yamamushi

I don't think NPC's would be a good addition because it would create an incredible imbalance for new players joining the game, and would discourage people from interacting with players. 
 
I'm all for things that encourage more player interaction, and not artificially filling the world for the sake of scenery for all intents and purposes. 
 

Isn't it funny how PvPers want automated mining.
 
I thought "Hardcore PvPers" liked permadeath.  
 
Now they can't even handle a few hours of digging or construction to get back into the fight.

No. Please, No.

At this point you may as well be asking to just buy our resources from NQ with cash.

If you're really burning through ships and supplies that fast, that's a you problem, not an economy/gameplay problem.

 

No. Please, No.

At this point you may as well be asking to just buy our resources from NQ with cash.

If you're really burning through ships and supplies that fast, that's a you problem, not an economy/gameplay problem.

 

No. Please, No.

At this point you may as well be asking to just buy our resources from NQ with cash.

If you're really burning through ships and supplies that fast, that's a you problem, not an economy/gameplay problem.

 

I had to get a new phone yesterday, and I felt it could use some DU'ing... So here's a few phone wallpapers that were put together at my request:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think NPC's would be a good addition because it would create an incredible imbalance for new players joining the game, and would discourage people from interacting with players. 
 
I'm all for things that encourage more player interaction, and not artificially filling the world for the sake of scenery for all intents and purposes. 
 

lol, trying to get into the game so I can build the club....yes....Pussycats. 

I put together the audio fx and this video to create a rough version of my idea of what a sandstorm in Dual Universe at a spaceport in the desert would be like, alarms blaring for people to take cover, departures and landings restricted by the port authority, visibility extremely limited...
 
 

PurplePanda’s Space/Construction Game list

 
This list is being created for anyone who or wants some DU-ish games to play between tests or until DU releases. All of these have been chosen by me through “extensive” research that I did an hour ago, as well as some personal favorite of mine. Hope you enjoy some of these games, I think some of them are definitely worth a look!
 
(Note all reviews will be from there Steam pages)

 
Out Now
 
Avorion -  Early Access
 
A procedural co-op space sandbox where players can build their own space ships out of dynamically scalable blocks. Fight epic space battles, explore, mine, trade, wage wars and build your own empire to save your galaxy from being torn apart by an unknown enemy
 
I’ve seen this game around for a little bit and although I’ve never played it myself, I find the aesthetics and mechanics look fantastic. For me it really puts into scope how big the universe is and how there is so much more out there, but less in an existential way, and more in an curious way.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive.   $22.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/445220/Avorion/


 
Astroneer - Fully Released
 
Explore and reshape distant worlds! Astroneer is set during the 25th century Intergalactic Age of Discovery, where Astroneers explore the frontiers of outer space, risking their lives in harsh environments to unearth rare discoveries and unlock the mysteries of the universe.
 
In this space sandbox adventure, players can work together to build custom bases above or below ground, create vehicles to explore a vast solar system, and use terrain to create anything they can imagine. A player’s creativity and ingenuity are the keys to thriving on exciting planetary adventures! 
 
Once again I haven’t actually played the game but I’ve seen it from time to time and the aesthetics are simply whimsical. I also watched a very interesting and entertaining documentary about it and the company’s creation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfUjl4owxTQ
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Very Positive.   $29.99 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/361420/ASTRONEER/
 

 
Star Made - Early Access
 
The ultimate space sandbox. Participate in epic fleet battles, form alliances, strive to dominate entire galaxies and harness the universe’s resources for your industrious empire or the destruction of others. Customize your experience, the universe is yours!
 
A voxel-based 3D sandbox set in the never-ending darkness of space. Create your own ships, explore new galaxies, stars, and planets. Discover and salvage space stations, fight against pirates or opposing factions in multiplayer. Equip your ships with completely customizable weapons and conquer the galaxy. Trade and make a fortune, mass produce materials in gigantic factories. Design your very own space station. Create warp gates and network the universe at your front door. 
 
Star made is probably the game I have sunk the most hours into (although not that impressive), and I’ll admit I had a lot of fun doing it but the game has kind of stagnated. Personally, I think it is a good game but updates now rarely come out and the community is all but dead. If you enjoy playing by yourself and are able to see past some of its problems, I do believe you could have a genuinely enjoyable experience. At the very least it could be useful for prototyping ship ideas.
 
