What changes DU needs right now

[Rimezx]

I decided to make a post about what i think is wrong with the current game system and share my proposed changes and fixes. Feel free to comment and share your own opinions. I'll list all of the recommendations in a priority list.

 

    1. Mining unit system needs a complete overhaul. Current system is boring, totally unfair and counterintuitive. Noone enjoys playing the passive income taxes game. Calibrating units is extremely boring and non engaging. Most of the tiles on planets are already scanned and taken in the first month of the release, making any new players stand no chance in finding them at this point. The only way this system could work is if all the tile ore reset every month or so. Having permanent ore income in the expense of new players having none is plain bad. Also adjacent tile system and flowers is terrible. Making people hoard tiles with multiple accounts which is bad. 

 

A mining unit mining slower than a player is simply nonsensical from a logic perspective aswell. A way to make this system fun would be to have tiles reset every month and have finite amount of ore in them. So when you find one tile you place a mining unit and it mines rapidly for a short amount of time, let's say 2 hours and gives you a large quantity of ore on the spot, then the ore on the tile is spent. Tiles with better ore should be individually spread around planets and not chunked together, making random scanning the way to go. This way of scanning would keep players engaged. It would be reward for spent time every time. It would also help make the universe feel alive since players would settle in different planets farming diferrent materials. 

 

    2. Add a schematic copy distribution mechanic for schematic copies to industry units or let is place schematic copies in core and be done with it. It's pain in the a@@ checking every unit for schematics making factory lua a requirement if you dont want to go nuts,

 

    3. The game needs playable PvE content to keep players engaged. Currently there is not much for the average mainstream player to do in DU, making it a very niche and hard to recommend game to the average joe. The first thing a person is going to ask is what do you do in this game? And you asnwer like i craft and build and then i can take my crafted stuff and pvp because reasons. For example we could have NPC pirate ships in space even in safe zone. Making players ease into gun and combat talents and mechanics and slowly getting into the pvp content. Add basic and uncommon guns. People should be able to use guns from the get go if they want to. Trasure hunt quests in planets, raidable NPC bases by groups and much more. 

 

    4. Add a spaceflight tutorial for starters. Make them press X twice see the momentum line and understand how space speed works. Also warn them about atmo burnup. 

 

    5. PvP combat needs changes. First easy change is make each ship only be able to use its assigned shield size. Like guns s core should be only able to use s shield, m core m shield and so on. This s core m shield 6 cannons op meta needs to stop. Large gun accuracy should be increased on smaller cores depending on distance to core. As distance closes, larger weapon accuracy should increase with a set function. One or two small cores should stand no chance against an M or an L core. It is more expensive to make and requires multiple people to run. It only makes sense for it to be more powerful. Right now it feels like 2 rowboats with small guns blowing up a battleship. Does that make sense to you? 

P.S. default ui for pvp needs a complete overhaul. It's next to impossible to pvp with default ui and radar. Just look at what streamers use, get ideas and fix it. 

 

    6. Maximum speed in space should be relative to mass as it is now but also relative to core size aswell. There should be a mass range for every core to make a core be considered "lightweight" or "heavyweight". For example an s core with 2kt should ahve a max speed for 20k but an s core with 200t should have a higher max speed. An L core with lets say 4kt should be considered lightweight and fast and have max speeds like that empty s core and so on.

 

    7. Find a way to counter doing missions with multiple accounts on one ship and getting multiple times the reward. This is effectively money printing quanta at alarming rates and creates billionaires that can manipulate the entire market with their quanta. 

 

    8. Flying platforms at 1300 meters and space elevators should be removed from the game and considered an exploit (in my opinion).

 

    9. We need Atmospheric engine XL and wing L.

 

    10. Make agg controlable with default UI from pilot chair. 

 

    11. Make rocket engines more powerful as they are pretty much useless as is and noone uses them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by Rimezx

[Bobbie]

.

[blundertwink]

Some of these points have been brought up many, many, many times through the game's long dev history. 

 

NQ decided that they would build a game with no NPCs, and even during beta people (more than a few times) brought up how awkward it made the game. They wanted to be novel for novelty's sake in declaring that DU would be a game with only players.

