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DC Universe Online: Down to the Wire
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In his latest DC Universe Online column, MMORPG.com's Bill Murphy talks about the big news of the week for DCUO fans: The January 11, 2011 release date. Bill has placed himself firmly in the 'YES' camp and will be home 'sick' that day. Yet Bill acknowledges that there are things that DCUO devs need to address before that time. See what Bill thinks of the latest beta patch, what it has brought to the game and what still needs to be done. Be sure to weigh in with your own thoughts below.
On January 11th, 2010 DC Universe Online will be hitting retail shelves (and digital downloads) everywhere. Me? I’ll likely be home on a “sick” day beginning my life as an Ice-Brawling-Acrobatics villain and paying little attention to my dogs as they pee all over my house and tear up our upholstery. Ah, the simple joys of MMO launch day. Since the NDA was lifted, we’ve seen a lot of back and forth on whether DCUO is one or another gamer’s cup of tea and while I’m firmly in the “Yes, I’ll take that cup of tea and make it a Big Gulp” that’s not to say there’s not some work to be done before the game ships. Thankfully, with the latest beta patch it seems that SOE is on the ball when it comes to addressing the polish needs and wants of the player-base. In what I’m sure won’t be the last check-up on the beta experience before launch (I do have a few more of these columns to write before January 11th after all), let’s take a look at how things are progressing in DCUO.
Read more DCUO Weekly: Down to the Wire.
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Comments
Good one Bill. Flight, Brawling and Ice huh? Before the last patch I would have told you not to, but the changes to brawling and ice seem to make it fairly viable.
They still need to fix things, I have an exploits thread on the beta forums outlining the problems I've noticed, most focused around the block breakers.
Overall the changes have been good, and unless the next patch makes everything unplayable or way too unbalanced for PvP, I'll still be playing on launch.
Nicely done, sir! I really didn't think I'd like this game as it looked like a console game, but still tried the beta anyway (you can always cancel a pre-order, right?) - huh! I can't stop playing the beta! I'm not sure there are any more combinations of power and skill and travel for me to try, but if there are, I'll find them! Really digging Sorcery/Hand Blast?Flight at the moment..
Yeah, there's some way to go yet before it might be considered ready, but this last patch was definitely a big leap forward - the new UI updates are slick!
As for the Versus chat channel? I foresee flame wars, and not just from the Fire power
you got the date wrong!
"On January 11th, 2010 DC Universe Online..."
On January 11th, 2011
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
i heard the ps3 on freezes a lot. have they fixed the freezing?
Is the PS3 version radically different from the PC version? I would rather play on the PS3 so I don't have to spend the money on upgrading my PC, but if it is gimped I may wait altogether.
"Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game."-Guybrush Threepwood
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."-Hunter S. Thompson
Hang on! I'll get the DeLorean!
Okay this made me seriously LOL! Can't go wrong with a good Back to the Future reference. To the person that asked about the difference between the PS3 and the PC versions, no they aren't radically different. From what I've heard and read the key difference is the PC may have slightly better graphics but the games play exactly the same on either system.
Good article Bill, and I think you hit many of the high points of the game. I personally look at some of the bugs that are still there and I am concerned that they won't have enough time to get them fixed prior to launch but that's just the MMO skeptic in me. All in all, I'm still on the fence with this title. There are some things about the game that a really really like, and some things I really don't. Even though my post history is evidence that I hate SOE (yes, still angry SWG vet here), I do want to say that they've done a pretty decent job with the game.
for the spamer please no... for the game ,cant wait )
For the person who asked about the PS3 version: Yes, it still freezes, but I don't know if "a lot" is the right term for it. It freezes frequently when the game tries to download and apply a patch. I haven't quite discrerned if this is because of an inability to maintain the online connection through the process or if the software is really just bugged....it crashes at two different spots in the process so it makes it seem like either could be occurring. Other then during that pathing process, I have not had it crash my PS3 yet.
For the gameplay side of it...I think it will be more then ready for release as far as the fans are concerned. Its the other people they are trying to attract...the folks that aren't going to play this game just because it has superheroes and supervillains or just because its DC. The people who want a new MMO to play. For those people to buy this game, and keep paying to play it, its going ot have to get a lot deeper then it currently is.
I am having a blast with it though...I dig the action style for this kind of game.
Yeah. Looking forward to this. Unfortunately starting a new job the day before, so day off 'sick' isn't an option:(
I've just been playing with a hero, Acrobat/MA/Gadget (Batman template) build which has been great fun and pretty potent in PVE. Still getting the hang of PVP. Strange playing a game where tactics are required, and yesterday after some low level evaded me through a combination of rolling, blocking and invis I realised I need to practice a little:)
The latest patch was pretty good, and I like how easy they've made changing between costume items. I didn't think this part of the game would appeal to me, but I'm loving collecting equipment pieces.
I didn't think I'd be a fan of travel powers at low levels, but the animation and fluidity of the flight power truly amazed me during the tutorial. I haven't even got around to flying around Metropolis yet, but my batman gliding suggests that may be pretty impressive.
My only negatives are:
1) The power bar and having a fixed number of my powers available in the load-out. I realise it won't change, but I'm not a fan of only having access to a sub-set of my powers. Especially as I'm learning to PVP, I'm finding it a little frustrating not being able to play around with all the powers I have gained so far to get the hand of what works in what situations. On the good side, the recent patch made managing your load-outs for your different roles extremely easy.
2) Grouping/teaming UI. Not impressed. It's better than it was, but just selecting and grouping with others seams more of a pain than it needs to be. I understand it's got to work on the PS3 as well, but I hope this gets improved in the future.
