The OFFICIAL DC Universe Online Thread (was Beta)

[FnordBear]

Update:

We are out of Beta now. So far the consensus seems to be forumites are playing on the Virtue and Vice PVE server (also the unoffical RP server)

This is an incomplete list of folks and their characters. If you want to be included (or removed) jsut PM me and I will update the list.


FnordBear:
-The Warden. Gadgets(Traps), Dual Pistols and Rifles, Batman Mentor
-Unit 0(this is a zero, stupid font), Mental(Telekinesis), Hand Blasts, Superman Mentor
-Fnord, Sorcery(Destiny), Two-Handed, Wonder Woman Mentor
-Sixth Ranger, Nature(Plants), One-handed Melee, Superman Mentor
-El Luchador, Fire(Immolation), Brawling, Superman Mentor
-Zuggotomy, Fire (Immolation and Ignition hybrid), Dual Pistols, Circe Mentor


Chibibar
-Kovina, Sorcery(?), Dual Pistols, ?
-Trelia, Gadgets(?), Rifles, ?



Ravenpoe
-Usiris, ? ?








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As the topic says....

Feel free to ask someone in the beta anything.

Spoiler

 

[Chibibar]

Do they have lifetime sub?

 

[FnordBear]

Do they have lifetime sub?

Sadly they havent talked much on the pricing options in the beta forums. Would tell you if I could. SOE has waffled on this a little. Originally DCUO was going to be free to play, that has however changed to a subscription model, price point I believe has been set around $20 +/-.

 

[Chibibar]

Ah... if they release a lifetime sub, I might join. I have a couple of lifetime sub (STO and Bloodlines) I wish I had gotten with LoTRO (I didn't have the money at the time) but oh well.

 

[Far]

How robust is character creation?
I played city of heroes for a couple years (fun but repeatative), wanted to love champions but couldn't. If you have experience with either of these games how is it similar, how is it different aside from the obvious it's with DC characters?
Who are the characters you can mentor under?

Probably more to come as I think of them.

 

[AshburnerX]

$20 dollars A MONTH?! That's more than WoW AND both of it's closest competitors in the Superhero market (City of Heroes and Champions Online). If they don't drop that down to AT LEAST $15, there is no way they will survive in the market.

 

[FnordBear]

Far:

So far this is a big beta tester complaint. Unlike other super hero MMOs you are stuck with a power set. Each power set has a role (Tank, Healer, or Crowd Control) All "classes" DPS. Aside from that complaint the big issue folk have had with character creation (and remember this is still a beta version) is that there is a lack in ability to color your costume pieces (your whole outfit is limited to a 3 color pallet you can choose from). Also there is a complaint with body types and hair as well as a lack of certain wardrobe bits (no trench coats). Some women (and men) are commenting on how the female models are "overly endowed" including the "small" stature model meant to represent teens and such (seriously the small female has DDD cups) Otherwise you can make a good range of characters and abilities though certain things wont be doable at launch (no atomic powers, lantern powers, or electricity) but are set for a later release.

 

[Allen who is Quiet]

Is it fun?

 

[FnordBear]

Is it fun?

I think so. It is a game obviously made for casuals. This was posted on the beta forums and sums it up better than I can:

This game is obviously NOT being designed for the typical MMO player that has nothing to do but sit in a room in front of a computer for 8 hours a night for months on end. People who play the game like a reasonable person (5 -10 hours a week MAX) instead of a no-life social reject will find progress moves at a satisfactory rate. People that suck the content down like a crackhead with a fresh pipe are going to be disappointed.

 

[ScytheRexx]

I think so. It is a game obviously made for casuals. This was posted on the beta forums and sums it up better than I can

Even casual players can eat up content rather quickly. The fact they are saying the game will not have enough content to satisfy most of the "harder" edge of player is usually a bad sign to me, because it means by the time you reach cap there will be nothing else to do. I hope they end up finding a good balance of content and ease of use.

 

[FnordBear]

What it looks like is they are focusing on end game content from the get-go with raids, exploration, collection of costume pieces etc. There is also a good PVP element to it as well though thankfully I have come across no "forced PVP" quests etc. Like WoW used to (and still sometimes does) do.

