Making a Difference As a Player

Discussion in 'Gotham City (General Gameplay)' started by theDCdeviant, Jan 15, 2020.

  1. theDCdeviant New Player

    So, I'm a long time player of this game. Went from being a freshman or sophomore in high school with no job and begging my dad to pay for me to have legendary access to now being in my 20s, out of college with a job, and spending hard earned money on a game I've enjoyed for years and all I can say is, that while the game is unlike any MMORPG out there that I know of, it's getting really hard to NOT abandon dcuo right now. As of the current state of the game, the only reason I play is because of the combat, the character customization, and the fact that my favorite toons are finally in leagues that I (for the most part) enjoy being in. Combat gets repetitive and boring at times, especially when going up against damage sponges, but that comes with any MMO. I just want to know if anyone has any serious ideas for how the community can make a difference in the game and restore it to glory because it feels like a lot of people have abandoned this already sinking ship. I'm trying not to be one of those people but...look I've considered not paying for membership anymore. It's a waste of money. It feels like I'm getting less than I'm paying for while the devs continue to reach into my pocket for more, like with time capsules. Those should be taken out of the game entirely. Yeah the game needs to make money but the devs can easily make money by enhancing the game in a way that makes me gladly spend money on it, not stealing from my wallet and saying I'll have a better chance at having fun if they do. Kids play this game man. Kids are gambling and falling victim to the slippery slope of the time capsule slot machine. If I stop paying for membership...well then I may as well stop playing the game because it's really impossible to play the game and have fun when you're limited so severely for not paying for the membership. With the in-game economy being a problem, the time capsules and artifacts being a cash vacuum, the episodes getting more and more lackluster and now buggy as hell, and leagues getting smaller and smaller or straight up disbanding, I'm feeling like there's nothing players can do to actually have a legitimate positive impact on this game. I have a Quicksilver toon I just made that I'm enjoying. I'm loving role playing one of my favorite X-Men in a game that actually affords me the ability to do that. No other RPG on the market offers me that. However, what DCUO does offer me and what it demands of me are heavily unbalanced. Judging from the amount of threads on here and reddit and some on twitter and videos on youtube, lots of people are unhappy. I'm looking for something constructive, and hey, if all the loyal players that spent money on the game that kept the lights on leave, are you willing to pick up the slack?
    • Like x 1
  2. Doc.Doom15 Committed Player

    1st note: that was hard to read
    2nd note: I'm really interested to see what Mepps edited :D

    Now to address the main points in your post:

    - I just want to know if anyone has any serious ideas for how the community can make a difference in the game and restore it to glory because it feels like a lot of people have abandoned this already sinking ship. I'm trying not to be one of those people but...look I've considered not paying for membership anymore. It's a waste of money.

    You are one of those people. There is no evidence that the game is dying unless you have access to their financial reports. If you don't feel like subbing or feel like your money is not well spent, unsub and vote with your wallet (and there are plenty of improvement opportunity/complaint threads posted by the community already).

    - Kids are gambling and falling victim to the slippery slope of the time capsule slot machine.

    Kids should not be playing this game. Daybreak is not here to parent/police other people's kids. Whilst I agree that TCs are gambling boxes in a way, a responsible adult either decides to spent $$$ to open them for their kids or just explain how to use the free alternatives to open them (albeit slower, there is a way via the daily stabilizer event). If kids are asking for $$$ to get ahead in the game (like you did) that's up to the parents to make proper parental decisions and explain the value of money to their kids.

    - If I stop paying for membership...well then I may as well stop playing the game because it's really impossible to play the game and have fun when you're limited so severely for not paying for the membership.

    Not true, I've been playing as a premium player from the start and have 4 end game toons that can keep up with most legendary players (and yes, you will have to spent $$$ to open up new DLCs and things like additional bank slots but if you're already spending the $$$ you can decide to do the same thing). The main nuisance as a premium player is not being able to play the broker game but personally I made a conscious decision to not go legendary because I otherwise would spent even more time on this game than I already do.

    - With the in-game economy being a problem, the time capsules and artifacts being a cash vacuum, the episodes getting more and more lackluster and now buggy as hell, and leagues getting smaller and smaller or straight up disbanding, I'm feeling like there's nothing players can do to actually have a legitimate positive impact on this game.

