DDO: EU is crap

codejack · September 2009

The UI changes are horrendous, the "bug fixes" are the usual mix of issues that no one even notices and a$$-raping anyone who had even the slightest bit of imagination when creating their character, multitudes of long-standing issues have not been addressed, and the new "adventure" area is just another loot grind - but this time for useless crap! Basically, everything we have come to know and loathe from Turbine.

Before anyone accuses me of being negative, however, let me be clear: This could not have worked out better! For anyone appreciating the natural complement of D&D to the MMORPG genre, the prospect of the company with the worst quality control and customer service in the industry losing the franchise through staggering incompetence and mean-spirited punishment of their player-base, and necessarily opening up the market for a competitor to step in, must be greeted with all acclaim.

Hints for future D&D MMORPG developers:

- D&D belongs in Faerun.

- The players are your customers, not blood enemies who traumatized you as a child that you should punish.

- The more classes the better.

- Class balance is not a sometimes thing.

- Changes to core rules affect players; let them change their character to adapt.

- Just because a player does something that you didn't anticipate does not make it "cheating".

Here's hoping that the next developer of a D&D MMORPG will choose not to hire hydrocephalic misanthropes who were rejected from the Marines for a lack of social skills.

Sarr · September 2009

Originally posted by codejack

The UI changes are horrendous, the "bug fixes" are the usual mix of issues that no one even notices and a$$-raping anyone who had even the slightest bit of imagination when creating their character, multitudes of long-standing issues have not been addressed, and the new "adventure" area is just another loot grind - but this time for useless crap! Basically, everything we have come to know and loathe from Turbine.
Before anyone accuses me of being negative, however, let me be clear: This could not have worked out better! For anyone appreciating the natural complement of D&D to the MMORPG genre, the prospect of the company with the worst quality control and customer service in the industry losing the franchise through staggering incompetence and mean-spirited punishment of their player-base, and necessarily opening up the market for a competitor to step in, must be greeted with all acclaim.
Hints for future D&D MMORPG developers:
- D&D belongs in Faerun.
- The players are your customers, not blood enemies who traumatized you as a child that you should punish.
- The more classes the better.
- Class balance is not a sometimes thing.
- Changes to core rules affect players; let them change their character to adapt.
- Just because a player does something that you didn't anticipate does not make it "cheating".

Here's hoping that the next developer of a D&D MMORPG will choose not to hire hydrocephalic misanthropes who were rejected from the Marines for a lack of social skills.

Sorry, but this is total utter BS.

When someone tries to teach me, a D&D vet, that D&D belongs in FR, then... well, no words. FR is a pop-shit, period. You can like it, like I did, but please don't insist that you have the slightest idea about classic D&D in that way.

You're trying hard to sound like you had some good points and knowledge to back it up, but no, you haven't.

I'm sure others will comment better, use arguments. Well, I can't, and won't waste my time here.

And this:

"- Just because a player does something that you didn't anticipate does not make it "cheating"."

Well, you were banned in that last "event" when 200+ of vets were banned for XP exploits, am I right? Maybe talk to psychologist, that's not the place for such cries.

BaneShade · September 2009

It sounds like you have a lot on your mind. If you'd be so kind, how about describing in more details what you're concerned about? Simply ranting won't accomplish much I'm afraid. If you go into more detail, you'll give people an opportunity to verify for themselves what you're talking about.

As it is, it's more like a personal impression than an unbiased observation.

I'm still not in the game, but certainly still looking forward to joining on Sept. 9.

TheStarheart · September 2009

Originally posted by BaneShade

It sounds like you have a lot on your mind. If you'd be so kind, how about describing in more details what you're concerned about? Simply ranting won't accomplish much I'm afraid. If you go into more detail, you'll give people an opportunity to verify for themselves what you're talking about.
As it is, it's more like a personal impression than an unbiased observation.
I'm still not in the game, but certainly still looking forward to joining on Sept. 9.

Also very much looking forward to it. I think Sarr is right, based on how well he carries himself in terms of information and objectiveness in other posts I've read. This guy was most likely banned and now has to try and keep everyone away since he can't play.

codejack · September 2009

Well, I remember Oerth, too, and while 2nd edition might have been bad, I don't carry any torches for the original, either. As for Faerun, like it or not it is the richest and most popular setting even today.