 

[Chibibar]

Far:

So far this is a big beta tester complaint. Unlike other super hero MMOs you are stuck with a power set. Each power set has a role (Tank, Healer, or Crowd Control) All "classes" DPS. Aside from that complaint the big issue folk have had with character creation (and remember this is still a beta version) is that there is a lack in ability to color your costume pieces (your whole outfit is limited to a 3 color pallet you can choose from). Also there is a complaint with body types and hair as well as a lack of certain wardrobe bits (no trench coats). Some women (and men) are commenting on how the female models are "overly endowed" including the "small" stature model meant to represent teens and such (seriously the small female has DDD cups) Otherwise you can make a good range of characters and abilities though certain things wont be doable at launch (no atomic powers, lantern powers, or electricity) but are set for a later release.

What do you mean "stuck" in each power set?

 

[FnordBear]

What do you mean "stuck" in each power set?

Stuck meaning whatever power you choose is what you got. IE you pick fire ALL your powers are fire. No dipping in to other power sets etc.

 

[Chibibar]

What do you mean "stuck" in each power set?

Stuck meaning whatever power you choose is what you got. IE you pick fire ALL your powers are fire. No dipping in to other power sets etc.[/QUOTE]

Oh... do you have primary and secondary like CoH?

 

[FnordBear]

Oh... do you have primary and secondary like CoH?

nope

Closest thing is picking your "weapon" once you hit level 10 you can spend skill points to improve and learn other weapons.

 

[Chibibar]

Oh... do you have primary and secondary like CoH?

nope

Closest thing is picking your "weapon" once you hit level 10 you can spend skill points to improve and learn other weapons.[/QUOTE]
wow.. lets hope there isn't any creatures that are immune to "x" archtype. i.e. immune to fire.

That would suck.

 

[FnordBear]

So far it seems that nothing is immune to anything.

 

[Jiarn]

I loved the CGI that was posted a while back. What exactly is this game doing any different as far as gameplay wise from it's clones?

 

[FnordBear]

For one thing it is an action mmo, there is no auto-attacking. You push button, you get attack. For another it is geared towards casuals, you can quickly reach cap and experience end-game content.

Lastly its DC and -feels- like DC.

 

[Jiarn]

So no armies of color pallete swapped enemies, repetious quests at varying levels, and there is gear to strive for to keep the hamster wheel interesting?

 

[FnordBear]

So no armies of color pallete swapped enemies, repetious quests at varying levels, and there is gear to strive for to keep the hamster wheel interesting?

Enemies: Sorta. Your enemies change from mission to mission. Within a mission area its all cookie cutter.

Repetitious Quests: I think all MMOs have this

Gear: Gear of any level is awesome for costume collectors. Once you equip a bit of gear the art for it is saved in a tab for you to forever mix and match. At level 20 I still farm around level 5 zones for bits I dont have.

 

[Chibibar]

So no armies of color pallete swapped enemies, repetious quests at varying levels, and there is gear to strive for to keep the hamster wheel interesting?

Enemies: Sorta. Your enemies change from mission to mission. Within a mission area its all cookie cutter.

Repetitious Quests: I think all MMOs have this

Gear: Gear of any level is awesome for costume collectors. Once you equip a bit of gear the art for it is saved in a tab for you to forever mix and match. At level 20 I still farm around level 5 zones for bits I dont have.[/QUOTE]

it is true that all MMO has this, but depending on HOW much a cookie cutter. There are ways to make it interesting (same mission but different scenery) mix up the quests a bit etc etc. I hate to compare with other MMO but WoW did a good job with this. CoH did ok job (lots of cookie cutter baddies BUT their powers do varies a bit so kinda make it interesting) LOTRO is pretty good. It is similar mission like "Go see this person" "Collect X items" "kill Y mobs" but made it interesting so it doesn't seem like it is grinding.

Edit: All MMO WILL have grinding, the trick is to make grinding fun.

 

[Jiarn]

Pretty much mirroring what Chibibar said there.

