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Do you think DDO is worth a monthly fee?
Elnator
Member Posts: 6,077
Simple question:
Is DDO, in it's current state, really worth a monthly fee? Feel free to post your opinions. I've already posted mine in a few other threads and I'm done re-hashing them. If you're curious go do some digging.
So...
Is it worth it - in your opinion?
Clarification: Is it worth what they are currently charging: $14.99 a month.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Comments
No, I don't think DDO should require a monthly fee. I think a similar format to Guild Wars would be better.
I like DDO. I think it is a good fun mmo in many ways. However, it feels too restrictive to me. There is not enough content to warrent a monthly fee, and it's not really an mmo that focuses on socializing in a large scale. It is a small grouping type of mmo, in instances. This makes it feel more like an ordinary multiplayer RPG rather than an mmo. Of course in main area like tavern you can gather with many other players, but as far as getting to the real content of the game, it is only reachable in small groups, in instances, in only one city (which is rather large, but kind of the same thing with not much variety).
Granted, I haven't gotten to the end-game levels and environments in DDO, so my opinion is based on the beta and the free trial I've played. After many hours I got a good feeling about the game and realized that it's strong point is playing with friends, maybe a few times a week, taking it slow and doing the quests methodically, using everyone's strengths in the group.
It's not an mmo I anticipate playing when I come home from work. It's a game that is fun every so often, and so I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for it.
No, if nothing else because the game is obviously only about 35% of a normal MMO. It is grossly incomplete and under-developed. MAYBE if they take the time and another year or so and finish developing it to live up to a proper MMO's standards WITH all the twists that it should have to feel like PnP THEN it would be worth a monthly.
In it's current state however I think it should be a $10 digital download for the software and free to play. It's not worth full box price due to its lack of everything worthy of my money.
- Scaris
"What happened to you, Star Wars Galaxies? You used to look like Leia. Not quite gold bikini Leia (more like bad-British-accent-and-cinnamon-bun-hair Leia), but still Leia nonetheless. Now you look like Chewbacca." - Computer Gaming World
Not worth a monthly fee.
The box price is fine. I would like to play this game with a group of real life friends. Problem is, with busy schedules, hard to get everyone together more than a couple of times a month. Not really a problem, except that darn montly fee. So, this play style just not supported.
DDO have only been out for two months. at its current state, yeah i would agree with you that its not worth it. often times mmos like these can change and mature. biggest grip for me is there doesnt seem to be alot of content avaliable.
generally it takes a mmo six to seven months to become mature. almost all mmos when they first come out end up like this, probably next year you think its another game. would you guys try it again if its still around a year later if there is any large improvements made to it?
Have played: CoH, DDO EQ2, FFXI, L2, HZ, SoR, and WW2 online
In it's CURRENT state. Not "If it improves a ton a year from now".
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
Except that they're charging $15/month.
Answer the question, not what you would do if it were some other situation.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
I dont see it changing any time in the future. there probably will be all dungeons throughout the mmos time. obiviously, if you dont like this idea, then DDO isnt for you.
i think what really change in a year are the stories. they will become more interesting.
Have played: CoH, DDO EQ2, FFXI, L2, HZ, SoR, and WW2 online
I used the trial and removed it a few hours after installing it. No sir, I didn't like it.
~Mysk
Except that they're charging $15/month.
Answer the question, not what you would do if it were some other situation.
definitely not. i remember going on a crusade during closed beta to change some things around with the game, mainly the quest repeate mechanics they put in place. we would blow through their content within a 2 month period and ask them how anyone could justify paying roughly $70 for 2 months worth of a game to hit its cap.
they kept dancing around the monthly sub. question and when they finally announced it is when myself along with many others just gave up testing it. i was absolutely shocked to hear they were going to charge $14.95
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a robot foot stomping on a human face -- forever."
I liked it during the trial period, but i wouldn't subscribe, even though i am not currently subscribed to anything atm.
It seems like a fun game to get into, but definitely not worth $15 a month imo
Worth the monthly fee?
No, it most certainly is not worth the monthly fee. I wish I had waited just a little be longer and tried the trial instead of actually buying the game. That was a complete waste of money as I didn't even finish the free month before I canceled things and stopped playing. I'll keep the game around incase it changes (a LOT) but right not it isn't worth a monthly fee of any kind.
