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This...game...ROCKS!!!
WoW_Refugee
Member Posts: 80
A simple point-by-point breakdown of one player's o-p-i-n-i-o-n on what makes Dungeons & Dragons Online such a great game to play!
The points examined are; graphics, sound, interface, stability, immersion, gameplay, and "fun factor".
Graphics: I love them. At a resolution of 1024x768 with all graphical settings absolutely maxed out (AA and AF included), DDO has gorgeous, clean textures, great ambient lighting, and fluid animations. I have a system which is on the high end of average (confusing but check system specs at end of my mini-review to get an idea of what that means) and can play the game like this with a frame rate in the 50-to-130 range when not in an Inn. At the Inns, the number of people and spell effects popping make my fps drop to the 20-40 range. I'll subtract a few points here because some of the character models (like the Warforged, which look horribly bland) and some of the NPCs (who seem almost faceless) could use more work. Score of about 8.5 here.
Sound: The sound is a mix of great (really cool medieval music at the Inns, echoing metallic clangs in dungeons, GREAT "blast you out of your seat" sound from the sudden traps) to merely okay (the DM narration is great but sometimes painfully overacted, the combat sounds and metal-on-metal of weapons banging off shields is a bit on the meek side, spell effects are great but a bit too muted). I'd give this a much higer score if the same ambient soundtrack of groaning stone walls, clanging gates, rushing wind and creepy whispering wasn't re-used in every dungeon. Overall sound score: 7.5
Interface: The interface lets you do what you need to do, but it needs work. Chatting is more convoluted than it should be, as is the Friends list. Hotkeys work well, and the minimap is great, but the "world map" needs larger icons to denote areas and NPCs of interest. It would have been nice if they'd used Tooltips more extensively as well. Serviceable interface and definitely NOT the horror story some have made it out to be, but it will be refined and retooled over time, I am sure. Interface score: 6.5
Stability: This is a tough one. I've read forum posts on the DDO site about game crashes and framerate issues, but since I'm referring to my OWN plating experience, well..in a word, butter. Or silk. Take your pick. I've had no crashes, no lockups, the framerates are in the 50-130 range (the average is 80-90. The only problem I've ever had waas minor lagging for a few seconds after first entering an Inn packed with 40 or more spellcasting, quest-hungry fellow DDOers. Your best bet is to read up on the forums about other gamers with similar components to yours, and wether or not they are having any issues. (My) Stability score: 9.5
Immersion: As noted in the Sound section, the same (or almost identical) ambient soundtrack is used in almost all dungeons. Thank God, then, that it is so well made; you can almost hear the ghouls straining to push themselves up out of the ground. Doors clang loudly open, switches whir convincingly, coins make a nice loud *plink* when falling from broken barrels...and all this echoes nicely. If you run the game on high enough graphical settings, it's a wonder to behold! The lighting- ranging from eerie, pulsing, deep blood red tinged with purple, flickering shadows, hazy amber torch lights -contributes mightily to keeping you on your toes. Water effects in Stormeach are incredible (stand on the docks and look out at the lighthouse as the sun sets. Glorious!) and the haze when swimming underwater is very convincing. Birds fly in the sky, mirrors reflect you and your party as you walkpast them, trash blows in the streets, rain falls in sheets; this little nook of Eberron feels just right. Immersion score: 9.
Gameplay: DDO will knock your socks off IF you were looking for a game like this to start with. Many people are ripping into DDO because it is very highly instanced, has no crafting of any sort, no ready solo play (unless you are willing to go very, very slowly and spend huge amounts of gold on healing and other curative potions), and no PvP. Sadly, the folks complaining about this obviously never bothered to research the game over its many years of development. Instancing was the very basis of DDO's design, and it was never slated to include crafting, PvP, or solo play. "Forced Grouping" is only an issue if a game promises to deliver solo content and then fails to do so. DDO never, ever promised solo play and in fact was designed to be very anti-solo, as Pen-and-Paper DnD is. Caveat Emptor; DDO is meant for groupcentric, adventure-focused people who like to HELP their fellow players, not kill them.
That being said, if you WERE looking for a game that lets you login, get a group and get right to it- with minimal timesinks like travelling to your gaming area, or "farming"- then this is your game! Login, nab some fellow players, get a quest and head on in to your dungeon. There's no "getting past the trash mobs" in this game, no finding a good spot and endless pulling; you have to work your way thru the dungeons, bypassing traps (or disarming them), finding secret doors, breaking open crates and barrels, solvng puzzles and- of course- finghting monsters!
