The Stories Behind DC Universe Online
The key people behind DC Universe Online headed to Comic-Con to discuss the upcoming massively multiplayer online game, a panel that included legendary comic book creators Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman, plus Sony Online Entertainment’s Jens Andersson.
Lee and Wolfman talked about the challenges of squeezing the 75-year-old DC Universe into the game, focusing on “the coolest characters, the coolest content” for DCUO, which is still in a pre-alpha state. Geoff Johns was the one on the DC Comics side responsible for the overarching story in DCUO, with Wolfman fleshing out the story concepts appropriate for the game.
“If you think about a building, Geoff created the entire structure, the beams, now I’m filling in the individual rooms, the plastering,” Wolfman said. “We’re all coming up with story concepts that fit within the DC universe. They’ll take up a paragraph I’ve marked up, and the developer turns it into 60 missions. It passes through us a second time to make sure it fits in the universe.”
Those on the DC side sounded enthusiastic to be able to work within the broader confines of DC Universe Online, with Wolfman relishing the chance to write for the player who chooses to side with DC’s villains.
“In DCUO sometimes the hero loses,” he said, noting that DC writers are “trained to have it the other way.”
Lee joked that it was challenging on the artistic side, making the transition from 2D comic book panel to 3D multiplayer online video game, bemoaning that “Drawing the other side of buildings was tough.”
“There is no map of Metropolis,” adds Johns, one of two main locations that DCUO is focusing on for its initial release. But Andersson pointed out the depth of the game’s interiors, particularly S.T.A.R. Labs in Gotham City and the thrill of “cleaning up all the disasters that happen there.”
“There’s just too much cool stuff to put in the game at launch,” Lee said, explaining SOE and DC’s focus on two main cities. That obviously doesn’t rule out other famous DC Universe locations in future expansions and patches, but considering the MMO is dated for “2000-something” right now, don’t expect to hear anything about a Central City expansion any time soon.
Lee did joke that the bottle city of Kandor, miniaturized by Braniac, would probably be the easiest, quickest to download city expansion.
Sony Online Entertainment says the game is due to hit an alpha milestone “soon,” but still has no release date to announce.
- Next Post: Booth Babe Hauls Off On Dante’s Fiasco »
- « Previous Post: Today’s Punishment: We Cheer, In Japanese
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@Mike Newlad:
The main difference between the games you're talking about and a MMO is the environment.
An MMO environment is an always-on, expansive, connected, and filled (with both players and NPCs) world. Whereas something like Killzone, runs only in instances of the same sorts of maps, with only player characters. If you were to take the total map sizes of all the killzone maps, you'd probably only fit them proportionately in one zone of WoW.
Now take that size of terrain, fill it with hundreds of players (in one zone, hundreds of thousands across the servers), thousands of quests, monsters, bosses, dungeons, hundreds of thousands of items, a variety of player classes with probably hundreds of spells and abilities, customizable player appearances, social items (guilds, chat, friend systems, etc.), and then have a team constantly working on updates, not just bug fixes, but actual significant gameplay changes, balances, adding new things, and running dozens of servers for the players (whereas in FPS the servers are generally hosted outside of the company).
Then you might understand why many MMOs have a subscription fee.
This game is interesting, but those game play videos they showed were nothing to special. I hope there's more to it then that.
Red_Dragon
A central city expansion would be very cool and hopefully it would include some of the flash's villians. Some of them are really cool and get overlooked all the time.
Reddevil107
@mascot1063: I understand that traditionally (as if that's a term that can be used in the same sentence as the internet) MMO's have been subscription based but I feel that was just a luxury developers had before console gaming caught up in terms of online play.
Now it seems every game I play has some MMO element. FIFA - with "Be A Pro" which lets you join teams, you can play 22 people, etc. Resistance with it's 60 man teams and the upcoming MAG with 256 man matches. I just don't think it's something that can be charged for anymore. (though I'm sure the 10million WOW subscribers are proving me somewhat wrong)
Where do you draw the line between a normal game and an MMO these days? When I play the UFC, I don't play it against the computer, I play it against humans. Killzone 2 had the full ranking system, ie leveling up to gain more abilities, Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 was extreme with it's ranking system, it took me months to unlock all the weapons.
What about games like Tiger Woods and Burnout Paradise where they constantly stream in other peoples actions in a leaderboard type of way.
All the different challenges, etc.
Tiger Woods is a great example really. I can set you challenges, play against you, save my shots for you to check out - the only thing that isn't MMO about it, is that it doesn't have a sandbox but if that's the missing link, why doesn't GTA qualify?
Test Drive Unlimited is another game where you can choose to be online at all times. Which means you are driving around the open world city and other people are driving past you chatting.
