Quaideluz

If I remember how such debates were sometimes held on an abstract level and if I read between the lines, I sometimes get the subjective impression that people - subconsciously or not - always slightly exaggerate no matter what side they're on. Proving a point is okay based on your preferences, but there could be a fine line sometimes where (according to my feeling) I think that sometimes people try to see their own preferences 'enforced' while considering anything else "wrong".
 
Simplified: PVPers argue in their way, strict non-PVPers do the same and eventually some mini-debates turn into repetitions of preferences. I mean, you're probably all arguing "past each other" if that makes sense. To my knowledge, we get hard safe zones on the starting planet, then on some moon(s) and then you get tiles any faction can claim, which do not translate to classic safe zones however and are contestable. I will try to pull up the according articles or sources in the next post when I have a bit more time at hands.
 
What I basically want to say to all sides is: relax a tad, you all will get your way. And I think that is awesome. Unite the builders, the creative people, the hardened, the vicious, the artists, whatever you can think of. Everyone will have some place in this universe.
 
However, if you (subconsciously or not) keep arguing in a way that your primary preference should be the leading example or focus of general gameplay, you'll naturally see others do the same for their viewpoints and it potentially ends in a repeating back and forth.
 
Not saying "stop debating here", just saying "try to keep this in mind here and there".
 
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I'd also not advise trying to downplay "the other side" depending on what side you are on, even if it might sometimes be hard. To those it might concern: Not everyone who is not into full risk and PVP at any time is a "carebear", their interests and strenghts might simply lie in other areas and you could even benefit from that somehow. The next ship you use in your Empire might be built by someone a hardcore PVPer might consider "carebear" because they prefer to work away in some safe zone without abstract or real interruptions, to give an example.
 
At the same time, one who prefers to avoid conflict should not assume it's automatically total anarchy and a 'gank fest' beyond any hard-coded safe zone borders. Or that someone who is generally open to attacking others is a bloodthirsty monster - some simply have other motivations or reasoning behind their attacks or actions. Chances are in the long run many spaces that cannot be claimed by a hardcoded safe zone device, but maybe by normal 'tile claimers' might be relatively or very safe since they get policed by the organizations and empires who run the space. Those might also want business and stability to make money and attract people, so they have people patrol. And even then... hey, in the end, abstract risk remains and isn't that somewhat exciting if you don't know what happens and who you could run into? If you transport something vital at the same time and have to go out, work together and get friends to help you transport things or hire a player group that offers this as service.
 
Or maybe TL;DR: It won't be that bad. See for yourself in the future and re-assess. But all kinds of players will have a place in this game and I like it. It will likely attract more people that way and we all benefit from a big community that interacts with each other on various levels.

Today, Lord JC hosted an Ask Me Anything event in the official community discord. Below is a transcript of the questions and answers for those of you that missed it.  ?
 
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NQ-SophonToday at 11:01 AM
hi guys! This is JC, the creative director of Dual Universe! Just wanted to come here and spend a moment with you, to celebrate the fact we now have an official discord!
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:03 AM
hey, no big announcement today, but a chance to chat, so let's go! I met some of you guys at Gamescom but I wanted to have the opportunity to talk to all of you guys online
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:05 AM
a huge thank you to the community and the discord moderators too, by the way! This discord is just amazing!
 
[N.C.] ZerroxToday at 11:05 AM
What about Alpha 1 starting in november, will you be able to stick to the roadmap?
Timing wise?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:06 AM
@[N.C.] Zerrox so far, we are on track for the alpha in the second half of November, as planned
 
DreamcatcherToday at 11:04 AM
Well always bugged me, how long did it take for you guys to build that giant space station above alioth ?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:06 AM
@Dreamcatcher a long time!
 
ZetamanToday at 11:07 AM
can you tell us if it will be along the same format as pre alpha or will the sessions be longer?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:09 AM
@Zetaman no big changes in the access times so far, expect still the usual weekly access
vonboyToday at 11:07 AM
What's some random bug that's made you laugh out loud the most at it happening?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:10 AM
@vonboy no bug makes me laugh ?
 
[N.C.] ZerroxToday at 11:08 AM
Short question: What happened to the group picture we took at the gamescom meetup? I really wanna have a copy of that!
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:12 AM
@[N.C.] Zerrox we... lost the camera in the train. Sorry about that, no pic!
 
