Dungeons and Dragons Online Alpha Registration

Evil Avatar (and everyone else) picked up on the registration announcement for the Dungeons and Dragons Online Alpha phase of testing. From the article: "The world of Eberron awaits your arrival, as you embark on the great adventures that Dungeons & Dragons is known for. Register through the members only area today -- and prepare to master this unique new online campaign world!" If any Turbine folks are reading Slash today, I'd just like to mention how much I like your logo. :)

Comments

Closing the barn door after the horse is out....

[AtariAmarok]

Well, after years and years of text and graphics online games that copied or were inspired by D&D, D&D finally felt it was time to do their own....

I'd just like to mention how much I like your logo

[RotJ]

I don't think their logo is anything special. It looks more like an orange cut in half than...oh, you're trying to suck up to them in order to get into the alpha. Never mind. Good luck with that.

Too late to join for most:

[ghmh]

"Please Note: At this time, Alpha signup is reserved for registered DDO forum members only. Non-forum members who attempt to sign up during this exclusive signup period will be disqualified from participating in the Alpha."

Re:Too late to join for most:

[ghmh]

Hate to reply to my own post, but talk about confusing, the paragraph following changes things...

"Alpha signup is reserved for registered DDO forum members only. Non-forum members who attempt to sign up during this exclusive signup period will be disqualified from participating in the Alpha.

So if you are an adventure seeking registered community member, sign up now for your chance to get into the DDO Alpha! If you aren't a DDO message board member yet, no worries! You can join by clicking here and then immediately sign up for your chance to be in the Alpha. The official Alpha start date will be announced soon. We will be inviting players into the Alpha on a regular basis once it begins."

I cast... MAGIC MISSILE

[dswensen]

Can I attack the darkness?

Re:I cast... MAGIC MISSILE

[syynnapse]

"Do I see this?"

"No, you're getting drunk at the bar"

"Alright, but if there are any girls there I want to do them!"

Re:I cast... MAGIC MISSILE

[Swift(void)]

http://uploads.ungrounded.net/90000/90046_8bitDand D.swf

Re:I cast... MAGIC MISSILE

[Pluvius]

Here it is without that 8BT crap added to it. And here is the second part. Both of them are by the Dead Alewives, a comedy troupe that did skits for Dr. Demento a while back.

Rob

Re:Didnt know it was going to be set in Eberron

[rylin]

Aye, forgotten realms or dragonlance would've been nice.
You think the "Million Gnome March" in World of Warcraft was something?
Just imagine a "Million Kender March", with everyone having an automatic pick-pocket ability. . .

Is anyone really wanting another game from Turbine

[Shivetya]

They have two of the most coveted titles for upcoming MMORPGs and yet the level of excitement on various message boards is next to nothing.

They currently manage two of the least popular MMORPGs out there, AC1 and AC2. Both of which are going to offer expansions in the coming months.

The problem Turbine faces is that a good number of the current MMORPG crowd associate them with cheating and exploiting all because of their idiot choice of condoning AUTOMATED (but attended) combat macros (bots) in AC1. Combined with the fact that once they let the cat out of the bag people were no longer in the lore of their game and only in gaining experience. It has to be pretty sad when your GMs have to randomly check obvious bots to make sure someone is actually at the screen when they should have been actively preventing the occurence of automation in the first place.

Turbine had a great many good ideas but they squandered it pandering to their worst fans. They allowed one abuse after another and then to top it off hired some of the same people who wrote some of the automating applications.

The big question for Turbine is, can they get enough new to the genre players into D&D to start to change their reputation? How much will their current reputation hinder acceptance of these two new games. Last, is there any real anticipation for this game anymore?

Re:Didnt know it was going to be set in Eberron

[Synkronos]

Eberron is one of their new settings. They're obviously trying to generate interest in it. There's no need to try get people hooked on Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms, they already are

System requirements?

[LordNimon]

Has anyone noticed that it's pretty difficult these days to find out what the system requirements are for games? That information used to be plastered on the home page and everywhere else, but these days it's like trying to pull teeth.

I searched the ddo.com web site, and I just can't find any info on this.

Re:Is anyone really wanting another game from Turb

[Oliver Wendell Jones]

You are for the most part correct, with one minor discrepancy.

Turbine was the developer and Microsoft was the publisher. Microsoft provided the servers, Microsoft provided the bandwidth, Microsoft provided the in-game and out-of-game technical support. Microsoft handled the billing. Microsoft provided the login servers (via Passport - Ick!).

The people at Turbine have on numerous occassions stated that they wanted to put an end to most of the 'cheating' and 'hacking', even going so far as to writing the code to do so, only to be told "No" by Microsoft. Microsoft did not want to piss off it's customers (as hard as that is to believe) and Microsoft basically ran Asheron's Call into the ground until they didn't see any future profits.

At that point the gang at Turbine bought back the rights to the AC franchise, bought the servers and moved them to their own location, transitioned the billing away from Microsoft and put all new rules and code in place to put a stop to the 'cheating' and 'hacking'.

Bottom line: Turbine does not approve of any cheating or hacking and it's really unfair to them that their first big game got such a bad reputation for them.

I have started and stopped playing Asheron's Call (not AC2!) at least 3 times to play other MMORPGs and will probably start again on time #4 when the new expansion pack is released in May. I get lured away by flashy, newer games, but I keep coming back to it. It has the best, most detailed and most player-involved background and history of any on-line game world I've ever played (and believe me, I've played *all* the popular MMORPGs).

Real-time combat

[Teh Suq]

According to their FAQ on the site, it will not be turn-based:

How does combat work in Dungeons & Dragons Online?

We're making a clean break from the "press auto-attack and wait" style of combat that has become so prevalent in today's MMORPGs. Our real-time combat system is designed to be fast and responsive, while still requiring tactical, coordinated decisions from adventuring parties.

Also see this: http://www.ddo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18648&pos tcount=18

Unique?

[CoffeeJedi]

...unique new online campaign world
how is it unique? every other mmorpg has expanded the basics of D&D to fit an online persistant world, what can they possibly do now to make themselves "unique" when everyone's already copied their style? force everyone to role-play somehow?

hmm, maybe have a filter that would translate OOG chatter, like the word "car" would become "horse-cart" and "yo whuddup bitch!" would turn into "forsooth yon shrewish maiden!"