It's a Guild Wars clone for the most part, only that it actually lacks Guild Wars graphics, better combat and control. Having played the two I was surprised and disappointed by this. I couldn't help asking myself just how do they expec to justify a monthly fee. Guild Wars is doing the same thing and better, especailly story wise which is sad since Eberron is a great setting for stories.
Locking the game into one city was a big mistake I feel. There should be a world like other mmorpgs. As was the whole "twitch" combat they went for. Not good at all. I just can't shake the "poor version of Guild Wars" feel the game gives off.
Looking back as I beta tested this game I should mail turbine and demand compensation for mental scarring as this game puts a serious dent in the D&D amour
.
Edit: GW should get more credit for setting the bar just abit higher for future developers. We can always boycott rushed products and ask " why should we pay for this when GW does it better and it's free?". Imo, GW has forced devs to get their act together.
I wouldn't consider myself a GW Fanboy but I do agree with zipit. GW didn't start a new trend, that's very true but what he says is also true.
With GuildWars offering a VERY solid game that can be played in a very similar fasion to MMORPG's I will state emphatically that my expectations for MMO's have dramatically risen. Where before I would have accepted games like Lineage 2, Horizons, WoW and several others as a "good" MMORPG now I look at them and say "hmm... but I can do almost everything those games offer in Guild Wars and not pay $180 a year to play"...... Guild Wars has absolutely raised my expectations for an MMORPG. And the nice thing is that until an MMORPG comes along that I feel is WORTH a monthly fee I can now play "something else" for "free" while waiting. It's not like yesteryear where you'd accept a game only marginally better than the one you were playing because both cost $15 a month.
Before GuildWars came around it was: "Hmm... I'm paying $15 a month for this one... but that one offers a little more than I like.... so I guess I'll play it instead since it's a little bit better use of my money"
Now it's "hmm... I can play this one for free, even though it doesn't have some of the features of THAT one... or I can play THAT one, that I'm not really thrilled with, and pay $15 a month". You have an option now to not pay at all and still be able to play an MMO that is very high quality. It may not be the best MMO on the market but *for the money* guildwars is one of the best buys in the MMO market, without a doubt.
Now, if you LIKE the current offerings enough to pay the fees associated with them, that's different. But what GuildWars has done is offer an online RPG, MMORPG, CORPG, pick your 'flavor' that costs the player nothing, offers the player most of the features that draw players to MMORPG's and charges them no monthly fee at all. If you honestly think this hasn't caused the bar of expectations of MMO players to go up you're mistaken. It has... maybe not for everyone... but for a large portion of the MMORPG playerbase we are expecting more for our money now. When I can get so much *free* I now expect that much *more* if I'm going to be expected to pay for it.
I'd say the days of having to buy expansions for MMO's that charge a monthly fee are numbered as well. There were already MMO's that did expansions free... now that Guildwars is free and is not charging much more for it's expansions than a subscription based MMO it begs the question: If I can buy expansions for GuildWars for a similar price why would I PAY for an expansion for a game I'm sinking $180 a year into?
So, like I said, while guildwars doesn't offer everything that mainstream MMORPG's do it has absolutely raised the bar of expectations. At least for me, and for several other players I know as well.
And if you still have doubts about that, think about the number one statement I've heard over and over from people critical of DDO:
Tell me again how GuildWars hasn't raised the bar for what people expect from MMO's that want a monthly fee please?
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
The you've played some low cablier MMORPGs because everything GW offers is the same thing every paying MMORPGs. Most people like yourself have PROBABLY never played a good MMORPG that you had to pay for good quality.
Where before I would have accepted games like Lineage 2, Horizons, WoW and several others as a "good" MMORPG now I look at them and say "hmm... but I can do almost everything those games offer in Guild Wars and not pay $180 a year to play"...... Guild Wars has absolutely raised my expectations for an MMORPG.
Before GuildWars came around it was: "Hmm... I'm paying $15 a month for this one... but that one offers a little more than I like.... so I guess I'll play it instead since it's a little bit better use of my money"
I'd say the days of having to buy expansions for MMO's that charge a monthly fee are numbered as well.