[HYP] z0KngToday at 11:10 AM
Are Astreoids planned in deep space? And if so will they have ressources?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:14 AM
@[HYP] z0Kng too soon for the asteroids in Nov, but definitely will be a thing at some point. Well actually, there are some asteroids already around Thades, but nothing to mine yet.
Masc™ of AvacynToday at 11:12 AM
 
@NQ-Sophon Hey JC, is there any plans for collision physics in space? (ships colliding with each other and causing voxel destruction, etc)
NQ-SophonToday at 11:16 AM
 
@Masc™ of Avacyn no destructive collision is planned. This would lead to problematic gameplay side effects.
AgecomToday at 11:12 AM
Is it going to be possible to create his own currency?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:17 AM
@Agecom no, there is only one official currency (quanta). Stabilizing a currency that would work for commerce would be to slow a process otherwise, and we need a fully functional economy right from the start.
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:20 AM
about PvP: it's a bit too soon to go into details, we are working on the precise game mechanics.

[HYP] SkeletmasterToday at 11:18 AM
what can you say about that we get in the near future except from crafting
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:22 AM
@[HYP] Skeletmaster the crafting will most likely come as a first iteration that "gets the job done", but it still far from the integrated gameplay we have in mind.
 
hdparmToday at 11:19 AM
@JC some  players are investigating atmospheric drag. Does DU use this equation https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/drageq.html , or some other?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:23 AM
@hdparm we use both quadratic and linear drag, but otherwise yes, it's based on this equation (for the quadratic side at least)
 
Einu VeiToday at 11:19 AM
@NQ-Sophon Will market units be synchronised with a central system/cache of resources, or will each one have an individual storage limit and market forces dictated by that storage limit?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:24 AM
@Einu Vei markets will have their own containers attached, so how much you can trade on them will depend on the aggregated size of these containers
 
wakamaToday at 11:21 AM
Is ground combat actually going to be a thing to for example take over zones on planets?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:25 AM
@wakama yes, territory units will be attackable, if they are not deployed at a safe zone/sanctuary moon.
 
[N.C] Infinite GamerToday at 11:17 AM
so what are the main goals you are hoping to achieve by Alpha 1?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:28 AM
@[N.C] Infinite Gamer so far, the development is on check, but we can NEVER be sure there will be no unforeseen problem, because we are doing very innovative stuffs.
 
ChronoToday at 11:25 AM
will be there tool for mining that help to find ores over 400m ? or tool crafting for mining ?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:28 AM
@Chrono yes, there will be more tools for mining added, at least ways to inform you better about what's in a given region.
 
Einu VeiToday at 11:26 AM
@NQ-Sophon Does that mean the prices of those items will vary from market unit to market unit, depending on how much is stored in the containers, or will the market price system be centralised while the inventory system is distributed, aka a hybrid system?(edited)
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:30 AM
@Einu Vei the market system is very similar to Eve Online, so no fixed prices, and local market equilibrium are possible

wakamaToday at 11:26 AM
Also if all players spawn at one planet how will you make sure the terrain won’t end up totally messed up.  Will it respawn or something?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:30 AM
@wakama the areas around the Arkship spawn point will not be editable (up to a distance we are still discussing)

[N.C.] ZerroxToday at 11:27 AM
@NQ-Sophon , will there be renewable energy? Can you make a base self-sufficient?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:31 AM
@[N.C.] Zerrox too soon to talk about energy, but energy will be a thing, yes
 
DestrinToday at 11:29 AM
@NQ-Sophon any ETA on anti-grav 
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:32 AM
@Destrin antigrav for Alpha!
 
[HYP] meigrafdToday at 11:31 AM
JC when your planning to add organisations into the game itself?

NQ-SophonToday at 11:33 AM
@[HYP] meigrafd https://www.dualthegame.com/en/news/2018/08/08/release-roadmap-alpha-launch-announcement/
 
hdparmToday at 11:32 AM
@NQ-Sophon last week's patch broke a few lua scripts (due to some functions being moved from one element to another). In the future, could changes like these be announced in advance, so that we can prepare our scripts before the test?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:35 AM
@hdparm sorry about the LUA change, it should not really happen again, or else we will add a retrocompatibility layer. We mostly add stuff now.
 
