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DDO: It's nothing like WoW or EQ2.
brihtwulf
Member UncommonPosts: 975
For some this may be a good thing, for others it might be bad. But, any way you look at it, D&D Online isn't anything like WoW or EQ2 (aside from the fact that they are all in the fantasy genre). I'd like to make some comparisons for people so they can have some knowledge before they decide to buy the game, or to complain about it because it's not what they expected.
Instancing - Aside form the city, DDO is completely instanced. There isn't an abundance of overland areas to explore. All the quests you get are found in the city and they lead you into instanced dungeons that only you and your group can access. Players go to taverns to heal and rest, and also to find others to group with and socialize.
Potions and Healing are Limited - In some games you can spam potions or the healers have an abundance of healing spells with which to heal party members. In DDO you are forced to use much more strategy in order to survive. There are a limited number of places in a dungeon where you can stop and rest to regain HP and Spell Points. And potions are much more rare than they are in most games. They are not readily available for purchase at cheap values as in games like WoW and EQ2.
Group Dynamic - In DDO, you are all but forced to group. The game is not meant to be played solo. The idea is to get a group of people together (usually between 4 and 6 members) to take on a dungeon. There is built-in voice chat to help with strategy, or even to use for RP if you choose to do it that way (personally I find using it for OOC is best, then type out RP chat). If you try to solo the content it is likely that the dungeons will be too powerful for you, and it will be rather boring trying to do it. The idea is based around the old pen and paper D&D games where you are there with a small group of friends playing.
Limited Content - This game is built more for the casual gamer. Others have said it before, and it's very true. If you are a power-gamer and hardcore about your gaming experience, you will get to the end of the content and either be burnt out or bored because there is nothing left to do. Turbine will be releaseing regular content updates to add more to the game, but it's meant to be done a a more casual pace. In addition to this, if you create alt characters, you will need to repeat the exact same content over again. However, the experience will likely be different as different groups have different dynamics.
PvP - There is no PvP in this game, nor is it likely there will ever be. If you're interested in competition, or just plain pwning the other players, you will be disappointed in this game. It's about cooperation with the other players, not about competing and killing them. This does, however help cultivate a more mature crowd.
I was previously quick to judge this game because it's not like the other big names, WoW and EQ2. But this can be a good thing. If you're looking for a change of pace, or a more casual experience, this game may be worth a shot for you. If you enjoy a more mature crowd and are tired of all the foul-mouthed children prevalent in the other games, you'll likely enjoy the community of DDO. It has a lot of great qualities and it's quite innovative, but you can't expect it to be WoW or EQ2 with D&D rules. It's a completely different idea and style.
I hope this can help some people understand the game better or have a good experience by knowing what you're getting into ahead of time. That way people looking for a WoW/EQ2 clone can move on, and mature players looking for a unique experience can join in the fun...
Comments
Good post for those that are not familiar with the features or gameplay.
P.S. I'm surprised that you chose to form a different opinion about the game from your inital impressions. That shows strength of character and an open mind, my regards.
Alcanan
"The True North Strong and Free"
"Faith Manages"
Yeah, I've found some groups do the same thing. I'm hoping to find a good guild to join so I can find some like-minded players. People wanting to run through a dungeon isn't the funnest thing (until you've done it and know where all the goodies are).
As for the content, hopefully their updates will be frequent. They are adding in 15 new dungeons and a raid dungeon, so that will be a nice addition. If they can come out with these monthly, or at least regularly, that should keep enough coming in for most to be happy with it. Of course this isn't a game for hardcore power-gamers though. People who try to rush to the end of the game will likely be very disappointed. I would definately say this game caters to the mature range of casual gamers (which to me is a wonderful change of pace from WoW).
Good post except for the "more casual experience" part...DDO is NOT a game for the casual player.
If you can only play a few hours a week, you MUST join a guild or be stuck relying on PUGs. It helps if you are willing to play a cleric; absolutely forget PUGs if you want to play a rogue. Also forget about playing solo, with the possible except of playing a cleric. Even then, be prepared to die and suffer a pretty heavy xp penalty - usually about half the xp that you get from a particular dungeon [therefore, die 3 times and you end up with a loss IF you complete that dungeon.] If you have an hour to play you will have to choose between: zerging through a dungeon/being tour-guided [boring!] or doing a short dungeon which will give xp about equal to 1/30th a level ... and repeating that dungeon ad nauseum until you either level or have more time to play.
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Good post except for the "more casual experience" part...DDO is NOT a game for the casual player.
If you can only play a few hours a week, you MUST join a guild or be stuck relying on PUGs. It helps if you are willing to play a cleric; absolutely forget PUGs if you want to play a rogue. Also forget about playing solo, with the possible except of playing a cleric. Even then, be prepared to die and suffer a pretty heavy xp penalty - usually about half the xp that you get from a particular dungeon [therefore, die 3 times and you end up with a loss IF you complete that dungeon.] If you have an hour to play you will have to choose between: zerging through a dungeon/being tour-guided [boring!] or doing a short dungeon which will give xp about equal to 1/30th a level ... and repeating that dungeon ad nauseum until you either level or have more time to play.
That honestly hasn't been my experience. I'm not in a guild, and haven't had any problem with PUG's in this game.
To the poster above you, you don't HAVE to repeat content unless you're levelling an alt. THAT'S where the weakness of static content starts to show. Not that that isn't an issue with every other game out there...
Thats actually my only complaint so far about D&DO. I am certainly not a power gamer and I appreciate Turbines approach to cater more towards the casual gamer - but having such high subscription fees really contradicts this pilosohpy, imho.
If there is limited content - fine. But for me lower "value" (replayabilty, long-term motivation, content, etc) equals lower subscription fees..not saying that this game should be free. Many people compare it to GW, but I think it is safe to say that D&DO offers a much better gaming experience (voice chat, riddles to solve, strategy, etc)...but 15$ seems insanely overpriced, nevertheless.