 

They never had a detailed, cohesive plan to design the game such that the role of NPCs was actually replaced by player-driven mechanics. People talk about JC's leadership as if it was so much better, but there was never a detailed, realistic design plan for DU. 

 

There's been a ton of discussion about PvP balance and alts with mission running -- these issues won't ever be resolved, IMO. It's an open-world PvP game, so if people expect structured "fair" PvP, they will never find it in this style of game.

 

The game has no NPCs and never will (per their own insistence), so these "missions" are the only type of quest NQ could come up with...

 

Based on NQ's current dev velocity, fixing these issues would take them years -- that's if they even wanted to make changes along these lines, which...they've made it clear many times across many years that they aren't actually interested in feedback and that they, the "professionals", know what they are doing far more than us know-it-all idiot customers. 

[Rokkur]

I honestly feel the number one change that needs to happen is that the servers need to close, and people need refunded whatever % can be refunded. (unpopular opinion)

 

Why would I say such a horrendous thing?!

 

1. Novaquark intentionally released a game, not ready for full release.
2. Novaquark upped the price of subscription to prey on community FOMO (fear of missing out), so they could get a pre-launch cash injection.
3. Novaquark obviously seems to have other projects in the pipeline based on their CEO talking about the metaverse.

4. Novaquark isn't applying that cash injection for Dual Universe, instead it seems to be going to another project or worse directly into investor pockets.
(I say this because, customer support has been cut, development staff has been cut, upcoming updates are anemic at best.)

5. Novaquark "improvements" actually make gameplay less enjoyable, almost with every recent update. Essentially killing all fun in the last places fun hides.

Overall the game is dead/dying/zombified/self mutilating, something, but obviously has no sustainable future, and the Dev's should be honest about this, but the won't.
Instead I believe we are in the same waiting period, when rumors began of a wipe, then later an announcement about staff thinking very hard for 6 months about a wipe, and then a wipe.

☠️ Except, right now rumors of game death, in 3-6 months, an announcement of scaling back even more, deciding if they will leave server running and no longer update game, or just close server, and then another half year of them collecting subscriptions while they look for new jobs before announcing an unfortunate end to Dual Universe. ☠️

You don't have to trust me on this, I would love to be wrong, time will tell, but I say take the horse out to pasture and just get it over with, don't let it suffer.

[blundertwink]

21 minutes ago, Rokkur said:

4. Novaquark isn't applying that cash injection for Dual Universe, instead it seems to be going to another project or worse directly into investor pockets.

 

I'm not convinced that this cash injection was significant enough to really make a difference...I'm not convinced any revenue has been enough to cover payroll and infrastructure since public beta first dropped (where they likely had a few good months before churn kicked in). 

 

I think NQ will cut staff and costs to the point where it's close to breaking even, then milk their remaining subs for as long as they possibly can.

 

They have no vested interest in being honest and won't tell people the game is dead if there's any chance they can milk out some revenue. 

 

About those other projects...NQ currently has a freelancer on payroll whose title is "Gaming NFT Advisor".

 

They've been around for a couple of years now...and while maybe they are just doing marketing for NQ, it makes me think that these "other projects" are going to be far too late to the scam party and implode even harder than DU. 

 

Also...some employees have the "open for work" tag on their LinkedIn -- which is a pretty clear signal to their current employer that they are looking to leave (or that they already put their notice in). 

[Rimezx]

I think the game version on beta release was superior to current version overall. Even with all it's bugs and issues it felt more fun. 

[GraXXoR]

Spot the mistake.

[GraXXoR]

10 hours ago, blundertwink said:

NQ decided that they would build a game with no NPCs, and even during beta people (more than a few times) brought up how awkward it made the game. They wanted to be novel for novelty's sake in declaring that DU would be a game with only players.

 

They never had a detailed, cohesive plan to design the game such that the role of NPCs was actually replaced by player-driven mechanics. People talk about JC's leadership as if it was so much better, but there was never a detailed, realistic design plan for DU. 