CostaniusToday at 11:30 AM
@NQ-Sophon  JC, what tech or feature or accomplishment are You especially proud of so far?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:36 AM
@Costanius I'm extremely proud of our server tech and voxel tech, and especially proud of our team!
 
[HYP] meigrafdToday at 11:36 AM
JC how tall is the chance to get any kind of move-/rotate- able elements controlled over lua, after release?
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:38 AM
@[HYP] meigrafd I would love to, but it won't happen for now, definitely not in alpha
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:39 AM
guys, let's take a last question, as I've got to go for today!
 
[PRF] MegadddToday at 11:40 AM
@JC I've seen what happens to Minecraft servers with populations of 100-200 people where they are allowed to excavate everything. Absolutely every surface feature is decimated for kilometers from the starting area within weeks. It is conservative to say the DU launch will be orders of magnitude more populated, and mining in DU is much more powerful than in minecraft. Will you implement automatic surface restoration (erosion) algorithms? Suffice to say natural terrain that looks like it was carpet bombed everywhere would not be pleasing new player experience.
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:42 AM
@[PRF] Megaddd it's still in discussion, but we certainly don't want "ore fountains" that are infinite sources of wealth. And damage done to the surface of the planet should be minimal as most ore are deep underground. But we need to test this, and probably come up with many ideas to make it work!
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:43 AM
that's it guys! It was great exchanging with you today!
 
NQ-SophonToday at 11:43 AM
Thanks everyone!

They've publicly expressed, that while they are interested in the concept, these may not be in at launch, as it makes everything related to constructs that much more complicated (hitboxes/physics/connections/constraints/rendering/blueprinting/inheritence/optimization etc. etc.)

In such a game, you can't introduce roleplay out of nowhere like scenario, character creation, lore creation. The world will evolve out of the control of any GM. And the lore is simple when the game will begin : we all were on Earth just some minutes ago, in our mind. So any lore is litteraly beginning the day of the last DU server wipe.
 
It is more a "RP event" kind of game, with an objective and a team. And they deal with real attacks, real problems, real personnality.
 
As for me, roleplay in this kind of game should be limited to this : define a Big Objective, define a method to reach it in the long term and choose some behavior rules. And the most important : stick to it whatever it happens and stay consistent. But it doesn't imply a different kind of gameplay ingame like talking and acting weird.
 
The griefer part is a real issue. I like the concept of full PvP full loot, because it induces real behaviors, real alliances, real need of protection, in short, the foundation of any civilisation. But for some, PK is the core of their gameplay because unlike real life, there is no death penalty nor lifetime jail for murder. So  this is easy to target carebears and above all, this is riskless ! A game developement studio will never introduce  a temporary ban if the player is caught and put in jail.
 
This is the main unbalance when dealing with the PvP/PK issue in any game. They only have rewards and no punishments.

I agree, having no punishments can cause a big difference in behavior of some people when they play games like this. 
 
I do believe though, that in DU there is still punishment. The people who have this behavior (going round eliminating people) are most likely going to be targeted and regarded as high-value targets by governments in colonies or large planet civilizations or even bounty hunters seeking a profit. This will discourage them to commit their crimes as they will gain a very high reputation, which if you are a pirate or murderer, will only result in the destruction of their possessions (ships, possessions on the character). This alone is a big punishment because it is apparent that ships are VERY costly to produce not to mention that you will maintain your rep even after death.
 
So I'm pretty sure people preying on other players isn't going to be a big issue, you might have the occasional encounter with a person who is bent on destruction but life is full of unexpected encounters, and that is something that we will have to just accept as this game makes up for this problem in so many other areas. 
 
I haven't had the opportunity to experience this game yet but from what I have seen the devs have thought thoroughly about how everything from the RP side to game mechanics is going to work. Hopefully, they reach the full potential of this game and make a space MMO like nothing ever seen before.

To me it's possible to create a scenario and plays it in a full PVP MMO, as long as the players involve in such roleplay activity considere that loosing is also a possible outcome of a scenarised event. If we accept to loose because of the involvment of unwanted party within our scenario, then the RP experience will offer a great benefit to everyone. And the ''RP Hunters'' will loose their ability to disturb other players experience.
 
Roleplaying often means creativity, then a defeat in PvP, may result in interesting outcomes to plays.

Yeah, it's a slight text wall, but potentially interesting for some here. Recap is in bright green down here. If you have problems with colors, it says TL;DR in front of it. Duh. Foolproof.
 
