Writing commentary about video games always poses this challenge: how does one communicate the obvious fact that a video game is a waste of time? This may sound redundant, but in the case of Dungeons and Dragons Online, there was never an MMO that had such potential that fell by the wayside so quickly. From the initial launch, to the difficult times right after, Turbine proved that the only thing worse than a bad launch is a bad finish.

Any new game will have a new feel and what appears to be endless possibilities, but rather than letting the game blossom and grow into its own, Turbine made a huge mistake. They made this game as a purely linear game with no options at all with the storyline.

The entire game is an instance. Why they felt the need to break out individual servers with a 100% instanced game is beyond me. The biggest impact of this is an empty game. Where normal MMO's tend to sputter because of pickup play, D&D was almost made for pickups. I have never met a more pretentious and annoying group of gamers in my life. They seem to thrive on not having any organization whatsoever. The game simply does not allow it. The guild functions and features simply do not even allow a basic feel of guild mechanics. No guild vaults, no guild rankings, no advantages whatsoever except a name. When you combine a small server broken down with players who prefer guilds and those who don't, you effectively halve the available playerbase. They should have taken a lesson from Guild Wars and at least made one big server with instanced city zones (which they have in game, but you never seen more than 1 or maybe 2 instances, ever.)

So an empty game is the first whammy. Then comes the slow pace of development. The game launched with 10 levels of character progression, and nearly 3 years later, they have only added 6 more. It took players only 3-5 days to max out the first time around, and with 3-4 months in between ANY new quests, every level cap raise they've had took only a few days (or in some cases hours) to hit the max. The problem with this becomes very obvious after only a few days gameplay. After out-pacing the missions, you find yourself either repeating the same dreary missions over and over, or you spend your time in lower level zones grinding out underpowered loot or looking cool in front of lower level players.

As far as aesthetics go, the game looks really dated. There are cookie cutter armors that just look horrible, the colors and the skins look like they have only had one pass from the day the game launched. Having played the game from the first day, I can honestly say Turbine is definitely lacking polish.

Some very simple features that you would expect in an MMO are simply not there. To make matters worse, they haven't made up for it in any other areas. There's never been an MMO where you paid so much for it and received so little. The game has the depth of a dixie cup stuffed with cotton balls.

The lack of gameplay, the lack of polish (for a nearly 3 year old MMO), and the lack of a good solid player base (there's always permadeathers and roleplayers) make this a game you would do well to stay far, FAR away from.

There are way better places to get your fantasy MMO fix these days. D&D Online plays like a 1st generation MMO with no endgame (except 4 or 5 raids with varying levels of repeatability). Too many player options lead you into groups with two-weapon wielding clerics and fighter classes with less hit points than a wizard. All in the name of D&D? Your D&D fix is best found in a good book.

I would always advise people to try things for themselves, and to ignore strong opinions either way. It is very easy to mislead.

Originally posted by Dr.Rock

I would always advise people to try things for themselves, and to ignore strong opinions either way. It is very easy to mislead.

That is true, but the big question is: Why shouldn't people get Guildwars instead? Same instances, but only one server for each language(well, 2 for english), no monthly fees, better programming and loads of content?

D&D is made so it should work perfectly in computer games and DDO have some nice ideas. But the game is to similar to Guildwars which costs less and is a better game.

And why didn't they make the game in a popular D&D world instead like Forgotten realms, Ravenloft or Dragonlance?

No, Turbine should start from the beginning and use the open world from LOTRO, mix in DDOs combat system and keep the stuff from the dungeons. Then place it in a more popular gameworld. And give us all friggin' 20 levels, they can always add the epic levels from D&D later if they want something for the expansions. And only one server for each language. Turbine can really do this

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by Dr.Rock

I would always advise people to try things for themselves, and to ignore strong opinions either way. It is very easy to mislead.

 

That is true, but the big question is: Why shouldn't people get Guildwars instead? Same instances, but only one server for each language(well, 2 for english), no monthly fees, better programming and loads of content?

D&D is made so it should work perfectly in computer games and DDO have some nice ideas. But the game is to similar to Guildwars which costs less and is a better game.