The combat is a combination of "twitch" based combat, where reflexes are needed for blocking, swinging/firing your weapon and tumpling/dodging, as well as highly startegic thinking. Casting spells, counterspells, buffs, using scrolls and wands and potions, hiding behind pillars or climbing onto ledges to fire back at enemies; never will you just click auto-attack and stare at your TV screen in this game. You have to be fast AND smart in DDO, and its encounters are definitely more challenging than your average MMO's. Gameplay score: 9
** There is much made about having to repeat the same dungeons over and over; this, in my personal opinion, is highly exagerrated. Yes, you DO have to repeat some dungeons and yes, the challenge is thus lessened some...but it's not nearly as frequent or extensive as some people are claiming it to be, and Turbine is well known for turning out frequent content patches in its other games.
FUN factor: DDO is a blast. Period. Only those who play MMOs to be better than someone else, or to standout in some way, may have problems with it. For those who like to play a game to have fun with it (and not to "beat" it) will truly enjoy DDO's mix of highly fiver player skills, feats, items, traps, puzzles, and combat.
Well there it is, my opinion of what makes DDO fun. For me. I've left out lots of detail, like how groups in DDO absolutely need to work well to succeed, about the VERY different classes and skillsets, in-game voice chatting, well designed quests...to me, this game is just plain fun. Will it be for you?
Depends on what you're looking for to begin with. See you all in the sewers!! 
My rig:
Athlon 64 3500+ CPU, MSI K8N Neo2 (nForce 3) motherboard, ATI Radeon All-in-Wonder 800XL, 1Gb Kingston 400Mhz DDR RAM, Pair of Western Digital Raptor 10,000 RPM SATA drives in Raid 0 array, ancient Soundblaster Live! X-Gamer soundcard
Comments
While I respect your right to have opinions on gameplay and the "fun factor" they're not really accurate. You may have fun with the game, and I'm not saying that it isn't fun at all. The real problem with this game is that it offers similar gameplay style to Guild Wars, only subscribers to DDO are required to pay a monthly fee for the game. SO, while the game does have its fun aspects, there are better, more complex MMOs out there that are worth paying the monthly fee for. Or, if you're looking for a group based instancing game, or one that has the same aspects on with PvP, you may as well buy Guild Wars and forgo the monthly subscription.
And my little irritation is also the lack of character customization. I really like to get a feel for my character and have myself set apart more from others, but DDO doesn't really allow for that. It's too bad, because I'm a huge fan of Pen & Paper D&D. At least there I can have different items and my pure imagination to set me apart from other players...
Firstly just let me say glad you like the game.
But having said that, I must echo the sediments of the previous poster. While I agree the game might be good for people who like that kind of game. The game very much has the Guild Wars look and a feel...for a price. I disagree that people who are rippiing the game didn't look into the game. That is completely irrelevant to those that were looking forward to a DnD based MMO.
But to the game itself, I found the game graphics extremely typical..... that's the only way I can describe it.
There was nothing that I saw that would set it apart and say "Wow" (not the game, just wow). Controls I personally found to be rather cumbersome. I think a MMO that one is typically going to be investing lots of time on should be intuitive.....
I honestly can't say too much about gameplay because I stopped dead at having to sit in the que to try to find a party. People jumping around swinging at the air...waiting. Not my idea of fun. If there was only something else to do!!! *cough* crafting.. Ah well to each thier own.
I won't even get into all instancing...so lonely
I don't get the constant comparisons of this game to Guild Wars. I bought GW and played it for a weekend... and then couldn't bear the thought of logging in ever again. GW just didn't appeal to me. I thought the class combinations were clunky and gameplay cumbersome.
In my opinion, DDO is a much better game then GW - there's really no comparison. And if DDO is true to its original pnp format, we should be seeing constant content infusions in the form of new modules/missions.
Sounds to me like you never got out of the tutorial area in DDO.
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edit: I just read another post of yours and I see you never accutally played the game and are simply following what the trolls say.
Although that is an excuse for your ignorace it is no excuse for your willingness to follow miss-information that many trolls spew out on these boards.
