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Warden

Alpha Team Vanguard
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Posts posted by Warden

  1. Why not "Cussypats"?

     

    I still favor sandbox games over themepark MMO(RPG)s. Immersion and gameplay wise sandbox games were usually more fun for me and allowed more creative freedoms than your average MMO(RPG). Mostly or also because the world is dynamic and grows with player events or politics, opposed to always living in a relatively static world.

  2. In the long run I still see no issue in having NPCs of some sort. Before anyone rams their fist on the table and yells BUT SINGLE SHARD PLAYER DRIVEN [...] (I get that, been here long enough :D), I don't necessarily mean like in Star Citizen for example, where they actively plan NPCs not just to populate the verse and as friends foes and bystanders, and I don't mean like crew you can hire for your ships including turrets, repairs, etc.

     

    I rather mean some kind of decorative function perhaps or really limited tasks. Of course a lot would have to be revised and considered later once more crucial aspects of the game are no longer under construction.

     

     

     

    Random thoughts:

     

    - decorative

    have them sit in your houses or businesses, chatter, clean, do random or specific animations

     

    - vendor and more

    Have them serve as shopkeepers or traders where players can buy / sell, not just from a terminal. This can make player shops more ... diverse or lively, opposed to a bunch of terminals standing there

     

    - limited support functions

    The most controversial or perhaps initially ruled out, fill roles on a ship, maybe not necesasrily relating to active combat but maybe repairs or managing systems. But this is for the far future, if at all.

     

    - classic NPC roles from other games (PVE)

    Populate the universe with certain NPCs who patrol, possibly have limited settlements somewhere as factions that can be wiped (or rebuilt?) by players or themselves and of course pirates in some areas, who attack anything. Since this is tied to a certain work effort development wise and was ruled out (afaik) due to the concept and pitch of the game, it's unlikely. But not necessarily ruled out for eternity, maybe it might change years down the line and it's simply thrown in here for the sake of completion. Just saying it might make some areas feel or be populated. We don't have to expect huge simulated growing and dying NPC factions by no means, but a few fluff trade ships or patrols around Alioth and towards the moons and planets and then maybe some pirates in fringe regions would not hurt anyone ... game concept wise I mean. Roughly think of EvE Online.

  3. I'm not quite sure how to best tackle some of the questions beyond a simple "depends", but I think a good comparison is real life. Can you do well or accomplish things alone or with a small group?

     

    Under the right conditions, with luck, skill, etc. yes. Certainly. But can you alone against an international, huge corporation or a government on your own? Let's say you do activity or have skill X. Would you easily if not at all be able to compete against a group doing the same?

     

    Certain activities will always be more rewarded or easier in a collective effort. Universal law I'd say.

     

    However, do not get me wrong. I am certain you can do your own thing even if that thing, whatever it may be, may be easier to obtain or do in a (big) group. Especially designing, among other activities, may be a good niche or way to do things with fewer people or alone.

     

    What I want to say is you can likely do a lot alone. Just expect that to be easier in a larger group. But you can be your own master.

     

    I don't think you necessarily need to join big groups or know Lua scripting language; but utilizing those may help in some situations. Remember, if you can't do it you can always ask or hire someone who can.

     

    Hope it helps a bit, even if I mostly mentioned universal things.

  4. Life has kept us busy, but as time keeps going, so do goals and dreams, and we're still interested in expanding.

     

    While many changes still have to be applied and while it may take some time due to delays, on that note it should be noted that those who have a (diverse) roleplaying background (soft or moderate, even heavy) are preferred due to a few abstract aspects.

     

    From our perspective it's simple: You don't have to be one. But if you had some experience or like aspects of it, chances are you'll fit in a bit better here as we want to cater to a certain immersion as we offer something for our members. If you ask me personally, I believe this is something we can offer as unique aspect and somewhat compete with certain other organizations. We don't mind both "active" and "passive" roleplayers; if you're interested we can talk about expectations and wishes further in a relaxed conversation.

     

    What we expect is simply the interest to invest some time and see through challenges. If you run at the first sight of trouble or problems, are not "crisis-resistant" at all or just want safety in numbers then this may not be the place for you. But the good news is that you'll surely find an organization for your needs, if it's not ours.

     

    If you're a creator, we got plenty of work to empower you.

     

     

     

     

  5. 1 hour ago, Circles said:

    Sorry to give a simple answer, but I think that space is meant to feel empty, untouched lands, new horizons. No bots that have gotten there first. 

    And fauna? I mean I'm just trying to imagine Conan Exiles, Minecraft etc. with no "critters" and similar at all.

     

    You could argue that it's not fully comparable because obviously, those worlds usually

     

    1) rely on classic servers with limited player slots and

    2) also intend to offer some sort of possible singleplayer or offline experience (not all, but many)

     

    So those might "need" it. While Dual Universe will aim for huge player numbers. I'd say "Yes, perhaps correct".