Bad ex: City of Heroes
Good ex: WoW, Lotro

As for gear, collecting "costume pieces" for viewing doesn't really do it for me, I'm guessing this is another MMO where there isn't "stat" gear?

 

[FnordBear]

I'm guessing this is another MMO where there isn't "stat" gear?

Incorrect. Most gear does have stats barring specific examples that are purely cosmetic. Otherwise it seems to follow the typical white/green/blue/whatever rarity scheme.

At least up til 20 (current cap on the preorder beta servers) Quest gear does a fine job of carrying you and is in fact usually better than mob-drop gear but usually not as good as boss-drop.

 

[Jiarn]

So there is stat gear. That's definitely a difference from the clones. I might give it a look.

 

[Chibibar]

Do you have Costume option vs Gear options? like LOTRO?

What I mean is that you can have a certain look regardless of gears but the stat gear still work (i.e. layer of outfits)

LOTRO has 3 layers
layer 1 - actual stat pieces that you wear. you can make certain item visible like helm, cape, boots, gloves, shoulder (vest ALWAYS shows)
layer 2 - costume 1 - you can wear a totally different outfit (even stats) but the stats don't count if you have this display.
layer 3 - costume 2 - same as costume 1
The downside is that you don't get the "costume" weapon. You only get costume clothing.
edit: only one layer can be display (instant switch back and forth) at any given time.

Does DC have this option? I wish WoW have this option (it might have but haven't gone back in game lately)

 

[FnordBear]

What I mean is that you can have a certain look regardless of gears but the stat gear still work

Yes

And it applies to all gear including weapons.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I used to be a big CoH player a few years back. How would you compare it with this? Having read through the posts, I kind of like the idea of it being more casual focused. I also actually rather like the idea of one power = one set of powers.

 

[Chibibar]

I used to be a big CoH player a few years back. How would you compare it with this? Having read through the posts, I kind of like the idea of it being more casual focused. I also actually rather like the idea of one power = one set of powers.

I do too as long the enemies doesn't have immunities. I remember that some enemies do have some resist/immune to certain powers.

 

[Jiarn]

I used to be a big CoH player a few years back. How would you compare it with this? Having read through the posts, I kind of like the idea of it being more casual focused. I also actually rather like the idea of one power = one set of powers.

I agree, specialization really appeals to me.

 

[FnordBear]

Compared to COH: My experience with the game is rather limited so all I can say is it is effectively different games that happen to have superhero themes in common. Each has it's pros and cons. If you hardcore love COH and COL you may also love DCU...may hate it. My complaint with MMOs are that they arent casual friendly, DCU pretty much addresses that complaint so far in beta.

Little more break down on powers.

There are effectively three "classes" or "roles" as the game calls them

Tank: Take beating/keep agro
Healer: Heal beatings
Controller: Crow control

The traditional 4th class, Damager, is gone. All players are damagers and expected to participate in the righteous smackdown. Now on that note: You arent always a tank healer/ etc. You have to set your role as such. When you do so your damage goes down but you gain buffs to your role. Example: Healing role, you lose 35% damage but gain mega buffs to healing and some special power interactions. Similar things exist for tanks and controllers as well.

Your class roll is directly tied to your powers. IE if you pick "fire" you are a tank. Period. No picking any other role (aside from damager)

This is a list of all current power sets in the game:

Fire: Tank
Ice: Tank
Gadgets: Controller
Mental: Controller
Plants: Healer
Sorcery: Healer

Now each power set has two different "trees" of powers you can unlock as you level (new powers ever other level) now I have not fully played every power so I will detail a little bit about what I have played:

Fire: Fire has two power sets, Ignition and Immolation. Ignition powers tend to be direct effects like chucking balls of fire and such, it is more of a "ranged" power set. Immolation is more about AOE and agro grabbing. It is more of a "melee" power set. Now I put ranged and melee in quotes because some powers are AOE, some are ranged, some are melee, some are buffs, I use ranged and melee to deginate the best use I have found for them so far.

Iconic Powers: Starting at level 10 you can access iconic powers. These are optional powers not part of any power set that everyone has equal access to. These are things like heat vision, ice breath, amazonian deflection, hard light shields, etc etc. I say these are optional as depending on your play style and preffered loadout of powers on your action bar you may find little value in them.