GW - Instanced zones
DDO- Instanced zones
GW- Common meeting Areas
DDO -Common meeting areas
GW- No crafting
DDO- No crafting
GW- Low level cap
DDO - Low level cap
GW - No real soloing quests (henchmen AI)
DDO - No real soloing quests
GW - Free
DDO - monthly fee
I can't understand how you could miss these
The good thing about GW, and I'm no big fan, you can play for a bit, put down the game for months and someday pick it up and start playing where you left off.
GW - Instanced zones
DDO- Instanced zones
GW- Common meeting Areas
DDO -Common meeting areas
GW- No crafting
DDO- No crafting
GW- Low level cap
DDO - Low level cap
GW - No real soloing quests (henchmen AI)
DDO - No real soloing quests
GW - Free
DDO - monthly fee
I can't understand how you could miss these
The good thing about GW, and I'm no big fan, you can play for a bit, put down the game for months and someday pick it up and start playing where you left off.
GW - crappy, generic dungeons
DDO - awesome dungeons
GW - lame class skills (half of them aren't even useful or "overlap" each other's usefulness)
DDO - good class spells and skills, a lot of them from the 3.5 ruleset.
In short and much humble opinion:
DDO >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GW
You might be absolutely right for yourself. Too bad all the other comparisons preclude me from playing for myself.
I don't even like GW that much, I was just pointing out the simiarities (sp).
GW - Instanced zones
DDO- Instanced zones
So what, they way they use instancing in DDO is vastly different than in GW, and far superior.
GW- Common meeting Areas
DDO -Common meeting areas
Taverns are just 1 area where you will find groups. The real way to find groups is to use the social panel and put yourself LFG, join an existing party that is LFM or create your own party if you have trouble finding one. If all you are doing is spamming LFG in the tavern chat then you are indeed a moron and deserve to have trouble finding groups.
GW- No crafting
DDO- No crafting
Crafting is not necessary at this point in DDO, to make anything worthwhile is a high-level endeavor. It can easily be added in later when necessary.
GW- Low level cap
DDO - Low level cap
What does the level cap have to do with anything. The amount of levels means sweet F all without the context of the ruleset that the game follows. Honestly I'd pit a level 20 fighter against a level 60 WoW warrior anyday.
GW - No real soloing quests (henchmen AI)
DDO - No real soloing quests
Yes you can't solo but most quests can be duo'd or done in 3-player parties. If they allowed soloing no-one would group and everyone would have trouble trying to find groups for the quests that do need them.
GW - Free
DDO - monthly fee
Different client/server tech, GW instances are hosted by the client and DDO's by the server. The latter costs more money for upkeep. This requires subscription money. END OF F'ING STORY ALREADY. Quit trying to argue this point already.
I can't understand how you could miss these
There was nothing to miss, you're generalizations are not valid.
The good thing about GW, and I'm no big fan, you can play for a bit, put down the game for months and someday pick it up and start playing where you left off.
And how is that any different from DDO really, don't want to play for a few months suspend your account, come back in 3 months and your character is still there, plus you have the added bonus of all the new quests that have been added in that time.
Here's the difference: FREE- NOT FREE
Plus you're assuming that you'll have bonus quests within X amount of time.
As far as instancing. I could care less about how they do it as a player. It's still all instancing, yes?
Crafting, may not be necessary to you but that's not the point now is it. Niether game has it, and I for one enjoy crafting.
Level cap, has as much to do with gameplay you're pointing out the technical aspect of how thier instancing works.... LOL. Seriously though, I would imagine DDO fans will reach the peak repeatedly and get bored. Trust me as much as people say they hate the level grind, they want it.
Soloing, gee well without crafting you're SOL if you don't want to find a party.
Common areas- You're point is noted but once again not the point. The only place that the game is a MMO is in the common meeting area.......BORING.
I'll quit argueing about the similiarities once you stop trying deny them. Actually seems to me you are not denying them you're just stating whether one handles each well or not. Which is not really the point of my previous post.
If you are a person who never played both DDO and GW then they would appear similar. However, all it takes is to play both games to find out that they are not really similar at all.
I have played most major MMO's (check my bio) and didn't like most of them, but I don't go over to their forums and trash them because of it nor do I think they were crap games either. I am mature enough to know that every game doesn't have to cater to my liking for me to think it's a good game.
You people on these forums act like this is a war to keep people playing or not playing. You all are being quite silly. You all bicker like a bunch of old women. The fact that you are going to flame me for saying this proves my point.
Here's the difference: FREE- NOT FREE
50 cents a day is practically free as far as I'm concerned.
