Dev Discussion Jack Emmert Q&A

I also want to see more attention for non damage roles and something to enhance immersion.. Like alter egos and occupations

I would like to see the obsolete trees in powers become useable while in DPS stance(Slowly over time add usefulness back into trees) There are abilities that are completely useless in one or both roles for all powers. That should not be the case.

For example: Aftershock DPS, Unused powers in the summoning and Desiny trees, Polarization, Space tree


More styles on the MP

Bring back bounties

Power color Change

or

Power reskin(Reskin your pets, earth effects look like metal or crystal, Reskin HL with violent themed constructs, Have nature change get different animal forms and different kinds of plants to reskin their powers etc)

Revamp the Skill points to be more like the paragon system in Diablo 3. Detach them from feats(kind of) and gives us back leveling up to gain skill points to pump into specific stats. Unlock weapons and weapon Mastery from SP and have it just be available. SP should be able to be pumped in Crit(heal, damage, chance), resto, dom, power, vit, health, might , and precision with a soft cap in Each stat. These increases should be percentage based with the % decreasing when you hit the soft cap. However you can pump as much sp into a stat as you want but will get diminishing returns the more sp you have which is like today. Feats now provide more titles and experience(what feat points are turned into) that go towards leveling up your skill point level. Have less feats but make them hard. This serves to allow the top players to still stay on the cutting edge of skillpoint gain as every little point helps no matter what. I feel like this idea changes the eventual wall we will hit on where we put skill points without the devs having to continually expand weapon trees. Adding experience to Feats means that feat chasers will be ahead of those who want to grin out experience running content(grinding for experience should be mildly tedious)

More comments and suggestions

1. I loved the teleport based powers in atomic and quantum.
a. PLEASE take them and a few others and make a TELEPORT movement set. The appropriate powers are now out there and it wouldn't be that hard.
b. Make Atomic's fracture so that if the target is out of range, you at least move in that direction like you do with lunge or swoop.
c. At least make an iconic version of Quantum's teleport if you aren't going to make the movement set.

2. I loved it when you added the disc based flight set. Please add more skins for travel powers.

3. I loved it when you FINALLY added a decent superspeed lunge for the FLASH PVP legend. It's awsesome and really in character. PLEASE add this to the superspeed travel power set and that set has really suffered due to the nerfing of dash due to earlier pvp concerns.

4. Keep up the once a month DLCs and upgrades. It means you don't have to wait too long before there is something new to try out.
a. In ADDITION add a 1 / 4 months major DLC which has some serious plots and instead of upping the armor level on it, add new styles, feats and at least one major DCUO improvement. (maybe a new weapon type or a new travel power (teleport!) or access to certain hard to find styles, etc) (i.e. more content and power feel changes and fun stories)
b. Make it so that you can find and craft PVP armor just like you do PVE armor and add stories and PVP specific styles so that it is worth playing.

5. I liked it when AMs and WM came out BECAUSE trolls were no longer relegated to or required to be power batteries, but could now focus on what they are originally designed for: debufs, holds and control based powers! Please continue to make it so that trollers can control instead of having to always charge up the power batteries.

6. Make super strength relevant again (it's not right now. I mean who picks up and throws crates after you hit 30) by
a. putting in a "grapple/throw" move in the brawling and MA trees where IF you have super strength you can do a grab a character and either toss or hold them graphically. (similar to a knowback or knock down respectively in terms of game play.) Also add a toss partner move where you can literally grab one of your party members and toss them somewhere similar to how you cna pick up a boulder or crate and toss it.
b. putting in a "catch" move where you can try to catch an attack. (Could be useful when someone lunges you and suddenly you grab them instead and toss them into the air for your teammates to blast!)

Welcome to the game and company. I hope you will drive dcuo into a great future. No questions but I will just quote Proxy's questions, I feel they are well thought out and addresses most of the population's concerns.

