I love how every discussion about a sony game turns into crying about SWG. WE GET IT GUYZ. It's been years, let it go, stop posting. Just take a deep breath and click the back button instead of infecting every topic with your teardrops.
It's not just about SWG. SOE has created subpar MMORPG after subpar MMORPG for years now. It is time for them to leave the industry and focus on casual single player games, they dont get MMORPGs.
What games are you referring to? The kid-friendly ones? Aside from those and this, what games have they released since they destroyed Galaxies? I don't really see Free Realms or The clone Wars as merit to hate a company so much, oh wait a console MMO? Again not that big a deal, hell CCP is doing one as we speak. I can't see anything else such hate would be about other than NGE.
They have their most popular franchises under new development now, PS and EQ. Who's to say how they will turn out? Could be good or bad I'd at least like to see TYVM.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Since SWG, Soe has created or hand a heavy hand after acquisition of the following:
Everquest II
The Matrix Online
Vanguard
Legends of Norrath
Pax Nora
Magic the Gathering: Tactics
Free Realms
Clone Wars: adventures
DCU
The Agency
Several worthless facebook games
Sony doubled the number of MMOs they operate since then plus several additional other online games. Perhaps Planetside and Everquest 3 will be awesome, but their past history doesn't suggest it will be any different. Even ignoring SWG.
You didn't link to anything but Longhorn Tex claiming they were new players. How does he know this, and that they aren't re-rolls? Did he ask them?
It's important to know.
Not so surprisingly when trying to prop-up D&G, he doesn't state how he came about his info.
I can long in, see some level 15's running around (as an example) that I never saw before and rush to the forums to claim it is brand new players. But that doesn't mean I am correct.
The proof is still in the server loads, however, which continue to read LOW even on D&G, even during prime-time on the weekends, and even with a FREE 45 days to ALL previous customers.
You'll have to just ignore Ninja, he's clearly out of his head when it comes to DCUO. It could have been a great game, granted the endgame is pretty shallow but if you truly enjoy pvp the combat system more than makes up for lack of endgame. However its SOE & they dropped the ball on multiple fronts. A few people like myself went back to the game after getting our free 45 days & spent about a week playing again. While pvp'ing it was nice to feel that combat system again, the game still sucks eggs & its obvious that its a SOE game.
I played during the day, at peak hours, late at night, weekends, etc.. & the population for all servers was always low across the board. On D&G the pvp que pops were anywhere from 5min to 45min which isn't bad but in the open world you're pretty much only bump into another player once every hour & they're usually low levels. I even spent some time in front of the police station(hero spawn point) trying to start a fight. 3 people came out, 2 of them were 15 levels below me & the one my own level I steamrolled with ease. The game is dead, if these superservers ever get put in it might breathe a little life back into the game but it will never return to its original glory.
You'll have to just ignore Ninja, he's clearly out of his head when it comes to DCUO. It could have been a great game, granted the endgame is pretty shallow but if you truly enjoy pvp the combat system more than makes up for lack of endgame. However its SOE & they dropped the ball on multiple fronts. A few people like myself went back to the game after getting our free 45 days & spent about a week playing again. While pvp'ing it was nice to feel that combat system again, the game still sucks eggs & its obvious that its a SOE game.
I played during the day, at peak hours, late at night, weekends, etc.. & the population for all servers was always low across the board. On D&G the pvp que pops were anywhere from 5min to 45min which isn't bad but in the open world you're pretty much only bump into another player once every hour & they're usually low levels. I even spent some time in front of the police station(hero spawn point) trying to start a fight. 3 people came out, 2 of them were 15 levels below me & the one my own level I steamrolled with ease. The game is dead, if these superservers ever get put in it might breathe a little life back into the game but it will never return to its original glory.
My experience with the 45 days is the same. I tried several times, especially during weekend prime-times, to log in and enjoy the game.
Combat is fun, but the rest of the game is dull. As far as people-- even on D&G during those times-- it's a ghost town. Even in the fabled Watchtower.
People are getting a free 45 days, and it is obvious that even that isn't getting them to log in.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm an easy MMO player to please. I've gone back to CoX (Virtue server) where the wife and I still have old-time friends that still play. Yeah, the game is 7 years old, graphics are what they are, and it's the traditional MMO combat engine (i.e. much slower than CO or DCUO), but we are enjoying ourselves.
Playing Champions on the side, too. Also having a blast.