Mostly in response to the last statement, but also the general topic, perhaps it should be said (for the dear reader right now who may or may not have had much RP experience or interest, and even for those with RP experience) that...
 
Many people define or view roleplay in a different fashion
 
I think that's generally the gist of it.
 
A little excursion or addendum - just skip it if you don't want my views on how RP is viewed in general or how you could break it down a bit:
 
 
Alright, those still relatively short ramblings above kind of describe how I view things. Some people like this, some like that. I, for one, started all that in MMORPGs but when I discovered communities where active gameplay was part of the whole RP shebang, I started to prefer it more. It all had more flow to events, was more thrilling, appeared better than playing a text and walking simulator in some MMORPG in essence.
 
In my honest opinion, with the notable gaps I see between average MMORPG RP and living (and surviving) in such sandbox universes, I don't think the "classic MMORPG RP'er" will be having a good time depending on their expectations. Now, you can throw tomatoes at me, but after years of having been around these and other people, I like to think I can compare a bit. I've noticed that what I would call "average MMORPG RP'er"s usually have less of a thick skin and are relatively quickly offended. Mind you, I do not speak for all but I have seen a few patterns over the time in various people.
 
In most MMORPGs I've seen there may be "RP servers" around, but often those were just labels bumped on a server, there was no deeper "quality control" from the devs. End result was that many non-RP'ers would also play there or people who wanted to annoy RP'ers. In a nutshell, as RP'er you had to share the server with non-RP'ers. Sometimes people (drunk or not) would annoy RP'ers by running around them or shooting some AOE skill with lots of visual effects or noise into or at the characters, to annoy or distract. Some people almost threw hissy fits about it in local say chat or whispered that to me where I could simply blink and shrug.
 
And this ties in to your quote there, to some extend: 
 
What I basically want to say is: People who come here with a fixed definition or idea of how to roleplay should perhaps reconsider or expand their horizons or try something new. This isn't a classic RP game or MMORPG-RP scenario where people can live in their bubbles and pretend anything. This will be, very much, an active setting as it's a sandbox game with emergent gameplay. Safe-zones aside, if you run around or mess with people in an RP context or not, then:
 
You will have to expect to lose
 
In other words I'd describe it as "RP-PVP" or something. It's something I personally like, RP'ing in such sandbox games in such a fashion where it is mild and yet very seamless. Some games offer this by default due to how they work, I'd say Star Citizen and Dual Universe would be among such games. People already "roleplay" to some extend by creating groups, cities, ranks, pretend they are someone else or at least appear on state with titles, ranks and so on. With a bit of mild immersion you can already have a blast and good time and lose yourself in the game (world).
 
In the end I don't want to or cannot really convince people with vastly other goals or views on "RP" to change their ways. But I highly encourage anyone to get out of the "MMORPG-RP bubble mentality" if you want to do anything remotely connected to RP in Dual Universe.
 
My suggestion: Embrace the open-ended sandbox or "RP-PVP" mentality that will persist and you'll have a good time if you incorporate losses or the on-goings of the server community into your gameplay and interact with the general community instead of trying to create your sealed (RP) bubbles where you "passive" all day. I mean you can do that and that's fine, but if you're open to more, you'll likely have a better time.
 
TL;DR In a nutshell, my point basically is: Open your mind or expand your horizons and you'll have a better time. Losing can be part of the fun and not everyone can always win anyway - whether in an RP context or not.
 
On a closing note, I also try to avoid using the terms "RP" or "Roleplayer" by and large. In the past in Star Citizen and group promotion, it was shown that the term itself confused some people at times, and as stated way above, there's still wildly different views and (mis?)conceptions about that.
 
I, instead, like to speak or talk about immersion. Something anything can relate to, or do so better at least. I want to mix up things and have a seamless experience where, at a second glance, you make it so that you and those around you already are kind of "roleplaying" by playing what you portray, whether that is some pirate, businessman, faction leader, trader, diplomat, etc.
 
As this is a modern setting, it's also fairly easier to do for all. You don't have to speak in some odd twisted language or wording. You just play your role and immerse yourself mildly at least. You can still do anything including hardcore super serious passive RP, but nothing will really annoy you if you stop expecting this to happen from everyone or everywhere and just laugh at other stuff.
 
