DC Universe Online Servers Merging, But It's Not What You Think

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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DC Universe Online Servers Merging, But It's Not What You Think



SOE rolls out 4 "MegaServers" to make sure that DC Universe players don't have to wait long to group up.

Usually when an MMO company announces a server merger, it means that the population has shrunk so much that the cities and gathering places feel empty and dead, especially when compared to the ebullience of launch day. DCUO enjoyed a certain buzz and success when it launched back in January, but even the news of adding Green Lantern powers soon hasn't kept players logged in [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111556-Green-Lanterns-Light-Powers-Coming-to-DC-Universe-Online]. (I logged in last week, Gotham was indeed dead on my server.) But instead of just closing down servers to shift the population around, Sony Online Entertainment is instead opening four "MegaServers" that will use phasing technology to keep each hero and villain in a manageable world area while allowing you to quickly queue for battlegrounds and alerts (dungeons). The MegaServer transfer has already begun and will complete next Monday August 15th. The four new MegaServers will be based on region and platform: US PC, US PS3, EU PC and EU PS3.

Followers of WoW will be familiar with what phasing means, but it's basically a way for players on the same "server" or "shard" being able to see different scenery, PCs or mobs based on what phase they are in. All the players in one of the MegaServers will use the same auction house and queue in the same battlegrounds and Alerts, but might not see every player when cruising through Metropolis.

"The MegaServers expanded server system allows you to live in a world with more players and it will greatly expand the number of players available in Gotham and Metropolis, as well as the combat arenas, alerts and raid zones so you can get to some of the most fun areas faster," SOE's website for DCUO said before listing the benefits of this change:

You will see much larger populations!
You will have a much larger pool of people to join in Alerts, Duos, Raids, Legends PvP, etc.
It will be much easier to play with friends who were previously on other servers (plus lots of new friends to make).
You will be able to switch between PvP and PvE style play by using the phase shifters in the Hall of Doom and JLA Watchtower.
There will be a larger number of items in the Broker [Auction House].

One thing that is quite novel for an MMO is the ability to switch between PvE and PvP play on the fly. SOE implemented this as a way to combine the two different rulesets into the same server structure, but I think it's a feature that many MMOs might consider. Sometimes you want to stalk the streets of Metropolis looking to stop low-level Villains or participate in open world PvP, while there are times that you might just want to quest away without looking over your shoulder.

There will be algorithms in place to make sure that you play in the same phase as players in your League [Guild] and on your Friends list. While the ability to queue multiple servers-worth of players in dungeons is a plus, and switching between PvP and PvE on the fly is a cool feature, it's hard not to interpret the MegaServer merger as anything other than harbinger of doom for DCUO. I still have hope that the game will continue for a long time - Star Wars Galaxies did [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/8612-Review-DC-Universe-Online].

For a full list of what servers will be pressed into which MegaServer, head over to dcuniverseonline.com for more information. [http://www.dcuniverseonline.com/en/news/archive.vm?id=58&month=current]

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kebab4you

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Jan 3, 2010
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"DC Universe Online Servers Merging, But It's Not What You Think"
It´s not? sounds like the population are shrinking which ALWAYS is the case when servers merges. And that was what the article said also... rule for a change of title!
 
Feb 13, 2008
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Still won't change the fact it's boring.

Damn that had so much potential. Why is it always the stuff that comes out away from the hands of the meddlers is so much better? Oh yes...

See Batman Live instead. You'll have a much better time.
 

dexxyoto

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Mar 24, 2009
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honestly this well help keep the game from going "free to play" for at lest another 3 months or until SWOR comes out. I have played this game since beta and have a life time sub, but you can really get through this game in a weekend hit the max lvl , then all you have to do is grind the same things over and over again. I am not talking about doing the same mission with a colour changed bad guy either, there are only 6 raids in the game and maybe 10 alters(dungeons) that you can do!!! even after the sony power outage they did nothing to really try and get players back, other then saying you want new content you are going to have to pay for it......but ya the raid are cool the first time, and it is nice to be able to beat up superman, and this is the only way for it to go on.


sorry rant, no more coffee for me tonight.
 

cerebus23

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May 16, 2010
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Feeling i got playing beta of dcu and coc was there was just not enough there there to justify a monthly sub, leveling is far too easy in most mmos where the low and the mid level content is just stuff to put up with for a few hours until yu get new gear new powers or whatnot then your are max level and stuck with not enough content to keep you occuppied in the lest nm if you are a pve centered game.

would be nice if games made leveling longer but the quests/dungeons/raids all the way along that keep people interested in the low and mid level content, and make the climb less severe and more gradual.
 

Alphakirby

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May 22, 2009
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I played the beta for this a while and it was ok. But with City of Heroes going free,and Champions Online already free,I have no reason to give any fucks whatsoever. So have a great day.
 

Starke

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Mar 6, 2008
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Ultratwinkie said:
Starke said:
So how is this not a reaction to a declining population?
Actually it pretty much is a declining population. Most servers are dead except for one or two, and even then its sketchy. The end game relies on repetitive raids, or a single 2 player mission. Even PVP cannot start until you have a set amount of players and is put on one map. Its a blind match maker, not the intelligent option that COH took where pre-designated zones are for PVP. You could wait 1-5 hours for a single raid or match and in some servers getting in line for anything related to PVP or raids is akin to waiting for superman to come knocking on your door in the real world.
Yeah, I was reacting sarcastically to the "it's not what you think it is" comment. But, thanks for the detailed information.
 

Jake Martinez

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Apr 2, 2010
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I don't understand the headline - from reading the contents of the actual article, it's pretty much exactly as we think. None of those proposed benefits would be necessary if each server had a high enough population...