dcuo
Latest
Next SOE Live hits Vegas August 14 - 17, 2014
If you're still kicking yourself for missing the big reveals of SOE Live 2013, you've got plenty of time to make preparations for next year's convention. Mark your 2014 calendars for August 14th through the 17th; that's when fans from the whole arsenal of SOE games will descend upon Las Vegas to mingle with devs, participate in contests and tournaments, attend player and dev panels, and catch reveals of upcoming content in their favorite games. SOE Live 2014 will also features access to beta programs as well as plenty of in-game and real world swag. The annual fan convention will return to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, and tickets will be available for purchase in early 2014. Additional information will be forthcoming later, but you can catch the reveal trailer below. [Source: SOE press release]
DC Universe Online's War of the Light DLC and Armories
If you are a follower of DC Universe Online, you know how the developers love to introduce world-changing DLCs for players to adventure in. Last time it was the Sons of Trigon, a massive adventure that threw players against the forces of Trigon, took players through a new zone, handed out a lot of new loot, and introduced a new power set called Celestial. We even played through some of the Trigon DLC with Jens Anderson, Creative Director. This time around the team is introducing several things that players have never seen before, starting with the Blue Lantern Corps, twin sentient planets Mogo and Ranx, and a new Red Light power called Rage. Coming up on top of the DLC will be Armories, displays that players can place in their lairs or hideouts not only to display favorite looks, but to allow players to switch between loadouts and looks on the fly, in the field! So, how will all of this work?
Choose My Adventure: The weather outside is frightful
December is here, which means it's about time to throw some logs on the fire, grab every blanket in the house, and collapse under the mantle in a freezing, sobbing heap. This week's arctic blast has left the United States feeling a lot like Northrend, but for those of us in certain parts of the country it's just the beginning of what's sure to be a long, hellish winter. However cold it may be outside, there's always a warm, toasty inn waiting in our favorite games. MMOs also provide sunny vistas, hot deserts, and steamy swamps, all of which make great places to escape nasty real-life weather. Even when it's cold in an MMO, it's still warm at our desks. In this edition of Choose My Adventure, I'm depending on you to help me hide from the snow that's piling up outside of my window. You don't have to send me somewhere warm, but I'd appreciate it if you send me somewhere fun.
Dungeon Tours: Wish you were here!
Synergy? We've got synergy! Welcome to the unveiling of Dungeon Tours, a new multimedia miniseries playing out on both the Massively blog and Massively TV. What is Dungeon Tours, you ask? It's a tour. Of a dungeon. Many tours, in fact, of many dungeons. We're sneaky like that. But there's a method behind this particular madness. Have you ever wanted to see and experience every dungeon and instance in a game? Maybe you're interested in getting a sneak peek at what content is in store for you as you advance in a title you already enjoy, or maybe you want to see what you have missed. It could be that you'd like to get a feel for a game before jumping in yourself. And whether or not you ever have any intention of ever playing a game yourself, you're probably curious about what goes on behind those closed doors! This miniseries is your key to those doors.
Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online comic, Kid Critical helped Batman foil the Scarecrow's plan to turn Gotham's East End into a living nightmare. The mad scientist subsequently retreated to his lair beneath the city streets, where he managed to capture Batwoman and unleash his hellish fear gas on the pursuing Kid Critical. Now, Batwoman and the Kid must join forces to survive Scarecrow's hallucinogenic traps -- not to mention his cheesy banter. Will they make it out of the Scarecrow's Lair with their sanity intact? Turn the page to find out!
Free for All: MMORPGs for your new console
Consoles and MMOs do not have the stand-offish relationship that they used to have. In fact, there are so many different MMOs to choose from on consoles that it's seriously tempting to pick up one of the new ones -- the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 -- even though I wasn't planning on it for a long, long time. I enjoy using a controller with MMOs so much that I plan on covering the subject more in the future. So let's get to the list of MMOs that are currently on consoles or that will be coming out on consoles in the near(ish) future. Massively's own Mike Foster put together a fantastic list last summer, but I thought I would update and pass it on. After all, the new consoles are officially here... so be sure to reference the list when you need a new MMO to play on your shiny new console!
