Dual Universe is currently in development by Novaquark and started its life as one of the top three funded Kickstarter gaming projects of 2016. It is self-described as a “continuous single-shard sandbox MMORPG taking place in a vast fully editable sci-fi universe, focusing on emergent gameplay with player-driven in-game economy, politics, trade and warfare.”
Two standout features that hope to entice players to give Dual Universe consideration are its approach to a unified world where every player is located on the same server, meaning everyone can technically visit everyone else. The universe itself is planned to be huge and everything in it will be constructed by the players themselves, as Novaquark boasts in their new Community-Made Outposts trailer.
The term voxels has been closely associated with games such as Minecraft and is often viewed as resulting in blocky, cartoony looking games. Dual Universe seeks to change that perception, letting its players place and manipulate fully editable blocks that come in all shapes and sizes as they build canyon-filling cities or spaceship fleets.
The approach of offering such customization inside a single vast universe is certainly ambitious. But Novaquark believes that with the help of their founder, scientist, and artificial intelligence expert Jean-Christophe Baillie, Dual Universe will be able to deliver. Judging by the trailer, it certainly seems that its current player base has been able to construct some pretty incredible structures.
Whether they’re building a single structure on a small scale or working together to forge an entirely new civilization on a massive scale, Dual Universe’s tools empower players to build however they want. Novaquark simply sets the rules and establishes the universe, but everything that grows, falls, is rebuilt, and shared within this universe is and will always be a community-constructed endeavor.
Dual Universe is currently in pre-alpha and only available to Kickstarter backers, but we will be keeping a close eye on this project for you. In the meantime, you can find more information on the official website.
