MathDrou

Hi guys, 
 
The game is now in Beta 1 r0.21.2. Here's the latest patch note: 

Improvements
Added a limit to the fetch construct debug feature to a 4 km range and added a 24h timer cooldown [GUI] Removed in-game language selector in the option menu. The language selection is now only possible via the launcher on the upper right corner  [GUI] Saved email on login screen is now hidden properly after at least a first connection
Bug Fixes
[GUI] Quantity in a container is now displayed while doing instant sell order [GUI] Fixed chat channel old messages being unexpectedly erased when someone speaking in another channel Restored missing Natron harvestable rock [LOC] Fixed some missing texts and typos in French and German languages Fixed Small space engine S variations that all had the same name Fixed an issue where a moon could appear pixelated   
Known Issues
Image upload feature is not accessible via the website and will come back soon
Cheers, 
Nomad

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

+1 to all this!

Well NQ, to be honest, yes these steps you made are totally necessary, BUT the DLLs gave us features you still didn't gave us and that are absolutely required.
 
These are for example:
- external requests for receiving and sending data to our own apis (VERY IMPORTANT)
- a json encoding/deconding that is not stupidly slow
- communication between programming boards
- and more
 
The coder community in this game is big and needs more specialized features to make this game as great as it deserves to be. But if you restrict everything and give us nothing back, I don't know how long coders will stick to the game.
 
I am actually quiet disappointed how coders get ignored and handled like 2nd class people.

Why adopt an anti-cheat system?
It’s no secret: Cheating is prevalent in many multiplayer games. It’s an even bigger problem in a Single-Shard metaverse with PvP, like Dual Universe. Therefore, we needed to put several safety measures in place to ensure a fair game for all players. Our client anti-cheat implementation is one of these measures. The main goal of the EQU8 anti-cheat system we adopted is to prevent modification of the game client as a lot of cheats rely on these modifications in order to access hidden data, automate actions, or display extra information to the cheater. For example, a "wall hack" usually reads the other players positions in the game memory and overlays these on the game’s interface. The anti-cheat system has other roles too, but we don't want to enter into too technical details here. We’re no anti-cheat experts, especially client-side. On the other hand, EQU8 has a dedicated team working on it full time. They also gather experience from other games, so it makes sense to use their solution, which is already up and running, as well as their experience and availability to help us in that regard.  
Why using a client side solution instead of securing the Server ?
 
Client-side security is usually considered a bad thing, as the computer is controlled by the player. Indeed. In an ideal world, all controls and all security measures should be server-side. 
 
However, there are two good reasons to also use a client-side anticheat:
There are controls which are difficult to implement server-side, and which we don’t have any clever solution yet, nor the time to work on for now. For example, loading the game physics for all players at the same time, and ensuring no one is passing through walls, is nearly impossible to do in real-time. In security, there is also a notion called “in depth defense”. It acknowledges a system can never be 100% secured and thus requires several layers of security. If one fails, the second prevents further escalation.  
We know a client-side anticheat cannot be 100% bullet-proof. However, it does increase the technical requirements of any client-side attack. The better the anticheat solution is, the more skills and time are required… up to the point where the effort is not worth the gain.  This means two things: less active cheats in the game, and more time for us to identify those who fall between the cracks. Of course, it does not mean we are leaving our Server unprotected; Another reason why we delegated the client-side anticheat to an external partner is that it leaves us more time to work on the Server. And just to be clear, what we’re saying is not a challenge to attract any sort of attack here ?
 