Turbine is just a mess; I understand that LOTRO is better, having gotten the "A-team" after they got DDO up and running; the problem is that we didn't even get the B-team. At best, we have the S-team (the "S" is for sucks).

Bugs that have existed since beta are still unfixed.

The original content was great; everything since has been crap.

I have 3 characters that were capped up until this morning that I will now be deleting because the new mod has "fixed" things so that they are broken beyond playability.

I am not banned. I have never been banned.

"Cheating", according to Turbine, can be anything - literally anything, and they will not tell you what does and does not qualify until you are banned, temporarily at first, but permanently if they catch you telling anyone else what you were banned for. Essentially, it is an excuse to punish their players, just like the constant rules changes. Their attitude can only be described as "mean-spirited".

You want good points? Fine: The game itself is fantastic; the original content is a joy to play, and the combat system and quest mechanics are second to none. I have spent far more time playing "lowbies" in the original quests that I have in any of the "end-game" content. The one exception is the Crucible quest; that one is fantastic. I think they had the guy who designed it dragged into the street and shot.

The new end-game content is utterly worthless; hour long grinds for loot that doesn't do anything useful, but the rules changes have made upper level adventuring both tedious and expensive. It is neither fun nor worthwhile.

BaneShade · September 2009

Bugs that have existed since beta are still unfixed. Which bugs are those?

The original content was great; everything since has been crap. Which content in particular?

I have 3 characters that were capped up until this morning that I will now be deleting because the new mod has "fixed" things so that they are broken beyond playability. What exactly has been "fixed" that now makes your characters broken?

What was your experience with cheating that Turbine infracted for?

Which upper level / end game adventures now suck? And what could be done to improve them / it?

codejack · September 2009

Which bugs are those?

The most famous is the so-called "ladder bug", which causes your character to get stuck on ladders, usually while monsters are trying to kill you. It has been "fixed" 3 or 4 times now, but it still keeps cropping up. Others include a frankly retarded way of handling lag "Whoops! We didn't get any input from you for half a second there, thought you might have disconnected, so we pushed you back about 10 seconds into that group of soul-eating demons you were running from and let you sit there while they stabbed you to death with your own ribs"; a loot system that seems to have been designed by inmates of an asylum for the criminally insane: "Yes, we know that we said that you would get a pick of raid loot as an end reward every 20 runs, but we never said that it would be good raid loot, or that you wouldn't already have the one piece that we offer, every time, for 100 runs"; supposedly they've fixed the "stuck spots", places where you can jump in, but you can't jump out, and you either have to recall out of the quest or have a caster teleport you; many spells work on player characters but not on enemies of the same race, e.g. hold monster cast on your elf will freeze you while the bad guys chop you into little bits, but if you try to cast it on an enemy elf, it doesn't work; the entire monk "dark" path; in fact, the entire monk class.

This doesn't even touch on broken weapon effects, class balance issues, frankly vindictive "fixes" they have implemented (monks have a super-speed ability that is really neat, but if you used it to make the reaver quest go faster, they set it up so that your entire party was instantly killed just as you thought you had won, and they didn't say anything about it; they just let us figure it out on our own. How many player hours were wasted in frustration to punish monks?)

Which content in particular?

Necropolis, Menechtauran, Gianthold (expcept the Crucible, as I said), tempest spine, three barrel cove (either old or new), ataraxia's haven, and the new plane of shavarath.

What exactly has been "fixed" that now makes your characters broken?

The tempest and shield AC no longer stack nerf, minos legens no longer gives toughness nerf, transmuting weapons are no longer transmuting nerf, "grazing blows" bypassing AC, stat damage no longer kills monsters nerf; this I could live with - it's not like I don't have more capped characters that haven't been affected, but it's still aggravating.

What was your experience with cheating that Turbine infracted for?