So, I just don't see DCUO as the "be all, end all" that Ninja and Tex do. Sadly, apparently, neither do a heck of a lot of people, even with free time given to them.
Originally posted by Beauman Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm an easy MMO player to please. I've gone back to CoX (Virtue server) where the wife and I still have old-time friends that still play. Yeah, the game is 7 years old, graphics are what they are, and it's the traditional MMO combat engine (i.e. much slower than CO or DCUO), but we are enjoying ourselves. Playing Champions on the side, too. Also having a blast.
City of Heroes is one of those games I'll always go back to, even being 7 years old, it's still enjoyable and I still have several toons in teens-20's to rank up. I play CO from time to time, easy game to play on my laptop when I'm on the road so that I don't have to pay a sub when I want to log in.
What did you expect? The PC version continues to suffer because of the PS3 version. Like most games these days. The horrible user interface is a prime example of that. I hear that it still hasn't been addressed and that the chat system continues to be buggy and non functional. It's like playing a single player game with a barebones chat function. How the fuck does that warrant a monthly fee? SOE scrapped their cross platform plans a long time ago yet they continue to ignore the plea's of the PC community. I should have expected this type of bullshit after the crap they pulled off with SWG. I am always willing to give a developer a second chance but this was it. If they truly want to redeem themselves then they will have to get rid of John Smedley.
I have been playing before the hack and after and the servers are dead. If you have a good group and want a place to play I high suggest this game. You can buy it for next to nothing and play for a month.By the time the first month sub ends you have enjoyed all the content. If you are solo person who likes a group once in a while, bypass!
True, unfortunately. It's a very fun game, but not one that most will pay 15/month for.
Content is very sorely lacking. I was very put off by the fact that the villain's missions are almost exactly the same as the Hero missions. Ex: "defeat 15 goons" becomes "defeat 15 police". "save 10 citizens" becomes "save 10 mobsters", etc. Multiple objective missions require the exact same numbers using the exact same mechanics in the same exact areas. So aside from the dialogue(which is terrific), you've pretty much played the villain game if you already leveled as a hero.
It kinda seemed that their promise of TONS of content coming every month didn't seem realistic considering this is how much content they put out after 5 years. And it's hard to argue now that that suspicion was innaccurate.
their best chance is to B2P this sucker and get to work building packs, using the GW revenue model.
Personally, I was pretty hyped at first when this was in development, then kinda trailed off a bit but still was curious enough to want to check it out, but then it came out and didnt have a free trial. To me, not having a free trial at launch is ok, fine, you need money to get it started, even if you have to sucker people in who wouldnt like the game otherwise once they play it (because of personal preferrance, whatever). But after that, this late after release, having no free 7 day trial or just anything at least, with an MMO, just means you aren't confident in your product. Sorry, DCUO, not worth the risk for shelling out the cash.
I bought the boxed version of DC online and when downloading they asked me to make a Sony station name or something like that , I ignored that and just started playing, played for awhile then stopped, then I heard that sony was giving 45 days free but when I tried to cash in I found I could not because I did not make a station name under DConline, Now i have a station name with Vanguard but apparently it does not include DC- that sucks
I bought the boxed version of DC online and when downloading they asked me to make a Sony station name or something like that , I ignored that and just started playing, played for awhile then stopped, then I heard that sony was giving 45 days free but when I tried to cash in I found I could not because I did not make a station name under DConline, Now i have a station name with Vanguard but apparently it does not include DC- that sucks
The 45 days is for all SOE games, providing you had a game account for "game-x" prior to the hack and May 2011 blackout. For example, my SOE account has SWG, EQ2, and DCUO . . . all activated before May 2011. Now, although I have not had a subscription with Eq2 or SWG in several years on that station account, I still have 45 days sitting there-- as I was once a player in those games before May 2011.
If you just now bought and activated DCUO, you should not be getting the 45 days, as your DCUO game play wasn't affected by the May 2011 hack. So, as far as I know, that 45 days is only for all accounts, active or inactive, that existed before the May hack.
I bought the boxed version of DC online and when downloading they asked me to make a Sony station name or something like that , I ignored that and just started playing, played for awhile then stopped, then I heard that sony was giving 45 days free but when I tried to cash in I found I could not because I did not make a station name under DConline, Now i have a station name with Vanguard but apparently it does not include DC- that sucks
The 45 days is for all SOE games, providing you had a game account for "game-x" prior to the hack and May 2011 blackout. For example, my SOE account has SWG, EQ2, and DCUO . . . all activated before May 2011. Now, although I have not had a subscription with Eq2 or SWG in several years on that station account, I still have 45 days sitting there-- as I was once a player in those games before May 2011.
