Morand

I watched the tutorial for the interactive elements and I have some questions and suggestions for them:
Why do you need relays for multiple links? Why can't buttons output more than one link?
NOR block: Why can't buttons and other interactive elements get an "invert output/input" option?
Logic blocks: It would be very helpful for complex logic set-ups to have one logic block, where you can set up the whole logic inside. Or is this possible with Lua?
Counter block: Why not one box with an option (simple value) to set the counter? The current setting with several blocks looks very cumbersome...
 
Is it possible to swap a block without breaking the links?

I came across this article tonight, it sounds like Dual Universe had a spot on the radio, which is pretty awesome to me. 

There's even a pretty good 30-minute long interview attached (scroll past the first video) 
 
https://radio.foxnews.com/2017/10/13/mmorpg-dual-universe-makes-big-promises/

 

I just made a new desk for my computer, but i measured wrong and it can't fit up the stairs... Oh well, I guess it can just go in the Dining room... I cut this tree down in my front yard, and because it looked so cool, i learned how to make stuff!

 

This topic is only about design, not production, and I agree with most of the points on the 1st post.
 
This game want to be hard for everyone, but it want to be realistic as well. And you can't think that build an entire ship from scratch with real materials is realistic.
Today, engineers are designing full products in 3D on computers before to start building it to ensure that the building phase will cost as little as possible. In the future, you can be 100% sûre this approach will be the same, even more in DU if you have to hire many people to defend your shipyard.
 
Having a kind of "Holo deck" in DU with no material cost and no real matter is a realistic and good solution for designers, and it doesn't remove the difficulty to design, nor to build. And it is also a good way to allow multiple people to work on the same project (equivalent as the actual system).
 
Another good point about this system, since matter is only photons, is that you could anytime unload a project from a "holo deck" to load another one. So multiple team could work in the same "holo deck" at different hours.

This topic is only about design, not production, and I agree with most of the points on the 1st post.
 
This game want to be hard for everyone, but it want to be realistic as well. And you can't think that build an entire ship from scratch with real materials is realistic.
Today, engineers are designing full products in 3D on computers before to start building it to ensure that the building phase will cost as little as possible. In the future, you can be 100% sûre this approach will be the same, even more in DU if you have to hire many people to defend your shipyard.
 
Having a kind of "Holo deck" in DU with no material cost and no real matter is a realistic and good solution for designers, and it doesn't remove the difficulty to design, nor to build. And it is also a good way to allow multiple people to work on the same project (equivalent as the actual system).
 
Another good point about this system, since matter is only photons, is that you could anytime unload a project from a "holo deck" to load another one. So multiple team could work in the same "holo deck" at different hours.

This topic is only about design, not production, and I agree with most of the points on the 1st post.
 
This game want to be hard for everyone, but it want to be realistic as well. And you can't think that build an entire ship from scratch with real materials is realistic.
Today, engineers are designing full products in 3D on computers before to start building it to ensure that the building phase will cost as little as possible. In the future, you can be 100% sûre this approach will be the same, even more in DU if you have to hire many people to defend your shipyard.
 
Having a kind of "Holo deck" in DU with no material cost and no real matter is a realistic and good solution for designers, and it doesn't remove the difficulty to design, nor to build. And it is also a good way to allow multiple people to work on the same project (equivalent as the actual system).
 
Another good point about this system, since matter is only photons, is that you could anytime unload a project from a "holo deck" to load another one. So multiple team could work in the same "holo deck" at different hours.

First I want to gather distance from what has been raised already: creative mode and the like. I have searched and found the "Creative Mode" thread and while it kinda addresses the same issue, I consider it another "game mode" that would be separate from the "real" universe (ehem... just let me use the term "real" without quotes from now on - don't slap me).
 
Atelier? Holo Deck? Holo Dock? Holo Shipyard?
I guess I don't need to describe the atelier (holo deck) in detail - you all know the Star Trek Holo Deck, where people can create a holographic illusion that they can even interact with, or take damage from if security protocols have been disabled - it looks and feels real, but really is just an illusion/projection within a limited area.
 
What makes this different from Creative Mode?
Applied to Dual Universe and the role of ship designer it would mean that the designer could start by building a first atelier (static construct) which may be rather small, but lets him create concepts of dynamic constructs that fit into the room. I think the Star Trek Holo Deck is infinitely large when switched on, but this would create a "seperate world/instance" within the real world of DU and I think that would imply many issues and players hiding in a tiny spot that inside might be huge. Don't know.
 
Second reason why I think the atelier should be just as big as the inside of the construct: designers would start small and work their way up. As this is a game and you probably aim for some kind of progression, it would be sensible to not have the one week old player design a Star Destroyer (executor- or eclipse-class, hehe) in his tiny 3x3m atelier.
 
