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Dungeons and Dragons Online: Then and Now?
Lucky Cynic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
One of the less popular and less acclaimed MMORPGs out there on the market actually had some decent potential but needed polish while I was playing it during both Alpha and Beta testing. I actually liked Alpha testing better because it was more raw, and seemed a lot more like D&D but as the beta rolled around, Turbine decided "Lets put runes everywhere, and recolor the same texture and armor and stretch it out to be a kabillion items! Also, we need to have more than 3 unique quests so lets just add some random dialogue, attach the dungeon peices together like legos and add in the same monster trios for every dungeon, lots of kobolds, a bugbear, and a few hobgoblins -aaaand in about 2 weeks, we can sell it and make billions!" Well, Now they have introduced three 'modules' or really very teensy expansion packs and while I did play the Alpha and Beta, my characters were all wiped either by bug, transition to Beta or by the release of the game before they got to level 10 and the actual quests began to feel like a grind.
What happened before was DDO became redundant, when you rerolled another character, you still played thru the same quests which sucked a whole damn lot. The actual grouping also began to suck since there wasnt any solo quests to take at your own pace, nor was there many pickup groups doing any longer/harder to find quests. Instead, they just did the quests that dont require a lot of movement, you know, the quests that line the city inbetween merchants and taverns. This sucked as you continually got less and less exp for the more popular quests and you really couldnt help it because with the popular quests, everyone knew what to do and the other ones in different areas wer often either too lengthy for the exp (1 hour for 300exp at level 5!?) or were too hard. I do realise this was a beta but I do think that it still hasnt been tweaked. Anyways, with the game getting more patches and such, I have been very curious actually to how it has been coming along as I did enjoy the game very much. I am just curious as to how it is before I decide to go ahead, buy the $50 game and pay $15 a month... So how is it guys?
Since launch Turbine has added is as follows: (taken from website)
* With the new PvP combat, battle other players in tavern brawls, compete to Capture the Flag or fight team vs. team in Death Matches.
* Learn amazing new spells, enhancements and feats with the level cap increase to Level 12 (Rank 60).
* A new desert adventure with a massive landscape and 12 new high level dungeons.
* Visit the Auction House to Buy and Sell the magical treasures of Xen'drik with other players.
+ They also added more all around quests, a Dragon (olol), and a ton of new monsters.
Here's also the trailer for the new module and I must say, Im pretty Wow-ed but I don't feel quite right to drop in more money as I don't buy a lot of games, nor can I... What do you guys think?
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?fs=1&id=3366
TLDR: The game used to be badass and hardcore, but after many patches it began to feel watered down to me, like WoW, and now is like this. Is it a :^: or a :v:
What happened before was DDO became redundant, when you rerolled another character, you still played thru the same quests which sucked a whole damn lot. The actual grouping also began to suck since there wasnt any solo quests to take at your own pace, nor was there many pickup groups doing any longer/harder to find quests. Instead, they just did the quests that dont require a lot of movement, you know, the quests that line the city inbetween merchants and taverns. This sucked as you continually got less and less exp for the more popular quests and you really couldnt help it because with the popular quests, everyone knew what to do and the other ones in different areas wer often either too lengthy for the exp (1 hour for 300exp at level 5!?) or were too hard. I do realise this was a beta but I do think that it still hasnt been tweaked. Anyways, with the game getting more patches and such, I have been very curious actually to how it has been coming along as I did enjoy the game very much. I am just curious as to how it is before I decide to go ahead, buy the $50 game and pay $15 a month... So how is it guys?
Since launch Turbine has added is as follows: (taken from website)
* With the new PvP combat, battle other players in tavern brawls, compete to Capture the Flag or fight team vs. team in Death Matches.
* Learn amazing new spells, enhancements and feats with the level cap increase to Level 12 (Rank 60).
* A new desert adventure with a massive landscape and 12 new high level dungeons.
* Visit the Auction House to Buy and Sell the magical treasures of Xen'drik with other players.
+ They also added more all around quests, a Dragon (olol), and a ton of new monsters.
Here's also the trailer for the new module and I must say, Im pretty Wow-ed but I don't feel quite right to drop in more money as I don't buy a lot of games, nor can I... What do you guys think?
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?fs=1&id=3366
TLDR: The game used to be badass and hardcore, but after many patches it began to feel watered down to me, like WoW, and now is like this. Is it a :^: or a :v:
Lucky Cynic on
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Posts
Yes.
Is it worth playing for over a month, or does it resemble Dungeons and Dragons in any way, shape, or form beyond having a spell called Magic Missile?
No.
And less fun
I played it for a month, but the complete lack of variety and how claustrophobic the game felt just completley turned me off. I don't know why they bothered to set it in Eberron, it might as well be in Forgotten Realms.
I've played both, its leagues better than GW, but not worth paying monthly for. DDO was actually not bad, and had it not required a fee, which payed for a game with less content than most single player games, I would have played it for longer than my free trial. Character creation was fun, as was playing a greatsword wielding sorceror.
Nope.
I am amazed that Turbine took a license like Dungeons and Dragons, remove the entire ruleset, retrofit it to their older MMO engine, and all around fucked up the game, despite having more source material to pull from than anything, ever.
I am so disappointed. Disappointed and ashamed.
I am really enjoying my small taste of NWN2 but I have yet to really get too far into theg ame and into the toolset, but I am eager to try it out. Unfortunately, I do like the positives of an online aspect, but without the gernal online hassles, like waiting for the idiot cleric to heal you instead of buff himself, or standaring around looking for a pickup group, or arguing which dungeon to do... :?