And why didn't they make the game in a popular D&D world instead like Forgotten realms, Ravenloft or Dragonlance?

No, Turbine should start from the beginning and use the open world from LOTRO, mix in DDOs combat system and keep the stuff from the dungeons. Then place it in a more popular gameworld. And give us all friggin' 20 levels, they can always add the epic levels from D&D later if they want something for the expansions. And only one server for each language. Turbine can really do this

They should try GW as well, I personally bought it and the first two expansions, didn't like the lack of freedom of movement and the click and forget combat. I didn't bother to install the expansions. I could go in to detail, exaggerate some points to paint it as pure evil. But at the end of the day it was okay, not to my tastes, but okay.

I like instances, in fact I prefer instances to open areas, the concept of spawn queueing/camping does my head in. I find open areas dull and to a certain extent pointless. Again just my tastes, so your concept of LOTRO/DDO mix does not appeal to me.

Because they could only get the IP from WotK for Eberron. So it was make it in Eberron or not at all, sure that has been explained again and again. I personally would have liked Planescape not that is was 3.5 setting (I think), I found the other settings not gritty enough, not that any decent DM couldn't use any setting.

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by Dr.Rock

I would always advise people to try things for themselves, and to ignore strong opinions either way. It is very easy to mislead.

 

That is true, but the big question is: Why shouldn't people get Guildwars instead? Same instances, but only one server for each language(well, 2 for english), no monthly fees, better programming and loads of content?

D&D is made so it should work perfectly in computer games and DDO have some nice ideas. But the game is to similar to Guildwars which costs less and is a better game.

And why didn't they make the game in a popular D&D world instead like Forgotten realms, Ravenloft or Dragonlance?

No, Turbine should start from the beginning and use the open world from LOTRO, mix in DDOs combat system and keep the stuff from the dungeons. Then place it in a more popular gameworld. And give us all friggin' 20 levels, they can always add the epic levels from D&D later if they want something for the expansions. And only one server for each language. Turbine can really do this

BECAUSE WIZARDS OF THE COAST FORCED THEM TO DO EBERRON. They would need to pay %% TSR to the creatore of Forgotten Realms. Therefore Turbine would have to pay more for their license. It's like asking why didnt they pay 500 employees instead of 200!?

There are people that like dungeon crawlers. GW has bad character customization and almost no dungeons and boring combat. DDo has one of the best combat systems on market, one of the best character customization and great dungeons. What's there more to ask?

I love how you used the huge amount of builds available something bad. That is the beauty of DDO, you have MILLIONS of possibilities! This isn't just a game where clerics heal, warriors tank, period. This game opens up endless ways to make a character, which can, or not work. It seems to me like you played the trial and weren't skilled enough to get through many dungeons, which is why you're complaining about group organization (it's just not necessary for the most part).

Originally posted by Steelrose

BECAUSE WIZARDS OF THE COAST FORCED THEM TO DO EBERRON. They would need to pay %% TSR to the creatore of Forgotten Realms. Therefore Turbine would have to pay more for their license. It's like asking why didnt they pay 500 employees instead of 200!?

There are people that like dungeon crawlers. GW has bad character customization and almost no dungeons and boring combat. DDo has one of the best combat systems on market, one of the best character customization and great dungeons. What's there more to ask?

On the other hand, Forgotten realms would have had more players. That would mean more income.

And Im with you that the combat system, customization and dungeons are great but there is really more things to ask.  Less instances for one thing, more things to do then crawling in a dungeon. 20 levels, the game have been out a while now and 20 levels are not that much to ask for.

Guildwars have BTW sold almost 5 million copies, and the dungeons in EOTN isn't that bad.

DDO is half of a game, mix it with LOTRO and put it in a better world, and it could really be big.

Big difference for me between the two games...the spacebar.

As for the setting of DDO, love it. It is different. If it was in FR we'd be here griping about how they didn't do this or that but it is in the FR settings.

Gameplay is more fun in DDO. The combat is the best I seen. I love the group play. In GW you can solo.

I don't think the game looks dated. With DX10 graphics the environment looks amazing. Characters have always been iffy with Turbine.

