It's been said time and time again that space sim games are promising the world - or thousands - and barely delivering one. The bigger culprits seemingly miscalculate the time required to make a game of that size; even with procedural generation on their side. So why are we seeing so many others attempt the same idea? We'll likely keep seeing it happen until someone delivers the goods; and Dual Universe is the next title to take a stab at it.
With a complicated video detailing how the title will handle massive amounts of concurrent players interacting with one another, developer Novaquark managed to rake in enough cash through Kickstarter to fund their current scope - though they will soon welcome accepting more.
The general idea here is that everyone in this virtual universe shares the same place. The same server. Sure, it's more or less how No Man's Sky handled itself, but Dual Universe has already demonstrated its ability to have thousands of players witnessing new discoveries together.
In terms of gameplay, Dual Universe acts as more a sandbox than much else at the minute. Think Minecraft on a grander scale and you're on the right track. You'll throw out your left arm and build just about anything you can imagine - like the underground fortress in the video below.
But like most of those other space sims, don't expect this one any time soon. It's penned for a 2018 release already.