Most of the questions I had have already been asked, but I have another one:

- Will we ever get non-combat based content? (Gathering materials, real crafting, any sort of hobbies or minigames, etc).
Some days I just want to fly around not killing everything in sight, and having "Extracurricular" activities helps taking away from the monotony of queuing, rushing through content and being back at the WT/HoD waiting for the next queue to pop.

Hello Jack Emmert and welcome to the game, Wandering player over here.
I am glad to hear that someone experienced in the mmos field is in charge now. I stopped playing months ago due to lack of satisfaction and enjoyment in the game. This news bring me hope and joy, that this could lead the game to a better path!

I would like to ask you the following:

• What is your vision/goals? What are looking to accomplish on the game?
• Would you be the savior of this game and bring all the hope, enjoyment, players, and motivation back into the game?
• What would you think would be the best solution to fix all current problems within the game?
• How are you planning to approach the current balance between powers?
• Are you planning to revamp or update a new ui?

Perhaps a little clarification of what going on at the moment in the game, and what are the plans for the future would bring joy and motivation for us players to keep playing. As players, we would like to get inform of what ahead and the current state of the game.

Well I think that it!
I hope that you may enlighten us and give and share your plans with us!

Thank you!
Mr. Emmert, for your attention. Have a wonderful day.

Oh yea: please change the dance emotes to something less stupid especially for the females.

I think i'd bet it all on one question and the answer provided. That would be how Jack feels about the overgearing issue that so many players have complained about in the past years, now made worse with CR scaling, but still existed prior to that change. What does Jack think should be done about this, with the integrity and quality of the game in mind over the allure of using overgeared players as tools to power level lower players into paywall after paywall. I think he's finally somebody qualified to tackle this issue and address it head on, especially as it can appply to other games in the Austin pipeline. ( I am late in keeping up with H1Z1 and didn't realize that was split into two separate games, with the first due out this summer on consoles)

4th Color Palette option is coming out on GU61, look at SJ's twitter.

All that i can say is congratulations and i hope to see some great content coming to the game as well as changes it keeps the community awake and interested for example: i wanted for a long time now to see DLC's make a comeback to the game as that was the way i loved purchasing content i bought the flash dlc the day they changed it expecting to have new powers as well as content and was massively disappointed but i loved having those stacks instead of the multitasking atmosphere of the game it has now i like my single layer content stacked at one place with toppings not smashed together like a lab accident for example the Harley quin content next to apocalypse 2 different leagues and content. Thank you for reading and please consider my proposal (separate dlc's and episodes in market so both are there but more buyers choice)

Welcome Mr. CEO!

Most questions have been asked and the remaining ones are more of the "can't please everyone"-kind, infact most of the ones asked are also. So....

Good Luck! You're gonna need it

Yeah right.
Tell you what, switch your main to Quantum and DPS DWF/DWFE.
See if your league and Pugs are willing to invite you and not kick you when they see you cast Timebomb

I would but my main is hard light so I am modded for precision.

People on the forums say the same things about hard light that you say about quantum. Yet it has never happened to me. I have done dwf countless times and have never been kicked once. If you are getting kicked from raids and are excluded from league runs, perhaps the problem is between the keyboard and chair

Hi Jack!

Welcome to DCUO; I hope your stay here will be as meaningful and prosperous as it was with Cryptic Studios.

I am a former vet player of COH (6 years); I play Everquest (16 years) and Champions Online (3years) regularly. I have not played DCUO on a regular basis in almost a year because the gameplay has become inconsistent and overall it is a pay-to-win platform in my opinion. When I do play I only play solo content because the team environment can often be cold and hostile. I would love to play this game more often because I think it has the potential to become one of the greatest online games ever. With that being said, here are my thoughts and questions:

1. Character Customization: This is the second reason why I do not play this game often.
I think DCUO should hold costume contests among the player base to help choose and develop new costume sets. I am sure there are many artistic people who would LOVE to help design costumes for the game. Everquest has proven this over and over again for many years; so much so that the game has a Players Studio where costume, accessory and weapon designs can be submitted directly to the devs for consideration; if they approve it is put into the game marketplace for sale. I rather purchase a cool costume/weapon that someone has made than replay badges. As the character creator stands currently, it is impossible to make a truly unique looking character.

