My girlfriend & I downloaded this game this past week and have been fooling around with it. So here are my thoughts, so far:
- The game is EXACTLY like LOTRO. Period. Other than the classes, the game mechanics, graphics, gameplay, etc are exactly the same with both titles. This was a letdown for us because we did not like LOTRO. -
uh? No it's not.
DDO is based on Dungeons and Dragons. The classes and skills and leveling is based on Dungeons and Dragons. As are the classes.
LOTRO is not based on Dungeons and Dragons.
I am not saying that the stories are not different. In fact, I strongly believe that the only thing separating the two titles are their different stories. OK, in DDO you get ranks within levels, instead of straight levels.
However, just like The Matrix Online was identical to City of Heroes engine, gameplay, graphics, etc, the same is true (in my mind) for LOTRO and DDO's gameplay, engine, graphics, etc. The skill system, stat system (minus 1-2 names changed), login system, graphics engine, world engine, combat system, animation, feat system, etc are all identical between the two titles.
Don't take my posts as slamming the game -- I think for a F2P title that it offers players a lot of free content and entertainment. However, in playing through the first week or so through the game I can certainly tell why it just couldn't sustain itself with monthly subscription-based business model. I strongly believe that the best thing that has happened to the game was going F2P and introducing the micro transaction model for sustained support of the game's development.
As for my previous comment about the game costing $50-60 plus a monthly fee, I was referring back to the original design of the game and how it was originally intended to sale to the public, not what it is today. I was just simply stating that I could certainly understand why its business model had to change if it wanted to survive.
Just in case someone is reading this that hasn't played DDO or LotRo I feel the need to point out that anyone calling those two games the same would be in the minority.
They have the same publisher and graphics engine. The similarities end about there beyond what most all fantasy based MMORPGs have.
The combat is different, the world is different, the gamplay is different, the stats and itemization are different, the feature set is different and the focus are different... among other things.
First a little history, I played D&D for two months, about a year and a half ago. I love this game, however my old computer was just too old to continue. Anyway, I get an e-mail to come back and just download the new content, enter my old user name and passward..... I did all that, and I'm having a blast, D&D Online is better than ever with the new starter zone. So far everything is going good and not feeling threatened to buy anything at level 3( understand that their are only 20 levels so, leveling is slow )..... I'm going in with the mindset that if everything goes well I'll buy some things along the way as long as the game holds my attention. HOWEVER, on the bottom near my experience bar, I've been noticing that is has you are level 3 of 4. Not paying it any attention, until today when I came out from a dungeon with a group and decided to ask " whats with this level 4 stuff , do I have to pay to continue ", Guess what yes, was the answer............ NP I should expect to pay something. Well here are my findings with the store : 400 points=$6.95, 900 points=$11.99, 1 500 points=$18.99, 3300 points=$38.95 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... FOR BASIC GAME PLAY ( stuff you really need, at least how I see it ) : 120 points = level 4-8 ( no price listed for levels after that, I'm sure that will be a surprise ) 995 points = Ruins of Gianthold ( an optional questing zone for levels 13-14 ) 412 points = Tangleroot Goarge ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 188 points = Necropolis Part 1 ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 750 points = Delera's Tomb ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 488 points = Three Barrel Cove ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 400 points = Sarrowdusk Isle ( fun MUST HAVE questing area ) And MANY more areas that i'm not sure of . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Extras that are nice but not game breaking : 850 points = Extra Character slot to every server 596 points = Monk Class 446 points = Warforge Race 596 points = Drow Race You could also buy ex boost, potions and more. .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... So doing the math a see that you would need 3441 points+ what ever after level 8 will cost to play this game for at least 2 months.............. That's over $38.95. It's a nice game and all, but you will get less than a free trial out of it before you have to pay... unless you don't mind a severe handicap. or just pay the $14.95 or so.
Monk, Warforged, and Drow are not necessary to play. To boot, Drow has traditionally only been available by favor. Neither are extra character slots a requiremant to play. In fact, it is only something you would even consider if you were rolling 5 or more accounts (since you used to play you should have access to a vet account with 4 slots already )
I have yet to purchase a leveling sigil. I have always managed to find one before I had a need for it.
