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The Daily Grind: How do you pass the time in a login queue?
So I'd been trying to log in to DC Universe Online (with a legendary account, mind you) for the better part of a week, and I finally managed it at around midnight on Sunday after a 20 minute wait. That may sound annoying, but it's nothing compared to the waits last week after the title went F2P. Afternoon and prime time queues placed me somewhere around the 4,000th spot in line, and I eventually stopped waiting after routinely encountering 45-minute delays and never-ending login screens. It's been quite some time since I had to wait like that for an MMO, and I alternated between reading a book, making dinner, and playing another title to pass the time. What about you, Massively folk? Do you have the patience for MMO login queues and if so, what do you do while you're waiting? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
DC Universe Online boasts 1000% playerbase growth
DC Universe Online has been free-to-play for just under a week now, but SOE is already reporting huge spikes in player population. SOE president John Smedley has been tweeting constantly since the transition, with the most recent tweet announcing that population is up 1000% from its pre-F2P numbers. It's not all sunshine and butterflies over in DCUO-land, however. Players have been experiencing a number of issues with the F2P transition, such as astoundingly long server queues, endless loading screens, and other gameplay-inhibiting problems. Smedley says that the team is "on it," though. If you want to be part of the game's booming playerbase, just head on over to the game's official site (or download the game on Steam) and jump on in.
DCUO registers 120,000 new players, sees concurrent user spike [Updated]
If the early returns are any indication, DC Universe Online's free-to-play conversion is looking pretty successful. Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley recently tweeted that the superhero MMO picked up 120,000 new player registrations since its Tuesday evening cutover. Smedley also said that concurrent users swelled 400% during the same time period. The one downside to the title's newfound popularity is the login queues. Earlier this year SOE consolidated all of the game's launch-day shards down to a few "megaservers" and PC Gamer reports that login queues are paying the price as a flood of F2P tire-kickers descends on Gotham City and Metropolis en masse. [Update: John Smedley sent out another tweet on Friday heralding even more good news for SOE: "Over 330k new players. Concurrent usage is up 600% in DCUO! F2P FTW!"]
The Daily Grind: Do single-player games influence your MMO choices?
OK, I admit it. I'm not playing many MMOs this week (Heresy! Burn the infidel! Etc.). I'll log a couple of merc matches in Global Agenda and maybe complete a faction quest or two in Age of Conan, but almost all of my gaming time is going toward Rocksteady's glorious Batman sequel. Arkham City is so good, in fact, that it's made me patch my long-neglected DC Universe Online client just in case I feel like soaking up some more Gotham City atmospherics while I'm away from my Xbox 360. And how sad is that, seriously? Anyway, since this is the Daily Grind and not the daily-random-game-related-rambling, I'll cut to the chase in favor of the traditional question: Do single-player games influence your MMO playing? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment talks strategy, new Hobbit game and other upcoming titles
The release of Batman: Arkham City this week marks a nice success for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of the movie studio that started out with the less than popular The Matrix Online, and has slowly built up an empire that includes the Batman franchise, the Lego video games, and the Mortal Kombat series. The LA Times has a short profile of the company, and goes into detail on how it worked with studios like Traveller's Tales and Netherrealm to build up popular video game franchises that stand on their own even compared to the movie products. That's not to say that the plan always works (remember the Green Lantern game?), but Warner Bros. seems to have built up a few solid properties independent of tie-in movies. The next, then, is apparently a Hobbit game -- the article says there will be a game based on Peter Jackson's movie sometime next year. The company will also release a Lego Batman sequel, and some other casual online games featuring Warner characters. Oh, and there's one more: an unannounced game based on a different DC superhero. Has anyone else been J'onzzing for a Martian Manhunter escapade?
