I tried to like DDO, I really did, and it certainly has a lot going for it. But I just could NOT get past just how gay the whole Eberron setting is. Why? Why?! With Forgotten Realsm being so good, why would you create a massive fag-fest like Eberron?
Because Forgotten Realms was a terrible setting?
Truth. This was true back in the early 90s when I started playing PNP D&D, and I imagine the setting has only gotten worse.
I tried to like DDO, I really did, and it certainly has a lot going for it. But I just could NOT get past just how gay the whole Eberron setting is. Why? Why?! With Forgotten Realsm being so good, why would you create a massive fag-fest like Eberron?
Because Forgotten Realms was a terrible setting?
Turn around, walk away, never come back.
No, I'm afraid he's right. When you strip away the nostalgia, Forgotten Realms isn't that great. I mean, I think Eberron's worse, personally, but that doesn't magically make Forgotten Realms better.
Only a world with a massive, epic, wide, and diverse background as FR could produce Baldur's Gate 2.
The god wars, the high magic, the many organization, ect.
It would take a lot of effort, though, since there's a reason both setting didn't take off in tabletop. Like, I think Planescape would make me have multiple, full-body geekasims, but the setting is too "foreign" for most folks.
Darksun would have to be a massive PvP slaughterfest to be "in line" with the world; fighting over what small scraps of plant life are left or trying to replenish it. Sorta hard to make desert interesting where there's like next to no forged weapons and everything is bone, stone, ect.
Ravenloft, done right, would be awesome PvE but would have to have a Mature rating to be really horrifying. Otherwise, toning it down and making it so the 13-15 year olds could play would make it lame.
Like, I think Planescape would make me have multiple, full-body geekasims, but the setting is too "foreign" for most folks.
I love reading the Planescape source books. The illustrations alone are fucking money. Pretty sure that Planescape was the high water mark for DnD.
One of these days I'll play in a Planescape campaign. One of these days...
Please tell me you've played Planescape:Torment.
Otherwise, you need to go to amazon.com. Like now. No, really. Now.
I've played only in The Hive, and have had my super cool gaming rig PC bug out because some asshole mage just cast magic missle at me and the sprites won't render because my elitist video card refuses to render such primitive images.
I've seriously considered building an old school laptop just to run old school games like that.
Why are they handing out quests to you when they could solve every single problem they're having with a literal wave of the hand?
They have other stuff to do like flexing their epeen in front of the mirror
I also had a hard and fast rule that seeking out celebrity encounters would bring about the words "death, no save" and the instructions to roll a pacifist paladin with a vow of poverty
Why are they handing out quests to you when they could solve every single problem they're having with a literal wave of the hand?
They have other stuff to do like flexing their epeen in front of the mirror
I also had a hard and fast rule that seeking out celebrity encounters would bring about the words "death, no save" and the instructions to roll a pacifist paladin with a vow of poverty
I've rolled a pacifist before. That didn't work out so well.
The rag wearing Paladin who refuses to defend himself while delivering condemnation of evil to people who will visit violence is exactly the motivation required to keep players on-task and not peeping in on FR major NPC #4212
I think my biggest beef with DDO though was that the models of characters were so drab. Like armor is painted on except for shoulders and gauntlets. NPCs look so damn similar. And even cool shit, like pirates didn't even look like pirates. They had pajamas on basically.
That and Turbine added stupid crap that during the beta they said NO! to. Like an auction house. Then PvP... Like really?
AH/PvP are trappings of the MMO settting, they're going to exist no matter what
There are other things though. Like the Monk class... which was said to be coming soon after beta.... and still is in the works in that one video with that needy dev talking about coming back to DDO. The fact is that it has taken 3 years to come out is insane. :V
The rag wearing Paladin who refuses to defend himself while delivering condemnation of evil to people who will visit violence is exactly the motivation required to keep players on-task and not peeping in on FR major NPC #4212
Well, right up until their pally gets slaughtered and they roll their new godslaying character.
