Played in first person view, Dual Universe takes place in a vast realistic universe made of millions of planets, and focuses on emergent collective gameplay based around exploration, mining, crafting, trade, politics and warfare.

The concept of Dual Universe is described by Novaquark as a “Boundless MMO”: based on an innovative server technology called CSSC (Continuous Single-Shard Cluster), the game enables everybody to play in the same world, at the same time, without any slicing of the game universe into instances or zones. In addition, for the first time in a single-shard MMO, the world is entirely modifiable and an unlimited number of players will be free to build together, cooperate or compete. The focus has been made on giving the keys back to the MMORPG fans: using the building blocks provided by the game, the in-game community will make the choices and create the content they will play in.

“Our vision for Dual Universe is to give a maximum amount of freedom for players to create anything they want in the game, using our new Voxel Technology and builder gameplay mechanics” said Jean-Christophe Baillie, founder and president of Novaquark. “The new video truly takes viewers on a journey into the world we are building with the game and provides a must-see snapshot of the making behind the universe they will soon be able to explore.”

Giving an in-depth look at the voxel technology behind Dual Universe, the tech demo video is narrated by game creative director Jean-Christophe Baillie as he explains how the construction gameplay has been implemented. In the video, viewers are given an inaugural detailed introduction to exactly how one of the key technological breakthrough of Dual Universe will serve as a key building foundation of the game. This behind the scene moment showcases the main three elements of Dual Universe’s Voxel integration which are: the technology that will allow players to sculpt structures of any shape they like, the fact that these structures will be unbounded in size, and that all this will take place within the context of a single-shard MMO, which means that all creations are visible to all other players.

Backed by more than 4,800 gamers through an enthusiastic Kickstarter campaign, Dual Universe has now raised more than 337,000€  and is more than halfway to their initial target of  500,000€  to add to Novaquark’s own investment in order to continue the development of the game. The Kickstarter campaign is open for 18 more days and those who choose to back the project will gain access to a variety of rewards including access to Alpha and Beta versions, highly-discounted monthly subscription coupons, original soundtrack and artwork.

An alpha version demonstrating the unique single hard cluster (CSSC) and planetary engine with a preliminary set of gameplay features is planned to become available at the beginning of 2017. Beyond its initial release, Dual Universe is set to be a long term continuous development project and will grow with regular updates.

Dual Universe Gameplay Features

• Boundless Massively Multiplayer Game: potentially millions of players can share the same universe at the same time. One world, no boundaries, no zones, no instances.
• Rich emergent gameplay mechanisms enable players to create their own societies.
• Fully editable world: dig, deploy, craft, create and shape almost everything.
• Giant player-made ships and constructions can be inhabited and host large crews.
• Immersive first person view in a futuristic sci-fi universe.
• Realistic in-game economy (based on market orders and financial tools).
• Scriptable constructions (ships, buildings, etc.) using LUA: players can build their own piloting, AI or factory automation.

Technological Features

• Continuous Single-Shard Cluster: the technology behind the “Boundless” MMO approach.
• Procedurally generated planets, revealed as players explore further and further.
• 25cm precision voxel technology to modify the environment or construct buildings/ships
• Unlimited LOD (Level of Detail) technology allows planet-sized construction to be built
• 64bit Planetary Engine: Smooth transitions from planet surfaces, through atmosphere and into space with no limits to how far the player can travel or see.