Plus you're assuming that you'll have bonus quests within X amount of time.
They have promised monthly free content updates. If they fail to deliver on that promise I will take my money elsewhere, simple as that.
As far as instancing. I could care less about how they do it as a player. It's still all instancing, yes?
Yes, and so what, their instancing will allow for far more interesting and interactive inviroments than the ones in GW or many other cookie-cutter MMO's and I'd rather have that then a zillion open static enviroments with a bunch of statically respawning filler mobs anyday. GW instancing sucks because they just used the technology to make a bunch of carbon copy zones filled with static mobs to kill, DDO's are smaller and more focused but are FAR more interesting. There is nothing wrong with instancing if it is done right.
Crafting, may not be necessary to you but that's not the point now is it. Niether game has it, and I for one enjoy crafting.
[i] I dont' mind crafting, if it serves a purpose, but if it is a grind just to be a grind then it is not worth doing.
Level cap, has as much to do with gameplay you're pointing out the technical aspect of how thier instancing works.... LOL. Seriously though, I would imagine DDO fans will reach the peak repeatedly and get bored. Trust me as much as people say they hate the level grind, they want it.
I wasn't clear at what you are getting at with the first part, so I won't comment on it until you can clarify it, as for the people that say they hate the level grind actually wanting to grind. That is pure BS. People put up with the grind because they want to play with friends and if they want to do that they MUST grind. I can't stand grinding and I refuse to do it. I will not play another MMO that requires me to grind for anything.
Soloing, gee well without crafting you're SOL if you don't want to find a party.
As I said, you don't need a full party to do most of the quests, just 1 other person, if you can't even find 1 person to group with that you work well with then I'd have to say it's probably because your an asshat and have made a bad rep for yourself.
Common areas- You're point is noted but once again not the point. The only place that the game is a MMO is in the common meeting area.......BORING.
I see hanging out in a tavern just talking as boring, I don't meet people in MMO's that way, I meet them through grouping. If I'm in a group with them and they impress me with how well they play their character I will remember them and invite them to groups in the future. If they are a braindead idiot then I won't. Sitting in the middle of a busy tavern/towncentre/auction house and just talking tells me absolutely nothing about a player, except how well/poorly they type. With DDO you don't have to sit in the tavern to find a group, just put yourself up as LFG with whatever quest you want to do and you can run around and do whatever you want until a group contacts you.
I'll quit argueing about the similiarities once you stop trying deny them. Actually seems to me you are not denying them you're just stating whether one handles each well or not. Which is not really the point of my previous post.[/b]
I don't like apples cause they suck, apples are a fruit and oranges are a fruit therefore oranges must also suck. Good or Bad is subjective, everyone has thier own opinion but that is all it is. But if you are going to have an opinion it should at least be an informed one. ignorance just makes you look like an ass.
[/quote]
Hey, Im just pointing out what's the same in the two games.
If you like the game, more power to you. I've played GW for quite awhile and DDO during the stress test and the very first thing I thought was how much the same they looked. You can argue which one's better, thats' your perrogative.
Ha! The internet would be a might lonely place without all the flaming on message boards. I've come to the conclusion that it's the whole reason message boards were invented!javascript:insertemote('
Wacky
HAHA !
Yeah DDO and GW have alot in common but DDO has alot more going for it than GW. First off the monthly fee will keep alot of the kids out of it. Soon enough the community will be real gamers as opposed to kids looking for a new video game. Having played both i can say that there are some similarities with the mechanics but right from the start DDO makes its point with the customization process. Every character is different in DDO. The large list of skills and feats insure that. DDO is much more immersive than GW. I don't know if theres enough to the game to keep me playing but so far it has been fun. Guild Wars .. well... guild wars sucked.
Make a difference!
Unfortunately it is my experience that having/not having a credit card is not a guarantee of the maturity of a person. Acting like an idiot is not something that is reserved to younger players.
You might be absolutely right for yourself. Too bad all the other comparisons preclude me from playing for myself.
I don't even like GW that much, I was just pointing out the simiarities (sp).
The "comparisons" are just vague descriptions of what is in both games and have no reflection on how they are actually executed in each of the games, which is all that really matters. DDO is nothing like Guild Wars.
HELLO WORLD
I have to agree with this.
Turbine decided to try to merge the MMO genre with the D&D genre, and the game they created is different in many ways that make it feel more like D&D than an MMO. But, because they chose instancing (like GW did), people automatically say "this is like Guild Wars", when it really isnt.
