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Dungeons and Dragons Online Beta Impressions

The NDA for the Dungeons and Dragons Online Beta is now a thing of the past. F13's piece prior to the lifting of the NDA is a good place to get started. They also have a lively discussion going, discussing all aspects of the upcoming game, which launches February 28th. From the f13 piece: "The most important thing to understand about DDO is Turbine is trying a different take on the genre. People looking strictly for a WoW clone in a D&D flavored wrapper won't find it. For some that may be a good thing, for others not so much. Oh to be sure, it has a lot of the same trappings as your previous favorite graphical-Diku-mud; after all, most fantasy computer role playing games owe a little or very large portion of their structure to the granddaddy of all pen and paper rpgs, Dungeon & Dragons. So it comes as no surprise to find this game with familiar fantasy races, defined character classes, and easily recognizable fantasy monsters, magic items and spells. But, as I have grown fond of saying these last several years, the devil's in the implementation. To that end, DDO is almost as easily defined by what it is NOT as by what it IS."

148 comments

  1. Great looking game by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1, Insightful

    and the basic game itself is pretty impressive in implementation.

    Unfortunately, making any real progress while soloing is completely impossible. This has gone back and forth throughout beta. At the present time, due to "diminishing returns" when you re-enter a dungeon, you can forget "leveling through perseverence".

    I don't group with strangers, and my friends are only available occasionally (and the chat system is abysmal, which makes identifying competent players with which to group extremely difficult), so I'll be passing on this one.

    --
    "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    1. Re:Great looking game by sheared · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The game seems to me to be Guild Wars with DnD rules. The meat of the game play is in an instanced dungeon with you and your party members. They should have taken the Guild Wars approach to henchmen and given you the option of several styles of NPC party members. I might consider doing it that way. I'm in the same boat as the original author: I don't group with strangers and my friends are on rarely (if at all).

      Plus, I'm not paying monthly to play a game 2-4 hours per week (if that much). Either use Guild Wars payment approach or have some kind of tiered payment for the casual gamer such as myself. I'm not subsidizing server and bandwidth costs for all the folks with 80 hours/week available to play.

    2. Re:Great looking game by Bellum+Aeternus · · Score: 1
      "and the chat system is abysmal, which makes identifying competent players with which to group extremely difficult"

      IMO, the entire UI is abysmal dark grey and tan with random amounts of transparency, too much chrome, and everything can be accidentally dragged about... I'm passing too.

      I was a AD&D geek growing up and had high hopes for this game, but like AC2 this is another Turbine flop IMO. Of course you're welcome to your own, but I'm suggesting against this one for anybody who like the speed of CoH and/or the balance of WoW.

      --
      - I voted for Nintendo and against Bush
    3. Re:Great looking game by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1

      I have to agree. If I could hire NPCs, the game might be salvageable. As it sits, I won't be subscribing. I (as you) will not pay the server fee for the players that can actually spare the time to group up all the time.

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    4. Re:Great looking game by tsm_sf · · Score: 1, Funny

      but I'm suggesting against this one for anybody who like the speed of CoH and/or the balance of WoW.

      With an opinion like that you can only be a Shaman.

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
    5. Re:Great looking game by MBraynard · · Score: 4, Insightful
      You, your parent, and grandparent should note.

      The problem is not with the game, it is with how you want to play a game.

      Your criticism is Useless and meaningless. You cannot criticize an SUV for not going really really fast, and you should not critizice an MMO for not playing like a single-player RPG.

      It almost seems incomplete without a similar line about "whaaaa - I paid for the game at the store why do I have to keep paying each month - whaaaaa" (though there are doubtlessly a few dozen of those posted below, no doubt)

      Unfortunately, this moronic ejaculation by all three of you completely qualifies you to write game reviews for a living. Congratulations.

    6. Re:Great looking game by KingSkippus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd kill for a mod point right now. I'm so glad that SOMEONE finally pointed out the obvious.

      This is a source of some frustration to me. People buy an MMORPG, then complain that it's not soloable. If I wanted a soloable game, I wouldn't be buying an MMORPG! I guess these folks' reason for wanting an MMORPG is just so that they can see other avatars running around, not actually interact with them.

      Jeez, as a computer geek, I'm about as antisocial as the rest of you, but at least I have the gumption to fire off an invitation to team up every once in a while. Frankly, this is precisely why one should want an MMORPG! I've met many cool strangers through MMORPGs, people I now consider new friends. There's hardly ever a shortage of these folks I know now online to team up with, and I enjoy doing so immensely.

      So seriously, folks, stop complaining that your MMORPG is not conducive to solo play. Stop trying to convince the developers of MMORPGs that they should make your solo character so very powerful that you can accomplish anything in the game without having to (gasp!) talk to anyone else. As the parent said, if that's what you want, go buy a single-player RPG.

      Have any of you complainers actually ever even played the old paper-and-pencil Dungeons and Dragons game? If so, how fun was it to solo that?

      (sigh)

    7. Re:Great looking game by sheared · · Score: 1

      I assume then, that your life and schedule will allow you to spend hours on end playing the game online. I on the other hand do not have hours to spend waiting for invitations to be accepted, firing off more invitations when the first group had a some kind of freak who made the game unplayable or when half the group dropped, and then having to spend the time finishing the instanced, unsavable quest.

      ON THE OTHER HAND. In Guild Wars, me and one, or maybe two friends, can pull in 3-4 NPC characters and have an enjoyable time without having to spend all the effort looking for 3-4 non-idiot real people to play with. I can do this once or twice a MONTH, and not worry about paying $15/month to do so.

      Not solo play, but not forcing me into huge groups that I don't want to be in either, and not forcing me to play 50 hours to justify the expense. See the difference?

    8. Re:Great looking game by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Thanks for your OPINION, but a significant number of players disagree with you.

      I never said that I wanted to solo ALL the time, but I do want options when my friends are not available. I do not choose to include grouping with J Random Stranger as one of those options. I've played these games for YEARS and life (and my available gaming time) is too short to waste my time on what is 99% of the time a frustrating and fruitless effort. The chat system in DDO is absolutely horrible, and it's actually a vast improvement over the interface available in Alpha. Simply put, it makes the process of putting a party together even more painful and fruitless as it is in other games.

      As to "soloing" PnP D&D, I've done it. Way back in the 80's when I was in High School, there were very few of us that played. Often only two of us had time to play. In those situations one would GM and the other would pad out his "party" with henchmen. Not ideal, but honestly what fucking business is it of yours what I or anyone other than yourself enjoy anyhow?

      To those saying "you're playing it wrong": Bullshit. I'm playing the way I'm going to get maximum enjoyment out of it. I fucking well WILL judge a game and its suitability based on MY criteria.

      It's not like I'm asking them to change the game to suit me. I'll simply take my dollar elsewhere. There are plenty of MMOs out there with content available for people who want to solo, rather than hang out and try to scrape up a group of griefers and AOL kiddies. I'll play one of those.

      I will NOT be silent about why though.

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    9. Re:Great looking game by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1
      IMO, the entire UI is abysmal dark grey and tan with random amounts of transparency, too much chrome, and everything can be accidentally dragged about... I'm passing too.


      It's a vast improvement over what was there in alpha (and at least now you can lock down the shortcut buttons), but yea it's hardly ready to ship... there's a lot of what I had assumed were place-holder graphics still in the UI.
      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    10. Re:Great looking game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being Massively Multiplayer shouldn't mean that you have to be in a group to make meaningful progress in the game.
      What Guild Wars really provides you with is choice; wait until your friends are online, try to group with some of the less slack jawed randoms about the place, or just grab some henchmen and go.

      Almost invariably, you are going to have a better experience if you choose to group with people than if you are forced to group with people.

      Personally, having played several MMORPG's, I have neither the time nor inclination to pay a monthly fee for a game which is going to leave me feeling like I'm wasting money if I don't spend 20 hours a week trying to find a bunch of Norwegian teenagers who want to go into the same dungeon...

      Anyway, they're not complaining that it's not condusive to solo play, they're saying they're not going to play it because (presumably) like me, that model doesn't fit the way they like to play.

    11. Re:Great looking game by sdhankin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I've heard this comment (or others like them) many times, and I've never understood them. As much as it is a genre of games, a MMORPG is a game implementation. Why would anyone want to play it alone?

      Let's see:

      1) The world is vast and fun to explore
      2) It's fun to play the character classes in that world
      3) The battle system is varied and interesting
      4) The story line is compelling

      Get the picture? Notice how often I mentioned other on-line players?

      A game is either fun or it's not; whether it happens to be implemented on-line is irrelevant. I've played Guild Wars since it came out, and I've had a blast. I haven't grouped at all. Horrors! I've been playing an on-line game like I'd have played it if it were off-line. My god - where are the police when you need them?

    12. Re:Great looking game by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Some people prefer the social interaction to occur outside of combat and combat to be solo. At the very least they want to be able to play for a bit when there is nobody they can group with. let's also not forget taht in every mmorpg there are classes that can get groups anytime and classes that are only picked if there is nobody else on. In this game there appears to be no social interaction outside of combat so that does knock out one of these reasons for soloing.

    13. Re:Great looking game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you can't criticize an SUV for not going fast, but you certainly can say that you won't be purchasing an SUV BECAUSE it doesn't drive fast.

      I doubt you've ever spent much time in an MMORPG or you'd know that much of your time is spent soloing.

      The parent posters had valid points. If you want to be an apologist for this game, that's your issue, not theirs.

    14. Re:Great looking game by owyn999 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So you have actually played the DnD Online. The groups don't need to be huge, usually a group of about 3-4 PC's of the quests level plus one of the next level up... and I played for 3-4 hours a night while my test machine was running and had no problem finding groups when I wanted them. The LFG option is a good one. My only problem with the game is that I am going to have to pay to play after the release date... I had a few problems during the beta but nothing to huge. The balance of characters is very good. The only down side was the fact that you almost always needed a Rogue for all the traps. Someone needs to think that one through. A few of the side quests were a pain though like the friggin boss parts of the Sewer Quest part III. now I'm not quite sure I liked the leveling scheme but that is something that I may find out more about once I get into the game better. I just hope that the world expands for some more outdoor quests ontop of everything else. And maybe even adding in a jobs function much like that in the old SW:Galaxies, for those that want to do something like that.

      --
      Where's that cap to the Decanter of Endless water???
    15. Re:Great looking game by Lord_Pain · · Score: 1

      Have any of you complainers actually ever even played the old paper-and-pencil Dungeons and Dragons game? If so, how fun was it to solo that?