You get store points as you earn favor. You get bonus store points each time you hit a milestone on each server. Not that hard to earn the points needed to unlock Tangleroot. After that, if you are chewing through content to fast then by all means, buy a standard subscription for $15 a month. It's cheaper in the short term for someone spending a lot of time in game. If you are like me and only play occasionally, it is much cheaper to just purchase modules as needed.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin
- Skill, feat, spell system seems very bland and unimaginative for the classes we've fooled around with. All-in-all, it is a wonderful F2P game but I'm not so sure about the optional monthly fee being worth it -- then again, I don't think LOTRO is either. Just my 2 cents.
D&D and its skill and spell systems is where MMO's, especially Everquest, got their start. The reason it seems bland is because it is the baseline most other games have evolved from.
The game itself stays reasonably accurate to the books, which is something very important. If the game deviated to much from its concept it would lose a lot of its playerbase.
As for LOTRO, some people like it some people don't. Personally I did not see much resemblence in the gameplay between the two, but that is just me.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin
First a little history, I played D&D for two months, about a year and a half ago. I love this game, however my old computer was just too old to continue. Anyway, I get an e-mail to come back and just download the new content, enter my old user name and passward..... I did all that, and I'm having a blast, D&D Online is better than ever with the new starter zone. So far everything is going good and not feeling threatened to buy anything at level 3( understand that their are only 20 levels so, leveling is slow )..... I'm going in with the mindset that if everything goes well I'll buy some things along the way as long as the game holds my attention. HOWEVER, on the bottom near my experience bar, I've been noticing that is has you are level 3 of 4. Not paying it any attention, until today when I came out from a dungeon with a group and decided to ask " whats with this level 4 stuff , do I have to pay to continue ", Guess what yes, was the answer............ NP I should expect to pay something. Well here are my findings with the store : 400 points=$6.95, 900 points=$11.99, 1 500 points=$18.99, 3300 points=$38.95 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... FOR BASIC GAME PLAY ( stuff you really need, at least how I see it ) : 120 points = level 4-8 ( no price listed for levels after that, I'm sure that will be a surprise ) 995 points = Ruins of Gianthold ( an optional questing zone for levels 13-14 ) 412 points = Tangleroot Goarge ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 188 points = Necropolis Part 1 ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 750 points = Delera's Tomb ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 488 points = Three Barrel Cove ( fun, MUST HAVE questing area ) 400 points = Sarrowdusk Isle ( fun MUST HAVE questing area ) And MANY more areas that i'm not sure of . ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Extras that are nice but not game breaking : 850 points = Extra Character slot to every server 596 points = Monk Class 446 points = Warforge Race 596 points = Drow Race You could also buy ex boost, potions and more. .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... So doing the math a see that you would need 3441 points+ what ever after level 8 will cost to play this game for at least 2 months.............. That's over $38.95. It's a nice game and all, but you will get less than a free trial out of it before you have to pay... unless you don't mind a severe handicap. or just pay the $14.95 or so.
Monk, Warforged, and Drow are not necessary to play. To boot, Drow has traditionally only been available by favor. Neither are extra character slots a requiremant to play. In fact, it is only something you would even consider if you were rolling 5 or more accounts (since you used to play you should have access to a vet account with 4 slots already )
I have yet to purchase a leveling sigil. I have always managed to find one before I had a need for it.
You get store points as you earn favor. You get bonus store points each time you hit a milestone on each server. Not that hard to earn the points needed to unlock Tangleroot. After that, if you are chewing through content to fast then by all means, buy a standard subscription for $15 a month. It's cheaper in the short term for someone spending a lot of time in game. If you are like me and only play occasionally, it is much cheaper to just purchase modules as needed.
D&D and its skill and spell systems is where MMO's, especially Everquest, got their start. The reason it seems bland is because it is the baseline most other games have evolved from.
The game itself stays reasonably accurate to the books, which is something very important. If the game deviated to much from its concept it would lose a lot of its playerbase.
As for LOTRO, some people like it some people don't. Personally I did not see much resemblence in the gameplay between the two, but that is just me.
That makes sense to me and probably explains a lot that I could not put my finger on. Thank you for pointing that out.
I've never played or even read any D&D, so the game's background concept seems strange and somewhat bland to me. For example, not being able to regenerate health or mana outside of cities and/or shrines seemed to be very frustrating for me and counter to every MMO I had played up until this one -- My point-of-view was: Why are they creating a timesink and not allowing us to regenerate out-of-combat? But I suppose there is a D&D answer to that somewhere, that your characters don't regenerate automatically or something.
