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Finally, the release date for DCUO is nigh. It releases tomorrow (In the United States), and I am curious to see how many Dakka-ites will be investing their time in the DC Universe. So, if you have preordered the game or plan on buying it sometime soon, you should post your character's name, affiliation, server, and platform when the game goes live so you'll automatically have some friendly faces to group with. I plan on rolling on a full PVP server to make the game more worthwhile by the time I hit the level cap. Perhaps we can make a Dakka League and/or Legion to further improve our gaming experience, depending on how many users plan on purchasing the game.

If you haven't heard much about the game, there are plenty of videos up at http://www.dcuniverseonline.com , as well as general game information. Also feel free to ask questions here, and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

See I was kind of intrigued by the whole shenanigan, but I doubt I'll actually buy it. Games in which you have to pay a fee to play always seems like a bit o' a cheeky con to me.

MMO servers cost a great deal of money to run (especially in DCUO's case, as it runs on a fully featured physics engine, which requires a great deal of server space to represent accurately). Also, MMOs are constantly tweaked, updated, and improved by the development team, and players are constantly offered large amounts of additional content for their subscription fee (which varies depending on the developer).

I'm more than willing to shell out fifteen dollars a month for this much value in entertainment, especially considering that there is nothing that even remotely comes close to being anything like DCUO in the free-to-play market. I will eventually pay for the lifetime subscription when I can afford to, as that's an infinite amount of access for the price of about a year and a half. It's too bad that's only available for the PC; I think they lost a lot of potential PS3 players that way.

I was in the beta and I'm sorry to say I wasn't impressed. Once I got out of the intro zone (which was well done) I spent nearly all of my time flying around the same six blocks looking for the right mobs to respawn and then racing the other players to kill them. The abilities didn't seem to make much difference, I didn't see much difference between using them and just spamming the attack button. Finally, I found the PS3 controls pretty awkward.

That was my experience, I didn't get very far into it. Just far enough to decide I won't be buying it. YMMV.

I loved the trailer, awesome piece.

As to the game, not sure, I haven't pre-ordered it, I might have a go if a free trial rears its head.

Although at the moment I'm partially interested by the Champions Online free to play due sometime this year.

Specs wrote:I was in the beta and I'm sorry to say I wasn't impressed. Once I got out of the intro zone (which was well done) I spent nearly all of my time flying around the same six blocks looking for the right mobs to respawn and then racing the other players to kill them. The abilities didn't seem to make much difference, I didn't see much difference between using them and just spamming the attack button. Finally, I found the PS3 controls pretty awkward.

That was my experience, I didn't get very far into it. Just far enough to decide I won't be buying it. YMMV.

See, I was in the Beta also, and had a completely different experience, so it appears it's certainly a case of YMMV .

Played through the intro-zone, and then started questing in Gotham City, and there really wasn't anyone around. I very rarely had to compete for mobs, and when I did, I chalked it up to the nature of an MMO. If you were in the same six blocks, you must have been on the same quest, or it's immediate followup, as at least in Gotham, the amount of travel time is quite high....but that's ok, because the movement is alot of fun (At least with Acrobatics, and it looks like it's alot of fun with Superspeed and probably flight too), and there's alot of exploration and various little things to immerse you in the game. (In Gotham, there's a guy standing on the edge of a building muttering, obviously about to jump. If you're a hero, you talk him away from the edge. If you're a villian, you give him a nudge....I laughed ).

It is very much a hack and slash, quite different to World of Warcraft, more interactive....more along the lines of Prototype, God of War, etc. but dumbed down for an MMO, which I thought was good, attempting to distance themselves from the giants of the genre and create something entirely new, something for those who get bored by the current WoW combat system (Which is why I quit...again). If you don't enjoy the combat style, you won't enjoy the game, because that's pretty much what it is.....combat, with some DC lore, exploration and humor. The voice-acting is superb, and reaches at least until lvl16, which is what level I got up to by the time Beta ended, and the powers are quite interesting, and very customisable.

It does have a subscription, but I just look at it as I do everything else, in comparisons. $15 a month, that's not even a night out, that's having lunch at home instead of having take-out one day, to have a game you can play as much as you want during the month and will be consistantly updated and worked on during that time period.

My pre-order is done, my pre-load is done, and I'm ready for release (Actually can play at release without staying up due to timezone differences ). Will be playing on a PvP server on PC, but unsure whether I'm taking the side of the Villans or the Heroes yet....I'm thinking the Heroes, as I played a Villian during Beta.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut#p/c/79D6CBCD9C05FD17/0/0AnQ-p4cU8w

TotalBiscuits series on the Beta, for anyone who's interested in watching them. I actually found them quite interesting, even if he was playing through content I played through myself.