Most of them are rather difficult to explain: Fighting boss monsters in a certain place causes them to "bug out" and not fight back (of course, it also happens on accident, but that isn't always a mitigating factor); using abilities to shortcut through quests in ways that the devs did not intend (but they refuse to explain either the "correct" way or the shortcut that should not be used). The saving grace is that it's not like they are watching over your shoulder or anything. Someone has to report you, usually with a screenshot, but there are just enough little weasels playing the game to make that a problem combined with just enough idiots to make it interesting.

Which upper level / end game adventures now suck? And what could be done to improve them / it?

None of the content that wasn't in the game originally is very good, and almost all of the added content has been upper level; naturally, as that's when the level caps go up. The problem is that they keep screwing it up; the loot system is terrible (3 day timer for raids, very little raid loot ever drops; I have literally run one particular raid over 100 times, and the one piece of raid loot that anyone wants out of it I have only seen drop once, for anyone), and the recent crafting systems are even worse. The Shroud isn't bad; at least you can make the item you want, but the armor crafting is a sick joke, and the new loot/crafting cluster@$#% they've implemented is the stupidest thing I have ever seen, and this from someone who used to work for a Fortune 400 company. The new quests they just added are boring, do not have any decent loot, and there are a grand total of 5 of them, including the raid.

There are some lower level quests that they have added, some of which I have not tried yet, but I have a feeling that if I continue to play, it will be as a free player, and only the lower level content. Consequently, I will not be paying any money to Turbine, which is good for me, but bad for them, which is good for me. I want someone else to develop a D&D MMORPG, which means that Turbine must fail. I would feel bad about the people who work there, but the few encounters I have had with their support and customer service staff quickly remedied that.

As for improving it, there are a great many things that could be done, quite simply, but a quick glance at their own forums will show you how little regard they have for the suggestions and concerns of their players. Beyond that, why should I help such despicable people make more money?

Now, aren't you sorry you asked?

SgtFrog · September 2009

thats why i hate it when EU and NA have different publishers...we always get the bad end of the straw

Sarr · September 2009

Originally posted by codejack

Which bugs are those?
(TEXT)
Now, aren't you sorry you asked?

I'm not : ). Don't have the time now, but just wanted to say - you just speak your opinions! And most of us would surely disagree.

Other than that, you don't seem to understand many technical aspects of the game. For example, tell me, where did you find a sticky ladder? I've never found such in present game. But that's not a global fix!

Devs ASKED you to report such ladder for a quick fix. Such bugs AREN'T global, but instead need to be fixed MANUALLY for that buggy ladder somewhere. Just report it if you really found such.

Where is it exactly, so I can check it and maybe report?

Anyway, since beta I don't see any buggy ladder anywhere.

urbanmonkey · September 2009

I am not going to argue with your detailed reasons of why you hate Turbine. I am not a fan so I don't really care.

However, I was a big D&D fan spending most of my youth playing pen and paper D&D and later computer games (mostly the SSI Curse of the Azure Bonds and Pool of Radiance).

I played many different campaign settings including Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Dragonlance and even Planescape. However, I spent 90% of my gametime in The Forgotten Realms, anywhere from Al-Qadim to Kara-Tur.

When I first heard of DDO I immediately imagined how Waterdeep would look like in an online environment. Sadly the chosen game setting was Eberon, a setting I knew nothing about. So it instantly nullifed any positive effect D&D as an IP had. I knew the map of Faerûn, the cities, the gods, everything. Eberron was just a name.

So as a D&D player, what else could draw me ttowards DDO? The D&D game mechanics? The mechanics may be great for P&P sessions and also quite good for turn based games so popular early 90's. But and MMORPG? Horrible system that just does not work, even with the few changes introduced by Turbine late in development.

My point? Well to all those people saying "Turbine suck for taking one of the most famous RPG IPs and turning that into garbage!" or "I want Turbine to fail so that some other company can develop DDO2!" I am just going to say this:

1. The D&D system will never be anything better than acceptable for an online real time MMO game. It was just not designed for that. It doesn't really have balance, it doesn't support PVP well. And in Turbine's case, it was mostly a curse rather than a blessing during development.

2. If anyone will ever create a new D&D online game please stick to one of the more famous and popular settings like Dark Sun or Planescape. Using the Eberron setting is not better than let's say Runes of Magic Generic fantasy world. And then abandon the classic D&D mechanics. Use the classes, maybe the attibute names but that's it. Develop and change it freely in order to make the game work online, not to please some old D&D players who will most likely just stick to the P&P version for obvious reasons.

