All Posts by JK-Kanosi

Originally posted by Karmatron

Thanks for the votes/replies everyone. The only thing I'm worried about DDO is the content and replay-ability. I heard people reach the level cap in a month and since there aren't any other areas you end up doing the same dungeons over and over again. The death penalty in Vanguard does sound a bit harsh... I wouldn't have the patience for it either. I guess DDO wins... I HATE turn based combat so LoTRO and Vanguard are a no-no.

Thanks again anyone.

You won't get through all of the dungeons in DDO on your first character, so there is some replayability concerning content. Turbine has added a lot of quests since release and a lot of it gets ignored. The quests also feel different when you are filling a different role in a group then what you were playing the previous time. It also takes a bit longer than a month to get to 16. I am level 11 and have been playing for a month and a half now. I haven't done all of the quests leading up to 11 and have plenty more to do until 16. One thing you will like is the raids. They are meant for 12 people and are actually really fun. I did my first raid at lvl 7.

I've played all of those MMORPGs more than a month a piece.

They all have something you like, but not all of what you like.

DDO for instance has really fun combat, character customization, and replayability due to the difference a different class has on your experience in a dungeon. The group is almost purely group based, and finding a group can be hard at times. It is fun building characters and testing them out in dungeons. DDO isn't great at attracting new customers, so you will likely run dungeons with people who have been playing for a while now. Therefore you may be rushed through quests. This is the game I am playing now.

LoTRO- The combat is par for the course, meaning it is about what your used to in WoW, except maybe a little more boring. LoTRO has book quests, which are group oriented quests. But they are spread out throughout your leveling process. However, there is plenty of solo quests to do in-between books and chapters. I found the classes to be dull, and because the AI isn't that great, like DDO's is, the replayability of quests you've done before isn't that good. So I'd say you could probably create 2-3 characters before feeling sick to your stomach when thinking of creating another. Like DDO, LoTRO isn't great at pulling in new players. So you are likely to find groups that prefer to rush through things, not allowing you to read through the quest without feeling uncomfortable for wasting their time. I plan to give this game another go after their expansion is released.

Vanguard is a gem, depending on who you are. The graphics are nice, the quests aren't bad, and the dungeons are group oriented, which the majority of the community past level 20 concentrate on. You can find groups regularly after level 20 if you don't mind traveling to different continents to do so. Because of this, you will likely end up ignoring a lot of content if you want to group solely, because the community has their favorite dungeons and quest lines and you are not likely to find groups for any other quests or dungeons out there. At least not in a timely manner. The combat is run of the mill, like WoW's, except that casters can move while casting. Some of the classes are unique or bring certian concepts from other games into them, to give them more depth than other MMORPGs, however, they lack no customization. Vanguard has a lot of races and classes, so replayability is pretty good, however, the character customization as I said is horrible. There is no talent system or anything similar to make your class different than any other class. On the flip side, Vanguard does have some fun features, such as diplomacy, crafting, flying mounts, boats, and houses/guid houses that everyone can see. I quit this game a couple months ago after quitting AoC, because the death penalty was too much for my patience. The death penalty made the game unenjoyable, but some people really like it.

If you own all three of the games, I'd say give Vanguard a shot now, since it is getting rebound players from AoC. DDO is a good second choice, due to the new Module released over a month ago, but people have already started quitting that returned only to play the new module features. LoTRO will be a good choice once the new expansion comes out.

Originally posted by DeaconX

Originally posted by JK-Kanosi

I've pointed this out before, and it still hasn't been corrected. The information in the OP concerning Lucas Arts and Bioware working on an MMORPG together is wrong. The announcement doesn't say anything about the two working on a MMORPG or even an online game together at all. All that is said is that they are working on "a game" together.

Why is the OP refusing to fix this flaw in his post. The misinformation gives me the feeling that this thread isn't reliable for a focal point of information.

You apparently completely missed a paragraphs worth of reading in my disclaimer:

"This thread was created to gather all available information regarding the BioWare MMORPG currently in development. We are looking for any and all information. Speculation is inevitable, but if we must let’s try to be as informed as possible. Please feel free to help add or correct any information presented and remember to take everything with a grain of salt ;) "

The building circumstantial evidence would tilt SPECULATION towards a link between BioWare's MMORPG and Star Wars and thus LucasArts - however that must be taken 'with a grain of salt' meaning don't take it for a fact.

If suddenly we found out that BioWare had somehow been talking to JK ROWLING [Harry Potter author, sorry if I got her name wrong...] for years then that would be another piece of speculation to add, but so far the 'Star Wars' speculation by far outweighs anything else NOT just because there is a huge public demand for it but if you look at the first page of posts, there's just a ton of little facts that could easily point to the IP.

I didn't miss that paragraph. Even in your paragraph, you say we should be informed as possible; looking for any and all information; and to feel free to add or "correct" information.

So you are contradicting yourself in the high lighted paragraph, when you don't correct your mistype above the link to the article, because I informed you of the mistake and by the above paragraph, you fix any mistakes pointed out.

So don't pin this on me; like I didn't read the paragraph, when I did. You apparently didn't remember what you wrote in that paragraph, aside from the "grain of salt" thing.

I posted about the inaccuracy last year in this thread. This thread popped up on the popullar threads and I noticed it was still not changed. That is the only reason I posted again on this thread, because by that paragraph, you want people to tell you when something is incorrect. Well, I did and you didn't fix it.

I've pointed this out before, and it still hasn't been corrected. The information in the OP concerning Lucas Arts and Bioware working on an MMORPG together is wrong. The announcement doesn't say anything about the two working on a MMORPG or even an online game together at all. All that is said is that they are working on "a game" together.