Okay, enough text for now. Don't throw stones at me.
 

More info is available in the pre-alpha subforum   - 
 

I understand your frustration with this topic, 0something0, however, I wanna suggest the following: take this topic for what it is; a discussion and not an affirmative decision on both NQ and the Community when it comes to PVP, Griefing or Scamming in game.
 
Most of the comments in here might change and the overall response of the community to a better more united one once we near the release of DU. 
 
We've yet to figure out many missing nuts and bolts about how exactly all of this will work out in the end.  
 
Remember this is just a discussion and the voicing of the concerns our community has -and its perfectly fine - NQ is definitely listening (or reading in this case) 
 
~ Meldrik

Hi everyone,
 
It seems the DevBlog was not clear enough on some points.
We have said it many times before, and we'll continue to say it again:
While many players wants to see Dual Universe with a dominant gameplay aspect, it's important to understand that it's NOT the case. 
 
Building gameplay is as important as Combat gameplay. Not more, not less. Balancing both won't be easy and we are aware of it. No, Building is not the major feature of Dual Universe. If the Building aspect has been made first, it's only because, it was making total sense to start the development with this part: we are pretty much in R&D field regarding the Voxel technology. It was an essential piece of tech to build the base of the game: Voxels were necessary to create editable planets in the first place. Then the logical next step was to develop tools to give players to manipulate voxels. That wouldn't make sense to develop Combat gameplay before the two previous steps because, there wouldn't even something to destroy, or even an environment where the combat could happen.
 
The order in which the features are developed are NOT by order of importance.
It's just a matter of logical game development roadmap.

We have no plan to make Dual Universe a total free for all PvP game, just as we won't make it a whole game universe safe, just because some players want to explore it completely without taking any risk. While we don't plan to make our game some kind of "EVE Online 2.0", we don't want either to make a "No Man's Sky 2.0". We understand this may not appeal to everyone taste, and we totally understand that. However, if there is something that is very unlikely to change, it's the fact that there's no intention to catter to only one specific category of players. 
 
A final word about the griefing and the mindset of the community. Our point of view is that griefing mainly proliferates when it's an easy way to get rewards with little effort, not necessarily because many people really wants to play that way. Of course, there are people who like to grief just for the enjoyment of annoying other players but we are convinced they're not a majority. If game mechanics are designed in such a way that griefing doesn't give easy rewards, then griefing will be naturally limited. 
 
Why not simply remove the possibility of griefing, then?

Yes, it would be clearly easier and quicker to remove the ability to grief other players, but while we have no intention to encourage griefing, removing it totally would go against the very definition of the sandbox concept: players are free to interact in the way they want. If we remove any kind of interaction, then we are not in a Sandbox MMORPG anymore: we would be in a Theme Park one. And that is not Novaquark's vision. We want a game universe where bad behavior is discouraged by game mechanics and heavy in consequences if a player still choose to do so, than arbitrarily forbid the said behavior. We want players to be free but also to live with the consequences of their choices. That's what Sandbox mean to us at Novaquark.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

In order to make scanned deposit locations (more) sellable I would suggest the abillity to generate ore scanning results, which are normal items that can be traded.
The scan results can not be manipulated, so their information is correct.
They store the following information about the ore vein:
Type(s) of ore Amount of that ore Depth Planet Position (some sort of projection at the location in the ground where the deposit is) The hex field on the map Date at which the scan was done  
The amount of ore, depths and the exact position would be depending on the players scanning skill and precision at which the deposit was triangulated.
So you don't have the exact amount of ore and not the exact location, so you have some error there, of course.
When you place the scan result on the market players can see everything, except the exact position and the hex field on the planet.
That way you can effectivly sell scanning results without the need for a huge amount of trust involved.
One problem would still be, that the ore deposit might be already mined, so players should be able to rescan deposits and then update their scan results on the market.

Hi Kuritho,
 
Hope things will get better for you soon
See you at the full release (or maybe even before?)
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.

Dual Universe n'est pas un jeu de simulation spatiale. C'est un jeu multi-joueurs ou les developpeurs veulent créer de l'échange entre joueurs. 
 
translate google:

Dual Universe is not a space simulation game. It's a multiplayer game where the developers want to create an exchange between players.

