DC Universe PvP

[Mr. Hrm]

Chris Cao Spills the Beans on DCUO PVP


Howdy, all. Chris Cao, Studio Creative Director, aka The Biggest Designer in the Building ™, here.

I was just reading through all the page comments – and yes, believe it or not, we do actually read the comments and feedback on the site, and it's good to see the usual spirited debates are already well underway. Keep those comments and feedback coming and we'll do our best to respond to the hot topics on the page. In the meantime, let me see if I can contribute to the conversation by providing at least a few answers to the questions asked. It seems that a lot of the questions fall into one of several categories: will element X of the DC Universe be included?, will DCUO have MMO feature Y?, and when can we play it/test it/have a shiny box?
Let me start with the last category since it frames everything we do. We want you to play DCUO throughout its development. Period. In fact, we'd rather you play it than try to explain with words. That's why we had such a robust playable demo at our Comic-Con announcement this summer. And we want you to keep playing it as often as we can get it out to you, at events, in beta, and of course, at launch. We also know that not everyone can attend the Cons that we demo at, which is why we've set up this page here: to keep ALL of the fans up to date with where we are in the game development process. So keep checking this site to find out what we've been up to, where the game is at and where we'll be demoing the game next.
And when you play it, you'll see for yourself if element X or feature Y is there. Rather than promise on paper, we want to deliver in-game. It's easy, for example, to say we'll have PvP and to talk about the imaginary nuts and bolts of the system. It's a lot harder to build a PvP system that encompasses the feel of DC heroes and villains going at it while still maintaining an opt-in flexibility. It's even more difficult to make this all happen in a multiplayer physics environment where you can run up walls, hurl buses, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. But we've done it, and we want to prove it to you through play.
So while we all wait for the next opportunity to play, let me offer the answers I promised, at least in regards to PvP. DCUO's player-versus-player combat differs from other MMO's in that it centers on the conflict between heroes and villains rather than the wars between races or nations. This distinction is critical because it changes why players fight one another and what they are ultimately fighting over. It affects the entire range of PvP gameplay.
Let's start on the street. Heroes, by definition, fight crime while villains commit crimes. That means that at the most basic level, heroes and villains fight each other. In DCUO this is represented by opposed objectives. A hero will see a police officer as an objective that must be protected while a villain will see that same cop as an obstacle to be removed (in this case, knocked out). Should the PvP conditions be right (e.g. server type or opt-in), the hero and villain will be able to fight each other as well as struggle over the opposed objectives.
The next level of conflict comes with DCUO's arenas. These are hotspots around the globe where strategic objectives become points of conflict. At any moment, players who have opted-in can be called on to jump to an arena to do battle. Imagine an alien ship crash landing in North Africa. Everyone wants a piece of that off world-tech and so heroes and villains clash. Some of the arenas will be event-based and some will be more permanent, but rest assured, you'll always be able to find a fight if you're looking for one.
The final level of PvP in DCUO is the fight to rule or save the world. Players will be able to team up in leagues or legions (i.e. guilds) to battle for strategic control of planet Earth and beyond. More details will follow on this aspect of PvP as we develop it and get all of you play it.

And, just to be clear:

• PvP will always be consensual. You'll either choose to play on a PvP server, opt-in to a PvP zone, or take egregious actions that will flag you for PvP.
• PvP will always be super-powered. You'll be turning enemies into physics objects and hurling them through the skies. You'll be racing along walls and ceilings as you shoot it out. You'll be fighting to rule or save the world.
• PvP will always require skill. Due to the action environment, PvP in DCUO is a battle of wits and ability, not just dice. Your loot and your level will help, but ultimately it'll come down to more than mere numbers.

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