Recently we had the pleasure of finding out what Lady Immolatasia, a long-time MMO player, RPer and stalwart over at the DCUO-Unlimited website, about The Closed Beta. We got a lengthy, educated and refershing view of a game many feel like is an MMO-changer.
"The beta, so far, has been just phenomenal, and I’m very glad I got the chance to partake in it. As a long time City of Heroes/Champions player, it stands up and carries forward the tradition of strong combat, super hero lore and excitement, and captures the conflict in a new and thrilling way."
--Lady Immolatasia
1. How long have you been in the beta so far?
I’ve been in beta for about a month to a month and a half now, and the game hasn’t gotten old yet!
2. PS3 or PC player?
Exclusively PC.
3. PVE or PVP Server?
A mixture of both. I think primarily I’ll be playing on the PVE server, but PVP is also important to me. It really depends on where the RP opportunities are at most, and how storylines develop.
4. What have you been most impressed with so far?
The combat has definitely been the most impressive feature, as well as the visuals. Many of the other superhero MMO’s right now, while they have good graphics, the scenery lacks a certain amount of personality. Every location in DCUO from what I can tell has been crafted with originality in mind. I haven’t found missions that felt strikingly similar to me to the point where I could tell, and the differences between Gotham and Metropolis make each city incredibly unique.
The combat, as a fighting game player, feels very fluid. Reminiscent of Devil May Cry and God of War. Moves blend well into the other, and it gives the player total control of their abilities. Powers feel special, and important, and not simply the entirety of your character; you can fight freely without pressing the 1 – 10 keys all day. It’s wonderful!
5. Were you able to make your character "live" from Customization/Creation standpoint?
My character, Lady Immolatasia, has looked better to be fair in previous games. Honestly, though, the customization will be improved, I’m sure, and the parts that are available are very nice! This really seems to be DCUO’s weak point, but it’s not something that’s unfixable or even remotely damning.
6. What's your opinion of the combat?
As I’ve stated above, it’s rather seamless and deep. PVE fights feel exciting as you cut through regular mobs with a very active and exhilarating pace. The bosses that do come require a fair amount of strategy, but if you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, good reaction and a little bit of experience, you can handle what the game throws at you. I haven’t tried the 8 man raids to see what really hits hard, but the game can actually be somewhat challenging at times, which is refreshing!
In terms of PVP, there is also much more depth of reactive strategy and mindgames. Block beats charge attacks, Block breakers stun and beat guard, rolls allow you to avoid projectiles and hard hitters, and the ability to launch and combo is great. It gives more to the advent of skill than build, and as a fighting game enthusiast, it really feels great. Build is hardly to be ignored, however, as that does come into play, too.
The system rewards thinking, for sure and it does have depth. How much depth it will have will depend on the balance team and the combat itself.
7. What things are missing or overlooked so far?
I think there’s a certain lack of social instances, which is natural considering that the game is being catered to a more console driven market, but that can certainly be added.
I always believe there should be a side-kicking system of some sort so that lower levels can play with higher level friends at any time. I also think it’d be neat to have a random instanced mission generator or a teammate system that searches by archetype. Games like City of Heroes employed these ideas and I think they’re just too good not to imitate.
Again, the costume content is thinner than most other MMO’s in the genre, but there’s enough there to fill a concept.
I think the powersets could use more variance, as well. While Melee is fairly covered, there are some ideas that still aren’t touch such as no Lightning set, Water set, Darkness, etc. There is also a lack of color changes on power and certain melee sets such as Hand Blasts, though there are many weapons to choose from visually that you can pick.
8. Any major glitches you've encountered yet?
Several crashes occur randomly, but I haven’t found anything major. That’s a real nod to the developers. For a beta, this is looking very complete.
9. Rate your DCUO experience from a 1-10.
I would rate my DCUO experience on an 8.5 to a 9/10. It’s such a solid and fun game as it stands so far. With a little more polish and some addition to the creative side, I think it could be marvelous, considering the canon they have to work with.
10. What’s your opinion of the graphics?
Phenomenal, so far! I really feel the graphical style suits the superhero genre better, as it’s less cartoony and a much more serious world than previous offerings. The models and textures look well, and both Gotham and Metropolis are vividly brought to life.
11. Have you gotten the chance to use any of the group features?
Yes, I have. I think they’re fair. I believe a more thorough search system, again, would help, but the archetype system is solid enough to be a good guideline for roles, but loose enough in that players can play mid-field and sub in for a tank briefly, or soft heal their teammates if they have that ability. As an action-MMO, it’s very flexible.
What I do like is the power interactions between teammates. If your teammate summons a fiery meteor for instance, you can pick it up and toss it into a group of enemies. Someone can freeze your foes, and you can beat the tar out of them. Teamwork that means something is really important, and while it’s not drastic with team-up moves, it’s a step in the right direction.
