DCUO Development Update - July 2021

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by Mepps, Jul 7, 2021.

  1. shoegazer Well-Known Player

    The "one shot" thing is just the defenders of the change's go to..but no one really cares about one shotting bosses..it's just a by product of progression

    progression and power growth is what we're concerned about

    Clamps will restrict all content..hence power growth will no longer exist in this game..it negates everything this game has been since it began and everything we've worked for..because we worked for it with the understanding that this is how the game functions...I know I wouldn't have put in the time and effort I did over the last 9+ years if I knew we'd just end up clamped in every part of the game
    • Like x 3
  2. DeitySupreme Steadfast Player

    The difference is that I’m not speaking about what would benefit me. If it were about me than id rather one shot things too. However I am also very aware with the state of the game. New players starting to do dungeons end up qued with people who just steamroll through everything. To the point where mechanics are completely skipped and roles safe trivialized. These new players eventually get into end game with barely any experience on how the game actually works. They then que up to current dlc content and they do bad because they didn’t learn anything. Older players being ques don’t want anything to do with them. If it’s a raid these new players are kicked quickly without anyone even trying to teach them what they did wrong. Same goes for alerts. If it’s a duo people leave cause they don’t wanna carry “noobs” all of a sudden even thou they were happy steamrolling past content just to feel better about themselves.

    Yes obviously the new player can look for people their level to quest with. But why should they go out of their way to build specific groups for content that is for their cr? New players need that content to be replace the to them. The whole game is pretty much built about getting to end game. Along the way we should learn to play the game so we don’t become burdens when we get to end game.

    So do I feel bad for people who want to one shot raid bosses to beat a feat that were designed for people of that cr? No I don’t. It’s not like the devs are forcing us to be at cr with that content again. Cause they are not. They are putting us above the cr for that content.

    People complain all the time that SP mean nothing these days yet want to be able to wait 2 years to beat the content and get easy SP lol.
    • Like x 2
  3. EconoKnight XIII Legion

    I really just like to check off the list. What else is there to do? There aren’t that many reasons to log in.

    And just to clarify, it’s not easy after two years. Thursday night, my group spent an hour in Fallen Idols elite (two years old). Wiped on the first boss; got through it the second time. Got through the second boss and obtained both feats. Wiped multiple times on last boss (some due to damage and some intentionally to re-try the feat), and then completed. Still missed the feat, though (someone was hit in the closing seconds - no chance to wipe and try again).

    Until the later stages of this episode’s gear, the group couldn’t get past the first boss. Minotaur would not aggro, and damage would ultimately wipe the group before Minotaur did aggro.

    Now the “haw haw haw” crowd can come in and talk smack they usually can’t back up, but that’s my elite experience. It was still difficult after two years; mechanics still mattered. But it wasn’t do-able for the group until that point.
    • Like x 2
  4. shoegazer Well-Known Player

    See..more "one shot" stuff

    I think having endgame versions of older raids for an event or episode is fine..I mean I'd rather have new content but it's fine

    Upscaled versions of things are fine..if the not upscaled versions are still available

    Same goes for clamped versions..

    I think being able to queue for clamped versions of older content would be fine..as long as the unclamped versions are available too..it would allow people to play things as designed IF THEY WANT TO..

    It adds something for a certain group of people but it doesn't take away from another group..that's something that needs to be considered here..well, everywhere really..that you don't need to take things from one group to give things to another

    But forcing a clamp on everyone in everything is complete and total ******** plain and simple..there's really no other way to say it..absolute ****..for all the reasons I've listed over and over in this thread and others

    Maybe try not doing things at the expense of one group and just try adding things for everyone
    • Like x 2
  5. farm3rb0b Committed Player

    I realize this is slight speculation, but I don't think it's too far off given the replies Mepps has been giving. They're not going to clamp us at level. They've said we will still be above the content, just not so much so that it's trivial. My guess at the moment, until we hear further, is that they're going to clamp you to where the relevancy range is now. That's usually about 30 CR above the entrance requirement. So you'll still be stronger than the baddies in the old content, just not so much so that mechanics can be ignored which is the current state.

    As for this being a possible backtrack off comments they've made in the past? Well, there've been a lot of game updates throughout the years that have since become null and void.
    • Like x 1
  6. DeitySupreme Steadfast Player

    Yes some mechanics will always be there. But can you honestly say that no mechanic is being bypassed because the damage makes the phases get skipped? Mechanics in general should not be able to be skipped. Raids that center around mechanics and team works should always revolve around damage and team work. 2, 3, 4, 5 years down the line. Mechanics shouldn’t just be skipped. Especially when it comes to feats. Team work should be whats rewarded in an MMO.
    • Like x 2
  7. EconoKnight XIII Legion

    In what I described with Fallen Idols elite, no phases were skipped (in fact, the phases cycled multiple times). The group was all the higher end of current cr also.
  8. DeitySupreme Steadfast Player