I only did two questing areas in Gotham before giving it up. I'm surprised you didn't have the same overcrowding issues I had. The night I played was the day after it was opened up to the PS+ subscribers, so that may have led larger than average crowds. Also, being in the same time zone as the easter US probably leads to a larger prime-time crowd than the Australian time zones.

Possibly, although playing during the morning ends up with me in the middle of US prime-time, and I still didn't encounter any issues.

Might have just been that specific day.

Edit: System probably played a part as well. Don't think there was any massive flood of PC beta testers.

So wait, this is an MMO that controls like GoW, Devil May Cry, or Splatterhouse?


I wants to look into it, but the last MMO I payed for, the only MMO I payed for, was WAR, and we all know how that turned out

Slarg232 wrote:So wait, this is an MMO that controls like GoW, Devil May Cry, or Splatterhouse?


I wants to look into it, but the last MMO I payed for, the only MMO I payed for, was WAR, and we all know how that turned out

Best Warhammer MMO ever?

Slarg232 wrote:So wait, this is an MMO that controls like GoW, Devil May Cry, or Splatterhouse?

Yes. Check out TotalBiscuit's YouTube series, it will give you a good idea as to how the game controls. The coolest part is that you get to design your character and his combos and abilities from the ground up, instead of being stuck with a preset like Kratos or Dante. It also throws in some elements that you might recognize from Prototype or InFamous (Scalable Buildings, Timed challenges for your selected movement ability, and other cool elements like that). The destruction and physics engine is on par with something like Crackdown. The fact that it all takes place in a recognizable universe full of 70 years worth of lore is just icing on the cake; even if you hate DC you could potentially love this game. I'm not too partial to DC myself.

I can guarantee you that this will not flop like WAR did, as WAR was just another cookie cutter MMO that did literally nothing to think outside of the box. In fact, it tried it's hardest to stay inside of the box, and it's source material was a bit more obscure to the general public than something as iconic as DC. DCUO just might be the game to turn the genre on it's head.

I'll be sure to update this thread regularly with my impressions, as the beta unfortunately didn't last too long for me. I'll be sure to let you know if the majority of the game is as well-crafted as the starting areas, and whether or not the incredible fun factor begins to die down after the initial few days of play.

Please do

I need to get to bed though, it's 11:33 here and I have to work at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I will have to check out his videos tomorrow.

Slarg232 wrote:Please do

I need to get to bed though, it's 11:33 here and I have to work at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I will have to check out his videos tomorrow.

NO! YOU MUST STAY ONLINE AND REFRESH EVERY 15 SECONDS FOR NEW NEWS ON DC ONLINE!!!

I'll also be quite happy to post regular updates on further impressions I get from the game if people wish me to.

So far, from the Beta, bearing in mind that I did only get to level 16, I felt it was nearly strong enough to be a single-player game, and still be a smashing success. The combat system is very much like God of War, but much more customisable, but it's also not as complex (Catering to an MMO crowd). This may be changed in the future, but I think trying to execute some long combos could be really bad with latency involved.

I'm not as ready to guarentee anything, as I've only played 10-15 hours of content, and I don't really think that you can guage an MMO, especially a new one, until you hit max level and find out how they've set the end-game up, but so far, it looks very strong, if under-exposed. If it gets a large enough playerbase (Which, as SoE was smart and handed Beta keys to some of the more prominent Webcasters out there, didn't tell them to say anything, just asked them to play it and give some feedback on their show (That shows confidence in your product.), it might) I think it might really take off, especially seeing as it seems to offer an MMO that isn't a WoW clone.

Release is either in 30mins, or 90....not sure which....stay tuned.

Edit: Bah. Servers don't come up until 7am PST..well, that's a real kick in the crotch.

Indeed. I have to wait until 7pm UK time with Steam, and I'm actually playing in a roleplaying game about then, so it'll have to wait until we finish.

Sucky :(.

VenerableBrotherPelinore, since you got an earlier start than me, what server are you on, and what is your first character's name? It would be nice to have a known face in the game from the onset.

I think I am going to pick this up after work. I will be playing on a full PvP server and am definitely game for getting a Dakka group/guild together.

My initial tendency would be to lean towards heroes, but I am sure there will be 900 heroes to each 1 villain which would make me want a villain lol!

If we want to get a group together let's do it up! What is the group consensus? Heroes? Villains?

I tend to gravitate towards villains, as that's where nearly all of my concepts for comic book characters have lead me. I've almost never conceptualized a hero without him being an antihero (at the very least). So, I'm definitely going to start off as a villain (besides, mentoring under the Joker is so much fun).

I'll post information about my character/s in a second, including what my initial server choice was.

