Alter Ego
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Alter-Ego: Building a better costume
In last week's Alter-Ego column, I went over some of the basics of creating a character as well as my own view on the costume creator. This, in turn, set off a small firestorm of remarks in the comments both for and against the way DC Universe Online's designers have handled costuming. One thing was made fairly clear to me -- there are lot of people out there who don't entirely understand just how costuming and stat-based gear in DC Universe Online actually work. While you do start off with a limited number of options in the creator for costuming choices, a great many open up once you actually start playing the game. As such, I wanted to take some time in this week's column to really dig into how gear and costuming works in the game. Hopefully, it will help to clear up some confusion for people who haven't had a chance to actually play the game as yet. So if you're curious about how to build your super costume choices or how the nuts and bolts of stat gear work for heroes and villains, then join me behind the break for this week's edition of Alter-Ego!
Alter-Ego: Let's get this character started
This week, I'm going to start off with a bit of controversy. Are you ready? Here goes: I actually think the DC Universe Online character creator makes sense in terms of its costume limitations. Now, before you come at me armed with pitchforks and hateful comments, hear me out. Looking at DC Universe Online as part of the greater DC Universe, I note that not all heroes are welcomed by the public -- and villains even less so. There are no "Costumes R Us" on every street corner, and there aren't copies of "Superpowers for Dummies" one can snag from the shelves of the local bookstore. As much as we may know as players ahead of time, our characters are assumed to not have the same level of knowledge from a story standpoint. In short, new characters are not going to roll out of the creator as a fully realized Captain Badass or Madame Awesome. Instead, new heroes and villains would probably be highly confused about any powers that showed up out of the blue. Once they've come to grips with the basics, only then would they likely be trying to piece together a new secret identity with all the gusto that someone with a glue gun, duct-tape, and half-remembered sewing lessons from 7th grade home economics classes could muster. To a character starting out with basic knowledge, character costumes would probably look like someone threw a goth and a cosplayer in a blender and then added a dash of drag queen for extra fierceness. Call it an edge of realism. Thankfully, SOE has saved our characters from their first embarrassing steps involving costume malfunctions by offering a number of cool-looking yet basic options in the character creator. As you level, so do your powers -- and your gear. Now that I've gotten your blood boiling (or hopefully a chuckle or two), it's time to dive into the first days of being a hero or villain in DC Universe Online. For those of you who have already jumped in and are well on your way, don't worry -- I haven't forgotten you. I'll also be adding in some tips and tricks I've picked up from playing as well as telling you how you can join up with us in-game as part of a heroic new League: Massively Overpowered!
Alter-Ego: A community guide to DCUO
You don't know me. You think you do. You think you have me figured out. I keep to myself. I do what I'm told to do. I'm the one whose name people forget instantly. I'm average. Boring. Forgettable. That's what I want you to think, if you even think of me at all. They called me a masked vigilante. They're wrong. The mask is the face I wear during the day. The one you see when I'm flying over the streets of Gotham on mechanical wings? That's the real me. All else is Alter-Ego. Whether they love all things heroic or prefer the dark and twisted ways of the villain lifestyle, DC Universe Online players know by now that their characters' powers have been granted by a time-traveling Lex Luthor -- or more properly, from exobytes he carried back. As the story goes, Braniac had traveled back to Earth at various times and stolen powers from the world's greatest heroes and villains. As a means of reversing the future, Lex has also traveled back in time, scattering exobytes holding those stolen powers. Welcome to a new day, full of all manner of new heroes and villains around the world. Will this stop Braniac? Only time will tell. In the meantime, allow me to welcome you to Alter-Ego, the newest column here on Massively, which will deal with all things DC Universe Online! I'll be your host on this adventure, covering all the details players are curious about when it comes to this action-packed MMO. Also, our very own Larry Everett will be taking charge of the official Alter-Ego livestream on Wednesdays, offering a fast-paced look at the game. However, as this is our first week, allow me to get things rolling in fine Massively tradition -- a community roundup! %Gallery-50201%
Breakfast Topic: Who are you without your main?
Let's say the grid goes down tomorrow. Or maybe The Pattern catches up to Blizzard and it happens to fry that small part of a server that houses your character because it really is you they're after. (Admittedly, there are more realistic ways that you can lose your WoW character, but that kind of takes the fun out of this topic.) From a philosophical point of view, how would you feel? Any kind of loss -- even an electronic one -- may inspire grief and all its stages. But no doubt you spent a lot of time, effort, and money leveling that character so in a way it's part of yourself. You've probably thought about what it would feel like to lose your main.But what would you be like without your main? Would you lose a bit of confidence? Would your coworkers sense you withdraw just a bit? Or would you feel free, finally able to, I don't know, learn how to surf? Would you be any different at all? Would it be something you could (or would even want to) talk to your non-WoW friends or family about? I wonder if roleplayers would have a more difficult time -- or would it be easier because they are like actors? For me, since my main is much more powerful than I am and also provides me with a lot of laughs at his expense, I would feel just a little bit smaller and weaker. It would also be freeing. I don't think I'd level another main, but I might just try something new. Would the loss of your main have any impact on who you are on a daily basis?
More details from Fallen Earth interview
Italian gaming site Alter Ego has an interview up with Lee Hammock, lead game designer of Icarus Studios, about Fallen Earth. It's a short piece, but chock-full of great information for those hungry to learn more about what FE is all about. Note: The first section of the page is in Italian; scroll down for the English version.Hammock dishes up some radioactive dirt on the game's factions and what their philosophies are; mentions that there might be a comprehensive hit box for attacking an enemy (for example, you could shoot someone in the foot, but a head shot would do much more damage); the state of PvP; and what sounds like a rich crafting system.The game's site says in its FAQ that "It'll be done when it's done", and as difficult as that may be to hear for those of us who are itching to get our hands into some Road Warrior-style mayhem, it's a strategy that's worked well for Blizzard; there's no reason to think it shouldn't work as well for Icarus Studios.[Thanks, Nolvadex!]
70 Orc Hunter running for Connecticut legislature
More politicians are coming out of the WoW closet. Jeanne Stevens is a WoW player -- with a 70 Orc Hunter, a 58 Troll Shaman, and a 53 Blood Elf Rogue -- and a Republican running for the Connecticut state legislature. And she freely admits it in a new interview with Wandering Goblin, as covered by our sister site, Massively. Her hunter is balanced between marksman and survival, her shaman specs elemental (close to my heart!), and her rogue climbs the assassination talent tree. Will she be able to master the beasts in her political race? (Okay, you go ahead and insert your own shaman or rogue wordplay here.) Maybe she'll hold some in-game speeches or rallies. She could hold forth on top of Orgrimmar's bank, or maybe lead a raid to Stormwind as a metaphor.Is it surprising that a Republican chooses Horde? I think you could make a case for either faction going with either political party. Personally, I love to see that she's middle-aged and a woman, which defies Blizzard's assumptions about the majority of WoW gamers. She also chooses pirates over ninjas. I'm not sure there's a political comment there, but I'm sure someone will show me the light.[Thanks to Wandering Goblin via Massively.]