Perhaps that is why the game does not appeal to me so much or seem very attractive as well (all of these D&D rules they follow that I do not know or understand). However, I do still stand by my statement that the game and LOTRO feel, look, and sound very similar.
Thanks for the post, it helped me understand it much more seeing it from a different perspective. I suppose it is safe to say that all other MMOs "evolved" beyond what DDO is today, because DDO has held to what the original D&D is/was. Whereas other MMOs have advanced beyond D&D to create new rules, content, stories, classes, spells, etc.
As a follow-up to the thread. I am level 2, rank something, as is my girlfriend. We already picked up our leveling sigil for 5-8 in one of the first quests we did in Stormreach harbor -- It was a quest reward option and we both chose it. So we did not have to pay a dime for it.
From what I've read from others on the DDO forums, it is very easy to find the sigils throughout leveling without paying for them.
If you think LotrO and DDO are simialr you really need to try LotrO again since they are pretty much the opposit gameplay wise... I play them both because they give so different experinces. Only simiality is that they use the same engine, the rest is complatly differnt especially the combat. LotrO very slow typical MMO combat while DDO have fast twitch combat.
If WoW = The Beatles and WAR = Led Zeppelin Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
The comment that this game is similar to LOTRO fails big time... Only similar thing I see in these two games are the models. Ive played LOTRO about a year and a half now, and enjoying my stay in DDO while keeping a break on LOTRO...
Originally posted by Soldarith Thanks for the post, it helped me understand it much more seeing it from a different perspective. I suppose it is safe to say that all other MMOs "evolved" beyond what DDO is today, because DDO has held to what the original D&D is/was. Whereas other MMOs have advanced beyond D&D to create new rules, content, stories, classes, spells, etc.
This is just my viewpoint but as you get to higher levels the variety and complexity in those old rules actually starts to offer diversity that other MMOs don't, mainly due to the concept of classes working off each other to complete a quest rather than being balanced against each other. It also explains the need to rest, as the idea is to have finite resources from which to draw from so you are forced to think about when to use them, just not spam them as fast as they can recharge.
I guess what I am saying is that D&D (at least up to 4.0) is actually a lot more complex than a standard MMO, they just cut away what they considered timesinks and fat, the result may appear something richer at the beginning, but actually ends up with very few viable alternatives in the end.
Another example is combat, some people assume because you are clicking to attack that the combat is actually simpler than a row of icons you click on as they recharge. In practice that is only true at low levels (mobs are easy) and when you apply no imagination. To take it further people actually get annoyed that the mobs will not stand still and be hit. As you advance in DDO your own abilities, weapons, skills, feats and enhancements grow as does the variety and abilities of the monsters, net result is you can't stand still chopping wood (especially solo) you have to plan a bit more, rest a bit more, rely on other players, use the terrain to your advantage, i.e. use that lovely projectile physics to block mobs using the terrain, shoot and jump behind cover, take a break by climbing, that sort of thing.
The mechanics are pretty slick, so the game can appear as simple or complex as you make it. You can beat content well beyond your level and power if you think it through. Unfortunately you will find players that are overpowered not just gear wise, but experience of individual quests and how to use their character. You probably want to avoid these people at any cost as they will ruin the experience unless they actively adjust their playstyle to involve everyone.
To me the rules, combat, projectile physics, quests and group play put it so far beyond anything else I have tried.
Wow I'm sort of shocked someone would say DDO is exactly the same as LOTRO. I've played both and feel they are entirely different. OK sure the graphics are similar, but that's about where the similarities end. DDO has fairly deep character customization and multi-classing, where LOTRO pretty much has none. Every hunter in LOTRO has the exact same skills as every other hunter, for example. They might have different virtues and traits (stat bonuses) though. LOTRO has a lot of open-world questing, where DDO is all party instanced. No XP in DDO for killing mobs, you get it for accomplishing your quest objective(s). Combat in DDO is much more twitch and fast-paced than LOTRO... where I usually find myself just standing in one spot attacking a mob. Quests in DDO feel more 3-dimensional as well, LOTRO has more of a "flat" feel to it. (If you've run "The Pit" in DDO you know what I mean.)