EDIT: My first character is named Psymortis, has a villainous affiliation, is on the Death and Glory server, and is on the PC. If anyone wants to group or otherwise interact within the game, please feel free to hit me up if you are also a villain on the Death and Glory server.

I didn't actually get an earlier start than you Chry.

By the time release hit it was 2am, and then by the time it was updated it was 3, and I just wanted to sleep, so I figured I'd play in the morning.

I'd currently in the process of rolling a character on the Death and Glory server as well, likely a villian so I have someone to group with.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
There's already a queue timer for Death and Glory, but the other PvP server is med pop.

Played through the starting area again. A very strong area, full of awesomeness in every step....but I think the big things for me would be the reminder of healing barrels (Smash them open on your enemies heads for healing goodness), and the fact that each cutscene at the end is different based on your mentor....it seems each leveling experience will be completely different based on who you pick as your mentor.

I've chosen Lex Luthor, so let's see if I can kill me Superman.

I actually chose Lex Luthor as well, because I felt he would be a better fit for the character that I ended up making. Yes, every mentor has their own storyline and starting area, and there are drastic changes in the quests you receive, as well as the voice acting you hear throughout the game. It's a nice touch, and it speaks volumes for replay value. You potentially get an entirely different storyline for every character on your account.

Death and Glory is by far the most populated server; I had to wait through a queue that was over 200 people long in order to get in (and I get ganked about once every five minutes). I'll try making a character on the other PVP server, if that's the one you joined (though I'll definitely choose The Joker as my mentor; Gotham is much more suitable for villainy). What is your name on there?

So, whats the character creator like? The gameplay sounds friggin' sweet (it makes me want to play this game after having convinced myself otherwise), I guess I'll pick it up on PS3 if I can find the money for the sub.

Dunno why I'd play this game over Champions... I'd have to play a free trail to see if it's any better or just more generic MMO stuff.

I actually created my toon on Death and Glory, but I'm intending on re-rolling on the other server.

At the moment, I'm just playing through and having a look at the powers, as I didn't really do that during the Beta, so I can make a solid choice on that score. Played Ice during Beta, and thought I was sold on that, but coming back to it, I'm not so sure.

And while I knew that they all had their own storylines, I think it speaks much to the point where they'll take that to giving each mentor individual cutscenes....that's alot of effort.

---

Chaos, if you look up at the link I posted earlier in the thread, the second video in that series deals with the Character creator. Overall, you can create a fairly customisable character (Moreso than most MMOs, but not as much as some RPGs). You can't adjust facials planes and the like, but there are high amounts of pre-built faces/hair styles/body tones etc to choose from.

You also unlock more clothing styles as you go through the game...the ones you start with are a mere portion of what you actually unlock. It's estimated that the styles for actual cosmetic looks actually outnumber the actual pieces of gear in the game.

A couple of questions I have thought about:

What exactly are these suits? Is it going to turn into WoW were everyone wears whatever is the best on them and not care about how they look? Is everyone going to look the same? Are these very high tier in which no one gets except like four people?

Even though it is the wrong comic series, is a Punisher like character possilbe, while stealing inspiration from Vile (namely, the gun/helmet)?

(Vile: )

VenerableBrotherPelinore wrote:
---

Chaos, if you look up at the link I posted earlier in the thread, the second video in that series deals with the Character creator. Overall, you can create a fairly customisable character (Moreso than most MMOs, but not as much as some RPGs). You can't adjust facials planes and the like, but there are high amounts of pre-built faces/hair styles/body tones etc to choose from.

You also unlock more clothing styles as you go through the game...the ones you start with are a mere portion of what you actually unlock. It's estimated that the styles for actual cosmetic looks actually outnumber the actual pieces of gear in the game.

So, does that mean you can recreate your characters costume after having created him, etc? Or is that for use w/ future toons?

Slarg232 wrote:A couple of questions I have thought about:

What exactly are these suits? Is it going to turn into WoW were everyone wears whatever is the best on them and not care about how they look? Is everyone going to look the same? Are these very high tier in which no one gets except like four people?

Even though it is the wrong comic series, is a Punisher like character possilbe, while stealing inspiration from Vile (namely, the gun/helmet)?

(Vile: )

You have what is called a style, which is an overlaying look, which you can lock.

So, you basically have your gear, which is your stat pieces, completely different from your actual cosmetic look if you choose so. An example is one of the full styles you can have at completion is a business suit. You could walk around like that for the rest of the game, without a single change if you so desired.

There's a similar helmet, but I don't think you'll be able to do the gun, unless the Gadgets line can mount guns (Luthor has guns mount on his back, so it's possible.)