Alter Ego: Issue #3 - DCUO's Streets of Fear
Previously in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical suited up with a little help from Oracle and learned to harness his new exobyte powers after escaping from Brainiac's deadly harvester ship. Now, he must assist the Gotham vigilante known as Batman as he tracks the nefarious Scarecrow through the city's East End. Can Kid Critical and the Bat family stop Scarecrow's deadly fear gas before it blankets the entire city? Find out in Alter Ego #3: Streets of Fear.
SOE president 'can't wait' to see EverQuest Next on PS4
In an interview with GamerHubTV, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley hinted at a PlayStation 4 release for the studio's next big MMO, EverQuest Next. Smedley was coy on the details, explaining, "We haven't announced technically that we're putting it on the PlayStation 4, but it's fair to say that we're a Sony company, so I say that with a smile on my face. Can't wait to see it on PS4." Smedley cited the PS4's eight gigs of ram and connection to the PlayStation Network as major strengths for the SOE development team, claiming that developing for PS4 is like "developing on a really super high-end PC." SOE is no stranger to console MMOs; the studio brought both DC Universe Online and Free Realms to PlayStation 3 and is porting both DCUO and PlanetSide 2 to PS4 with the former already live.
Play DC Universe Online on your new PlayStation 4 now
If you've already gotten your mitts on a just-released PlayStation 4, you can wriggle into your virtual tights and dive right into DC Universe Online's crime-fighting action. (Or if you prefer, you can cause the crimes as a villain instead, we won't judge!) And you don't have to worry about leaving those friends who don't yet have a PS4 behind, as DCUO features cross-platform play between the newest console and the PlayStation 3. Owners of both consoles can play the game on either one, but the PS4 also features remote play on the Vita. Perhaps you're the proud owner of a PS4 but have never played DCUO before -- no problem! You can hop in and join the caped crusades for free. Check out the enhanced graphics in both the six new screenshots in the gallery and the launch trailer below. [Source: SOE press release]
The Daily Grind: What MMO systems or content revamps would you like to see?
MMO revamps are a thing this week, what with RIFT retooling its Deepstrike Mines dungeon and DC Universe Online augmenting its pre-30 leveling curve with additional quests and various NPC/AI tweaks. That got me to thinking about what other pieces of MMO content or systems I'd like to see reworked. There's Age of Conan's long-in-development crafting revamp, of course, and I'm also keen to see Lord of the Rings Online's housing after Turbine's done blowing it up and putting it back together. What about you, Massively readers? What MMO revamps would you like to see? 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!
Surprise! DCUO Game Update 31 is going live today
DC Universe Online players got a bit of a surprise this afternoon when SOE decided to go ahead with the superhero title's GU31 update. "We apologize for the mid-day downtime, but we simply cannot wait to share this game update with all of our players," SOE explained in its patch note prelude. The update contains extensive art tweaks in preparation for the upcoming PlayStation 4 launch, as well as a smoother pre-30 leveling curve. SOE reduced the amount of experience required between levels eight and 29, and it says that "players within this range may log in and find their level increased." [Thanks William!]
DCUO offers a glimpse of Game Update 31
As DC Universe Online prepares to make its way to the PlayStation 4, SOE is hard at work on Game Update 31 as the foundation for the console launch. Today we've got several screenshots that give us a glimpse into the update, including pictures of Earth from orbit and lava spewing out of a city zone. SOE devs are calling GU31 "the biggest technical update [they] have ever done." The update will include significantly improved graphics, many design improvements, and a smoother leveling path. It should be releasing any day now, but you can get an advance look in the gallery below.
Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The super news of October
October was a pretty big month. I don't mean that just because it was a month filled with all of the classic horror you could ever hope for, although that was certainly welcome. But October also saw two big superhero games ramping up and doing things in a big way, one for a console launch and one for a big fan-pleasing rally... which was pretty cool to see, all around. That's not to say that the other superhero games available sat around and did nothing during October, but you couldn't match the energy surrounding City of Titans and DC Universe Online. Let's look back at the past month of capes and cowls.
Cross-platform play comes to DC Universe Online... on consoles
It's always been just a little frustrating for players of DC Universe Online that you can't always play with your friends. If you play on your computer and your best friend is on her PlayStation 3, well, the two of you just aren't going to be able to team up. But starting with the launch of the game on PlayStation 4, players will be able to experience cross-platform play, assuming the two platforms are the PS3 and the PS4. Creative director Jens Andersen confirmed that all console players will be able to work together on the same servers, thus ensuring that old-school players and new console players will coexist. Andersen also confirmed that while the launch version will not make use of the system's new controller, it's possible that more controller support will be introduced further down the line. This is good news if your friends are on the same platform, although PC users will still have to simply look on with longing.