All Reviews: Mixed   Recent Reviews: Mostly Positive.  $Free. Download the demo it’s the full game.
 
https://www.star-made.org/


 
Interstellar Rift - Early Access
 
Interstellar Rift is an open world Starship Simulator with an emphasis on ship construction and multi-player interaction. Players can explore and conquer the galaxy with their own custom designed and constructed a starship. Space is vast, but you won't have to face it alone, other players will be able to join your crew, and help out, or build their own rival fleet and fight you across the galaxy.
 
I don’t own this game and have only recently learned about it but from what I’ve seen (and read) it incentivizes ship creation and allows for immense amounts of creative freedom.
 
All Reviews: Mostly Positive   Recent Reviews: Mixed. $26.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/363360/Interstellar_Rift/  

 
FTL: Faster Than Light - Fully Released
 
In FTL you experience the atmosphere of running a spaceship trying to save the galaxy. It's a dangerous mission, with every encounter presenting a unique challenge with multiple solutions. What will you do if a heavy missile barrage shuts down your shields? Reroute all power to the engines in an attempt to escape, power up additional weapons to blow your enemy out of the sky, or take the fight to them with a boarding party? This "spaceship simulation roguelike-like" allows you to take your ship and crew on an adventure through a randomly generated galaxy filled with glory and bitter defeat.
 
I don’t know much about this game and I have never played it, but I know it’s a classic and that it’s a classic for a reason. Definitely worth a try if you haven't yet.
 
All Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive   Recent Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive.   $14.50 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/


 
Cosmoteer - Early Access
 
Cosmoteer is a starship design, simulation, and battle game. Design a fleet of ships by placing individual modules including weapons, shields, engines, and hallways. Battle A.I. starships to earn bounties or test your design skills against other players. A dynamic crew and combat simulation make every design decision important and interesting.
 
This game is one of my recent favorite, hands down. I find the way how the shipbuilding and 2D elements blend to be thoroughly enjoyable. There is a large amount of flexibility when it comes to the construction of your ships and I find it deeply satisfying when I pit two of my creation against each other, using there A.I to efficiently decimate the other party. I highly recommend this game, whether you're into pitting your creations against other peoples ships or your own (or the bounty hunter campaign). Plus there's nothing to lose, it’s free!!! (There's also a relatively large modding community).
 
No Official Reviews.   $Free (at least for now).  
 
https://cosmoteer.net/        




 
Space Engineers - Fully Released
 
Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration, and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and use's, pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive.
 
I don’t have much to say on this title as I have played it only on occasion, it’s a very well know game with a good single player mode. The multiplayer has been notorious for its issues but it does work to some extent (from what I’ve seen) and it was known for its insanely long alpha period, but in total it’s apparently a really good game.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Very. $28.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/244850/Space_Engineers/ 


 
No Man’s Sky - Fully Released
In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.
 
If you know anything about this game, you know about its horrendously rough start and while I wouldn't say all the hate the company was just, after twenty hours of playing I got bored and stopped. But while some of the responses were justified, Hello Games were able to truly turn their disaster around. Although I myself have barely played it since release I intend to soon, that's because in the years No Man’s Sky has been online Hello Game has been constantly updated. If you bought this game and have never looked at it since I highly suggest you give it another chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.
 
All Reviews: Mixed   Recent Reviews: Very Positive.   $84.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/No_Mans_Sky/


 
Kerbal Space Program - Fully Released
 
In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics. Launch your Kerbal crew into orbit and beyond (while keeping them alive) to explore moons and planets in the Kerbol solar system, constructing bases and space stations to expand the reach of your expedition.
 
K.S.P is another game I would have to list as a favorite game, simply because it is so difficult yet so fun, in all the 40 hours I’ve played I got nowhere, but I got nowhere with style. And I think that's what's so great about it, if you do dedicate time and effort you can go somewhere, you can go to many many where’s.  Whether you're a casual player that just wants to play in sandbox mode or colonies the solar system through dedication, this game deserves a look. 
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive.   $45.99 AU 
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/220200/Kerbal_Space_Program/


 
PULSAR: Lost Colony - Early Access
 
Team up to operate an advanced starship and explore a randomized galaxy falling into chaos. Each player assumes a role aboard the ship: Captain, Pilot, Scientist, Weapons Specialist and Engineer. Coordination between your crewmembers will be essential in order to survive the perils that await you.
 