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
Yes, yes it does. I can tell you that from first hand experience. I've been in those guilds.
Well, the game concept and execution don't, anyway. I can't account for the community.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
I was only soloing 'till now but I didn't have to repeat any quest to advance. I guess it would be best played with a group you already know - so that you all progress through the quests together.... unless later you have to repeat quests to progress?
edit: the only MMOs I tried were Anarchy Online and a free trial of Dark Ages of Camelot though
At night, the ice weasels come."
olol since it happened to you it must happen to everyone m i rite?
..... you have played WoW, have you not?
Hah. Same.
To level up in EQ, you basically found a place to camp and stayed there for hours. In WoW, you do quests that, while not always interesting, are a hell of a lot better than killing the same orc over and over again for hours on end.
And in EQ, you might gain a level once a week. In WoW, you can actually progress at a reasonable rate without dedicating your life to the game.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
I think its funny that people consider WoW a 'trditional' MMO for which every other MMO, fantasy themed or not, should be based upon. Oh wait, I don't find it funny, I find it sad. Sad in a sort of miserable failure sort of way... Anyways, thanks for your input so far guys.
You're still camping mobs, just specific mobs.
As for the latter, hence why I said easy mode. While I'm not a fan of the whole "GRIND TO LEVEL LOL!" mechanic, they've pretty much made character advancement completely irrelevant.
Speaking from a Dark Age of Camelot Perspective, Camping is pretty inefficient in DAoC and usually a last resort for exp, hence the name. But when more people are on and your in an active guild, you group up and take on much, much harder foes which while isnt questing, still is a challenge and is much more fun than running around, sweeping thru an instance, and then running back. Especially more so if the instance is mindblowingly easy...
Basing a genre around grinding, something thats never been a part of roleplaying games outside of Japan, is a horrid thing anyway. I would hardly say something that requires weeks or even months to do is "irrelevant".
And making character advancement accessible is not the same as making it irrelevant. Every two levels you get new abilities, many of which are unique and fun to use. And every ten levels you get one of those uber, gameplay altering abilities that really distinguish the classes from one another.
And character advancement is crucial to the WoW experience, meaning that it is not irrelevant by definition.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
I'd say quest is one of the many things WoW did right. It actually added story to the grind, you're not doing this to gain another level, you're doing this to save Ogrimmar or whatever. Now, if D&D:O had done this, but with say multiple ways to solve the quests (use your diplomacy/bluff/intimidate to subdue the mob or just beat the shit out of them), it would have been leaps and bounds better than it was.
Gaining levels should never feel like a chore and there's only been two MMORPGs that have accomplished that for me: WoW and UO.
Especially in consideration of their "endgame" focus, which is a whole other bag completely.
Well, the problem is pleasing the masses vs. pleasing a nitch. WoW is popular because anyone, (except Leeroy) can do fine in any dungeon so long as it is in their level range. Thing is, its often too easy, but other games incororate long exp grinds to get the player to experiment more and to look for more locations as well as progress thru the game as it was meant to be. An example would be grinding for 20min, grouping for 40, crafting for 15, questing for 20, and then doing PvP for 2 hours. That way, you get exp, build crafting levels, and have fun with PvP. When I play games with retarded ass grinds, I actually do investigate more, I look for new monsters or try and sneak my way into more heavily gaurded areas where I know I probably wolnt get any exp or anything but just to try something different instead of seeing the same old same old.
Oh, and I completely forgot to mention the story element. If you actually read the dialogue when someone is giving you a quest to do, you'll find yourself engrossed in interesting and sometimes epic plots.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
Yes, but not one wizard from another as other MMO's have it. And so what if some quests require you to gaurd someone or do something, it still doesnt make them 'fun' nor 'unrepetative.' When playing DDO, it all felt repetative, weather gaurding some tower, rescuing kobold slaves, or sneaking about and assassinating a hobgoblin lord.
And before anyone says anything stupid, I played UO and EQ before WoW. Just pre-empting the inevitable "you're just not hardcore enough for my games lol" argument.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
I get what you mean, and I also agree. WoW is a very low maintanance job. :P
Anyway, I played DDO in Beta as well as one of those 7 day free trial recently, and I don't feel much has changed. I think people who were less than satisfied with this game should try different classes, because I tried like 6 before I found the one I was happy with. Once I rolled a Cleric I started actually enjoying the game, though I don't have the time to devote to buying it...
My sweet, untouched Miranda
And while the seagulls are crying
We fall but our souls are flying
Speaking on my own here, it just feels somewhat insulting to my intelligence. Like some little treat to keep me playing.
Meanwhile, in DDO, when one gains a level, (a FULL level, mind you, fuck that "rank" shit) you actually get to make some meaningful changes to your character.
I would have to agree with you. The core game, to me anyway, was fun. If the game took place in an entire kingdom instead of one city, things might have been a lot better.
One thing they should add to dungeons is random trap/chest/ambush placement. One time I went through a very trap heavy dungeon without a rogue or any other means to find traps and my group only triggered one trap the whole time through. Reason being that most of the people in my group had done that dungeon multiple times and knew where all the traps were. This should never happen.
I'm suprised they haven't fixed the static nature of dungeons yet. If they can't fix the ones already in the game, they could at least fix the new ones. Though they did randomize the loot in an absolutely retarded way. Sometimes the rewards would be crappy starter-level stuff and then the next time it would be an Ass-Kicking Sword of Newb Bane +3. Though, I heard they nerfed it so that all the quests gave crappy rewards and basically crippled anybody who hadn't already went through multiple times to get good equipment.