example given in D&D being Robin Hood.
One of the key elements of Chaotic is having an aversion to rules/order/law. One of the key elements of Good is high regard for life.
I typically avoid joining groups that list rules.
 
I joined COPS because I know Kiklix from Landmark, I've always admired his spaceship designs and I'm looking forward to funneling resources his way to help him create some cool ships in DU.
I'm thrilled to see so many people I know from Landmark here in the forums and glad several of them are joining or allying with COPS.
(The only person from the Landmark forums I don't consider a friend is Thrasy).
 
Labels aside, I'm pleasantly surprised to see our values aligned...
Freedom fighter, lone wolf, play by own rules...
I expect to subvert the economy by handing out a bunch of free stuff (my experience is that players are generally greedy when it comes to setting prices)
Traveling on a multi-crew ship with the members we have seems like it will be a lot of fun. 

​Cops has been disbanded. Sorry for wasting your time. This was a lone decision by Kiklix and does not reflect the other legate lady astrum nor the members.
 
 
​The following are the answers to why COPS has been disbanded.
 
Drama:  Certain populous organizations and their legate have been concocting rumors about COPS. Legates from other some what populous organizations have made assumptions about COPS and presented these as facts. In every case these people are wrong and only serve to create drama. There is no reason for all the hate I have received and COPS has received. I am done 'playing' with a community full of children.
 
​EDIT: Removed this section due to clarification by Novaquark.
​
​​I would like to thank everyone who made the decision to join cops. I am sorry it could not pan out. I wish you all well, I wish Novaquark the best.
 

 
 
 
COPS - Coalition Of Pirates & Smugglers.   The arkships landed. We woke anew, scared, unsure. Groups formed, factions aligned. Power corrupted. For all the efforts to save our species, the millennia we traveled, we reverted almost instantly back to that old human nature. Not even extinction could change our habits, our instinct.   We have all been there. Watching and witnessing the mega-corporations metastasize and feed off the livelihood of the less fortunate. Class warfare, poverty, slavery...being forced to work by some clown sitting at the top of his ivory tower barking commands. I’ve had enough of it, most likely so have you. It’s time to break from those chains and live a free life. It ain’t easy, ain’t too much glory, but it’s honest (for the most part) and fair.  We are a coalition, a collaboration,  a consortium, a conspiracy, a communion,  a clan, a crew, a club, a confederation, a confederacy collecting cohorts connected, conjoined, combining efforts to be a free people, free from tyranny, terror and totalitarianism.       WHAT IT'S LIKE:   Ever want to pilot the Millenium Falcon? Ever dream to have a crew who works together like Firefly? You want to be that solo guy who searches for bounties like Boba Fett and his Slave I?   This is how we dream to play and we intend to play this way. However Dual may require efforts from a  larger group. If this is true, we just want to have a system in place so that people can come together to fullfill their visions. We want solo play, but under the safety net of a larger organization.     WHAT WE ARE NOT:   ​We are NOT GRIFERS. COPS are pirates, smugglers, outcasts, ninjas, mercenaries in the ROLE play sense, NOT in the griefing sense.  
THE BREAKDOWN:   • Enrollment: Some will get invited, some will inquire. If you want to be part of a free alliance just ask.
• Primary language: English and gibberish.
• Timezone: Only mega corps keep up with time.
• Goal:  Solo or co-op gameplay within a larger group. We all like to do our own thing, but somtimes you need to be part of something larger or you will get left behind.  
COPS is an organization created and designed to bring together like minded people who prefer to play solo without constraints of typical guild requirements (be here on X day, at Y time to raid Z...ya its tiresome).  We realize people have limited time to play and that real life takes place first. That being said, Dual Universe looks like this might be a game where cooperation and collaberation are keys to success. If we find this to be true, there might be more expected collaborative gamplay required. We don’t want to force anything on anyone, but just ask people to step up if it is required to do so.  In the end it’s not about making a large guild rich, its about making sure your needs are met, our mutal needs are met. We endevor to create an enviroment where co-op game play is actually fun and rewarding.    
SO WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?   • Security: Safety in numbers.
• Community: A network of people to work together with if so desired.
• Freedom: Free to play your way but with the undertanding that freedom requires effort and work. There will be times we need to work together, its the only way to keep an alliance strong.
• A Trade network. Not sure how Dual is going to work with trade, but within a group there will be communication lines. We will be able to trade with each other and help keep our alliance strong.
• Veteran ship builders: We have members who have crafted some of the finest voxel ships to ever exist.  Our fleet will impress, this I can promise.
• Veteran home builders: We have members who have crafted some of the finest voxel sci-fi mega structures to exist. Our home world wont look like a cut rate hostel.
• PVP: Lets face it, even if you only care for PVE, PVP might and will happen at some point. If you intend to fly in a ship, once you are out of the ark safe zone, pvp will happen. We intend to create smart ship designs that will help to ensure pvp victories, but you will need to know how to fly it.
• PVE: We know some people have no interest in PVP. Hopefully we can get a civilization started with trade, harvesters, crafters etc. It’s good to have folks who specialize in these categories.
• Exploring: It’s at the heart of Dual Universe, of course we will explore!
• If i can be done in Dual, we intend on experiencing that content in one way or another.  
GOVERNMENT:   Don’t really intend on having some massive over inflated group of power hungry people running the show. I have no interest in that, however there does need to be a head or some form. Castles have kings, homes have breadwinners. Even a pack of wolves looks to their Alpha. I intend on holding the main key of power or have it distributed among a very close group of friends. Those who know me know I fight tooth and nail for the little guy, for honesty and integrity. I have no intent on telling you how to play or what to do...but internal conflicts will occur and those will need to be resolved. We want everyone to be happy and to play together...its the best recipe for success. 
   