    Wasn’t talking about that. I understand some mechanics can’t be skipped. But there are plenty of mechanics that get skipped when the dps just burn the bosses in a few seconds flat.
  9. EconoKnight XIII Legion

    You criticized me for saying we had to wait two years for elite content to be playable. Nothing was burned in a few seconds by my group Thursday night. Total run time for the raid was approximately one hour.
  10. shoegazer Well-Known Player

    Those ranges won't help with people trying to catch up with open world bounties when they become ghost towns..and it will be worse with timed bounties like Wonderverse and Legion when those areas eventually turn into ghost towns as well..and they will turn into ghost towns..it's going to be impossible to take out the Hydra when there's 4 people there

    Everything is being clamped

    I don't think newer players and lower level players understand the possible implications of these changes..this is not the solution to all their problems that they think it is..at least at this point they can get more powerful and go back and do bounties in ghost towns solo or with minimal players for instance..or get more powerful and do other things..but that will not be the case when this change happens..I also think it's not going to help queues as much as people think as well

    But that's the real point.. if everything gets clamped power growth will cease to exist in this game period.. You will never be more powerful than that specific content's clamp..thus negating the way game has functioned since it began and everything worked for based on how the game has functioned since it began..regardless of the strength of the cap, if there is a cap at all and there is a clamp on everything it trivializes progression period

    I'm not gonna get into everything again, I've been doing this all day and it's getting late where I'm at..but yeah stat clamping everything is total crap..see my previous comments..or don't..it's up to you
    • Like x 3
  11. Lt Skymaster Dedicated Player

    you mean the same alert that was soloable at level?
    or the elite version that was also soloable at level?

    Please, some people need to understand some game mechanics and that's not a bad thing.
  12. the solowing Steadfast Player

  13. GalaxySniper Loyal Player

    After 3-4 years of not playing I may have to reinstall this game and give it a go. Now that I have experience of playing other free to play games I will over look content and pay attention to any cash grabs that will turn me off.
    • Like x 2
  14. Shakram1 Level 30




    Current ideas are useful so players can enjoy playing the game without the annoyance of having to search for a group as well as the big inventory issue with gear, catalysts, and trinkets filing up most of the space.


    I think the developers are moving in the right direction.
    By focusing on programming fun and useful ideas into the game rather than penalties as incentive to players I think there may be more positive outcomes in the future.





    I think this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to satisfying players needs to enjoy their characters.





    There are a few things developers could do to help players really enjoy DCUO alot more.





    Classes


    1. Create classes and multi-classing so players can level to add customization to their characters.


    Each class should have a skill tree to level up unique class specific latent abilities and cool combat effects like a martian mind master, holy knight, godly samurai or a demonic brawler.





    Random map generator


    2. Have random map generator with map being dark until players uncover that area.





    Powers treasure hunting


    3. Created 100 latent powers that can be traded as rare rewards for playing any new or old content.


    (20 slots of powers could make each character truly unique)





    Power Customization


    4. Make powers into basic templates that can be mixed and matched to create a unique effect for players.


    For example players choose the shape of the power then choose the visual effect from a color or material. Also use legends skins and skins from various boss characters already in game.


    So you could have arc lightning that was ice based or water spouts that were electric. In essence all powers would be balanced as players would just have the powers they customized.





    Journal step by step difficulty meter


    5. Give players a epic difficulty meter with 0 being normal level and adding +1 adds difficulty which gives players higher gear rewards of +10 cr per level players could only go to next level after completing the previous difficulty level of their journal. Give player 100 journal levels to grind through. Stat clamp them when they go to lower level content so they can still play with others.





    Skill trees


    6. Give players skill trees they can choose which skill paths they take.


    There should be tons of cool stuff players can get in the trees and





    Items and specialized gear/magic items


    7. Powered gear, items, and weapons that players can level up.


    Foe example a sword


    level 1 shines with light does more damage


    level 2 bursts into flames and inflicts burning


    level 3 multitargeted burning explosion every 4th hit


    level 4 increases damage by 1% each hit glows brighter


    level 5 When hitting bosses with sword +15% increase boss damage and runes appear


    etc etc
    • Like x 1
  15. Charon Lead Content Designer

    For stat clamping - we have more knobs to turn already for clamps than we did before where we can factor in bringing people up to a Tier (as soon as they qualify with their CR progression), clamps for people AT level for that range of content, and clamps for people who are being clamped down.

    The values and buffs we do here with those CR and NPC level numbers already allow us to make changes where people feel as powerful as we want (but will be tweaking during further internal and external play tests. We have a lot of values to tweak within them as well as buffs for all three concepts - things that are as beneficial as the roleless buff in some situations, possibly more so.