Third reason: it's a building in the real world, visible by other players. It adds prestige, too. It's where your company works and where other players (friends, clients) may be granted access and look at your progress.
 
But how on Alioth would one fit an executor class star destroyer into a building that has to fit into a TCU tile!?
Good thing you ask! Because you don't and because you shouldn't. Two reasons:
You don't really want to have ships of this size equipped with atmospheric thrusters to launch from a planet. Once the designer progresses to a point where he could build something like this, he'd have his own space dock - he'd have his own "holo atelier shipyard", where giant rails run along starboard/backboard, topside/keel, bow/stern, which mount projector equipment to get the planning phase done.  
Resources/Maintenance?
You'd have to feed the atelier with power to run the projectors - but those projections don't need material as you can't take them away anyways. You might want to secure your endeavours tho as you leave the safe zone to create bigger stuff.
 
More benefits?
you could configure the projector to disable clipping and or reduce opacity you could switch to wireframe, which would be bliss (if you ever created a 3d model using design software, you know it can be hard to track down hidden surfaces that don't serve any purpose, but just bloat your model) you could switch voxels on/off as well as components on/off (easier to link fully enclosed components if no voxels are in the way) you could move, raise or lower the construct without having to worry about gravity you could switch to simulation mode in order to enter a projected cockpit and move some meters around within your atelier - speed off and your character will smash into the wall, while your construct swooshes through it and is gone (so you need to reset relative projection position) you could have guides (lines/planes) projected to your workspace - lines to align stuff and planes to view cross sections or set a mirror plane, without having to calculate double/triple/quad resource cost (as there are no resource costs) everything this device can do for you would neither break the consistent universe, nor have people vanishing into thin air, because they suddenly are in "a different game mode" of course you could still just start building - trial and error, get that thing in the air and all that - but you'd be lacking some tools and it would have the full cost in resources Freedom of Choice! This would be an option to excel at something you love - at the same time it would not be mandatory. Your choice, mate! immersion, immersion, immersion..  
Modularity of design and construction
All holographic constructs would be just that - hollow projections. They would not take up real space. This means you would place your projector/-s, start designing your construct and at the same time you could in fact place the core unit where you just planned it and start building the real thing as if you did a colour by numbers ("Malen nach Zahlen" in German). Your company/organization could take in someone specialized on construction/building, who helps on this process.
 
Projectors would be an asset just like doors or cores or engines - they would need players to build them, they would need resources to be built, they could have limited projection capacities in "supported construct dimension and/or volume" - again this means scalability - this means progressing through the game - this means having something to achieve, to work for. The largest stuff doesn't come cheap, but the biggest XXL of projectors coult have clustering capability, so you could connect it with other XXL projectors to create the giant holo shipyard atelier I mentioned above.
 
Final statement
I'm not 100% sure if I thought of everything - but seeing the threads around creative mode, offline mode, single player stuff, creators needs, clients needs, freelancers needs, and the polarization it sometimes causes, I think this is a direction that could serve the needs of all sides. Designers could create blueprints while they wouldn't vanish from the rest of the world, but be an essential part of it.
 
I did the search - maybe this has been here already? I hope I didn't miss it. Yeah, I've seen the note in the "Creative Mode" thread, that something like this "might" come as an addon after release. No problem with that! It's just an idea and open for discussion. Please, add your thoughts - I'm craving for feedback, as I've got a hunch this could be awesome.
 
Merci pour votre considération.

Ok guys, stop now. This is not going anywhere.
Kind reminder: all time spent on moderating and reading trolls is time not spent on communication and game.
Feeding the trolls is not the smartest idea.
 
Please leave it and find something more useful to do.
 
Regards,
Shadow

If implemented you'd have to balance this quite well so:
 
- only in build mode usable
- shows no players
- can't be used on other players' caves
 
Or, if they go for a more sophisticated scanner (which I would love) then it should be balanced so that
 
- the higher (=more expensive) the scanner, the more info it shows (wider radius, shows players, shows constructs,...)
- players can counter this scanner by building some kind of base equipment

Watch their video on their technology, they invented a dynamic allocation of servers so we all can play in the same world without instances

I don't know why so many songs go so well with this trailer. 

Hi everyone,
 
Here is a (small) overdue update about the Lore:
 
Lore Update (2 Oct. 2017):
 
UMF (United Mankind Federation) becomes UEF (United Earth Federation).  From a Lore point of view, the testing phases including Alpha and Beta stages are considered in the Lore as virtual simulation run by Aphelia while the Alpha Team members are asleep (note: Pre-Alpha stage is not considered as part of the Lore) The in-game money will the “Quanta” (one Quanta, several Quantas). “Novean” is the term to name a passenger of the Arkship “Novark”.  
P.S: regarding potential inconsistency between Nanopack rarity and the way a Player Character is resurrected, it's possible we will go with the solution "By naked, we mean, everything else than what you had before you leaving the Arkship". However, this is still in discussion. We'll keep you informed about the final decision
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

What everyone is saying is 100% [REDACTED]. Anyway, I'll try and give something substantial.
 
