Are you guys Bat-crazy?

The next question came from Lucas of PC Gamer, and he asked whether it was intentional for the devs to focus so much on Batman in the first few updates.  Jens came out and said, that well… yes, actually.  Since the first updates were all about the Batcave, they wanted to stylistically keep it in the same realm.  As new locations are explored (maybe Superman, if the last Blur trailer is any hint) new villains and characters will get focues on.  E3 is when they plan on showing a lot of the new content on the horizon and the focus on new characters.  We’ll still see Batman’s rogue gallery folks, but they’ll be more in the background.  Apparently this also means more Legends PvP characters will step out of the Batman realm too. 

Fix stuff, please.

Scott from the Examiner then asked whether or not more concentration on the UI, bug fixes, and stuff like that was on the way.  Mark was quick to answer that when the full patch notes for Update 3 release, he’s confident we’ll see plenty of additional fixes, tweaks, and changes to the game that just makes everything that much more fine-tuned.  But as for sweeping changes of combat, classes, etc. it’lll be a “take players’ wants as they come” kind of deal.

Free Cake!

Krystalle then asked if the MegaServers would mean free trials, and while the team is exploring the options, there’s no concrete info yet.  But they’re definitely looking at ways to get more people in on the game.

Ninjas.  They are awesome.

Sean from Comic Book Resources then asked about the Oolong Hard Mode Alert and the new level 30 Ra’s al Ghul Alert.  Jens said that the Oolong Island HM is like the others a retooling of the original instance with harder encounters and tiered gear badges to help players continue to deck out their characters.  The Ra’s Alert however is brand new and brings in everything from the League of Assassins to the Lazarus Pits.  Ra’s is trying to cleanse humanity from the planet, and so he and his army of ninjas all come into play.  You’ll storm his mountain stronghold, face the Claws of the Demon, and make choices as you go that will affect the encounters you’ll face.  They got lots of positive feedback on the Alerts that allowed some sort of variety, but with Ra’s they wanted it to be less random and more about player choice.  So there will be multiple branches of the instance to go through each time.  The challenge is also upped, but will be decidedly less frustrating than the Penguin solo challenge they assured us.

What about the whole Heroes v. Villains thing?

Finally I asked about PvP and the future of the game.  Are were going to see a switch to focus on more world-based PvP?  Some sort of persistent conflict other than the somewhat avoided diamond heist and ring wars?  The team said again that they definitely missed the way leveling players would butt heads as they played, and they’re looking at tons of ways to expand PvP, they just can’t talk about it yet.  There are also more Arenas on the way for the match-made fans, but nothing specific just yet.

Better gear & less villain-looking?

Next it was asked if the new gear be more heroic, and what would it be like.  Also, would more al Ghul family members be showcased?  Talia is of course in the game, said Mark, but no the main focus this time is on Ra’s and his plans for the world.  The Leage of Assassins gear they thing players will love because it’s very eastern themed, and fits well across both villain and hero looks.  And Mark said that the gear won’t just be for looks either.  It’ll be the kind of stuff you may want to replace some set-pieces for.

How’d the Downtime Affect DCUO?

Chris from ZAM asked how specifically the downtime affected DCUO, and Jens said that everything they’ve been planning (from the new servers to the content) kept on being made like normal, but that the real bummer is that communication was cut with players, no one could play, and that their submission process for the content was cut off while the PSN was down.  But as for the team itself, all it really did was push back their release schedule for Update 3 which is now due in early to mid June.

Ra’s al Ghul worth it?

It was then asked how long the length of the Ra’s content would be comparatively to the other updates.  Mark said that he expected players to be able to complete the instance about 30-45 minutes if they have a good group with decent gear already.  But that your more scattershot PUGs might have trouble completing it and take a lot longer.  There are lots of traps, multiple paths, and so forth, so that he expects it’ll be much more replayable than the others too.

The Gear Grind is a bummer.

Our second to last question was about the gear grind at level 30 and whether it was being looked at to adjust the process at all.  Mark said that as Update 4 begins a new series of raids and a new Tier of gear you can certainly expect the T1 stuff to become much cheaper and easier to obtain for those who have issues raiding and getting groups.  They also expect the MegaServers will vastly improve the ease of getting Hard Alert groups and raids, and that players will be better served there too. 

Secret Identities

I managed to sneak in one final question, and it was a doozie.  Is the team still even thinking about Secret Identities that were supposedly in so long ago?  After laughing (and I suspect banning me from future interviews), Mark and Jens both said that they’re absolutely still on the table and that the team needs to find a way that works for the game and for DC’s point of view.  Basically, don’t expect it next month or anything, but the Secret Identity feature is still very much in the tank.  If it were a superhero itself, it would be in the phone booth putting on its tights.

So there you have it!  I hope you guys enjoyed this peek at the Update 3 for DCUO and the future of the game in general.  We’ll be in full force at E3 this year and will bring all the details on what SOE Austin has on display this June.