If you just now bought and activated DCUO, you should not be getting the 45 days, as your DCUO game play wasn't affected by the May 2011 hack. So, as far as I know, that 45 days is only for all accounts, active or inactive, that existed before the May hack.
I bought the game befor May, and the Hacking incedent has seemed to mess me up , I hate to contact sony because they are useless but I guess I have to ehh
Since SWG, Soe has created or hand a heavy hand after acquisition of the following:
Everquest II
The Matrix Online
Vanguard
Legends of Norrath
Pax Nora
Magic the Gathering: Tactics
Free Realms
Clone Wars: adventures
DCU
The Agency
Several worthless facebook games
Sony doubled the number of MMOs they operate since then plus several additional other online games. Perhaps Planetside and Everquest 3 will be awesome, but their past history doesn't suggest it will be any different. Even ignoring SWG.
You forgot that they were also the original publisher for Gods And Heroes prior to it being cancelled (it has obviously been reborn since and is no longer affiliated with SOE).
I recently logged back in myself on the PC servers and as I mentioned in a post on another thread I was expecting tumbleweeds to bounce down the once-busy streets of Gotham.
I asked what was the main reason for the drop in players and the majority of answers I received was that once players hit level 30 there wasn't anything left for them to do so they moved on to another game. However, mention was made that servers would be merged and "megaservers" would be created 'soon'. But yeah, they definitely need to redo the chat system for PC. It's still by far the worst setup of any mmo I've played.
Looks like someone vastly underestimated the time it would take to hit the level cap. A real shame that DCUO is not doing well - the game-world is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. But again, as I mentioned in a post in another thread beautiful graphics alone can't carry a MMO.
So. Any bets on DCUO becoming F2P by year's end?
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. - Marie Curie
recently bought this when it was reduced on steam and in my first month i never saw more than two people at any onetime on the EU sever, i would have kept going if they was some population but it seemed stupid to pay a monthly fee to play alone
Playing: FFXIV Future: wishing for SWG 2, World of Warcraft Classic Played: Most current and extinct MMO's - 18 Years in....
The Live servers are in even worse shape the past (almost) week, as the Test Server is up with the Megaservers, Update 4, all the game's changes, and so forth. So, a lot of the (remaining) population is playing on there.
I don't have a subscription there right now, but have been keeping an eye on the forums. We have a 16 month old, and the wife misses playing MMOs with me. Her preference is DCUO, since it is quick and easy, something especially good for having the little guy around the house (especially since he still doesn't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a pop). She still has her 45 days free (one must claim it by August 31st, or lose it), and we're probably just waiting for what's on Test to go Live before going back.
Honestly, though? DCUO is just something I'll play with her. For me, I'll remain in Champions with my SG and friends when she can't play. DCUO had their chance to gain me as a loyal player, Cao blew it. Mark Anderson has a long way to go to fix what Cao did to the game.
I kinda liked it too, but I believe it would have done better had they fully integrated PC and console gamers on the same servers right from the start. Different types of gamers, perhaps, but still all gamers when it comes down to it.
I mean, you can get keyboards for PS3, and perhaps they could have added some sort of integrated, in-game text recognition system like we've had on cell phones for a billion years...
But for me, once I realised I wasn't going to be able to game with a group of my PS3 friends (who are all comic book fans), my interest sort of just... died.
But that's always been my problem with SOE, going back to SWG. They've always had really good ideas, but they end up with piss-poor execution or finishing, and the only words that kept coming to mind, game after game, patch after patch, were, 'lost potential'.
I think DCUO will be shutdown way before it's due time. It'll probably go the way of MXO (another game that had awesome ideas, systems, and atmosphere).
Well, cross platform isn't going to happen. Free realms developers don't even sync their two platform version up. The whole submission process for the PS3 is a mess. This game would have been better if they chose only one platform. Two platforms is just causing issues and delaying updates/features.
The Live servers are in even worse shape the past (almost) week, as the Test Server is up with the Megaservers, Update 4, all the game's changes, and so forth. So, a lot of the (remaining) population is playing on there.
I don't have a subscription there right now, but have been keeping an eye on the forums. We have a 16 month old, and the wife misses playing MMOs with me. Her preference is DCUO, since it is quick and easy, something especially good for having the little guy around the house (especially since he still doesn't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a pop). She still has her 45 days free (one must claim it by August 31st, or lose it), and we're probably just waiting for what's on Test to go Live before going back.
