Thirsting for more information on Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online? Comic Book Resources has your long cool drink of water in the form of a lengthy studio visit recap. Last week, SOE invited a gaggle of game journalists to "DC University" for a tour of the game's development headquarters that included lectures from the likes of game director Chris Cao, creative director Jens Andersen, producer Wes Yanagi, and writer/resident DC legend Marv Wolfman.
In between geekgasm-inducing peeks around the studio, the lucky invitees got some hands-on time with the upcoming title as well as the opportunity to ask the developers a few questions. When the discussion turned to combat, it became apparent that DCUO isn't going down the traditional MMO "holy trinity" path with its classes and builds. Cao states that while tank, healer, and DPS parties may be possible, they won't necessarily be the norm since "everybody's a damage dealer."
Cao also talked about accessible and inaccessible portions of the game world and whether players would be able to unlock more locations as the title ages. "We've bottled the city, the idea is that somebody's going to have to unbottle it," he said, referring to the storyline angle in which Brainiac cuts off access to Metropolis' Daily Planet. While the devs were noncommittal in terms of specifics, Wes Yanagi commented that permanent changes to the world would likely occur via seasonal events and new players would be able to experience the pre-event world.
Reader Comments (28)
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 4:22PM real65rcncom said
No tank/healer/dps Trinity huh?
Ok, then can you PLEASE save me some time and tell me right now which is going to be the OP dps class?
I've been through a few games now where they are trying this "experimental innovation" and usually the highest dps class survives the pickup group style of play or gets the most "points" when no one pays attention to anything because there's no grounding point of reference.
I for one don't see what's wrong with Trinity; it still works well and there are people who like doing each job in every MMO I've ever played.
So.. is it Batman, the Flash or Green Lantern who you're giving all the "toys"?
Ok, then can you PLEASE save me some time and tell me right now which is going to be the OP dps class?
I've been through a few games now where they are trying this "experimental innovation" and usually the highest dps class survives the pickup group style of play or gets the most "points" when no one pays attention to anything because there's no grounding point of reference.
I for one don't see what's wrong with Trinity; it still works well and there are people who like doing each job in every MMO I've ever played.
So.. is it Batman, the Flash or Green Lantern who you're giving all the "toys"?
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 6:11PM Randomessa said
"He added that there would be special abilities useful for different roles within each set of powers, such that a fire wielder can "use fire to help protect yourself and your team," and an ice-based hero can turn into an ice golem for the tank role."
Sounds almost Guild Wars 2-ish. Beta videos (such as the legit ones from IGN) show that the game refers to powers having two settings: one for "DPS" role and one for "healing" role, etc.
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Sounds almost Guild Wars 2-ish. Beta videos (such as the legit ones from IGN) show that the game refers to powers having two settings: one for "DPS" role and one for "healing" role, etc.
Posted: Nov 9th 2010 11:27AM Valdamar said
I like the idea of having trinity roles, but that every character is a damage-dealer in addition to having one of those trinity roles - it adds variety and it saves players from being excess to requirements (e.g. a group/raid not needing a player because they already have a tank and only need one).
Even though I'm a big fan of DC Comics and I like the sound of certain aspects of DCUO (more physics-based action in combat, two huge cities as hubs, dynamic missions in outdoor zones, etc.), I'm still struggling to get excited about this MMO - the bad animations and lack of tactical in-combat movement in the gameplay videos we've seen is the main detractor for me - also I'm not sure an overt loot system really works that well with a superhero MMO (unless you're a gadgeteer perhaps), especially to the point of you not wanting to wear a piece of loot because it ruins the look of your costume (as per the article).
Also I've read the game is being made with console controls in mind, which says to me it will probably feel as bad with mouse+keyboard as CO does. Lastly I can't forgive it for not having Hal Jordan as a hero mentor with Sinestro as a villain mentor at launch (though I suspect they will be added in an expansion - maybe when the Green Lantern movie is released next year), when Green Lantern is probably the most popular DC franchise atm. Honestly I doubt many people have heard of Circe (one of the 6 iconic mentors in DCUO at launch) unless they've been a fanatical reader of DC comics for years and it's been a long time since Wonder Woman had her moment in the sun - ok yeah I guess they needed a female iconic character (DC is a bit more lacking in that area than Marvel).
If there's a free trial for DCUO before GW2/SWTOR/Rift:PoT launches I may try it, otherwise I suspect it will go to the end of the "MMOs I want to play" queue behind those games and I might never get to it.
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Even though I'm a big fan of DC Comics and I like the sound of certain aspects of DCUO (more physics-based action in combat, two huge cities as hubs, dynamic missions in outdoor zones, etc.), I'm still struggling to get excited about this MMO - the bad animations and lack of tactical in-combat movement in the gameplay videos we've seen is the main detractor for me - also I'm not sure an overt loot system really works that well with a superhero MMO (unless you're a gadgeteer perhaps), especially to the point of you not wanting to wear a piece of loot because it ruins the look of your costume (as per the article).