ddo is all instanced and kinda linear. not that there is much of a story line, just areas accessible to certain levels, blah blah blah.
the store.......for a +2 tome to add 2 to all ur stats is like 2600 turbine points or close +/- 100. even with bonus points you have to spend 38.00 for enuf points. that is retarded and price gouging and offensive
or.........u could buy one for 5mill in game gold or 500k plat. ive been playing for 2 weeks and have amassed 60k plat after repairs, pots, and occasional equip purchases from the ah .
the only heal potions worth having are the serious wound pack from the ddo store...250 points for a stack of 50.....this is for a low level char mind u, if i was 5 levels or so higher they wouldnt help much either. solution....make friends with clerics, a lot of them
i could go on but i will wrap this up and say that DnD unlimited is only unlimited if you pay for a subscription, then buy turbine points to keep it worth playing. if i stayed f2p i would have quit already. a lot of the quest lines after lvl 3 are vip/subscriber only.
here is the most offensive thing about f2p. you are limited to one auction listing at a time. it would take you several years to amass enuf sales to afford a +2 tome or you could spend hours each day spamming the trade channel with WTS...
while technically the game is f2p, i would suggest to anybody that would not spend any money in the ddo store to avoid this game. it looks and feels dated and your constantly....err, limited by what you cant do as a f2p player. its not all negative, it is kinda true to the DnD rulebook and it is enjoyable enough to spend sum time, but if your looking for in your face amazing visuals, and bang for your buck, keep looking. after 2 weeks, im almost done with it. blah, i spent 15 bucks to find out its a rip off. cheaper than most of my learning experiences
Thanks for the post, it helped me understand it much more seeing it from a different perspective. I suppose it is safe to say that all other MMOs "evolved" beyond what DDO is today, because DDO has held to what the original D&D is/was. Whereas other MMOs have advanced beyond D&D to create new rules, content, stories, classes, spells, etc.
Wait so something is Just like Everything else makes it "Better / Improved / Advanced???!?!??!" ..Please go play WoW or one of its many clones. They have not "evolved" passed DDO infact many of the most current / new MMOs are huge steps down from the possibiilties of an MMO. Games havent' advanced passed DDO they simple use different rules like they SHOULD. In my long experience with MMOs most games follow some fairly basic rules and they're all the same and they're all boring.
DDO has fantastic content, its actually some of the BEST content out of most MMOs. Stories? THere's dozens and they're all rather good, some are harder than others especially depending on what sort of build you have any what your group preferencei s like. I just want to hit you over the classes / spell comment. I mean really? Most spells are 100% bland where as DDO has some of the funniest and most entertaining spells especially if your with a high level bard and they make entire hordes of creatures burst out in dance. They dance to their death my friend as you and your group can club them to death if they keep failing to break out of the spell.
Atleast DDO's rules and systems are deep enough to allow you to build whatever you want. You can have a completely stupid low willed character that can crush skulls but easily succumbs to mind spells if you want too.
DDO gives you fantastic freedom with character creation where as most games everyone is just a cookie cutter. How is cookie cutter an advancement? ITS NOT! its just not....Hell I'm not even playing DDO anymore because I wasn't into the high end raiding but geezus...even I've replayed the newbie zones not long ago and nothing offers that sort of exciting introduction to the world.
The fact you compare it to LOTR though just solidifies my belief you and your girlfriend have no idea what your talking about. Their combat systems are completely different, class systems completely different, story & content systems completely different, pvp systems completely different (like completely!). The only thing they share is the same graphics engine and developer. Lord of the Rings doesn't even offer a Trap System..infact no MMO that I can remember has traps that can one shot kill you or fascinating puzzles ...which ... there are a few even I have hard time solving without help at times...I mean honestly...when you get passed the Waterworks you may be kicking your self in the arse.
Rules are Rules....i mean..do you really need a reason for the rule other than its the Rule? Do you question why people have regeneration in other games? No because thats ..THAT worlds rule. I could rant on but ...I might get myself in trouble.
/rant off
btw if your having to worry about regenerating then your bull rushing into every encounter instead of thinking out how to go into battle and maximize the mana and health your characters have.
