Right before Sony Online Entertainment went offline following a hacker attack, the company announced that it will soon be merging all DC Universe Online servers into four MegaServers: PC-US, PC-EU, PS3-US and PS3-EU. "This will allow for more opportunities to queue and participate in other group related game mechanics," the team said.

Now that the game is back online, Executive Producer Lorin 'DeadMeat' Jameson has answered some questions about the upcoming MegaServers. It looks like the servers will use phasing technology to keep PvE and PvP players separate in the world while still allowing them to queue together for Alerts, Raids, Duos and so on. You can read the FAQ below.

More Info on MegaServers

As RadarX previously announced, we will soon introduce new technology into DC Universe Online which will allow us to combine our current servers into huge MegaServers.  I wanted to answer some of the questions that have popped up on the forums and Facebook to better explain what these MegaServers will mean to the game.

Why are you creating MegaServers?

We have a very large and active population in DCUO.  As players achieve higher levels, a lot more of the game involves participating in Raids, Arenas, Duos, Alerts, and other queued instances.  After examining how the queues were working in detail, we saw our players were spending far too much time waiting and not enough time playing. This just would not do.  We wanted an approach that would not only help players waiting for queued content, but ensured that no matter when you play, there are a maximum number of people in the cities as well.  MegaServers offers a way to have an incredible experience no matter what your play habits are.

I am on a PvP server.  Will I still be with other PvP players when I get to a MegaServer?

Yes! MegaServers use "phasing" technology, meaning there is more than one version, or phase, of Metropolis and Gotham on the server.  Players who selected PvP servers when they created their characters will always be in a PvP phase of the shared world with other PvP players.  The same goes for PvE players; They will always be placed in PvE phases.  However, since the queues will be shared, PvE and PvP players will be able to group up for Alerts, Raids, Duos, etc. greatly increasing the pool of available players for matchmaking. It is a very cool system that really maximizes the people online, and nearby, for you to play with.

Will I still be able to play with my friends?

Yes! We have algorithms that will attempt to place you in the same phase as your friends and League members. Even if you you end up in a different phase, you can almost always phase to your friends.  Using the UI, or a command like /phase SooperBFF you will be relocated to SooperBFF's phase in the same location that you phased from. There will be some limitations on when you can phase based on whether you are in combat, in an Alert or Duo, etc. but I think you will find it is easy to get together with the folks you want to play with.

MegaServers?  Why that name?

It just felt big.  Putting hundreds of thousands of folks on the same server felt Mega!  We considered 'UberServers' and 'MonsterServers' as well.

We will be rolling out more information in the days ahead.  Have a great time playing DCUO!

What is going to happen in regards to characters' names? (Question asked later in the thread)

There will of course be name collisions.  We are still working out the details, but in general when names collide we will choose who gets to keep the name based on the amount of time investment a player has in the character.  For example, if two folks have the same name, are both subscribers, and one has 100 hours played for a character and another has 5, the 100 hour player will get to keep the name.  The other character's name will be changed and they will receive a rename token to allow them a name change.  Some of these details may change but this is the general concept.

Will we be able to switch our characters to PvP "phases" if we were originally on a PvE server, and vice versa? (Question asked later in the thread)

I'm afraid not.  Server select will be replaced by choosing PvE or PvP for your new character and that will forever tie you to the appropriate phase.  Leveling up a character in PvP is honestly more difficult (I have the bruises to prove it).  Being able to switch back and forth between the two would not be fair.