Novaquark, the developer of Dual Universe, has announced plans for several new features and improvements in the coming year. In a recent statement, Mark van den Heuvel, a member of the Production team at Novaquark, shared details about the company’s plans for the game in 2023.

One of the main goals for the development team is to enhance the gameplay experience and implement community-requested features and quality-of-life improvements. One such feature is the inclusion of new planets, which will feature new art, terrain, and exciting features. However, the development team has decided to take extra time to ensure that the new planets feel truly different, which means they will be released at a slower pace and possibly in a different order than originally planned.

Another highly-requested feature from the community is the implementation of a PvE combat system. The development team has begun work on the first iteration of this feature, which will take players into combat in their ships and scale in size to allow all players to participate. This feature is still in the early development stages and will take time to implement, but the development team is looking forward to player feedback in future testing sessions.

The development team is also reviewing feedback and data from the PvP community to determine what changes to make to the game’s PvP system. Potential changes include increasing the importance and/or requirement of voxel armor on successful PvP ship designs, finding ways to encourage multi-crew ship setups, and potentially restricting the ability to remove cargo while in combat.

In addition to these new features, the development team is also working on making the winning entries from the Build Your Legacy Contest available as options for players to select during the first start of the game, and making them available for purchase in the UEF shop. The contest entries were original and impressive. The maintenance unit is also planned to be included in the upcoming 1.3 update.

Overall, the development team at Novaquark is committed to listening to player feedback and improving the gameplay experience in Dual Universe, and is looking forward to sharing more updates and teasers for upcoming features in the coming year.

Dual Universe is an ambitious massively multiplayer online game that aims to offer players a vast open-world sandbox experience. The game is set in a shared universe where players can explore, build, and create unique stories.

Novaquark is the developer of Dual Universe. They are an independent game development studio based in Paris, France. Founded in 2014 by Jean-Christophe Baillie. Novaquark calls themselves “The Metaverse Company” which, at this point, should start off some alarm bells.

Gameplay and Development

The game’s focus on player-driven economy and politics allows for a unique and dynamic gameplay experience. Players can design and construct their own spaceships, vehicles, and structures and participate in player-run corporations and governments.

The game is set in a seamless and persistent universe where players can interact with one another, trade resources and goods, and form alliances and rivalries.

However, despite its ambitious goals, Dual Universe has been met with mixed reception from players and critics. The game has a low concurrent player count on Steam, with an average of 109 players over the last month, indicating a lack of player engagement. Additionally, the game has received mixed reviews on Steam, with many players citing a lack of polish and many bugs and glitches.

The game’s development has also been a topic of controversy, as the game raised $565,000 on Kickstarter and a total of $21 million in funding. However, despite a large amount of funding, the game has been criticized for lacking content and features promised during the fundraising campaign.

Compared to other space simulators like No Man’s Sky or Elite Dangerous, Dual Universe falls short in polish, features, and overall player engagement. 

Many already consider the game a “dead game” just months after its official release, with a lack of development updates and new content releases.

Graphics

The graphics in Dual Universe are decent but not particularly impressive. The game features a plain but realistic art style. The game’s lighting and particle effects are okay, but nothing particularly noteworthy. The game’s space environments are also decent, but they lack the level of detail and realism seen in other space-themed games.

Additionally, the game suffers from some graphical bugs and glitches, which can negatively affect the visual experience. Some players also reported that the game’s performance is not always stable, resulting in frame rate drops and stuttering.

Sound

The sound design in Dual Universe is generally good. The game features a wide range of ambient music and sound effects that help to create a believable and immersive environment. The sound effects are well-produced and add to the game’s overall atmosphere.

Population

The population of Dual Universe is generally considered to be low. The game has an average concurrent player count on Steam of only 109 players over the last month, indicating a lack of player engagement.

Is Dual Universe Free-to-Play?

No, Dual Universe is not Free-to-Play. Dual Universe utilizes a subscription model for its players. Players must pay a monthly fee to access the game’s content and features. This subscription model has been a point of controversy among players, as some feel that it limits the game’s potential player base and limits accessibility for casual players.

Is Dual Universe Pay-to-Win?

In Dual Universe, players can spend real money to acquire the game’s in-game currency, Quanta. Quanta can be used to purchase in-game items and resources. While the game can be played without spending any real money, the option to purchase

Quanta can give players an advantage in the game’s player-driven economy and politics. This can be seen as a way for the developers to generate additional revenue, but it can also be seen as a form of pay-to-win.

Conclusion

Dual Universe is a game with a lot of potential, but it has failed to live up to the expectations set by its ambitious goals and a large amount of funding.

The game’s low concurrent player count, negative reviews, and lack of content and features suggest that it is already dead just months after its official release. While there’s always a chance for a game to turn things around, it looks like Dual Universe needs a lot of improvement to compete with other space simulators in the market.

Additionally, the game’s focus on player-driven economy and politics is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows for a unique and dynamic gameplay experience, but on the other hand, it also requires a large and active player base to function properly. Without a sufficient number of players, the economy and political systems in the game become stagnant and uninteresting.

The game’s building system, while impressive, also requires a large number of players to be fully utilized. The building and construction of large-scale projects, such as cities and space stations, require a significant amount of resources and time. Without a sufficient player base, it becomes difficult to gather the necessary resources and manpower to complete these projects.

Have you played Dual Universe? If so, what are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments!

Dual Universe is looking at a potential 2022 release according to a recent Q&A posted on the Dual Universe forums.

Realistically speaking, we have too much to do with the time that’s left this year to get to a state where we feel the game is ready for launch. Our current plan is “at some point in 2022”, and we’re targeting mid-year. That projection is tentative, depending largely on our progress and the feedback we get from our community, so please don’t hold this as a commitment. It could be sooner, it could be a bit later. The state of the game will dictate the date.

The post goes on to answer questions regarding communication from Novaquark, PvE content and a potential wipe going into release.

The first part of Dual Universe’s biggest beta update so far is now live. Release 0.24 brings a long list of changes and improvements, the main ones being:

• The first stage of an ongoing graphics update
• Organization wallets
• New jetpack behavior
• New voxelmancy tools and functions

Full patch notes can be found here.

The Public Test Server for Dual Universe opened up yesterday, and all subscribers can now preview new features and offer feedback.

The server was launched with the 0.24 build for the players to try out.