The Man of Steel returns to video games ... on iOS
There's a lot going on in the DC Universe these days, what with the radically controversial reboot of all its franchises and the new Superman movie that's currently in production, so of course now is the perfect time to announce an iOS Superman title has nothing to do with any of that stuff. IGN reports that veteran iOS publisher Chillingo and Denki Blocks! developer Tiger Games (No, not that Tiger) will bring the last son of Krypton to Apple's mobile operating system, heat-vision and arch-nemesis Lex Luthor in tow. Each level will pit Supes against various sets of challenges, with metals awarded at the completion of each level, ala Angry Birds. Little else is known at the moment, but here's hoping it turns out better than Superman 64.
SOE enlists comic book writer Marv Wolfman to pen PlanetSide 2 backstory
Comic book writer Marv Wolfman is taking a cue from his superhero stories to team up forces once again with a powerful ally -- in this case, Sony Online Entertainment. The writer, who last worked on DC Universe Online, has now returned to the studio to flesh out the backstory for the upcoming PlanetSide 2. Wolfman is in charge of writing a series of fictional episodes depicting the life and history of the people of Auraxis and the rising war between the three factions of the game. He's pretty jazzed about the opportunity: "I'm thrilled to be working with SOE again. Not only do I get to take elements from the original PlanetSide and further develop an extensive backstory that can help players more fully understand this incredible new world, but even better, I get to create dozens of individual characters that I hope will help bring alive the story of PlanetSide 2 for the entire player community." In a dev diary, Creative Director Matthew Higby stresses that it's important to have not just a solid game but a believable world in which that game can take place. "Beyond grounding the design of the world, the story gives meaning to who the people fighting on it are, how they got there, their motivations and what their conflict signifies," Higby writes. The first of these episodes will be released on the PlanetSide 2 site later this week.
Barnes & Noble pulls DC Comics from shelves over Kindle kerfuffle, risks Martian Manhunter's wrath
Frankly, we'd advise against crossing anyone given to costumed superheroics, but a policy is a policy. Book selling giant Barnes & Noble has begun pulling select DC Comics from store shelves this week, in response to a deal struck between the publisher and Amazon, which will make digital copies of a number of comics exclusively available through the online retailer for use with the forthcoming Kindle Fire. The move is part of Barnes & Noble's policy to remove physical books from its shelves if the available digital version of the text is not offered up to the company. According to an exec, "To sell and promote the physical book in our store showrooms and not have the e-book available for sale would undermine our promise to Barnes & Noble customers to make available any book, anywhere, anytime." J'onn J'onzz has yet to weigh in on the matter.
DCUO's latest update takes you to the Fortress of Solitude
We still don't have a date for you with regard to DC Universe Online's impending payment model switcheroo. We do have the latest Sony Online Entertainment press release, though, and it's full of details about the superhero MMO's latest content patch. Listen up, Superman fans, as today's patch brings about the second phase of a three-part raid in which players must stop Brainiac from harnessing Kryptonian technology and using it to destroy the entire planet. The update, appropriately titled The Fate of the Fortress, features Superman's iconic arctic hideout known as the Fortress of Solitude, and the patch allows would-be heroes to team up with Kal-El, Lex Luthor, and their fellow players to tackle a challenging eight-man group combat raid. There's a bunch of new loot to be had as well, and today's update also features a new hard-mode option for the HIVE tier-two alert as well as a new Batcave PvP map. Finally, SOE has incorporated a new dueling mechanic into DCUO, so fire up your launchpads, button up your underoos, and get ready to save Gotham City and Metropolis from the clutches of the megalomaniacal Brainiac. [Source: SOE press release]
DC Universe Online lets you prove how legendary you are
The fact of the matter is that in our minds, all of our characters are legendary. That's kind of the goal of MMOs. But DC Universe Online wants to give you a chance to mark your character as something special, even above and beyond that -- and true to form, the development team is kicking off a contest, asking players to show off their character to be featured in a future issue of DC Universe Online Legends, the game's tie-in comic book. Submissions require a shot of the character's front and back, a 50-word description of what makes the character legendary, and of course your account name. The deadline for submissions is October 4th, but you can feel free to submit as many of your characters as you like. So what are you waiting for? Not only will your character be legendary in your own mind, but you'll be able to point to him or her in the comic to show everyone else.