      Amazing. I have played the old game. Before there was an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

      So I realize how retarded your statement actually is. A Dungeon Master controls the interaction of NPC's and monsters with the player as well as "write" the story. A computer game has all that taken care of already. Including a MMORPG. So you cannot effectivly solo in a PnP game. But you can in a computer based game.

      I have bumped into enough folks who seems to be awefully impressed with their own opinions. People can play a game anyway that they want. If the game doesn't match then they leave. Simple. The parent post only made an observation that is relevent to folks who view games the same way. Then we have self absorbed types getting all riled up.

      To get bent out of shape over someone's opinion is sheer idiocy.

      --
      -- What's this '-r *' file doing here? -- Oh well, a simple 'rm' should do the trick.
    16. Re:Great looking game by drsquare · · Score: 1

      I'm in the same boat as the original author: I don't group with strangers and my friends are on rarely (if at all).

      Perhaps you're better off with a single RPG rather than a MORPG.

      Considering how successful the subscription model is, why would they change it just to suit a few people who don't like it?

      Anyway if it were free you'd just get all the kids who can't afford to play WoW.

    17. Re:Great looking game by drsquare · · Score: 0

      Not ideal, but honestly what fucking business is it of yours what I or anyone other than yourself enjoy anyhow?

      It's not him who's telling people how to run their game. If you don't like it don't play it. I don't go into a butcher's complaining they don't sell vegetables, just because the one I used to go to sold them.

      The original D&D wasn't a solo player game so I don't see why you should expect this one to be as well. Just the Slashdot sense of entitlement rearing its ugly head again.

    18. Re:Great looking game by Bellum+Aeternus · · Score: 1

      With an opinion like that you can only be a Shaman.

      Actually, a Mage. Go figure - still, WoW is the best balanced MMORPG, IMO.

      --
      - I voted for Nintendo and against Bush
    19. Re:Great looking game by sakshale · · Score: 1
      1) The world is vast and fun to explore
      2) It's fun to play the character classes in that world
      3) The battle system is varied and interesting
      4) The story line is compelling

      I wish I had a mod point. You've hit the nail right on the head!

      Spending 45 minutes to put together a group, followed by a half hour to get the group to the hunting location, only to have a wipeout because one player doesn't have a clue, followed by another half hour of recovery... then log off as my two hours of game time runs out... Definately fun, fun, fun.

      My son, who started playing table top D&D at the age of ten, lasted two days in Beta. The lack of anyway to advance solo ended his interest in the game. I won't purchase an evaluation copy, for just that reason. I wish them success, but I won't be playing. It is simply not my style.
      --
      For every problem there is a solution that is simple, obvious and wrong.
    20. Re:Great looking game by C0rinthian · · Score: 0

      No one is making you play the game. Seriously, if you don't have the time to play an MMO, don't play an MMO. There's no reason to expect the Developers to change a game that OTHERS might enjoy just because you don't. If Guild Wars fills your needs better, play that.

      Games should not appeal to everyone. It's okay for games to be different, and to appeal to different people. The variety is interesting.

    21. Re:Great looking game by Lonewolf666 · · Score: 1

      While I agree that a MMORPG is mainly for playing together, you may not always find a good group. In that case, it is quite OK if you can do some easier stuff on your own.

      And the real reason for this reply:
      Unfortunately, this moronic ejaculation by all three of you completely qualifies you to write game reviews for a living. Congratulations.
      If I had mod points at the moment, this would bring you a -1, Flamebait. Insulting people because you disagree with them is really low and one of the reasons Slashdot sucks sometimes.

      --
      C - the footgun of programming languages
    22. Re:Great looking game by MBraynard · · Score: 0
      Maybe you can't criticize an SUV for not going fast, but you certainly can say that you won't be purchasing an SUV BECAUSE it doesn't drive fast.

      It's just not a useful comment to anyone to say that. It's like me having posted here and saying 'there is no way I am playing this sucky game - I only like FPSs.' It would be modded troll, appropriatly so. It's the kind of comment you would expect from a socially inept fool.

      I doubt you've ever spent much time in an MMORPG or you'd know that much of your time is spent soloing.

      Au contraire. I have spent way to much time in them. Much of your time is spent soloing in them, true, but this is not a soloing MMORPG - and NO time is spent soloing playing D&D, which is what this game is suppose to reflect.

      The parent posters had valid points. If you want to be an apologist for this game, that's your issue, not theirs.

      Turbine sucks. I'd never buy anything from them. I just find these posts obnoxious where someone makes a game and rather than criticizing it on the merits, someone criticizes it for something entirely irrelevant. A lot of that goes on here. You don't like Halo 2? Why? Because you can't play it with a mouse and keyboard? Etc. (disclaimer, yeah, smarty pants, I know you can play with a mouse and keyboard if you want to).

    23. Re:Great looking game by Dachannien · · Score: 1

      Sounds like you spend a bit too much time on the WoW forums. Bitterness abounds, no?

      Anyway, the biggest reason why the ancestor posters have reason to complain is that Turbine didn't just make another MMOG. They made a Dungeons and Dragons MMOG, probably the only one that will get made, at least within the next five years. This means that, for example, people who suck at twitch games are denied their chance to play in a MMOG environment using the D&D mechanics they love. Had Turbine developed their own setting, it would be no problem, but they didn't - and so the public has the justification to complain when Turbine's take doesn't mesh with the public's take.

    24. Re:Great looking game by snuf23 · · Score: 1

      You have an opinion. No need to be rude about it.
      I agree that you should be grouping most of the time in an MMO. I don't agree that you should not have anything else to do in the game. Any components that can't be soloable.
      I live outside the continental United States and as a result I'm not online during prime hours. While I can frequently get a group, there are nights when I have game time and there is no one to game with. And yes I'm including pickup groups, not just guild mates or real life friends. During these times I like to be able to do something solo to further my character's development. I'm not expecting to solo run through hard dungeons or kill hard monsters, or to be able to do every quest/mission in the game solo. I'm not even asking that I get as much XP soloing. I just want there to be something for me to do solo when I log in - in case:

      1. I can't find a group

      or

      2. It takes a long time to get a group

      --
      Sometimes my arms bend back.
    25. Re:Great looking game by llefler · · Score: 1

      Other people get me killed. In WoW, my rogue solos in places where a group would get wiped out. Particularly when all the group members don't know each others combat styles and adjust accordingly. I spend more time chatting with friends than questing with them.

      --
      It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. -- Harry Truman
    26. Re:Great looking game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read more carefully. The first poster noted that the chat system was abysmal, making it hard to find suitable companions. That is a failure of an MMO to provide a suitable medium for engaging in the multiplayer aspect of the game.

      And there are a lot of players out there who have the same view - we don't all have 40 guild-mates logged on constantly, and pick-up groups are just awful in general. We don't want single-player RPGs as you suggest - consider instead that we might want constant updates and content additions, and the advantages of in-game trading and discussion.

      These are the opinions of casual gamers who could be interested in an MMORPG, but are turned away by its unfriendliness to those who don't have time to contribute to a guild, or the patience to deal with the hordes of 12 year old kids who want to go half-way through a dungeon before going link-dead to go play Yu-gi-oh.

    27. Re:Great looking game by s0l0m0n · · Score: 1

      I've run several pen and paper campaigns where players solo'd, just one player and me as the DM. This allows for interesting character developement outside of the traditional group quest adventure. It also allows for play to continue when one or more players are not available.

      Just a thought on PnP.

    28. Re:Great looking game by The-Trav-Man · · Score: 1

      Maybe if you did complain the butcher would consider selling vegetables. Squeeky wheel, grease and all that. A sense of entitlement isn't necessarily a bad thing

    29. Re:Great looking game by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      4) The story line is compelling

      Most of those things are done better by offline games. Although some games fall short, those aspects could be improved much quicker and easier in an offline game, if there was much demand for it.

      Horrors! I've been playing an on-line game like I'd have played it if it were off-line. My god - where are the police when you need them?

      It's not the police we should be looking for, but the Invisible Hand of economic efficiency.

      By playing an online game as if it were offline, you are paying a lot of money for something you know you'll use only a little of. Instead of $50 + $15/month, you could have a solo game for $30.

      Just look at the amount of effort that's put in. The majority of the design, programming, and testing effort goes into things that are irrelevant to you. (Balance between players? Network lag? Client-side cheating? That's irrelevant for an offline game). There's a whole major category of network infrastructure that you're paying for, but deriving little benefit from.

    30. Re:Great looking game by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      He seems to be mostly talking about Guild Wars though, and there's hardly more to pay for that game than an off-line game.

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    31. Re:Great looking game by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      Spending 45 minutes to put together a group, followed by a half hour to get the group to the hunting location, only to have a wipeout because one player doesn't have a clue, followed by another half hour of recovery... then log off as my two hours of game time runs out... Definately fun, fun, fun.

      Yes, this isn't fun, but fortunately there's great and friendly gaming communities out there, that's even nice enough to *want* you to have fun. I'm a member of one myself. There's people from all over the world in it, kids as well as parents. When we go out on a quest, we always try to cover each others backs, don't try to blame people at first opportunity, patiently wait if someone has to go for some unexpected real-life business, etc. In short, it has a lot to do with which community you play with. Playing just with random pickup groups can be alright, but often is not, unfortunately.

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  2. the "lively discussion" by kongjie · · Score: 1

    ...seems to require registration on F13.net.

    1. Re:the "lively discussion" by schild · · Score: 1

      Fixed. Apologies. Toggle boxen are hard.

      --
      schild
      editor, f13.net
    2. Re:the "lively discussion" by kongjie · · Score: 0, Troll

      Cool, thanks. Could you also port the game to Mac please? LOL.

    3. Re:the "lively discussion" by kongjie · · Score: 1

      Cripes, get a sense of humor. I was joking that he fixed the link so quickly that perhaps he could get the game ported just as quickly...

  3. Nerfing by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Here's what I see happening:

    When the game is released, the classes and creatures will feel a lot like they are described in the rulebooks. After a while, they'll nerf this and boost that until we are left with a game that is D&D in name only.

    You'd think that after what, 25 years, the rules would be fairly well tweaked out. But once you move from 5 friends on a table to 5,000,000 on a server, some things will have to change.

    --
    I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
    1. Re:Nerfing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      But once you move from 5 friends on a table to 5,000,000 on a server, some things will have to change.

