Wyndle

That is a very serious allegation. Even if I had not seen some of the discussion myself I would have come to a similar conclusion based on how things have prior and continue to play out. To be frank, I don't care what the insiders have as long as it doesn't imbalance gamepla.... (Yes, I get that is the very definition of insider info) I love the building system in DU. I like the physics in flight. I (barely) tolerate some of the required "optional" gameplay systems. I am indifferent to PvP. I dislike much/most of the UI. I strongly dislike the game being tuned to the top tier of players. I loathe the lack of things to hook new players. But above all, I hate the rampant and seemingly encouraged cheating. If there is an ounce of truth to the allegations of insider info then NQ is on thin ice in legal terms and once the government(s) get involved the party may be over for everyone.

1) The unique, non-stacking item caused by dynamic properties is the bigger issue that I thought recycling would address. In a sense that is true and there will not be as much pressure to address the issue in the future, but please, please do not lose sight of this. I recommend a filter toggle at the least but would prefer that damage not be handled the exact same as objects that have added data such as control elements with DRM scripts installed. This could be as simple as having a different color or overlay for the icons. I suspect you will start getting tickets to un-recycle elements due to this overlap, hopefully not an overwhelming amount. 2) The returned items, while a vast improvement over nothing being returned, does not seem to be in line with expectations from anyone I have interacted with. As the previous post suggests; receiving scrap would be a welcome improvement. In my opinion it would be preferable to get a diminishing percentage of the entire pool of parts based on the number of remaining element lives.

The last couple of hours of extended forum down time set loose a band of dancing doubt demons for me. Sure, we "whiners" (or so I've heard us called) balk at many things here but there have been improvements in the game that originated in the forums. Not a lot, but... aw Hel, there's that one photon's worth of ray of hope again.

I have not been one for playing markets but I respect both the work you put into this and having clear data. Thank you.

Having recently re-read the letter from the creative director I want to come back to this topic. I see a critical flaw in how the creative director is placing emphasis on analytics. You can't ask a bean counter to quantify fun and it is an impossible task to figure out what the individual will react most to if they are already in a group. This appears to be a bias in the data based on the results I've seen so far. It also begs the question if they are giving alt accounts full weight in these analytics? I am torn because I see a sliver of dimming hope with what has been described. If they indeed bring in TW they will shed a portion of their community. If they indeed bring in power systems they will shed many of the building community. They've already sacrificed their one shot at getting a massive influx of new players. A small dedicated community has kept many other games open longer than expected but does that same effect work on an MMO?

The economy is a vital component but it isn't the only component of the game that matters. From my perspective, NQ is stuck in their own mini-game of knobs and levers without realizing the machine is spitting out metal fragments and sparks. It is the players that matter; the economy is just a tool to ease non-pvp interactions between said players. If the brand-new day one player cannot play the game without being required to participate in a specific "optional" system then the design is a failure. You can't call it a sandbox if there is only one viable means to participate. If the situation were only the ore bots going away, with the community having been included in the plan, we could have weathered that without more than a few complaints. If the situation were only adjusting the way MU provided ore, again with open communication about why it needs to be adjusted, we would adapt quickly with only a few complaints. But in a dual wielded combo backstab? And how can we see the misinformation provided by NQ as anything other in this case? Even the sunk cost fallacy can only hold players in place for so long.

Do you have HTML enabled in your settings? It causes problems with LUA screens.

I can tell you anything I wish. Convincing you that what I'm saying is correct is another matter. This game ran out of fun a while back and is critically low on hope at this point.

Funny, quoting someone but changing the comma to a period to make it look different than the person being quoted intended doesn't flow well with the conversation.

Having thought about it just a little longer, I think the idea of Org sponsored missions could help with several issues. Since the org would be supplying elements and BP copies that would have an upfront sink in ore. The org leadership would accept a mission to supply a list of parts in a package placed in a mission container on their own tile. The package would generate a special mission that becomes available with the package and a small amount of quanta as the final reward. The mission system would still be entirely under Aphelia, but the player created rewards could be a huge boon for mission runners, factory players, and ship builders. For mission runners to start getting weapons and other niche items to improve their ships would give a sense of improvement for having run the mission. The ships are where it becomes a burden because we don't want to give prank (or inappropriate) ships out to new players who may not even know they can strip it for parts. This could also lead to regular ship building contests specific to designing mission reward ships. I suspect that this was the intention for player made missions but it didn't stick with only quanta being exchanged.

If we look at Eve's mission system, you have to grind rep to unlock better item rewards, including ships. I dislike rep systems in general but it gives a more robust mission system in the example. A straightforward copy won't work for DU as all NPC missions are from a single source. Perhaps orgs could apply to become mission ambassadors and function as agents? Perhaps with a list of items and BP copies of NQ approved ships the org has to maintain for rewards, getting a fixed price compensation per item once collected and the mission collateral goes to the org when not returned to the player.

