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NEW SCHEMATICS: HOW WILL THEY CHANGE DU? OUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR'S NOTE


NQ-Wanderer

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"Hello, Noveans!

 

This is Cyrille Fontaine (NQ-Kyrios), and today I’m joined by NQ-Entropy to discuss an important change coming soon to Dual Universe.

 

Schematics have been one of the most controversial changes we’ve made to the game and a significant challenge for us to fix. While the purpose behind the system remains as needed as ever, the way we implemented schematics has caused great discontent within our community. In today’s letter, we’re excited to discuss the changes we’re making to the schematic system, based on your feedback, to improve it.

 

Over to NQ-Entropy:

 

When we released schematics in 0.23, it was to address a problem that had the potential to adversely affect Dual Universe as an MMO. Players were able to be fully self-sufficient with ‘build-it-all’ factories, reducing interaction between players in the game’s economy.

 

We acted too quickly in implementing the current system. The limits we placed were too harsh, too binary, and too expensive. You needed too many schematics to run an industry chain and it was painful to manage them all. We saw the flaws in the system and listened to our community’s feedback.

 

Schematics achieved our goal of creating specializations in what players were able to craft and limiting private, ‘build-it-all’ industries, but they also paralyzed industry gameplay for many players that couldn’t afford schematics.

 

Our first attempt to fix the system was to reduce the price of schematics, but this wasn’t enough. It has taken us a long time to return to the schematics system and create a solution. This delay has meant that schematics have continued to impact players. However, we are now ready to introduce our solution to the schematic issue.

 

OUR APPROACH

 

We’ve decided to go back to the drawing board and remake schematics in a more accessible and fulfilling way.

 

Remaking features in Dual Universe is never easy. Our time is limited, and our decisions on how to spend it directly impact the state and quality of the game. Remaking a feature means investing time into something that may not improve the game if we misfire. It also means risking making something worse, requiring even more time to fix later.

 

The simpler solution would have been to just remove schematics from the game, but despite our missteps on how we had implemented them, schematics did meet the role they were designed for. Removing them would just bring back the original problem that we were trying to solve in the first place.

 

We hope that this new system will be worth the wait.

 

NEW SCHEMATICS

 

The new schematic system is split into two major parts: copying and consuming. The brunt of the change is on the copying side, which is a brand-new system.

 

We wanted to make schematics more accessible and easier to use while retaining a portion of their limiting effect. We have made them more scalable across the board and made the system easier to balance and adjust from our end.

 

COPYING

 

Players will have access to a new interface in which they’ll be able to copy batches of schematic copies from Aphelia’s Master Copies. Players will have access to several copying slots that can run simultaneously and will each be able to create a batch of schematic copies.

 

Copying schematic batches will cost time and a small amount of quanta. For example, a batch for smaller tier-one elements or tier-one honeycomb may only cost a couple of thousand quanta to copy, while the most expensive and larger schematics may cost a couple of million. Different types of batches will also give a different number of schematic copies per batch. For example, copying a schematic batch for a large high-tier element may only give you two or three individual copies, but copying a tier-one honeycomb schematic may give you a batch of 25 or more.

 

CONSUMING

 

Schematic copies will be consumed by the industry unit when an item is made. You will input schematic copies into the schematic banks in the same way as before. Apart from some interface changes to accommodate the new system, the industry unit’s function remains the same.

 

However, there are a few important points to note:

 

  • Not everything will require a schematic

 

Parts will no longer require schematics at all. This could be subject to change, but we’re experimenting with it in the first release.

 

Additionally, decorative elements, including doors, will not need schematics, though some exceptions may apply.

 

  • You won’t need a schematic for every individual item

 

We have many items in Dual Universe. There are types of elements, with different tiers and variations, and all of our honeycomb, scrap, and materials. We felt it was too frustrating and demanding to need a schematic for each item.

 

We want more flexibility and ease for our players. We’re creating schematic copies for each category of items based on factors such as their tier and size, rather than each item in particular.

 

For example, you could have a schematic copy that makes large tier-three elements and use it to create all types of corresponding items such as large tier-three weapons, engines, industry units, etc. Similarly, for example, you would only need one schematic for all tier-one pure honeycombs and another for all tier-one product honeycombs.

 

Finally, you’ll be able to list your schematic copies for sale on the market, enabling you to manage your stocks by buying and selling schematic copies.

 

CONCLUSION

 

To summarize, our goals for the new system are:

 

  • For personal and smaller industries, players can make schematic copies for a relatively minor cost and run a small number of industry units. This brings back small, ‘backyard’ industries of convenience. Note that you can still have a lot of machines, but the number of schematic copies you can copy by yourself will limit the number of machines that can run simultaneously.

 

  • For larger scales, it will require player cooperation, making larger industrialists purchase schematics from the markets or rely on friends and organizations to generate schematic copies for their factories.

 

  • Schematic copies are more flexible and easier to handle. You don’t need a schematic for every item. You can use the same schematic to make one of many different items. This limits the total number of schematics, making managing them simpler.

 

  • Copying time, batch sizes, number of copying slots, and quanta cost can be more easily adjusted and modified based on feedback and metrics.

 

The new schematics will come to Dual Universe very soon. In the meantime, we will be listening to feedback on costs for copying and balancing them accordingly. We will also be watching for your suggestions for items that may need their own schematics, issues with the way items are currently grouped into schematics, or potentially items that currently have schematics but shouldn't.

 

We won’t initially implement talents related to schematic copying but we will be implementing them in future updates.

 

We’re also devoting a whole episode of Ask Aphelia to schematics. If you have questions about the new schematic system, please send them to us by Thursday, July 14, with this link.

 

Thank you for bearing with us, Noveans. We know that this change has been a long time coming. We hope that this new system will revitalize industrial gameplay in Dual Universe for everyone.

 

We invite you to join in the discussion about this topic, using this thread

 

NQ-Kyrios and NQ-Entropy"

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