I’ve been seeing the game on multiple sites like youtube for the past few years and it always caught my attention. I love the idea of having specialized roles and love how they have been able to recreate that ship on the frontier feel, with only yourself and your crewmates to rely on. If you like playing in friend groups, or just want to feel like you actually are controlling a ship, this game is for you.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive.   $35.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/252870/PULSAR_Lost_Colony/


 
Planet Nomads - Fully Released
 
Planet Nomads is a single player sci-fi sandbox game of survival on alien planets through block-style building. You are a lone astronaut scientist crash-landing on a strangely captivating planet. Keeping your wit together and securing your basic survival needs that include food, water, and building material is the best start towards figuring out a way out of this messy situation.
This game started its development around the same time as the No Man’s Sky hype and sort of faded into the background, and although production continued the product today is quite controversial. Many of the players say that the game failed due to lag, mediocre updates, and eventual boredom while many others really like the game and still support it. If your willing to give this game a chance and aren't adverse to a bit of risk it might be something to check out.
 
All Reviews: Mixed   All Reviews Mixed. $28.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/504050/Planet_Nomads/


 
Elite Dangerous - Fully Released
 
Elite Dangerous is the definitive massively multiplayer space epic, bringing gaming’s original open-world adventure to the modern generation with a connected galaxy, evolving narrative and the entirety of the Milky Way re-created at its full galactic proportions.
 
I don’t actually know much about Elite, I know it’s big, it’s pretty and it’s quite hard to get into it and enjoy it but other than that it’s up to you to investigate and research.
 
All Reviews: Mixed   Recent Reviews: Very Positive.   $42.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/359320/Elite_Dangerous/
 
 
 
Infinfactory - Fully Released
Infinifactory is a sandbox puzzle game by Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem and Infiniminer. Build factories that assemble products for your alien overlords, and try not to die in the process.
 
This game is all about industry, so it would be perfect for anyone partaking in Alpha 2 to get some “practice” before or in between (I don’t know how much help it would be). Other than that, anyone who likes to create systems that work flawlessly or like to think logically might like this game.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive.   $35.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/300570/Infinifactory/


 
Empyrion Galactic Survival - Early Access
 
Empyrion - Galactic Survival is a 3D open-world space sandbox survival adventure. Build powerful ships, mighty space stations and vast planetary settlements to explore, conquer or exploit a variety of different planets and discover the mysteries of Empyrion!
 
As far as I can tell, Empyrion is a game similar to Space engineers with more customization ability for its creations. Of course, there are probably several key differences but I have not played the game and thus do not know.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Mostly Positive.   $28.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/383120/Empyrion__Galactic_Survival/


 
Nimbatus - Early Access
 
Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor is an action-packed simulation game. Craft drones out of hundreds of different parts and explores a destructible, procedurally generated galaxy. Build autonomous drones to fight against other players' creations. Do you have what it takes to become a drone engineer?
 
I’ve only played Nimbatus for a little bit, but from what I have played and have seen externally from the game, it is going to highly appeal to those who like using logic parts. While i is an extremely fun game without using them and I suggest you look into the game, either way, the logic parts are definitely one of its strong suites.
 
All Reviews: Very Positive   Recent Reviews: Very Positive   $28.95 AU
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/383840/Nimbatus__The_Space_Drone_Constructor/


 
EVE Online - Fully Released
 
EVE Online is a community-driven spaceship MMO where players can play free, choosing their own path from countless options. Experience space exploration, immense PvP and PvE battles, mining, industry and a thriving player economy in an ever-expanding sandbox.
 
EVE truly is a virtual world, one that houses so many people and factions and wars it’s almost impossible to keep track of. If you're looking for a game with history and lore, legends and tales of war, and distances almost unimaginable to the human mind, then EVE is for you. Although you should note that it is extremely hard to get into and to fully immerse yourself in the culture and history, will take a lot of dedication.
 
All Reviews: Mostly Positive   Recent Reviews: Very Positive.   $Free (With packs)
 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/EVE_Online/
Bonus
 
I know we already have enough on our plate with DU, but these two are game projects that are definitely worth following in the future. I highly suggest you look into them.