a. Will there be more body/face sliders? I find it hypocritical that exobites can turn a normal human into a super human but those humans have to look like they spend every day in the gym. Not all heroes/villains are perfectly proportioned or muscular.

b. Will we see more ethnic/unique/inspired hairstyles? Inspired hairstyles from a time period, entertainers, video games, music, and so on. Except comic books and comic book movies; those hairstyles are more than available already.

c. Can we have costumes be account bound? This concept has worked for COH and is working for Champions Online. It allows players to customize their characters to their liking easier, especially if they are getting the same basic costume pieces for each character.




2. Gameplay: Many others before me have already touched on this subject. I agree with what was said, and I will try not to repeat what was mentioned before.

a. Please revamp the character inspection system. The only thing that players should see from one another is the CR level and the bio. The best gear does not guarantee the best player. If this cannot be achieved fully, please consider a toggle to turn inspection on/off. Even though my gear can be inspected in Everquest, I do not receive the vile attitude and nasty comments about it if my gear is less than stellar. More often than not, I receive helpful tips and advice on how to improve my gear. This is the first reason why I do not play this game often and choose to play solo when I do.

b. Pease revamp the CR system for missions. If a player is 5 CR or more above the content then that player should only receive influence only. Why give loot at that point when that loot will more than likely be sold? It should be more discouraging for higher level players to want to play lower level content aside from helping out lower level characters.

c. Please make hideouts, SG bases, base items and marketplace items account bound. Players who use their hideouts often spend money and game resources to build them to their liking; all of their characters should have access to each other's hideout. When equipping a base item, it should appear in every character's base inventory and disappear when used. If a player is an SG leader and wants to include their alts into the SG, it should be an option within the SG base settings.

d. Please remove the leaderboard. Leaderboard chasing does not help team dynamics. Players concentrate on getting the highest scores on the leaderboard instead of concentrating on working as a team; they are also using it as an excuse to kick players. It's not hard to see who is doing their job. For example, if a controller is locking down enemies, you can tell if the lockdowns are effective or not just by seeing how long those enemies stay immobile; don't need a leaderboard for that. If the tank is keeping aggro, the healer is keeping up with heals and the dps are taking out stragglers, what do you need a leaderboard for? Everyone is doing their job, the mission will be completed and players will be rewarded accordingly.

e. Please revamp the kick system. PUG groups should not be allowed to kick anyone, since you are taking a chance with random players and meet the CR requirements. Consider having a checkpoint timer; if the group does not reach a certain checkpoint within a certain amount of time, an abort mission popup should appear and allow players to leave the mission without the timeout penalty. If a player rushes ahead it would be considered as the checkpoint being reached. If PUG groups are failing missions in this fashion more often, then the devs should consider adding more tutorial content to help players understand the game mechanics better.



3. Servers: I think the game was better when it had different servers. I think that a separate PVP/Legends server would be better; the devs can fully concentrate on improving that server on its own. That server would look exactly like the current one except the entire environment would be PVP/Legends; no need to change maps. Additional maps can be added when new content is available.

Those are my main concerns; there are others but they have already been addressed in this forum. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I wish you the best of luck!

I can't imagine I'd have anything more to add beyond what has already been stated. But welcome anyway and good luck.

Couple questions: What is your impression of this game's community compared to others you've interacted with? And do you extend your view of fostering an environment where people can thrive in (workplace) to the player base? And if so how do you go about doing that or is it a different approach? I understand the differences, but curious to see if there's a similar approach to the player base.

We need open world content .. new daily missions and some new bounties. While there are some on the forums that consider them boring they add the ability for players to actually accomplish some things SOLO in game and they provide a way to do something useful besides stand around while waiting for a team to form. Also plays into actually BEING a superhero. Does Superman need an 8 man team to take down every single one of his nemesis? NO Does Batman? NO Normally, if at all, he has Robin or batgirl tagging along and half the time is working alone.