Regardless of how the test went on the 23rd, it really couldn't be used as a measure of how things will go on the 30th. It is no secret that there are supposed to be more players, from what is publicly available. Plus, it's common knowledge and sense that the first test was to prepare for the larger one, so the game should be a different version as well.
 
As such, no one knows what game experience everyone will have on the 30th. You have to decide for yourself how worth it it is to you. Are you the type of person that would be really disappointed if you slept through it, then found out later it was amazing? Or are you indifferent? What about if you stayed up, and you hate it; how much would you regret that? Think about your options, measure them up, and decide for yourself. 

I heard from an unnamed ATV member, on an unnamed forum, that...
 

Hello, all!
I am proposing a project for a rather massive structure, gargantuan in scale, design, and function. This project, at its core, is to complete a large, multipurpose space station designed for public utility and financial success. It is, on a higher level, more than a structure, as it is intended to be a realistic effort at achieving a realization of our ideas and projects for grand structures in DU.
 
In keeping with the same spirit of fairness that is displayed by Novaquark with the game itself, the decisions of this space station's purpose/function, as well as its economic produce, will lie in the hands of those who brought it to being: Its builders and investors (hereafter referred to as shareholders). The net profit of the entire station after its completion will be split among its shareholders, either equally or according to merit, with percentages depending on the number of people who end up getting involved, whilst allocating away 10% of the net profit to leave room for future investors and expansions of the station.
 
In regards to the station's architecture: the aesthetic design of the station will be ultimately decided by a consensus of its shareholders, as ideas in this area are not lacking. Certain aspects, such as material availability, cost, and architectural practicality, however, may prevent some design proposals from being possible.
 
Financially, the station will survive on taxes, rent, payments, and/or fees. None of these are requirements, the only requirement being the profit needed for the station's upkeep and the profit desired by its shareholders. The station will allocate 40% gross profit towards physical security (shields, ships, etc), 5% gross profit towards maintenance/repair, and 10% gross profit towards salaries for those who run, guard, and maintain the station, with the remaining 45% being net profit. (These numbers are not final; they only reflect the general idea: security first, then dish out the rest)
 
While the ultimate goals of this station are to be left up to its shareholders, a few key principles accompany this proposal, namely:
 - The Station must remain politically independent
 - The Station must not act as a military factory for any one organization
 - The Station must not provide refuge for trolls or griefers
A few important distinctions: Political independence is not neutrality, the station can not side with any one org in a conflict but very well may militarily aid multiple orgs. A difference has been assumed between pirates and troll/griefers. Whether the station will be unconditionally neutral or politically active, aid many orgs militarily (through manufacturing, supply, and hangar space) or aid none, or provide political sanctuary with no questions asked, is, of course, left up to the consensus of the shareholders. 
 
The name of this station has also been left undecided, as this really is a project for everyone. The decision for naming will be put to a vote.
 
Of course, everyone has many ideas for grand things they want to see in the game. Therein lies the problem: it is very unlikely we will all get opportunities to have our own huge stations and ideas realized and even more unlikely that we will get them exactly as we want. Ultimately, I too want to see some very beautiful and magnificent creations in DU, and I hope that each person or organization who climbs aboard this project can contribute a few of his/her best and most passionate ideas and we can create something that, out of compromise of personal opinion of perfection and mutual contribution of effort, will make future DU players gape at in awe and behold with wonder. I hope we can impress NQ, inspire the rest of the DU community, and fulfill some of our craziest personal space nerd dreams.
 
My role in this project will be to facilitate the discussion (should anyone take interest) and guide the consensus toward practical options if necessary, as well as manage the upkeep of the physical structure upon completion. This project may be my idea, but the idea of this project is to realize ideas from everyone. The economic and political control of the station will remain with the shareholders.
 
The blueprint for the station will (hopefully) be completed before release and I plan to take full advantage of the god mode building in pre-alpha as I'm sure some of you do as well.
 
Let me know what you think of the idea and if you potentially would like to help make it happen! 
 
Thanks for reading it all
 - Sir_Rat
 
 
Outside of the proposal, I personally would love to see the station to serve multiple purposes including, but not limited to, manufacturing, refuge from space pirates for newbies, personal material and ship storage, residential/luxury housing, trading and market hubs, refueling, and hangar space for imperial class vessels, military fleets, and industrial haulers and freighters.
 

