At gamescom, the developers of Dual Universe (PC) provided our author Alexander Leitsch with an in-depth insight into the space MMO. Especially the freedoms in the game impressed him immensely.
Going into the appointment with Dual Universe at gamescom, I admittedly did not expect too much. The space MMO is still in an alpha phase, and some features are only on paper so far. Furthermore, frequent comparisons were made to Star Citizen and No Man’s Sky.
However, the two developers from Novaquark changed my opinion about the game within the 60 minutes. I am now really looking forward to the upcoming beta in 2020.
What is Dual Universe? Dual Universe is a sandbox MMO set in a space environment. Your task is to colonize worlds, and you do this together with thousands of other players.
Currently, the game is in its second alpha phase, which includes new features and a graphics update.
The special features of the game are:
- Total freedom in mining materials and reshaping areas
- Total freedom in building buildings, cities, and spaceships
- A gathering of thousands of players, thanks to special server technology
- No loading times between planets and flights in space
The list alone sounds impressive, but the implementation of it positively surprised me again. Many games promise freedom, but Dual Universe achieves Minecraft-levels.
The total freedom in the game
What were my first steps in Dual Universe? After starting the game, I found myself with my character on a planet a bit away from other possible player constructions.
My first steps involved using a device to mine materials, as I also know it from No Man’s Sky. However, I can dig infinitely long and deep. The developers told me:
If you dig long enough, you will come out on the other side of the planet. However, it would take days. But there will certainly be players who will try this.
Admittedly, this idea intrigues me a bit, but unfortunately, the demo was very time-limited. So I used the remaining minutes to familiarize myself with the materials.
What materials are there? Besides the normal rock that I first mined at the surface, there is much to discover in deeper layers.
Eventually, I would encounter iron, silicon, and many other raw materials. The concept and implementation remind me a lot of Minecraft, even if I don’t need a new pickaxe every time.
However, rare materials also take significantly longer to mine. The developers suggest that it might be smarter to gather a lot of cheap material rather than a little expensive one. After all, much in Dual Universe revolves around the economy.
Which brings us to a central element of the game: Dual Universe is a sandbox game. I choose my tasks myself:
- I can collect materials and sell them to other players.
- I can become a city builder and design buildings.
- I can build my own spaceships.
- I can scout for materials and even create geological maps that I then leave to other players – for a lot of money of course.
- I can colonize new planets.
This maximum flexibility is exciting, but many other MMOs also offer a lot. But then the developers started showing me their building tools and technologies, and from that moment I was captivated.
Everything is in the hands of the players
How does building work in Dual Universe? In the space MMO, I can model the world with simple tools. By clicking the mouse, I create blocks that can be edited in size and shape.
Then I can hollow them out from the inside and cut holes into them. This is how the first buildings are created. The developers tell me that none of the buildings shown were built by them:
Everything in the demo is created by other players, whether spaceships, factories, or massive buildings.
And yes, spaceships are also built independently. I did not get to experience this because manufacturing engines, organizing fuel, and similar tasks are very cumbersome.
How realistic are the constructed contents? The developers have worked very realistically in Dual Universe for my understanding. There are different engines for flying in the atmosphere or for flights to other planets.
There are also different raw materials for refueling. Weight must also be taken into account. All of this, in turn, increases consumption.
Building a spaceship will therefore not be easy, and flying has to be learned first. If you fly incorrectly into the atmosphere, it may happen that your ship burns up.
What crazy things can you build in Dual Universe? The sandbox game relies on a system of switches and energy, so you can also create fully automatic productions.
In the demo, the developers showed me a factory that first produces pig iron bars and then processes them into gears. The gears, in turn, are further developed into engines with other materials.
However, PvP is supposed to play an important role in Dual Universe. The focus should not only be on combat but also on strategic elements such as resource stealing.
How is the development of Dual Universe going? In the discussion, we also talked about the roadmap. So far, Novaquark is almost on schedule.
A beta and the release are still planned for 2020. Much depends on the beta for the entire studio, as Dual Universe is their only game.
Several injections of financing and the Kickstarter campaign have raised over 22 million euros.
No Man’s Sky with more players and more freedom
What is my impression of Dual Universe? 60 minutes are far too little to give a complete conclusion about a game that is currently in alpha.
However, many systems, especially around the construction of buildings and spaceships, impressed me. There were spaceships with wings and ones without. Depending on how you build the ship, it goes further or flies easier because it is more stable in the air.
The developers work with a lot of realism and many details. You can see this in the graphics as well. As I take off with the ship, the built village disappears slowly but is still recognizable from several kilometers high.
I have played a lot of No Man’s Sky recently, and some things in Dual Universe felt familiar. However, while I follow my story quite clearly at least in the early times in NMS, Dual Universe is completely open and relies on me to set goals myself.
At this point, I cannot say whether Dual Universe will be successful. In any case, it has many good ideas, and I will keep an eye on it. After all, I want to build one or the other spaceship from Star Wars!
Normally, each step costs the player time. With factories, the work can be optimized and automated.
Can you really mine everything? I had some concerns about the idea that players can actually change everything in the world. However, the developers confirmed this:
Theoretically, they could mine the entire moon over there, and it would be lost forever. However, we believe that players will commit themselves to keeping certain things in their place.
However, there are some exceptions. Players can claim certain land masses and build on them. Then only they and chosen friends are allowed to work on the area.
However, in certain PvP zones, it may happen that you lose your land. Galactic wars are not excluded.
PvP in many, but not all areas
How does PvP in Dual Universe work? Although the first players have already built ships with weapons, there are still not large space battles, as the developers admitted:
The ship over there belongs to our best community builder. Do you see the weapons? He wants to draw our attention that we are finally making progress in this area.
We still do not have functioning weapons in the game.
However, PvP is supposed to play an important role in Dual Universe. The focus should not only be on combat but also on strategic elements such as resource stealing.
How is the development of Dual Universe going? In the discussion, we also talked about the roadmap. So far, Novaquark is almost on schedule.
A beta and the release are still planned for 2020. Much depends on the beta for the entire studio, as Dual Universe is their only game.
Several injections of financing and the Kickstarter campaign have raised over 22 million euros.
No Man’s Sky with more players and more freedom
What is my impression of Dual Universe? 60 minutes are far too little to give a complete conclusion about a game that is currently in alpha.
However, many systems, especially around the construction of buildings and spaceships, impressed me. There were spaceships with wings and ones without. Depending on how you build the ship, it goes further or flies easier because it is more stable in the air.
The developers work with a lot of realism and many details. You can see this in the graphics as well. As I take off with the ship, the built village disappears slowly but is still recognizable from several kilometers high.
I have played a lot of No Man’s Sky recently, and some things in Dual Universe felt familiar. However, while I follow my story quite clearly at least in the early times in NMS, Dual Universe is completely open and relies on me to set goals myself.
At this point, I cannot say whether Dual Universe will be successful. In any case, it has many good ideas, and I will keep an eye on it. After all, I want to build one or the other spaceship from Star Wars!