    Partly disagree here. The in-game economy is broken and I don't believe that the actions taken to fix the economy were the most logical ones but since I don't play the broker game that much I don't care too much about it. I dislike TCs and artifacts but since it keeps the game afloat I don't have a problem with it (so what if you're ranked #2 or #3 on the scoreboard instead of #1, I don't care about it and neither should you).

    I'm not trying to defend Daybreak here, there are plenty of things that I disagree with as well but these forums are becoming so toxic and so many people are complaining about every little thing that upsets them that it's like watching an episode of Dr. Phil. As mentioned before, if you like to see change, vote with your wallet and stop putting $$$ towards the things you dislike.

    /rant over
    • Like x 3
  3. unitedmeck Well-Known Player

    1)The game is past its glory days I sub then immediately regret it every time I do but the hope and time spent is what I'm here for still and the few friends that are still left.

    2012 was the year that this game was great for me and
    What could make the game better the 1000 threads that already exist .
  4. Lantern_AdamK4 Committed Player

    A few things:

    1.) Keep in mind that you can't please everyone, and the people who aren't happy are the loudest. There are plenty of people who play the game and are happy. You just won't see them posting a ton on social media or the forums because they're busy playing the game.

    2.) Since year one people have been saying this game is dying and the population is shrinking. This doesn't make it so. The population is there, but it's in current content.

    3.) Unfortunately subscriptions alone don't generate enough money to do everything that is needed to keep this game running, and keep up with the laundry list of "wants" that people have in this game. This is why things like Time Capsules have been presented, and the option to pay to speed things up are available. This game has come a LONG way since I first started playing it, all the way in the beginning, and it's sad that people would rather b**** about financially supporting the game than see all the improvements and changes and advancements that have been made. People act like these "greedy devs" are putting pennies on the dollar into the game and have some sort of secret silo filled with money a-la-Scrooge McDuck, and they're just laughing at us. It's unrealistic. A business has to make money. Period.

    4.) There is something players can do to have a positive impact on this game: BE POSITIVE. This community, especially on the forums is pure toxicity. There's plenty to be positive about. If you can't find anything, you're not willing to see it.

    5.) If loyal players aren't supporting the game, and they threaten to leave, or do leave, they're not loyal.

    6.) Time Capsules and artifacts aren't a "Cash Vacuum." They're optional things. Nobody HAS to spend money on them to do well. In fact, I know a few people who don't spend any money on capsules, open them from the daily stabilizer pieces, and believe it or not, they can get through elite content with no problems. My artifacts aren't maxed or even close to it, and guess what? I can run through elite content with no issues. Everyone wants to be at the tippy top and play king of the hill and have this notion that if they don't have everything maxed out, they can't play effectively and that's not true.
    • Like x 3
  5. Eve YouTuber


    I agree with everything you wrote Tbh. And I can see the OP point of view aswell.

    When I first started to play the game I watched videos online and saw that I can play as WW (the iconic solo) and how wide and amazing the character customization is and the DC story and it all together pulled me in. I also got Introduced by a good friend to the game. I keep seeing "The game is dying" but to me It's the same ever since I started playing. I know some players who left personally, but it doesn't make it dead. I had a lot of ups and downs with the game as I was going through the worst three years of my life, in self destruction circle, and all I wanted was to belong in a community that at start never accepted me.

    Just much in my real life people misunderstood me and my reactions and made my life harder as I started to blame myself for every little thing that happened. I let people take it out on me just so I can avoid drama but in reality it just made things worse. And dealing with a toxic community when you are suffering from really bad depression is such a bad idea. But I kept fighting and fighting to get my place in the community because I just want to play and be social with people.I threat to leave the game so many times out of frustration that nobody understands me and I just stick around to hurt myself. But at the end of the day I just grew stronger from all of it and my love for DC and DCUO grew in general.