Uncharted novel arrives on Oct. 4, comic on Nov. 30
Nothing says "high-octane thriller" quite like "novelization." Del Rey books will publish the first Uncharted novelization, titled "Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth," this October. If you're not so much for diving into a full book, a more bite-sized adventure for Nathan Drake arrives in comic book form starting November 30 from DC Comics. Neither work will specifically play into the events of this winter's third Uncharted game for the PlayStation 3, rather seeking to tell side stories in the harrowing life of series protagonist Nathan Drake. It seems that the comic will potentially have Drake heading to a fictional city in the planet's core, while the book sends Drake to ... umm ... New York City. And Egypt and stuff. But, you know, not a city in the center of the planet.
SOE webcast fielding your DCUO F2P questions tonight
In case you haven't heard, DC Universe Online is going free-to-play sometime toward the end of October. Everyone's favorite DC Comics-flavored MMO (OK, the only DC Comics-flavored MMO) is also the star of this week's Sony Online Entertainment webcast. Executive producer Lorin Jameson and creative director Jens Andersen will be fielding your questions about superhero-sized free-to-play and the future for digital denizens of Gotham City and Metropolis. The webcast happens on SOE's Stickam channel; you can also catch it via the Stickam tab on SOE's Facebook page. What time, you ask? Set your alarms for 7:00 p.m. EDT, and check out this handy timezone conversion link if you're unsure how that equates to your local time.
DCUO's Fight for the Light content pack free for subscribers
DC Universe Online is about to get a bit bigger, and it's also bucking the double-dipping trend that's gripped the MMO industry of late. The good news for subscribers is two-fold: First, there's a lot of new content on the way. Second, it's included in the subscription fee. The Fight for the Light pack, which integrates the legend of the Green Lantern (as well as the rest of the Lantern and Sinestro Corps) into Sony Online Entertainment's massively multiplayer beat-'em-up, debuts on September 6th. What exactly is in store for loyal denizens of Metropolis and Gotham City? For starters, there's the game's seventh power set (light, of course), followed by new instances like S.T.A.R. Labs, Coast City, and Sciencells Prison. In addition, players will interact with Green Lantern-based friends and foes as they battle to save earth from the clutches of Brainiac. %Gallery-128108%
New DC Universe video explains SOE's Lantern Corps focus
If you've been wondering why Sony Online Entertainment chose to focus on the Lantern Corps for DC Universe Online's first game pack, a new video featuring creative director Jens Andersen has your answer. "The Green Lantern Corps gives us a great stepping stone off of Earth, out of our solar system, and into the galaxy at large so we can begin exploring the great expanse of the DC universe," Andersen explains. So while Gotham City and Metropolis are still the heart of the DCUO experience, players and DC comics fans alike will be adventuring beyond the familiar confines of humanity's home planet as the game grows. Aside from that, Andersen says that SOE was keen to get light powers into the game as well, and players can use both light and fear variants to wreak havoc on their enemies. You can read more about the new Fight for the Light pack on the official DCUO website, and don't forget to check out the new screens below (and the video after the cut). %Gallery-128108%
Massively Exclusive: Jim Lee talks Batman, canon, and DCUO
This is a big week for DC Universe Online, mainly because Sony Online Entertainment is forging ahead with its "megaservers" population consolidation. To mark the occasion, we sat down with DC Comics legend Jim Lee for a brief Q&A. OK, you got us. We sat down with Jim Lee because he's Jim Lee, and we're unabashed Batfans who will jump at every opportunity to talk to the artists behind the cowl. In any event, Lee did have some interesting things to say about MMOs in general, canon in particular, and his experiences with SOE and DCUO. Join us after the cut to read all about it.
DC Universe Online rolling out megaservers on Monday
DC Universe Online has been quiet on the announced megaservers for quite some time, but it turns out that the update is just around the corner. Specifically, the new server structure will be going into effect on Monday, and players have been given a brand-new developer diary on the benefits and the procedure to help get everyone up to speed. In short, it's more people on servers and more people to group up with, albeit still segregated between PC and PS3 players. Character names will have to be changed in some cases, but the system being used ensures that characters whose names are changed will also receive a free subsequent change if they want. According to comments, the determination will essentially be comparing hours played -- so if you have two characters with the same name on active accounts, but one's been active since launch, the older character will get to keep the name. While it's not quite the cross-platform servers many players had hoped for, it should help bolster the population of each game server as a whole.