IMHO

Loke666 · September 2009

Originally posted by codejack

The UI changes are horrendous, the "bug fixes" are the usual mix of issues that no one even notices and a$$-raping anyone who had even the slightest bit of imagination when creating their character, multitudes of long-standing issues have not been addressed, and the new "adventure" area is just another loot grind - but this time for useless crap! Basically, everything we have come to know and loathe from Turbine.
Before anyone accuses me of being negative, however, let me be clear: This could not have worked out better! For anyone appreciating the natural complement of D&D to the MMORPG genre, the prospect of the company with the worst quality control and customer service in the industry losing the franchise through staggering incompetence and mean-spirited punishment of their player-base, and necessarily opening up the market for a competitor to step in, must be greeted with all acclaim.
Hints for future D&D MMORPG developers:
- D&D belongs in Faerun.
- The players are your customers, not blood enemies who traumatized you as a child that you should punish.
- The more classes the better.
- Class balance is not a sometimes thing.
- Changes to core rules affect players; let them change their character to adapt.
- Just because a player does something that you didn't anticipate does not make it "cheating".

Here's hoping that the next developer of a D&D MMORPG will choose not to hire hydrocephalic misanthropes who were rejected from the Marines for a lack of social skills.

DDO doesn't belong in Fearun, Neverwinter nights online do. To bad that Atari (who put Cryptic in charge of making it) bought the rights for that. The game is in development but my hopes are not that high, Cryptic games are not more fun than Turbine games.

So there are at least one more D&D MMO in development, it wouldn't really suprise me if we saw a Dragonlance MMO later also. Or a Ravenloft, White wolf/CCP owns the right to Ravenloft

Loke666 · September 2009

Originally posted by Sarr

Sorry, but this is total utter BS.
When someone tries to teach me, a D&D vet, that D&D belongs in FR, then... well, no words. FR is a pop-shit, period. You can like it, like I did, but please don't insist that you have the slightest idea about classic D&D in that way.
You're trying hard to sound like you had some good points and knowledge to back it up, but no, you haven't.
I'm sure others will comment better, use arguments. Well, I can't, and won't waste my time here.
And this:
"- Just because a player does something that you didn't anticipate does not make it "cheating"."
Well, you were banned in that last "event" when 200+ of vets were banned for XP exploits, am I right? Maybe talk to psychologist, that's not the place for such cries.

I am a D&D vet too. Which setting is better than FR? Greyhawk? Ravenloft?

Dragonlance is good also I give you that but FR is the most popular D&D setting ever. All previous RPG games are either in FR or DL, at least anyone I ever seen and there is a reason for that. I BTW loved the old "Champions of Krynn" serie.

I agree about the other thing however, it sounds like the OP got banned.

But I think Turbine could have made DDO better, they did get some things right but others are a bit odd to me. I don't think it stinks but I don't think it is great either. That they only got so few players for the online version of one of the most popular pen and paper RPGs ever do tells us that things could have gone better.

I would say that DDO is 3/5 but that is my personal opinion.

Sarr · September 2009

Originally posted by urbanmonkey

I am not going to argue with your detailed reasons of why you hate Turbine. I am not a fan so I don't really care.
However, I was a big D&D fan spending most of my youth playing pen and paper D&D and later computer games (mostly the SSI Curse of the Azure Bonds and Pool of Radiance).
I played many different campaign settings including Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Dragonlance and even Planescape. However, I spent 90% of my gametime in The Forgotten Realms, anywhere from Al-Qadim to Kara-Tur.
When I first heard of DDO I immediately imagined how Waterdeep would look like in an online environment. Sadly the chosen game setting was Eberon, a setting I knew nothing about. So it instantly nullifed any positive effect D&D as an IP had. I knew the map of Faerûn, the cities, the gods, everything. Eberron was just a name.
So as a D&D player, what else could draw me ttowards DDO? The D&D game mechanics? The mechanics may be great for P&P sessions and also quite good for turn based games so popular early 90's. But and MMORPG? Horrible system that just does not work, even with the few changes introduced by Turbine late in development.
My point? Well to all those people saying "Turbine suck for taking one of the most famous RPG IPs and turning that into garbage!" or "I want Turbine to fail so that some other company can develop DDO2!" I am just going to say this:
1. The D&D system will never be anything better than acceptable for an online real time MMO game. It was just not designed for that. It doesn't really have balance, it doesn't support PVP well. And in Turbine's case, it was mostly a curse rather than a blessing during development.
2. If anyone will ever create a new D&D online game please stick to one of the more famous and popular settings like Dark Sun or Planescape. Using the Eberron setting is not better than let's say Runes of Magic Generic fantasy world. And then abandon the classic D&D mechanics. Use the classes, maybe the attibute names but that's it. Develop and change it freely in order to make the game work online, not to please some old D&D players who will most likely just stick to the P&P version for obvious reasons.
IMHO