During the beta, it was so exciting to get a group of friends together, and run a session of D&D....online! On the last day of the beta, the devs were spawning beyonders and giants all over the city, and everyone had so much fun. I was so excited to make a fresh guy when it went live.
And then it went live.
Then everything Dungeons and Dragons about the game went bye bye. Literally, the only thing that you could link DDO to Dungeons and Dragons was Gary Gygax's haphazard DM monologue in that one dungeon and Magic Missile. Everything else was completely shelved or "balanced" to make it WoW. No dragons in the game either. Hmm.
It was terrible.
The hardcore MMORPGers hit max level (10) in a day or two, and were running the end dungeon in quick 3 minute loot runs, quickly getting the best stuff in the game, throwing everything up in the forums (no bazaar yet) and getting more gold than you could ever need. So, of course, the devs try to start catering to the hardcore whiners, who, of course, have already cancelled their account and moved on to the next game.
And the balancing, dear god, the balancing. A level 1 magic user should never have 100 hp, dammit! Actually, I don't remember how many hp everyone started out with, but it was ridiculous. Your clothie could melee solo through the first few dungeons. I really can't recall the issues, but there were a couple of classes that were literally broken. Even though D&D had a nice little history of, you know, having rules for combat and such, the entire 3.0 or 3.5 set (whichever was current at the time) was completely, and I mean totally, thrown out for a completely new ruleset that had nothing at all to do with D&D and everything to do with WoW. I just remember posting epic-quality 5000 word essays on what the hell is wrong with the game, and how people who like WoW will play WoW and people that like D&D would play this if it had anything to do with D&D.
By the end of the first month, the game had radically changed to be WoW, and they eventually got a dragon shoehorned in there (in space, no less!), but it was a shame to see something with the potential of D&D, the history, the stories, and the lore, all get thrown aside to change the game to arcade WoW with Magic Missile.
I promptly gave someone in the PA guild all my stuff (best stuff in the game), deleted my level 10 guys, my account info (like a dumbass, I subscribed for 6 months based on the beta game and ignored the initial changes of the live version) so they could play for free for another 5 1/2 months, and washed my hands of it all.
Turbine could release the greatest game of all time (SimCivilization of Orion 2: Total War would be it, I think), and it would take an act of god to get me to touch it. They've burned me too many times.
I want to play the Alpha of this game. I really do. Check out this shit and tell me you wouldn't want to play this game...
Heug images warning.
And of course, something a little... mature. :winky:
But seriously. These shots were what were promised and playing the alpha, I thought they were delivering... but it was all gone. They added new armors into the game that were all sorts of fucked up colors and did away with difficult kobolds and instead weakened them up so much to the point that they were a joke.
So, the general opinion of DDO is that its not really D&D at all?
So much for my first real exposure to DnD outside of BioWare single player games..
Well, it really depends because there are few DIE HARD D&D remakes on the web. The game initially took some liberties such as being in real time as opposed to turn based, and instead of spells per day, they have mana. They also tweaked damage and health quite a bit from what I remember. In alpha if you didn't watch it, a wizard would be two shotted... and in pen and paper, that is fine, you have time to react, but in DDO because it is all happening so fast, people were getting creamed too quickly.
That being said, the game is pretty fun. It does have its issues, but it genuinely can be very satisfying, even with pick up groups. It's also a very light and easy going MMO meaning that it isn't GRRR hardcore, but rather take your time, and do as you please.
I would recommend DDO for people new to MMOs or kids who are breaking into them (like 13-15 year olds. WoW has too many creepy old people for my taste,) and DDO does do a good job to show people the ropes and is genuinely rewarding as you play along and conquer huge epic dungeons and quests.
But on a scale of how D&D it is... I'd say a 7. First it is Eberron which isn't exactly classic D&D stuff. Think equal parts Indianna Jones + Ruins + Steampunk + Classic D&D. That is Eberron. Then you have this game made into an MMO which isn't an easy transfer but the dungeons are unique and there are a lot of memorable quests and quest lines. So yeah, take that for what its worth.
So, the general opinion of DDO is that its not really D&D at all?
So much for my first real exposure to DnD outside of BioWare single player games..