      Not only that, but when you move from a flexible system limited only by the imaginations of the people playing it to a rigid system limited to what's been written in code, some things will definitely have to change.

      Also, there is no DM in D&D Online. With the pencil and paper version of the game, players who exploit loopholes in the rules can be dealt with very quickly, because the DM is there to arbitrate. In the online game, the only option is to change things in a patch.

      No computer game is ever going to perfectly reproduce pencil and paper role playing, but hopefully they can come pretty close. D&D Online doesn't seem to be the closest you can get to the tabletop game, but it's a step in the right direction at least.

    2. Re:Nerfing by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      Yes, because game rules in MMORPGs are implemented client side.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    3. Re:Nerfing by thesandtiger · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The person you're responding to didn't say that the rules were kept client side. He mentioned that players might exploit loopholes in the rules, not edit them to their whim.

      The person's point seemed to be "If someone abuses a flaw in the rules in a Pen and Paper game, the DM can shut them down right away. If someone abuses a flaw in the rules of an on-line game, since there is no DM or omnipresent authority, they'll be able to get away with it."

      Which I agree with. PnP is different from MMO, and ultimately the rules will have to change (on the server side, of course) in order to accomodate those differences and still keep things enjoyable.

      --
      Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
    4. Re:Nerfing by shaitand · · Score: 1

      I dunno. The perfect ruleset always seem to be a combination of 1st and 2nd Edition rules, most things went downhill in 2nd Ed. and continued to go downhill from there.

    5. Re:Nerfing by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      He also said that the developers need to release a patch to fix problems in the rules. You don't release patches for server updates.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    6. Re:Nerfing by thesandtiger · · Score: 1

      Actually, there have frequently been patches to the client that have fixed possibilities of exploiting in many MMOs. I don't know if Diablo II counts as an "mmo" but they did change the client in order to diminish the amount of "hidden" information that could be obtained.

      Further, he didn't say "patch the client" - he just said "patch" and left it to be ambiguous - servers get patches, too.

      Anyway, was the initial poster's point actually unclear? There was sufficient context to reduce the ambiguity.

      --
      Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
  4. Not much difference by Nasarius · · Score: 2, Informative
    But once you move from 5 friends on a table to 5,000,000 on a server, some things will have to change.

    Not so much, really. From the article: all quests take place in private instances.

    --
    LOAD "SIG",8,1
    1. Re:Not much difference by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 1

      As do WoWs. That still does not prevent instances where 50 or more people take part in a raid. How will D&D adapt in a landscape where 50+ people expect a 5+ hour raid culminating with a single bad guy?

      --
      I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
    2. Re:Not much difference by VGPowerlord · · Score: 1
      Not so much, really. From the article: all quests take place in private instances.

      As do WoWs.

      All of WoWs quests take place in instances? You must be playing a different WoW than I am. Mine is World of Warcraft, and it has many more quests that take place outside of instances than inside of instances.

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
    3. Re:Not much difference by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 1

      I'd say that well over 90 percent of World of Warcraft's quests take place outside of Instances.

    4. Re:Not much difference by aztektum · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm in the beta for DnD. This isn't anything like WoW. It's more like Guild Wars. You create a party and get an instanced dungeon for your party. It has a lot of the DnD "atmosphere" with text descriptions of the scene quickly popping up when you move through areas to replicate the DM feel. All in all the feeling of the game is actually cool. Pubs and inns have wonderful atmosphere, the music is catchy, and you feel like you're really almost there. I haven't progressed too far into higher levels though, so I can't say much about that. I will need to find more free time to play before it launches though, so I can see if it will be worth it to buy. (and help report bugs too of couse)

      --
      :: aztek ::
      No sig for you!!
    5. Re:Not much difference by Flendon · · Score: 1

      The most you will see on a raid is 12-18 people. The longest quests take slightly over an hour.

      --
      chown -R us ./base
    6. Re:Not much difference by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      Umm, raids are capped at 40. Still a lot of people, but there's no reason to exaggerate.

    7. Re:Not much difference by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      If it's like GW and clearly more instanced than, say, WoW, why is it pay-to-play exactly?

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  5. the fun doesn't last very long by papaver1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    it's really fun and addictive for about 2-3 months. Then the glory really just dies. The main problem with how the game is setup that as stated above you can only get xp by finishing a quest completely. and all of the early quests are geared for either full grps or lone fighters. try soloing a dungeon as a mage and you'll pretty much end up dead. This then leads to masses of people only playing the dungeons that grant the most XP. but ofcourse playing a dungeon to many time will lead to no xp. overall the graphics and sound is pretty good though. I loved my 3 months i played hard-core but i def. will not pay to play it.

    1. Re:the fun doesn't last very long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      try soloing a dungeon as a mage and you'll pretty much end up dead.

      Uhhhhh No shit? Honestly you're playing a mage, they're not solo characters. None of the characters in D&D really are at all.

  6. I enjoyed DDO! by kafka47 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    To say it sweetly : the best aspect of DDO is the gameplay. It seems as though all of Turbine's efforts have been focussed on that. And you know what? GOOD ON THEM. Its not perfect, but once you get past the two biggest problems - a somewhat sputtery UI and the generally muddy character of the graphics, you'll have fun.

    Combat : Here is where DDO shines. As a MMORPG, it blends click with dodge very nicely. I can backstab, jump, tumble, climb, and never feel like I'm doing "the WoW thing" (aggro-heal-tank repeat) by just standing there and pressing my combos. Firing my bow yields a satisfying woosh-thunk. Wielding my dagger from the shadows is a treat when I do it right. Its somewhat disappointing to hear there's no PvP in the game, but they promise it will come. In the end, the RPGs that are about fighting stuff should make sure that the task is fun. WoW is not. DDO most definitely is!

    Gameplay : Aside from combat, the instances are very interesting. Even though the adventures I experienced were basically linear channels through a dungeon, I still felt like I was exploring and discovering. There are environment puzzles to solve and secret doors to find. Very different from every MMORPG that I've ever played, and I have to admit quite satisfying.

    The World : The hub style of MMO really bums me out, for many reasons. Every aspect of the gameplay exists within private instances. Groups are found in the town areas, ala Guild Wars. Due to this, all open-ended gameplay disappears and is replaced by simple, directed instancing. Your mileage may vary, but I prefer plundering vast open plains and mountains. Worlds are fun. Boxes less so.

    Story : Hrm. I saw very little "story" in the game. None of the NPCs even speak, so this generally bleeds away any characterization or drama from the experience. Perhaps there will be larger "world arcs" to follow in the actual game.. I'm hoping so.

    And thats about all I have time to say. Will I get the game? Well, seeing as how I'm a fan of Dungeons and Dragons and RPGs I will definitely be there on opening night. Whether I see enough to justify the monthly fee remains to be seen. I have high hopes, and my experience thus far has been quite positive. Will it unseat WoW? Doubtful. But rest assured, its the best WoW alternative out there.

    Just my humble opinion.

    ./kafka

    1. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by mthornton · · Score: 1

      They WILL NOT be including PvP in the game, the devs have said this repeatedly on the betaforums. I think the gameplay is sorely lacking just because combat is just a right-click fest and all a session goes as follows:
                      Log in try to find group
                      Go to portal and warp into the instance
                      Run around right clicking
                      Repeat ad nauseum.
      The couple months I played it were all right but overall the game isn't that fun.

    2. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by Thedeviluno · · Score: 1

      I say save your cash and buy NWN2 when it comes out. I have barely scratched the surface of NWN, nevermind the expansions and 1000+ modules. D&D has always depended on strong story telling for its atmosphere and furthermore Turbine had no problem killing its last child to produce this abomonation.

    3. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by nanowired · · Score: 1

      "D&D has always depended on strong story telling for its atmosphere"

      This will seem like a troll, but its based off 3rd ed. If you check the Dungeon Masters Manual for that monstrosity, it says specificly "The Primary job of the DM is to make sure combat runs smoothely" - not to create an awesome adventure. There are thousands of adventeres I have seen where combat is what happens when you screw up.

    4. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by FictionPimp · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I wont be buying either. I bought NWN because it had a linux client. In fact I bought it 2 times. Once for NWN, then the 2 expansions, and once to get them all on a single DVD. But I wont buy NWN2 becuase there will be no linux client.

    5. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by brkello · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      So let me get this straight. The guy makes a post about NWN (which is off topic). All he says is that "I won't buy this because it doesn't have a linux client" and it gets modded up? What's wrong with you mods? Just because it has a pro-linux statement in it doesn't make it useful or relevant. It's a fairly stupid post too. It's like saying: I refuse to buy any game that is mac only. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't have a mac.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    6. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by johnnliu · · Score: 1

      Just curious about how the click-timing works if you are on a less than desirable connection (ping) to the server. Say, if you were playing from overseas.

      First in PvE, and later in PvP.

      Just from experience in WoW, ping-delays really affect many things - timing that stun, counterspell, shock, etc. On a really lagged day you might even have trouble hitting someone as he sprint around the map like someone from the matrix.

    7. Re:I enjoyed DDO! by kafka47 · · Score: 1

      You can play with the 'click and dodge' approach, or resort to the less time-sensitive static attacks. You're certainly not locked into either, but just make sure you have lots of healing potions. :-) If you're far from the server this method might work better for you. I hear there are lag issues, but hopefully those will be resolved when the game goes live. /Kafka

  7. Guild Wars with a monthly fee by analog_line · · Score: 0, Troll

    I didn't like Guild Wars enough to buy it in the first place (friends bought it, I didn't steal it). I can't think of a single reason why I'd want to pay a monthly fee for basically the exact same thing.

    1. Re:Guild Wars with a monthly fee by I(rispee_I(reme · · Score: 1

      Won't somebody think of the Beholders?

  8. My thoughts... by garylian · · Score: 5, Informative

    I got into the closed beta a day after the FilePlanet Stress Test was over.

    Don't get this game expecting to solo. A lot of folks have pissed and moaned about that, but they are trying to be pretty true to the Pen and Paper (PnP) rules and designs. You almost never see a DM spend all this time to create a world, dungeons, and the like, and then have them sit down at a table with a lone player with a lone character. Get over your wish to solo. It's a MMO. You are supposed to be grouping!

    With the launch set for the 28th, there are a ton of bugs still in the game. They finally got the party and voicechat server fixed after a week of downtime. They have a good half dozen important quests that are broken. They have had to close one dungeon due to an exploit that was being done ad naseum by players abusing invisibility. Characters are still in their skivvies on the Character Select screen. Some characters die and can't rez when they release from their corpse. Some folks have gotten stuck in the Marketplace for more than a week. And the bank has been known to randomly lose items.