Why EQU8?
It’s less intrusive than other, similar third-party solutions, and aims to respect players' privacy.
For example, EQU8 only gathers information when the game is running (and few personal data altogether). They also insisted to not get any personal data from us (like players emails or username); we only send an anonymous player identifier. You can check their FAQ at https://equ8.com/faq, and their privacy policy at https://equ8.com/assets/privacy.pdf for more details. It has low performance impact (actually, it’s almost imperceivable) and good reputation regarding false positives and potential crashes. The EQU8 team is very responsive and engaged. This is a big strength of theirs, and we greatly appreciate their unconditional support! The solution is very flexible and configurable, which is important because Dual Universe is a complex game that often requires specific tuning. Oh, and the most important: it detects cheaters efficiently. ?  
Launcher changes
The anti-cheat needs to install a Windows service on its first run to work properly. This requires administrator privileges, which is why the launcher requests them. This service only runs with the game. If the game is stopped, so does the service. Please also keep in mind that stopping the service on purpose triggers a kick, as it’s interpreted as a cheating attempt. The launcher currently requests administrator privileges on each launch. This is a bug which will be fixed soon. With the introduction of the anticheat, the client will refuse to start if run directly from the binary (Dual.exe). This is expected and is a technical constraint. You need to start the game from the launcher every time.  
What is authorized or forbidden
Modifying the game files is forbidden, (except for the "Game/data/lua" folder (this is the only location where you can add or modify files). Modifying the game cache is forbidden (by default it is located in the directory C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\NQ\DualUniverse\) ; Reading or modifying the game memory is forbidden. Disabling, modifying, or attempting to evade the anti-cheat in any way is forbidden. Playing at the same time with two or more accounts is authorized, but please note, that any form of automating multiple accounts is forbidden Helping someone, or driving someone, to do forbidden actions is obviously forbidden too. Discovering or knowing an issue, bug, or exploit and benefiting from it instead of reporting it to Novaquark is forbidden. Sharing accounts between different people is forbidden. Any action performed on your account is the responsibility of its owner. The Customer Support team won’t be able to help regarding any issues happening due to account sharing. The owner is responsible for any action made with the account. Trying to degrade the game performances of other players for any reason is forbidden. Creating new Lua files for debugging purposes is authorized as long as these are new files imported from in game scripts. In this case, you should put the files in the Game\data\lua\ folder to be able to import them. Using macro programs (like AutoHotKey) or similar hardware tools is authorized as long as you don’t automate gameplay. We consider gameplay as automated (and, thus, forbidden) when the macro or script:
- Takes decisions based on game feedback
- Executes actions for more than a few seconds
- Executes without any user input or when not actively playing the game.
For example, using a macro to keep a button pushed instead of maintaining it is authorized. But using a macro to send a message every hour is forbidden, especially if you are not even in front of your screen.  
What happens to cheaters ?
Our policy is to not issue automatic bans. There is always a human review when the anti-cheat system detects any unauthorized behaviour. Nonetheless, you may temporarily be kicked out of the game if the anti-cheat cannot initialize correctly. Sanctions include (at the discretion of the Novaquark team):
- Removing access to the game, temporarily or permanently (aka ban),
- In case of recurring offenses, the player may get a hardware ban (in this case, the player won’t be able to play the game with any current or future account, even if those accounts were never used for cheating).
- Plus any action required to revert any change made to the game world (removing Quantas or items, restoring constructs state, etc.).
- This list is not exhaustive and may be updated by Novaquark as the team sees fit.  
Why is it forbidden to modify Lua files or import custom DLL ?
 
We know some players or organizations have used local libraries (aka. DLLs) with great success and with good intentions. 
However, this option gives unfair advantages compared to pure in-game scripts (extra CPU capabilities, the ability to execute Internet requests or load/store data on the computer disk for example).
 
Moreover, we don't want players to massively share and use these custom libraries because it has severe security and privacy implications that we cannot control and we want to protect our players (for example, a player in an organization would need to install the organization library to use its scripts and constructs, but this library may as well read all his/her files without his/her knowledge nor consent on the disk, and send them to the author or do almost anything on the computer). Keep in mind that libraries could contain malware too. You don’t want that.
 
Finally, adding or modifying a DLL allows users to modify the game behavior in an arbitrary way, which directly leads to heavy cheating. For example, it allows access to the game’s memory and to escape the anti-cheat verification. We can't secure this at all, so player-made libraries are clearly a no-go security wise.
 