If COPS sounds like a style of gamplay that you find appealing, speak to Kiklix or LadyAstrum.
 

I personally do not see the need for slaves in a game that takes place 10,000+ years in the future. Could we have robots to do some of the labor, sure..but not humans.

I like the idea of having to eat, because I eat in real life and I like it.

I don't think that's true.
 
I would bet that at any point in history no matter what level of technology is available, it would probably cost more to buy a human and keep them healthy and alive, then it would to acquire available technology that is capable of doing the same job.  If there isn't any technology available then there's nothing to compare.
 
And as a game mechanic it's just a bad idea for obvious reasons.

That is an easy answer. I have come across countless numbers of people who prefer to play solo in MMO's. The reason they like the MMO atmosphere is because the MMO worlds feel alive with real people running around. Single player games do not offer this. People essentially want to be around other people even if they are not interacting with them. Essentially it bolsters immersion.
 
It's no different than going out on a Friday night to a dinner and movie with a significant other or a buddy.

They also said that there was going to be a vacation for everyone from july into august. So my money is on gameplay footage!

I like the idea of having to eat, because I eat in real life and I like it.

I believe they announced a couple weeks ago that we would see game play footage before the end of July.

Personally I would delete the video. That guy is not worth any of our time nor deserves the views as he cares nothing about facts.
 
Did Novaquark import a mesh: Yes. E3 came up fast and they needed to make a video. A hand built voxel ship can take months to build. Note the picture below. This took me a total of about 3 months with all the materials already farmed. Also note,  they still had to hand polish the mesh because the fine details did not take.
 
Does this mean that we can't make ships as cool as  the one shown in the video? No, we can make way cooler ships and buildings.
 
Is Novaquark being misleading in that video? Yes, only because the imported mesh does not even come close to showing what will be achievable in game. Players will make ships that make that mesh model look junky, I have no doubt about this absolutely NO doubt!
 
Why did they use a mesh? Because every tool that places voxels in the game is a mesh. When you place a cube, its a mesh of a cube. When you make a blueprint, its a mesh of your voxel build. When you place a sphere, its a mesh of a sphere. This is how they are able to make tools that scale up or down. There is nothing subversive about using a mesh in the game.
 
​The fact that bluedrake42 had to make fun of Nyzaltars English is proof of the immaturity this person exudes. Novaquark is from France, last I checked they speak French. I guarantee everyone on these forums that Nyzaltars English is 100000000x better than Bluedrake42's French.
 
 

 

LOL!
 