    They are taking their time in between beta patches. I'd like to see some of these things tested in house and then pushed into the beta quicker, but they are making progress. The fix some things, and have proven to be cautious in how they work. Circle-strafing was a huge problem, so they did a tweak to make the mobs work better against it. Now it is a little less effective, but still works darn well. I expect another fix to that tactic.

    There is a significant lack of content. While Turbine expects characters to repeat dungeons to gain XP and gear, it almost borders on the ridiculous. It is so bad that same folks deliberately don't level up, so they can gain XP at their last trained level, instead of the level they could be. Instead of losing out on groups due to their level, they just make sure they form their own groups. This lack of content means that they will have to have some expansions ready to go within 3 months, to keep customers happy. Not a healthy sign.

    The system of collectables to gain minor magic items gets really old after a while. They fill up your inventory, and many of them aren't worth the time, especially as you gain levels. By lvl 5, over half of them aren't worth the effort, but unless I keep a list out, I end up collecting the stupid things.

    Inventory space can be crowded, depending on your class and other things. But, there is a reason. Fighter types tend to carry one of every type of Bane weapon they can find, so they can whip out whatever works best for every mob. It borders on the absurd, really. Realistically, a character carrying a half dozen 2-handed weapons would trip over them constantly.

    Mob AI is pretty darn good. The mobs tend to choose spells to much better effectiveness than most MMOs, where they just cast 1-2 spells. Having an Arcane Skeleton cast CloudKill on your group, then switch to Fireball or Lightning Bolt is pretty effective. Ray of Enfeeblement, Curses, and the like are also thrown about liberally.

    There are more traps than you can shake a stick out. Rogues become a necessity for once in MMOs. However, trap placements are static in a dungeon. Do that dungeon a few times, and you start to remember where they all are. Really hurts, since the previously mentioned lack of content means you learn those dungeons by heart. I think I can find my way through some easier than I can get to the grocery store, now.

    The social part of the game leaves a lot to be desired right now. I hope it improves. Pickup groups, like in most MMOs, sucks. And at release, new players are going to get stuck playing with beta testers that know all the lvl 1-5 dungeons by memory, and are going to push through at breakneck speed in the grand effort to be highest level of that class, first. (The MMO version of the e-penis award, I guess.)

    I really want to track down my old PnP group, which has scattered around the country after coll

    1. Re:My thoughts... by nanowired · · Score: 2, Informative

      "There is a significant lack of content. While Turbine expects characters to repeat dungeons to gain XP and gear, it almost borders on the ridiculous. It is so bad that same folks deliberately don't level up, so they can gain XP at their last trained level, instead of the level they could be. Instead of losing out on groups due to their level, they just make sure they form their own groups. This lack of content means that they will have to have some expansions ready to go within 3 months, to keep customers happy. Not a healthy sign."

      Actually I believe what has happened with this, is that theres Stunted content for the Beta. From what I understand, when the game opens up, there will even be such things as Prestige classes in the game.

    2. Re:My thoughts... by adam.skinner · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Right. So once it goes live, they're going to introduce a bunch of untested stuff? I find that hard to believe.

    3. Re:My thoughts... by Breakfast+Pants · · Score: 1

      One thing that is significant is that Turbine recently closed Asheron's Call 2 for good. After seeing where they took AC1 and where AC2 went, I have a strange feeling that most of the people responsible for AC1 don't exist at Turbine anymore.

      --

      --

      WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
    4. Re:My thoughts... by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "Don't get this game expecting to solo. A lot of folks have pissed and moaned about that, but they are trying to be pretty true to the Pen and Paper (PnP) rules and designs. You almost never see a DM spend all this time to create a world, dungeons, and the like, and then have them sit down at a table with a lone player with a lone character. Get over your wish to solo. It's a MMO. You are supposed to be grouping!"

      You must have played 2nd edition or higher. Somewhere they got obsessed with charts, rolls, and complex design and lost focus on gameplay. We always played with a combination of 1st and 2nd edition rules (mostly 1st ed) that allowed for simplified gameplay. If someone had a quest prepared then great, otherwise whoever felt like it would be the DM and approve characters of the level he felt like dming. Then he would game by the seat of his pants.

      We could never play those stupid box sets right because they limited actions that could be taken.

    5. Re:My thoughts... by dc29A · · Score: 1

      Right. So once it goes live, they're going to introduce a bunch of untested stuff? I find that hard to believe.

      Unfortunately MMOG makers often release untested stuff. WoW had major class overhauls a few weeks before release, EQ had shipped unfinished zones (far worse than untested) for ages with their expansions. It's nothing new.

  9. What a letdown! by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The non dungeon areas are basically public spaces for meeting up with other people and getting quests. There is no player economy to speak of (and no easy mechanism for one), no housing, no exploration beyond exploring the quest instances themselves, no pvp, no crafting, no elder game, and no wookie table dancing. In short, it's a D&D quest and combat game. Some people have said it's not even a "real" mmorpg at all, just a public hub and instance system like Guild Wars...

    So basically, it can't do anything new, anything Neverwinter Nights hasn't done for years. Plus, the review says combat rules are nothing like D&D and more like Diablo?!? Oh my, what a letdown. Wake me up when there is a persistent world that obeys D&D (or better: Hackmaster) rules.

    1. Re:What a letdown! by NBarnes · · Score: 1

      The bizzare fondness some people retain for D&D's core mechanics is a continual source of bafflement in my life. 3.0 and 3.5 represented a massive improvement over the honestly hallucinatory AD&D, but, really, you can't think of better systems?

      I'm interested in some of what I've heard about D&DO, but for me, the less slavishly adherant to a ruleset designed to make table-top play easier and more fun the game is, the more I'm inclined to give it a chance.

    2. Re:What a letdown! by nanowired · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Trust me, if it followed 3.5 rules to a letter, the world would be made up of squares, And even though tehre would be open space to the side of a mob, you wouldnt be able to pass because his square of space is too big.

    3. Re:What a letdown! by nanowired · · Score: 1

      "Oh my, what a letdown. Wake me up when there is a persistent world that obeys D&D (or better: Hackmaster) rules."

      Amen! I've got my hack frenzy and my hacklust :p

    4. Re:What a letdown! by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      That makes it sound a lot like they're just trying milk people on money by making it a MMORPG, when heavily instanced games like GW and Diablo has clearly proven that even with regular updates, you can make them free to play and find alternative business models with e.g. expansions.

      One of the reasons I always hesitate before purchasing a MMORPG is because I feel the developers may intentionally have slowed down the game and gone overboard in making repetitive actions so players will play the game for a longer time => more money for them. They can't think like that if they just base it on expansions, which e.g. GW has shown. At least with WoW, this seem to be the case. That game has ridiculous amounts of FedEx quests. Fetch me 10 purple flowers, fetch me 8 gargoyle hearts, fetch me 12 kitten paws, fetch me 9 sparkly rocks, kill a wizard and fetch me 1 tome, ... *sigh*

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  10. Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Hitto · · Score: 4, Insightful

    DO NOT PLAY MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES!

    Please understand that this is not a troll, but there's nothing more infuriating than trying to talk to some running-around asshat who won't even acknowledge you. Totally ruins the atmosphere, dontcha think?
    I mean, why log on to a server with well over thousands of players if it's only to do quests alone, play alone, and not even interact with other people? It's the basic premise of an MMORPG, roleplaying! Talking, drinking an ale at the inn while sharing stories, discussing current events, exchanging gossip, political information, creating ties between guilds/factions/whatnot, haggling for prices with a player craftsman, going in to feel how it would really be if you lived there! Not a chatroom with a fantasy backdrop! Not an FPS for people who can't aim, either.

    Soapbox session over.

    1. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by ebrandsberg · · Score: 1

      You need to try Eve Online from your complaints.

    2. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll make this simple for you.

      Most days, I have several hours, and want to group. Yes, WANT to group.

      Some days, I don't. I have a half hour.

      Grouping generally takes, at minimum, a half hour, to find a reasonably good group of even TWO people.

      Simply put, a good MMO -requires- the basicability to solo for at least half the content, even if its hard. Because most players will have to solo at some point. Period.

      When I have a half hour, I need to solo for that half hour, and actually gain something.

      It doesn't have to be nearly as much as grouping, but it does have to be something. End of story.

    3. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Hitto · · Score: 0, Troll

      This is exactly what I am talking about.
      Basically, MMORPG's were not supposed to be "quick, gotta run through this dungeon and gain XP and gold", they were supposed to be social interaction on a massive scale. You played a role, in a game. Get it?
      But nowadays, it's a fucking FPS for lousy shooters.

      But hey, if your idea of fun is treadmilling, don't let me stop you, and have fun being the brooding loner type, among the 50,000 other dark, brooding, loner types.

      Thanks for ruining the atmosphere everywhere you are, anonymous. GB2/b/!

    4. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      but there's nothing more infuriating than trying to talk to some running-around asshat who won't even acknowledge you. Totally ruins the atmosphere, dontcha think?

      Maybe the asshat is role-playing the village idiot or maybe he doesn't know the GUI. Or just maybe the person has /ignored you. I know I make liberal use of the /ignore function and never clean out my ignore list.

      Maybe the person is role-playing an important person and they can't be bothered by a peon like yourself.

      Maybe just maybe you need to take a break and go outside. It really is just a game. The first step in beating any addiction is admitting you have a problem.

    5. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1

      Here's a suggestion for you. Fuck off and mind your own business.

      What you like about MMOs is not the same as what I like, or what many others like. Soloers do not detract from your game, so why bitch about them?

      When I go to a bar, I go there to be in a place where other people are. I don't go to hook up with the first sorry hag that thinks I look lonely. Sometimes I go to meet up with friends, sometimes I go to have a drink.

      Same thing with MMOs.

      Not everyone is just like you. Those of us who are slightly less gregarious want, will pay for, and will continue to be a target market for these sorts of games.

      DDO has made a decision not to target soloers and that's fine. To make statements like "don't play any MMO if you ever want to solo" is simply assinine.

      --
      "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
    6. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Jaeph · · Score: 1

      I prefer to solo xp, group in PvP, and I enjoy trading on occasion.

      Am I allowed to play an MMO? Or are you really saying that I have to engage in your XP rituals your way in order to play?

