Capcom has responded to disgruntled Dragon’s Dogma 2 PC players, and addressed the backlash to the game’s controversial microtransactions and performance problems that have resulted in a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Valve’s platform.
As IGN has reported, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is currently embroiled in a vociferous debate about its day-one microtransactions, which let players pay real-world money for useful items in the $70 single-player action role-playing game.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 has also run up against performance problems, even on powerful PCs, with frame-rate a particular issue.
Now, in a message directly addressing Dragon’s Dogma 2 players on Steam, Capcom has responded to this backlash, saying: “We would like to update you on the status of the following items, about which we have received numerous comments from the community. To all those looking forward to this game, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”
In its note to PC players, Capcom listed all the items that can be obtained in-game or as paid DLC items:
- Art of Metamorphosis – Character Editor
- Ambivalent Rift Incense – Change Pawn Inclinations
- Portcrystal – Warp Location Marker
- Wakestone – Restore the dead to life!
- 500 Rift Crystals / 1500 Rift Crystals / 2500 Rift Crystals – Points to Spend Beyond the Rift
- Makeshift Gaol Key – Escape from gaol!
- Harpysnare Smoke Beacons – Harpy Lure Item
In doing this, Capcom is making the point that these items can be obtained through normal gameplay — a point some players have already expressed in defending Dragon’s Dogma 2’s monetisation.
Meanwhile, Capcom addressed PC performance problems, and reiterated a warning about Dragon’s Dogma 2 putting CPUs under extreme pressure when numerous characters appear at the same time. Capcom said it’s investigating and fixing critical problems such as crashes and freezing, starting with the highest priority in patches to be released soon.
Interestingly, Capcom said it’s looking into adding the option of starting a new game to the Steam version. “We are looking at adding a feature to the Steam version of the game that will allow players that are already playing to restart the game,” Capcom said. “We will announce more details as soon as we can.”
Capcom then issued the same statement it gave to IGN earlier this week about Dragon’s Dogma 2’s frame-rate: “A large amount of CPU usage is allocated to each character and calculating the impact of their physical presence in various areas. In certain situations where numerous characters appear simultaneously, the CPU usage can be very high and may affect the frame rate. We are aware that in such situations, settings that reduce GPU load may currently have a limited effect; however, we are looking into ways to improve performance in the future.”
As IGN has reported, this statement convinced some Dragon’s Dogma 2 players to plan an NPC murder spree in a bid to boost the game’s frame-rate.
If you’re getting stuck in to Dragon’s Dogma 2, be sure to check out Which Vocation to Choose, Things to Do First, Things Dragon’s Dogma 2 Doesn’t Tell You, and our Walkthrough hub.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
