Just quit Beta - very dissapointed

Nullapax

First things first - I am a dedicated solo player and DDO is very much aimed at Group play, so the chances of me loving this game were pretty slim from the outset

That said, there seem to be a number of flaws in the basic game design which I think will drive people away from what is a decent game.

The AI is abysmal.
Mobs stand in one room and do nothing while you shoot them to death through the open doorway. Sometimes they will fire back but usually their shots hit the door frame so they never hurt you.
There is one quest (Information is Key) where my 1st level character takes on 3 level 2's and a 1st level boss, all together, and never gets hurt.
I actually use this point of the quest to go make a cup of coffee and read a magazine

All quests are repeatable and are identical each time. Once you have done a quest you know exactly what to expect the next time. The only things that change are the amount of Exp gained and the level of the mobs ( but you get to chose the mob level so that is irelevant).
From the look of things, the Devs expect you to repeat quests around nine or ten times over the course of a few character levels.
Not only is this boring but it destroys any degree of immersion into the Fantasy world

DDO has nice graphics and a clever way of helping you to find groups but it dosn't really offer anything particularly new or inovative.

In fact, to me, it feels very much like a cash in on the D&D licence and the lucrative MMORPG market

EDIT = spelling

SaintedOne

Nullapax - What game were you playing again..?  Oh, DDO..!?  Man, I wish I would have been running groups with you!  Mobs that don't move and can't hit you for a shit when you're attacking?  I would have loved to experiencce that...  You were able to take on two level 2 mobs and a level 1 boss without taking any damage?  What's your secret?  What class were you, and how long did that battle actually last?  You must have been doing a ton of tumbling, had some great equipment, and set your character sets pretty damn well to be so successful.  If anything can be griped about the combat system, it should be that melee characters take so much longer to take out a group of enemies than a mage - due to incessant bad rolls and the need to dodge/block so much.  I can't speak too much on the need to repeat quests, as my highest character right now is a 1.2 paladin.  However, he's done all of the quests in the first port area and the miller quest in the second area...  I ran around a bit after that and picked up at least 6 or 7 new quests before running in and working on a new one.  He solos pretty well at the level he's at, but I understand (from reading other posts) that this won't be the case later on.  Granted, the game could use a little more solo potential, but remember - you are playing an MMORPG...  Want more solo play?  Go buy a single player game...  And as for nothing 'new or innovative...'  Name one other MMORPG already released with a combat system that requires you to act and react as much as DDO's.  Point made.  I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the game, and I wish you luck in whatever game you do choose to play - but please be a little less biased in your reviews of the game, or you're going to scare off those who might actually enjoy it.

burrek

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Originally posted by Nullapax

First things first - I am a dedicated solo player and DDO is very much aimed at Group play, so the chances of me loving this game were pretty slim from the outset

That said, there seem to be a number of flaws in the basic game design which I think will drive people away from what is a decent game.

The AI is abysmal.
Mobs stand in one room and do nothing while you shoot them to death through the open doorway. Sometimes they will fire back but usually their shots hit the door frame so they never hurt you.
There is one quest (Information is Key) where my 1st level character takes on 3 level 2's and a 1st level boss, all together, and never gets hurt.
I actually use this point of the quest to go make a cup of coffee and read a magazine

... How the hell did you beat the end fight of Information is key by yourself? Did you play a mage, set the pet on 'em and used a series of maximized burning hands? Or had a wargorged warrior with a big shield and got your back to a wall?

All quests are repeatable and are identical each time. Once you have done a quest you know exactly what to expect the next time. The only things that change are the amount of Exp gained and the level of the mobs ( but you get to chose the mob level so that is irelevant).
From the look of things, the Devs expect you to repeat quests around nine or ten times over the course of a few character levels.
Not only is this boring but it destroys any degree of immersion into the Fantasy world

Acctually you should never have to repeat a quest more than thrice.

DDO has nice graphics and a clever way of helping you to find groups but it dosn't really offer anything particularly new or inovative.

In fact, to me, it feels very much like a cash in on the D&D licence and the lucrative MMORPG market

... What were you expecting? Companies make games to make money. Companies make games using intel properties to cash in on the property. Companies make MMORPGs for a steady income. Games are like Holywood films, don't expect them to be works of art.

EDIT = spelling

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Nullapax

Just run into the room to pull the smugglers and the iron dog. Then run back to the stairs, jump up on to the top pipe and take them out with a crossbow.
The AI just has them stand there to be killed and they do nothing to defend themselves or fight back.

I believe they are promising to improve the AI but they are leaving it a bit late IMO.

No one should be foolish enough to avoid buying any game just because one person gives it a poor review.
There are a lot of people who love DDO and I'm sure it will have a faithfull following.

I just doubt the longevity of the love affair

SaintedOne

You must have had some luck with your mob encounters or something, because when I tried a similar strategy, my mobs chased me up the boxes and back down to the floor - beating my ass all the while.

And I'm sure that people won't be turned away by one bad impression/review...  But everyone who is throwing the negativity out there is doing it for the same ignorant reasons, without taking the time to fully understand and enjoy the game.  If you don't like it, mention why, mention that it's due to your preference, and move on to a game you do like.  What I don't like to see is people bashing it, saying stuff like "oh, Turbine is gay for not letting me solo!" or such...  Think about what game you're playing, look at the reasons the game is the way it is, and understand that no matter how late in the beta it is - this is still beta.  It's going to have bugs, it's going to have flaws, and you'd do the community a lot more help by reflecting your issues with the dev support team (to get worked on before release).

MLDrEvil

Well if you wanted a Fight then don't go running up on boxes to get away...

burrek

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Originally posted by Nullapax

Just run into the room to pull the smugglers and the iron dog. Then run back to the stairs, jump up on to the top pipe and take them out with a crossbow.
The AI just has them stand there to be killed and they do nothing to defend themselves or fight back.
I believe they are promising to improve the AI but they are leaving it a bit late IMO.
No one should be foolish enough to avoid buying any game just because one person gives it a poor review.
There are a lot of people who love DDO and I'm sure it will have a faithfull following.
I just doubt the longevity of the love affair

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I agree, this game does not have enaugh content to keep people.

As to the AI exploit, it has been fixed. Monsters will follow you up ledges if their jump skill is high enaugh.

Linksman

I wasn't impressed during the 10 day trial either.  I had high hopes for the game and I am a fairly big supporter of Turbine Games, but I couldn't find much in this game to hold my attention.  I agree that the forced instancing/grouping was at least handled fairly well, but the content and questing was lackluster at best.

I really disliked the one town no adventure around aspect.  It almost reminds me of a game lobby.  Consider the town like Gamespy or something..where you wander around till you find a group and launch your game (instance) with.  Completely lacks any soicial or community feel.

Played the all at one time or other.   This one just doesn't get it for me.