Originally posted by Ambros123

Never experienced lag?  Bunch of horse shit,

 

I never ran into.  I don't doubt that you do.  I mentioned that people talked about it in the review.  I have no reason to lie about it.  

Originally posted by Ambros123

Never experienced lag?  Bunch of horse shit, lag has ALWAYS been an issue and something Turbine refuses to fix and instead blames on the consumers internet provider even though one can play some of the most top notch MMOs flawlessly and yet get significant lag in DDO.

Lag is pretty bad as everyone is rolling a Druid.

Other than that solid game.

Originally posted by chelan

also, didn't they do away with the d20 combat for this game? if so there's no way in hell i'd go back.

 

Nope, d20 is still alive and kicking in DDO.  There was a Armor Class and Spell Casting revamp to make adjustments to the power creep that has occured over the last six years.  Not that the changes make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but playability wise, there's been little change as far as I've seen.

Originally posted by Ambros123

Never experienced lag?  Bunch of horse shit, lag has ALWAYS been an issue and something Turbine refuses to fix and instead blames on the consumers internet provider even though one can play some of the most top notch MMOs flawlessly and yet get significant lag in DDO.

 

I've been playing for over six years and have yet to run into game breaking lag or latency issues.  Does lag occur?  Sure it does, name one game that it doesn't.  But, I've never had issues to the point where the game is unplayable, nor has anyone in my guild.

Agreed about the latency, I've played on and off since launch and have never really had any serious issues with latency at all.

Originally posted by Storman1977

Originally posted by chelan

also, didn't they do away with the d20 combat for this game? if so there's no way in hell i'd go back.

 

Nope, d20 is still alive and kicking in DDO.  There was a Armor Class and Spell Casting revamp to make adjustments to the power creep that has occured over the last six years.  Not that the changes make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but playability wise, there's been little change as far as I've seen.

anywhere i can get more details on what that means for the game mechanics?

I think the aesthetics score of 7.5 should have been an 8 instead of 7.5, theres some really nice areas in the kings forest and the underdark etc. The graphics are not new but not that bad either.

The polish score of 8.5 is a load of garbage, should not be higher than 7. 



I've been playing the expansion since the first day it came out and can tell you there is still plenty of bugs as can be verified by the opening and closing of the new raid.

Ever since the new game play mechanics have been introduced mobs and ourselves get "stuck" in decor hellava lot more often than pre u14. Lagg has been worse overall even though it seems to have improved in some spots. 

To the reviewer if you go in and play solo or in small six man parties you still see server lag but if you really want to see some server lag join  higher level raids and watch the lag when peeps all start buffing all at once at the same time. LOLZ



As for servers when they say they will be down for 3 hrs expect them to be down for 4 or 5 lol also when they "fix" something expect them too break at least a few  other things with the fix xD



I love playing this game but anyone that says this runs smoothly all the time and that turbine fixes things quickly doesn't have a clue.



About the only thing they fix are bugs that are to our advantage then they hotfix zip zip but any bugs that make our lives more difficult then it will be fixed "SOON" or never, like mobs that get inside the walls and can damage and kill you but you cant target or damage back etc etc.

I wont even get into the destinies most have so many bugs its not even funny, like the epic moment for "unyeilding sentinel" not working amonsgt many more......

Originally posted by chelan

Originally posted by Storman1977

Originally posted by chelan

also, didn't they do away with the d20 combat for this game? if so there's no way in hell i'd go back.

 

Nope, d20 is still alive and kicking in DDO.  There was a Armor Class and Spell Casting revamp to make adjustments to the power creep that has occured over the last six years.  Not that the changes make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but playability wise, there's been little change as far as I've seen.

anywhere i can get more details on what that means for the game mechanics?

 

While I'm not going to pretend to understand exactly all that occurred, in the end, Armor Class is more meaningful in the mid and mid/high ranges now instead of being useless if you had less than a 75 AC once you got past leve 15.  And it is now a bit easier to reach a more meaningful AC in the higher level content.

The changes to the Spell Casting comes with a revamp (and to some degree, nerfing) of Metamagics, potency and devotion items, consumable buffs (clickies).  Not all spells can be affected by Metamagics now.  Potency and devotion no longer stack with one another.  Both potency and devotion items are a percentage based boost to spell power instead of spell level based.  Some spells got hit with the nerf bat pretty hard.  Wail of the Banshee was changed to work similar to Implosion.  All DC's seem to have been adjusted, still working my way through, but most seem to be adjusted in favor of the mobs, meaning no more absolute caster domination in quests (at least it won't be so rampant, the top end casters that are completely tricked out will probably still do so).

