Open Episodes Weekend!

Open Episodes Weekend!

This weekend - from Thursday, May 16, 2019, through Sunday, May 19, 2019 - you'll be able to play through all the content in Episodes 1 - 33 with your fellow heroes (or villains!) without membership or previous purchase of the episode content. Whether there's something new you wish to discover or an old favorite you want to return to, you'll have access to the content across almost every episode in DCUO!

FAQ:

What about Episode 34: Justice League Dark?
Only Episodes 1-33 are included in Open Episodes. Our newest episode, Episode 34: Justice League Dark, will not be open to all players; you’ll need to be a member or purchase the episode in order to access that content.

What about the loot lockouts?
Members and/or those who have purchased the episode(s) will have the standard loot lockout times. Those who are not members and have not purchased the episode(s) will have longer loot lockout times.

What do I need to access the Episodes?
Episode content requires a minimum combat rating of 43; you must have the minimum CR required by each episode to play the specific episode content. You must have DC Universe Online on PC, PSN, or Xbox One in order to play the game and access add-on episode content.

That's awesome!!!

Interesting.

There was a forum thread asking about free membership offers from DCUO a long time ago. Well, this is as close as you're going to get!

Good timing though; right before the Memorial Day holiday week end.

Hey SJ, care to shed some light not the Titan tower hologram with the revolving 25’s?

oh so that's why it looked like my subscription didn't expire yet!

Seems like it was a tease for the reworked survival mode.

Nifty.

Since there's been an ongoing discussion about Relevancy since GU94, I'd love to see the stats on just how popular Open Episodes are - whether queue times speed up and/or just how many more Premium/F2P folks end up in old content.

Ha, me too. Unfortunately, even if Mepps or the team would show screenshots of the data, the people who wouldn't like the conclusion either way would accuse them of doctoring it or otherwise being self-serving...

I'm confused: this is open to all players as an Event. Now it won't be?

I'm guessing that what is meant is that it's not open as an episode, but it is still open to all players as an Event. I'm puzzled why SJ stated this in a way that seems to say that that isn't true. Perhaps I'm missing something obvious.

But aren't the Event instances and open world still available to all players above level 30? They'll "have access to the content," won't they?

Or are the Events members-only? That would certainly explain it. I just hadn't realized that, if so.

ONE MINUTE LATER: Nope, just checked on my back-up account, which is Premium, and Premiums, at least, enter Chaos Gotham and have access to the Event instances with no problem.

Is Mepps on vacation? Because this announcement is missing any clarification as to when the event starts or finishes on Thursday and Sunday. Usually it's at restart, but usually Mepps also states it clearly and specifically, having learned the hard way that it's necessary to do this or get repeated questions on it.

Stating the times, not just the days, clearly, would seem to be a good idea, no?

Wait, is this already running now? It's been Thursday for over 19 hours on the Pacific coast at the moment I'm typing this....

But the announcement is time-stamped 1:31 p.m.-ish Pacific time (or is that my time, which is Central these days?). Was this going for 12 hours before being announced? Or does "Thursday" mean -- well, what, exactly? Not midnight to midnight? Or 4 a.m. to 4 a.m, Pacific?

signed,
even more confused

It obviously symbolizes the 25 rounds of SM when it goes live! That will be “the precious” for completing it!

You may be easily confused. The JLD 'episode' content is not open....the event is. They are not the same thing.

Agreed on the lack of the start/end times, but normally it's reboot to reboot, so it probably started at 6AM CST today and will probably go to 6AM CST MONDAY 5-20 in all reality. I"m going to assume so until it says otherwise as that's when all other 'free episodes' have worked.

Yeah, a few hours heads up would have been good to. I was working from home today and would have been grinding solo/duo feats out on my premium toons had I known about it earlier. As it was I came in...got some coral augment boxes and was like 'whaaa?', then looked here.

Reinheld

Yeah, I hear ya. I was working from home too; yard work!

When I took a break, I decided to check out the forums and BANG! Open Episodes. I would have put it in my league MOTD in the morning if I had known about it then to give my league mates a heads up.

The OP says nothing abut CR relevancy being dropped. It's the SSDD for higher level players out of relevancy.

Except for the fact that Free players can have access to all parts of the game with little advanced notice for the weekend. Which IMO is not going to bump player base numbers up very much if any.

Besides, DCUO recorded numbers the very first time they had open episodes during the Summer of Wonder.
Afterwards, Jack Emmert stated that DCUO had the most players on the servers than it had on in years / ever during that event.

IMO and do not get me wrong. I think open episodes is a good thing.
but...........
All I see is a bone being tossed out because of the negativity from GU94.

Open episodes do nothing about CR relevancy.

I will add^^^^^

DCUO is a MMORPG not a Hack & Slash where you just go and bash on stuff going pew pew pew pew pew pew on the same level over & over.

