User Interview: Justice

A few weeks ago, the man behind Justice sat down for us for an interview on the state of DCUO pre-release. He had some pretty interesting opinions. read below for the details.

Your Character, Justice is half-kryptonian. what made you decide on the superman-archtype?

 A: I’ve been a fan of Superman for as long as I can remember, and that’s a long way back! In my mind, it’s a no-brainer to what character I would like to immerse myself with in DCUO!

Any previous Superhero MMO experience?

A: Honestly, the most I’ve played of a previous Superhero MMO was the free trial of City of Heroes/Villains. Though I have tried my hand at many other single-player Superhero console games.

Are you a DC Comics fan?

A: Sure am! I’ve been a fan for a long time, but not as long as I’ve been a fan of Superman. Truthfully, a while ago I didn’t know Superman was part of something like the DC Universe, I just thought they were characters just put together from time to time. But that was then, and now I know so much more about the universe, and its amazing characters and iconic locations.

What was your first thought after seeing the massive environments and some of the Iconic abilities like Flight?

A: My first thought was wondering how all this greatness could be pulled off in one game, everything ever wanted by a DC fan, all in one place, seeing as its never been done before. But I’ve seen a large number of opinions about the game, and it seems its come together quite well. So I’m quite excited now, much more than when it was in its early stages of development!

Describe The Vanguardians.

Hmmm. The Vanguardians are a group of quick acting, proactive heroes, dedicated to working hard to make the planet safe for its citizens, saving them from potential threats which could cause disruption in the natural order of daily lives.

Are you a PC or PS3 player? What are some of the differences between each?

A: I was originally going to be a PS3 player, but recently something changed in my life, so I had to move over to the PC side. The differences for the Vanguardians is that we will be split into two teams, which is quite unfortunate, as we have all grown to enjoy each others company. Our PS3 side right now is trying to grab some more members for launch, and the PC side is pretty much full up, well at least at the size we want it for now.

Do the Vanguardians have a website? What's the address?

 A: We do have a website. The address is http://thevanguardians.guildlaunch.com/

How long has Justice existed in your mind? Is he a character you crafted over time?

A: Justice has existed in my mind for about a year now, and he has been crafted over time. See, before this game, I wasn’t too serious about creating my own superhero, I just created whatever I thought was interesting with the character creators. While I was browsing the internet one day, I came across the DCUO source, and after spending some time on there, I got into making my very own character. I actually originally had Justice named Justiceman, but I had some help from the “sourcers” to mold that into the character Justice is today.

How were you introduced to DCUO?

A: I can’t remember how I found out about DCUO, it was so long ago.

We mentioned "more physics" in DCUO ( http://tinyurl.com/23grf6o ) and we received a number of emails regarding falls from significant heights by "normal" characters that shouldn't be allowed. Many people pointed out to the "gliding" by acrobats that they didn't like. What's your take on this?

 A: Well, if you think about it, you rarely ever, if that, see a hero willingly jump off a building and die. The hero always knows that he’s doing if he willingly jumps, so he’s going to do his best to keep himself from getting hurt. Same thing applies to the game apparently, if you willingly jump off, you don’t die, but if you are thrown of blasted off some building, you will be damaged, just as you would expect. As for the gliding, I guess the gliding is a bit far-fetched when you are able to glide huge distances non-stop. Though it could be a bit more realistic if you had a cape when gliding, as batman has been known to glide with his cape. But gliding with no cape is a bit weird, but the game has compensated for this by adding the option not to glide, because you don’t have to choose to have that ability.

Describe the level of detail and effort many DCUO players have put into their characters and websites what makes this so important?

 A: The detail and effort put into some of these characters is quite enormous, much more thought has gone into some of these characters than mine. Websites the same. People are so into this, they work overnight and as much as they can to complete their characters and or websites which are for the characters or the guild usually.

That said, some say Character Creation isn't as detailed as it should be. Should we be able to fully recreate characters the way they exist in our minds?

 A: You know, this was probably one of the toughest decisions the game designers had to make for this game. “Do we let them have full control, or should we limit it enough so theres not too much, but enough to be satisfied?” I say they made the right choice in not giving too much detail options. I say this because this is the DC Universe, and we want to feel like we are in the DC Universe, we don’t want to feel as though we’re in some other reality universe where everyone looks unusual. The designers knew how to best make the players look heroic or villainous, or even in between such as a vigilante, but giving too much freedom would cause things to get out of hand, not creating a true DC Universe experience.

Emblems and Insignias (the Vanguardians Griffin Crest comes to mind) have come under fire because the immature and silly would design things that are offensive. Should approved Emblems/insignias be allowed in after they were approved?

A: Thousands of insignias would be sent in to be approved, and if that wasn’t enough in itself, all insignias would have to be resized to the right image quality so the thing would be able to be stuck onto the character. I guess it would be possible, but I doubt a team of sony employees would be dedicated to emblem checking and resizing.