Weapons: All characters pick a weapon type to fight with. Each weapon type has an associated skill tree that unlocks button press combos to pull of certain attacks. Many of these attacks are as good if not better than your actual power lists. Additionally ALL weapon groups are able to do ranged and melee attacks. Some are 50/50 with how good each is, some favor melee, some favor ranged. Some are illogically better at one or the other.

Brawling: Your basic unarmed/brass knuckles style. Can turn off weapon visuals for true barehand fighting.
Bows: Bows and trick arrows.
Dual Pistol: Fighting with paired pistols. Against all logic this is mostly a melee style but with alot of invested points gets some potent ranged abilities.
Dual Melee: Fighting with paired melee weapons
Hand Blast: This is a catch-all hybrid melee/ranged set for characters that shoot stuff out thier hands like ironman etc. You can even turn off the weapon visuals to get a good "bare hand blasting" look.
Martial Arts: This is good old kung-fu/karate/ninjastuff. Like hand blasting and brawling you can turn off the weapons to go bare handed.
One-handed melee: As it sounds.
Rifle: Rifle is a catchall category for ranged long-arms. I have found AKs, shotguns, crossbows, flamethrowers, railguns, etc. Its all purely cosmetic as in the end they all do the same thing. Unlike dual pistols this is an effective ranged style from the get go.
Staff: Fighting with a staff. This is a good melee style but apparently with wizard types in mind has some potent ranged attacks as well.
Two-handed: Good old two-handed weapons. Strong melee style but some good ranged attack far in to the talent tree. I havent found much variety in the weapons, just hammers and axes and a mace. I have seen mobs using two handed swords but have not found one myself. On an amusing note the first white weapon you can buy and unlock is a broken 2x4 with nails in it. This is my favorite weapon ever.



Thats about all I have time for now, Ill answer more questions as they are asked but for now time to prepare for work.

 

[ScytheRexx]

Gear: Gear of any level is awesome for costume collectors. Once you equip a bit of gear the art for it is saved in a tab for you to forever mix and match. At level 20 I still farm around level 5 zones for bits I dont have.

This is something I have wanted WoW to do for ages and I hope it takes off well, if just for the fact I want other games to adopt such a system. I may have to give the game a try when a trial occurs.

 

[Jiarn]

Ugh tell me about it, been screaming about it since I found out that LOTRO and AION had those options.

It's been brought up to the devs before though and they've specifically stated, for whatever reason, that they have no intention of doing it. I can't fathom why not, it would finally allow for some diversity in our raid groups, instead of seeing nothing but a ton of carbon copies.

Imagine a full set of Twill side by side a full suit of Judgement and Dreadnaught.

 

[AshburnerX]

Ugh tell me about it, been screaming about it since I found out that LOTRO and AION had those options.

It's been brought up to the devs before though and they've specifically stated, for whatever reason, that they have no intention of doing it. I can't fathom why not, it would finally allow for some diversity in our raid groups, instead of seeing nothing but a ton of carbon copies.

Imagine a full set of Twill side by side a full suit of Judgement and Dreadnaught.

The main reason for it is usually because it makes it harder to tell what kind of stats someone has at a glance. It's a BULLSHIT reason, but that's usually the reason given.

 

[Chibibar]

Ugh tell me about it, been screaming about it since I found out that LOTRO and AION had those options.

It's been brought up to the devs before though and they've specifically stated, for whatever reason, that they have no intention of doing it. I can't fathom why not, it would finally allow for some diversity in our raid groups, instead of seeing nothing but a ton of carbon copies.

Imagine a full set of Twill side by side a full suit of Judgement and Dreadnaught.

The main reason for it is usually because it makes it harder to tell what kind of stats someone has at a glance. It's a BULLSHIT reason, but that's usually the reason given.[/QUOTE]

yea it is a BS reason since we have the Armory. There are some cool armor pieces I would love to display because it just looks cool.

This is why I love LOTRO. I can wear a peasant dress and deal mega damage or heal (yes. I'm Rune-Keeper)