Where is the line, perhaps more importantly - now we have passed it, can developers really justify a subscription based model?
Mike Newlad
@Kanik: If you played WoW on a serious level, you'd know all too well how twitch based it is. Just thinking about the last 3 fights in Sunwell when the gates first opened . . . Holy shit. If 1 of 25 people didn't react within 1 sec of being conflagged on Eredar Twins, your entire raid was fucked.
Granted, if you never played WoW on a serious level, I'll agree it can be some of the most boring crap imaginable (i.e., why I hate leveling alts and not being involved in bleeding-edge new content). But if you're rolling with the top dogs, the game is downright insane. Devil May Cry on Dante Must Die mode and no-death Contra speed runs seem like a joke when I think about the memorization and twitch reactions involved compared to that required in pre-nerf Kil'jaeden.
Kanji08
@Mike Newlad: Thing is, most games that are only played online like this are pay to play. Final Fantasy XI for example. Same for Final Fantasy XV. Everquest Online Adventures even. This will most likely be the same.
mascot1063
@UltimateIdiot - Imperfection at Best: SOE's other big game, The Agency, is free to play i believe, so its 50/50 at this point
pandafresh
@spiderweb1986: I honestly don't see how they could charge a subscription for a PS3 game. It just seems that gaming of most genre's have naturally evolved into MMO's.
I haven't heard anything about the game which would suggest it's more than GTA4 online with DC characters.
Sure I could imagine lots of DLC packs that you pay for but nothing that you are forced to pay for to play online.
Mike Newlad
I pray that this game is in a different state then it was at E3, when I played this it was TERRIBLE. Lets just hope that the bugs are being worked out, it was in its early stage of development. I am crossing my fingers for this game I want it to be great. I also want Arkham asylum to hurry up and get here that game was the business!!!!!
choco27
GEOFF JOHNS AWESOME.
Not to mention Jim Lee & Marv Wolfman, some of the most influential people of the last 3 decades of comics. This game really at this point can't much better on paper.
That said what would be cool. Is if they had like side missions later on where you could group up into like 2 to 6 characters and play as like the JLA in DC crisis scenarios.
**Crisis on Infinite Earths Infinite Crisis Sinestro Corps War BLACKEST NIGHT**
badSamurai
@excel_excel: Part of me is really excited for this, and the other part keeps telling the first part not to get it's hopes up. Seeing Sinestro in a trailer made me happy. Seeing the Batcave as a likely game environment in a trailer made me happy. I'm hoping playing this game will make me happy too, but it's too early to say at this point I think. Arkham Asylum will have to give me my DC fix until this comes out.
@UltimateIdiot - Imperfection at Best: All they've said is that they haven't worked that out yet. I'd love free to play with micro transactions or something to make it profitable for Sony, but who knows at this point.
I am actually relieved that this game is not even in Alpha yet, because every single video I've seen looks generic and unimpressive. Champions seems to have tons more personality even as a CoH rip-off. This bit of news fills me with a little hope for this title.
@UltimateIdiot - Imperfection at Best: Let's put it this way: unless you hear free to play, assume the opposite.
spiderweb1986
I'm so excited for this game, even more so after playing it a NY-Comic Con.
I love how the game is action oriented, no auto-attack or queuing of attacks...you can throw objects, dodge attacks by sidestepping, etc. It's what I've wanted since I played City of Heroes years ago, a twitch based MMO.
I hate how laid back most MMOs are...I remember folding clothes during a raid in WoW and making/eating sandwiches during battles in SWG.
I know why everyone feels uneven about this game. Because it's not a boring ass point and click adevnture like petey pajamas. Real time combat is evolution in mmos. And I welcome it with open arms.
@excel_excel:
wouldnt mind this if the beta was free.
@NKato: I'm hoping its going to do well, but I've got that feeling too. I don't know exactly why myself
Does anyone know if it will be subscription base or free to play? I know it's probably subscription but hoping it's free to play. Really want to play but never play online enough to justify subscriptions.
@excel_excel: For some reason I'm expecting DC Online to really tank out badly. Perhaps it has to do with my perspective on how these game developers seem to repeatedly approach this genre in the wrong mindset. It's hard to say, but maybe DC Universe will change that a little. Not entirely, but a little.
I hate SOE thanks to Untold Legends and their stupid Mortal Kombat port, I think they're the weakest Sony division. But this game looks promising.
"2000-something" Thats a bit vague. Hold on thats REALLY vague. Heck they can just release it and say its in beta all the time :P
I have high hopes for this game... City of Heroes was one of my favorite Mmos so hopefully this can better capture the superhero experience and make it workable online.