Bienvenue,
 
La communauté francophone commence à bouger, il  y a des projets, des organisations. Plus l'offre est abondante, mieux c'est.
Pour ma part, je regarde pour voir ce qui me paraît le mieux car je ne représente aucune organisation. Si tu veux, tu peux me contacte par MP pour discuter de Dual Universe.
 
For our English friends,

Welcome, the francophone community is starting to move, there are projects, organizations. The more abundant the offer, the better.
For my part, I look to see what seems best to me because I do not represent any organization. you can contact me via MP to discuss Dual Universe.

Bonjour à tous,   Je profite du passage en cette nouvelle année pour franchir une étape par rapport à Dual Universe. Voilà plus d'un an que je suis ce projet en consultant le forum et les vidéos montrant Dual Universe. Il y a quelques mois je me suis inscrit sur le forum. Toutefois je n'ai pas encore versé la moindre donation mais vu les avancées de ce projet, je compte bien participer au prochain lancement de pack de supporter. Vous avez remarqué avec ces toutes premières phrases mon côté prudent. Ce côté prudent est que je ne maîtrise pas l' informatique, je ne suis pas un "gamer" ayant 20 ans de pratique et une bibliothèque vidéo-ludique de +300 jeux-vidéos. Ce qui ne m'empêche pas de vouloir un jeu qui répond à mes attentes. Dual Universe est le jeu qui sur le papier répond au mieux à ceux-ci: en priorité, je cherche un jeu ou l'échange entre joueurs est primordiale pour construire un projet, réaliser un objectif et participer à une aventure humaine et pas seulement vidéo-ludique. ensuite, le fait que ce soit un mode créatif ouvert, cette création à portée de clic est ce qui de plus concret dans l'apport de ce jeu. A partir d'une base d'éléments basiques, chaque joueur peut potentiellement visualiser son "empreinte". En tant que lecteur de livres de Science fiction, l'espace est un univers qui m'attire. Le côté bac à sable dans l'absolu me plait bien car le système PVE (donjon, cueillir 32 champignons bleus pour avoir x point, ect) est pour moi inintéressant dans le principe, le PVP dans les principes de Nova Quark me convient. L'acceptation d'un financement mensuel est le résultat d'un constat: éviter des joueurs "toxiques" sur une longue durée. Je pars de l'à priori qu il y en aura mais le joueur "toxique" viendra avec sa période d'essai mais ne restera pas longtemps, sur le long terme il pourra qu'ennuyer les nouveaux joueurs qui ne seront pas encore dans une organisation.    Sinon en tant que joueur, je représente le parfait type  "casual", j'ai une vie IRL mais attention je suis un cas difficile car je suis contre l'obligation du vocal, par contre je peux écouter ^(mais uniquement en français) si j'éprouve le besoin. (d'ailleurs si vous êtes comme moi, n'hésitez pas à me transmettre un petit MP afin d'échanger notre vision de Dual Universe).   Pour l'instant je ne cherche pas spécialement à appartenir maintenant à une organisation, mon objectif dans les premiers temps de jeu est d'être mineur.   English text (google translate french / english):  
Hello everyone,    I take advantage of the transition in this new year to take a step in comparison with Dual Universe. It's been more than a year since I was this project by consulting the forum and the videos showing Dual Universe. A few months ago I registered on the forum. However I have not yet paid any donation but given the progress of this project, I intend to participate in the next launch pack supporter. You have noticed with these very first sentences my cautious side. This cautious side is that I do not master computer science, I am not a "gamer" with 20 years of practice and a video - game library of +300 video games.  Which does not prevent me from wanting a game that meets my expectations. Dual Universe is the game that on paper best meets these: in priority, I am looking for a game where the exchange between players is essential to build a project, achieve a goal and participate in a human adventure and not just video-fun.  then, the fact that this is an open creative mode, this creation at click is what is more concrete in the contribution of this game. From a base of basic elements, each player can potentially visualize his " footprint".  As a reader of science fiction books, space is a universe that attracts me.  The sandbox in the absolute I like because the system PVE (keep, picking 32 blue mushrooms to have x point, ect) is uninteresting for me in principle, the PVP in the principles of Nova Quark suits me.  The acceptance of a monthly financing is the result of an observation: to avoid "toxic" players over a long period. I start from the assumption that there will be but the player "toxic" will come with its trial period but will not stay long, in the long run it may be bored new players who will not be in a organization.    Otherwise as a player, I represent the perfect type "casual", I have a life IRL but beware I am a difficult case because I am against the obligation of vocal, for cons I can listen ^ (but only in French) if I feel the need. (Moreover, if you are like me, do not hesitate to send me a small MP to exchange our vision of Dual Universe).   For now I'm not specifically looking to belong now to an organization, my goal in the early days of play is to be miner.  