New powers.. We have been waiting on WATER for ages , it seems, and have no real clue anymore if there is still even a plan to give us Serum or anything else new. I currently have 18 alts all between CR 144 and CR 162 and have a LEAST one using every single power available.. The more powers available the more choices a player has and the more CASH they spend getting those alts up to higher content.

Spend some time fixing the stuff that is broken... We actually had an issue in the Metropolis Battleground where one of the missions against the orange lanterns required us to defeat an affected Green Lantern and demistify them (part of one of the feats available in the zone). The problem was they were not spawning at all OR were spawning way outside the portion of that zone they were supposed to spawn in. AT one point the "FIX" for that situation was to go to the PvP phase since the problem wasn't as bad there... MONTHS later that was still the only fix. That's not a fix that's a band aid to stop the bleeding. We still have areas in South Gotham where you walk in and disconnect and a whole host of other issues that have never been truly fixed because no one can get them to spawn consistently so they can figure out why they occur. Over the "APPRECIATION" weekend I crashed 10 times and 8 of those were while I was on an alert or raid and had already defeated one of the trio of bosses... At that point I either PAID out replays to do the whole thing again for rewards OR did the thing again and got no reward for that first boss defeated. Not exactly a great way to make a customer FEEL appreciated. I attribute the problem to the number of added players on do to the promise of at least one rare drop per mission.. HOW about we lower the number of players per phase to TRY and lower that sort of thing happening?

A few story arcs that involve the bigger named VILLANS would be outstanding. There is exactly one mission, which is used as both a solo challenge and a duo, where I get to battle the Penquin. Almost no content at all where we take on the Joker. We do have a new duo that features Harley, Ivy and the Catwoman and all of them also had other missions where we got to team with or battle them so THAT was great but there are a lot of other super villains out there that get almost no time at all in game. I think we all realize that paying Mark Hamill to come in and do more voice work as Joker could be a bit pricey compared to having Spytle voice T.O. Morrow, Aquaman and Tombot, (did I miss anyone Spytle? LOL) but it is D C universe on line .. let's actually use the more well known characters to attract more players

Obviously you need to work with DC Comics and Warner Brothers to get approval to do some things but this fall there will be FOUR different super hero shows playing every week on the CW .. the Duo we had involving Legends of Tomorrow was great so how about working with those two and get us more content involving The Flash, Arrow, Legends and Super Girl? the game benefits because players that enjoy the shows will play more and hey added that content can't hurt the shows.. could make some folks that don't watch them now interested enough to go check them out.

Here2Help
Q: How will you manage the game moving forward with the PS3 still holding us back?
A: This has come up a number of times. We’ve got a great fanbase on PS3, but at the same time several people mentioned this. I don’t have a solution today, but it’s something on my mind to tackle.

Here2Help
Q: Have you played the game before? Are you currently playing it?
A: Yes. Played to Level 27 at launch, recently picked up my character and have started the CR grind.

Sivulla
Q: Will you be appearing in livestreams?
A: Definitely!

Lantern KnightFall
Q: Will you be adding new powers into the game soon such as Water (Should be troll) Blue Lantern & Indigo Lantern (Healers) & so on?
A: I know we are working on Water right now. Beyond that, it's too soon to say.

L T
Q: Can we expect a new direction with you in the lead?
A: I don’t have the background of being on the DCUO team, so I’m approaching the game with fresh eyes. There’s a lot I’d like to see as a player, but now I’m absorbing what you all want – as well as the team here. Then there’s the actual game data. I will be looking at all the different vectors.

Lord Jareth
Q: Suggestion please bring back outside world content, a lot of players miss it including myself.
A: Got it! One of the key differentiators between a MMORPG and other multiplayer games is in fact the persistent zones, so it’s definitely something I’d like to work more into the end game when possible.

Control Creed
Q: I personally would like to see in game tutorials for all roles at level 30 and more accessibility of support role gear in the first part tier 1 - 5 via drops, maybe unattuned gear?
A: Great suggestion. I know I could use it!

Brother Allen
Q: Dedicate more time to PVP please.
A: This was definitely something I’ve heard loud and clear internally and from this Q&A.