Go to the bottom of the page, click on "Theme", choose "Default", then you can like.
Then you can go back to the custom theme because the default one hurts the eyes.

Did you remember this sequence in the August Dev Diary where you couldn't read the CODEX because it was too fast ?
 
Well, now you can !
 
Take your time.
 

 

I feel like a broken record going over these things over and over, so instead, I thought I'd just write up some of the more interesting things I learned at PAX this week. 
 
Now, I certainly am not at liberty to discuss everything I learned from PAX. It's also worth pointing out that many of these things are likely subject to change:
 
Ships have 3rd person view (at least in pre-alpha).  We may see more complex forms of linking elements, aside from Lua/power/fuel (no promises, and not going into details, but fingers crossed regardless) "One Week" means "One Week"   The number of TCU's we get in pre-alpha will probably be limited to 3-4, or thereabouts. Much smaller than the several thousand available to players at PAX. Ship combat will not be automated. If you see a ship with 30 cannons on it, it's likely there are 30 people onboard manning those cannons.  Avatar combat may have some automation in the form of simple base defenses that fire on people who aren't allowed in your territory. The game will be roughly a 10gb download, and those with pre-alpha will likely get a day or so to pre-download it. Flying in the first-person mode is much easier to get used to rather than 3rd person mode.  Celestial bodies like Asteroids cannot be moved, which is to say that attaching several rocket boosters to an asteroid won't just make it start moving. Asteroids will be in pre-alpha The scroll wheel is currently used as a speed throttle in ships, which takes a little bit to get used to. Fingers crossed that this changes, as it's a bit weird. Atmospheric and Space thrusters are two separate items. Just because a ship can fly in the atmosphere doesn't mean it can fly in space.  In the same vein, Atmos and Space fuel are two separate things.  Star probes will not be physical things flying through space, so no tracking them down to destroy them as they fly through space.  A question came up about how far they are along with the skill system, the answer is "almost zero". They're just not at that point in development yet, which is understandable. Digging to the center of a planet should result in players bouncing around like a spring around the absolute core. However, we'll have to test this to see if it actually works.  Of course the closer you dig the center, the harder it will be to reach because of the way that territories stretch all the way to the core.  Planets were not rotating in the PAX Demo, unclear if this will change in pre-alpha on the 30th or if that's planned for Alpha instead. Coming up with crafting recipes is difficult because of the balancing required for them.  Making ships is not going to be easy, people are seriously underestimating just how difficult it's going to be to get into space. Even in creative mode people had a very hard time doing it.  Water is extremely difficult to get right. The water in the pre-alpha is just a placeholder texture for now, and their plans for water sound awesome, it's just not an easy task at all.  
 
I'm sure I'll have more info to add to this thread as I remember it over the course of the day.
 
As for my thoughts on how the pre-alpha played at PAX....
 
Many people who didn't know anything about Dual Universe sat down to play it and were kind of left dumbfounded as to what to do. The open world aspect of it without any tutorial was a bit overwhelming, and people were left clicking random buttons and walking away confused. Those that did understand Dual Universe, however, seemed to have a blast playing around in the world. Despite complaints I've seen to the contrary, I didn't find the UI to be overly complex or confusing. Just looking at screenshots is pretty self-explanatory. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of things, and there are certainly some terms you should be aware of, but it certainly wasn't this monstrously complex thing that warranted the complaints I've seen. On the topic of building ships. Many people sat down expecting to just have their hands held building a ship. It's not easy at all, which I think is a good thing. If it was such a simple process that any random person could do it in 5 minutes, it would be a whole lot less impressive to actually build one that works. I am happy with the way this works out. Not everyone is going to be able to build a space ship. The game played rather fluidly. There were some trivial bugs here and there, but nothing that brought down the server (which is the key point here).  Again, building a ship is not a process that someone can just explain to you in 5 minutes. If you're expecting to just jump into the pre-alpha right away and be flying off the planet in a few minutes the first time, it's not going to happen.   
 
Overall I was very pleased with what I saw at PAX, I think that anyone coming into pre-alpha with leveled expectations (not a complete game) will be very happy with how far they've come. It's going to be a very fun time for all of us. The game has a learning curve, even at this point in creative mode, so if you're expecting something where your hand is held and everything is as simple as WoW or No Man's Sky, you're going to be disappointed. I know others will disagree with me, but I found it just as easy as learning to play Everquest Landmark.
 
 

Already discussed in
BTW, NQ said "no teleporter", but if they implement a short range teleporter, I would prefer a system similar to Stargate transportation rings.
By similar I mean, transportation only between nodes in range, 1 expensive transportation element on each node. So, no transportation anywhere like in Star Trek.

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !

We did it finally : €725,983 pledged so far, by 9,501 backers 8 days before the end !
What a community support !