Fans of DC Universe have a lot to celebrate this coming week. With the launch of the PS4 coming to North America players will be able to find DC Universe Online among the playable titles on the new console (starting November 15th). It was a huge step for SOE to get ready for the new system. Jens Andersen, the Creative Director on DCUO spoke with us about the amazing updates coming to the game. He also explains to fans playing on the PS3 that they will not be forgotten at all. Here is some of what Jens had to say.
We asked Jens about the most notable differences players will see with the upgrades to DCUO for the PS4 launch. His answer surprised us. Jens said that after the game has been live for three years on the PC and PS3 they actually had a lot of feedback from players. They “harnessed the wisdom” of all the players and made the game experience much tighter. They made improvements to leveling and loot distribution. They were able to address the leveling curve from one to thirty and make it much better and smoother. These changes will come as a huge benefit to anyone entering the game on the PS4 for the first time. Jens pointed out the steps they took to combat ninja looting in the game as an example of areas they were able to enhance with this new push. Another example was how you can use Marks of Triumph much earlier to upgrade your secret base. Something you had to wait for in the older version of the game. Veteran players will be happy because all of the polish will help to level alts much easier. These changes, plus countless other updates, make the game much smoother to get into for the incoming player.
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Environments also are getting a big upgrade. You can see the video below the changes have been made to both Metropolis and Gotham City. One of the areas Jens pointed out was the Centennial Park crash site. With the new upgrades the team was able to go back in and put craters near the crashed ships and really build out the zone for effect. They took some of the graphic designs from Sons of Trigon and were able to bring them into the new zones to upgrade them. Jens said that developers finally got to go in and upgrade the areas they wanted to for years.
So what does the PS4 do for DC Universe Online? On a strategic level the game now can grow in the console space. Jens is really happy with the new horizons for the consoles and DC will be part of it right from the beginning. That being said he stressed the point to players that they will continue to develop the game for the PS3. They plan to fully support the PS3 and those players will share the servers with the PS4 players. They were happy to keep all the players on the same servers. Jens said the new generation of consoles brings some power to the table. Because DCUO was developed for the PC originally, it fell right in line with the PS4. The PS4 is akin to the PC in a lot of ways and gave the developers an advantage.
We also spoke briefly about Game Update 32 which will bring players back into the Green Lantern storyline. Jens explained that it was another area they could really enhance the game. Now players will see piles of ash and fog when they enter the zones. They did not have these elements in the game before.
The biggest thing that Jens stressed was the team’s willingness to work on the PS4 launch and how much Sony supported them in the effort. There are always high expectations for the next generation games on the new consoles and DC Universe was able to meet those criteria. Even minor elements like the new controller were adapted and added to make for a better experience. Jens explained that once you get out of the tutorial there are two massive cities you have to explore. The team was able to make the entire world work within the new platform. Jens also stressed that you do not need a PlayStation Plus account to play.
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So when everyone is sitting down to their new game consoles, one of the game you will be able to play this Holiday season on your shiny new PS4 is DC Universe Online. Hats off to the team for getting this ready and growing online games into the next generation. We have said many times that these new consoles will host a lot of MMOs. It’s great to see DC Universe out there from day so early.
Correction: The storyline with the Green Lantern will actually be the next DLC for DCUO, not the next Game Update. The Green Lantern DLC will be titled War of the Light and will be the ninth DLC for DCUO.
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