First, the "common zones" in Guild Wars are tiny compared to the ones in DDO. All of Stormreach is a big common zone, and that's much bigger than all of the common zones of GW put together. Also outside Stormreach there are common zone areas (like Sorrowdusk Isle) where you are walking around with other players outside your party until you actually enter the dungeon instance.
Second, GW allowed you to hire henchmen to play the game, whereas DDO does not. That's a huge difference, because in DDO, Turbine is really trying to replicate the rules of D&D, which presuppose a balanced group of players who know how to play their classes well. And that's not characters, but players ... D&D offline is a multiplayer game, not a game where one player controls numerous characters as is the case in GW (and lets face it, many people who played GW played it this way because when given the choice, most people will solo rather than group in ANY game). The whole point of instancing in DDO is to reinforce this idea that the adventure, once you get to it, is about you and your party ... just like it is in PnP D&D.
Third, the instanced content in DDO is much, much better than in GW. GW has some nice zones and so forth, but the focus of DDO is on the instances, designing them with traps and puzzles and various obstacles that require thought, a well-rounded and skilled party, and some flexibility, in addition to decent reflexes in order to combat well. I played both and I can say wholeheartedly that DDO did not feel like GW to me at all, really, beyond making the obvious and superficial comparison relating to instancing. The GW content had to be made to be playable solo with henchmen, but the DDO content really wouldnt be playable by one player with henchmen even if they allowed it, because it's just harder and more challenging.
The main issue with DDO at the moment is the issue of content: will Turbine be able to keep up with the demand for content (not by the powergamers, Turbine could probably care less about them because they arent the meat and potatoes of any MMO, to be honest) from the rank and file casual players, and I think that will come sooner than with some other MMOs. That's certainly an issue. But, really, the game isn't like GW, and I think the comparisons to GW are superficial and don't take into account the more significant differences between the two games.
Highly doubtful....
Once again let me just say I don't care if you like/dislike the game or not.
If you like the game, I 'm glad.. so I don't think I flaming.
I think you are confusing comparing the gameplay with which one you like better.
An Example -It doesn't matter the fact that DDO's instances are better than GW... they are both are all instanced.
Whether you like one over the other isn't the comparison.
If you don't agree tell me that they aren't both instanced and/or one has crafting and one doesn't. Prove me wrong on that instead of saying which one you like better.
Counter Strike is a group multiplayer game. It has instances. It has no crafting.
If you consider DDO, GW, and CS to have the same gameplay ... well ... I don't know what to say.
Yes, counter-strike is sort of similar now that you mention it. However, counterstrike does not charge 15$ a month, nor does it try to disguise its true nature with a 3d public chatroom where people impressively jump and swing around. DDO should not even be in the category of mmorpg, it is nothing more than 3d diablo. Even if the game had adequate gameplay, they chose the newest and most untested dnd world (which was developed with hasbro btw) instead of using something oh i dunno....good....like Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance. And finally, I am not posting to flame anyone but to save people from wasting money on such a limited game. There are plenty of free games where you can party with 5 other people and have your character remain for the next time you play. Im actually glad my preorder box hasnt arrived yet (although boxes are on store shelfs, certainly doesnt seem like a pre-order to me) because now I can return this piece of garbage before I open it.
Nice try, you're clutching at straws, but I suppose you had to come up with something.
You know I've come to the conclusion, short of "This Game Rocks," that no matter what I say you'll not agree.
In reality your premise still doesn't refute that GW and DDO are all instanced, both have no crafting, and have a common meeting area. I don't know why this is such a bone of contention. I'm not saying that DDO is better or worse, that's for you to decide. In fact I think GW is sorta crappy but atleast it's free per month.
It's your money and time, not mine
Nice try, you're clutching at straws, but I suppose you had to come up with something.
You know I've come to the conclusion, short of "This Game Rocks," that no matter what I say you'll not agree.
In reality your premise still doesn't refute that GW and DDO are all instanced, both have no crafting, and have a common meeting area. I don't know why this is such a bone of contention. I'm not saying that DDO is better or worse, that's for you to decide. In fact I think GW is sorta crappy but atleast it's free per month.
It's your money and time, not mine
Dude, nobody is trying to "refute" anything.
And your still not getting that instancing, crafting, and common areas do not make for the same gameplay.