      -Jeff

      P.S. Note that I have had more interaction with my guild then the PUG I was with on more than one occasion. Grouping together for XP is not the heigh of interaction by any extent.

      --
      Please learn the difference between a dissenting opinion and a troll before you moderate.
    7. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I mean, why log on to a server with well over thousands of players if it's only to do quests alone, play alone, and not even interact with other people?

      Oh, they do plan to interact with you, it's just a matter of time before they gank you. :)

    8. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      I've played a LOT of MMOs, and I have to say that the only reason one is ever going to be able to RP properly is to find an RP guild to play with. At least those specific interactions can be reasonably guaranteed to be RP. Otherwise you're at the mercy of playing with everyone else out there, the vast majority of which do not want to RP.

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    9. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by tribentwrks · · Score: 1
      I wouldn't mind stopping to chat, if people had something to say other than, "Do you know where I can rub my knob on the magical girth stone to gain level 5 Throbbing?" Or they've been playing the game so long that they can only speak in slang, which usually ends in "y" or "ie" - "Take your henchie to the blog circle where the draze grub on the numbies .." What?!!?

      So forgive me if I run past you in the future, I'm just trying to get my adventure fix or finish a task, until i can hook up with people I know.

    10. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Micklaine · · Score: 1

      While I agree with you on general principles, in the end, Turbine/WotC are out to make money. And there is money to be had with subscribers who are casual players who want to solo game most of the time (if not all). I am an MMO player myself who tends to group, but I also like to solo sometimes. I've never played DDO, but if there is little solo game it had better be very easy to form parties and quest together, or they will lose a chunk of subscribers that just don't care to socialize to play the game. Some just want to play alone (regardless of the fact that it is massively multiplayer). It's just good business to have a strong solo game even in a multiplayer scenario.

      -Mick

    11. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      My opinion is that you should find a game that fits your needs, instead of expecting all games to conform to those needs. (Not saying this to you specifically, just in general)

    12. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Jaeph · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Of course you should find a game that suits your style. But the parent said the tired, old "soloers shouldn't play mmorpgs", which is just silly. There are many forms of interaction, and group combat is only one of them (and not even that interactive, in many cases).

      Just to be clear - the DDO devs have every right to make a game that requires grouping, and I have every right not to play, and neither of those are evil. I'll find games, hopefully they'll find players (I mean that, I wish them the best), but our interests won't intersect.

      However, if you tell me that all online rpgs must require grouping at all time, then forget it. That's silly.

      -Jeff

      --
      Please learn the difference between a dissenting opinion and a troll before you moderate.
    13. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      /clap

    14. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      Sounds like we're on the same page here. I have no problem with people who want to solo in an MMO. I have a problem with those who expect EVERY game to have whatever element they want.

      You see the same thing happen with FPS's. Look at how people complained about the weak multiplayer in Doom 3, a decidedly single player game. Then you see people complain about the single player in Battlefield 2, which is focused on multiplayer.

    15. Re:Here's a suggestion for soloers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed. I despise the idiots in WoW and EQ who can't be bothered to type "shaman" or "paladin"...

  11. MMORPG players are a weird bunch by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Designing an MMORPG must be a bitch. It doesn't matter wich choice you make it will always upset someone who will bitterly complain that your game wich they have no intention of really paying for anyway is not exactly like the game they are paying for.

    Look at the reactions so far to DDO. It ain't WoW. Well no fucking shit sherlock. It never tried to be. In fact if you looked at the design docs it is very clear that they pretty much designed the game to be not WoW.

    The world doesn't need another WoW or EQ or Guild Wars or Age of Camelot or Lineage because all these games already exist.

    We get countless articles bemoaning that games are just endless sequels with no originilaty but beware the company that actually tries to do something different.

    So DDO does not have PvP. Must every MMORPG game have PvP? It reminds me of a few years ago when every game had to have a multiplayer mode no matter how silly. Or the days of the bubble when even the local bakery had to have a website.

    DDO also seems to want to get rid of the level grind. Levels are the bane of MMORPG games. Why? How much trouble do you have in forming a team for Capture the Flag in quake? Oh none? Just join and your in a group? Might this because there is no level in quake and anyone can group with anyone else?

    Now imagine quake where the longer you have had the game the more damage you do with your weapons. How attractive would it be to buy the game 3 months after launch? Yet this is exactly what happens in games like EQ1/2 and SWG NGE has added it as well. If your a real newbie then good luck. You will maybe wonder where the hell everyone is. Well they are in the high level areas wondering why there are no new players. Grouping up with a high level was added to EQ2 with the high level then lowering his level to yours but it is a pain. You got to find a really nice person who is willing to help you level up and that is exactly what they will be doing, trying to get you to level up as fast as possible. You even get more XP when being mentored to make the grind faster. The notion that its is the journey that matters not arriving seems not to exist in MMORPG land. Perhaps I am just a weirdo who likes to quest and doesn't care if it is at level 1 or level 1000th.

    Levels create yet more problems. If you have crafting then high levels usually have no need for low level crafters items. Low level crafters can only gain XP by grinding low level items. CUE SWG and its "bought" crafter levels where a player would get money being a combat class to then pay for grinding to master crafter. No new player wanted to be a pure crafter could make it work. You would simply go bankrupt.

    DDO seems to have dropped crafting altogether. Bad news for those who like a player run economy but at least it saves them a lot of problems. Since no game has ever gotten it right before.

    PvP is yet another Level nightmare. Obviously a level 10 is goint to beat a level 1. Great fun for the level 10 especially if the level 1 was AFK because noobs just deserve it you know (there may be nice PvP fans but I never seen one). PvP fans want to race to the highest level and then wack their e-penis at lower level players. Nothing a PvPer enjoys more then challenging players in the starter area to duels.

    DDO so far has 10 levels. Or does it? With 4 mini levels it could be said to have 40 levels. What of course really matters is how much difference there is between levels. Lets just say that a level 1 ddo player will get his ass handed back to him by a level 10 in the same way as a level 1 EQ player will get his ass handed to him by a level 60 EQ player. Oh and the ruleset for DDO allows for far higher classes. If they come you will have peasant players and virtual gods trying to exist in the same world.

    Will it avoid the level grinding trap of other MMORPG games or will it to have endless walktrhoughs for levelling up the fastest and then complaining there is not enough high level content and there just don't seem to be new players

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by MBraynard · · Score: 1
      DDO seems to have dropped crafting altogether. Bad news for those who like a player run economy but at least it saves them a lot of problems. Since no game has ever gotten it right before.

      Despite having a _steep_ learning curve, Eve does seem to have gotten the player run economy right.

    2. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by nanowired · · Score: 1

      "DDO also seems to want to get rid of the level grind. Levels are the bane of MMORPG games. Why? How much trouble do you have in forming a team for Capture the Flag in quake? Oh none? Just join and your in a group? Might this because there is no level in quake and anyone can group with anyone else?" Warning: theres an inflamatory tone to this - I do not have any ill will to the parent or his words, this is just part of the game taht gets my goat. Wait, did I miss something? Let me check...Nope, Theres still 10 times the amount of experience to level in DDO than in the game its based off of. For those who dont keep track, in 3rd ed, to get from lvl 1 to 2, you need 1000 exp. In this wonderful Masterpiece of Group-required Treadmilling, its 10,000. They TRY to balance this out by adding action points, but as you'll find out you can easily lose action points by mistake, or by trying to get something better out of the deal. Action points are spent on little things like a special racial or skill bonus. and to top this up more, if you play a straight fighter, you have no problems soloing stuff. If you play a creative class, like a bard or a wizard, you get throught the first few quests by the skin of your teeth, than out of nowhere you become unable to even finish a quest alone. sorry to the parent, I'm not trying to flame, this was just a big part of the game that got my goat.

    3. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by daygore · · Score: 1

      actualy there is one mmo that has "crafting" "right" EVE its almost entirely a player based enconime
      also i do think that the only game that has the hole leveling with others thing "right" is also eve there may be other games but its the only game that ive played were the only grip (witch all mmos suffer from at high use) is lag

    4. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by grimwell · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Grouping up with a high level was added to EQ2 with the high level then lowering his level to yours but it is a pain. You got to find a really nice person who is willing to help you level up and that is exactly what they will be doing, trying to get you to level up as fast as possible.

      Actually City of Heroes was the first to have this feature. If I'm remembering right, originally it allowed lower level toons to be a higher level toon's sidekick, artifically inflating the lower level's fighting abilities while near-by the high level character. Later they added the "reverse" sidekick/mentor option, allowing a high level character to be a low level character's sidekick and thus reducing the higher level's fighting abilities & available skills.

      Will it avoid the level grinding trap of other MMORPG games or will it to have endless walktrhoughs for levelling up the fastest

      I think levels in MMORPGs are here to stay, even if the game is more skills based(e.g. Asheron's Call) than level based(e.g Everquest). The levels are goals, something to be accomplished and from a publisher's point of view a reason to charge a monthly fee. It is also a "hook"... so close to leveling, must stay awake.

      FPS(e.g. Quake) don't charge a monthly fee to play. Well, maybe do now... I haven't played a FPS regularly since the FvF mod for Quake.

      Comparing FPS to MMORPG isn't really an apples-to-apples comparsion. MMORPG are basically graphical muds or at least that is how they started. Today's call for more PvP is moving MMORPG closer to FPS. The most interesting FPS+MMORPG hybrid I've played was Endless Ages. It was point&shoot combat, not point&click. A lvl 1 player could beat a lvl 10 player.

      On the crafting front, the biggest problem I've seen is the crafter is rarely able to make stuff usable(or desirable to use) at his level and/or better than loot drops. Crafting always seems to be an after-thought and no dicussion with loot devs. Haven't played enough Eve to comment on its crafting.

      --
      If the govt becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law, it invites man to become his own law, it invites anarchy
    5. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by drsquare · · Score: 1

      Designing an MMORPG must be a bitch. It doesn't matter wich choice you make it will always upset someone who will bitterly complain that your game wich they have no intention of really paying for anyway is not exactly like the game they are paying for.

      You mean the way you're bitching about every single MMORPG? You don't like fighting mobs (levelling), you don't like fighting other players, you don't like crafting, maybe that genre of game just isn't your thing.

    6. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      There are some serious issues with the economy in Eve, but most of those are player-created and not game flaws. The only 'flaw' with the game is that it allows so much freedom, that the players can really bork things up.

      Great game though...