On a more serious note though, I checked out the Facebook page for Dual Universe and it's pretty cool, but there doesn't appear to be a DU Group.  The advantage of groups on Facebook is that all of the members get notified every time there's an update.  I can set one up if it's OK with the devs... 

We are not a hoax.

Yes seems a sure thing that it will be gameplay footage, and that's certainly what I'm looking forward to seeing. I'm about ready to gain insight into something tangible that I can observe and develop a stronger sense of the game.
 
This will be an exciting next step.

Hi,
 
I know that DU is not planned to be easy, and scripting will be irremovable part of game mechanic. It is something cool... but write hundreds lines of code can be bothersome task for non-programmer players; beside this, scripting is quite boring in form (you know - lines and lines of numbers and letters, nothing fancy).
 
So. Maybe we can made scripting mini-game itself and give it some interesting graphical interface, easier to understand by "normals"? Of course "text hard mode" will be always available as second option  and even "graphical programming" can have less options than text one, like "beginner" and "veteran" versions
 
I not talk about simplification of programming language itself, but more about some kind of GUI/IDE for that - with auto-complete and - most important - easy graphical interface like "blocks" of code for building apps. I know at last two projects, which use this kind of editors ; LEGO Mindstorm and Scratch. Here are pictures of programs build in them:
 
[sCRATCH]
 

 
[LEGO]
 

 
EDT: Here is wiki about this style of programming. And you can even use some like this for LUA, too!
 

 
In my opinion it will decrease "starting cost" for lot of people, and it can be even inspiration for someone for start learn "true" programming
 
Toughs?

I believe they announced a couple weeks ago that we would see game play footage before the end of July.

We are not a hoax.

We are not a hoax.

I don't understand the need for currency and banking. Why would anyone trade one item for another when all they have to do is take what they want?

1: The devblog specifically states we will be able to build in safe zones. That's the primary reason for having safe zones. Two of the options for the safe zones are open world. One of the safe zone options is to build in a virtual sim.
Can't design without building. It's possible that the constructs built in the virtual sim won't be able to leave the virtual sim, but that's really meaningless when we're talking about ships. Just need to have the resources and the blueprint.
 
2: Your usage of "best" appears to be "cookie-cutter, flavor of the month". But that is still subjective... even if there is a majority consensus. 
Your cosmetic example is completely irrelevant. Parameters which will effect perceptions of "best" will include weapons, shielding, speed, fuel-efficiency, engineering, life-support, scanning/communications, cloaking, etc. And those will be based on a variety of parameters, such as advanced character skills and discoveries of new elements - as well as player LUA scripting. Different orgs are going to be more interested in some systems than others. Orgs focused on exploration may have weapons lowest on their hierarchy and upgrade weapons by trading or purchasing them from other orgs rather than designing weapons systems themselves. Exploration orgs may also develop or discover the best designs for cloaking and scanning. While battle-focused orgs develop and discover the best designs for weapons and shielding.
 
So, it's not really about the "best" ships. The best systems will be objective. Some org will have designs for the most powerful weapons or the strongest shielding. But some other org may have the designs for most fuel-efficient engines, most powerful scanners or most powerful cloaking devices. That's what people will be buying and selling - along with ships and designs that have a variety of configurations of those systems.
It may also be that we will discover designs from a variety of alien races that people will want put on the market. Seems likely since there will be alien ruins.
 
a} Many people don't care enough about rock, paper, scissors for that to be a factor determining what is best. If they love rocks, rocks will always be best. That's an aspect of roleplaying that is different than competitive gaming. For instance, my Ice Wizard in NWO only uses Ice spells. Doesn't matter if a particular Repel spell is more powerful than a particular Ice spell because Ice fits my character's theme, interests and personality while Repel doesn't. Roleplaying always trumps combat, so in that case Ice spells are always better than Repel spells. Repel spells have no value for that character.
 
b}  If a character in DU is a peacenik, carebear who refuses to use weapons, weapons have no value for that character. A ship with no weapons will always be better than a ship with weapons.
But the examples that will be more common is those peacenik explorers for whom weapons have had low value may find them selves in a predicament where they suddenly want/need to upgrade their weapons and they don't have anyone in the org who has sufficient weapon skills to build those upgrades.
Likewise, an org that had a low value on stealth may find themselves in a predicament where they have to rely on cloaking to successfully maneuver through a hostile solar system, but they don't have Builders with sufficient skills in cloaking to provide the needed cloaking devices.
 