    We are looking into the black box next week on what has already been factored in to clamping data or what we want to factor in and if we can't, we got a programmer dedicated to make it it happen, if we feel it needs to happen. Artifact percentage based buffs, augments (and if not percentage, we may make them percentage based instead of flat values - TBD, gen mod bennies - same with augments, they are flat vales now but maybe we convert them over to percentages, league buffs, allies (these don't have percentage values but do 1) offer more damage in general as an other way to bring in alpha strikes, passives that aren't really stat related but do quality of life things that are useful at ANY CR, etc. Combat pets scale down to your CR sure but they also are an extra source of damage so that alone makes them more useful across the board and yes, the different tiers have different percentage based damage increases plus other valuable stat increases to make them live longer so they output more damage.

    In fact, if we get the black box figured out and there are just too many more things added that would triviliaze our generous clamp down data, we may edit that said data to allow for the other factors listed above to player a bigger role so player progression is more important (and is applicable for clamped up toons and at level toons as well to increase player efficiency earned more from things you put work into).

    It is a thing we are greatly aware of and focusing on a lot with internal testing on content in each new grouping of Tiers and will be looking at adjusting where we deem appropriate from TESTING feedback and then later from LIVE feedback. We may nor may not get the sweet spot at first, likely not, but we're aware of that and dedicated to adjusting as needed to get more things in line where the Designer goals match up more closely with those who like clamping and those who don't. For those that don't - clamping is happening but we want it to not feel like the last time this was tried. And in an extreme case, there is a possibility of doing optional stuff but it was a massive undertaking as everything would have to be doubled in the game, loot locks applied to things that weren't clamped, relevancy returned to those not clamped etc. Not saying that's NEVER on the table in the future but it IS unlikely any time soon - definitely not for EP41.
    • Like x 12
  16. Zhouz Well-Known Player

    At this point, some of the feats we're talking about I dont currently have due to taking an extended break from the game. And while you're right about the precedent of overgearing being there, it's very clear when reading the described feats that their original intention and design was based around a challenging task.

    Do I believe that the challenge in that task should be preserved instead of being made irrelevant when new content is released? Yes.

    When challenging feats become trivial they become chores; there are already plenty of chore type feats and tasks in this game.
    • Like x 1
  17. zZzTorrOzZz Committed Player

    Disappointing on some points. Orrery of Worlds in particular. Sick of the good guy bad guy play nice together storylines.
  18. Tiffany6223 Loyal Player

    Charon said: "It is a thing we are greatly aware of and focusing on a lot with internal testing on content in each new grouping of Tiers and will be looking at adjusting where we deem appropriate from TESTING feedback and then later from LIVE feedback. We may nor may not get the sweet spot at first, likely not, but we're aware of that and dedicated to adjusting as needed to get more things in line where the Designer goals match up more closely with those who like clamping and those who don't. For those that don't - clamping is happening but we want it to not feel like the last time this was tried."

    I know all of this is just the way it is going to be. It's decided, it's a done deal. End of discussion. No use complaining about it nor will I in this post.

    The only thing I ask of both the Developers and those in the player base cheering the stat clamp is just, end game high CR players who worked hard (and are for the most part Paying Members) earned all of stats we got. We are not the bad guys here. It just seems no one tries to appreciate what we accomplished and what is being taken away from us.

    There is no "Thank you for your hard work, we appreciate you." We're just the bad guys for others to dump on.
    • Like x 2
  19. Yass Queen Hyppolyta Dedicated Player

    Sure of course. I didn't bring that up as some kind of inviolable covenant or something-- I only mentioned it in reference to the idea that a couple people here were pushing that it's unreasonable or somehow wrong for people to overgear for older feats.

    Kind of a weird read on the whole situation imo. If you're getting into the weeds on reading feat descriptions in order to make the case that people shouldn't overgear then I would suggest that if those feats are not meant to be achieved by people overgeared for them, then the feats should specify that.

    Just like anything else, progression makes challenges less challenging. Someone who starts lifting weights might struggle with a certain bench weight but down the road, that same weight is made much easier to press. The same principle applies here with older feats-- people who put in the work to improve themselves, or in this case their characters-- should be able to enjoy the gains they made.

    Also, I'm really not understanding your statement about challenging feats becoming "trivial chores." If you pull back, all of gaming is ultimately about tasks or "work." That those tougher tasks be made less tough because people put effort into their characters does nothing to make those feats into "chores."
    • Like x 4
  20. Zhouz Well-Known Player

    I agree on the work part, but work isn't the only factor for all content. Work = time spent in game. Getting more gear is literally only a matter of time. Time spent earning marks to buy the best gear. CR is a function of time, not skill.

    While completing the main content should be made easier by virtue of raising your CR and that's what progression earns everyone, there is certain content that is meant to involve a skill factor: certain feats and any content with "Elite" in the name.

    I don't understand the argument that Elite should be for everyone. It isn't for everyone, the target audience is right in the name, Elite.
    • Like x 2