Well, it really depends because there are few DIE HARD D&D remakes on the web. The game initially took some liberties such as being in real time as opposed to turn based, and instead of spells per day, they have mana. They also tweaked damage and health quite a bit from what I remember. In alpha if you didn't watch it, a wizard would be two shotted... and in pen and paper, that is fine, you have time to react, but in DDO because it is all happening so fast, people were getting creamed too quickly.
That being said, the game is pretty fun. It does have its issues, but it genuinely can be very satisfying, even with pick up groups. It's also a very light and easy going MMO meaning that it isn't GRRR hardcore, but rather take your time, and do as you please.
I would recommend DDO for people new to MMOs or kids who are breaking into them (like 13-15 year olds. WoW has too many creepy old people for my taste,) and DDO does do a good job to show people the ropes and is genuinely rewarding as you play along and conquer huge epic dungeons and quests.
But on a scale of how D&D it is... I'd say a 7. First it is Eberron which isn't exactly classic D&D stuff. Think equal parts Indianna Jones + Ruins + Steampunk + Classic D&D. That is Eberron. Then you have this game made into an MMO which isn't an easy transfer but the dungeons are unique and there are a lot of memorable quests and quest lines. So yeah, take that for what its worth.
I can't say I agree with this at all.
LotRO is a much more polished, open and MMO-ish game while retaining the completely casual 'pick up and play' feel. If you've ever read the LotR series and can allow yourself to get hooked into the game (Oh look it's Gandalf, awesome!) it will take you much further then DDO.
Saying that DDO is D+D through the WoW filter is absolutely motherfucking spot fucking on. The combat is dull, tanking is moronic, you need a rogue for almost all the dungeons past the first few, and running around the same city gets old fast. Faster then running around in Dalaran, because at least WoW is visually interesting. DDO is very boring to look at.
I would think that with a full dedicated group , running dungeons and playing the game like a real table top game would prolly increase the enjoyment of it. Just set aside a couple nights a week to run x dungeon etc.
Draeven on
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
I think my biggest beef with DDO though was that the models of characters were so drab. Like armor is painted on except for shoulders and gauntlets. NPCs look so damn similar.
Like, I think Planescape would make me have multiple, full-body geekasims, but the setting is too "foreign" for most folks.
I love reading the Planescape source books. The illustrations alone are fucking money. Pretty sure that Planescape was the high water mark for DnD.
Thats because they are by Tony "motherfucking" Diterlizzi.
:^:
I love going through the Monster Manual for 2nd ed. and playing "Spot the DiTerlizzi Drawing". Most of the drawings in that manual (that aren't by DiTerlizzi) are god awful. It's like shoving a bunch of Monet paintings in a kindergarten fingerpaint collab.
I think my biggest beef with DDO though was that the models of characters were so drab. Like armor is painted on except for shoulders and gauntlets. NPCs look so damn similar.
Hey, works for WoW.
WoW is also very colourful. DDO is very drab and boring.
I think my biggest beef with DDO though was that the models of characters were so drab. Like armor is painted on except for shoulders and gauntlets. NPCs look so damn similar.
Hey, works for WoW.
WoW is also very colourful. DDO is very drab and boring.
How does it compare in art styles to something like Oblivion? Just because WoW is colorful doesn't mean it's a better world.
WoW is also very colourful. DDO is very drab and boring.
Personal taste. To me WOW makes me feel like I'm playing in a game made for a 3rd grader with all its bright colors. DDO feels more like a real place with its grime and drab colors. Star Trek with crayons vs Babylon 5 in atmosphere.
WoW is also very colourful. DDO is very drab and boring.
Personal taste. To me WOW makes me feel like I'm playing in a game made for a 3rd grader with all its bright colors. DDO feels more like a real place with its grime and drab colors. Star Trek with crayons vs Babylon 5 in atmosphere.
Say what you will, but the water works always hold a dear place in my heard for being awesome.
Posts
Truth. This was true back in the early 90s when I started playing PNP D&D, and I imagine the setting has only gotten worse.
