DC Dual Force's first Beta Weekend did not go as planned as it was ultimately scrapped merely hours after it started, but by next week we should get another chance! Check out the official announcement below.
As we approach one week from our last Beta Weekend, I want to update you on the challenges that led us to shut down last weekend’s test early, what we’re doing to fix it, and when we plan to get you in the game next. But before I do that, I want to express my deep gratitude for your patience in persevering through all the challenges you faced getting through email verification, and – if you did make it in – significant issues opening packs and having the game freeze. So many of you have been very understanding, with this being the first-time waves of players have come into this game we’ve enjoyed making over the past couple of years. Your passion to dive in and enjoy this game has been very inspiring as we work to get the game up and running for you to play again as soon as possible.
First, regarding account verification emails, we’ve identified the problem and continue to test it ahead of the next beta weekend. It wasn’t quite ready to handle the volume of people who tried to join the game Friday, but we’ve expanded our pipeline and expect we have the situation solved for when we turn the servers back on.
Second, as the player volume started climbing in the game from those who were able to make it through login, we had a massive spike in people opening packs. This singular transaction of opening packs does quite a lot of work: properly distributing card rarity and avoiding duplicate cards before each individual player has a complete playset at each rarity level. Unfortunately, our booster pack transaction database couldn’t handle the load once it hit peak usage, and that caused other aspects of the game to start failing, resulting in what you all experienced before we cancelled the rest of the weekend.
Our engineering team dove in immediately over the weekend, once the servers were clear, identifying the root causes of what was going on with our booster pack transaction database, and implementing fixes. Earlier this week, they rebuilt that database, added more clusters, and started massive load testing to ensure it would hold up. Rather than rush for a solution and push another Beta Weekend live this weekend, we decided to hold and test the entire system further, over this coming weekend.
Pending the success of our stress testing coming up, we plan to run our next Beta Weekend June 30 through July 2. Also, based on requests from the community, we’re extending the hours of the beta, so servers will be live from 11 a.m. Eastern (US) to 5 p.m. Eastern (US) each day. As we had planned for our first Beta Weekend, each player will get 4,500 Gems each day they log in during the Beta Weekend. These Gem bonuses, along with all progression during the weekend, will be wiped once the weekend is over.
Assuming that Beta Weekend is a success, our next stop is Open Beta where everyone can access, and codes are no longer needed to access the game. We will update you on the go-live date for Open Beta shortly after the Beta Weekend is over.
Once again, thank you for your patience, and your passion for this game we love building. We look forward to seeing you in the pages of DC Dual Force soon!
Sincerely,
Tobin Lent CCG Lab Inc. Chief Operating Officer