That's pretty good and well written post here. Congrats, not many people write like that here.

Though, I really encourage you to get into Eberron. Either buy Campaign Setting, Player's Guide to Eberron, or view some pdf and consider buying it later ; ).

I was thinking like you. But once I got to know Eberron, I was amazed. This world is really fantastic. Very original, but still in the style of old Settings, especially like Dark Sun, Greyhawk or Spelljammer.

You can trust me to that. I know probably every setting, and played most of them in the past. And I thought: "Eberron? Warforged robots? Flying ships? That's a crap!"

And then I've read it and honestly needed to rethink my attitude. Now I want to start a campaign in Eberron, this setting is no average - it shines and is very well thought-out. But most importantly, feels like old-school D&D in every bit.

Check for a preview here ; )

www.theebooksbay.com/index.php

Sarr · September 2009

Originally posted by Loke666

I am a D&D vet too. Which setting is better than FR? Greyhawk? Ravenloft?
Dragonlance is good also I give you that but FR is the most popular D&D setting ever. All previous RPG games are either in FR or DL, at least anyone I ever seen and there is a reason for that. I BTW loved the old "Champions of Krynn" serie.
I agree about the other thing however, it sounds like the OP got banned.
But I think Turbine could have made DDO better, they did get some things right but others are a bit odd to me. I don't think it stinks but I don't think it is great either. That they only got so few players for the online version of one of the most popular pen and paper RPGs ever do tells us that things could have gone better.
I would say that DDO is 3/5 but that is my personal opinion.

No Setting isbetter than the other. It's matter of taste. But FR is the most popular, however, it's not very interesting to me. If not hundreds of good, fast novels in there - written mainly by R.A. Salvatore - and vast marketing, FR could get under, IMHO.

R.A. Salvatore invented Drizzt and his storyline. Bruenor Battlehamer. Detailed Khelben Blackstaff. Etc.

FR is just a world where you can find or put everything, and it fits. Something like radio today - there are a few stations which we can listen to, but still if it's mainstream, it's still mainstream. Everybody get listen to it, because it's simple and catchy.

In FR we have some NPC, which resemble celebrities of real worlds. I grew tired of Elminster that, Elminster this. Drow swarms are mainly because of Drizzt novels. I loved them, but can't say they are anything else than pop-novels.

This way Greyhawk is more interesting, in my opinion. It has more distinct stories, less copying from LotR. For example, in Faerun elves are dying, decided to Retreat to their "Home Land" (not exactly home). The same is in LotR, so people loving LotR have better change they'll feel at home in FR.

In Greyhawk however, you can see elves as a pretty strong race. And that's logical too, they're usually wiser, better skilled and more intelligent. Of course Humans have more land, but tell me, is there any Elven Kingdom in FR? On the main land, there's none.

Not only elves are dying in FR, but also dwarfs. Look at Shield dwarfs, which have problems with their procreation. Well, that's not very fun or heroic to me. When I play other race than human, I don't like to be a curiosity, I like to be able to feel the glory.

That's why I'd prefer Greyhawk above FR, which I like too. And there's this Empire of Iuz, half-demon half-human, born from a necromancer. Vecna - the Lich which is famous in all D&D editions for artifact "Vecna's Hand" or similar.