     

    I still think having environmental or local hazards such as fauna may be more interesting in the DU setting than not having that at all. I realize it's more work to design the creatures or whatever it may be, and then work to implement AI. But assuming it's not terribly impossible or hard in the given framework and assuming it is later possible because resources are freed up, it should be considered by the devs.

     

    I'm not talking about humanoid NPCs now, but creatures that may have developed on some worlds that would logically allow it. I wouldn't mind some humanoid NPCs either to simulate some of the background factions in DU or people from other Ark ships, though.

     

    TL;DR: I understand, it is no secret that the focus for DU appears to be on players, less so much on NPCs or even a potential "PVE" NPCs would bring. Then again, I would welcome certain critters and whatnot to spice things up on some planets. Having those doesn't hurt PVPers or anyone who doesn't mind an absence of NPCs or creatures. I'd say at the bottom line and on an abstract level, more people benefit or enjoy such potential adversaries than not having them.

     

    The only practical obstacle I see is the effort and time required to implement those things in the game, next to a potential "vision". I'd assume that eventually a point would come where core mechanics are in and where the devs can focus on other aspects, such as more content for players. And maybe even PVE content. You can leave out more complex adversaries like other humans (as NPCs). But creatures or other life forms might be nice.

     

     

  6. For a long time I went with the notion that only players are fine. I do not recall everything, but that was the gist.

     

    Yet, now, I think it might be an issue, potentially, for many.

     

    If the game is sold as that, OK. But even so, that doesn't mean some couldn't not like the fact. Just like Fallout 76 did advertise it prior I think and in the end many disliked the empty-ish world. Do not get me wrong, you had NPC and AI in the game, just not any humanoid NPCs. But you had enemy and neutral AI.

     

    I feel or fear it might perhaps later feel empty-ish or not as entertaining compared to having a few creatures or animals. All other sandbox games from Eve to Minecraft, Conan Exiles, etc had some sort of NPC set or array. To spice things up.

     

    I currently believe that only a large player base could compensate for this.

     

    Recap, not minding limited time, resources or prioritization: with some NPCs you'd likely please more (potential) players compared to not having either. I also don't mean to imply "drop every thing and work on NPCs like creatures".

     

    Simply consider that various, even if rarer, NPCs can spice things up. Perhaps way later this topic can be revisited or considered by the devs when critical parts of the game are done.

  7. A sort of supply chain and also being able to mostly (but perhaps, all in all, not completely) separate from PvP would help a lot. Since wars will eat up resources and since we have safe zones (full or contestable) I see the "two worlds" bridged.

     

    If many people with a focus on either side would stop seeing the devil in the other side (or sometimes be less vocal about it alternatively), more would get along.

     

    A relative Co-existence is possible, people just need to find their niches and realize that they occasionally or often may benefit from the "other side", whether that side is strictly or primarily PvP or not.

     

    My point in all of this is: you can add mechanics that encourage non-PvP or make it possible in the first place somewhere. But that's not a 100% in my eyes, the rest depends on the people and their various acceptances or views and expectations. Or in short, especially but not solely for non-PvPers: game even more enjoyable if you accept other side, assuming you are or were opposing it.

     

  8. SM's Civilization is a good comparison and likely the feeling I will get. I had this before already on a Minecraft server (hub) called Civcraft, with certain plug-ins to add that faction and nation building aspect.

     

    The result?

     

    Lots of different cities (in the respective territories) and factions, some at war with each other

     

  9. I personally see player character persistence as "off-putting factor" in the larger picture or on an abstract level.

     

    On one hand, I never had much experience with it. But by just looking at the concept it seems clear to me that it would be off-putting to people who are not into some sort of hardcore PVP or survival mindset including "sleeping characters" when you are offline. Your base and assets being out there any time? That's normal for most games. The character remaining and being attackable? Not so common.

     

    All in all, I doubt we get to see this, at least not applied to all. So far my assessment, purely based on gut feeling, is that NQ would possibly lose players and the "abstract damage" might not justify the "pleased crowd". I also do not know what the impact on server load might be in the grand scheme of things.

     

    The risk averse crowd might decide to purely be restricted to safe zones, any more casual oriented players in either gameplay approach or time investment frame might shit their pants at work or wherever, wondering if they char is still up if they somehow had to play and log out beyond safe zones. The limited safe zones might get potentially packed or be 'abused' in the sense of people just logging out there, making them untouchable, if any of those are within reach.

     

    Since someone mentioned combat logging, a compromise would be a timer applied to your character. Whether you wait for it to go down or log out immediately, your character will persist for that time.

  10. Good story, short but sweet.

     

    I guess it's a good example how "viral marketing" or gossip can promote a game or idea and we should perhaps do our part on occasion and when it seems organic to do so.

     

    No, dear readers, it does not mean going around reddit(s) and whatnot, spamming DU links unsolicited like some people did in the past (you know who you are).

     

    Anyway, for me a similar promotion made me aware of the game: basically the combination of Minecraft (or SE) and EvE Online. The perfect mix on paper at least.