PlanetSide 2's release on PS4 delayed to 2014, DCUO still set for launch
Although PlanetSide 2 is still coming to the PlayStation 4, the release has been delayed until early 2014. PS2 was noticeably absent from a list of launch games on the PS4's newly released FAQ, and SOE CEO John Smedley confirmed the delay in an interview on Bloomberg TV. According to the FAQ, DC Universe Online is still slated to release as a launch title in North America and also the UK (where the PS4 will launch nearly two weeks later than in NA). As free-to-play titles, neither PS2 nor DCUO will require a PlayStation Plus membership when it does launch on the PS4.
One Shots: Certifiably Insane
One of the things that I love the very most about superhero MMOs is that they give players a great platform to show off their creative designs. Yeah, they can be eyesores too, but I find that that's also a blessing in disguise because it's an easy visual indicator of lazy players whom I probably want to avoid. I wouldn't want to avoid reader Carla, however, because she's bringing her crazy-A game to DC Universe Online today. "Here is a photo of my supervillain, Certifiably Insane, posing before the city she's conquered," she wrote. So my question is, what do you do with a city once you conquer it? Get mired in administrative red tape? Does Certifiably Insane have to preside over council meetings and sewage labor union debates now? How does a supervillain deal with zoning issues, anyway? The answers to that and so very much more are all after the break in this week's One Shots.
Alter Ego: Issue #1 - Kid Critical in DC Universe Online
Some intergalactic psychopath called Brainiac covets the Earth. He's trying to digitize the lot of us, see, only his exobyte technology has some... unforeseen side effects. At the risk of going all science whiz on you, I'll just say that these nanite exobyte gizmos transformed hundreds of humans into uber-powerful ubermensch. Mutants or even metahumans, if you'd prefer. We're superheroes, really, when you get right down to it. It's a good thing, too, because Earth's real superheroes couldn't stop Brainiac. Superman, Batman, the Justice League, all of them failed. Even supervillains attempted to save mankind, for a time at least. Before long, though, they did what villains do: They leveraged chaos and exploited disorder for their own selfish ends. So, yep, it's pretty much business as usual but for the meglomaniacal space invader bent on destroying both sides. Me, I'm just a soldier in this new war, one of a fortunate few gifted with the power of Brainiac's buggy exobytes. Before all this I was a nobody. A minor game critic or some such silliness. Now, my friends just call me the kid. You can call me Kid Critical. Every two weeks, Kid Critical and his Alter Ego, mal-mannered game journo Jef Reahard, take you for a whirlwind tour of DC Universe Online. Join the dynamic duo as they explore PvE, PvP, story content, and more!
DC Universe Online shows off major graphical upgrades
Sometimes all it takes is a graphical improvement to make a game feel new. DC Universe Online has to keep its graphics at a level the PlayStation 3 can use, but with the pending release of the PlayStation 4, the game is going to be able to offer better textures and lighting all around. You can check out a preview video past the break to see what the game will look like with the visual upgrades. But that's not the only thing coming along with the new patch; in order to ease new players on the PS4 into the game, the game's early leveling has been revamped and improved and several areas have had environmental details and quest flow updated as well. So experienced players can enjoy looking at a world in greater detail and new players will find it easier than ever to get into the game. That seems like a pretty solid update.
Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered'
DC Universe Online's Update 31 is on its way, and with it come some of the biggest changes ever implemented to the game's core design and appearance. Executive producer Larry Liberty today outlined the key points in a letter to the community, explaining to players what they can expect from Update 31 and beyond. According to Liberty, the bulk of Update 31 focuses on preparing DCUO for its impending PS4 launch. Changes include graphics upgrades like higher resolution textures and area redesigns, along with a "remastering" of the core leveling experience. Leveling from 1-30 has seen special attention; Liberty noted that new players should see a smoother progression of content with less chance of being stuck without a mission. Update 31 is tentatively scheduled for a November launch on PC and PS3. The game's PS4 release is still on track to match up with the console's release window.