There's Circle of Eight, with mages Bigby (don't we love "Bigby's Hand" spells?), Tenser, Otiluke, and very grim and powerful wizard, Mordenkainen ("Mordenkainen's Disjunction" spell). In fact, when you read about Mordenkainen, he seems to be an archetype of Khelben Blackstaff - even looks almost the same.

In Greyhwak there's also a Cataclysm thing, which later went to Dragonlance - it happened to only 2 Empired in Greyhawk, however.

And Suel Empire, fascist organization operating behind the scenes, and breeding foul monsters, enslaving people. There's a lot to do, there's plenty of great and lesser gods with interesting stories.

Greyhawk is darker and closer to our medieval than pretty shiny and fluffy FR. Of course, that fluff is everywhere in Greyhawk too, but GH is just more mature.

Dragonlance? Great setting too. Especially War of the Lance era. Dark Sun? Fantastic too, but pretty much post-apocalyptic, wouldn't translate into mass MMO too well.

And there's this new (since 3th Edition) Eberron.

About Eberron:

Well, we can try to say it's a bad setting, but that's just not true. It's very original, D&D to the core at the same time, has better "technology", though this technology is very interesting factor here --> in our world we know mechanical and technical progress. In Eberron, ships are driven by enslaved Elementals, there are everburing lights in richer cities, etc. A lot of intrigue, complicated stories, Dragonmarked Houses, Last War (resembling our World War II), etc.

In Eberron during Last War (the one mentioned in the intro to DDO), one nation was destroyed in something looking like a Nuclear blast. It all started when Great Kingdom of Galifar's ruler died, and his sons couldn't agree who'll be the next king. This great war laster more than one generation. People were born during the war, and died during the war.

One of Dragonmarked Houses, House Cannith, was supplying... all sides of the conflict. They are and were the organization of inventors, artificers and mages. When they've managed to create and produce magical-mechanical warriors without own will, the Warforged, got only even more terrible. All sides bought them.

Then, Cannith created Warforged Titans - colossal mechanical warriors laying death and destruction on the battlefields. Regular Warforged got better and better AI (sic!), so finally they were able to cast spells, allowing them fry whole armies with their lightings and fireballs.

And then homeland of Cannith, the Kingom of Cyre (in the center of previous Gallifar - center of the War!)... Exploded!

No one knows what really happened, because no one survived the gigantic explosion. Now "former Cyre", even while being in the center of mostly human continent, is a wasteland. Not only that, but there's not breathable air in it. Former Cyre is filled with deadly gased and smokes. No breathing creature can survive there (hint - warforged do not breath).

So, most of the Warforged lost mental links to their masters. Since then, they're pretty lost, as they can think not worse than humans, but they're constructs and don't have much of a history of their race. They were created for War, now War is no more.

Last War ended after destruction of Cyre. Other self-proclaimed Kingdoms agree that's it, that's enough. Name "Last War" is due to it being so terrible, that all of the world hopes it won't happen again... but situation isn't as stable, as it could look.

There are even gossips, that some Warforged God (or his Avatar) was born during the explosion. People call him "Lord of the Blades" and say that he seeks to make the whole Eberron look like Cyre - where only Warforged can survive.

This is for continent of Khorvaire, but D&D Online takes place mostly on Xen'Drik - new found continent, which previously belonged to Giants. Giants disappeared, and their slaves - the Drow - are now a free race, like they were millennia ago.

Why Eberron is called Eberron?

That's, according to legend, a name of one of the 3 Giant Dragons which created the world.

There was Siberys, Eberron and Khyber. Siberys was of all that is good, Eberron was more neutral, down to earth, and Khyber - an incarnation of evil.

One day Siberys and Khyber started to fight. Siberys was defeated, and when she died, her body made the skies, stars, planets and trail of meteors which surrounds the planet. Eberron stepped in to stop Khyber, and he managed to trap Khyber into itself - this way Eberron created whole surface of the world, while under it, in dark corridors of Khyber (something like Underdark in GH and FR) lurk many evil secrets and creatures of the night.

Now, to this day in Eberron rains of meteors happen from time to time. What falls from the skies are either stones, or crystals - named Siberys Dragonshards. Those have pretty big value, because they hold significant magical power.