  11. 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.

  12. SlBJs9k.png

    2019 will be the year of ascension

     

     

    What long has been postponed and neglected shall be renewed!

     

    As one cycle comes to an end and starts anew, we intend to utilize this change for long-intended but never completed changes to determine our future with clarity. As to what exactly we intend and have in store, you will have to see as time unfolds. I can summarize this in simple fashion, however:

     

    • Re-define the target group and goals to reach, possibly according to SMART approach
    • Overhaul application system according to target group
    • Work continuously on multimedia and promotion as time and dedication to other projects permits
    • Create a solid leadership/management foundation and expand local projects, at last

     

    These simple-sounding steps are just for one purpose: To make us better so we can empower you more effectively. With a realistic approach, we only want to attract those who want a challenge and don't mind more difficult starting conditions and obstacles to overcome. While our branches will remain broad, we will also try to focus on certain projects. In the end, we prefer those measures over mass-recruitment for simple number boosting and being unable to specialize in certain areas.

     

    If you align with our approaches, do not mind a challenge and responsibility while being able to display notable patience, this might be the right Corporation for you. If you need to be in the biggest and most known - look at the top X organizations on the community hub.

     

    ------------------------------------------------

     

    To summarize, we want to overhaul our content, promote more, re-define some goals and make recruitment, requirements and target groups more clear for 2019. We want to focus on leadership-related and dedicated positions rather than gaining numbers blindly and are ready to filter and test applicants more. From our perspective, it doesn't matter if this rarely nets successful applicants quantity-wise if the quality and dedication of "the few" is according to our expectations. We also want to focus on getting management positions filled in the long run so that DU operations can run on their own.

     

    In turn, applicants and future members can expect a challenging but also very rewarding adventure where they can slowly notice the positive changes of their time and work investments. This, combined with our mindset on our multimedia approach is grounds for a very good and immersive experience. Any veteran member (most will deploy later on are are currently not active) you might ask would surely give you the highest praise and best stories from our first successful campaign in another world in another time. But they did not just get that experience by expecting handouts and entertainment all day, but by actively and willingly contributing and enjoying the time here.

     

    If you're of the same caliber, the 'verse will be open to you.

     

     

    fUqxVoE.png

    Spread your wings and ascend - with us

     

     

  13. I think the currently planned system, assuming it is "more or less" set in stone, is totally fine and a compromise for all.

     

    You get your initial starting point safe zone, then anything claimable but serving as regular claimable tile, placeable in most areas with risk and then the dedicated safe zone moon sanctuary thingies as 'extension'. Did I forget any?

     

    I really can't see either side complain much, assuming each individual from any crowd can work with compromises.

  14. At this rate I think they will deliver, but 1,000 people per instance?

     

    Plans or not, I will only believe it when I see it work in stable or live branches and would consider ~500 (or 350, etc) already huge groundbreaking milestone with the tech currently involved.

  15. Capital ships were always intended as "end-game-tier" and workload-type of ship or asset. If numbers cannot go notably up per instance to make them feasible to use (more than one), I can imagine them adding automation to reduce max crew slots, so you can do the same with less people. Or actual people. You could as well fill existing ship positions with NPCs so you save space for players.

     

    Just a thought or assumption, time will tell what comes out of it.

  16. I think in terms of "craftsmanship" this is a very well-done video with the right visuals and emphasizing. Or in other words, it seems authentic and "blends" well.

     

    Some more feedback

    Spoiler

    To make it just perfect or a bit better I'd add a "fade-out phase". Now I'm no expert or professional video editor and may not be able to use spot-on descriptions or terms. But what would make this even better from the perspective of a "consumer" and amateuer video fiddler would be not just cutting it at the end there but adding some more seconds that switches to some type of artwork or logo with some slogan and perhaps a call to action to join now or to "check out these links", before the visuals slowly fade into darkness.

     

    TL;DR: A soft fade-out or outro might make this even better, whether subconscious or not, I dunno. Try it out if you want and see how internal feedback is. If you find that suggestion useful, I look forward to receiving discounts in Tortuga City. ?

     

     

  17. Apart from any current sub-debate or topic, here's a perhaps useful video that explains the game in an optimistic outlook.

     

    Of course the project has seen and will likely see "controversy" and it has many vocal opponents. I personally think it is a vision to believe in (without saying you cannot criticize aspects of it). It just needs a hell of a lot more time and content and refinement, but if all ends up in working order it will maybe revitalize the industry and bring encouragement where you could sometimes get the picture of it being a shallow or questionable thing, thanks to certain big actors who deliver rather shallow products. My impression anyway.

     

    Whatever your stance about the game, supporter, opponent, neutral, anything else, maybe you find this video interesting:

     

     

     

    On a personal note, I stopped trying to compare it to DU a long time ago. I see gems in both with their distinctive pros and cons and maybe slightly different target audiences. They do not seem fully comparable due to how they're set up and what they intend to offer to the players. Chances are I will play both.

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