Harlequin
Q: What is your opinion on replay badges and their effect on the game?
A: On the one hand, replay badges are incredibly popular…when you look at the sales. But there are some on these boards that do point out the concerns revolving around them. Ideally, I’d like to create a variegated monetization system that doesn’t hinge on just a few elements.

Jafin
Q: UTILISE. THE. MARKETPLACE.
A: I would like us to try lots of new things, and see what works. I have seen many of your suggestions in this thread alone, but keep them coming.

Crimson Mayhem
Q: What can we expect for the future of the combat system? Will less resources be spent on it (due to a smaller team)? Will the current course be continued and power mechanics be kept simple as they are? Or can we hope for some deeper or more varied playstyles again?
A: We aren’t scaling down right now. I think we should be looking at combat, though admittedly, it’s a question of when. It’s hard to rebalance significant portions of content while adding new stuff.

Phill
Q: Will DCUO move towards weapons, movement and iconic powers being brought inline with the powers using AM's in DPS role?
A: The devs brought this issue up in a team meeting. Ideally, we’d like all powers to be useful!

Scarlet Mysty
Q: What was your first job?
A: I was a gopher at an insurance agency outside Philadelphia.

Kid Multiverse
Q: In that vein, I'd love to see the Doom Patrol, the Crime Syndicate and the Legion of Superheroes show up somehow.
A: Love it. Great teams, great characters. I learned about the Doom Patrol through Changeling in the Wolfman/Perez era of New Teen Titans. I’ve loved the Crime Syndicate ever since the JLA/JSA/All Star Squadron cross over. And the Legion of Superheroes I’ve been reading since the 80’s Paul Levitz.
Though we've had some Titans content, I think a take on the Judas Contract involving Deathstroke, Terra and Jericho could be fantastic. I'd also love to see some of the Rebirth story in a new Episode.

ChromeWarriorXTC
Q: Do you like Comics?
A: Yep! I’ve got about 50,000 in longboxes – another 10K in graphic novels – and another 11K digitally.

Shadowdragon
Q: Who is your favorite DC character?
A: Nightwing. I love his history – growing up as Robin – but then establishing his own unique identity. Plus, Dick’s personality was able not only to survive Batman’s often dour attitude, but thrive. I also loved the Titans/Outsiders cross over (I think) and Batman says “You lead us – you’re better at it” – recognizing Nightwing’s different skill sets.

Shadowdragon
Q:Favorite DC story arcs?
A: As mentioned earlier, Wolfman/Perez Titans (probably the three part Brotherhood of Evil/Brother Blood saga). The Secret Society of Supervillains in the JLA/JSA cross over. Crisis on Infinite Earths. The entire Infinite Crisis saga (OMAC, Days of Vengeance, etc.). War of Light. Darkest Night. Waid’s and John’s run on Flash. Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow. That’s off the top of my head.

AtomicSpeedy
Q: You said you worked in Cryptic Studios. Could you tell us how was your experience in Cryptic Studios and what did you do in there?
A: I was one of the five co-founders (and probably the most junior by far). Started as a designer, then lead designer on City of Heroes. When CoV rolled around (and later the Marvel MMO which we worked on briefly before it was cancelled), I was the Creative Director. Just about every big of game design was touched by me. Eventually, I became the COO and was responsible for game development (Art, Design, Production). In March 2011, I became the CEO and served as that until December of last year.

Bareheiny
Q: First thing in the morning: is it coffee, shower, breakfast or "what the hell, there's an 8 o'clock in the morning?"?
A: I’m an early riser (5ish). I tend to work out in the morning then head to work. I drink a lot of coffee, but almost always decaf.

SteelMachineZero
Q: And why since launch haven’t we had a Crisis event? Maybe a massive game wide event everyone against the anti monitor.
A: I’ve seen this a lot – giant villains in persistent zones where dozens of characters can fight it. Sounds good to me, but of course we have to work with in our limitations.