DCUO is a huge game that is trying not to be what it was suppose to be ....................a MMORPG.
MMORPG's have WHOLE worlds not sections that players have to stay in.

CR relevancy will still keep higher level players from running older content. Reason being............. no or low marks.
No marks = nothing earned for their time running the content.
No marks = players cannot earn marks to buy things form vendors like styles for feats and things that they can sell for in game currency.
Players need and want Marks & in game currency to buy & sell things on the broker.
Heck, The broker is a game by itself. One which a lot of players like playing.

What the DCUO devs have always failed to realize is that this game is suppose to be an MMORPG with a PVE, PVP arenas, PVP open world, LPVE, LPVP environment, a broker, styles, and a list other things that are all intermingled and affect each other in one way shape or form.

DCUO is not a hack & slash pewpewpewpewpewp game like the devs keep trying to make it out to be.
If DCUO's customers want ahack & slash game they will go play 2 1/2 D Diablo III or something like it.

DCUO has all kinds of things to help the MMORPG player /customers immerse themselves in the game and yet the devs fudge up the rest of the flow of the game and synergy just so that they can try to make player customers play in one area....... and that is...................END GAME.
While at the same time trying to force players to spend more replays on the same END GAME content.
That right there totally screws up the DCUO MMORPG game experience that MMORPG player / customers long for.

Customers value their time just as much and maybe more than the devs value their time building DCUO.
Player / customers will not run content that they feel is not worth their time.
Not having full marks is a game breaker for the majority of the player /customers.
Player / customers will not buy anything if they feel like they are being forced to buy replays or
forced to run the same content over & over & over & over.

In the end DCUO devs have failed to realize what an MMORPG is suppose to be.

Here is a snippet from an article that I was reading the other day.
https://plarium.com/en/blog/what-is-an-mmorpg/

What is an MMORPG?

MMORPG stands for “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.”
Another somewhat comical definition is “Many Men Online Role-Playing as Girls” (it’s funny because it's true).
Some might say that all MMORPGs are easily recognizable by their fantasy settings, but that's not at all the case. Though the majority of RPGs do take place in the realm of elves, orcs, and dragons, a lot of them choose different worlds to explore, like far-away planets or post-apocalyptic wastelands.

Let’s break down the MMORPG genre to its core component - the MMO and the RPG. We’ve already covered what an MMO is, so let’s talk about what makes a good role-playing game.

RPG video games, often referred to as CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Games) borrow a lot from their pen-and-paper ancestors. For example, they have the same level of character customization. Players can create and customize their characters, represented by a digital avatar.
They can control pretty much anything, from their appearance, race, and sex to their profession and skills. As the game progresses, players have a chance to improve and evolve their adventurer, making them more and more unique and powerful.
Most modern RPGs give the player not only control over their character, but over the world they inhabit. Players’ actions have a direct impact on how the story progresses, and how the world changes around them. It can simply happen by advancing the plot and seeing the story unfolds, but it can also be because of player choice.
The best RPGs allow players to tackle problems and advance the plot in multiple ways, so each playstyle is respected.
The key word to remember when talking about role-playing games is “agency.” The more impact the player has on the game’s world and characters - the better.
Then you have all the technical stuff: quests, experience points, loot, skill, and combat. Each of these is tied directly to the core mechanics of character customization, player agency, and a rich narrative.
Take all of this, and put in an environment where dozens if not hundreds of players interact at the same time, and you got yourself an MMORPG.

Many players enjoy the opportunity to take a break from reality and immerse themselves in exotic worlds, character, and gameplay.

Ohh yeah.......Open episodes YEAY!!!!!.........I guess.
Open episodes does nothing for the synergy MMORPG's require that CR Relevancy screws up.

At the end of the day Marks Relevancy does not work and never will work because it kills the MMORPG game experience.

What do I need to access the Episodes?
Episode content requires a minimum combat rating of 43; you must have the minimum CR required by each episode to play the specific episode content. You must have DC Universe Online on PC, PSN, or Xbox One in order to play the game and access add-on episode content.

Guess this means your CR still has to be at the right level to access that Episode.
So it is not Open

it's still open, did you really expect them to just raise your CR for that? it's generous enough that the episodes are open.

I know for a fact that I have some friends who are getting on tonight and tomorrow who have not played the game in years and they are getting on to sample some of the content they have missed out on since they have been gone. Will they sub after? Probably not, but maybe some will. I've also got some premium accounts that i'll do the easy solo/duo feats this weekend to get some SP up. Will I sub them after? Probably not.

Yeah, subbing members do not get a benefit from an open weekend...and as a subbing member on my main account, I will agree with the 'meh' sentiment. But if it gets the population up, even a few 100 accounts, it is a better alternative to generate revenue than jamming more P2W things down our throats.

Reinheld

a well placed ad during a DC tv series would bring up the population