Dude, go look at my background and try to realize that I've played just about every major MMORPG. I've played all but 2 that are ranked 8.0 or above on the game list here. Several in the 7's and even a few of the 6's. I've played some that aren't even listed, thanks. I've played free ones as well. Some are good, some are bad. Currently there isn't an MMORPG on the market (modern I mean) that's worth a monthly fee (in my opinion). I've played 'em all. None offer more value right now than Guild Wars.
As to the whole "minimum wage" arguement. I'm 38, I make a 6 digit income. I can *easily* afford multiple subscriptions to any MMORPG(s) I want to. It's not about whether I can AFFORD to play it it's whether I find it worth my money. There isn't currently a single Fee Based MMORPG on the market that I feel is worth a subscription right now except possibly CLASSIC UO. Unfortunately there is no "classic" UO available from an 'official' vendor. I do play classic UO though
It would be wise for you to not make assumptions that I haven't played any "good" MMO's. Name one of them please and you'll find I've played it. WoW is NOT a 'high quality' MMORPG in my opinion. It's just yet another EQ Clone (blatant one at that) on a newer graphics engine with some good tweaking done. Nothing new, nothing innovative. All the INNOVATIVE MMORPG's are 2+ years old. Most are very outdated graphically with the possible exception of DAOC (which I still played up till yesterday). The closest thing lately to an "innovative" MMORPG is DDO but it needs a BUNCH of features added to it to make it worth the money. Features I'm not sure Turbine has the resources or the will to add at this point.
As for GuildWars only being popular to the type of folks you mentioned then why is it that several people I know and work with are actively playing it and have also dropped their subscriptions to whichever fee based MMORPG's they were playing?
Fee Based MMO's need to step it up a notch now that there are free ones nearly as good. I didn't say Guild Wars is better. I said it's nearly as good. And it is. And folks who care if they're spending their money wisely or not are going to start demanding better quality from MMORPG manufacturers.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Face it: If Guild Wars hadn't happened a LOT fewer people would have griped about DDO. A LOT fewer. If Guild Wars charged a monthly fee there'd be a lot less pressure on DDO right now because people wouldn't be saying "well damn... Guild Wars offers me more and it's free".
Sure it'd still catch heat... but not on the level it is now.
I never said any games were trying to emulate Guild Wars. I said PLAYERS are going to look at new games coming out and say to themselves "Is this enough BETTER than what I can already get FREE that I am willing to pay a monthly fee for it".
Prior to Guild Wars there weren't any free MMORPG's out there that were:
A) Well known
Guild Wars is both well known and extremely high quality with VERY few bugs (Actually I have yet to hit one). Guild Wars has a player base of over 1.5 million and expect that to jump now that factions is out and offers even more aspects that players enjoy.
So tell me how guild wars hasn't raised the bar of *expectations* from players?
When people say things like:
"I can already get that free in X game" and use that as a reason why a game isn't good enough for a monthly fee. That indicates that there is a STANDARD by which they are basing their opinion.
Guild Wars has set the standard for what should be available for FREE. If a FEE based game doesn't offer more than it there is no way it's going to succeed now.
That is all the OP and myself are saying. We're not saying Guild Wars is better than the MMO's on the market (with the exception of a few). We're saying that it's good enough that people are starting to question if what they are paying for is worth the money.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
yup, i'd say noone compares games to GW...yup...definetly lower standard...yup
/irony off
Ever noticed that he considers anyone posting in favor of a game a "Fanboy"? Typically shows a limited intellect. Regardless of how much sense your posts make or how logical they are.
Just a clue Captain RPG: The VAST majority of the people on this site are not guild wars players, they are WOW players and, oddly, EVE players. Yet WoW is rated lower than Guild Wars. Why is that? Because Guild Wars is a better VALUE than WoW. You get more for your $.
Oh, and by the way, quit putting words in people's mouths. Nobody said Guild Wars set any standards. They said it raised the bar or raised peoples expectations of what other online games need to offer. That's not a "standard" that's just making people aware that they have other options out there to consider. Guild Wars isn't perfect, no MMO is. But it does offer an incredible value.
You can continue to delude yourself all you want. I'm finished arguing with you, it's pointless. You have a strong opinion, I think you're wrong.... but I'm not going to waste any more of my time trying to convince you that you're mistaken.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas