Dungeons & Dragons Online

[Bryan1108]

I have been looking forward to this for quite awhile. I have always thought about getting into an MMO game but never really got around to it. This one looks great though so I am in.
www.ddo.com

[Catman Jim]

I've looked into it, but there's one thing that is really putting me off from it; it's Eberron.

[alhoon]

I've no problem with it and look forward to it to be frank. But not yet.

[Spiteful Crow]

I've looked into it, but there's one thing that is really putting me off from it; it's Eberron.

I don't have a problem with Eberron, but I think a DnD Online game should use a more generic setting like Greyhawk.

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

I've looked into it, but there's one thing that is really putting me off from it; it's Eberron.

I've messed around on the Beta at a friends, it's quite good. It's more team based than WoW.

Plus, it's in the most generic part of Eberron.

[Bryan1108]

I figured from the beginning thjat it would be in Eberron, Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms. I really didn't want it to be Forgotten Realms but beyond that I don't care.
My only reservation is that I keep hearing that this is a game with a strong emphasis on teamwork and forming a party. I usually like solo gaming. Well, you can't have everything.

[Scot Storm]

I like the Eberron Campaigns although lands are to scattered. If you've seen a map to the land it's surrounded by a lot of water but the plot of the Last War is really cool. What happens after that is up to the PCs. The reference to it being to"mimic technogical advances that didn't appear in our world until the 1880" is a statement that contradicts our Masque of the Red Death which I haven't read yet but I'am in the process of ordering which quote me as being wrong is an expansion into the 1800. I believe the world of Eberron conflicts the later statement as confusing the artistry of the Eberron Campaign book.

[alhoon]

Seen the game in a friend. It seems very nice. However as good and balanced the game is... the players are not.
My friend and I were astonished by the chop-the-monster/take-the-loot mentality there. Add to this sheer rudeness. A party called my friend (playing a cleric) they didn't even RPed a welcome wave.
They were inside a dungeon running and killing and just said "Hi". It was a very nice dungeon and later we figured it had a good story. It is difficult to figure things up where the party is running forward killing.
The only things I remember them saying to my friend were "Heal".

Oh in the party there were two sisters. One was an elf and the other one a ... halfling.

[Algaris]

I've been playing for a couple of weeks or so and thought I'd post some of my first thoughts.

I'm still in two minds as to what I think of it. I'm going to have to track down a RP server I think. Apparently there are some unofficial RP ones out there, just need to find them.

In the game there is nothing more off putting that getting a blind party invite and then someone saying:

"Hey m8 u wanna do sum quests?"

Most of the people I party with tear through the quests at breakneck pace killing everything in sight, with me having to hare tail it with them, missing out most of what’s supposed to be going on. It's either that or fall behind and get mobbed by the creatures they've missed or get horribly lost.

That's the good groups; the worst ones are the people who do the same as above but get themselves so overwhelmed by just charging into combat that we all die.

What I want is a sever where I can spend time talking to people in character and be responded to in the same way, with no out of character chatter. Only go on quests if there is a reason and not just because it’s the only way to get experience. Also when going on quests I want a group that will go through it at a nice steady pace, and use tactics (you don’t necessarily have to kill everything there, what about sneaking past them or setting up ambushes?) not with the object to kill every creature, find the loot and get out in record time.

One pet hate I have is that the developers decided to restrict the characters on their servers by first name, meaning if that name is already taken you can’t use it. Yes its good that you won’t get 1,000 dritz’s running around but there’s nothing wrong in having a few people who have the same first name, just like in real life. I’m just sulking because I can’t use my favourite characters name, because someone else has already taken it.

There are some really good points though.

The way experience and levelling is handled is excellent. It stops power gamers and campers in their tracks.

The initial level cap is set to level 10. There is no combat experience, the only way to gain any is through quests and completing set objectives during the quest. Each level is broken down into four sections, during which you can choose bonus mini feats for your character. Once you have gained enough experience points to level you must visit a trainer in town and talk to them to gain your new level. No more spontaneous levelling in a dungeon or in the middle of the wilderness.

Treasure chests are another excellent addition. In each chest the contents is generated to fit the party and each person has a set number of items reserved for them, no more people trying to be the first to the chest to get the best stuff. Also each dungeon is instanced just for your party, so you don’t have to worry about competing or being interrupted by other groups that might spoil your plans and grab all the best loot.

All in all I’m having fun. It’s a large game with huge sections and areas to explore, there’s just so much to it and so many quests for each area, it sometimes feels a little overwhelming.