Therefore, after careful examination, we decided to forbid any modification to the game files. This restriction also includes the local Lua files as they contain security measures to ensure the game integrity and players privacy (for example, you could load a library by editing the global.lua file; this file is also responsible to make sure in-game scripts cannot read personal documents on your computer). The exception to this rule are files found in: "Game/data/lua" folder (this is the only location where you can add or modify files
 
Developers may still create new Lua files for debugging purposes if they want to (these files will be under control because global.lua is loaded first and sets up safeguards for any file loaded after itself).
 
 
Could player-made libraries be integrated after NQ’s validation ?
 
Having a process to submit, review, and integrate libraries looks good on the paper. However, code review is a tedious process. It is a lot harder than checking an image. There would be technical challenges to integrate them into the game too. Also note that we don't want to transform Lua scripts into full-fledged operating systems. They are simply supposed to be lightweight scripts, not full-fledged operating systems. ?️
 
Thus, we don't want to engage this process, at least in the near future. We simply don’t have the time or resources for this at the moment.
 
 
EQU8 is not compatible with Linux / consoles
 
Unfortunately, EQU8 does not work under Linux, even with Wine. This is due to the Windows functions it uses to protect the game’s integrity, which are different from other operating systems. This is a trade-off we had to make between having a fair game (without cheats) and compatibility.
 
Most players and games are on Windows. Thus, very few anti-cheat solutions support Linux (even less with good support). Because of this, we did not find an anticheat solution which works on Linux and suits our needs. However, please note that this decision doesn't prevent us from adding an alternative anti-cheat solution in the future, in case we decide to officially support Linux systems or consoles later on. Nothing prevents us from having a different anti-cheat for each platform. ?
 
We hope you found this FAQ about anti-cheats useful and helped to understand better why we chose EQU8.
 
Best Regards,
The Novaquark team
 
Last updated: October 5, 2020

Hello Noveans,

It’s been quite a busy month for us over here at Novaquark, with lots of important announcements and information. Did you catch everything we released recently surrounding the Beta, NDA lift, business model, our latest PvP demo, and the month-long super test? We felt that it would be a good idea to host another Twitch Q&A to get everyone on the same page, as well as give our members a chance to ask their questions once more to JC and the team.

The livestream will air on July 23rd at 11am on our Twitch channel, or you can tune in live on YouTube or Facebook. This will be our third livestream, and will be hosted by me, NQ_Naerais (aka Space Mom). I will be joined once again by NQ-Entropy and JC as they answer questions in chat. The topics of discussion will include: the Beta pricing model, PvP discussion, Lua scripting, and more!

Also keep in mind that we’ve uploaded our two previous Q&A livestreams to our YouTube channel. Click here to check out our Live Developer Q&A playlist now! We’d like to also take this opportunity to thank the community once more for their support. Let’s DU it!
 
The Novaquark team

Hello Noveans! 
 
As NQ-Nyzaltar said, I just joined the team here in Montreal. I'm very happy to be here, and excited to continue this amazing journey with all of you. I am quite new to the company so I do ask for a little patience while I get sorted here, I may not have all the answers right away but do know I will do my best to help make your experience with us the best it can be. 
 
A bit about my background, I've worked on quite a few games of all varieties (MMO, Table Top, Card, Collectible, Board and more) for more years than I care to admit. I'm definitely an MMO fanatic and will be spending just as much of my free time along side you (in secret ) as you do. I'm convinced I'm a cat whisperer (though the same can be said for coffee), and a sci-fi fan. 
 
I can't wait to see, share and celebrate all that you build in this amazing universe together!
 
 

Hi everyone!
 
With the Alpha 3 deployment around the corner and the RDMS implementation, we had to make significant changes in the background by connecting organizations data available on the Community Portal to the organizations data that will be available in-game. As it is a "Work in Progress", the Community Portal will switch in "Read Only" mode for the time being, to limit the probability of technical issues.
 
During this transitional period, All management actions for the organizations will be done in-game.
You will also note that the number of legates per organizations isn't displayed anymore.
We are aware the situation isn't ideal, but it's a temporary and necessary step.
 