There are also Eberron Dragonshards to be found on the surface, and Khyber Dragonshards which are native to tunnels and caves deep beneath in.

Those shards help to create _very rare_ high level magic items in Eberron. Because while low-level magic is popular in Eberron, higher levels are even more rare than in other Settings.

Dragonmarked Houses?

They are mainly trading organizations. Dragonmarks are "magical tattoos" which started to appear thousand of years ago on some particular individuals of every civilized race. One day you could go to sleep without them, the next you woke with them.

Once people got to see and learn that those strange marks grant people some strange magical powers, they tried to categorize Dragonmarks. There are different types of them.

That was the beginning of Dragonmarked Houses. Dragomarks were and are still very rare, and tend to appear in certain families, which led to think they were carried in blood. Still, most people born in those families don't have the marks.

Most dwarfs got similar marks, most elves different, most humans different. And while they're not entirely exclusive to any race, they tend to stick with them.

House Cannith (Cannith is the name of new DDO server) was founded by humans bearing the Mark of Making.

Dragomarked Dwarfs created House Kundarak, which specializes in Banking, powerful sealing of valuable goods and similar services. They're masters of Protection.

Dragomakred Elves created House Phiarlan. Their Mark allowed them to perform complicated illusion, scry, perform divinations and deceive.

One of halfling enclaves with specific Dragonmark created House Jorasco, which specializes in complex healing and regenerations.

But there are more than 13 official Dragonmarked Houses, and a few illegal, like House of Vol - which deals in Death.

And to that very mysterious race, which most likely isn't native to Eberron's plane, shapechangers, intrigues, and you have plenty do and of places / hooks for adventures.

I really encourage to try it, read about it and play it! That's really fun place play in for a D&D fan PnP fan.

PS: Sorry for typos, this was a lot of writing...

mindspat · September 2009

Originally posted by codejack

Before anyone accuses me of being negative, however, let me be clear:
1. The UI changes are horrendous,
2. The "bug fixes" are the usual mix of issues that no one even notices
3. multitudes of long-standing issues have not been addressed
4. the new "adventure" area is just another loot grind - but this time for useless crap!

Why not elaborate, do you understand what it is to be clear? Hell, I had to chop up your somehwat incoherent rant 'cs it read more as if written by a cheater who was banned then a player who understands how the game is played. I've isolated the nondescript points in your claims although the lack of supporting your view is a bit weak.

Let's address the claims - please answer:

How are the UI changes "horrendous"? I play a Sorcerer and a Cleric and think everything is more specific, clearly defined in a visual sense and removes my need to have to monitor a combat log to verify if certain effects and abilities are function. The old system is inferior - can describe the difference and gives pro's con's? I don't think so.

Are you whinning that they're fixing bugs or that you've never been able to learn about them thus couldn't exploit them before they were fixed!?! I don't understand the complaining that they fixed bugs - that just seems, well, it seems like a dumb complaint.

Not addressing long time issues is probably just the OP's opinion. If a "multi-tude of long standing issues" have never been addressed there would be a lot more problems for the game then uninformed posters claiming to know more about the game then Turbine themselves do. PLeas pleas please, please, list the "multi-tude of long standing issues" that you claim Turbine ignores - I'll take the list and PM every Dev who uses the forums if its a valid list. (I'm just a player, no one special)

Holy crap - Who would have thought that level increases and new content are purposed to further expanding and building upon characters through the addition of new loot!?! Absolutely inconcieveable! How dare Turbine develop content catered to 4 new levels and infuse new and dynamic content that I have to work at obtaining - this is preposterous!!

OP - everyone who reads these forums is going to mark you as uninformed. Let's improve their view of you by directly addressing your claims...

mindspat · September 2009

Originally posted by codejack

The saving grace is that it's not like they are watching over your shoulder or anything. Someone has to report you, usually with a screenshot, but there are just enough little weasels playing the game to make that a problem combined with just enough idiots to make it interesting.

Actually, they can "look over your shoulder". They can actually follow you around anywhere ingame, or even listen and read conversations without you ever knowing. I believe they only do this if they are either bored or actually believe someone is cheating in some way, but I do know they often listen/read when responding to tickets.