    7. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by lazyl · · Score: 1

      Actually City of Heroes was the first to have this feature. If I'm remembering right, originally it allowed lower level toons to be a higher level toon's sidekick, artifically inflating the lower level's fighting abilities while near-by the high level character. Later they added the "reverse" sidekick/mentor option, allowing a high level character to be a low level character's sidekick and thus reducing the higher level's fighting abilities & available skills.

      I think you missed the point. He's saying that it should be possible to group with higher level characters (who don't have their stats adjusted) for the purpose of adventuring, not leveling.

      The levels are goals

      He's saying that they shouldn't be the primary goals. And I agree. The goals should be focused on adventuring and exploring and overcoming challenges, like the PnP game.

      In all the games today the focus is generally to aquire levels and to aquire loot (not including pvp related stuff). We have enough of those games. Wouldn't it be great to have a game where those goals were secondary to simply having fun and adventuring in the old fashion PnP style? There are some people who try to play WoW that way, but the experience is not very rewarding because all the content is designed for the other type of player; the one who just wants loot and xp.

      I think that this concept can be captured properly in a game and I'm waiting for someone to do it. NWN can do it but only because they turned over control of the content to the players. Maybe this game will be close; we'll see.

      --
      Aw crap, ninjas!
    8. Re:MMORPG players are a weird bunch by grimwell · · Score: 1

      I think you missed the point. He's saying that it should be possible to group with higher level characters (who don't have their stats adjusted) for the purpose of adventuring, not leveling.

      True, I was just nitpicking that CoH did it first.

      There is one game where high level characters can group with low level characters and neither party gets their stats adjusted... ToonTown. The game doesn't really have levels, its more skills based. But there aren't any restrictions on who can group with who. One does need to complete some "quests" to gain access to certain areas, tho.

      The game isn't bad and it entertained me for a while. It is geared more towards a gamer parent and his/her child but it still well done.

      In all the games today the focus is generally to aquire levels and to aquire loot (not including pvp related stuff). We have enough of those games. Wouldn't it be great to have a game where those goals were secondary to simply having fun and adventuring in the old fashion PnP style? There are some people who try to play WoW that way, but the experience is not very rewarding because all the content is designed for the other type of player; the one who just wants loot and xp.

      "Adventuring" can be a vague word, "fun" even more so. And that's the rub when creating a MMORPG. Creating a "fun adventure" that someone will be willing to pay a monthly subscription for it. Its easier to point out problems, than find solutions. ;)

      For me adventuring in a MMORPG generally means exploring a new region/dungeon. Usually killing stuff along the way but sometimes the adventure is just reaching a "high level" town without getting killed along the way. Or maybe getting an ingredient needed for crafting. Those tend to be solo adventures but sometimes I can recuit help to kill the monsters.

      WoW's world is much too small for anything other than xp grinding. The original Asheron's Call had a much bigger world and provided more than few exploration adventures for me & friends. Anarchy Online's world is pretty big too but doesn't random abandoned castles(filled with mobs to kill) that AC has. AO does have guided tours of areas, which are kinda neat. No level restrictions and you get some back story from a live human(the guide).

      Regardless of the world's size, eventually one runs out of places to explore.... at least until an expansion pack is released. But basically the virtual world is finite in size. AO does have dynamically created dungeons but they don't really count, its just a random generated floor plan.

      Not sure a MMORPG will ever really capture the fun and adventuring in the old fashion PnP style simply because the environment is too different. e.g. there is always a new area to explore. I agree that NWN(or Torque) are the best bet because the content is player created.

      You might want to check out A Tale in the Desert. They offer a free trial and both windows & linux clients.

      It is a completely different kind of MMORPG. It has a really strong and involved community. For example they(the players) are able to pass laws that affect the virtual world. There is no combat; just exploring, building stuff and completing trials. And for a twist it has an end. I played a bit in the "First Telling", while the eye candy isn't much it is an interesting game.

      In the end the real trick is finding like-minded adventurers and being able to all get online at the same time. After that its just making the most of what that virtual world has to offer. If that world doesn't have much to offer, then move on there's a ton of mmorpgs out there.

      I played/sampled the D&D beta and was completely unimpressed. And I've played a wide variety of mmorpg and some real B grade ones at that. To me it came off as a cross of AC2 & Guild Wars. Guild Wars is better.

      --
      If the govt becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law, it invites man to become his own law, it invites anarchy
  12. Guild Wars supports soloing very well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Here's a suggestion for soloers... DO NOT PLAY MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES!

    Wrong. A better suggestion is to find a MMOG that supports soloing. They do exist.

    Guild Wars supports solo and casual play fantastically well, because henchmen are available in towns for you to recruit into your team in place of other players. This eliminates at a stroke the "LFG downtime" problem that is so common in traditional MMOGs.

    And what's more, the AI of henchies in GW is extremely good, often better then the natural intelligence of players, and certainly more responsive to your demands and direction. It makes playing a pleasure.

  13. Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by Morgaine · · Score: 3, Insightful
    >> Pickup groups, like in most MMOs, sucks.

    Sadly, that's a universal truth. :-)

    After suffering the trials and tribulations of pickup groups in various MMOGs for some years now, I've finally found a solution that avoids the problems of pickup groups entirely: henchmen in Guild Wars:

    • Henchies don't leave in the middle of battle because Mum's called them for supper.

    • Henchies don't rush ahead and agro half the zone when the rest of the team isn't ready.

    • Henchies use strategy and tactics, and of course it's 100% compatible with your own strategy and tactics.

    • Henchies obey your unquestioned authority, and conversely, if anyone dies then you carry the full responsibility. It's refreshing that you can only blame yourself if things go wrong, and it makes success very rewarding.

    • Henchies do not give you the verbal crap that spews out of the mouths of 11 year olds and makes online multiplayer gaming so tedious.

    • Henchies of the various classes are always available, and will happily fill in for missing professions within player teams.

    • Henchies provide terrific support for "soloing" in the sense that no other players need be involved. Casual MMO-type gaming is at last possible.

    Henchmen are a wonderful answer to the many problems of building and playing with teams in MMOGs. It's sad to see that DDO doesn't provide their own version of GW's henchies, and therefore suffers all the old problems that player teams bring with them.
    --
    "The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
    1. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by nanowired · · Score: 1

      Honostly they should of done a Hackmaster online game. Much better game system, plus you can make a hysterical yet serious game out of it, with plenty of fun things to build content around.

      That, and Henchmen are a built in part of the game, and you have to make sure they stay happy, less you have a revolt :p

    2. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by simpsone · · Score: 1

      Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of playing an MMO. I guess you get all of the content that may continue to be created, but otherwise what's the purpose?

    3. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by NicklessXed · · Score: 1

      Why? There's still PvP. There is still questing with my guild. Only because henchmen are available doesn't mean you don't play with other humans anymore. It just means you aren't forced to group with a bunch of idiots if there is no one online you'd like to group with (friends, members of your guild...).

    4. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by shaitand · · Score: 1

      According to TFA none of these things exist in this game. There is no social interaction outside of dungeons, no pvp, and no trade either.

    5. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by drsquare · · Score: 1

      Please, can you never use the word 'henchies' ever again?

    6. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by slashrogue · · Score: 1

      Henchies? Not only does it sound completely ridiculous, but you're not even saving yourself on the typing. Henchmen. I have a feeling if you called them 'henchies' they'd melt your face.

    7. Re:Pickup groups, vs. henchmen in Guild Wars by NicklessXed · · Score: 1

      I was replying to the ppl who kept claiming that no MMORPG should ever, ever include the possibility of soloing/that using Henchies in GW "defeats the purpose of playing an MMORPG" (hint: GW isn't even an actual MMORPG). In this case, we are apparently facing horrid game design, judging by the points you mentioned. Of course, I wasn't in the beta, so I don't really know. If it forces me to play with PUGs, I definitely won't touch it, tho.

  14. Who did Turbine make this game for? by Shivetya · · Score: 1

    themselves! One of the major things that killed their last game, AC2, is that they made the game they wanted to play, not what the players were asking for.

    ---
    Ken Troop's comment (he is one of the mains behind this game)

    A large part of the lack of randomness in DDO is deliberate. Our philosophy has typically been very "anti-random". Personally, I have a very hard time caring or enjoying content that is either completely random, or scaled in difficulty based on, say, the size of my party. Where is the challenge? Where is the learnable/masterable experience? (Some of my best memories of early online MUD play are playing an area over and over again, learning how to succeed, learning how to master it -- if an experience is endlessly mutable, that thrill of mastery is gone).
    ---

    In other words, if he don't like it you ain't going to get it.

    Turbine is going to have to hope people see the "D&DO" part before their name. Too many gamers associate Turbine with cheating and exploiting for good reason.

    Turbine used to be run by dreamers, now its run my egotist and marketers.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:Who did Turbine make this game for? by NBarnes · · Score: 1

      Death to creative vision! Design by polling the userbase! What do these so-called 'designers' know? Power to the playerbase! Content design by committee! Make sure that Gokuu, Drizzizzttzz, Lagoles, and Pokeumaam have the same vote that you and I do!

    2. Re:Who did Turbine make this game for? by nanowired · · Score: 1

      Its more like Drizzizizizizizizizzt 32847238472389472389472398.

    3. Re:Who did Turbine make this game for? by drsquare · · Score: 1

      Hang on, on one hand you're criticising the developers for making a game that they'd enjoy playing. Then you're criticising them for making games based on marketing. Those two criticisms don't go together, you can have one or the other.

      What would you describe as a 'dreamer'? I'd guess someone who aimed for something they wanted, but according to you that's a negative so I really don't know what the fuck your opinion is, unless you've just got an agenda against Turbine that you can't really verbalise.

  15. Hack you DM for fun and profit! by BlueHands · · Score: 1

    because lord knows that no DM can every be exploited either....

    --
    I mod everyone down who says "I'll get modded down for this." I hate to disappoint.
  16. Regarding Instanced Dungeons: by Arivia · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The core idea of D&D has always been the adventuring group venturing into the dungeon to face the dangers, alone. There's possibly only ever been 1 dungeon in D&D that receives enough traffic to make a non-instanced dungeon feel right, and that's not in Eberron(Undermountain). As Turbine seems to be going to great lengths to make it feel authentic, the instanced quests make perfect sense.

    --
    The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. -Anais Nin
  17. I know I've posted a lot of replies... by nanowired · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So heres the final word as to why I dont like this game:

    The art style.