Try both, but what it comes down to is what you find the most fun playing.

Any review short of absolutely excellent is a crime when it comes to what this game SHOULD have been.

I played it on trial a couple times and couldn't get into it, but seriously it should've been the mother of all mmo's, ruling all others just like it did back in the day many moons ago.

I believe your title need to be re phrased to "my negative criticism need to stay FAR away from this game!" Its genre on its own and it out ot he WoW box format. GW is another genre although it gets less crticism because its free, but GW has its up and down also. DDO is for the enjoyement of a good storyline for a quick quest. The instances are needed because the isn't an endless line of respawn. Think of how annoying it is in wow when you are just trying to catch up a few hit point or mana point and a creature just respawns behind you. You then have to kill it and go back to resting etc. In ddo you have a reverse of the system you mana and hp don't regen so netheir do the monster. (Make sense)

DDO's strong point : Nice graphics, Amazing combat, Amazing customization of character (in the build sense not so much appearance). Great (FREE) updates on a regular basis! an ever-evolving game with the times. ( hence graphics have improved since the begining, DX10 enabled in progress), open spaces within instance, more and more solo content, light pvp, achievement rewards, and now the begining of crafting. Not to forget one of the first game to have voice chat.

Keep in consideration that I have tried many mmo 20+ and not all appeal to me just like this might not appeal to you. ALthough let other people decide if this is a good game. A 10 day free trial is all you need to get a feel of the game.

Don't worry, I'm staying well away. DDO failed to meet my expectations of any game with the D&D branding.

Originally posted by signetring

Turbine made a huge mistake. They made this game as a purely linear game with no options at all with the storyline.

I have never met a more pretentious and annoying group of gamers in my life. They seem to thrive on not having any organization whatsoever. The game simply does not allow it. 

They should have taken a lesson from Guild Wars and at least made one big server with instanced city zones (which they have in game, but you never seen more than 1 or maybe 2 instances, ever.)

So an empty game is the first whammy. Then comes the slow pace of development. The game launched with 10 levels of character progression, and nearly 3 years later, they have only added 6 more. 

As far as aesthetics go, the game looks really dated.

Some very simple features that you would expect in an MMO are simply not there.  

The lack of gameplay, the lack of polish (for a nearly 3 year old MMO), and the lack of a good solid player base (there's always permadeathers and roleplayers) make this a game you would do well to stay far, FAR away from.

D&D Online plays like a 1st generation MMO with no endgame (except 4 or 5 raids with varying levels of repeatability). Too many player options lead you into groups with two-weapon wielding clerics and fighter classes with less hit points than a wizard. All in the name of D&D? Your D&D fix is best found in a good book. 

Enteresting first post to troll the DDO forums.
 

The above quotes showcase how disenfranchised this alledged player is with the game.  I'll touch on a few issues:

Story is linear in a sense that there are not permenant archs that players branch out from if they might the right or wrong decissions - please name some MMO's that have dynamic story lines, I would be very interested in them.

No organization, pretentious & most annoying community?  This is so far from fact that it's proof of intent to troll these forums.

I agree with the concept of a Single Server game and love EVE Online for this. As for the number of instances, I frequently see 2 or 3 instances of a zone although it's generally on a friday evening.  The server I play on (Ghallanda) isn't even reported as being the most populous.

Empty game and no progression?  Complaining about "6 levels" is not only foolish it showcases the complete lack of knowledge the OP professes to posses about the game.  When a level in DDO equates 4 ranks of progression (lvl 1 rank 0, rank 1, rank 2, rank 3 rank 4, level 2 rank 0, level 2 rank 1, etc) those 6 levels play out as 30 different states of progression.  When you count the 16 levels present in the game it's fair to gauge this as if it had 80 levels!  It's fuzzy math and can be confusiong, but is generally quite clear to anyone who plays the game.

Game looks dated?  Ok, it's obvious why this post was made by a first time user - they intended the account to be banned for trolling.  The game updated it's graphics to DX10, yep, dated...