I agree, that DDO is no more free-to play game than WAR with unlimited free 1-10 (25%) level area or AoC with unlimited free Tortage 1-20 (25%). However, you can still just become a monthly subscriber and the game is I think still worth it. It is unique in many aspects and there's a lot of content if you're a VIP. What kills the game for me, is the fact that EU servers are still P2P, which makes them deserted because majority of the Europeans are now playing in the US.
no your just not understand it right , AOC and warhammer you cant get pass those stages. i have had a few friends unlock more than half the game with out spending a single penny. it takes alot of work yes. The turbine store let you skip that work and is what poeple have been crying for in games for many years back in everquest a way to buy game stuff with RL money.
Look at it like this, spend 10 hours to unlock a content package or you have the option to buy the content package for 10$
It is no diffrent from going to buy gold or buy power levels in any other game like WOW. But in ddo it is allowed, It is possible to get the whole game for free and every unlock it will just take A ton of work so bottem line YES ddo is Free to play with the option to play as you go.
Following your definition/explanation: why EVE Online is not listed here as free to play as well? In EVE you can buy monthly subscription for in-game money.
All right. Following your definition/explanation: why EVE Online is not listed here as free to play as well? In EVE you can buy monthly subscription for in-game money.
Out of interest can you play for free to get that in-game money in the first place?
All right. Following your definition/explanation: why EVE Online is not listed here as free to play as well? In EVE you can buy monthly subscription for in-game money.
Out of interest can you play for free to get that in-game money in the first place?
Well you can play the 21 free trial, make enough money and then just buy the gametime for in-game cash, basically all without spending a single $. Im not sure tho whether you need to buy the key or something first, after the trial period for cash or in-game money.
DDO is free to play. All of it, BUT. its a long road to get it all Free.
As you create a character ona new server and play true the entire newby zone + a few harbor quest you collect around 100 store points ( playing quest on elite )
you can do this once on every server. after that you get a bit less but still grind able size of store points.
just keep making and deleting a new character over and over and over again.
Have one main character to play whit for real/fun and unlock the races whit that toon (as it gathers points you will unlock the races always bin that way, to buy them is just to unlock them on every server instead)
I played for quite a while, and whenever I feel up to it or just have trouble find a group for my main I go and create a new character again for some points. sofar I have unlocked about 70% of all store packs.
in basic, DDO rewards players for playing, as population of a game is important , the real new guys get ppl to play whit then.
The OP talks about vets as they were running fast WW, well they are no vets. they are ppl who hear the rewards are good and xp is good and thus keep running the same quest over and over again whit no clue about the game itself.
DDO has become a great game to play if your into the style. I like it from time to time while being bored of other games.
Comments
uh? No it's not.
DDO is based on Dungeons and Dragons. The classes and skills and leveling is based on Dungeons and Dragons. As are the classes.
LOTRO is not based on Dungeons and Dragons.
I am not saying that the stories are not different. In fact, I strongly believe that the only thing separating the two titles are their different stories. OK, in DDO you get ranks within levels, instead of straight levels.
However, just like The Matrix Online was identical to City of Heroes engine, gameplay, graphics, etc, the same is true (in my mind) for LOTRO and DDO's gameplay, engine, graphics, etc. The skill system, stat system (minus 1-2 names changed), login system, graphics engine, world engine, combat system, animation, feat system, etc are all identical between the two titles.
Don't take my posts as slamming the game -- I think for a F2P title that it offers players a lot of free content and entertainment. However, in playing through the first week or so through the game I can certainly tell why it just couldn't sustain itself with monthly subscription-based business model. I strongly believe that the best thing that has happened to the game was going F2P and introducing the micro transaction model for sustained support of the game's development.
As for my previous comment about the game costing $50-60 plus a monthly fee, I was referring back to the original design of the game and how it was originally intended to sale to the public, not what it is today. I was just simply stating that I could certainly understand why its business model had to change if it wanted to survive.
Just in case someone is reading this that hasn't played DDO or LotRo I feel the need to point out that anyone calling those two games the same would be in the minority.
They have the same publisher and graphics engine. The similarities end about there beyond what most all fantasy based MMORPGs have.
The combat is different, the world is different, the gamplay is different, the stats and itemization are different, the feature set is different and the focus are different... among other things.