Update: Wednesday, January 22th, 16:15 UTC
 
What's the current situation?
To be clear:
- Posting/Editing News have been deactivated on the Community Portal.
- It will still be possible to post/edit News on the Community Portal through the in-game User Interface (assuming you have the proper rights to do such thing).
- Posting/Editing News will remain in a minimal state for the time being (only simple text. HTML code for formating options and image insertion will came back later).
- Posting/Editing News directly through the Community Portal should come back at a later stage.
- The "Join Organization / Accept application" feature remains active.
- The applications pending before the maintenance today should still be there after.
- Features such promoting or demoting a member will now exclusively in-game (as the process may now involve other game mechanics).
- Displaying the number of legates on the Organization Ranking page has been deactivated (as an intermediary step of the coming changes in the future).
 
What's coming in the future?
(please keep in mind that the features described below are work in progress and might change before their release)
 
Organization Ranking by the number of Active Members.
As the Community Portal will evolve, we plan to display the number "Active Members" and the number "Honorary Members" for each organization in the future.
The Organization Ranking will be done by the number of Active Members in decreasing order.
 
What will be "Active Members" and "Honorary Members"?
"Honorary Members" accounts will be accounts that have joined an organization on the Community Portal but haven't access to the game.
"Active Members" accounts will be accounts that have joined an organization on the Community Portal and have access to the game.
Accounts joining an organization directly in-game will be automatically validated as "Active Members" in an organization.
Only "Active Members" will be eligible to legate status, as most organization management actions will be only possible in-game.
 
Why planning this?
This is planned for two reasons:
1) To give a better visibility for newcomers regarding the activity potential of each organization (which can impact the decision of joining one organization or another).
2) To discourage unfair practices such as creating ghost accounts and making them join an org to inflate artificially its size (and get undeserved visibility).
 
Best Regards,
The Novaquark Team.
 

I was told earlier that there would be no event for MIGS this year, it's a bit last minute to be planning one anyways. 

As we're considering to make a meetup at Montreal during MIGS (Montreal International Gaming Summit), we need to know who would like to attend this MeetUp in advance. Please complete the poll above if you're available and want to go to such meeting.
 
Thank you in advance for your anwers!
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

Is there a way to get a full screen display window on a cockpit? The cockpit is less useful and not as functional as a chair because of the hud is not full screen. The cockpit has more mass, much larger and looks cooler but lacks in functionality compared to the other control units.

Wrong channel/topic, you want the Organization Registry...good luck

Dear community members,
 
It has come to our attention that abusive recruitment practices, as well as practices to artificially inflate organization sizes, have been recently used more and more in some organizations.

After having conducted an investigation regarding New Genesis, and discovered the following infractions:
- Recruitment attempts that are harassment by private message through automated bots on Discord.
- Ghost Accounts to inflate the size of the organization artificially.
 
It has been decided to reset the member list of the organization to its sole leader, TheMasterArchitect.
Furthermore, as New Genesis has been already twice at the center of troubles regarding recruitment ethics in the past, involving at least once (if not more) its leader, a temporary ban has been applied to him.
 
Best regards,
The Novaquark Team.
 

Dear community members,
 
A few weeks ago, we took a stance regarding “out of the game”/IRL-related practices to discredit, threaten or shame publicly another Community Member (even if the involved person is guilty of several infractions) that could be an opponent in-game.
 
As the DSI (Dark Star Imperium) / TSU (Trinary Star Union)  / UEE (United Earth Empire) case blew out of proportion during January, we investigated.
 