So meine lieben Freunde der Nacht. 
Da dieser Beitrag extrem verstaubt war und hier so gar nichts los zu sein schien......habe ich mich dazu entschieden ein kleines Experiment in Form eines Podcasts zu machen. Dieser ist selbstverständlich nur auf deutsch. Und ich habe oben by the way den Beitrag wieder eingerichtet.
Es geht um den "Basenbau"....wie könnte man was bauen und woraus sollte man achten. Wir haben uns hierbei sehr allgemein gehalten und bei weiten auch nicht alles durchdiskutiert. Wie gesagt es ist unser erster Versuch.^^ 
 

Ihr könnt im Video gerne mal eure Stimme da lassen.^^
Und falls es Verbesserungsvorschläge oder Ideen für weiteren Content gibt. so könnt ihr mir das hier gerne mitteilen.
Grüße
Chugy

Hi RadFallout100,
 
Technically, yes, it would be possible to have Dual Universe playable in single player mode or LAN multiplayer mode, given the appropriate amount of game development time.
However it won't be done because of the two following reasons:
- because it's not the game vision.
- because of game development time necessary to adapt the game to such configuration.
 
That being said: 
- Nothing will prevent you to play "solo" if you're not interested in activities that could involve PvP (like building your base in a secure area).
- If you don't like to pay a monthly subscription, there's a high chance to see a yearly subscription once the game will launch. While it makes total sense to prefer paying only once for a single player game or player-hosted server game (where you can invite your friends to join in multiplayer mode), it makes more sense to pay progressively for an online game managed by a company, as paying only once won't give you the same pros (and cons) of buying a single player game or a player-hosted server game: you won't own the game. you will own the right to play the game for a specific amount of time.
- There was a lifetime subscription option for exactly one year (from the 7th September 2016 to the 7th September 2017). This was a limited reward to thank early backers for having given us their trust and backed the game to a such exceptional level.
 
Many people who like to play solo or just with a small group of friends see the current development of "games as a service" as an evil thing attempting to force them to change their way of playing. Nothing is more wrong:
1) The number of available games enabling players to play solo or in small groups has never been so huge (a short glance at Steam will convince anyone at that).
2) Seeing games released as services is not necessarily an attempt to force these people to pay more than before: it's just that these games are not meant for them. If they prefer to play solo and/or with a small group of friends, it's totally their right. However, they often forgot that not all players want the same thing, far from it: there are also many players wanting to play in a huge world/universe populated with many other players. MMORPGs (like Dual Universe) are meant for this second category of players, and from there, it's just a matter of financial viability:
 
Players want a huge world/universe with many other players (or even the whole community, in the case of Dual Universe) around them?
=>  as no player will have the hardware to host a server powerful enough, this is where it becomes necessary to have the hardware managed by the company developing the game.
=> such server will be expensive to maintain (hardware + staff behind it), and the cost will never end. Moreover, as many people will have different material, may encounter problems, due to a technical issue or a social issue with other groups of players (harassment, griefing, etc), it becomes necessary to get teams able to handle such situations (customer support, community managers). Moreover, as such games generally continue to evolve a lot after the release, to provide new features and new content (development team). All this can't just be paid once, with the wish that the game can live forever: if there are bills to pay at the end of each month, then the healthy to maintain the game is to have a subscription model.
 
Some will say "Yes, but there are a lot of MMORPGs free-to-play or buy-to-play". 
Sure, but to be honest, it would be interesting to ask ourselves the following:
- how many have lived for a very long time (10 years or more) with such model?
- do those games have been beyond reproach regarding the three following points: permanent server availability, high quality customer support, regular content/feature updates?
 
Dual Universe has the ambition to be a game that will last a lot more than a few years, with regular updates. Obviously, the vision will not appeal to all types of players (as no game can appeal to all players) and or the service to have a decent quality, it needs to have a regular income, hence a monthly subscription, and no "this monetization model is obsolete" or "look how many went free-to-play" will change that fact.
 
Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.