Ra's al Ghul's Revenge goes live for DC Universe Online
Are you ready to face off against a nearly immortal enemy? That's what DC Universe Online players will be up against starting today, as the latest game update throws Ra's al Ghul at the players. The eponymous terrorist and assassin is embarking on his latest scheme to wipe humans from the planet with biological weapons, forcing players to brave the League of Assassins' Stronghold with the possibility of earning several new rewards. But there's more to the latest update beyond just the new villain for players to oppose. Poison Ivy is also hitting the scene in a big way, trying to strengthen her connection the mystical plant realm known only as the Green. That puts her at odds with the elemental Swamp Thing, forcing heroic and villainous players to team up with the faction-appropriate character and either aid or thwart Ivy's goals. DC Universe Online players can begin downloading and playing the update immediately, just in time to get some solid play in for the weekend.
DC Universe Online updates fans on console freezes
If you've been playing DC Universe Online on the PlayStation 3, you've probably either experienced or heard of the freezing problems experienced on the platform. Executive producer DeadMeat has posted an update on the situation to the game's official Facebook page, and while it's not a fix, it does help explain what the issue seems to be from the development side. In short, the issue is less a matter of not being able to fix it and more of an issue of nailing down the precise problem. According to the update, the common out-of-memory error that's causing console freezes requires a very specific set of conditions to be met, and while the team is doing its best to replicate the conditions for freezing, the live environment is very different from the in-house testing environment. DC Universe Online players who are trying to enjoy the game on the console might not be mollified by this update, but it's a clear sign that the developers are trying to keep an open line of communication.
Alter-Ego: What's in a name?
While it is incredibly tempting to go off on a tear about the major decision announced this week to reboot the entire DC Comics universe, starting 52 new comics at issue #1 and essentially retconning every hero and villain we've known to date, this week's column isn't about that. After all, this isn't a comics site, and we've already heard from the DC Universe Online developers that the continuity in the game is separate from that of the overall DC Universe. (Considering how much we heard that noted in the recent chats, we wonder whether Sony Online Entertainment didn't know this major shake-up was on the way.) As such, I suspect we will see the game's storyline remain essentially intact, at least until the point at which we finally take down Brainiac once and for all. After that, it's anyone's guess. Depending on how the reboot works, it might well shake up the game's direction if the new comics are doing well with readers. No, instead our superpowered game is getting its own different version of a restart in the promised upcoming MegaServer merges. While before we had multiple servers, each side will now have two -- one PvP and PvE for both PC and PS3 players -- giving us a total of four. Over this mad-scientist server-mashup, the issue of collisions looms. This week, we also found out that the merges will not only affect player names but league names as well, ensuring that there is plenty of confusion and concern on the part of the playerbase. Will MegaServers be the bane or balm of DC Universe Online's population issues? What precisely are the facts and fallacies? Whom will this affect? Join me behind the break as I take a look at the overall situation!
Witness Ra's al Ghul's revenge in the new DCUO trailer
In you haven't heard, Ra's Al Ghul, a nemesis of the Caped Crusader, has dug his talons into DC Universe Online, and it's up to you to stop him from killing millions of innocent people by joining other heroes in this 4-man alert and defeat Ra's and his lethal minions deep in his mountain stronghold. Jens Andersen, the creative director for DCUO, shares the latest visuals in a walkthrough video released by IGN and presents a guided tour of the inner sanctum of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins. Each member of the league has his or her own mystic power you must overcome before you face off against Ra's al Ghul himself. This 4-man alert is just part of the new additions to DC Universe Online in Update 3. Get the whole scoop from Krystalle Voecks, who recently sat down with the developers to discuss the patch, then check out the video after the break.