MisterMustachio
Q: What is the first system that you intend to work on?
A: It's still too early to say which system might get worked on first, but the post-level 30 end game has been my first focus. How does progression work now and how can it work better?

High Troller
Q: As far as the game, I would really love to see a Marketplace 'trinket' of sorts that act as a Mother Box to open a Boom Tube teleporter.
A: Oh yes. Internally, we’d love people to be able to get from point A to point B much quicker. Your idea is spot on.

Torikumu
Q: Honestly, Jack, the only thing that me and many other people here want is a solid progression system. The progression system we have in place now is around improving your Combat Rating, which you do by obtaining better gear. It sucks and it's disengaging. It also feels like gambling.
A: Here’s the dilemma – right now, end game progression is tied to getting the right lewt – and each raid there’s only a chance to get what you want. Now personally, I’m a little old school – I don’t mind repeating dungeons at all to get the right drop (heck, I’ve waited for hours for a particular spawn!) – BUT I can see how frustrating that is when this is the only way to progress. Certainly, random drops are a staple not just of MMORPGs but also RPGs and most games. However, I like it when there is more variety. The team has been spending a great deal of time looking into how the gear progression system works or can work differently, and I am going to continue to as well.

Backseid
Q: One gigantic issue, first and foremost, we are all suffering from, is RNG.
A: I addressed some of this earlier – namely that there’s a huge reliance on pure randomness for end game progression. I think this will change in time. You are frustrated, and we hear you. Loud and clear.

Chrisb0842
Q: Bosses randomly lunging and 1 shotting people has got to go!!
A: Yep. Totally agree. It isn’t fun to be one shotted. Especially when I have no idea how it happened and can do nothing to stop it.

Megamanzero
Q: more reverse flash or zoom content
A: I’m a big Flash fan, so I’m pretty sure you’re set.

myandria
Q: Please make hideouts, SG bases, base items and marketplace items account bound.
A: Definitely something I’ll look at. I’d like to turn focus to bases and leagues at some point; a ton of potential there.

Veritasum
Q: And do you extend your view of fostering an environment where people can thrive in (workplace) to the player base?
A: Internally, we’ve had several all team meetings where I’ve invited EVERYONE to give their thoughts, ideas and suggestions. We had a big one where I just listened to all the ideas the team had to improve DCUO. We went through and ranked each in order of importance (and difficulty). Now, I’m using this Q&A as another source of what to address. Doesn’t exactly answer your question – but at least gives you an idea.

TechWarrior0329
Q: We need open world content .. new daily missions and some new bounties. While there are some on the forums that consider them boring they add the ability for players to actually accomplish some things SOLO in game and they provide a way to do something useful besides stand around while waiting for a team to form.
A: I totally agree on the open world front – and the solo one.

TybeeTahiri
Q: This game has a massively popular license, and every month you should be putting out new cosmetic items on the MP
A: Got it!

Light FX
Q: UI, will we ever get a new 1 or an update to the current 1? This is badly needed.
A: I think where possible we should be attacking each element of UI and slowly improving it over time.

Healer35
Q: I am the CEO of my companies which basically means to me I'm the face of the company, but I'm involved in my company very much and with my customers. so the question I'm asking is, will you be just the face of the company or will also continue to engage in conversation with as you did here with us and really listen to our voices?
A: Yep. I’ll try to do one of these on a regular basis (working that out) – livestreams – whatever. Just request it and I’ll see if I can do it.

PSYL0CKE X8
Q: League missions for your league to do.
A: League content – and progression – is something I’ve seen work VERY well.

Thank you for you're time and replying back to me, i am very glad with that answer

Thanks for the response. Off to a great start being involved with the community. I love it!

Thanks for answering. I feel like the dev team should communicate open like this more often so we as players have a better impression of what's happening behind the scenes and what the official stance is in regards to common issues.

I'm sure it's been asked already but since it's a frequently discussed issue I'll add my voice:
Are there any plans to change the monetization model? The cash cap in particular is perceived as a negative player experience by many, and lots of players would like to see it lifted or loosened in exchange for more positive membership benefits.