Monk, Warforged, and Drow are not necessary to play. To boot, Drow has traditionally only been available by favor. Neither are extra character slots a requiremant to play. In fact, it is only something you would even consider if you were rolling 5 or more accounts (since you used to play you should have access to a vet account with 4 slots already )
I have yet to purchase a leveling sigil. I have always managed to find one before I had a need for it.
You get store points as you earn favor. You get bonus store points each time you hit a milestone on each server. Not that hard to earn the points needed to unlock Tangleroot. After that, if you are chewing through content to fast then by all means, buy a standard subscription for $15 a month. It's cheaper in the short term for someone spending a lot of time in game. If you are like me and only play occasionally, it is much cheaper to just purchase modules as needed.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
D&D and its skill and spell systems is where MMO's, especially Everquest, got their start. The reason it seems bland is because it is the baseline most other games have evolved from.
The game itself stays reasonably accurate to the books, which is something very important. If the game deviated to much from its concept it would lose a lot of its playerbase.
As for LOTRO, some people like it some people don't. Personally I did not see much resemblence in the gameplay between the two, but that is just me.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
Monk, Warforged, and Drow are not necessary to play. To boot, Drow has traditionally only been available by favor. Neither are extra character slots a requiremant to play. In fact, it is only something you would even consider if you were rolling 5 or more accounts (since you used to play you should have access to a vet account with 4 slots already )
I have yet to purchase a leveling sigil. I have always managed to find one before I had a need for it.
You get store points as you earn favor. You get bonus store points each time you hit a milestone on each server. Not that hard to earn the points needed to unlock Tangleroot. After that, if you are chewing through content to fast then by all means, buy a standard subscription for $15 a month. It's cheaper in the short term for someone spending a lot of time in game. If you are like me and only play occasionally, it is much cheaper to just purchase modules as needed.
The OP never said Monk, drow or WF were needed.
D&D and its skill and spell systems is where MMO's, especially Everquest, got their start. The reason it seems bland is because it is the baseline most other games have evolved from.
The game itself stays reasonably accurate to the books, which is something very important. If the game deviated to much from its concept it would lose a lot of its playerbase.
As for LOTRO, some people like it some people don't. Personally I did not see much resemblence in the gameplay between the two, but that is just me.
That makes sense to me and probably explains a lot that I could not put my finger on. Thank you for pointing that out.
I've never played or even read any D&D, so the game's background concept seems strange and somewhat bland to me. For example, not being able to regenerate health or mana outside of cities and/or shrines seemed to be very frustrating for me and counter to every MMO I had played up until this one -- My point-of-view was: Why are they creating a timesink and not allowing us to regenerate out-of-combat? But I suppose there is a D&D answer to that somewhere, that your characters don't regenerate automatically or something.
Perhaps that is why the game does not appeal to me so much or seem very attractive as well (all of these D&D rules they follow that I do not know or understand). However, I do still stand by my statement that the game and LOTRO feel, look, and sound very similar.
Thanks for the post, it helped me understand it much more seeing it from a different perspective. I suppose it is safe to say that all other MMOs "evolved" beyond what DDO is today, because DDO has held to what the original D&D is/was. Whereas other MMOs have advanced beyond D&D to create new rules, content, stories, classes, spells, etc.
As a follow-up to the thread. I am level 2, rank something, as is my girlfriend. We already picked up our leveling sigil for 5-8 in one of the first quests we did in Stormreach harbor -- It was a quest reward option and we both chose it. So we did not have to pay a dime for it.
From what I've read from others on the DDO forums, it is very easy to find the sigils throughout leveling without paying for them.
If you think LotrO and DDO are simialr you really need to try LotrO again since they are pretty much the opposit gameplay wise... I play them both because they give so different experinces. Only simiality is that they use the same engine, the rest is complatly differnt especially the combat. LotrO very slow typical MMO combat while DDO have fast twitch combat.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
The comment that this game is similar to LOTRO fails big time... Only similar thing I see in these two games are the models. Ive played LOTRO about a year and a half now, and enjoying my stay in DDO while keeping a break on LOTRO...
The D&D rules makes this game a unique piece.
This is just my viewpoint but as you get to higher levels the variety and complexity in those old rules actually starts to offer diversity that other MMOs don't, mainly due to the concept of classes working off each other to complete a quest rather than being balanced against each other. It also explains the need to rest, as the idea is to have finite resources from which to draw from so you are forced to think about when to use them, just not spam them as fast as they can recharge.
