[DC Universe] SOE Working On US PS3 Server Issues


dc_scr_plyract_met_004_0610

Larry Liberty, who is in fact not a super hero himself but the Executive Producer for DC Universe Online, has stepped up to the forums today to issue a notice for players of DC Universe, specifically those who play on the PS3 servers in the United States. Due to heavy load brought on by the launch of Home Turf, the US PS3 server has been experiencing some unplanned downtime and instability, as well as a few other unforeseen issues. Sony Online Entertainment is working diligently to fix the issues brought forward during yesterday’s mishap and may have to bring the server down again.

You can read the full letter below:

I just wanted to apologize for the unplanned downtime on the USPS3 server.  Server population has been exceptional since the launch of Home Turf, and it’s brought to light two issues that only happen under very high load.  We have addressed one of them already, and are investigating the other.  We will be bringing the server back up with an update that will address several issues that were surfaced yesterday.  Release notes will accompany the update with more information, but there are a bunch of fixes and polish work as well based on community feedback.  One change I wanted to call out was the reduction in the cooldown timer on Base relocation.  We’re changing it from the initial 7-day cooldown to 1-hour.  It may be necessary to come down for an additional server update today.  We’ll monitor load, and broadcast warnings in-game.

(Source: DC Universe)

Playstation Network Down (For Most) For Most of Today


If you plan on doing anything that requires logging into Playstation Network, you have approximately ten minutes (until 11am eastern) to do so, otherwise you will be locked out for thirteen hours until tonight. Sony is conducting routine maintenance on the PSN servers, meaning during this time players will be unable to sign into the service in order to access the Playstation store, account management, and Playstation Home.

This also means being unable to sign into Playstation Network to access your games online. To the best of my understanding, however, if you are signed in before the deadline, you will still be able to play multiplayer games, so make sure you do so in the next seven minutes (I’m going to waste half of that time writing this article). This includes, of course, Free Realms, DC Universe, and Massive Action Game.

Any trophy you receive during the off time will sync when the servers come back up, as normal.

PS3: Compensation. No PSN This Week.


Those of you who play DC Universe on the PS3, of whom are planning on coming back to the game once it comes online, may be interested to hear the details of Sony’s “Welcome back” package. Announced on Sony’s Facebook page, the plan includes:

  • 30 days free game time.
  • Plus one free day for every day the service was interrupted.
  • And the mask you see above.

I hear if you play your cards right, Shigeru Miyamoto will come to your house and play Super Smash Bros. (but only the N64 version) with you. Actually, I’m being told Shigeru Miyamoto is from Nintendo. My apologies for the mistake. I’ve been tracking down the Free Realms and Massive Action Game, although the Free Realms guys have not released any compensation details, and the Massive Action Game guys haven’t talked about the downtime at all, as far as I can see.

And finally, a Playstation Network update. According to an article on CSMonitor, a Sony rep has announced that the Playstation Network will not be back up and running “this week.” There has not been an official announcement on the Sony blog, despite the article being published yesterday, so take the news as credible at your own risk.

At this rate, players will receive almost two months of free DC Universe game time on the PS3, with PC SOE users reportedly receiving 30 days free game time plus one day for every day the service is offline. There is still no information as to when the Sony Station service will be returned.

Sony Station Offline Today Pending Investigation


Good morning, folks. Those of you attempting to log into any of Sony Online Entertainment’s games may be asking yourself, “why can’t I log into my favorite SOE game?” or “why am I asking a non-Sony blog why their services are offline?” Of course those of you who came here before checking Sony’s website will have missed the following announcement:

We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday).

I call the joke on Sony Offline Entertainment, it’s mine. I’ll be watching for further announcements later today.