If you think "little weasels" are reporting you for cheating...well, stop cheating!!

codejack · September 2009

"where did you find a sticky ladder?"

No, YOU obviously don't understand the technical aspects of the game; it is not one or another ladder, it is EVERY ladder, just not all the time, which is why it is a global fix. As for reporting things, we all spent the first couple of years reporting things, giving feedback, only to be shafted by Turbine every chance they got. Turbine has never fixed anything because a player reported a problem, although they have made sure to punish us for it, which is why we don't report things anymore.

"since beta I don't see any buggy ladder anywhere"

Is this just another way of saying "I don't actually play the game, but I have an opinion, anyway"?

Oh, and thanks for ignoring every other issue that I listed to latch onto this particular one; if you actually knew anything about the game, this is the last thing you would have brought up.

codejack · September 2009

Originally posted by mindspat

Why not elaborate, do you understand what it is to be clear? Hell, I had to chop up your somehwat incoherent rant 'cs it read more as if written by a cheater who was banned then a player who understands how the game is played. I've isolated the nondescript points in your claims although the lack of supporting your view is a bit weak.

Let's address the claims - please answer:

How are the UI changes "horrendous"? I play a Sorcerer and a Cleric and think everything is more specific, clearly defined in a visual sense and removes my need to have to monitor a combat log to verify if certain effects and abilities are function. The old system is inferior - can describe the difference and gives pro's con's? I don't think so.

Are you whinning that they're fixing bugs or that you've never been able to learn about them thus couldn't exploit them before they were fixed!?! I don't understand the complaining that they fixed bugs - that just seems, well, it seems like a dumb complaint.

Not addressing long time issues is probably just the OP's opinion. If a "multi-tude of long standing issues" have never been addressed there would be a lot more problems for the game then uninformed posters claiming to know more about the game then Turbine themselves do. PLeas pleas please, please, list the "multi-tude of long standing issues" that you claim Turbine ignores - I'll take the list and PM every Dev who uses the forums if its a valid list. (I'm just a player, no one special)

Holy crap - Who would have thought that level increases and new content are purposed to further expanding and building upon characters through the addition of new loot!?! Absolutely inconcieveable! How dare Turbine develop content catered to 4 new levels and infuse new and dynamic content that I have to work at obtaining - this is preposterous!!

OP - everyone who reads these forums is going to mark you as uninformed. Let's improve their view of you by directly addressing your claims...

Please try reading my posts; I elaborated to what must be considered excess on the first page, and the only people who seem to think I am uninformed appear to have never played the game.

codejack · September 2009

Originally posted by mindspat

Originally posted by codejack

The saving grace is that it's not like they are watching over your shoulder or anything. Someone has to report you, usually with a screenshot, but there are just enough little weasels playing the game to make that a problem combined with just enough idiots to make it interesting.

Actually, they can "look over your shoulder". They can actually follow you around anywhere ingame, or even listen and read conversations without you ever knowing. I believe they only do this if they are either bored or actually believe someone is cheating in some way, but I do know they often listen/read when responding to tickets.

If you think "little weasels" are reporting you for cheating...well, stop cheating!!

1. Sure, they CAN look over your shoulder, but the ratio of GMs to players (approximately 1:10,000 in my experience) leans in our favor.

2. How am I supposed to know if I am cheating or not? They refuse to say what does and does not constitute a "cheat", and the few we know of are simply a result of their own buggy code and have nothing to do with player action! (Looking at you, Shroud part 2) Beyond that, they have banned people just for discussing them. Assuming I know what I am not supposed to do, I don't violate the rules, but waking up one day to find out that the method I had used for months to win a quest now results in a party wipe (but only at the very END of the quest, not when you actually "cheat") without so much as a patch note (meaning that we had to try it several times to figure out what was causing it) is beyond the pale.

3. The weasels are the ones who like to report people because their names "sound" dirty; I myself have only had a problem when they changed my monk's name (for no apparent reason), but several of my friends have had more serious issues over being reported for extremely tenuous "violations" of the rules (didn't get the full story, but apparently, you aren't allowed to charm certain monsters in certain quests).

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