I guess what I am saying is that D&D (at least up to 4.0) is actually a lot more complex than a standard MMO, they just cut away what they considered timesinks and fat, the result may appear something richer at the beginning, but actually ends up with very few viable alternatives in the end.
Another example is combat, some people assume because you are clicking to attack that the combat is actually simpler than a row of icons you click on as they recharge. In practice that is only true at low levels (mobs are easy) and when you apply no imagination. To take it further people actually get annoyed that the mobs will not stand still and be hit. As you advance in DDO your own abilities, weapons, skills, feats and enhancements grow as does the variety and abilities of the monsters, net result is you can't stand still chopping wood (especially solo) you have to plan a bit more, rest a bit more, rely on other players, use the terrain to your advantage, i.e. use that lovely projectile physics to block mobs using the terrain, shoot and jump behind cover, take a break by climbing, that sort of thing.
The mechanics are pretty slick, so the game can appear as simple or complex as you make it. You can beat content well beyond your level and power if you think it through. Unfortunately you will find players that are overpowered not just gear wise, but experience of individual quests and how to use their character. You probably want to avoid these people at any cost as they will ruin the experience unless they actively adjust their playstyle to involve everyone.
To me the rules, combat, projectile physics, quests and group play put it so far beyond anything else I have tried.
Wow I'm sort of shocked someone would say DDO is exactly the same as LOTRO. I've played both and feel they are entirely different. OK sure the graphics are similar, but that's about where the similarities end. DDO has fairly deep character customization and multi-classing, where LOTRO pretty much has none. Every hunter in LOTRO has the exact same skills as every other hunter, for example. They might have different virtues and traits (stat bonuses) though. LOTRO has a lot of open-world questing, where DDO is all party instanced. No XP in DDO for killing mobs, you get it for accomplishing your quest objective(s). Combat in DDO is much more twitch and fast-paced than LOTRO... where I usually find myself just standing in one spot attacking a mob. Quests in DDO feel more 3-dimensional as well, LOTRO has more of a "flat" feel to it. (If you've run "The Pit" in DDO you know what I mean.)
ddo is all instanced and kinda linear. not that there is much of a story line, just areas accessible to certain levels, blah blah blah.
the store.......for a +2 tome to add 2 to all ur stats is like 2600 turbine points or close +/- 100. even with bonus points you have to spend 38.00 for enuf points. that is retarded and price gouging and offensive
or.........u could buy one for 5mill in game gold or 500k plat. ive been playing for 2 weeks and have amassed 60k plat after repairs, pots, and occasional equip purchases from the ah .
the only heal potions worth having are the serious wound pack from the ddo store...250 points for a stack of 50.....this is for a low level char mind u, if i was 5 levels or so higher they wouldnt help much either. solution....make friends with clerics, a lot of them
i could go on but i will wrap this up and say that DnD unlimited is only unlimited if you pay for a subscription, then buy turbine points to keep it worth playing. if i stayed f2p i would have quit already. a lot of the quest lines after lvl 3 are vip/subscriber only.
here is the most offensive thing about f2p. you are limited to one auction listing at a time. it would take you several years to amass enuf sales to afford a +2 tome or you could spend hours each day spamming the trade channel with WTS...
while technically the game is f2p, i would suggest to anybody that would not spend any money in the ddo store to avoid this game. it looks and feels dated and your constantly....err, limited by what you cant do as a f2p player. its not all negative, it is kinda true to the DnD rulebook and it is enjoyable enough to spend sum time, but if your looking for in your face amazing visuals, and bang for your buck, keep looking. after 2 weeks, im almost done with it. blah, i spent 15 bucks to find out its a rip off. cheaper than most of my learning experiences
Wait so something is Just like Everything else makes it "Better / Improved / Advanced???!?!??!" ..Please go play WoW or one of its many clones. They have not "evolved" passed DDO infact many of the most current / new MMOs are huge steps down from the possibiilties of an MMO. Games havent' advanced passed DDO they simple use different rules like they SHOULD. In my long experience with MMOs most games follow some fairly basic rules and they're all the same and they're all boring.