    Do I miss "Life before DCUO?" Sometimes. But I'm so grateful for the amazing friends I was able to make,
    and to how I grew as a person and learned to deal with toxicity over those 3-4 years I've been playing. And the game is fun. It's unique. I can totally understand the "Can't abandon DCUO" part Because Every time I try to take a break or leave I end up coming back. I spend a lot on the game to support it because I want the game to be around as much as possible. Dealing will real life losses makes it an obsessive thing of mine not want to lose anything anymore and hold tightly as possible. When 2019 was about to end I asked myself how I want people in the community to see me and if I'm willing to move on and let go of the past. I decided that I do want it and I can belong here if I don't try too hard. I think I do enough by helping players, working on the Gazette & make videos. I support the game too with all my heart. Leaving is not even an option for me. Even if I want to hang the cape, I found something that does real good to me and I don't want to let it go.

    I was able to do it and become stronger and move on with the help of my friends. We became close as a family.

    As for time capsules yeah I hate that there's feats inside but I don't mind it enough since I keep in mind there are plenty of feats in the game to go after without the Time Capsules feats. And a Business is a business. People will always find something to complain about. I don't touch subjects like elite. Even tho I run elite content with my league, I rather not discuss it as elite is not my cup of tea of content to run. I prefer regular and event to take things slow and enjoy what I'm doing. Elite is fun to run with friends and laugh together and farm old Elite content to get some stuff done. (I recently solo healed the escape E and I'm so proud of myself. First time I healed as Nature, too. Big Achievement for me)

    Anyway I'm just mumbling now. My friend always say that when I talk about DCUO you can see the passion I have about it. I don't know if It's true. I am passioned about it, but some people will see it differently, I guess.
  6. SugarHoneyIcedTeaMix Well-Known Player

    At the end of the day its up to the devs for what they want to do with dc.
    We say fix pvp they say its not worth it
    We say we don't like time capsules but people buy them so they keep cranking them out
    We say artifacts are bad but people whale out to be 200
    I say separate the story from the grind content because having story tied to grind makes for ridiculously long cut scenes that I'm expected to play for 3 to 5 months
    Plenty of threads with great suggestions, getting to that point where typing on the forums is pointless if not already.
    • Like x 1
  7. Eve YouTuber


    When Mepps approves a comment it shows as if he edited it, that's what I figured from new player posts anyway.
  8. Solarbound Committed Player

    For starters, I highly suggest that you break down that wall of text into appropriate segments. Most people won't be willing to read such a poorly laid out format. Yet, you do have some noteworthy points throughout what you typed.

    You ask the question of what we can do as a community? I honestly feel like we have done our part. It has been 9 years of this game's existence and so many of us have come into these forums voicing our concerns. Yet, it's weird because in-game conversations are so much different than how they are here in the forums. All that says is not enough are speaking up for what truly needs to be addressed within this game. Therefore, from that aspect, we should be encouraging more to join these forums in order to speak their piece. Still, there are more than enough posts in here to give the DEVS a rough idea of what exact problems their attention should be diverted towards.

    Perhaps the biggest issue among our community is that we've reached a point where so many are simply fed up. A lot of that is due to disagreement of certain decisions made by the DEVS and factors they continuously ignore. It's just one of those things where after such an amount of time within this game's history you expect so much more. And, because of such aggravation being caused, the toxicity is spread throughout the community as a result. You ever notice how opposing sides can never seem to reach a common ground in here? That's an attitude that needs to stop as it won't help us in the long run.

    As a community, we need to be more open to the kinds of ideas that are actually going to help this game evolve. You have too many that choose to stay within their bubble pretending as if everything is okay when it's really not. I don't care if you're some PVE elitist, someone who chooses to whale up the whole marketplace, or some cheesy PVPer who spams broken powers. Point is, not all of us play this game for the same reasons. And, when people are in here being quick to shut down ideas that would actually reinvigorate this game because they choose to be yes-men with this whole argument of "The DEVS said this, the DEVS said that..." What??? Like, no. What is that??? It has been 9 YEARS! All of the money we've invested as a collective, other game companies out there who actually listen to their communities, and we're supposed to sit here and accept that? No, just no. Yet, the problems are so much deeper.