Honestly, though? DCUO is just something I'll play with her. For me, I'll remain in Champions with my SG and friends when she can't play. DCUO had their chance to gain me as a loyal player, Cao blew it. Mark Anderson has a long way to go to fix what Cao did to the game.
I kept saying the game would improve post Cao. EQ2 and SWG all improved after he left. And since he left, the game has gotten better. The devs communivate more. The updates are more frequent. And marketing is finally taking the cuffs off the producers/directors.
I think DCUO can make a turn around. It has a lot of problems, population being a huge one. Even the devs have admitted that. But at its core, it has more potential than CO and COH. It needs to find the right business model for it and get the tighter systems under their belt.
The Live servers are in even worse shape the past (almost) week, as the Test Server is up with the Megaservers, Update 4, all the game's changes, and so forth. So, a lot of the (remaining) population is playing on there.
I don't have a subscription there right now, but have been keeping an eye on the forums. We have a 16 month old, and the wife misses playing MMOs with me. Her preference is DCUO, since it is quick and easy, something especially good for having the little guy around the house (especially since he still doesn't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a pop). She still has her 45 days free (one must claim it by August 31st, or lose it), and we're probably just waiting for what's on Test to go Live before going back.
Honestly, though? DCUO is just something I'll play with her. For me, I'll remain in Champions with my SG and friends when she can't play. DCUO had their chance to gain me as a loyal player, Cao blew it. Mark Anderson has a long way to go to fix what Cao did to the game.
I kept saying the game would improve post Cao. EQ2 and SWG all improved after he left. And since he left, the game has gotten better. The devs communivate more. The updates are more frequent. And marketing is finally taking the cuffs off the producers/directors.
I think DCUO can make a turn around. It has a lot of problems, population being a huge one. Even the devs have admitted that. But at its core, it has more potential than CO and COH. It needs to find the right business model for it and get the tighter systems under their belt.
While I never thought I would be saying this, I can't disagree with what you said. Mark Anderson seems to be on the right path. I have some friends that still play and are on Test Server, and a lot of the changes and additions seem to be in the right direction.
Now, granted, I am not a fan of Fight for the Light being a DLC at this point in the game's lifespan. It's too early, with the game still being a mess. They should have held off until maybe January for a DLC, and given the new team time to further fix the game more, add more content updates, and show that they are actually trying to fix the issues Cao stuck them with.
I won't lie, I've been in MMOs for 12 years, so I've grown used to certain things being in a game. It's one reason I'll still play Champions. At the same time, I would not want DCUO to become a "Champions or CoX". I'd rather see it build upon what it is: a Super-Hero Action MMO. Champions offers a lot of the features I am used to in an MMO, but DCUO is, in all honestly, more fun.
It will never replace what I look for in a full MMO, but it is starting to win me over for the type of game that it is trying to be. And much more the case lately, DCUO is a better fit for the less time we have to play in a week. There is no way we could schedule a game like WoW or Rift into our daily lives anymore.
The wife prefers DCUO over CO (we were both 6 years CoX vets, too). She pointed out to me last night what I said above: the game play is fun, and the super-casual nature is a perfect fit for our current lives. We're both interested in SWTOR, but question if we have the "real time" for it.
I'm curious how DCU has gotten better since Cao has left. What exactly has changed to suggest that things are getting better?
Since Cao left DCU has had a cash shop added to the game, cash content update instead of free content updates as promised. Otherwise everything really seems like it is business as usual for the game.
The excecutive producer "Deadmeat" has a total of 61 posts, but only 3 posts since Cao was fired.
The lead producer Mark Anderson "Manderson" 12 total posts and not a single new thread to his credit.
Jens Anderson the creative director has 12 total posts and all 12 were done over a span of 4 days after SOE fan faire last week.
Mark Anderson is a much more likable face than Chris Cao was, but he is walking into the mess that Chris Cao created. I don't think the team was unaware of the problems with DCU and Cao was somehow keeping the game from reaching those goals. At this point the problems are built deep into the design of the game more than they are held back by the person making decisions.
Likewise I just don't think that promoting the art director to lead producer is somehow going to create a drastic turnaround.
It was dead a month ago, and no surprise that it's dead now, considering that the latest new content had to be bought in a game that's lack of content cannot be overstated.
I can't express strongly enough how sad I am that this game has failed. I love DC comics. I love MMOs. I loved this game.