Only a world with a massive, epic, wide, and diverse background as FR could produce Baldur's Gate 2.
The god wars, the high magic, the many organization, ect.
Margaret Thatcher
Shit yes.
It would take a lot of effort, though, since there's a reason both setting didn't take off in tabletop. Like, I think Planescape would make me have multiple, full-body geekasims, but the setting is too "foreign" for most folks.
Darksun would have to be a massive PvP slaughterfest to be "in line" with the world; fighting over what small scraps of plant life are left or trying to replenish it. Sorta hard to make desert interesting where there's like next to no forged weapons and everything is bone, stone, ect.
Ravenloft, done right, would be awesome PvE but would have to have a Mature rating to be really horrifying. Otherwise, toning it down and making it so the 13-15 year olds could play would make it lame.
Margaret Thatcher
Since it's so high magic, it's actually plausable to "plane hop" to different D&D worlds, if needed, for expansions, quests, whatever.
But hey guys, how about Dragonlance! That would be fun, right!
Male elves, that is, since 12 female elves in a hottub is, well, awesome...
Margaret Thatcher
I love reading the Planescape source books. The illustrations alone are fucking money. Pretty sure that Planescape was the high water mark for DnD.
One of these days I'll play in a Planescape campaign. One of these days...
Please tell me you've played Planescape:Torment.
Otherwise, you need to go to amazon.com. Like now. No, really. Now.
Margaret Thatcher
You mean like, actually having to pay to play multiplayer in a persistent world as opposed to the current setup where it's free?
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
I've played only in The Hive, and have had my super cool gaming rig PC bug out because some asshole mage just cast magic missle at me and the sprites won't render because my elitist video card refuses to render such primitive images.
I've seriously considered building an old school laptop just to run old school games like that.
That's almost as insane as having to pay to play in a persistent world of DnD where the current setup...oh hohoho
They have other stuff to do like flexing their epeen in front of the mirror
I also had a hard and fast rule that seeking out celebrity encounters would bring about the words "death, no save" and the instructions to roll a pacifist paladin with a vow of poverty
I've rolled a pacifist before. That didn't work out so well.
That and Turbine added stupid crap that during the beta they said NO! to. Like an auction house. Then PvP... Like really?
Really!?
There are other things though. Like the Monk class... which was said to be coming soon after beta.... and still is in the works in that one video with that needy dev talking about coming back to DDO. The fact is that it has taken 3 years to come out is insane. :V
Well, right up until their pally gets slaughtered and they roll their new godslaying character.
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/developer-diary-d-d-stormreach/29950
During the beta, it was so exciting to get a group of friends together, and run a session of D&D....online! On the last day of the beta, the devs were spawning beyonders and giants all over the city, and everyone had so much fun. I was so excited to make a fresh guy when it went live.
And then it went live.
Then everything Dungeons and Dragons about the game went bye bye. Literally, the only thing that you could link DDO to Dungeons and Dragons was Gary Gygax's haphazard DM monologue in that one dungeon and Magic Missile. Everything else was completely shelved or "balanced" to make it WoW. No dragons in the game either. Hmm.
It was terrible.
The hardcore MMORPGers hit max level (10) in a day or two, and were running the end dungeon in quick 3 minute loot runs, quickly getting the best stuff in the game, throwing everything up in the forums (no bazaar yet) and getting more gold than you could ever need. So, of course, the devs try to start catering to the hardcore whiners, who, of course, have already cancelled their account and moved on to the next game.
And the balancing, dear god, the balancing. A level 1 magic user should never have 100 hp, dammit! Actually, I don't remember how many hp everyone started out with, but it was ridiculous. Your clothie could melee solo through the first few dungeons. I really can't recall the issues, but there were a couple of classes that were literally broken. Even though D&D had a nice little history of, you know, having rules for combat and such, the entire 3.0 or 3.5 set (whichever was current at the time) was completely, and I mean totally, thrown out for a completely new ruleset that had nothing at all to do with D&D and everything to do with WoW. I just remember posting epic-quality 5000 word essays on what the hell is wrong with the game, and how people who like WoW will play WoW and people that like D&D would play this if it had anything to do with D&D.