Let's say DCUO introduced Guild Wars/Matches (where teams of "supers" could organize and battle each other) in the coming months? would it be a Good or Bad thing?

 A: I say a good thing. That would give the Vanguardians a chance to take on the Peacekeepers in a match to test the skill of each player.

If you could take down one DCUO NPC Villain, who would it be?

 A: There are two I can think of, but I think it would come down to Lex Luthor. Not because he is the nemesis to Superman, but because he has an extremely high level intellect. Being able to defeat or beat Lex at his own game would be an amazing achievement, and I would like to be able to own that achievement.

Which player-controlled evildoer would you put behind bars?

 A: As of now, I don’t have a nemesis, but stay tuned, I’m bound to pick one up sooner or later!

What are the three things DCUO can implement to keep you as a long-time player?

 A: Well they’ve pretty much got me with whats being offered now, but if I were to say three things, I’d say exploration to planets/future other than what’s been mentioned, the second would definitely be the ability to enter a tournament in War World, and finally continuous updates on new missions and story lines.

In the same vein, what three things can guarantee you won't be around long?

 A: Maybe some gameplay flaws, glitches and the like, a raise in the subscription fee, and maybe off a PVP server from getting ganked too much.

If you could have one dream game feature, what would it be?

 A: To have the chance to actually choose to start the game as a Kryptonian.

What other game elements are a MUST in DCUO?

 A: Maybe the ability to have multiple movement modes, available at the same time.

What unconfirmed new DCUO content would you like to see?

 A: Secret Identities being a large part of the game would be great to see.

If there was one change you could make to DCUO in its current form, what would it be?

 A: You know, as of now, I would just have all the bugs fixed, and then see where that takes us.

In your opinion, what is DCUO's greatest strength?

 A: The super-strength power! Hahaha! But seriously, I would say the greatest strength would have to be the accumulation of all 75 years of DC Comics all in one interactive game!

What weakness hurts DCUO the most?

 A: One of the most complained about weaknesses I’d say was the monthly fee, though there’s promise of updates every month.

What are you on the lookout for in the Beta? How important is BETA Feedback?

 A: I will be on the lookout for characters I can recognize! Characters that I’ve seen before in the comics and on the source.

We recently suggested how much Spatial Chat adds to online gaming ( http://tinyurl.com/27qpep6 ) what's your opinion?

 A: I could see how Spatial Chat could be fun, when your dealing with areas right around you and you don’t want others out of the area to see it, because to them it would be irrelevant.

With anti-heroes of questionable background and moral character like the Dark Enforcers around, is the Vigilante Class a must-have in DCUO?

A: I would say it is a must, we always like to see vigilantes around the city doing a little bit of good. Maybe some like to see them doing a little bit of bad.....hmmmm

Is a Danger Room/Training environment where we can match-up and practice against other heroes (or AI) a necessity?

A: I would think so, I mean, the Justice League of America practice against each other, I don’t see why we can’t.

If you could choose an Arch-Rival in DCUO, who would it be?

A: Well, it would have to be someone either extremely smart, or extremely powerful, to either outsmart, or evenly match me. Maybe Bane, Doomsday, or possibly Lex Luthor.

Tell us about the "look" of DCUO, are you impressed with the graphics?

A: I am very impressed with the graphics, I can’t believe how good they are. I love the lighting you can see on you and the environment. I love how other things can glow and whatnot.

A Hero or Villain with a rifle can't "snipe" you in DCUO. ( http://tinyurl.com/27d7goo ) What's your opinion of this?

 A: Not being able to snipe. Hmmm...Well since it is an mmo, I guess it makes sense from that point of view, but as an action game, sure you would expect the game to implement sniping, but really guns in a superhero game is not my cup of tea.

PVP or PVE server, and why?

 A: PVP from what I’ve seen in gameplay videos. People can come up to you at any time to fight you, and you have to be ready all the time, makes it much more exciting! Unless PVE has a flag for PVP mode?

What villain team would you look forward to matching up with in a well-done Guild Wars system?

 A: I haven’t really focused on much villain teams, I’d probably say a couple members from the Legion of Chaos.

What new things would you like to see in Character Customization?

 A: Maybe those bee wings in a previous screenshot from DCUO, and maybe the shirt that I’ve designed my character to have.

What Villain group is the biggest threat in DCUO?

A: I’d have to say the Legion of Chaos, because I think that is the largest accumulation of villains there is right now in one group.

Should DCUO have a Sidekick feature where new players can use NPCs or more experienced players as Mentors?

 A: No, I don’t think it should implement something like this, I mean, they’ve worked out for the game to be playable solo, so that means you don’t need a sidekick at all, or even a team member.