Features that are not present in DDO?  Player structures.  We could argue that there's no crafting besides the collectible reward system, but very few games have crafting as it was present in pre-cu Star Wars Galaxies and even then That system is no longer availble in That game.  I'll give the op this - DDO lacks the ability to own player structures and there's no crafting of consumables in the game.

Lacking Polish, Gameplay and a Good Player Base?  The first two are arbitrary opinions with the first being easily countered although the third is another example of blatant misinformation and trolling.

No End Game - Am I the only one who identifies the oxymoron of lacking an end game while there being too many character options?  PnP allows you to multi class and create unique characters and so does DDO; pretty close to sandbox proportions.  Claiming wizards have more hitpoints then a fighter type and that this is a flaw by design is the most gross case of misinformation the OP has expressed so far, unless the OP is using an extreme example of a lvl 16 wizard's hitpoints to a lvl 1 fighter's, which is nothing other then an attempt to distract how truely dynamic the game is. 

There's a Total of 9 Raids and 1 outdoor/underground Raid area.  Claiming there's only 4-5 raids is more proof the OP is less informed then the average user who has access to Google.

The OP is full of bias, misinformation and trolling remarks that does nothing to touch upon the few areas of the game that could be improved upon.  It's a shamefull waste of a thread...

Originally posted by Loke666

That is true, but the big question is: Why shouldn't people get Guildwars instead? Same instances, but only one server for each language(well, 2 for english), no monthly fees, better programming and loads of content?

D&D is made so it should work perfectly in computer games and DDO have some nice ideas. But the game is to similar to Guildwars which costs less and is a better game.

Guildwars does NOT have content remotely similar to the scale and amount that's availble in DDO.  I have both games and I fail to understand how this claim is true. 

DDO is a tactile dynamic strategy game whereas Guildwars is a point and click button masher. I'm not saying one is better/worse or more/less fun then the other, just that they are completely different games as much as Checkers is to Chess.

As for "better programer", do you program for both games?  The nature of the either game makes this arguement one of those Apples to Oranges examples.  The two games are at far oposites of the spectrum in much the same way EVE Online is to World of Warcraft.  I would saying EVE and DDO are similar to each other whereas Guildwars and WoW are as well.  I actually think Guildwars' gameplay is a little less complicated then WoW, if that's even possible.

Dont bite. Just let this trollish, missinformed piece of text die. Its clearly just written to bait us into a flame-war. 

I see both sides. Me? I do like DDO, but I also agree it could've been so much more than it is.

Someone above mentioned blending LotRO with DDO, and I think that would be an awesome idea. LotRO is pretty successful. I've played it and I thought it was fun, and I'm not a big fan of low fantasy settings. It's story's are great, which are perfect for DDO. The one dungeon I did was fun and challenging. Part of it's player base is fans of Middle Earth and Tolkien. I think, with a worthwhile game, a true D&D MMORPG would really succeed because I think D&D fans and MMORPG gamers go hand in hand.

If you feel enticed into a flamewar, this thread was not written for you. It was written for the person who may be considering this game. I was heavy handed in my opinion, but not nearly as heavy as I should have been. Given the reaction by some of you, I can tell that YOU are the ones who troll and flame-bait. I see nothing wrong with posting my opinion about a game. Thrashing me and insulting me on a personal level only underscores who the real trolls are.

I have played DDO for over 2 years and I have had some real ding dongs on these very forums defending the game over that that time. I will continue to play the game until it ends most likely.

I just want to pick up on the op's comment on the playerbase and I'm afraid that I must agree with him for the most part.

Unless you are in a very close guild then yes, the playerbase can be arrogant, rushing and bossy. I have played solo for well over a year now and am anxiously awaiting the hirelings!!!!!!!! For me its about the character and not the gold or the crafting or becoming leet.

Yes, there are so many customisation options for character creation that it is almost limitless but what is the point of customisation when playing a caster for instance, you are frowned upon for not having haste or firewall,  almost not allowed to charm creatures or use spells such as contagion or ray of enfeeblement??

Not everyone wants to be in a guild, I hate guilds......!

Yes, I know that some of the fault lies with Turbine in that they have allowed some spells to be near indispensible but the playerbase must also shoulder some of the blame.