By the end of the first month, the game had radically changed to be WoW, and they eventually got a dragon shoehorned in there (in space, no less!), but it was a shame to see something with the potential of D&D, the history, the stories, and the lore, all get thrown aside to change the game to arcade WoW with Magic Missile.
I promptly gave someone in the PA guild all my stuff (best stuff in the game), deleted my level 10 guys, my account info (like a dumbass, I subscribed for 6 months based on the beta game and ignored the initial changes of the live version) so they could play for free for another 5 1/2 months, and washed my hands of it all.
Turbine could release the greatest game of all time (SimCivilization of Orion 2: Total War would be it, I think), and it would take an act of god to get me to touch it. They've burned me too many times.
Heug images warning.
And of course, something a little... mature. :winky:
But seriously. These shots were what were promised and playing the alpha, I thought they were delivering... but it was all gone. They added new armors into the game that were all sorts of fucked up colors and did away with difficult kobolds and instead weakened them up so much to the point that they were a joke.
So much for my first real exposure to DnD outside of BioWare single player games..
Well, it really depends because there are few DIE HARD D&D remakes on the web. The game initially took some liberties such as being in real time as opposed to turn based, and instead of spells per day, they have mana. They also tweaked damage and health quite a bit from what I remember. In alpha if you didn't watch it, a wizard would be two shotted... and in pen and paper, that is fine, you have time to react, but in DDO because it is all happening so fast, people were getting creamed too quickly.
That being said, the game is pretty fun. It does have its issues, but it genuinely can be very satisfying, even with pick up groups. It's also a very light and easy going MMO meaning that it isn't GRRR hardcore, but rather take your time, and do as you please.
I would recommend DDO for people new to MMOs or kids who are breaking into them (like 13-15 year olds. WoW has too many creepy old people for my taste,) and DDO does do a good job to show people the ropes and is genuinely rewarding as you play along and conquer huge epic dungeons and quests.
But on a scale of how D&D it is... I'd say a 7. First it is Eberron which isn't exactly classic D&D stuff. Think equal parts Indianna Jones + Ruins + Steampunk + Classic D&D. That is Eberron. Then you have this game made into an MMO which isn't an easy transfer but the dungeons are unique and there are a lot of memorable quests and quest lines. So yeah, take that for what its worth.
Thats because they are by Tony "motherfucking" Diterlizzi.
I can't say I agree with this at all.
LotRO is a much more polished, open and MMO-ish game while retaining the completely casual 'pick up and play' feel. If you've ever read the LotR series and can allow yourself to get hooked into the game (Oh look it's Gandalf, awesome!) it will take you much further then DDO.
Saying that DDO is D+D through the WoW filter is absolutely motherfucking spot fucking on. The combat is dull, tanking is moronic, you need a rogue for almost all the dungeons past the first few, and running around the same city gets old fast. Faster then running around in Dalaran, because at least WoW is visually interesting. DDO is very boring to look at.
Hey, works for WoW.
Well, fuck that then. Bye.
:^:
I love going through the Monster Manual for 2nd ed. and playing "Spot the DiTerlizzi Drawing". Most of the drawings in that manual (that aren't by DiTerlizzi) are god awful. It's like shoving a bunch of Monet paintings in a kindergarten fingerpaint collab.
WoW is also very colourful. DDO is very drab and boring.
How does it compare in art styles to something like Oblivion? Just because WoW is colorful doesn't mean it's a better world.
Eyes forever focused, on the sanguine, metal dawn.
Personal taste. To me WOW makes me feel like I'm playing in a game made for a 3rd grader with all its bright colors. DDO feels more like a real place with its grime and drab colors. Star Trek with crayons vs Babylon 5 in atmosphere.
Does that mean Asheron's Call is going to go free too? That would be sweet!
Say what you will, but the water works always hold a dear place in my heard for being awesome.
But I got fucking tired of Sewer Dungeon #489
I wish. But no word on that so far.