12. What do you think of the social features, like Shout, etc?
The social features are fairly standard. The interface as it stands right now is a little iffy, and there doesn’t seem to be an ability to change chat colors, and adding friends is confusing. The interface still needs some shoring up, in my opinion.
13. What's your take on the controls? Are they intuitive enough for you? Does it feel like enough skill is involved?
As I’ve stated above, yes! I think the controls have given the best combat I’ve seen in any MMO to this day. They’re intuitive enough if you’ve played MMO’s or even some FPS’s. Skill is absolutely a factor, and you’ll eventually learn how to use your melee and incorporate the synergy of your powers (AND your teammates) into the gameplay with experience.
14. What do you think of the menu system?
I think it’s decent, but again, it could use some improvement. Shifting menus takes a little too much time, and it’s somewhat jumbled, but for what it is, it works.
15. What changes or adjustments would you like to see after some of your experiences?
The shoring up of the interface, and the improvement on the costume system by adding palette control and just –more- options than what we have at the moment.
Also, I think some of the enemy mobs can use a bit of a balance, but again, this is beta. Everything can be dodged, but some attacks I think take an inordinate amount of damage.
I also believe there should be a prohibit to ganking or beating on lowbies on PVP servers within a certain level range. I just don’t think a level 5 hero or villain should be fighting a level 30. Granted, it’s possible in this game to beat someone within five to ten levels of you, if you’re good, but lowbies should be given a grace period. Then again, it –is- a PVP server, one somewhat assumes the risks going there. Even in those cases, it’s not difficult to do content. That may change come live, of course.
16. Are you proficient Equipping Items, Adding Skills and Changing Loadouts?
Yes, there’s nothing that prohibits or makes that sort of thing difficult. Once you understand the keys, how roles work, and the skill system, it’s easy to get going.
17. Were you able to adapt pretty quickly without a tutorial?
Yes, actually! I’d say you can get into the game and learn the ropes in about an hour to two hours. Mastery of it takes a little longer, but there’s no high-bar that makes anything prohibitively difficult. In fact, the combat is really fun to where you won’t really notice the grind at all.
18. What elements are the most well-done in your opinion?
The combat, the graphics and the bringing of the DC Universe to life. It’s a real treat to see what the DC setting is really like, and as a person who only has a cursory familiarity with it, I’ve learned just how cool and action-packed it can be. There are so many characters with rich and vivid storylines that you really feel drawn into the action.
Also, the variety of the melee sets keeps things very fresh, and with the powerset combinations, movement and combat, you just want to keep coming back.
Also, the movement is engaging. Flight feels like it has weight to it, superspeed gives that Matrix-super jump feel when you leap off of a building, and acrobatics allows you to climb and explore the cities in their fullest. Movement feels super.
19. What's your opinion of the In-Game economy so far?
The death penalty somewhat keeps things in check in that you have to repair your gear, but I haven’t experienced much of the economy. The lack of a crafting system somewhat prohibits growth in that direction, but this game isn’t so much about that.
20. Have you Traded any items yet? Have you given an item to someone in greater need?
I’ve traded using the system, and I’m very happy to help someone if they ask for help.
21. Some people have complained about the text being to small, do you agree?
Yes, I think there should be an ability to tweak font sizes and colors. It would really help.
22. Does the game have enough DEPTH for the hardcore?
It depends on what type of hardcore a person is catered toward. Superhero games are very much about the action. If you enjoy combat that rewards thinking, quick movement and making smart plays at the right time, then yes, I definitely think there’s a great deal to enjoy for a long time to come. This game’s strongest suit is its combat.
There’s also the costume piece collecting that takes time, as well as the exploration and token clues which give people who like to discover things a very large sandbox to roam around and seek things in.
There are raids and PVP-only attainable items that take a good amount of grind and dedication to achieve. I think there is room here for the hardcore to enjoy themselves, but the level cap as it stands is fairly low, and it doesn’t take very long to achieve maximum level. You do have raids at that point, and the ability to re-roll. There’s also about six storylines with each mentor and hero/villain content.
I think it can hold up, decently. There's a little something for almost everyone.
23. Is it user-friendly and easy-to-learn enough for the Casual?
Yes. As stated, it really only takes a few hours to understand the game.
24. Have you had the opportunity to explore the environments yet?
When it comes to instances, yes, and I have had the chance to explore the city, somewhat, but I’ve yet to embark on combing the streets for clues and secrets. Gotham is very macabre and plays to the classic Tim Burton/90’s Batman animated feel we’ve all known.
Metropolis feels like the archetypical superhero filled city. Bright, clean, yet filled with conflict. There’s also a moonzone, an island filled with robots and iconic locations like Arkham Asylum and many more.
25. Have you taken any in-game screenshots yet?
Oh, yes! I’ll share some of them right now!
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... erlook.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... illia3.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... Magic1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... Magic5.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... Magic3.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c174/ ... Magic4.jpg
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