---

Originally posted by signetring
Writing commentary about video games always poses this challenge: how does one communicate the obvious fact that a video game is a waste of time? This may sound redundant, but in the case of Dungeons and Dragons Online, there was never an MMO that had such potential that fell by the wayside so quickly. From the initial launch, to the difficult times right after, Turbine proved that the only thing worse than a bad launch is a bad finish.
 
Any new game will have a new feel and what appears to be endless possibilities, but rather than letting the game blossom and grow into its own, Turbine made a huge mistake. They made this game as a purely linear game with no options at all with the storyline.
 
The entire game is an instance. Why they felt the need to break out individual servers with a 100% instanced game is beyond me. The biggest impact of this is an empty game. Where normal MMO's tend to sputter because of pickup play, D&D was almost made for pickups. I have never met a more pretentious and annoying group of gamers in my life. They seem to thrive on not having any organization whatsoever. The game simply does not allow it. The guild functions and features simply do not even allow a basic feel of guild mechanics. No guild vaults, no guild rankings, no advantages whatsoever except a name. When you combine a small server broken down with players who prefer guilds and those who don't, you effectively halve the available playerbase. They should have taken a lesson from Guild Wars and at least made one big server with instanced city zones (which they have in game, but you never seen more than 1 or maybe 2 instances, ever.)
 
So an empty game is the first whammy. Then comes the slow pace of development. The game launched with 10 levels of character progression, and nearly 3 years later, they have only added 6 more. It took players only 3-5 days to max out the first time around, and with 3-4 months in between ANY new quests, every level cap raise they've had took only a few days (or in some cases hours) to hit the max. The problem with this becomes very obvious after only a few days gameplay. After out-pacing the missions, you find yourself either repeating the same dreary missions over and over, or you spend your time in lower level zones grinding out underpowered loot or looking cool in front of lower level players.
 
As far as aesthetics go, the game looks really dated. There are cookie cutter armors that just look horrible, the colors and the skins look like they have only had one pass from the day the game launched. Having played the game from the first day, I can honestly say Turbine is definitely lacking polish.
 
Some very simple features that you would expect in an MMO are simply not there. To make matters worse, they haven't made up for it in any other areas. There's never been an MMO where you paid so much for it and received so little. The game has the depth of a dixie cup stuffed with cotton balls.
 
The lack of gameplay, the lack of polish (for a nearly 3 year old MMO), and the lack of a good solid player base (there's always permadeathers and roleplayers) make this a game you would do well to stay far, FAR away from.
 
There are way better places to get your fantasy MMO fix these days. D&D Online plays like a 1st generation MMO with no endgame (except 4 or 5 raids with varying levels of repeatability). Too many player options lead you into groups with two-weapon wielding clerics and fighter classes with less hit points than a wizard. All in the name of D&D? Your D&D fix is best found in a good book.
 
 

---

Hmm..As a rather new player to DDO I can't comment on all of it but there is hardly anything right in here IMHO..

1. DDO is NOT like any other MMO out there
2. DDO is all about groups and group efforts, some of the quests/dungeons has never been seen in a MMO, look at the PIT for an example.
3. I have been playing for 2 months now and have reached lvl 8 without repeating one single quest, part from a selected few were I helped others reach a certain point.
4. DDO is best played with people that has actually never played it at all..If you play the game with the same buddies and never stray from this, you will have a blast.
5. If you look up walktroughs on the web for this game, you will spoil all the fun,and you missed the entire purpose of the game then, other MMO's do not have these dungeons, so it doesn't really matter that much if you look up map's and spoilers etc..
6. DDO has to be instanced othervise it would not be that good or fun, picture 20 other players in the PIT releasing all the traps and pulling all the wrong or right levers. And no DDO is NOTHING like Guildwars part from maybe they are both instanced.

All in all..DDO is a hard game compare to the rest of the MMO's, even on normal difficulty, things like no auto health regen and mana regen makes you have to think extra before rushing, and the xp system makes it even harder as you actually have to finish a quests before gaining xp.

