Originally posted by Tyrantas

Originally posted by GreenWidow

Actually it is FAR superior to spellborne.   This game is absolutely fantastic.  It's free.  Everyone should at the very least give it a try.

I am sorry the OP is having problems.  Try reading the forums they explain, in detail, what to do to solve your issue.  Don't give up.  This game is so worth the effort.

It is not just for low end machines either.  The utter lack of good MMO's to play at the moment sent me to DDO.  I am so glad.  The game is wonderful and I have a high end machine.  I have everything kicked up to highest settings and the game looks fantastic.

So much is different about this game, they really got it right.

I really don't think u had played spellborn which is fully free not like ddo. 

There is a reason DDO is not fully free. It is better than and has more depth than any Free TO Play I have ever played.

Originally posted by orlac

Actually you can not get all loot to drop for your race/class combo. That option is for end rewards only. And effects non static end rewards. In many cases you are actually better off turning that option off so you get a better selection of items.

Woah! Where do you set what loot to drop? As you enter a dungeon?

You can not set the loot drops. Under the options in gameplay there is an option to set END REWARDS for your class not race. This just means that if you leave it checked and play a fighter you should not see wands or caster gear in end reward lists for completing quests. This option has NO EFFECT on chest loot in the game.

Originally posted by Aryas

The best thing F2P did for DDO was prompt people to try it.

 

I didn't play the initial release of the game, but from what I hear it was pretty limited in terms of content.

 

Sometime later and the game was bigger, better and rocked... but no-one knew this. Ok, it's totally instanced and for some people this doesn't sit well, but if you don't mind that design element it's basically a damn good game that for a while, hardly anyone was aware of. It literally dropped off the radar, most likely due to a sh*t release. I only discovered this game even existed by chance, and shortly after the F2P move was announced.

 

Soon as F2P dropped, masses of people though "I know what, I'll give this a go. What have I got to lose? I don't even have to buy a box to try it like I did with GuildWars". Now it's got almost a positive feedback mechanism in place; free makes people try it, which makes the game busy, which makes people stay. More and more try it (for free), the game gets busier and busier and it just progresses from there.

 

I'm off the opinion that community is one of the biggest factors in an MMOs success. You normally only get one chance at wowing the crowd. Cock it up and your left with the diehards and less than 100k subs, like WAR and AoC. F2P seems like a way to really breath life into games that just don't seem worth the P2P outlay. An in the case of DDO, the development costs were nodoubt covered years ago so Turbine had nothing to lose going F2P with only a tiny playerbase at the time.

 

I think the switch to F2P could save A LOT of games from the scrap heap.

 

Aryas

I highly doubt the developement costs were covered years ago. DDO while a great game suffered from lack of players from day 1. This F2P move with its increase in VIPs(40% increase) and people using the store might actually one day soon pay for the first 3.5 years that were obviously not going well.

I do not see F2P as the savior of games in trouble. The key to making F2P work is having a revenue stream. In DDOs case an ingame store seems to be working perfectly, not every game has that dynamic. Some would have to go the route of in game advertising, but in these economic times that revenue stream has dried up considerably. This move can work for some, but will not save A LOT of games.

The red cup means it is a pay to play quest and you have not bought it yet.

Originally posted by Redline65

Originally posted by Rokurgepta

Originally posted by Redline65

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

 But be warned, this is not a free game, if you really want to enjoy the best, you'll need to unlock some content by paying (adventures) ,.... this can also be done by a VIP account, which actually makes it a payed game...

You do not have to pay to unlock content. Get a character to 500 favor on each server and you'll earn 1925 Turbine Points. Enough to buy several adventure packs... all without paying a dime. You'll have 500 favor well before all the free content dries up (over 900 favor possible for F2P).
 

 

The only problem with that is by the time you reach 500 favor you will have out grown a couple of the packs I think are must haves in DDO. Sure you can do that and waste half a year and buy some higher end packs, but I would think that kind of grind would burn out and cause a lot of people to stop playing.

Why would you get the low level adventure packs when there's enough free content in the 1-10 range? As a strictly F2P player, you only need adventure packs to get you through that 11-20 range. 500 favor on each server gets you Gianthold, Vale of Twilight, and Devils of Shavarath if you wait until they are 20%-25% off. It really doesn't take that long to get 500 favor either, especially if you know what you're doing. It's a good way to try out 7 different classes too. 
 

Because some of the low level packs have great gear that you can use for a while and then pass down to new characters you may create. A couple of the lower level packs have some of the best content in DDO. Ignoring those I feel is a mistake. DDO is not all about the end game, trust me there aint much there yet.