    Its not about weither or not its gritty. Its about the artist copying the bad dnd 3rd ed art. I can quote atleast one friend saying that the Elves look like they all have downs Syndrome. I know, probably spelt that wrong, but you get the picture. The art is just plain Ugly overall, and stickfigury.

    The only plus I've seen to it, is that it avoids the "Busty Female with no pants" syndrome. If the character = female, than they're armored to the gills just the same as the male counterparts.

  18. My experience with the stress test... by antdude · · Score: 2, Informative

    I played and posted my two cents on Blue's News on 12/14/2005:

    "I played it last night for an hour. It looks pretty especially the indoor places, but for some reason the engine wasn't smooth like WoW. I thought it was lags, but it was still not smooth even at 6 AM PST. Taverns (those are cool -- better than WoW's inns) are so laggy for me. Solo instances(?) are smoother, but not that smooth. Outdoor areas lag too for me. The game was choppy for me with everything ON and without antialias on my XFX NVIDIA GeForce 6800 (128 MB), Athlon 64 3200+, and 1.5 GB of RAM. I had turn things down like use billinear, distance view lowered, etc.

    I did not like its GUI. I think it was just too big especially when my maximum screen resolution is 1152x864. I prefer WoW's.

    I loved the character setup. I made a hot chick with red long hair [grin]. Its setup reminds me of City of Heroes and City of Villain's. I also like the video clips (I wonder how much disk space these took up) showing each player class. I played as a barbarian since I like meelee fightings. I only got off the second boat after training. I will play more later hopefully. A lot of commands are similiar if you know WoW like: /laugh, /dance, /p for party talk, etc.

    To compare, I still like WoW more so far."

    I wonder how much has changed since then.

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  19. Question about the game... by faloi · · Score: 1

    Ok, I've got some questions about the game in general. I didn't participate in beta, but I'm always looking for some MMORPG to satisfy my "jones." I've looked at some of the comments, so I'm not going to ask if it's solo-friendly...

    Is there a level grind? It looks like there is, but you have to complete the dungeons to earn the xp to progress toward a level.

    Does the game lend itself to the holy trinity-style of group that EQ led to, or is it pretty forgiving of class makeup? I don't want to select a class to get pounced on by the anti-necro "u guyz sux n grpz" crowd that seems to spring up in MMORPGS. Similarly, I'm not wild about having to hang around in town forever as we bid on the next cleric to log in. In PnP D&D clerics were more than just healers, and a group could get by (maybe not perfectly) without having a tank, healer and damage dealer (especially because DMs could get mean and totally ignore the agro rules that are common in MMORPGS).

    --
    "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." -Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Question about the game... by Telepathetic+Man · · Score: 1

      There is no must have for classes. DDO classes are more or less templates, the resulting characters get vary drastically enough that an entire party of fighters could make a good showing in a dungeon.

      --
      Just because you can, does not mean you should.
  20. No PVP by doomicon · · Score: 1, Troll

    I was totally turned off by the no PvP announcement. The same company is also developing the LOTR MMO, which by the way has no PvP either. PvP for me is a requirement, teaming with buddies to fight NPCs just seems... pointless. I can do that with NWN. I'm not one to go on a gankfest, but PvP just provides more "realism" and opportunities in between mission/quest grinds.

    I was even more disappointed with the No PvP annoucement with the LOTR MMO. When LOTR was first announced, I imagined the possibilities of joining an Orc Band, raiding, and pillaging.

    It makes me wonder if they even have the necessary experience to develop a good PvP system within an MMO.

    --

    Awesome!
    1. Re:No PVP by Red+Flayer · · Score: 1

      Some people like PvP, some don't.

      You're welcome to play any of the games out there that have PvP.

      One of the problems with having DDO be PvP is class-balancing for PvP. Quite simply, they'd have to break the game mechanics to do it.

      I'd rather have a more traditional D&D experience than have thieves be buffed for combat just so some kid doesn't bitch about the lack of balance. When I want PvP, I'll play a different game.

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    2. Re:No PVP by drsquare · · Score: 1

      LOTR without pvp? The most memorable parts of the books/films were the big battles, and the game's not going to have them. I suppose you'll just go round killing boring mobs like in every other game.

      It's just an attempt by the company to make money off the name with an off-the-shelf MMORPG.

      Zzzzzzzzzzz

  21. Well considering their track record by Shivetya · · Score: 1

    these designers know very little at Turbine.

    The issue isn't that designers don't what they are doing, it becomes an issue when one of them becomes the overriding force behind what happens.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
  22. Not sure at all.... by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    It sounded very interesting from the promo text, but I dug a little further, and found some other comments from various Beta testers as well as above:
    The World : The hub style of MMO really bums me out, for many reasons. Every aspect of the gameplay exists within private instances. Groups are found in the town areas, ala Guild Wars. Due to this, all open-ended gameplay disappears and is replaced by simple, directed instancing. Your mileage may vary, but I prefer plundering vast open plains and mountains. Worlds are fun. Boxes less so.

    I agree. While CoH handled zone transitions cleverly, they were still there. Personally, I *like* just exploring, seeing new things, even if there isn't a 'game value' to the exploration. I know many people that pretty much mainly jsut do that. Having everything be intanced is, well, so artifical and constantly reminds you of that.

    Don't get this game expecting to solo. A lot of folks have pissed and moaned about that, but they are trying to be pretty true to the Pen and Paper (PnP) rules and designs. You almost never see a DM spend all this time to create a world, dungeons, and the like, and then have them sit down at a table with a lone player with a lone character. Get over your wish to solo. It's a MMO. You are supposed to be grouping!
    Uh oh. Frankly, I'm NOT a gigantic fan of grouping. I play MMOs for the unpredictability, the variety of content, NOT to make new friends and gain social interaction. Frankly, most of the groups I've been in sucked, WW2OL being the great exception. I *really* like the idea that they have an integrated voicecomm system - that genuinely may make all the difference.

    Finally, I'm simply not convinced that the D&D mechanics really work. I mean, I think I've seen a fair share of RPGs in my time, and *every* one of them had rationalizations, shortcuts, and RubeGoldberg(tm) tables to minimize number crunching and speed play and get back to the interactions. With computers, it's ENTIRELY the opposite - you can have them auto-calculate the ballistic path of an arrow, but they can't make a bartender that will give you a decent conversation.
    Does such a system scale to realtime? Doesn't it make more sense to get, say, a Steve Perrin or Robin Laws to design the rules around the capabilities of the venue, rather than shoehorning the rules to work in contexts where they really don't?
    Problems: (and if you've read more than me, and found the answers to these already addressed - I'd love the links)
    - Woohoo - I'm a wizard, I get 2 spells and then I might as well logoff for the day? How does that work in a realtime world?
    - Deaths: in MMOs, deaths are frequent and annoying but in PnP D&D, if you died below level what, 6-7-8 it was rarely worth the trouble to rez you. Even healing in true DnD was a matter of DAYS.
    I guess for me a lot of the mechanical questions revolve around the ability of a PnP game to compress time freely, which is absolutely verboten in an MMO.

    This game is going to be very rewarding for a group of 6 people that want to play DDO as a cohesive group 2-3 times a week for a few hours each time, with maybe a Saturday session that lasts 4+ hours for those longer missions.
    Then why not just get together and play, if one has the schedule time for this?

    I don't see any crafting at all - that's a HUGE loss of potential customer base, right there. I've realized that, since playing CoH, this is sort of a subgame that drives a lot of activity, and (for me) is quite fun.

    One plus: no "inter mission travel", thus no areas strangely devoid of trees, thus no sleeping on the ground in the middle of nowhere, thus no being eaten by a passing bonesnapper when the DMs pissed at you for something or other.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:Not sure at all.... by nanowired · · Score: 1

      "- Woohoo - I'm a wizard, I get 2 spells and then I might as well logoff for the day? How does that work in a realtime world?"

      They actually use spellpoints for this one instead of the standard casting. I know, its pointless, but still.

    2. Re:Not sure at all.... by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      I'm NOT a gigantic fan of grouping. I play MMOs for the unpredictability, the variety of content, NOT to make new friends and gain social interaction.

      Then you'd be better off with a large-scale offline RPG. Seriously, if a player doesn't want to interact with a bunch of strangers / distant friends, why is the $15/month justified? $30 for NWN-Gold will open you up to a LOT of downloadable modules... on top of the included gameworld which is bigger than the existing WOW and DDO realms.

      - Woohoo - I'm a wizard, I get 2 spells and then I might as well logoff for the day? How does that work in a realtime world?

      You are correct in that those game aspects have to be totally changed to work well in an MMO (which implies that all the other rules are now unbalanced by a domino effect).

      Two main changes alleviate that concern:
      1. Mana point system. A beginning spellcaster has 150 points, and level 1 spells (combat stuff like burning hands) are 20 points. Means basically 7x the firepower.
      2. It doesn't take 24 or even 12 hours to get the next "day's" spell allotment. Just find a designated resting bench, watch a progress bar for 30 sec or so, and it's carpe diem time. In a way, one can imagine that time has just been compressed, and that players off in instances are experiencing a faster timeflow than the rest of the world (like a reverse-version of FTL relativity)

      Deaths: in MMOs, deaths are frequent and annoying but in PnP D&D

      As one might expect, deaths are treated about the same as any other MMORPG (or classic MUD). They're at worst a time-wasting inconvenience and a forced trip back to the town. Maybe in a particularly hardcore game, you'll even lose some XP or item durability. DDO is no different. (And also as usual, the "raise dead" spell of high-ranking clerics essentially just removes that very marginal penalty)

  23. DDO is going to face some challenges. by MaWeiTao · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While I didn't much like DDO, a friend of mine, who is an avid pen and paper D&D gamer, did like the game. It provided the kind of D&D experience he's been looking for. For comparison, we both tried the World of Warcraft free trial, and while I very much liked that game he didn't care for it in the least. His main concern with DDO was the feeling that there was a lack of content especially given the low level cap.

    I'm convinced DDO is going to cater to a very specific group of gamers. I don't expect many are going to be lured from WoW, perhaps more will come from EQ/EQ2. One big problem is that the game made me feel very isolated from the larger world. First of all the game is very linear, at least initially. I'm stuck in one small section of the city until I complete a number of quests. Then I can only move on by completing another set of quests or by levelling up, which takes an excruciatingly huge amount of time. The second problem is that the player teleports to every instance. There's some dungeon hundreds of miles away and the hero materializes there suddenly. It hurts immersion.