---

Yes, you can recreate the costume after creation. The pieces you use as your 'base template', are the pieces you begin with unlocked, and then as you find pieces of gear for stats (They do have a costmetic option), as well as other pieces, you'll be able to choose to have that as part of your style instead of what you originally chose.

The other PVP server is now maxed out as well, so it doesn't look like there's much of a point. So far, Martial Arts is surprisingly my favorite weapon set, and gadgets compliments it perfectly. I rolled a Mentalist/Hand Blaster at first, and it's powerful, but nowhere near as fun to play.

@ chaos0xomega: The character creator isn't quite as robust as City of Heroes or Champions Online, but it only comes second to those two games (which have essentially the same character customization). It's a nice balance between building your own look and unlocking new, awesome wardrobe pieces by equipping items to your character (they all save once you equip them, so you have a lot more options once you've actually played the game). It doesn't lend itself quite as well to creativity, but it makes up for it by giving you something cool to work towards instead of laying everything out for you at the onset.

@ Melissia - Champions Online is a far cry from being DCUO. First off, DCUO is the first MMO to actually play like a hack and slash game (differentiating button presses causes different combos, you have a combo meter which causes your energy for hotbar abilities to recharge faster, button presses activate your abilities in real time, you can block and dodge out of the way of attacks in real time, and you are not limited to one target at a time). It's not quite up to snuff when held up against DMC or GOW, but it's definitely close enough to be reminiscient of those games. It's actually cooler in a sense, as your skill trees and choice of abilities let you choose your own combos, and this ends up giving you many options to dispatch enemies.

DCUO also uses a fully functioning physics engine, wherein you can use the environment against enemies (pick up items and throw them, or knock them into enemies). Environmental pieces are destructable, and you can even go around attacking citizens and cars, and causing the whole city to go haywire. This gives off a feel that is not dissimilar to Crackdown or Prototype.

There are endless little collectables and snippets of lore (which actually reward you for finding them, unlike most other games. All of the other 'achievements' in the game also give you points that you can spend on things), and fun little minigames which you just won't find in another MMO (There are even movement power challenges that are very reminiscient of Prototype or Infamous). The production values are superb, with full voice acting from a respectable cast, animated cutscenes, and six differentiating stories depending on the hero or villain you choose to mentor you. The quest writing and design is the best I've seen in an MMO. The game is also fully playable with a gamepad, including full (and rather decent) inventory support. Most of the time, it feels like you're playing a single player game with all of the things that make an MMO awesome included. Numerous other things aside, these are the main things that really set it apart from Champions.

Champions plays nearly identically to CoH, aside from (completely broken) gamepad support, and the ability to block attacks (which is only useful for big, telegraphed attacks). The only reason it moves faster is because you practically have no downtime. Unlike DCUO, the entire game is soloable. PVP is a broken mess, any attempt at 'physics' is really easy to see through, there are still mile-wide gaps in content over a year after it's release, it stole half of it's ideas (including the worthless crafting) from WoW, and it generally feels like a half-finished game at best.

The only good aspects of CO (when standing up against DCUO) are the ability to create your own class from the ground up (which doesn't exist in the free-to-play iteration), and the graphics (which have obviously stolen some elements from CoH, which further make it look half-finished). DCUO is a far superior game, and unless you really can't possibly afford a monthly subscription by any means, there is absolutely no reason to play CO over DCUO.

I need to secure 15 dollars a month, after watching those videos, I think I'm in love... I can only hope 40k online will play like this (and shows up on my PS3).

Chrysaor686 wrote:DCUO also uses a fully functioning physics engine, wherein you can use the environment against enemies (pick up items and throw them, or knock them into enemies). Environmental pieces are destructable, and you can even go around attacking citizens and cars, and causing the whole city to go haywire. This gives off a feel that is not dissimilar to Crackdown or Prototype.

Also, in a video I saw, you can freeze enemies and throw them.

Thanks for the info, Pelinore

The one issue I have with the game at the moment is the imbalance of servers.

At least with the PC version, they released 6-8 PvE servers, and only 2 PvP servers, so the PvP servers have queues already.

They fixed the problem with spam of players quite ingeniously. If you are helping in a quest objective, even if you aren't actually grouped with a player, you'll get credit for it. So, one of the early quests in Metropolis Villian side is to free these teens you've pumped up full of a parasitic drug from the police, so they can feed. Even if you're not grouped with the player who actually frees the teen, you'll get credit if you're clearing out the police guarding them....one thing I always disliked about WoW, when you pulled all the mobs surrounding a quest mob, then someone came in and tagged it. Doesn't happen here, at least not from what I've experienced.

Death and Glory, Villian side is where it's at though....will post up my character name and details when I actually decide on one, instead of playing around with 3-4 as I am now.