c} "Simple enough" is unlikely to really be a thing.
People are going to want better systems that support their interests.
"Good enough" will very likely be a thing. As in some people will think that a ship with maximum speed, maximum cloaking and minimal weapons is "good enough for now". And good enough that it actually is considered to be best for now, especially if they are peacenik, carebears.
Some people will think that superfast, fuel-efficient solo scout ships are the best - some people will think that battlecruisers with the most powerful weapons are the best.
Rather than rock, paper, scissors - it will generally be the arms race of better rock, better rock, better rock (where the rock is a specific system like weapons or engines)
 
3: There really is no "meta" for "good" ship. What there is in many MMOs is a consensus of a cookie-cutter, flavor-of-the-month, best-in-slot build (for combat). I don't believe that really applies in voxel games. And won't apply with the kinds of designs we'll have from players and devs in Dual Universe.
But, even so... you may tell me that you have a ship available that is good because it has the most powerful weapons, heavy-duty shields, decent speed, decent fuel-efficiency but no cloaking.
If I'm a peacenik, carebear explorer who refuses to use weapons and who relies on maximum speed and the most powerful cloaking to survive, your ship is not a good ship from my perspective. Because what I value as good is different than what you value as good.
 
Where your org is focused on the most glorious military battles and my org is focused on the most knowledgeable exploration, our Builders will very likely have very different skill sets. As unpredictable challenges arise, we may need to rely on each other in order to meet that challenge. 
 
Bottom line is: there will be ample opportunity for people to buy and sell and trade - because there will be a constant flow of new discoveries from different individuals and different orgs. And those discoveries will have significant impact on how we navigate through the game... as opposed to simply building constructs that look nice, but don't actually do anything.
 
 
And...I'm done.
You can have the last word if you want.

Rule #1 - No using huge pink fonts on the forums.
 
Rule #2 - See rule #1
 

I couldn't have said it better Dhara! *raises a glass to the lady smuggler*

Anrachy? More like freedom fighters with cause. Anarchy is only our chosen tool of trade, not ideology itself

This made me laugh really hard.   Thank you 

1: It is relevant to what you were saying. You stated that we cannot build in safe zones. The devblogs state that we will be able to build in safe zones - the safe zones are specifically for Builders to be able to build without being interrupted by pvp. Constructs will remain in the safe zones until the Builders move them out of the safe zone... or until the safe zone is deactivated. Builders are unlikely to remain in safe zones forever - they will likely want to travel to other locations for advanced resources, etc. And, whenever they move to a new location, they will have to create a new safe zone. Yes.
 
2: Best is still going to be relative. 10 blocks may be perceived as best to some and not best to others - 2 thrusters and 1 pilot seat do not indicate "best". That just indicates personal preference. You may prefer to pilot alone, I may prefer to co-pilot. But, again, those cosmetic designs won't be what determines "best" for individuals. Personal interests will be what determines "best" in terms of ship design and those will be subjective.
Some people may perceive speed to be "best" while others perceive fuel efficiency to be "best". The Builders who are great at maximizing speed in their designs may not be in the same org as the Builders who excel at maximizing fuel efficiency.
 
3: You may not be comparing fighters with exploration ships; but organizations will be. If the org decides they want some of their fighters to have greater speed than what their Builders are capable of creating, they will have to find some means to obtain those designs. They may have to people outside of their org.
If the Builders who maximize speed demand payment for their designs.
 
4: Well, hopefully, the engineers will need to have some player understanding of how to fit the conduit elements together and advanced character engineering skills. Perhaps a bit of LUA knowledge and perhaps a decent amount of voxelmancy.

COPS was formed by people who enjoy their freedom but recognise the need to work together for strength, security and a sense of brotherhood/sisterhood. All in all, it's meant to be good fun.
 
No decisions were made in Landmark. Yes we have some prolific Landmark builders amongst us, but surprisingly some of us butted horns a little in Landmark, yet find friendship and newly forming bonds here in Dual. I'm very happy about that, and makes me feel pretty excited.