DDO has fantastic content, its actually some of the BEST content out of most MMOs. Stories? THere's dozens and they're all rather good, some are harder than others especially depending on what sort of build you have any what your group preferencei s like. I just want to hit you over the classes / spell comment. I mean really? Most spells are 100% bland where as DDO has some of the funniest and most entertaining spells especially if your with a high level bard and they make entire hordes of creatures burst out in dance. They dance to their death my friend as you and your group can club them to death if they keep failing to break out of the spell.
Atleast DDO's rules and systems are deep enough to allow you to build whatever you want. You can have a completely stupid low willed character that can crush skulls but easily succumbs to mind spells if you want too.
DDO gives you fantastic freedom with character creation where as most games everyone is just a cookie cutter. How is cookie cutter an advancement? ITS NOT! its just not....Hell I'm not even playing DDO anymore because I wasn't into the high end raiding but geezus...even I've replayed the newbie zones not long ago and nothing offers that sort of exciting introduction to the world.
The fact you compare it to LOTR though just solidifies my belief you and your girlfriend have no idea what your talking about. Their combat systems are completely different, class systems completely different, story & content systems completely different, pvp systems completely different (like completely!). The only thing they share is the same graphics engine and developer. Lord of the Rings doesn't even offer a Trap System..infact no MMO that I can remember has traps that can one shot kill you or fascinating puzzles ...which ... there are a few even I have hard time solving without help at times...I mean honestly...when you get passed the Waterworks you may be kicking your self in the arse.
Rules are Rules....i mean..do you really need a reason for the rule other than its the Rule? Do you question why people have regeneration in other games? No because thats ..THAT worlds rule. I could rant on but ...I might get myself in trouble.
/rant off
btw if your having to worry about regenerating then your bull rushing into every encounter instead of thinking out how to go into battle and maximize the mana and health your characters have.
I agree, that DDO is no more free-to play game than WAR with unlimited free 1-10 (25%) level area or AoC with unlimited free Tortage 1-20 (25%). However, you can still just become a monthly subscriber and the game is I think still worth it. It is unique in many aspects and there's a lot of content if you're a VIP. What kills the game for me, is the fact that EU servers are still P2P, which makes them deserted because majority of the Europeans are now playing in the US.
REALITY CHECK
no your just not understand it right , AOC and warhammer you cant get pass those stages. i have had a few friends unlock more than half the game with out spending a single penny. it takes alot of work yes. The turbine store let you skip that work and is what poeple have been crying for in games for many years back in everquest a way to buy game stuff with RL money.
Look at it like this, spend 10 hours to unlock a content package or you have the option to buy the content package for 10$
It is no diffrent from going to buy gold or buy power levels in any other game like WOW. But in ddo it is allowed, It is possible to get the whole game for free and every unlock it will just take A ton of work so bottem line YES ddo is Free to play with the option to play as you go.
All right.
Following your definition/explanation: why EVE Online is not listed here as free to play as well? In EVE you can buy monthly subscription for in-game money.
REALITY CHECK
Out of interest can you play for free to get that in-game money in the first place?
Out of interest can you play for free to get that in-game money in the first place?
Well you can play the 21 free trial, make enough money and then just buy the gametime for in-game cash, basically all without spending a single $. Im not sure tho whether you need to buy the key or something first, after the trial period for cash or in-game money.
REALITY CHECK
DDO is free to play. All of it, BUT. its a long road to get it all Free.
As you create a character ona new server and play true the entire newby zone + a few harbor quest you collect around 100 store points ( playing quest on elite )
you can do this once on every server. after that you get a bit less but still grind able size of store points.
just keep making and deleting a new character over and over and over again.
Have one main character to play whit for real/fun and unlock the races whit that toon (as it gathers points you will unlock the races always bin that way, to buy them is just to unlock them on every server instead)
I played for quite a while, and whenever I feel up to it or just have trouble find a group for my main I go and create a new character again for some points. sofar I have unlocked about 70% of all store packs.
in basic, DDO rewards players for playing, as population of a game is important , the real new guys get ppl to play whit then.
The OP talks about vets as they were running fast WW, well they are no vets. they are ppl who hear the rewards are good and xp is good and thus keep running the same quest over and over again whit no clue about the game itself.
DDO has become a great game to play if your into the style. I like it from time to time while being bored of other games.