- Questing - Cases & Capers
- John Blakely mentions "character invested storylines." @IGN
- Cases and Capers" appears to be the name of a class of quests found in DCUO. It appears as if heroes would work cases, while villains would perform capers. Blakely, @IGN
- A quest system known as the "surplus model concept" seems to create quest content on the fly. John Blakely stated, " We're also using what we're calling a surplus model concept, which means as objectives spin up in the area, as you consume those objectives, they spawn more objectives. Case in point might be an armored car rides though -- if you're a villain, that objective is hit the armored car, y'know? There's an opportunity for you, but as you hit the armored car, now more objectives pop up because, well, the police are alerted and the police come in. Now, if there are other villains in the area, they can participate." Blakely, @IGN
- They are an example of our 'self-evident content system'. We have what we call 'encounters' in the game, and each encounter has a number of objectives in it. - Jens Andersen, interview with Massively - @Massively
- But the knockout is still an obstacle and still an issue, because you have timers on all your encounters. So when you get knocked out, it's costing you a chance at success. When that timer goes away, that encounter goes away. Chris Cao interview, Oct. 10 2008 @Massively.
- Continuity will reflect the 'Ideal, Platonic version of the DC Universe' -Jim Lee Gamasutra Interview 12/23/08.
- Different Story Arcs and Experiences for Heroes and Villains. -Ask SOE #5.
- Marv Wolfman, prestigious comic writer and creator of Teen Titans will be writing story as well. -NYCC 09.
- Cases/Capers will have the following objectives: Knockout, Secure, Transport, Protect, Observe and Reviving Allies. -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
- Content of the game scales to the size of the party and level of the character. -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
- Qualitative completion allows you to revisit content for greater rewards (i,e, defeat encounter in 10 minutes, etc,) -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
- The visual state of the environment will change based on Cases and what stage of that Case you are on. This will revert to normal after the case is finished (aka Phasing) -Jens, Allakhazam CES video
- Raiding
- There are raids, and raid size is currently set at 16. Cao, @Videogamer
"Yes there are open world encounters of the iconics." (Ed. Note: possibly an indication of contestables?) - Jens Andersen, interview with The Older Gamers
Loot System
- There will be loot, unlike City of Heroes. Some of this loot is costume related. Blakely, @IGN
- Loot both changes your character's appearance and increases your character's power. Chris Cao, interview with videogamers.com, @Videogamer
- Random mobs won't carry loot. Loot is given to players who complete encounters and events. Playstation Magazine, Oct. 2008.
- Players in a "soft group" who complete an encounter may also receive loot. Playstation Magazine, Oct. 2008.
- No more looting corpses to speed up gameplay. - Jens Andersen, Ask SOE #2
- Loot is both stylish and functional - Jens Andersen, Ask SOE #2
- Loot will drop as you defeat foes. -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
- Gear will be itemized for each particular Origin (i.e. Tech Shoulders, Meta Gloves) -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
Travel
- Each character has a "travel mode" which will allow characters to quickly catch up with other player characters. Chris Cao interview with MMORPG.com, @MMORPG
Combat
- Combat is not turn-based like traditional MMORPGs, there is a twitch element. Blakely, @IGN
- There are no dice rolls, in order to make contact with other players, you have to aim. Similarly, because there are no dice rolls, evasions occur because the player dodges. Cao, @GameTrailers
- Characters bring 4 active, and 4 reactive abilities into a battle. Cao, @GameSpy
- In ranged combat, you can both free fire, and hard lock on a target. Chris Cao, interview with Massively - @Massively
- There are 3 separate Combat Roles which can be loaded while out of combat: Offense (Glass Cannon) Defense (damage mitigation) Support (Healing and Buffs) -Jens CES
- Acrobats can attach a grappling cable to a foe and attack enemies in the air. -Jens, IGN.com CES Video.
Leveling
- There is a leveling system, though as of yet, no confirmed details or level cap information. Blakely, @IGN
- While this is an action oriented game, higher level players will still be more powerful than lower level characters. Cao, @Videogamer
- "In the DCU heroes, as well as villains, train, they discover new powers and they practice with the ones they already know to become more experienced." - Jens Andersen, interview with The Older Gamers - @Massively
- Traits allow you to customize & improve you character and their powers as you progress and level up -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3
Player Versus Player
- There has been some discussion as to "threat level." This appears to be some system which will alert NPC and other PC characters to your actions. Blakely, @IGN
- Player versus player appears to be planned, and there appears to be plans to create specific servers for player versus player. Playstation Magazine, Oct. 2008.
- PvP is confirmed, but it is consensual. Cao, @GameSpy
- PvP "instant-action arenas" will be included, where players can jump right into PvP action which is deemed consensual. Cao, @GameSpy
- PvE and PvP servers will be available -Cao, DCUOSource forums, 'PvP by consent'
- PvP Arenas will be available -Cao, Myspace Blog -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
Grouping and Soloing
- There is soft grouping, which allows players of your same faction to help you at any time. Cao, @Videogamer
- There is also "hard grouping" which is the traditional MMO invite to group system. Cao, @Videogamer
- Group size is currently set at 4. Cao, @Videogamer
Death Mechanic/Penalty
- Instead of "death," characters will be "knocked out." Blakely, @IGN
- Death is "very serious" in the DC Universe, and therefore, major NPCs, as well as your characters, can't be killed. Cao, @Videogamer
- "We don't have a death mechanic, we have knock out. It's called a 'rally mechanic'. It allows me to get up on the spot if I feel the situation is going to be safe enough. I don't have to run away and spawn somewhere else all the time. I can if I want to, if I'm surrounded by five guys, but if my friends are still here fighting, I can clear the cobwebs and pop right back up again." - Jens Andersen, interview with Massively - @Massively.
- Knockout mechanic gives you a 10-count to rally and return to battle. -Jens, CES, Gametrailers walkthough videos 1-3.
Instancing
- Instancing is confirmed, there are instanced "adventure areas." Cao, @Videogamer
Control Scheme
- Both the PS3 controller and the keyboard/mouse combination will be intuitive. Chris Cao and John Blakely interviewed by Massively, @Massively
Tradeskills
- No information yet released
Zones
- IGN and John Blakely confirm that both Metropolis and Gotham are locations within the game world. @IGN
- John Blakely confirms Arkham Asylum as a place where knocked out characters may be sent. @IGN
- The Batcave is a confirmed location. Blakely, @IGN
- The Watchtower and the Hall of Doom are confirmed locations. Cao, @Videogamer
- Star Labs and The Daily Planet are confirmed locations. Playstation Magazine, Oct. 2008.
- One zone in Metropolis is a couple hundred blocks, and the entire city is six or seven times that. Cao, @Massively
- The Tomb of Isis is a confirmed location. Blakely, @Massively
- "Holiday events" are confirmed for the holiday periods of the year. Cao, @Massively
- "We have the main cities, Gotham and Metropolis, which are contiguous play spaces. There is no zoning from Midtown to the Tomorrow District, it’s all seamless. When going from one city to the next you do zone back and forth, so they are not connected by some super-powered highway system." - Jens Andersen, interview with The Older Gamers
|