Pre-Alpha FAQ and Rules

[NQ-Nyzaltar 5377]

Hi everyone,

 

Many of you have asked for more information and clarification about the Pre-Alpha.

To make things a bit easier for everyone we’ve compiled our answers into a this FAQ. 

 

Who will have access to the Pre-Alpha?

 

All backers with a Gold Founder status (or above), the members of the ATV group,  a small vetted “Friends & Family” group, and the Novaquark staff.

 

When exactly will the Pre-Alpha be accessible?

 

The first session of the Pre-Alpha will take place Saturday 30th of September:
- from 3.00 pm to 12.00pm (Midnight) CEST (Paris Time). 
- from 9.00 am to 6.00pm EST (NYC Time).
- from 6.00 am to 3.00pm PST (Los Angeles Time).

 

We will also have a “trial run” on Saturday September 23rd for the ATV group. This will enable us to run some tests with a smaller (100 players, all under NDA) group of real players before scaling up our efforts for the Pre-Alpha one week later.

The Trial Run (ATV group ONLY)  will take place Saturday, September 23rd:
- from 3.00 pm to 12.00pm (Midnight) CEST (Paris Time). 
- from 9.00 am to 6.00pm EST (NYC Time).
- from 6.00 am to 3.00pm PST. (Los Angeles Time).

 

Additional Pre-Alpha times and dates will depend on the results of these initial sessions. Between these sessions , the development team will improve the game according to the feedback and bug reports submitted during the last session. We will try to give access on a regular basis going forward, but please understand we are looking at these as tests and we do not intend to have the server available on a 24/7 basis yet.

 

How will I know when and where to download the Pre-Alpha Client?

 

If you are among those who have access to the Pre-Alpha,  we will send an email to the address linked to your Dual Universe account. Instructions for downloading the client will be provided. You will need to be logged into your Dual Universe account to download the Pre-Alpha client. Before you can download the client you will need to agree to and accept the EULA and NDA (which may be part of the EULA). Please note: Downloading and using the client means you have explicitly accepted the EULA and NDA. 

 

Can I tell people I am in the Pre-Alpha?

 

Unlike many NDAs, you won’t have to “hide” the fact that you are part of the Pre-Alpha Tester group. The reason is simple: it will already be publicly displayed on the forum and the Community Portal because of your Backer status (Gold and above) or the ATV membership mention. 

 

Can I share screenshots and videos from the Pre-Alpha?

 

Pre-Alpha testers can make screenshots and videos, with two conditions:

 

• No screenshots or videos may be posted prior to the NDA drop. This means you can make and save videos and screenshots for sharing, but may not post them until Novaquark officially announces the NDA has been dropped. While sharing screenshots and videos with people outside the Pre-Alpha test group is strictly forbidden, we also strongly discourage any sharing between Pre-Alpha testers during the NDA: unless you are 100% sure that those with whom you share screenshots and videos are trustworthy, don't share anything. The reason: if a leak occurs, you will be held responsible for it.

 

• All videos and screenshots must retain the “Pre-Alpha” watermark. This is to make it clear to anyone viewing your content that these assets were created using a very early, non-final version of the game.  This is important as we do not want Pre-Alpha footage and images to be confused with later Alpha, Beta, and Release versions of the game.  Imagine someone coming across Pre-Alpha footage several years from now and making decisions based on what they are seeing because they think it’s final, representative footage, and not test footage. Obviously, we want to avoid this kind of confusion. 
   

Failure to respect these conditions may be interpreted by Novaquark as an intent to damage the reputation of the game and the company (with any and all consequences that may follow), depending of the situation. 

 

If you feel you have captured footage or images that have a very positive value (like tutorials) and should be shared before the NDA is dropped, you can contact a member of the Novaquark staff by submitting a request on the upcoming Customer Support portal or by sending a private message on the forum to one of the CMs: Nomad, Nunc or Nyzaltar). We will then submit the footage or the screenshots for approval to the upper management. However, if the answer is negative, please respect it.

 

What about the NDA regarding discussions of the Pre-Alpha?

 

Any and all discussions of the Pre-Alpha must take place in the Pre-Alpha area of the forums. This area will be available only to those members of the community who are taking part in the Pre-Alpha. Everything posted in this section will be under NDA. To help people recognize when they are reading or replying to a topic in a section under NDA, the background color will be different from the public forum sections.

