Hi there,
Just a quick clarification about the safe zones:
The safe zones (and not only the one from the start) will be all 100% safe.
This is one of the things that are non negotiable and this is a necessity for obvious reasons.
1) As the resources won't regenerate over time and with the community growing over the years, the Safe Zone from the start will not answer to the criteria Novaquark has in mind for the people who don't want to join the PvP. For many months, the communication has been "there will be zoneS for those not interested in PvP activities".
2) To help players spreading accross the galaxy, having safe relay point will be necessary. Why? you'll find the reasons below.
3) NPC space stations are the equivalent of Safe Zones 100% safe in EvE Online.
You have NPC space stations everywhere in New Eden: HighSec, LowSec and NullSec. That's not a coincidence.
It's an implicit protection from griefing. Without these NPC Stations, this would make trade absolutely impossible for freelance or small corporations outside highsec market hubs like Jita. Only huge alliances and/or coalitions that would roam in areas like the NullSec would survive: why trade with freelancers and small corporations when they can't find any safe haven in the nearest solar systems? It would be easier, faster and more lucrative to crush them with raw firepower then take what they want. Counting on the fact that big coalitions would have a reasonable approach of the problem would just be utopia.
@CaptainTwerkMotor:
Well then, I encourage you to read how war declaration mechanics work in EVE Online. Wars start, last a few weeks or months and end, despite having safe zones everywhere.
Please, do not make such statement when the source you are referring to was just possible ideas, not even firmly confirmed. There will be soon more information giving the clear differences between Safe Zones, Protection Bubbles and Shields in another topic.
Again, make the difference between what you would like and what is planned.
It was never planned to have a post-apocalyptic wasteland once you leave the Arkship Safe Zone.
There will be vast areas for PvP conflicts, large-scale battles and territory control. But there will be also many safe zones in order to give some space to the players not interested in PvP. Regarding the possible abuse of using Safe Zones to gain a PvP advantage, we have some ideas to discourage this, to make Safe Zones unappealing for PvP strategies. This topic will be developed later as well.
If it's not clear enough, Dual Universe has never been announced as a 100% PvP-oriented game.
The Arkship safe zone isn't meant to be just a newbie zone.
