The right game for my group?

angus858

I have a group of real-life friends with whom I play mmorpgs.  We want a new game and have some interest in DDO.  Maybe you can help us with some questions:

1)  What is the maximum group size in DDO?

2)  Does DDO have an integrated voice com system?  If so, how well does it work?  We have used other voice com systems but found them troublesome, requiring constant adjustments to volume levels.  Is this one (if it exists) any better?

3)  Is it possible to level your characters without repeating dungeons?

 

Thanks for your help!

Rokurgepta

Originally posted by angus858


I have a group of real-life friends with whom I play mmorpgs.  We want a new game and have some interest in DDO.  Maybe you can help us with some questions:
1)  What is the maximum group size in DDO?
2)  Does DDO have an integrated voice com system?  If so, how well does it work?  We have used other voice com systems but found them troublesome, requiring constant adjustments to volume levels.  Is this one (if it exists) any better?
3)  Is it possible to level your characters without repeating dungeons?
 
Thanks for your help!

1. Six except for raids which are twelve people max.

 

2. Yes it does but I have found it needs more adjusting due to people volume levels. Also while it has integrated chat it does not have the option of adjusting people individually., MY guild uses Ventrilo which is a much better system then the in game for DDO. But the DDO one works well.

 

3. Not really. At lower levels yes you could but as you get higher the dungeon choices thin out.

angus858

That's a bummer.  I have eight potential folks in my group.

If the voice system is worse than Vent then it can't  be very good.  Vent is the last system we used before giving up on voice coms as being to big a pain in the butt.

I knew that repeating dungeons was required when the game first released but I was hoping enough new content had been added to make that unneccessary.

Rokurgepta

Originally posted by angus858


That's a bummer.  I have eight potential folks in my group.
If the voice system is worse than Vent then it can't  be very good.  Vent is the last system we used before giving up on voice coms as being to big a pain in the butt.
I knew that repeating dungeons was required when the game first released but I was hoping enough new content had been added to make that unneccessary.

 

Vent for me is one of the best voice systems since I can adjust any person to the perfect volume level no matter what they sound like at first. DDOs system has no adjustment like that so some people come through loud and others too quiet to hear. I find Vent to be the least pain in the butt of the ones I have tried.

 

The new content takes you to level 20 but getting there without repeating is not going to happen.

KualaBD

Originally posted by angus858


That's a bummer.  I have eight potential folks in my group.
If the voice system is worse than Vent then it can't  be very good.  Vent is the last system we used before giving up on voice coms as being to big a pain in the butt.
I knew that repeating dungeons was required when the game first released but I was hoping enough new content had been added to make that unneccessary.

In my opinion the voice system works pretty well though as was mentioned it may require some tweaking by players who aren't loud enough or too loud (or maybe they're too far/too close to their mic).  Anyway, I'd say though that if even Vent wasn't good enough for you guys (Vent being one of the most popular and widely used) then the in-game one probably won't cut it either...but you can always try the game yourself and see.

As for repeating dungeons, free players will definitely have to repeat dungeons (on several different difficulty modes) in order to level since free quests do indeed thin out at higher levels.  However, subscribers (who have access to ALL quests), from what I hear, have little need to repeat quests in order to level.  Free players can themselves unlock some of the higher XP dungeons in the DDO store to help reduce repeating quests.

However, I do want to mention that the quality and fun factor of DDO quests are so high that most players enjoy repeating quests.  While a quest may not be as exciting or surprising on your 2nd or 3rd time through there are different difficulty levels for each quest, so playing through a quest on hard and elite modes will be a very different experience than your first run through on normal mode.  Also, with chest loot and quest rewards being random, many players repeat certain quests just to see what new gear they can find.

Honestly though, if repeating content or quests is not your groups thing then you may want to avoid playing mmo's entirely.  While DDO has the most unique and fun quests I've ever seen in an online game (with real traps, puzzles, DM voiceovers...including quests narrated by the D&D creators themselves before they died) all other mmo's have countless repeated quests (collect 10 rat tails, now collect 15 orc teeth, now collect...).

Edit:  You can disregard my final paragraph.  I forgot that you said your group already plays mmo's.  I do want to re-iterate though that DDO's quests are VERY different than what you're used to in typical mmo's.  Give it a try (it's free) and see if you think your group will like it.