There is so much wrong with this game, but at its core there was potential. Good combat, a good story, and Mark Hamill as the joker. All they needed was better dev support, way more content (and if you don't start off with that content, for god's sake put it in quickly, and most importantly to cater more to PC gamers.
Seriously, is it so hard to create two UI models? I have seen literally thousands of community made UIs for WoW, but they can't make a PC and a PS3 one for this game? With completely different servers it's not like they could complain it made it somehow imbalanced or something. On top of that, don't hold back content because the PS3 restricts your updates SOE, do what Aion does with the Korean servers and western servers. Release the updates on the PC as soon as they're ready, then release them later on the PS3 when you can. Of course this was way too much effort for SOE.
I'm curious how DCU has gotten better since Cao has left. What exactly has changed to suggest that things are getting better?
Since Cao left DCU has had a cash shop added to the game, cash content update instead of free content updates as promised. Otherwise everything really seems like it is business as usual for the game.
The excecutive producer "Deadmeat" has a total of 61 posts, but only 3 posts since Cao was fired.
The lead producer Mark Anderson "Manderson" 12 total posts and not a single new thread to his credit.
Jens Anderson the creative director has 12 total posts and all 12 were done over a span of 4 days after SOE fan faire last week.
Mark Anderson is a much more likable face than Chris Cao was, but he is walking into the mess that Chris Cao created. I don't think the team was unaware of the problems with DCU and Cao was somehow keeping the game from reaching those goals. At this point the problems are built deep into the design of the game more than they are held back by the person making decisions.
Likewise I just don't think that promoting the art director to lead producer is somehow going to create a drastic turnaround.
While CC was running DCUO, no devs spoke about anything but bugs in the game. Not one peep came from SOE austin. Smedley made more comments on the game than the devs on this game. CC would pop on every month to post a description of the content...but no feedback on the game. Deadmeat only posted about bugs during this time.
Post Cao there has been an increase of communication in quantity and quality. Please keep in mind there were Facebook and a tweet or two. Not much on twitter to be honest. They have been more honest about the state of the game. Real Q&A's on stickcam vids. The last stickcam vid had NO marketing people in the room which is a first for this game. They have relaxed the iron grip on the forums and have let the player vent. There is a test server. Not only for mega servers but update 4 is on the test server right now. They have actually changed some of the power animations to allow player to differentiate between a power that heals you and a power that will get you killed. CC would not even entertain change. Its little small things that make a huge difference in connecting with your community. The players that are still left are much happier today than 3/4 months ago.
By the by...M Anderson was pretty much the driving force behind the change of DCUO combat from classic RPG to an action RPG. (Some people find that good and some bad) That's why he was recognized and promoted.
I can't express strongly enough how sad I am that this game has failed. I love DC comics. I love MMOs. I loved this game.
There is so much wrong with this game, but at its core there was potential. Good combat, a good story, and Mark Hamill as the joker. All they needed was better dev support, way more content (and if you don't start off with that content, for god's sake put it in quickly, and most importantly to cater more to PC gamers.
Seriously, is it so hard to create two UI models? I have seen literally thousands of community made UIs for WoW, but they can't make a PC and a PS3 one for this game? With completely different servers it's not like they could complain it made it somehow imbalanced or something. On top of that, don't hold back content because the PS3 restricts your updates SOE, do what Aion does with the Korean servers and western servers. Release the updates on the PC as soon as they're ready, then release them later on the PS3 when you can. Of course this was way too much effort for SOE.
Rant over. I am so gutted this game is dead.
Browser just deleted my post...bah
Aion has two different design teams. I don't think SOE is going to put that kind of money into a Superhero MMO. Maybe an EQ but not for an IP they pay for.
To change the control scheme would mean you would have to rebuild your game. If you added more hotbars, you have just made every player stronger and slower to react. This would require every mob to be tuned for the control scheme...this would include new animations, new AI, damage tuning, Database impact, physics engine adjustments. And now we are talking about two teams to build and balance two different games.
Comments
What games are you referring to? The kid-friendly ones? Aside from those and this, what games have they released since they destroyed Galaxies? I don't really see Free Realms or The clone Wars as merit to hate a company so much, oh wait a console MMO? Again not that big a deal, hell CCP is doing one as we speak. I can't see anything else such hate would be about other than NGE.
