Dual Universe, the single-shard MMO that some experts say is the best candidate to become the Metaverse, just announced a huge expansion to their beta release, code-named Mercury. (Teaser above.) That includes a new first-time user experience, so this long weekend is a good time to give it a try, or a revisit.
"Take time to explore the possibilities listed in the intro of the game," Nouredine Abboud, CEO at Dual Universe publisher Novaquark, advises. "This is a game like no other so let’s play it like no other."
Abboud, a game industry veteran from Ubisoft, took over the CEO role from founder J.C. Baille last year. And while Dual Universe is still in beta and has a relatively small active userbase, he tells me the most important signs of engagement are there:
"We have very high levels of engagements and expectations are very high," as he puts it. "What really strikes me is how far people go inside the game. People are making games inside the game."
That's possible through DU's integration of LUA scripting for users. And yes, here's an example of an arcade game playable within the game, created by player Bonusaben:
"C~H~A~I~N~E~D" is an arcade game by Bonusaben coded with #lua scripting in-game, that features a high score system and even custom sound effects! 🎮
— Dual Universe (@dualuniverse) March 15, 2022
Try it for yourself in #DualUniverse 🌎
VR ➡️ Underdun Arcade
Coords ➡️ ::pos{0,2,22.1186,116.2464,134.1995} pic.twitter.com/mZakgA4Myf
"In the end," Abboud tells me, "the people are going to remember this project if it's user-generated and how far we can push this user content."
See more here. I'm not personally a fan of Eve Online-esque space combat gaming, but what's fascinating about Dual Universe is it's expansive enough so that players can create completely new experiential contexts on planets of their own. (At least in future updates.) Read and watch more below:
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