Also I've read the game is being made with console controls in mind, which says to me it will probably feel as bad with mouse+keyboard as CO does. Lastly I can't forgive it for not having Hal Jordan as a hero mentor with Sinestro as a villain mentor at launch (though I suspect they will be added in an expansion - maybe when the Green Lantern movie is released next year), when Green Lantern is probably the most popular DC franchise atm. Honestly I doubt many people have heard of Circe (one of the 6 iconic mentors in DCUO at launch) unless they've been a fanatical reader of DC comics for years and it's been a long time since Wonder Woman had her moment in the sun - ok yeah I guess they needed a female iconic character (DC is a bit more lacking in that area than Marvel).
If there's a free trial for DCUO before GW2/SWTOR/Rift:PoT launches I may try it, otherwise I suspect it will go to the end of the "MMOs I want to play" queue behind those games and I might never get to it.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 4:40PM JeffT4 said
Hmmmmm.... CO has attempted this to some point, and it's caused problems because the majority of players expect to be able to use the Trinity in groups. CO Started out with everyone being a damage dealer, but they soon started allowing support roles.
I think that if DCUO isn't careful, it will be following hot on the heels of CO and finding itself in freemium mode. Not that I'm saying freemium = Epic-Fail of course ;)
I think that if DCUO isn't careful, it will be following hot on the heels of CO and finding itself in freemium mode. Not that I'm saying freemium = Epic-Fail of course ;)
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 4:42PM pcgneurotic said
Speaking of the best character DC ever created, do we have any idea how Lantern rings will work in-game?
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 4:42PM MrGutts said
Who's going to make you the most money and who do we have for every collectors edition? Batman!
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 7:31PM (Unverified) said
CO already tried to do the same thing a year ago, and they weren't unable to manage it properly. It's been demonstrated that is impossible to give tools for each role and trying to keep all the builds balanced.
A very lame aspect of CO is the 'flavor of the month' factor. Every time that a patch is applied and powers revamped, a new FotM emerge and the world is suddenly filled with a new wave of super-optimized-heroes.
:S
A very lame aspect of CO is the 'flavor of the month' factor. Every time that a patch is applied and powers revamped, a new FotM emerge and the world is suddenly filled with a new wave of super-optimized-heroes.
:S
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 10:46PM (Unverified) said
CO never really tried to use the Trinity system till this new Archetype system with F2P. One dungeon in CO requires a healer. 95% of the people in CO are still spec'd as dps/AOE.
And in DCUO, the story content is specifically designed for you to solo or group in DPS mode. You will die a few times but you never have to leave dps during the story content. In the alerts, raids, duos, raids and hard mode of the story instances, you use your alternate mode if the group requires it. But those parts of the game are supposed to be really hard to do without people performing their role. In theory, there should be no FOTM because every power will be able to solo all the solo content.
As far as who has the most DPS....DPS is handled by your weapons(fists/feet count as weapons...especially if you don't wash your feet) and combos mostly. So the player who is better at action mmos(vindictive) will probably parse the highest. But there will be tools for those who are not good at action mmos so they won't feel useless. Of course, you could pick really horrible powers and die from stupidity...but that's part of the game.
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And in DCUO, the story content is specifically designed for you to solo or group in DPS mode. You will die a few times but you never have to leave dps during the story content. In the alerts, raids, duos, raids and hard mode of the story instances, you use your alternate mode if the group requires it. But those parts of the game are supposed to be really hard to do without people performing their role. In theory, there should be no FOTM because every power will be able to solo all the solo content.
As far as who has the most DPS....DPS is handled by your weapons(fists/feet count as weapons...especially if you don't wash your feet) and combos mostly. So the player who is better at action mmos(vindictive) will probably parse the highest. But there will be tools for those who are not good at action mmos so they won't feel useless. Of course, you could pick really horrible powers and die from stupidity...but that's part of the game.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 8:16PM UnSub said
'Gaggle' is a good collective term for game journalists.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 9:00PM Vlo said
It's sad how past mmorpg's mold people to think that the Trinity is the only way that will work. They think play styles other than the Trinity is useless or just too foreign to grasp because of what they are used to. I wish they open up their mind more.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 9:23PM TheGreatMachine said
The 'holy' trinity was tank, heals and an enchanter.
Posted: Nov 11th 2010 8:49PM Valdamar said
In EverQuest it was, yeah. Not so much in other MMOs.
The Enchanter's controlling role just doesn't really exist in most of the MMOs I've played - City of Heroes is the only other MMO I've played where controlling plays a major part.