[alhoon]

Algaris: I have very limited experience in the matter as I have only seen the game played by others a couple of hours but I'll share some things with you:

I agree with your observation about the neck-breaking pace. My friends that play have said that the dungeons are very atmospheric, the quests very good.
When a friend of mine tried to RP with a guy in a tavern the following happened"

Guy: "Hey, can you lend me some money please?"
My friend (playing a dwarf): "I don't have any to spare mate, sorry"
Guy: "A pity. I need some money urgently"
My friend: "We all need money son, as a human you haven't learned that lesson yet."
Guy" "Wtf? Are you drunk?"

[Algaris]

This is the sort of thing I would dearly love to be able to do in DDO, although perhaps in a good character capacity as evil alignments are restricted.

On a Neverwinter Night server I have a Neutral Evil Halfling bard, who is a follower of Mask. She is pretty much a con artist and will stick her nose into anything, in the hope that she can benefit from it later. She knows to be subtle in her dealings, it is better that the majority of players think you’re a cute goody, goody, so you can take advantage of them later, or they will stick up for you, talking about your impeccable personality. This character incidentally has more gold and better equipment than any of my other characters (go figure).

Anyway a while ago she was with a party and we stopped by an old ruined tower. A mage of considerable power then told us about how the area was having problems with portals and how he had discovered the origin was in a city of lizard creatures. Apparently the portal was also linked to the Blood War and we were told to keep an eye out for anyone looking for souls. We were also told not to pass this information onto anybody and not to talk about it in the open.

Later on I managed to sell this information onto a cleric of Bane (!!) for quite a lot of gold. A DM also witnessed the transaction and gave me a hefty XP bonus for my troubles. It was amusing to seeing what the Baneites did with this information.

I seriously suspect trying to role-play anything like this in DDO would go down like a lead balloon and would antagonise the local 1337 hack & slashers. Please note, I’m exaggerating somewhat, I’m sure there are some really good role-players out their, I just need to find them.

[Coan]

From what I can tell the game has near 0 grind unlike WoW and is a kill and loot focus.

I myself probably stick to Oblivion due to physical distance causing lag issues with my multiplayer.

On the other hand it'd be neat to meet you guys ingame and have a conversation over the mic.

[Ronia Sun]

Part of me desperately wants to try this game out. I think the Eberron setting is a good one (if you haven't read the campaign setting, you ought to. It's quite refreshingly original, within a limited framework.), and the graphics on DDO look fabulous.

However.

I hate hack'n'slash (unless I'm looking for stress relief), and thus far that's all I'm seein' with DDO (without actually having played it, of course.)

I dont' like partying with strangers for the reasons mentioned in a previous post. I only like to play with folks I *know* will roleplay AND who know the meaning of the word 'tactics'.

And, lets face it: you are never, ever going to get the flexibility of a DM-run game in a computer game environment. NWN comes close, though I admit I have yet to give the DM/Multiplayer aspects a whirl. (I'm a hermit. It's sad, I know, but at the moment I'm the only one in my cirlce of friends who plays NWN...)

DDO is billed as Eberron, but it ain't Eberron, not really. Sure, you can play warforged, but you can't play changelings, or kalashtar, or shifters. I'm not even sure you can play a dragonmark heir...and let's face it, the races and extra goodies unique to Eberron are what make it worth playing.

It's not set in Sharn, one of the coolest urban settings I've yet seen in an RPG setting.

So...unless all this comes out in some future patch or expansion...I'll stick with WoW for now. I can solo there and ignore the dweebs.

[Jack of Tears]

The biggest problem with MMORGS is the other players. I played Star Wars Galaxies for two years and only twice was I ever able to find someone willing to rp.

DDO seems like it would be a great deal of fun if you were playing with people you knew. Say, you and you're mates want to get together and do something, but can't manage the transportation, or whatnot. It would likely be fantastic to get all of them on the game and run a dungeon at your own pace, taking time to rp and plan as you went. Unfortunately this would mean you and all your friends need buy the game - something I can't get to happen here. But the, I had hoped to get into some rp in City of Villains when my friends got involved, but the most active player has no time for anything but killing foes and absolutely no interest in rp. (unfortunately this has begun to translate over to her table top characters and she no longer cares about the detailed plots or storylines.)

Myself, I couldn't get into it otherwise - for the reasons mentioned by others. The dungeons are well designed and could be interesting if the majority of groups weren't just rushing through them. I find, for a game that relies on grouping with strangers, the "City of ..." pair best supports the "map runners" mentality. (I hope that doesn't give one a bad impression ... both "City of _" games are a great deal of fun and have the added benefit of being something you can log onto for a spare hour and feel you've made occomplishments in game)

[Jester of the FoS]

Role-playing in the City of Heroes/Villains games is like role-playing in Diablo. You can do it, it can be fun, but it's a stretch. Other RPs are slightly more versitial and built for a range of activities other than combat.