3) Low level cap. I hit 20 in beta without too much issue in a pretty short period of time. I don't think it's going to take me too long to get an alt or 2 to 30 once it goes live. The raids/duo's/pvp/alerts look fun, and there is some DC specific stuff that will keep me playing longer than normal (I normally lose interest after reaching max level, but wandered around for a couple of hours in Metropolis looking at the Green Lantern quest/event stuff). We'll see how the monthly patches go, but I'm not sure this one will keep me playing for years (unfortunately).
4) The power-sets don't really seem to offer the player the flexibility to create characters that resemble their name-sakes in the DC universe. I find this strange, especially considering that the game allows you to create characters using templates of the better known heroes/villains. IMO CoH or CO offer you the opportunity to create a character closer in powers to Superman, than the official DC game (for those who haven't been in Beta, the Supermans' template powers are Flight/Brawling/Ice - first 2 fair enough, but Ice?!?). Power sets like Super-strength, invulnerability, Super-reflexes, regeneration are nowhere to be seen. You can mimic these effects through the use of other powers and equipment, but I find it frustrating that in a game based on the world from which Superman comes I can't really produce a character with powers that mimic his (even a watered down version).
Those are a couple of negatives, but all in all I'm really looking forward to this. Has been pretty smooth for me. No lag, no real client issues (1 or 2 crashes, but I suspect those may have been related to server availability rather than software). Except for the character creation issues I mentioned I think they've captured the DC universe well.
I'm going to be rolling a ton of alts. I'll probably play a shape-changer to begin with as it's not often you get to play a game where the dev's have put that level of imagination into a power-set. A mandatory Supes clone is probably called for despite my moaning above about the Ice thing above. You can take heat-vision as a after-market mod after all;) Then there's the hand-beam guy I've been thinking about, and who can resist dual pistols....
I am with Bill, I think i feel a cough coming on the 11th, for me the fun factor is just great!
gadget, acrobatic, dual pistols villain, i mean who doesn't like stealhy, releasing a taser bolt and pulling your enemies into your lap for some pistol whipping fun
"All expectation leads to suffering" Buhhda
My only negative so far is the lack of ability to control the size and location of the UI. I would really like to shrink the chat window and move it out of the way more, same with the other UI items.
Oh, and I would also like to have seen more levels, 30 level max, wtf?
These are some of the issues i have with the game as well , but i'm think i'm going to pass on it. I just find the power sets to be so narrow and limiting that they dont let me create the hero/villian i want. SOE said they didnt put in all the powersets cuz they didnt have time, and i think that buying this game with them using that excuse, is supporting the release of unfinished games trend that we all see so much of.
I don't know about the PS3 version but I prefer even to play the PC DCU with a PS3 gamepad. The combat is much more fun (brawler/mind) to do so.
Overall not a bad game but you can see it's more a console game then a pc game and no I won't buy it. I prefer more the play-style of CoX or WoW over this one.
Anymore Codes left?
Level 30 is the highest you can go? I dont think any mmorpg has a level cap that low. Am I wrong?
I'm sorry but after a blazing round of box sales, this game is going to implode disasterously.
Up until a week ago it was a modestestly fun, completely bog-standard action game - you know the kind you pay 50 bucks for, play for maybe a week, and then shelve or return to the store for credit. It did that adequately, with about 20-25 hours of ok game play if you have any experience with action games (Castlevania, Force Unleased, God of War, etc.) It doesn't do action well, its not as graphically lush as single player games, but having three types of power (tank, healer and controller) and a cludge-y but workable character customization system at least made your first trip through the game somewhat fun. The use of setting lore and voice-overs made it a good experience even for the illiterate. Funny, for a game based on comics
.
A week ago it seems like every department at the studio had their own fix for "Its too short" and they applied all of them at the same time. The ONLY answer for "it's too short" that most players want is for there to be more content/more to do in the game. Instead the Devs crushed the amount of money comming in to your characters (down by about 70% from previous levels), neutered the self-heal potions, vastly inflated the cost of those potions (you can get $100 doing a mission and spend $1,000 buying the consumable you need to complete it), nerfed every class and party role, chopped the legs out from under superpower use and weapon damage, upped the difficulty of mobs of all types, slowed sown combat, and oh, finally figured out how to let you change your colors after character creation... because, you know, they had to do something nice while poking us with every sharp stick in the "make it more grindy so it takes longer" arsenal. Yes the game takes longer now, but...
It. Is. Not. Fun.
...And sadly, even if they reverse every bad decision of the final frenzy, it's still only going to go back to being average. Average, and holding its hand out for a monthly subscription fee. Sorry, but with MMOs you can't take them back to the store for credit even if you do have a good time for one whole week.
If you have the slightest doubts about this game, let it go by. Check back in 3-4 months to see if they are living up to their grandiose plans of monthly content releases and quarterly big patches. Because the game that is there right now isn't worth box price, much less a lasting commitment.
At your own pace: Do. It. Now.
BOOYAKA!
DC Universe looks interesting, and I'd love the setting, but I'll never - repeat NEVER buy another game from SOE because of the way they ruined the Star Wars Galaxies community with the NGE.
You play for a year, have a great group of friends and then BOOM, they nerf everything you've done up to that point and everybody leaves. It doesn't matter how good the game is if they ruin it to practice coding for their next moneymaker. That just isn't something I want to experience again.
NUKE SOE
move on, nuff said
Tried the game, although I admit, hero games are not something that am really into. Found the game fun, but I have to question with the other posters, where is the end game? The game looks quite shallow to me, it looks like a game you play for a month and put it on the shelf.
I have to say that as long as the existing management is in place at SOE, I inherently distrust them. They have no compunctions to doing anything to a game if they think it will help their bottom line and they really don't care what the playerbase thinks about it.