Does DDO have too little content and isn't a "true" MMO...

WizGamer

This was post made by Duck from the official DDO forums:

"..or do some people have a lack of perspective?

DDO could have made big zones with random spawns and little if any purpose to being there except the mindless extermination of creatures whose existence is purely to be animated speed bumps. They then could have located the truly engaging content at distant locations that required traversing these meaningless zones, or better yet make the steps to get the keys to get into the content require several distant fetch quests and dealing with the meaningless spawns. These are easy to build.

Furthermore they could have set the level progression up such that in order to progress you have to keep repeating the content and/or having to grind killing the meaningless wild spawns as a large necessary component of advancing. For good measure, they could have structured the economy in such a way that in order to be survivable you had to grind things for hours to earn enough coin to get the necessary gear, putting in planned obsolescence and decay for added effect.

In short, DDO could have easily set up speed bumps and progression requirements that made it a large amount of effort just to get to play the really good content, just like most other MMO's. Thus, all the people here would be much lower level. And, of course, there would be the big zones. and voila, DDO would then meet the revised neo-definition that some have come to call a "true MMO."

Of course, then those of us with demanding lives and not a ton of free time and having little interest in the heavy grinding requirements of the typical MMO would be effectively left behind or shut out altogether. As a result, the demographic of the typical DDO player would shift to the 17-22 year old who has the free time and determination to be uber and rise to the top by wading through all those speed bumps. But why? What would Turbine gain in becoming exactly like WoW with

only minor graphical differences to distinguish?

I for one am glad that Turbine got the idea that games shouldn't be chores, and people with less that 40 hours a week of gaming time want fantasy adventure without some cyber hamster wheel as part of the requirement. I like being able to log on, contact a few buddies, and get into the good stuff right away. I like that it doesn't take scores of hours of time to achieve any meaningful progress. I like that other people like me, in my demographic and with my level of free time, have a home here, and therefore I have others to play with.

If it takes engineered time sinks to qualify to be a "true MMO", then I don't really like MMO's under that definition, and I prefer whatever you wish to classify DDO as. I don't consider grinding, traveling, and earning money through mindless work efforts as adventure, and I don't want to have to do them just to earn the privilege of playing the real adventure content. Keep your "true MMO" title and all the tedium that accompanies it.

If you are one of those who still thinks that DDO is missing something that others MMOs have and feel that there isn't enough to do in DDO; that you're already really high level at this early stage, then perhaps I have a solution for you. Instead of logging directly into DDO, log into one of those other MMOs and spend a few hours investing your effort into one of their many time sinks. Or better yet, don't log in to DDO and instead go weed your garden, check the pressure in your spare tires, or floss the cat ...some chores you've been neglecting while you would have been grinding. Then after a few hours of chores, log into DDO and play one quest knowing you've earned the right to enjoy the good content.

Don't forget to log off after completing the quest and do more grinding and/or chores before moving to the next quest. This will help bridge the difference in the feeling you got from that other MMO and DDO. Most of us do this already as a normal part of our existence, except we're managing our gaming time into our lives (instead of the other way around). Perhaps if you adopt this model of game play management, you'll find that DDO has plenty of content and you don't really miss the absent time sinks that other "true" MMO's have.

betatoxin

I am glad that this post made it to MMORPG, it reflects how many of us feel about the excellent game that is Dungeon and Dragons Online. Especially considering that MMORPG.com seems to be giving short shrift to probably one of the best MMORPG that I have ever played.

Some of us that have a long history of playing MMOG have begun to want something more out of a game than more of the same grinding mobs ad naseum just because they happen to be there. In DDO mobs are there because they are protecting something, or trying to steal something. There is some context to their existance in the game. This is as opposed to many MMOG where you go to the same spot on the map and spend endless hours killing the exact same mob because it drops some widget you need 10,000 of. There is no story, no context, just clicking. As the OP points out grinding mobs ranks slightly below "flossing the cat" to many of us to steal an excellent quote from the OP.

If you are looking for a game with breadth, flavor, context to your actions, a fun first attitude and 30+ years of development behind the races and classes then DDO is the game for you. If instead what you are looking for is activating your best attack on the same mob out in the middle of nowhere then there is a plethora of options out there for you. I would also suggest slot machines and whack a mole as suitable substitutes.

WizGamer

I want this to be tacked at the top of this forum so anyone can read it whenever. I want it to become a sticky. If anyone wants to help in this publication of the truth about DDO please make a post.

Ian_Hawkmoon

Funny, you start a topis entitled 

"Does DDO have too little content and isn't a "true" MMO..."

And yet you never really answer your own question...

Gismoland

I agree, Eve did start poorly and so did most of the other MMORPGs. Considering Turbine was Forced to release what it had by the company contract, they're expected to sell the games.

I was told they will add more lvls within a week or so and more content to what they was suppose to add before they hoped to release the game. Blame the Company that pushed its way into selling a FLOP of a game that will grow into a De-Flop in few weeks.

I was in Horizons for sometime and waited and waited and waited for Dragon Lairs and Flight, took them 2years!! to get it to work.. and they sold the product to another company that did keep its promise to add Lairs and Stuff.. Game Still Sucks though haha

Asherons Call 2 was Great, but they too was forced into release earily and BINGO game was a FLOP no chat no combat no skills blah blah blah.. But I LOVED it after they fixed it all and then they shut it down for the reasons that no one would play it due to these EARILY releases..

It helps to be Patient when MMO's are released..

grimjakk

That's an excellent thread, with some good points on all sides...

lemme see if it'll lemme.... CLICKY

 

Cliff notes version:  ... maybe, maybe not.  Depends on whether, by your definitions, "deep content" is synonymous with "time sink".  

Personally, I think Turbine and Atari should've marketted the game as an "Online RPG" or a "Multiplayer RPG" and steered clear of the whole MMORPG label and all the MUD-based baggage that its collected over the years.

matraque

excellent post.

I'm at the point when i just want to hook in vent with some guildmates and do some group play.

Those bashing the game already know it's not for them. They aren't even bashing the game anymore at this point... all they do is try to say that DDO is not a MMO... well, excuse me but it's a DIFFENRENT MMO.

Elenos

Yeah, that's the DDO effect: you either love it or hate it

WizGamer

The reason that DDO wasn't an immediate flop is because it was very truthful throughout its development. Unlike, DnL who lied to us and led us on to believe it was the best game under the sun, DDO laid things straight and made us aware that a lot of the content wasn't all developed and published but what they had was developed well. They didn't lie to us and that is what made many of the people who bought it (the people who researched the game beforehand) enjoy it afterwards and not regret it.

Kem0sabe

I havent opened my pre order copy yet, been sitting in my desk for a week now. The game disapointed me a bit during both public beta tests, but im willing to give it a real try this time, anyone here play on the european servers? and if so, hows the population there?