Combat

Much of the combat system in Dual Universe is still under development. However, combat will be more about tactics than reflexes, because construct and player combat will function on a tab-targeting system, rather than an action (aim and shoot) mechanic.

Basic Combat Mechanics

In order to optimize technical resources, combat will operate on the standard tab-targeting approach found in most MMOs, with damage and hit chance being determined by stats, rather than aim. However, some weapons may have the lock and fire mechanism integrated into the operation of the weapon, with the locking tied to automatically initiate on whatever is in the center of the aiming reticle. Since Dual Universe is played in first person, this will give the impression of aiming.

Construct vs Construct Combat

Construct combat requires that players man weapons elements on constructs, with each player only being able to control one element at a time. The only exception is the cockpit element, which will be able to connect to and control multiple weapon elements. Any restrictions that apply to this process are still unknown to the players. Players will be able to lock and fire at targets by orienting the ship to face the target, or by rotating an individual turret. Players can lock a particular point on the targeted construct (if it is far away, a random point will be chosen), and then fire.

The damage inflicted to the target will be automatically calculated, and voxels will receive damage in relation to their proximity to the point of impact. A “damage sphere” will be calculated from the point of impact, and a variety of factors will effect how that damage is applied, such as the stats of the weapons, the type of damage, the presence of shields or armor, the type of material the construct is made of, and so on. Once voxels or elements receive a certain amount of damage they will be removed from the construct, and will thus cease to function. Construct damage can also be applied to avatars, allowing for Construct vs Avatar combat.

See also Repairing

Complexity

Larger ships will be slower and less agile than smaller ships, but will be able to mount larger weapons. However, larger weapons will be balanced so as to be less effective at hitting smaller, fast-moving targets. Larger weapons will also require higher amounts of energy, which will require more and larger reactors to generate. Overall, larger ships will not necessarily be superior to smaller ships.

Environment

Dual Universe will feature different "environments" in space, such as asteroid belts, strong gravitational fields, or ionized clouds. However, these last two features may not be released until some time after launch.

Weapon Diversity

Dual universe will feature a wide variety of weapons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The current development process indicates that there will be at least 4 different types of damage, but this is subject to change, and very little information is currently available about this system.