Originally posted by Storman1977

Originally posted by chelan

Originally posted by Storman1977

Originally posted by chelan

also, didn't they do away with the d20 combat for this game? if so there's no way in hell i'd go back.

 

Nope, d20 is still alive and kicking in DDO.  There was a Armor Class and Spell Casting revamp to make adjustments to the power creep that has occured over the last six years.  Not that the changes make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but playability wise, there's been little change as far as I've seen.

anywhere i can get more details on what that means for the game mechanics?

 

While I'm not going to pretend to understand exactly all that occurred, in the end, Armor Class is more meaningful in the mid and mid/high ranges now instead of being useless if you had less than a 75 AC once you got past leve 15.  And it is now a bit easier to reach a more meaningful AC in the higher level content.

The changes to the Spell Casting comes with a revamp (and to some degree, nerfing) of Metamagics, potency and devotion items, consumable buffs (clickies).  Not all spells can be affected by Metamagics now.  Potency and devotion no longer stack with one another.  Both potency and devotion items are a percentage based boost to spell power instead of spell level based.  Some spells got hit with the nerf bat pretty hard.  Wail of the Banshee was changed to work similar to Implosion.  All DC's seem to have been adjusted, still working my way through, but most seem to be adjusted in favor of the mobs, meaning no more absolute caster domination in quests (at least it won't be so rampant, the top end casters that are completely tricked out will probably still do so).

so it sounds like they kept the d20 system, but layered a %modifier over it? dunno. sounds interesting in that they were trying to bring balance into the game, but i don't remember there being problems with the pen and paper mechanics for AC and to hit ratios, etc.

thanks for the reply.

Originally posted by Asm0deus

I think the aesthetics score of 7.5 should have been an 8 instead of 7.5, theres some really nice areas in the kings forest and the underdark etc. The graphics are not new but not that bad either.

 

 Screens? i am curious to see what you consider "Nice areas"

"Stormreach used to be full of a lot of people that wanted to tell you how to play your character or how they could beat you at PvP in a bar brawl. With the introduction of MotU that isn't the case anymore."

I actually laughed out loud at this statement.  :)

Build Nazis and PvP Epeen waving has been a long-standing tradition in the Harbor General Chat, causing many new folks (and even vets) to bristle. Granted, I agree that the amount of asshattery has decreased since the expansion came out, but is by no means gone.

The reason why I found your statement so humorous is because you actually acknowledged a portion of the DDO community that causes most players to groan. The rest of the review was a very good read that hit on some important points and giving an excellent summation of DDO.

(Edit:  Removed all the odd spacing between paragraphs that appeared upon posting.)

Sorry have to point out some major things that keeps me as a free to player (I have bought a $20 turbine point card but will not sub) . Lack of content ,  I would sumise that even it you are subed you still have to repeat quests to level and everyone starts at the same place and does the same quests.  I mean come on since I am a free player I grind favor for adventure packs but bought one card so I could buy the Necropolis bundle, so I have done Miserys Peak more then 24 times (at least twice per toon).  I have earned enough favor for Drow on my main server and have also earned enough to get only two other packs the Catacombs and Sorrowdusk Isle.  

Also unless you have a bit of time to play it seems that DDO does not lend itself to playing for just an hour for a bit of fun.  I know you can go into some ot the wilderness areas and just kill stuff for the three open experience there but when you only get exp for kill numbers and not for individual mobs and the kill levels basically double so at first you only need 25 kills for x amount of experience but when you just hit the 400 kill mark and then need another 350 to hit the 700 mark and the experience awarded is a fair amount and you don't have to kill them all in one setting, I still feel like I haven't really accomplished much if I go into an area and kill stuff for 30 minutes but dont hit the new kill level.

Now for the big one.  Hirelings, if they are working as intended then the people who designed them and there code need to be fired.  My experience with them, and it is extensive because I do harldy any grouping, is a love hate relationship.  Since I don't like to group I thought that with the addition of hirelings this game would be for me but then when you set your hireling healer to defend you and they don't heal you or run off after some mob (thought they should only do this in active) while your are fighting several mobs and are taking damage what can you think but wow these hireling are not really very good.  I have seen it so many times where my cleric just runs off and they are on defend.  Also you would think that if the hireling is taking damage and standing in one spot (like they are in a trap) they would move, not so if they seem to be close enough to you the will just stand there and I have tested this some will not even heal themselves and just keep taking damage till they die.  Is this working as intended?\

Well sorry for my rant but I really would like to subscribe to this game but will not because of the current state of the game.  I still get some enjoyment out of it and recommend it to poeple as long as they know the limitations of DDO.