 

 

In Japan, a lot of English Language Schools tout their school as "TOTAL ENGLISH IMMERSION" and "100% English Speaking environment"... They are merely using marketing spin on the fact that their teachers are uneducated, were literally picked up off the streets and can't speak a word of Japanese while trying to make it sound positive...

Programming PVE's AI is hard work. Likely beyond anything the devs at the time (more-so the current hamstrung team) could have managed. So instead of admitting their mistake, they just blag and fob it off as "100% player driven"

 

maximum spin, minimum effort.

[Rimezx]

10 minutes ago, Jinxed said:

Spot the mistake.

I know. Ive been using this for years irritating people and making them correct it

[Rimezx]

6 minutes ago, Jinxed said:

Programming PVE's AI is hard work. Likely beyond anything the devs at the time (moreso the current hamstrung team) could have managed.

Well you are probably right. I don't really see this happening. They are stuck in an endless problem cycle. The team is small and they need money to hire people and actually make the game succeed, but because the game is bad they don't get enough players and money and cycle keeps repeating itself. 

[GraXXoR]

On 11/19/2022 at 10:04 AM, Rimezx said:

I know. Ive been using this for years irritating people and making them correct it

LOL... yeah... This thread is about marketing spin and covering up gaffes. 

 

I knew a kid at school who always tried to claim that his mistakes were done on purpose to annoy people.

Everyone just laughed at his expense, rolled their eyes and went back to flicking elastic bands at the teacher.

 

Some well selected points made in the OP.  I have made a number of the same points myself multiple times in the past. Specifically 3,5 9 and 11.

Years ago, I made a whole thread on "missing" elements like L wings and ailerons yet so far only the missing XS space fuel tank was ever addressed.

 

What is wrong with point 8?  I dont see why space elevators or floating platforms are an exploit.
personally I think a blanket >1km ban was a BAD IDEA(TM) and should have only been enforced around markets.

This limit has destroyed a few of the builds we planned to resurrect after the beta was disguised as a release and everyone got their shiit wiped.

[Aaron Cain]

On 11/18/2022 at 2:19 PM, Bobbie said:

Hey.

 

You have the male and female symbols confused.

 

No it is correct in this genderconfusioninclusion pinkfluffyunicorn world!

[Aaron Cain]

On 11/19/2022 at 1:59 AM, Jinxed said:

 

In Japan, a lot of English Language Schools tout their school as "TOTAL ENGLISH IMMERSION" and "100% English Speaking environment"... They are merely using marketing spin on the fact that their teachers are uneducated, were literally picked up off the streets and can't speak a word of Japanese while trying to make it sound positive...

Programming PVE's AI is hard work. Likely beyond anything the devs at the time (more-so the current hamstrung team) could have managed. So instead of admitting their mistake, they just blag and fob it off as "100% player driven"

 

maximum spin, minimum effort.

 

Best part is that after that they implement npc missions.......npc market bots.......alien cores...... just making more apparent its all just BS that there are no npc

[Rimezx]

On 11/20/2022 at 6:55 PM, Jinxed said:

LOL... yeah... This thread is about marketing spin and covering up gaffes. 

 

I knew a kid at school who always tried to claim that his mistakes were done on purpose to annoy people.

Everyone just laughed at his expense, rolled their eyes and went back to flicking elastic bands at the teacher.

 

Some well selected points made in the OP.  I have made a number of the same points myself multiple times in the past. Specifically 3,5 9 and 11.

Years ago, I made a whole thread on "missing" elements like L wings and ailerons yet so far only the missing XS space fuel tank was ever addressed.

 

What is wrong with point 8?  I dont see why space elevators or floating platforms are an exploit.
personally I think a blanket >1km ban was a BAD IDEA(TM) and should have only been enforced around markets.

This limit has destroyed a few of the builds we planned to resurrect after the beta was disguised as a release and everyone got their shiit wiped.

There are two main reasons i dislike having structures above 1km in the game.

1. You can have containers along they way to space at linked container range and never have to go in atmo. This way you bypass having to land ur agg ships and you are not supposed to be able to. 

2. They are annoying hazzards that you have to pay attention to when flying even when being in orbit.