The OP has not logged into the forums for a year. It is extremely unlikely that there will be any updates here. There is a chance someone may have a similar script on github.

This is a genuine peril for DU at present. Most of the players I saw living on Haven were solo factory builders posting small sell orders. Then their ore to quanta exchange dried up. For these players, a mission system to stock T1 elements for Aphelia at various markets on Haven and other safe planets could replace ore bots while giving solo industry a foothold to grow from.

The small org that I have spent all my time with since launch was keeping up with the large orgs in several regards. When I realized that I suggested that we cool our jets and take time to enjoy the gameplay, literally a day before the first nerf. We lost one player along the way but it wasn't related to the game. The building plans I had prior to launch were based on a slightly slower economy but survive even now. What initially looked like a 3 month project is now closer to an 18 month project. I personally have a stronger appreciation for permanent structures in DU. And I still have PTSD from space towers.

Unless its from a cash shop that pays for an extra dev or two and that is how dancing avatars might actually save DU.

If they give enough heads up (at least a quarter in advance) with in game tools to prepare ahead of it, it could actually drive growth and bring back older players. I still maintain that had we been given all the info the community majority would have elected to make the same changes since launch and probably sooner.

Cynicism (mine) aside, your post hit the nail on the head regarding changes since launch. The game needs a rock solid foundation with a dedicated base of players in order to thrive and grow. The reactions were those of people who felt like the ground was crumbling beneath them. What are some things we as experienced players could contribute while keeping in mind that NQ is essentially a skeleton crew? The fly-ins, dome, and racing are a good start but there needs to be more in game activities. I have the beginning of a new event in planning but I can't reveal any details at this point due to the enormous cost of setting it up. If the MU changes ultimately have the desired effect then we should see the cost of PvP even out some. Not much can be done about the biggest groups hoarding and reaving.

And this (PvP imbalance) will continue to drive off anyone that is a solo player or doesn't want to join a big group. No new players coming to the rescue. And participation falls until the economy can no longer be sustained.

Your applause of no cash shop falls short. One of the oldest slides presented for the kickstarter specified that cash shop items were intended from inception, such as the Sanctuary Territory Unit. The fact that we're more than half a decade past that point and one still cannot externally purchase the cash shop item that is in the game is a red flag.

If we had any non-negative evidence that NQ was paying attention (i.e. distinct from reading) to the forums I would be glad to help flesh out great ideas. If this were a means to provide value to the overall project that I've already given so much to, then I could see some return on the value of my thoughts being expressed. As it stands I would rather walk away than become permanently jaded.

There are certainly PvP groups that would consider being mercs pilots for hire to increase their odds of seeing combat without resorting to piracy, but the cost of PvP is too high to expect any altruism to be sustainable long enough for anyone to become familiar with such a group.

You put a lot of thought into this and, for today at least, I don't want to be the grouchy old guy pointing out the nit-picks. So, thank you for your contribution.

Let's examine the components of this statement: 1) quanta faucet (n.) - Centrally controlled means of injecting monetary supply into a closed environment. 2) alt (n.) - Abbreviation for alternate. In the context of DU an alt is any paid account above the first account for a single player. DU has multiple quanta faucets and so far the only one that has not been slowed drastically is only an outsized benefit for those who are working as a group OR paying NQ real money above the standard one account per player. To be clear, I am not saying that NQ is doing anything untoward or unscrupulous in this case. I am rephrasing the facts.

IMO, NQ (the company) is behaving like an abusive person. Constant lies and manipulation with barely enough apologies and truth to keep the cycle of abuse going in their favor. More than enough of the signs are there to fit diagnosis for several personality disorders under the DSM-V (the relevant official medical guide in the U.S.), so I am not exaggerating when I say their actions are causing harm. Again, if NQ is actually trying to get as much out of it before collapse then why no cosmetic cash shop? If one were to apply Elon Musk's version of Occom's Razor and financial profit doesn't appear to be the driving force then what are NQ's investors really after?

Player retention RULE #1: Don't lie to your customers. Keeping certain things close to the chest is risky but that isn't what we've seen here. Even though NQ's motives and intentions were plainly obvious for several community members, when pressed for comment NQ chose to mislead and in a couple of cases outright contradicting what was obvious (and later confirmed). Securing funding? I find it hard to swallow that NQ is making choices based on what will bring in more funding. If funding were the goal then why don't we have at least the skeleton of a cosmetic cash shop? The cosmetic cash shop has been the primary profit source for the vast majority of online games and MMOs for well over a decade. This being a game with an incredible building system; a cosmetic cash shop should have been the number one development priority in early Beta if not sooner. Combining this glaring omission with the repeated violations of trust I have to wonder if there may be a darker, more sinister reason behind DU not falling apart after JC left.