For most MMOs, like WoW, where tank & spank is the only strategy that works, the (new) trinity is tanking, healing and damage-dealing.
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The Enchanter's controlling role just doesn't really exist in most of the MMOs I've played - City of Heroes is the only other MMO I've played where controlling plays a major part.
For most MMOs, like WoW, where tank & spank is the only strategy that works, the (new) trinity is tanking, healing and damage-dealing.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 11:00PM real65rcncom said
@gt;
hope you are right. In CO I hated that the actual "tanks" were bad. I played a brawler type early and the STR/DMG was bad solo. You killed very slowly punching people with Haymakers and such unless you packed STR type stats. Then if you put the proper amount to do decent DPS, you died because you didnt have enough HPs. So you were damned if you did, damned if you didnt.
The OP class was that Gunslinger with those bombs. Then after they nerfed that, it was the class that had the Gadgets. I just remember that the class that was supposed to be heavy dps was the shield class (like Ironman genre) and they ended up actually being better tanks than those brawlers. The healing was pretty bad too early on trying to keep the brawler types up vs things like Doctor Destroyer. I just remember the classes that made that instance were all the heavy long range dps classes; that Brawler was piss poor as a tank and as a dps.
Thats why I'm thinking this will end up the same way to some degree. Anyone punching might be out of luck if the devs dont get the HPs/STR portions balanced right.
hope you are right. In CO I hated that the actual "tanks" were bad. I played a brawler type early and the STR/DMG was bad solo. You killed very slowly punching people with Haymakers and such unless you packed STR type stats. Then if you put the proper amount to do decent DPS, you died because you didnt have enough HPs. So you were damned if you did, damned if you didnt.
The OP class was that Gunslinger with those bombs. Then after they nerfed that, it was the class that had the Gadgets. I just remember that the class that was supposed to be heavy dps was the shield class (like Ironman genre) and they ended up actually being better tanks than those brawlers. The healing was pretty bad too early on trying to keep the brawler types up vs things like Doctor Destroyer. I just remember the classes that made that instance were all the heavy long range dps classes; that Brawler was piss poor as a tank and as a dps.
Thats why I'm thinking this will end up the same way to some degree. Anyone punching might be out of luck if the devs dont get the HPs/STR portions balanced right.
Posted: Nov 8th 2010 11:08PM Skyydragonn said
It works like this each power has 2 functions one for your damage role the other for your controler/Tank role depending on the power set you chose.
Ice for example can play as DPS or tank. mental can play as DPS or Controller.
Nature can play as Damage/healer
So yes the fundamental "trinity" is still there, its just not pidgeonholed into 2-3 powersets that ONLY fill that role.
That way is someone ragequits a groupo someone else can pick up thier role without ahving to respec/change costumes/gear etc. just hit a key and -poof- you've changed roles :p
It's what CO should have done, instead of the convoluted PoS they shipped out.
Ice for example can play as DPS or tank. mental can play as DPS or Controller.
Nature can play as Damage/healer
So yes the fundamental "trinity" is still there, its just not pidgeonholed into 2-3 powersets that ONLY fill that role.
That way is someone ragequits a groupo someone else can pick up thier role without ahving to respec/change costumes/gear etc. just hit a key and -poof- you've changed roles :p
It's what CO should have done, instead of the convoluted PoS they shipped out.
Posted: Nov 9th 2010 3:30AM Dblade said
Ugh:
"If a player falls in combat, the penalty is wear on his or her equipment, which then has to be repaired, and the player is returned to a safehouse such as Gotham City PD, meaning a potentially long slog to get back on track. If, however, friends or teammates are present (or even a sympathetic NPC like Batwoman), allies can revive exhausted players to keep them in the fight."
I hate gear wear. That sucks, because it means we need some kind of resources to pay for it, which means we either need to craft or farm. I don't like crafting and farming in a superhero game.
More ugh:
"On the subject of leveling, Cao said that level 30 is the cap at launch. "
I don't mind low level caps, but I can't see how 30 is doable. I mean, CO at 40 isn't that hard to get to. 30 means either 25-30 take a long time, or you level to cap in a month.
"If a player falls in combat, the penalty is wear on his or her equipment, which then has to be repaired, and the player is returned to a safehouse such as Gotham City PD, meaning a potentially long slog to get back on track. If, however, friends or teammates are present (or even a sympathetic NPC like Batwoman), allies can revive exhausted players to keep them in the fight."
I hate gear wear. That sucks, because it means we need some kind of resources to pay for it, which means we either need to craft or farm. I don't like crafting and farming in a superhero game.
More ugh:
"On the subject of leveling, Cao said that level 30 is the cap at launch. "
I don't mind low level caps, but I can't see how 30 is doable. I mean, CO at 40 isn't that hard to get to. 30 means either 25-30 take a long time, or you level to cap in a month.