They have their most popular franchises under new development now, PS and EQ. Who's to say how they will turn out? Could be good or bad I'd at least like to see TYVM.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Since SWG, Soe has created or hand a heavy hand after acquisition of the following:
Everquest II
The Matrix Online
Vanguard
Legends of Norrath
Pax Nora
Magic the Gathering: Tactics
Free Realms
Clone Wars: adventures
DCU
The Agency
Several worthless facebook games
Sony doubled the number of MMOs they operate since then plus several additional other online games. Perhaps Planetside and Everquest 3 will be awesome, but their past history doesn't suggest it will be any different. Even ignoring SWG.
You'll have to just ignore Ninja, he's clearly out of his head when it comes to DCUO. It could have been a great game, granted the endgame is pretty shallow but if you truly enjoy pvp the combat system more than makes up for lack of endgame. However its SOE & they dropped the ball on multiple fronts. A few people like myself went back to the game after getting our free 45 days & spent about a week playing again. While pvp'ing it was nice to feel that combat system again, the game still sucks eggs & its obvious that its a SOE game.
I played during the day, at peak hours, late at night, weekends, etc.. & the population for all servers was always low across the board. On D&G the pvp que pops were anywhere from 5min to 45min which isn't bad but in the open world you're pretty much only bump into another player once every hour & they're usually low levels. I even spent some time in front of the police station(hero spawn point) trying to start a fight. 3 people came out, 2 of them were 15 levels below me & the one my own level I steamrolled with ease. The game is dead, if these superservers ever get put in it might breathe a little life back into the game but it will never return to its original glory.
My experience with the 45 days is the same. I tried several times, especially during weekend prime-times, to log in and enjoy the game.
Combat is fun, but the rest of the game is dull. As far as people-- even on D&G during those times-- it's a ghost town. Even in the fabled Watchtower.
People are getting a free 45 days, and it is obvious that even that isn't getting them to log in.
Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm an easy MMO player to please. I've gone back to CoX (Virtue server) where the wife and I still have old-time friends that still play. Yeah, the game is 7 years old, graphics are what they are, and it's the traditional MMO combat engine (i.e. much slower than CO or DCUO), but we are enjoying ourselves.
Playing Champions on the side, too. Also having a blast.
So, I just don't see DCUO as the "be all, end all" that Ninja and Tex do. Sadly, apparently, neither do a heck of a lot of people, even with free time given to them.
Thanks for proving my point.
This is pretty much what I said in previous replies.
There is a lot of PvE content endgame -
8 Challenge Missions
6 Duos
6 HMs
4 Raids
Misc other daily missions.
The game has been out since Jan so a lot of people have already been there and done that......
MMO players are fickle and most are used to constant PvE updates with WoW.
This game isn't really for them if that is their expectation.
Other titles like CoX and STO went to player created content to solve their PvE issues.
I like a little PvE on the side but I primarily PvP.
The revised A.R.C. Boss, Brother Eye, and even Brainiac is a quality challenge for *honest* raiders.
Everything else however is a breeze.
What did you expect? The PC version continues to suffer because of the PS3 version. Like most games these days. The horrible user interface is a prime example of that. I hear that it still hasn't been addressed and that the chat system continues to be buggy and non functional. It's like playing a single player game with a barebones chat function. How the fuck does that warrant a monthly fee? SOE scrapped their cross platform plans a long time ago yet they continue to ignore the plea's of the PC community. I should have expected this type of bullshit after the crap they pulled off with SWG. I am always willing to give a developer a second chance but this was it. If they truly want to redeem themselves then they will have to get rid of John Smedley.
I have been playing before the hack and after and the servers are dead. If you have a good group and want a place to play I high suggest this game. You can buy it for next to nothing and play for a month.By the time the first month sub ends you have enjoyed all the content. If you are solo person who likes a group once in a while, bypass!
True, unfortunately. It's a very fun game, but not one that most will pay 15/month for.
Content is very sorely lacking. I was very put off by the fact that the villain's missions are almost exactly the same as the Hero missions. Ex: "defeat 15 goons" becomes "defeat 15 police". "save 10 citizens" becomes "save 10 mobsters", etc. Multiple objective missions require the exact same numbers using the exact same mechanics in the same exact areas. So aside from the dialogue(which is terrific), you've pretty much played the villain game if you already leveled as a hero.
It kinda seemed that their promise of TONS of content coming every month didn't seem realistic considering this is how much content they put out after 5 years. And it's hard to argue now that that suspicion was innaccurate.
their best chance is to B2P this sucker and get to work building packs, using the GW revenue model.