 

As we know the forum is not always the best way to discuss, especially in real time, we are currently in discussion to let the community have a Discord server dedicated to the Pre-Alpha. Moderators of this Discord will work closely with Novaquark staff to ensure that only Pre-Alpha testers will have access to it. Of course, the NDA will apply also on this Discord channel.

 

How will bug reporting work?

 

While the dedicated Pre-Alpha forum section will be the place to give feedback on the Pre-Alpha and discuss with other Pre-Alpha testers, we also plan to open a Customer Support portal where all Pre-Alpha testers will be able to report any bugs or technical difficulties they encounter in-game or to while launching the game. To be able to see the existing topics, post new ones or reply to some, you will need to log in on this portal with your Dual Universe account that has access to the Pre-Alpha. As long as the NDA is in effect, no discussion there should be made public.

 

What about the NDA and adding content to the Community Wiki?

 

No information related to the Pre-Alpha can be added to the Wiki until the NDA is lifted.  You may prepare texts and assets offline and hold on to them until the NDA is lifted, but absolutely nothing should be posted to the Wiki until such time. The reasons are obvious: this would be one massive leak and some of this information will likely change during the Pre-Alpha. 

 

What happens if I violates these, or any other provisions, of the NDA?

 

Violating the NDA will mean your immediate expulsion from the Pre-Alpha and you will be banned from the Alpha and Closed Beta tests. There may be additional consequences depending on the severity and nature of the violation.

 

What are the specs required to play Dual Universe in Pre-Alpha?

 

Please keep in mind that the following configuration is based on the fact that a Pre-Alpha or Alpha version of a game is not fully optimized. These may mean the specs stated here higher than may be required at launch. These specs only apply to the Pre-Alpha and should be considered as being subject to change as the game approaches a final Release version.

 

CPU: Intel i5  (i7 may yield better results)
RAM: 16 GB minimum
Graphic Card: nVidia GTX 960 (or Radeon equivalent) with at least 2GB RAM.
HDD: 40GB required for installation and Cache (a SSD Hard Drive may improve performance)
Operating System: Windows 7, 8 or 10.

 

Best Regards,
The Novaquark Team.
 

[NQ-Nyzaltar 5377]

Hi everyone !

 

It's time for an update regarding some points specific to the Pre-Alpha that have been heavily discussed since last week:

 

The Pre-Alpha Discord server!

 

After many discussions and feedback from members of the Community, we have decided to create a Discord Server that will be administered by Novaquark.
Note that this Discord is made specifically for the Pre-Alpha, meaning there is no guarantee that this Discord Server will continue after the Pre-Alpha. As many people wanted to see a Discord run by Novaquark staff, we'll see this as an experiment. Many factors will be taken into consideration to evaluate to which extent a Novaquark Discord channel is relevant. How much more feedback we will have with a Discord server, how much more detailed as well, but also (and this is one of the most important question) how much time will it require to be administered properly.

 

Once you will connect on this Discord server, you won't be able to see anything on it until you will be given the appropriate role by one of the Admins (who will be all Novaquark staff members). The Discord server address will be given in an email sent to you, a few days (one or two) prior to the date where you will have access to the Pre-Alpha. So if you're in the ATV group, you will receive the email before the end of this Friday (Sep 23rd), and if you're a Pre-Alpha tester outside the ATV group, you will receive the email a bit before the end of Friday next week (Sep 30th).

 

New Staff Member!

 

Some of you may have already noticed his profile on the forum, NQ-Wanderer has joined our ranks a bit more than one month and a half ago. He is one of our Customer Support Agents and you will probably hear from him on many occasions: he's the one that will send mails to you regarding the Pre-Alpha tests, and will be one of the Admins of the Pre-Alpha Discord Server, as well as Nomad and me. One important note though: if you have a request related to customer support, please don't contact him by private message on the forum or on Discord. For an appropriate follow-up, it's important that you continue to send an email to the appropriate email address (support@novaquark.com) or fill a request form on the upcoming Customer Support portal.

 

Pre-Alpha... What's in it?

 

In the coming days, we plan to give you a description of what will be available for testing during the first test sessions on 23rd and 30th of September.

 

Best Regards,
Nyzaltar.