Dual Universe - Checking in with Novaquark’s Ambitious Space Sandbox - MMORPG.com

SBFord

Dual Universe - Checking in with Novaquark’s Ambitious Space Sandbox - MMORPG.com

Since its successful Kickstarter, Novaquark has been hard at work on bringing their epic sandbox MMO Dual Universe to life. The single-shard massive universe is a huge undertaking, and we caught up with Jean Christophe-Baillie, Founder of Novaquark to see how far along they are and what’s coming next.

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shetlandslarsen

On my radar now. will follow its progress.

MadFrenchie

Ambitious, but they've got traditional investors buying in from the sound of it, offering some security to the idea that the developer isn't allowing their imaginations to run away with the game.

I'm interested in seeing what the final product will look like.

SpottyGekko

DU is quite possibly the most ambitious MMO project ever started.

I remain highly sceptical of the outcome, but I'm intrigued enough to back it anyway !

It will be a very interesting journey...

Gdemami

SpottyGekko said:

DU is quite possibly the most ambitious MMO project ever started.

Is it? What are qualifiers for any such ladder?

SpottyGekko

Gdemami said:

SpottyGekko said:

DU is quite possibly the most ambitious MMO project ever started.

Is it? What are qualifiers for any such ladder?

Have a look at their proposed game design and feature list, then you can express your own opinion !

Nilden

Still wondering how and/or if they will stop a guild like goons from blowing everything up...

NoxiousBass

SpottyGekko said:

DU is quite possibly the most ambitious MMO project ever started.



I remain highly sceptical of the outcome, but I'm intrigued enough to back it anyway !



It will be a very interesting journey...

More ambitious than Star Citizen?

SpottyGekko

NoxiousBass said:

SpottyGekko said:

DU is quite possibly the most ambitious MMO project ever started.



I remain highly sceptical of the outcome, but I'm intrigued enough to back it anyway !



It will be a very interesting journey...

More ambitious than Star Citizen?

Most definitely.

The scope of DU makes SC look like a pre-school themepark imho

Raxeon

you would think people would be all over this talking back and forth : 0 and why isnt this on the front page

SpottyGekko

Raxeon said:

you would think people would be all over this talking back and forth : 0 and why isnt this on the front page

It was... briefly.

It's Gamescom week, no news item will be on the front page for very long.

Costanius

In a way this leaves more freedom to the players than SC because in DU everything is created by the players and can be built by players and Novaquark just provides the sandbox and tech. SC will be more of a themepark and every object is created by the developers there. DU will have a subscription model, SC makes a lot of money pre-selling expensive spaceships. If they'll manage to pull this off, it'll be a serious rival to SC...

SBFord

Being this is a featured article by our staff, it IS on the front page in the top box AND as the highlighted article of the day in the image scroller. @Raxeon

vladww

Interesting & ambitious

Raxeon

: )

SpottyGekko

I expect the visibiltiy of DU to increase quite a bit in the next month or so.

The backer-only Alpha phase is due to start sometime in September.

Wizardry

As typical and not to say anything they mention can't be done or won't be done in a fashion i expect...but i doubt it.

Example the mention of "the chosen ones"well i would expect to see this incoming of transportation ships unloading tons of players.Then i want to see communication with the mother land,likely travel to and from ,a new trade route setup between this colonization and the planet that sent them.

In other words,i don't want to some fake story,i want to SEE IT.

Tools,yes that is a solid step that most games are missing,what becomes of them and their use remains to be seen.
Voxels..hmm now that could be sketchy in several ways.I don't like the way building is usually done,magically you are laying down tiles or some odd animation for harvesting.In the end ,Voxel gaming usually looks a bit low end to fake but again ,i can wait and see.

I look for a bigger picture,what exactly am i doing as a player entering the game?Am i to wander around exploring and talking to npc's,am i to hunt animals/creatures or do i auto land in some spot beside a npc with a big yellow marker over his head holding my hand?These first few minutes are make it or break it for me,i am not into hand holding nor connect the dots gaming and i expect ideas to make sense and look decent,i expect to feel like the story says,some chosen one sent here to inhabit the land.

Now the sketchy news...
I have always mistrusted gaming developers,with the new era of KS/CFunding it is very easy to exploit people even if they have their own private investors.OR the whole intent was to secure enough interest to use as bait in getting investors,either way the gamer is being exploited.How would any gamer know if these devs had a secure investor right from day 1 but chose to take advantage of KS'rs and get some free money?

Raxeon

Wizardry said:

As typical and not to say anything they mention can't be done or won't be done in a fashion i expect...but i doubt it.



Example the mention of "the chosen ones"well i would expect to see this incoming of transportation ships unloading tons of players.Then i want to see communication with the mother land,likely travel to and from ,a new trade route setup between this colonization and the planet that sent them.



In other words,i don't want to some fake story,i want to SEE IT.



Tools,yes that is a solid step that most games are missing,what becomes of them and their use remains to be seen.