    That's why everything now is strictly in the hands of the DEVS. I remember a video back in 2014-2015 from a guy by the name of, Orbit, who is a legendary player based in the EU server. In this video he exposed the truth of the direction that DCUO was going and addressed that he was quitting due to those matters. It was also quite controversial given how certain members among DCUOs staff responded to what he said in that video. The funny thing is, a lot of what Orbit spoke in that video came into fruition. Mostly revolving around the money hungry nature that's seeming to exist now. You know, when we talk about the likes of Time Capsules, Booster Bundles, the $260+ paywall behind each artifact, paying for marks, etc.

    It's understandable that when we talk about a company like Daybreak, it's a business. But, from their standpoint, they have to get back to the roots of what matters, such as content of ALL aspects and quality of life changes that help this game to evolve. And, a lot of that has to start with actually listening to EVERYONE of the COMMUNITY. They have lost a dangerous amount of us over the years and now it's like everything they're doing is just barely keeping the head of DCUO above water. They have to find some way to do whatever it takes to keep ALL customers coming back for more, current and old. That's common School of Business 101 knowledge right there.

    I truly feel that in order to fix the existing problem among the community, a revamp of the business model is in order. A business model that truly satisfies EVERY aspect of this game. A true free to play that profits through a marketplace filled with items that the players actually want and have been requesting for years. We're in the year 2020 now, a mark where true change has to be made for this game to thrive at its fullest potential. Other game companies wouldn't have allowed such problems within their communities to carry on this long. Either way, something has to be done, because the future of DCUO isn't looking too bright. And, I don't know how much more of this the community can take.

    All I ask is that the DEVS take it upon themselves to listen to EVERY type of dedicated player that they have within this COMMUNITY. Putting forth those efforts are the only way to save this. And, the nonsense business schemes that take advantage of our money has to stop.

    Fix our COMMUNITY? It's in your hands DEVS, ball's on your court.
    • Like x 2
  9. theDCdeviant New Player

    Why would Mepps edit another person's forum post?
  10. theDCdeviant New Player



    I can't respond how I want because it's over the text count but thank you for your reply, even if it didn't answer my question at all.
  11. theDCdeviant New Player

    "Poorly laid out format." Well, I don't believe that one wall of text is any less tedious than multiple smaller boxes of text. I'm either going to skim over/ignore what you wrote or have the patience to read it all, of which I did. I appreciate your input.
  12. theDCdeviant New Player


    Right. This was my first ever forum post, even though I've been playing and reading posts for years. Thank you for your reply.
  13. Chia Death Well-Known Player

    You're as wrong there as you are throughout the majority of your original post, but based on your response to someone trying to help you by letting you know your post is eye cancer you aren't looking for constructive feedback, just some yes men to parrot your sentiments back.
    Enjoy your time playing dcuo. Or don't. Or leave. I stopped caring about the time you essentially cried, "won't someone think of rhe children!' in your original post.
  14. Solarbound Committed Player



    You say that. But, my question to you is how important is it for you to get the word out that you spoke in your original post? The legibility matters in that. I'm not here to insult you, it was just difficult to read. Although, I like the points you made. As a result, I offered my take as those are issues I'm very passionate about when it comes to this game. So, given this is your thread, maybe you would appreciate such level of discussion. Regardless, the biggest takeaway you should have from my post is that I'm on your side and I'm more than willing to help speak up for that.
    • Like x 1
  15. Eve YouTuber

    He isn't, he needs to manually approve posts from new forum accounts. Then for some reason it says that he edited it.
  16. The Anxient Loyal Player

    The game survived for years without time capsules but suddenly it can't anymore?
  17. Reinheld Devil's Advocate

    If membership has dipped (not saying it has or hasn't...I don't know for sure) TCs and Artifacts and the like are new revenue sources...so maybe, no...it wouldn't if those are the things keeping it propped up. I'd say there is a lot of evidence (besides the 'DCUO is dead' posts here) in how many people no longer play that I personally know of, but without a balance sheet who knows for sure?

    Greed or last ditch effort to keep the game up, either way the money is coming in from those sources....so they are going nowhere soon.

    Reinheld
    • Like x 2
  18. The Anxient Loyal Player

    Yeah I was pointing out the contradiction in the post I quoted.
    Point 2 says that the population isnt dipping and point 3 goes on to say that the game can't survive off of subs alone. It did for years and if the population hasn't dwindled since then it should still be able to do so.
    • Like x 1