DEVBLOG: PVP IN ATHENA

[NQ-Wanderer]

The temperature is on the rise and the pressure is on with the upcoming Athena 0.29 update in Dual Universe!

Before gearing up for war, get ready by checking this devblog all about PvP features in the Athena update.
 

SPACE TERRITORY WARFARE

 

We are introducing ‘Alien Space Core Units’, which you can find scattered around in various locations outside of the Safe Space zone. These Alien Cores will generate resources and provide any capturing party with a building platform. From that building platform, the resources generated by these Cores can then be harvested through the new Space Mining Units and the Relic Plasma Extractor.

 

You might be wondering, so how does this work exactly? Any player who is first to arrive at an Alien Core location is able to claim ownership of said Alien Core. They can then use the Core like a regular one to build a standing base, on which they can place the new Space Mining Units and Relic Plasma Extractors and start gathering the Core’s resources.

 

Be sure to employ the brand new Space Unit Shield Generator to protect your investments. Similar to the previous iteration of the shield generators, they can be adjusted to defend against certain damage types, but they come with a few changes. Notably, these shield generators do not have the feature to vent; instead, when they reach 60%, they will go into Lockdown.

 

When a construct enters Lockdown, a countdown timer will start (with a minimum of 18 hours) and the clock will tick down until a time specified when setting up a shield generator by the defenders. This timer will not be initially publicly disclosed, whereas anyone who is viewing the construct will be able to see the time remaining. Also, during this time, all weapons mounted and other elements will be locked out.

 

As you may have noticed, the Space Mining Units, Relic Plasma Extractors and Space Unit Shield Generators are all new additions to Dual Universe. All of these items will be craftable, sellable, as well as tradable by players.

 

SPACE TRAVEL MAX SPEED & BALANCE

 

Due to the issues raised with the Missions system and with the imbalance of construct sizes in PvP, we have altered the behavior around a construct’s maximum speed. A constructs’ mass will now impact their speed: the heavier the ship, the less its maximum speed will be. This will allow for better balancing regarding the Missions system, as well as PvP tactics of heavier constructs: smaller, more agile constructs can now catch up with the heavier ones!
 

STASIS WEAPONS

 

Say hello to the first ‘Electronic Warfare’ weapon! Designed to reduce the maximum velocity of targeted ships, allowing you to swat those who try to swarm or out maneuver you. This will add more dynamics and possibilities to the field of battle.

 

It is important to note that anyone who is being targeted by a Stasis Weapon, can also use one on their attacker! This allows for both offensive/defensive gameplay utilization.

 

Stasis weapons can be crafted like other PvP items. They use their own specific ammunition, which can also be crafted.

 

PVP VOXEL IMPROVEMENTS

 

We improved performance when voxels are being destroyed. We have been working hard to identify the issue, and thanks to many player reports, we have been able to improve on this system.

 

 

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Overall, we believe that these combined changes will provide more content and interest for our PvP players, as well as providing exciting and possible lucrative rewards. It is our intention to change the current ‘meta’ behavior and ship design, which do not currently coincide with our vision for Dual Universe.

 

We understand the concerns some of you have with some of these changes, especially the maximum travel speed, as many players enjoyed and embraced the ‘realism’ that the game provided. While we do sympathize with those players, it is important for us to create a balanced, diverse and fun environment for everyone.

 

As always, we will be keeping a close attention to the effects these changes have within Dual Universe and make revisions if we feel it is needed.. Please remember that this is just the first iteration of these changes, so further balancing and changes could still occur.

 

We hope you enjoy these new features! Your feedback always helps us in refining the changes we bring to Dual Universe, so please don’t hesitate to let us know what you think here!