New space MMORPG shoots up the economy – now unsettles players with the idea of ​​a complete wipe

Dual Universe is a space MMO that has long been seen as a competitor to Star Citizen. However, the game is already in a soft launch and can be played by anyone. On April 26th, the MMO released one of the best patches to date. But the players hardly dare to try it because a complete wipe may be imminent.

What is the problem of Dual Universe? The idea of ​​the MMO is quickly explained. You slip into the role of a space pilot with whom you can explore different planets. On these planets you can terraform and construct buildings as well as build new spaceships. Wars and politics should also play a role.

The developers themselves describe it as a mixture of Minecraft and EVE Online. Thousands of players can theoretically shape the worlds together according to their wishes and even mine entire moons if they want to. The focus is on the sandbox idea and the economy.

But Dual Universe is currently having problems with the economy, as the developer Novaquark also admits. In a blog post, they openly discuss the idea of ​​a wipe and want to hear the community’s opinion on it. This wipe would result in the entire MMO being reset to zero.

Since this idea is now in the air, many are unsure whether gambling is still worthwhile at all. Some have also criticized the promise Novaquark made at the start of the beta: “Everything you build is forever”.

Economy, schemes and the hard start for new players

What reasons does Novaquark give for a possible wipe? In a blog post the developers listed five reasons why they are considering a full game reset:

• Through the beta and many adjustments in it, individual players could become extremely rich. There have always been situations where a lot of money was unintentionally thrown into play without using an exploit. However, these very rich players are said to be bad for the economy.
• A wipe allows removing problematic and unpopular content, such as the schemes. Since the introduction, they have been criticized as overpriced and superfluous. However, such a major intervention in the economy can only be carried out if everyone is equally affected.
• Some planets are in a bad condition that doesn’t meet Novaquark’s current requirements. This could be completely revised in one go.
• Some structures that date back to the old days contain bugs that cannot be fixed in this way.
• New players would finally have a good time to jump into the MMO. Currently, the difference between new players and veterans is just too big in terms of experience, skill, but also money in the game.

There is currently no final decision for or against a wipe, although the blog post appeared almost two weeks ago.

What do the players say about this idea? The wipe received a very mixed reception. Some advocate the wipe for the reasons outlined above. For example, they see no chance of becoming one of the really rich players, no matter what they do in Dual Universe. Another point of criticism is that some of the planets have already been inhabited and changed too much, so that a reset would bring a breath of fresh air.

Some would like a kind of soft wipe: the money and the buildings could disappear, but the talent points and the blueprints should definitely stay. Both have been hard-earned by the players for dozens of hours.

However, there are also some critical voices that would leave the game immediately in the event of a wipe:

• User royituin says that if he loses all his progress after playing over 2,000 hours, he would exit the game and return to EVE Online.
• Kurock even sees a wipe as a breach of a promise: “At the beginning of the beta it was announced that there would be no more wipes, except when they are required for updates. So if NQ decides to wipe, that would be another broken promise.”

The problematic thing is that Dual Universe does not have to be purchased, but has required a monthly subscription of 9.99 euros from the players since the start of the beta in summer 2020. Since many players have already invested well over 100 euros in the game, the anger about a possible loss of progress is correspondingly high.

Players refrain from new content because the future is uncertain

What is the point of the discussion about the wipe? In reddit and in the forum, some players are unsure about the upcoming wipe. They just don’t know what to do in Dual Universe and if it’s even worth playing right now.

This uncertainty coincides with a new update that is actually causing many positive reactions (via reddit). Because on April 26, the Athena patch was released, which brought some graphic revisions:

• The sky in space is now darker, but at the same time has more detail
• The optics have been significantly improved both on the surface and underwater
• The warp animations in space look better
• There were also adjustments to the Space Station market and a real-time view when placing objects

But this patch is somewhat lost in the concern and discussion about a wipe. This can also be seen in the comments on reddit, which have phrases like: “If only people were interested in investing time in the game when a wipe is imminent.”

Have you been following Dual Universe lately? Is a wipe really the best solution to all the problems or should the developers find an alternative? And would a wipe be a good time for you to jump into the game?

Another space MMO is currently planning to raise the subscription price above the magic mark of 13 euros:

MMORPG EVE Online Raises Subscription Prices After 18 Years – Exceeds WoW and FF 14 Pain Threshold