Why is the OP refusing to fix this flaw in his post. The misinformation gives me the feeling that this thread isn't reliable for a focal point of information.

Thank you for the responses. I really like the way Turbine is making the game into a story that you play. It isn't good for every MMORPG to do this, but this one is just fine. So Rivendell is where they develop the Fellowship, right?

Also, if people are already lvl 50 and doing these quests before volume 1 is finished, how high will the level cap be?

This game is supposed to span the full length of the trilogy. Where exactly in the trilogy do we end up after book 14?

When will the expansion be released and where in the trilogy will the game be at then?

I am just wandering, because I am waiting for the expansion before I try the game again. It was pretty boring the last time I tried it and mainly because I couldn't find a class I liked and the quests felt familiar, like I've done them for the past 7 years in other games.

The new classes are interesting on paper and they will bring me to try LoTRO again, but I would like to know where the game is in the story. One thing I noticed about when I tried this game a year ago, is that no one wanted to take their time through the Book quests. It's like everyone did them dozens of times already and couldn't be bothered to wait for others to read the quest description. Joining a guild to help wasn't an option, because they were high levels already.

Anyhow, thanks for answering some questions.

Originally posted by jposavatz

For those who answered my question about the world still being instanced, thanks.  Despite what I said (I'd only come back if it was no longer as instanced), all of the other responses have me getting excited again. 

Time to give DDO another shot!  I've just downloaded the trial and before I install it, can I ask a bit about the servers?

Are there certain ones with "better" populations (by "better" I mean - I'm looking for a sizable population so things don't seem like a ghost town, I'm looking for a mature audience insofar as possible, and I'm looking for folks who are intersted in occassional light roleplay)?

Thanks in advance.  Can't wait to give this one another shot. 

I'm not sure how one server compares to another, but I bet they all have equal populations and maturity of community. I am on the Sarlona server, which it and the Thelanis server are both considered the unofficial RPing servers. There aren't a lot of guilds that actually RP though, so your choice will be limited if RP is your thing.

Myself and Valczir above is apart of The Forsworn 'RP' guild. We are a guild who RP's while we adventure and are actually pretty active. I've been in the guild for a month now, and we've raided 3/4 of those weekends I believe. I went on the last raid as a lvl 7 and we succeeded. I'd invite you to the guild I'm in, but the guild officers and leaders require that the prospect understands that we are a RPing guild first and foremost.

I am in that guild, but I spend the majority of my time NOT RPing, because I spend a lot of time in pick up groups (PUG's). While I group with my guild mates, I do RP and it is fun. We go through the dungeons slow enough to be able to RP and do well at the same time. Voice chat is not allowed while in a guild group, which all of us love, since hearing a big booming burly manly voice behind a frail female elf is a bit immersion breaking.

What I'm trying to say is that if you want a good guild and are willing to RP with us, but also appreciate taking a break from RPing and running normal PUG's, you can do what I do and have a great time.

I am Validorn on the Sarlona server.

You've met Valzir already, wich is a guild mate of mine.

Originally posted by jposavatz

First, to the OP, this is a great review.  Thanks!

I also tried DDO "some time ago" (probably over a year I'd say) and I got pretty bored pretty quickly.  For me I think it was the closed-off nature of the world - e.g. one of the things that I love about MMO's is the completely open world where you can walk anywhere and bump into random NPCs, mobs, other players, etc.

It wasn't clear to me (sorry if I missed it) in your post as to whether or not that dynamic has changed.  Is it still a mostly dungeon/instanced world with nothing else to see, or have they made the game more "open" like most MMOs (EQ, WoW, etc.)?

If they have indeed opened the world up, I will absolutely try it out again!

Yes, everything is still instanced. They've added a lot of content that takes place outside the city, but on the same continent, however, those areas are instanced for you or your group only.

I like an open world and such like traditional MMORPGs have, but I have to admit that the way DDO does things saves a lot of time in traveling and you get to quest a lot more with your friends.

Originally posted by Valczir

I don't like the general feel of DDO monks, compared to D&D monks.  In D&D, you were encouraged to use your fists if you had a lot of monk levels, because your fists were way better than any other weapon you could use.  In DDO, you're encouraged to use kamas at high levels, because you can't dual wield your fists.

 

Hey Val, it's me Validorn. I was just writing a short review on the game when I was going to pop on over to this thread and give my impressions of how you do in-game. But your already here, lol!

Guys, Valczir is really modest, so he won't ever tell you how strong his character is. I'm not saying his monk tops the charts or anything, but he kills his share of things and has the added bonus of being versatile and having utility. He has finishers that doesn't require him to equip an elemental weapon, because he has the ki to use them during battle. He also has a new ability that allows him to regen his health to 100% by meditating out of combat.

My overall impression judging by Valc's Monk and many others I have grouped with is that a monk can be a really weak class, just as likely as he can be a strong class. I've seen some just outlast other tanks and really put the dmg on as well. They have great saves, wich honestly helps them a lot. They can get out of situations that other tanks cannot. To top all of this off, they don't have that much HP's. So they are strong, just in their own way and not exactly strong like other classes are strong. They are different and easy to mess up, but also strong and good to have in a group if they know what their doing.

I'd definitely withhold judgement on the class until you are over the hump. Not sure when that hump is, but I know I fealt weak on my Monk at lvl 3. I saw monks performing pretty well around lvl 5, so maybe that's the hump.

First of all, if you already have a good idea of what DDO is from a trial or owning the game, this review will not help you really. For the rest, hopefully it will shed some fresh light on what DDO is to a veteran player.

Setting the Stage

I am a 27 year old marrie