Personally, I was pretty hyped at first when this was in development, then kinda trailed off a bit but still was curious enough to want to check it out, but then it came out and didnt have a free trial. To me, not having a free trial at launch is ok, fine, you need money to get it started, even if you have to sucker people in who wouldnt like the game otherwise once they play it (because of personal preferrance, whatever). But after that, this late after release, having no free 7 day trial or just anything at least, with an MMO, just means you aren't confident in your product. Sorry, DCUO, not worth the risk for shelling out the cash.
I bought the boxed version of DC online and when downloading they asked me to make a Sony station name or something like that , I ignored that and just started playing, played for awhile then stopped, then I heard that sony was giving 45 days free but when I tried to cash in I found I could not because I did not make a station name under DConline, Now i have a station name with Vanguard but apparently it does not include DC- that sucks
The 45 days is for all SOE games, providing you had a game account for "game-x" prior to the hack and May 2011 blackout. For example, my SOE account has SWG, EQ2, and DCUO . . . all activated before May 2011. Now, although I have not had a subscription with Eq2 or SWG in several years on that station account, I still have 45 days sitting there-- as I was once a player in those games before May 2011.
If you just now bought and activated DCUO, you should not be getting the 45 days, as your DCUO game play wasn't affected by the May 2011 hack. So, as far as I know, that 45 days is only for all accounts, active or inactive, that existed before the May hack.
I bought the game befor May, and the Hacking incedent has seemed to mess me up , I hate to contact sony because they are useless but I guess I have to ehh
You forgot that they were also the original publisher for Gods And Heroes prior to it being cancelled (it has obviously been reborn since and is no longer affiliated with SOE).
I recently logged back in myself on the PC servers and as I mentioned in a post on another thread I was expecting tumbleweeds to bounce down the once-busy streets of Gotham.
I asked what was the main reason for the drop in players and the majority of answers I received was that once players hit level 30 there wasn't anything left for them to do so they moved on to another game. However, mention was made that servers would be merged and "megaservers" would be created 'soon'. But yeah, they definitely need to redo the chat system for PC. It's still by far the worst setup of any mmo I've played.
Looks like someone vastly underestimated the time it would take to hit the level cap. A real shame that DCUO is not doing well - the game-world is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. But again, as I mentioned in a post in another thread beautiful graphics alone can't carry a MMO.
So. Any bets on DCUO becoming F2P by year's end?
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. - Marie Curie
recently bought this when it was reduced on steam and in my first month i never saw more than two people at any onetime on the EU sever, i would have kept going if they was some population but it seemed stupid to pay a monthly fee to play alone
Playing: FFXIV
Future: wishing for SWG 2, World of Warcraft Classic
Played: Most current and extinct MMO's - 18 Years in....
Interesting Fact - I own 27 Tarantula's
The Live servers are in even worse shape the past (almost) week, as the Test Server is up with the Megaservers, Update 4, all the game's changes, and so forth. So, a lot of the (remaining) population is playing on there.
I don't have a subscription there right now, but have been keeping an eye on the forums. We have a 16 month old, and the wife misses playing MMOs with me. Her preference is DCUO, since it is quick and easy, something especially good for having the little guy around the house (especially since he still doesn't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a pop). She still has her 45 days free (one must claim it by August 31st, or lose it), and we're probably just waiting for what's on Test to go Live before going back.
Honestly, though? DCUO is just something I'll play with her. For me, I'll remain in Champions with my SG and friends when she can't play. DCUO had their chance to gain me as a loyal player, Cao blew it. Mark Anderson has a long way to go to fix what Cao did to the game.
Well, cross platform isn't going to happen. Free realms developers don't even sync their two platform version up. The whole submission process for the PS3 is a mess. This game would have been better if they chose only one platform. Two platforms is just causing issues and delaying updates/features.
I kept saying the game would improve post Cao. EQ2 and SWG all improved after he left. And since he left, the game has gotten better. The devs communivate more. The updates are more frequent. And marketing is finally taking the cuffs off the producers/directors.
I think DCUO can make a turn around. It has a lot of problems, population being a huge one. Even the devs have admitted that. But at its core, it has more potential than CO and COH. It needs to find the right business model for it and get the tighter systems under their belt.
While I never thought I would be saying this, I can't disagree with what you said. Mark Anderson seems to be on the right path. I have some friends that still play and are on Test Server, and a lot of the changes and additions seem to be in the right direction.
