Archive for the 'Dungeons & Dragons Online' Category

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The Turbine Two-Step

Posted by Ravious on November 16, 2009 in Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. 2 Comments

When I play games I often rank them by tempo rather than genre.  Hypertempo games, like Team Fortress 2 or Left 4 Dead, require a lot of energy and give a lot of excitement in return.  Slower games such as Civilization 4 or a tower defense give me a slow, entertaining beat.  MMOs have their own rhythm as well, and last night I filled a much needed missing tempo in my MMO library.

Lord of the Rings Online in itself has multiple tempos, at which I can play.  There is the calm steady beat of solo questing, the more demanding march of group instances, and even crafting affects the whole symphony with a coda of rest.  Still, Lord of the Rings Online is missing many tempos that are crucial to my well-rounded gameplay.  The combat is sometimes too rhythmic, even in group instances.  The game can feel like an If/Then line dance, where agro, healing, placement, and killing are all just part of any veteran’s action equation.  I felt this lack deep in my soul last night after playing for countless hours over the weekend.

I still wanted to play an MMO, but I needed a more aggressive rhythm.  One filled with staccato notes and out of control riffs rather than a steady Bolero.  I found Dungeons and Dragons Online. Continue reading ‘The Turbine Two-Step’

Go Go DDO

Posted by Ethic on September 9, 2009 in Dungeons & Dragons Online. 11 Comments

Dungeons and Dragons Online™: Eberron Unlimited™ is now available to play, for free (in the US).

Go give it a try here.

- Ethic

New DDO Business Model

Posted by Ravious on June 9, 2009 in Dungeons & Dragons Online. 13 Comments

This is relevant to my interests.  I liked Dungeons and Dragons Online enough, but like so many other MMOs, it was just not worth the subscription to me.  Now Turbine is offering a new business model that seems to borrow a lot from Wizards101, which is a fantastic thing.  My favorite business model is by far the “buy content packs” that Guild Wars, Wizards101, and lifetime Lord of the Rings Online players have.  It seems that Turbine will offer “convenience items” as well, but they are quick to premptively reply that the best items come from playing.  I am not as happy about “convenience items,” but I see it as a necessary evil when converting a subscription-based game in to a “buy content packs” type of game.  Can’t stop progress.

–Ravious
j’ai creusé la terre, j’ai découpé la lune

DDO Turns 3

Posted by Ethic on February 28, 2009 in Dungeons & Dragons Online. Closed

Then:

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach will launch in North America on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006.

Developed by Turbine and published by Atari, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach is the first and only massively multiplayer online roleplaying game based on the Dungeons & Dragons brand franchise from Wizards of the Coast.

Now:

DDO is celebrating its 3rd Birthday! As part of the celebration, we’re giving out bonus XP and Loot!

Starting this Friday, February 27th, and running through March 1st, DDO Players will gain a 50% XP bonus and +1 tier bonus to loot quality! But the fun doesn’t stop there! Once 50% XP and +1 loot are over with on Sunday March 1st, starting Monday March 2nd, enjoy 10% bonus XP for 2 weeks!

Happy Birthday!

- Ethic

PnP Ponderings: D&D 4th Edition Launches

Posted by Zubon on June 9, 2008 in Dungeons & Dragons Online and General. 8 Comments

My copies are still in the mail, but I had a chance to read someone else’s. Once I have time to read in-depth, I will have reviews at the book site, but I wanted to post some metagame thoughts. That is, while I have not played 4th Edition, there are many things to be said about the direction the rules have taken and how 4th Edition will work as a product line.

Continue reading ‘PnP Ponderings: D&D 4th Edition Launches’

I Have a Lair!

Posted by Zubon on June 5, 2008 in Dungeons & Dragons Online. 3 Comments

Are you ready for this weekend’s D&D 4th Edition release? I have high expectations. Which is to say that I have high standards, with hopes that they will be met. (High standards, hah, look at what we play online.)

My favorite promo is the gnome‘s movement to the Monster Manual. He and Francis are adorable. He is very polite to share the stage with that horned upstart. You can see the change in the vision of the gnome. While 3rd Edition and WoW both took Dragonlance’s tinker gnomes and ran with them, 4th is returning to the 2nd Edition forest gnomes and running past them into fey.

Penny Arcade and PvP Online have a podcast series going to introduce you (and them). You get the fun mix of the Wizards of the Coast professional, long-term player, long-ago player, and complete newb. The first podcast focuses on introducing rules and picking names. If you flip to 3:09-3:19, you can hear the prospects of “Jim Darkmagic” and “Chet Awesomelaser.” The module introduction is a bit more narrative than I am used to from DMs. They resisted the urge to say, “I double-click on the NPC to get the quest.”

: Zubon

Fidelity

Posted by Zubon on March 20, 2008 in Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and General. 5 Comments

Champions Online will be almost as similar to Champions as Dungeons and Dragons Online is to Dungeons and Dragons. Which is to say, they are keeping the names and using an entirely different set of mechanics.

To compare this system to others, there is no such thing as a “Dark Blast” or an “Ice Blast” in the HERO System. Mechanically, everything is just an Energy Blast, but with different advantages and even limitations applied. … We are using systems that are essentially the same, but fit the MMORPG genre somewhat better. In Champions Online, we will have Dark Blast, Ice Blast, etc.

: Zubon

More Selling Fluff

Posted by Zubon on March 14, 2008 in City of Heroes/Villains, Dungeons & Dragons Online and General. 1 Comment

I have long pondered the notion of self-funding staff via microcontent. For example, hire more graphics artists for City of Heroes costume designs and then sell their output for a few dollars as an account upgrade. If they sell enough, they stay on. If the model works really well, you can open it up to independent contractors who could make and sell costume pieces, and otherwise replicate a bit of what goes on in Second Life with user-generated content. With the host company taking a percentage. See Julian on fluff for other thoughts.

Yes, I know there are issues there. I liked the idea of putting together Dungeons and Dragons Online dungeons that way, but you would very quickly run into balance issues where dungeons were intentionally too easy or rewarding, because people would buy them for easy xp/loot. See power creep in all the existing D&D books. (After all, why buy the new book if it does not have a prestige class you want to use, and why use one that is weaker than existing ones?) (Yes, I know.)

City of Heroes has kind of pulled this off. Lead developer Positron comments:

Well, the Villain Epic ATs were originally planned for I13, but the brisk sales of the Wedding Pack enabled us to fast track these by getting them budgeted to be done earlier. Every time you see a new tux or wedding dress you can send a thanks to that player for getting everyone VEATs an issue early.

I may be misinterpreting, but it sounds like CoX bought itself more staff time via microcontent. That is the opposite order, but it works as a potential model. Most of my CoX friends bought the microcontent for the jump pack and the Pocket D teleporter.

: Zubon

Servers Closing, Servers Opening

Posted by Zubon on August 17, 2007 in Dungeons & Dragons Online and General. 5 Comments

I received the last issue of Dragon Magazine yesterday. I should be happy that they are moving on and going digital, but mostly I feel like someone died. I have been reading it for most of my life. As if to help underline the end of the world, Wizards of the Coast announced the 4th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons yesterday.

: Zubon

Dungeons and Dragons: Crate and Barrel

Posted by Zubon on April 28, 2007 in Dungeons & Dragons Online. 6 Comments

Like many games, D&D Online has crate syndrome. Wizards of the Coast encourages you to bring this to your pen and paper D&D game with the Barrel, Crate, and Sack Generator. Sack up, D&D.

: Zubon