We are really serious about differentiating real life from the game itself. Unfortunately some didn’t take our stance seriously. We gave them a chance to come clean in a private discussion and restart on an healthier basis. They didn’t take the opportunity for what it was: a last chance.
As they preferred “playing dumb” with Novaquark staff, we can’t have any trust that they won’t continue. Therefore we have decided to ban permanently those Community Members for various reasons (all not being banned for the same reason(s)):
Not being honest towards Novaquark staff. Making and encouraging ghost accounts. Abusive recruitment practices. Practising real life harassment and/or threatening another player. Making false report to Novaquark’s Customer Support in an attempt to make ban someone they dislike. Spreading real life information without the involved person’s consent, aka Doxxing.  
(strong reminder: even if a person gives you real life information about him/her, it’s not okay to share these information with ANYONE else without his/her consent. You can’t predict how the other person(s) will use this information and if he/she/they won’t share it again. If some trouble occurs following this sharing, you can be held legally responsible).
 
This might seem an extreme sanction but this shows how serious we are when we say we are not going to let toxic attitude and practices spread in the Community. Our goal to build a healthy and friendly community isn’t just a figure of speech. Anyone caught to spread or encourage any toxic behavior will be removed from the Community as it will be considered as damaging the Community and negating Novaquark staff efforts (without saying that it’s time consuming and a waste of our resources).
 
Saying it’s a long time grudge coming from before the arrival in the Dual Universe community is absolutely not a valid excuse. If someone has a personal grudge with another community member, he/she should either:
Leave it at the doorstep and/or settle it in private and peacefully with no one else involved. Contact directly (and only) Novaquark staff if the issue persists.
The moment someone uses the Dual Universe community as a tool for IRL revenge, he/she is not welcome anymore. We’re all here to have fun. It should always stay that way.
 
Therefore, the following Community Members have been permanently banned from the Community:
Lime / Fullsend / mmtheboss / Sakej99 [DSI] Primarch Zelevas / TharisUEE Melkor_Morgoth
  In addition the DSI Organization member list has been reset, and the Novaquark Team has appointed CN_Firestorm as the new owner of the Organization, should he accept to take a fresh start on a healthy basis.
 
We also give a warning to all those who were indirectly involved (with the evidence we found) but not actively participating in the recent community troubles. Next time, there won’t be any new warning. If you become involved against your will in some shady real life activities, you have only two healthy options:
Leaving the group doing such activity immediately. Report it to Novaquark staff.  
If you stay in such group without leaving or reporting it and the group is caught, you take the risk to get the same sanction as those actively involved.
This investigation has taken (or more precisely wasted) a lot of time from Novaquark staff. We really don’t like to intervene in players affairs. However, if there is a chance that such affairs damage the Community by toxic behavior, you can expect Novaquark staff to step in. We hope we won’t have to take the same measures again.
 
Best regards,
The Novaquark Team.
 

Want to know more about DICE?
 
Read about it in Issue 2 of spaceshipdrama.com
 
 

All right, this topic is going to be locked.
 
Surprisingly all these "TheSlaxx" defenders are fresh new accounts.
Apparently some think it's okay to create accounts just to try to strongharm Novaquark's decision, even if this was already discussed and explained in private many times.
Making it public will NOT change Novaquark's decision. If someone opens another topic on TheSlaxx to try to change Novaquark's mind, expect your account to be banned permanently from the forum without further notice. We don't have time to waste on this topic anymore. This practice of coming back again and again on a decision made by Novaquark will only make the situation worse.
 
TheSlaxx hasn't been banned for the shady practices regarding the Organizations.
He has been banned for what he did after.
"He has changed now" will never be a valid argument to rehabilitate him.
If we make an exception for him, we will have to make exceptions for everyone else that has a toxic behavior. 
That's not gonna happen.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.
 

There are a lot of wrong ideas here.
 
The organization was deleted for reasons explained here: https://board.dualthegame.com/index.php?/topic/11410-organizations-deleted-and-the-reasons-behind/.
 
TheSlaxx was banned later for the below reasons (quote from CM):
 
If NQ doesn't want to unban his account, they do have good reasons.
 
~ Merwyn

Hi Dehkur and welcome on the Dual Universe official forum.
 
Nowhere it has been said this will be hosted on a single computer.
It has been said it will be hosted on a single server.
Are you not confusing the words "server" and "computer"?
A server can be hosted on a cluster composed of many computers.
And for Dual Universe, this is definitely the case.

Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.