Voxels..hmm now that could be sketchy in several ways.I don't like the way building is usually done,magically you are laying down tiles or some odd animation for harvesting.In the end ,Voxel gaming usually looks a bit low end to fake but again ,i can wait and see.



I look for a bigger picture,what exactly am i doing as a player entering the game?Am i to wander around exploring and talking to npc's,am i to hunt animals/creatures or do i auto land in some spot beside a npc with a big yellow marker over his head holding my hand?These first few minutes are make it or break it for me,i am not into hand holding nor connect the dots gaming and i expect ideas to make sense and look decent,i expect to feel like the story says,some chosen one sent here to inhabit the land.



Now the sketchy news...

I have always mistrusted gaming developers,with the new era of KS/CFunding it is very easy to exploit people even if they have their own private investors.OR the whole intent was to secure enough interest to use as bait in getting investors,either way the gamer is being exploited.How would any gamer know if these devs had a secure investor right from day 1 but chose to take advantage of KS'rs and get some free money?

there wont really be npc maybe some animals down the road its all player driven they are providing the tools

Shadanwolf

This is what alternatives to games the boring big companies have been pushing out look like.

DavodtheTutt

I've been following this for awhile, since from the start it sounded a lot like the sort of space exploration game I would make if I could. I keep expecting it to swerve aside and take some quick-money-making shortcut, but they seem to keep right on living up to my hopes. Now I just hope I can get involved. Wish they'd hire me. I guess I'll have to settle for scraping up the money to get into the early testing.

ConstantineMerus

SBFord said:

Being this is a featured article by our staff, it IS on the front page in the top box AND as the highlighted article of the day in the image scroller. @Raxeon

Which you were paid to do this, right? *wink*wink*

MadFrenchie

ConstantineMerus said:

SBFord said:

Being this is a featured article by our staff, it IS on the front page in the top box AND as the highlighted article of the day in the image scroller. @Raxeon

Which you were paid to do this, right? *wink*wink*

Don't half-ass it! 

Suzie and the gang actually fake all these crowdfunded MMORPGs to create news stories to generate clicks.  Chris Roberts died 7 years ago, Mark Jacobs works at your local TJ Maxx, and all the screenshots and hype videos shared around here are painstakingly hand-crafted by Bill and Tim Eisen for the "news" articles on the site.

Ozmodan

Looks interesting and they actually have financial backing instead of relying on the hawking of ships and the kitchen sink.

Kyleran

Raxeon said:

you would think people would be all over this talking back and forth : 0 and why isnt this on the front page

What is it really, besides an attempt to build a better EVE?

I'm fine with.it, but most people don't care for open universe PvP games, not fantasy based either.

Azaron_Nightblade

Raxeon said:

Wizardry said:

As typical and not to say anything they mention can't be done or won't be done in a fashion i expect...but i doubt it.



Example the mention of "the chosen ones"well i would expect to see this incoming of transportation ships unloading tons of players.Then i want to see communication with the mother land,likely travel to and from ,a new trade route setup between this colonization and the planet that sent them.



In other words,i don't want to some fake story,i want to SEE IT.



Tools,yes that is a solid step that most games are missing,what becomes of them and their use remains to be seen.

Voxels..hmm now that could be sketchy in several ways.I don't like the way building is usually done,magically you are laying down tiles or some odd animation for harvesting.In the end ,Voxel gaming usually looks a bit low end to fake but again ,i can wait and see.



I look for a bigger picture,what exactly am i doing as a player entering the game?Am i to wander around exploring and talking to npc's,am i to hunt animals/creatures or do i auto land in some spot beside a npc with a big yellow marker over his head holding my hand?These first few minutes are make it or break it for me,i am not into hand holding nor connect the dots gaming and i expect ideas to make sense and look decent,i expect to feel like the story says,some chosen one sent here to inhabit the land.



Now the sketchy news...

I have always mistrusted gaming developers,with the new era of KS/CFunding it is very easy to exploit people even if they have their own private investors.OR the whole intent was to secure enough interest to use as bait in getting investors,either way the gamer is being exploited.How would any gamer know if these devs had a secure investor right from day 1 but chose to take advantage of KS'rs and get some free money?

there wont really be npc maybe some animals down the road its all player driven they are providing the tools

Wow, that's going to be one damn empty galaxy then. xD

ConstantineMerus

MadFrenchie said:

ConstantineMerus said:

SBFord said:

Being this is a featured article by our staff, it IS on the front page in the top box AND as the highlighted article of the day in the image scroller. @Raxeon

Which you were paid to do this, right? *wink*wink*

Don't half-ass it! 

Suzie and the gang actually fake all these crowdfunded MMORPGs to create news stories to generate clicks.  Chris Roberts died 7 years ago, Mark Jacobs works at your local TJ Maxx, and all the screenshots and hype videos shared around here are painstakingly hand-crafted by Bill and Tim Eisen for the "news" articles on the site.

Ah. That old trick. You pretend you are exposing them but as the matter of fact you are just clouding the real truth. This goes deeper than I thought!!