Sure there is always going to be players that will try to reach the endgame as easy as possible, but that is their problem and their choice, all I can say is that these individuals has completly missed the point of DDO..

And I think YOU has missed the point aswell..sorry

/junker

I'm thrilled that you disagree with my assessment, but I will just point out that after 2 months of playing the game if you are only level 8, then this game is PERFECT for you. DDO caters to the slow gamer quite well.

Considering that most people achieve level 8 in a matter of days (average gamer could do it in less than 3), your slow and thorough pace will ensure that this game (well, ANY game really) will always have something for you. So congratulations on finding another game to keep you occupied.

I will say this again, DDO is perfect for you. Most of the people I met in DDO were happy to be unguilded, happy to be soloing, and prefer pickup groups every time. If you see nothing wrong with that, then again, I really have to question what kind of gamer are you? Dungeon crawling, no spoilers, if I had to guess, you sound like a roleplayer (or worse, permadeather)... and we all know how the MMO world looks at that.

Let me first remind you that the pace at which you play is not the normal, not the average, it's actually in the slowest bracket that exists. With that said, much of your findings aren't really consistent with the MMO world.

The game itself, peaked after its first month of release. It has been on a steady decline for 2 years. DDO never saw a day where growth occurred. You can always judge a tree by its fruit, and DDO is pretty barren. Except for 5 raids that can all be done in one night, DDO succeeds only at failure for endgame.

Having played the game from October 2005 - February 2008, I've seen the good bad and ugly. The problem is, the only people that have stayed with DDO, are the ones who really aren't looking for anything special or unique in an MMO. They are looking for a game that plays slow (to match their pace of gaming), which DDO excels at.

Most gamers are going to have a serious problem with DDO, and that is the purpose of this thread. If you are bored/tired of WoW / AoC / WAR, DDO will drive you absolutely nuts. In just a matter of days you can see everything there is to see in the game.

The worst part about DDO is their marketing. No, I don't mean the lack okf marketing, I mean the way they sizzle a pile of dog poop. With statements like "doubled the content since release", or "winner of best persistent world MMO (DDO has no persistent world except one single town)", they have frequently made claims that they could not live up to. Coupled with the fact that development went from 10 new quests a month to 10 new quests per year, DDO is literally like the asscrack of MMO games. Sure there are dozens of other MMO's that get no updates, but those MMO's don't make the same claims as DDO. DDO sells itself as being an active, thriving MMO which it most certainly is not.

Module 6 and 7 introduced many, many bugs that STILL have not been addressed. DDO's updated/patchfix cycle is almost nonexistant. In between modules (between 5-8 months) they MIGHT (and this has maybe only happened a few times) release one patchfix release. So not only do they not come up with new stuff, they can't even fix the old stuff.

They changed their raid flagging mechanic on many raids so that groups could access them and repeat them much easier. They refused however, to make this change retro-active. It's these kinds of design flaws that make no sense to intelligent gamers.

But don't take my word for it, go onto their forums and see how many founders/long time players post on a regular basis that they are leaving because of X Y and Z. Turbine fans consistently turn into disgruntled customers. My opinions need no defense, the Turbine tree bears bad fruit. Just because your standards are low, does not make that game great by any means.

Back to your first point, DDO is unlike any MMO out there. No MMO has made such a big hype about so little. Everyone knows that without the success of LOTRO  (which by the way still has many many cool features that were supposed to land at DDO), Turbine would have sunk DDO a LONG time ago. So you're right... unlike any MMO out there. This kind of disease is quite rare and unique and should not be shared with others.

If anyone has made it this far anmd is still on the fence about trying this game, please try it.

Background on me.. started playing in Jan '07, I have several characters at cap and have been to all the raids (except the 'dead' one, the Abbot). I've played a good number of other MMOs and hated or tired of them all quickly. DDO is a keeper.

I wont disagree that the pace of new content is not what we'd like to see, but there have been eight modules of uneven but sometimes excellent content.. combined with the core game there's a lot to do.. there's a few places to go and gear to acquire I don't have even after almost two years.

People like the OP complain about character creation, but I should point out that all of that has been redone as of Mod 8 and is much improved for the non-D&D expert.