Now, granted, I am not a fan of Fight for the Light being a DLC at this point in the game's lifespan. It's too early, with the game still being a mess. They should have held off until maybe January for a DLC, and given the new team time to further fix the game more, add more content updates, and show that they are actually trying to fix the issues Cao stuck them with.
I won't lie, I've been in MMOs for 12 years, so I've grown used to certain things being in a game. It's one reason I'll still play Champions. At the same time, I would not want DCUO to become a "Champions or CoX". I'd rather see it build upon what it is: a Super-Hero Action MMO. Champions offers a lot of the features I am used to in an MMO, but DCUO is, in all honestly, more fun.
It will never replace what I look for in a full MMO, but it is starting to win me over for the type of game that it is trying to be. And much more the case lately, DCUO is a better fit for the less time we have to play in a week. There is no way we could schedule a game like WoW or Rift into our daily lives anymore.
The wife prefers DCUO over CO (we were both 6 years CoX vets, too). She pointed out to me last night what I said above: the game play is fun, and the super-casual nature is a perfect fit for our current lives. We're both interested in SWTOR, but question if we have the "real time" for it.
I'm curious how DCU has gotten better since Cao has left. What exactly has changed to suggest that things are getting better?
Since Cao left DCU has had a cash shop added to the game, cash content update instead of free content updates as promised. Otherwise everything really seems like it is business as usual for the game.
The excecutive producer "Deadmeat" has a total of 61 posts, but only 3 posts since Cao was fired.
The lead producer Mark Anderson "Manderson" 12 total posts and not a single new thread to his credit.
Jens Anderson the creative director has 12 total posts and all 12 were done over a span of 4 days after SOE fan faire last week.
Mark Anderson is a much more likable face than Chris Cao was, but he is walking into the mess that Chris Cao created. I don't think the team was unaware of the problems with DCU and Cao was somehow keeping the game from reaching those goals. At this point the problems are built deep into the design of the game more than they are held back by the person making decisions.
Likewise I just don't think that promoting the art director to lead producer is somehow going to create a drastic turnaround.
It was dead a month ago, and no surprise that it's dead now, considering that the latest new content had to be bought in a game that's lack of content cannot be overstated.
Absolutely disgusting.
I can't express strongly enough how sad I am that this game has failed. I love DC comics. I love MMOs. I loved this game.
There is so much wrong with this game, but at its core there was potential. Good combat, a good story, and Mark Hamill as the joker. All they needed was better dev support, way more content (and if you don't start off with that content, for god's sake put it in quickly, and most importantly to cater more to PC gamers.
Seriously, is it so hard to create two UI models? I have seen literally thousands of community made UIs for WoW, but they can't make a PC and a PS3 one for this game? With completely different servers it's not like they could complain it made it somehow imbalanced or something. On top of that, don't hold back content because the PS3 restricts your updates SOE, do what Aion does with the Korean servers and western servers. Release the updates on the PC as soon as they're ready, then release them later on the PS3 when you can. Of course this was way too much effort for SOE.
Rant over. I am so gutted this game is dead.
While CC was running DCUO, no devs spoke about anything but bugs in the game. Not one peep came from SOE austin. Smedley made more comments on the game than the devs on this game. CC would pop on every month to post a description of the content...but no feedback on the game. Deadmeat only posted about bugs during this time.
Post Cao there has been an increase of communication in quantity and quality. Please keep in mind there were Facebook and a tweet or two. Not much on twitter to be honest. They have been more honest about the state of the game. Real Q&A's on stickcam vids. The last stickcam vid had NO marketing people in the room which is a first for this game. They have relaxed the iron grip on the forums and have let the player vent. There is a test server. Not only for mega servers but update 4 is on the test server right now. They have actually changed some of the power animations to allow player to differentiate between a power that heals you and a power that will get you killed. CC would not even entertain change. Its little small things that make a huge difference in connecting with your community. The players that are still left are much happier today than 3/4 months ago.
By the by...M Anderson was pretty much the driving force behind the change of DCUO combat from classic RPG to an action RPG. (Some people find that good and some bad) That's why he was recognized and promoted.
Browser just deleted my post...bah
Aion has two different design teams. I don't think SOE is going to put that kind of money into a Superhero MMO. Maybe an EQ but not for an IP they pay for.
To change the control scheme would mean you would have to rebuild your game. If you added more hotbars, you have just made every player stronger and slower to react. This would require every mob to be tuned for the control scheme...this would include new animations, new AI, damage tuning, Database impact, physics engine adjustments. And now we are talking about two teams to build and balance two different games.