 
Starbase - https://store.steampowered.com/app/454120/Starbase/

Skywanderes - https://skywanderersgame.com/
 
 
If you have anymore good games that i missed or noticed any mistakes I've made, please notify me with a comment! ☺️
 

This is a petition for JC to change his profile pic to
 
  

I like the idea of farming, just growing buffs, for health etc, and training or taming beasts for battle, pets or help.  But to make it look realistic,  where you have to build pens and gardens.  Bit advanced I suppose, but for those not so into fighting or building but want to help on the side... 

I know I know, wildlife is intendeed to be added far after the 1.0, but… HORSES!! I mean, the landscapes are beautiful in Alioth, with forests, and meadows… HORSES!!! You know that western-like sci-fi genre? with outlaws, and bounties, and duels… HOOOOORSES!!!! I dont know, its maybe the more epic animal species to be introduced in the game. What did you say? Alien horse-like creatures? no... HOOOOOORSES!!!!!

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

I find it amazing. 
 
The original Yama-BOT doesn't take any 'personal' information.  It grabs a key posted on your PUBLIC DU Forum Profile and grabs the fact that you are or are not alpha authorized (also public) so that the discord unlocks a few channels by giving you a tag.   (And NQ has SEEN his code which is good enough for ME...  I've been coding for over 30 years.)
 
It simply can't do anything else, it can't grab your Discord PW, it can't grab your forum PW.  It's secure.  It's safe.  Whether @yamamushi made/makes the code for the bot public or not is moot.   The same would essentially apply to the author of this bot.  Please, don't take MY word for it.  Go learn how to make one on your own, and if you've the ability to do so, you'll see I'm right. 
 
I get the reservations from those that don't understand the 'magic' behind the scenes.  That's fine... don't use it, but don't speak badly from ignorance or being uninformed... unless your intent is to merely troll the post (and in a civilized society that would be the ONLY reason ANYONE would do so... cuz they'ze ig-nant), in which case you can just go <insert your choice of nasty self-inflicted idiocy here.>
 
I give you the following URL to discover for yourselves just how makeing a bot is done;  How to make your own Discord BOT
 
Have a cookie... ?
 
'nuff said! 

Yet Lethys you were "Encouraging" people to use that  mapping application you guys were developing... wouldn't that fit into the same category? Especially since I doubt you guys were gonna release your code for review. 
 
Linked below >
 
 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

Microtransactions can't sustain long term development, it would be a cat and mouse game of constantly trying to - 

1) Gain players
2) Create new content to sell to players
 
 
Whereas DU is going to be a constantly evolving game, dedicating resources to creating new expansions on top of trying to push out constant microtransaction-backed content would be an uphill battle that would hurt everyone in the long run. It's hard enough for them to keep up development speed now with all of the resources they have.

A subscription allows them to have a solid metric on how much money they are bringing in every month and allows them the flexibility that the constant fluctuation of microtranscation-based income wouldn't give them. 
 
People think servers are cheap, and of course someone is going to go to the AWS pricing page and try and point out "oh but you can get instances for dollars a month it can't be that expensive!" but running infra in AWS isn't cheap, it's just cheaper than building out a data center with all of your own hardware to maintain. NQ has really strict hardware and rack requirements that add to those costs (I was told it's more akin to a weather modeling supercomputer than a traditional gaming cluster), and as they scale up to match the needs of their growing player base it's only going to get more expensive over time. At a previous job we were spending $150k a month alone on our web frontend, and if you counted all of the other supporting infra we had for our product, it was something like $3.5 million a month, it wasn't cheap, it was just cheaper than the alternatives. Nobody is going to convince me that microtransactions are the way to go when you have to pay for infra, employees, long term development, support, offices, advertising, etc. This isn't Fortnite where the core game isn't changing and they are tweaking things from time to time while adding new items to their store, DU's development is on a whole other level from that. 
 
Regardless of all of that, I think the bottom line here is that if you can't afford to pay $10-$15 a month for a game, then you need to reprioritize your hobbies (irrespective of the fact that DAC's allow people to play for free essentially). 

You better check your calendar. MMO is moving away from f2p model. Which model will take its place is unknown. Now its a mix of b2p, freemium and cashshop. Maybe sub will rise again. And I'm very happy to see that DU is considering sub.

Hey,  Everyone!  I'm officially a DU newb, pity me.  Glad to be here though.

I think they mean seamless in perception of the player. 2 players could be on different nodes but still see each other as if they were on the same one. Over interstellar distances there is no need to be actually seamless because players don't interact with or observe things that far away.