    Of course, there's a more significant problem here with all the instancing. Guild Wars instances all quests just like DDO, but that game is free to play. Furthermore, there's more of a sense of location in that game because you actually travel through the lands outside towns and forts. That game also progresses a lot more quickly than DDO does, but it does provide a very different experience from DDO.

    I think Neverwinter Nights provided a very similar, but more fast-paced and entertaining experience than Dungeons & Dragons Online. That's not to say DDO is necessarily a bad game, but I don't think it's going to appeal to most people and given that it's a subscription-based game it's going to be even more difficult to attract gamers, especially given the competition. I guess this game will show whether or not there's a market for a reasonably faithful D&D experience in PC gaming.

  24. If they really want this to take off by mshensley · · Score: 1

    They should have designed it so that you could sign up to dm as well as play. You could design your own dungeons or even your own section of the world. This would provide a lot more content for players and give people that like to dm something to do.

    1. Re:If they really want this to take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure they thought of that, but constraining such a system would be a huge effort in and of itself. How do you stop the "Dungeon of Infinite Gold"? The "Dungeon of the Unsolvable Puzzle"? The "Dungeon Designed to look like a Giant Wang"?

      Besides, given the ratio of slackwits to worthwhile individuals in your average MMO, I'd be reluctant to step into someone's pick-up dungeon.

  25. Setting by etherlad · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now maybe it's just me, but when I think of "Dungeons & Dragons," I primarily think of settings such as Greyhawk, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms. When I think of an MMORPG which uses the D&D brand, I'd expect it to use one of these iconic D&D settings (probably Forgotten Realms due to the higher magical content) rather than a newish pseudo-pulp fantasy setting.

    Unfortunately, they've decided the latter, and are using Eberron. Not that there's anything wrong with Eberron: If they marketed it as "Eberron Online," I'd be all over it. But D&D Online? Gimme something classic. Something with staying power. Something that D&D fans from five, ten, fifteen years ago will still be familiar with.

    Of course, I'd kill for a Planescape MMORPG, but that's neither here nor there.

    --
    Soylens viridis homines es
    1. Re:Setting by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      When I think of an MMORPG which uses the D&D brand, I'd expect it to use one of these iconic D&D settings

      They are trying to force Eberron into becoming an iconic setting, by fiat. Eberron is now the "default world" for all the core D&D books.

      So, D&D Online isn't making the mistake here... they are just following the misbegoten changes of the root franchise. (For those who haven't seen it, the main feature making Eberron inappropriate for the default D&D gameworld is that robots are available as ordinary PCs)

      Planescape would really be a better setting... it would make the high availability of teleporters and miraculous ressurections.

  26. A few comments about crafting by Lonewolf666 · · Score: 1

    Levels create yet more problems. If you have crafting then high levels usually have no need for low level crafters items. Low level crafters can only gain XP by grinding low level items. CUE SWG and its "bought" crafter levels where a player would get money being a combat class to then pay for grinding to master crafter. No new player wanted to be a pure crafter could make it work. You would simply go bankrupt.

    DDO seems to have dropped crafting altogether. Bad news for those who like a player run economy but at least it saves them a lot of problems. Since no game has ever gotten it right before.


    True, but there are ways to mitigate the problem:
    -Let low-level crafters make at least low-level items in good quality (or drop the dependency of quality on crafting level - if you can make it at all, it is as good as from a master).
    -Introduce some consumables that everybody needs which can be crafted at low skill levels. That gives the crafter newbies something to grind on which makes sense.
    -Allow limited "batch" crafting to reduce stupid clicking (as reportedly available in WOW, but I would limit the number of items to prevent excessive overnight leveling).
    -If you want to be radical, drop crafting levels altogether. Everybody is a master crafter. This one sounds like copping out, but it eliminates crafting grinding which is the most boring of all grinds. At least, I have yet to see a really interesting crafting system that does not get boring with repetition.

    --
    C - the footgun of programming languages
  27. About your sig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just thought I'd point out that the word 'effect' can also be used as a verb. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/en glish/data/d0081523.html

    1. Re:About your sig by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Please login and reply so that I can adjust my relationship preferences.

    2. Re:About your sig by ReverendLoki · · Score: 1
      To mark him as a friend out of respect for showing you the error of your ways, right? Yeah, I didn't think so; this is Slashdot, after all. He is right, though. And to make matters worse, affect can also be used as a noun.

      Still I can appreciate your attempt to improve others usage of the English language in your .sig, it's just that you might want to try a different "rule" to champion.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    3. Re:About your sig by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "Yeah, I didn't think so; this is Slashdot, after all."

      That is true. Slashdot is a place for casual discussion and english lessons are offtopic.

      Also...

      Congratulations. You have been caught in a troll trap. You are the latest in my campaign to capture and tag all the grammar trolls on Slashdot. Please refer to my journal for more information.

    4. Re:About your sig by ReverendLoki · · Score: 1
      How amusing... looks like you need to relax a bit, and quit taking /. so seriously. Aside from that, your trap is seriously flawed.

      1) I don't go around correcting others grammar. You might have missed it, but my post's point was to point out that your post was not likely to get the AC to reveal him or herself.

      2) As a rule, I don't post AC.

      3) If I'm not mistaken, even if you got the AC to reveal themself for you to add to your list, I don't think it will effect whether or not you see their AC posts.

      See, here I am trying to be nice and friendly, and you end up being a dick back. Such is life anymore, it seems.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    5. Re:About your sig by shaitand · · Score: 1

      "I don't go around correcting others grammar. You might have missed it, but my post's point was to point out that your post was not likely to get the AC to reveal him or herself."

      Your post implied that you approve of the action of grammar trolls. You did this by making a sarcastic remark about grammar trolls are recieved (directed more at Slashdot in general than me I think). I don't recall anything in your post about my odds of success in getting the troll to reveal himself.

      "looks like you need to relax a bit, and quit taking /. so seriously"

      Not really, the whole thing is a game. It is my own private bit of amusement to keep me entertained. I have to change the sig and maybe post under other uid's though because the grammar trolls have made AC posts a habit. To me this is confirmation that they really are intentionally trolling when they correct grammar.

    6. Re:About your sig by johnnliu · · Score: 1

      I offer an slightly different theory. I'm sure the grammar troll / AC is just an advertising bot.

    7. Re:About your sig by ReverendLoki · · Score: 1
      Your post implied that you approve of the action of grammar trolls. You did this by making a sarcastic remark about grammar trolls are recieved (directed more at Slashdot in general than me I think). I don't recall anything in your post about my odds of success in getting the troll to reveal himself.

      I feel I've already wasted enough time on this, so I'll try and be brief here and just make a few points.

      • If that's what you got from my post, then I'm afraid I just made the post too subtle.
      • Just because someone disagrees with you, that does not make them a Troll, just someone who disagrees with you.
      • I have no problem with those who offer assistance in improving one's understanding of the English language. It's a nice goal, and if we all understood how to communicate better, then *surprise*, there will be fewer misunderstandings. That is what I originally understood you to be trying to do with your .sig, and the AC with a non-confrontational reply.
      • I too am annoyed by "Grammar Trolls" as you put it. With your confrontational reply to the AC, you had moved from being "Helpful Grammar Person" to being a "Grammar Troll". Hence, why my reply was perhaps a bit more sarcastic than it should have been. Oh friggen well.

      Anyways, that's how it stands. If it makes you feel better, mark me as whatever - I've exerted enough energy on this topic.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    8. Re:About your sig by shaitand · · Score: 1

      '"Helpful Grammar Person" to being a "Grammar Troll"'

      I fail to see a distinction. Such "helpful" comments are not on-topic, not welcome, and not invited on these forums. They serve as a far greater distraction than the errors they attempt to correct.

  28. All instanced and they want a monthly fee?!?! by elrous0 · · Score: 1
    You mean this thing plays like Guild Wars and they want a monthly fee for it?!? Are you kidding me? What exactly am I paying THEM for anyway? All they're doing is running a glorified 3-D chat room.

    -Eric

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  29. re:Sig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why is it that naive, idealistic comments get modded up, but harsh realistic comments get modded down?

    And naive, realistic comments go in people's sigs?

    Anyway, the modding of naive idealistic comments is a mystery to me. But the harsh realistic comments that get modded down generally have the additional virtue of being assholish. Tact is not something that most people choose to employ in that situation, and moderations reflect that. HTH!

  30. Re:Sig by drsquare · · Score: 1

    Tact doesn't really help anyone in the long run.

  31. Re:Sig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Philosophical now! I shall counter your argument suchly:

    Assume a hypothetical publically accessed forum where nobody has much prior knowledge of the other participants (afraid I can't come up with a good example ATM). More people are going to want to listen to a well-stated opinion relatively free of ad hominem attacks. More people are likely to tune out quickly when an argument begins with such clever rhetoric as "You are such a n00b!". Statements like that are a good indicator of the level of content to follow. Now if, in this hypothetical forum, it were possible to give somebody a 'volume boost', one would be more inclined to boost somebody who they themselves had enjoyed listening to. Even if the content were essentially the same as the ignored argument. Non?

  32. Re:Here's a suggestion for people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...who keep bothering me.

    DO NOT KEEP BOTHERING ME WHEN I OBVIOUSLY DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!

    Please understand that this is not a troll, but there's nothing more infuriating than trying to play a game while being hounded by some asshat who won't even acknowledge that I'm ignoring them. Totally ruins the atmosphere, dontcha think? I mean, why log on to a server with well over thousands of players if it's only to pester me alone and not even interact with other people? It's the basic premise of an MMORPG, roleplaying! Ignoring annoying whelps, pressing onward for greater glory, playing the game! Not a chatroom with a fantasy backdrop! Not an IRC for people who got k-lined for not STFUing, either.

    Soapbox session over.

  33. I betaed extensively by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Combat is fun, but there is very little content. You'll pay your 50$ then your 15$ for subscribing, and you'll 'beat the game' in under 4 weeks. What I mean to say is you'll have a near max level character with awesome equipment... When you have +5 weapons and max level, what else is there to do? Its not like you can marry the princess and raise children. Your goal in the game was lewt and power. When you got all the power and played all the missions, there is no motivation to play on. I think the game will be a success, but there will be few long time subscribers.

  34. Re:Sig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oui.

  35. Re:Sig by fm6 · · Score: 1

    Well, if want everybody to know that you think that they're a bunch of turds, than I agree, tact is useless.