Originally posted by Redline65

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

 But be warned, this is not a free game, if you really want to enjoy the best, you'll need to unlock some content by paying (adventures) ,.... this can also be done by a VIP account, which actually makes it a payed game...

You do not have to pay to unlock content. Get a character to 500 favor on each server and you'll earn 1925 Turbine Points. Enough to buy several adventure packs... all without paying a dime. You'll have 500 favor well before all the free content dries up (over 900 favor possible for F2P).
 

The only problem with that is by the time you reach 500 favor you will have out grown a couple of the packs I think are must haves in DDO. Sure you can do that and waste half a year and buy some higher end packs, but I would think that kind of grind would burn out and cause a lot of people to stop playing.

Originally posted by mrnukem

After I saw it went F2P here on mmorpg.com I tried it out and have enjoyed it very much. I tend to solo a lot and I love the fact when I enter an instance I can select if I am Solo or how hard I want it to be if I am in a group. Also the option to have all loot drop be for my race/class combo is nice. This game is totally playable without ever paying, and you can earn points over time to spend in the DDO store while playing for free. It takes a long while but for the casual gamer it is nice.

 

After about 3 days of playing I decided to go with the monthly VIP subscription for a bit. I hope to see more games go with this kind of pay system. It would be great to see some of the older games that no longer have the player base they once did go to this type of system as well.

Actually you can not get all loot to drop for your race/class combo. That option is for end rewards only. And effects non static end rewards. In many cases you are actually better off turning that option off so you get a better selection of items.

Originally posted by moorewr

Originally posted by Rokurgepta

Sorry but DDO was not growing since launch. It has grown greatly since the F2P launch, but since 2006 the game steadily got smaller. Turbine did not do enough to make the game ready for the MMO market, the world was plenty ready for a great MMO, DDO was not that game then.
 

 

Between launch and DDOU we received eight major content updates and the level cap went from 10 to 16. That's about half the quests in the game, all the public zones outside town and nearly all the quests outside Stormreach. How is that smaller?

 

Sorry Moore I took growth to mean population since launch not game size. Yes the game itself has continued to grow since launch.

Originally posted by moorewr

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

Combat is fun, and the world feels like a true fantasy world, all this fun makes me wonder why this game failed in the first place. The Dungeon adventures with sproken (GM like) hints tell a story of them selves. I still have no clue what this world expects from me, everyone wants something from me... but its far from Epic...But then this may change soon.

 

It will indeed get epic soon. I have to comment that the game didn't fail - it wasn't the massive hit they were expecting before launch, but it has been growing ever since and always had a loyal core of subscribers. As for the trouble it had at alunch.. everything outside of Stormreach was added after that.. and I think it is as simple as that in 2006 the world wasn't ready for an instanced, group-focused game.

 

 

Sorry but DDO was not growing since launch. It has grown greatly since the F2P launch, but since 2006 the game steadily got smaller. Turbine did not do enough to make the game ready for the MMO market, the world was plenty ready for a great MMO, DDO was not that game then.
 

Originally posted by coffee

Looks like the business model works. gratz

Lets see if WAR and some others take it onboard. WAR has gone part way other offering T1 for free.

Yes it works, Anarchy Online used it years ago and that game is still alive. It will not work for every game but so far DDO looks to be one game it fits well.

Originally posted by SaintViktor

So they are rolling a new server and it just so happens many people are experiencing lag and login issues but yet they are calling it successful. Well I guess when you are in desperate need fo money for your new console mmo  I guess anyone will call anything sucessful despite the glaring issues with the game.

People are having those issues because of population, hence the new server. Nice troll, but you need more research.

Originally posted by Papadam

I was just about to post that! :)

Great news indeed for Turbine and all DDO players that Unlimited is being such a huge succes!

I just wonder: who will roll on this new server? It will probably have a low population, atleast at first.

I thought about it but considering I started over on Cannith when it went F2P I do not see myself restarting again. I already have nothing  lol.

Originally posted by Nadia

Originally posted by Rokurgepta

Edit: The part about it being in the store is wrong. It is currently only available with 1000 favor.
 

Turbine commented that Reincarnation and Vet Status (in store) are not available yet

forums.ddo.com/showthread.php

Do we have any idea whether the delay is best measured in hours, days, weeks, or months?

 

Tolero (turbine):
Some in days some in weeks. Not months and not hours.

 

Take that with a grain of salt.

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

Originally posted by Rokurgepta

Originally posted by Death1942

Its based on the Pen and paper system and i have yet to reach level 10 in that system (been playing for 2 years now, we had roughly 3 campaigns in that time) so 20 is more than enough to keep someone occupied.

 

tbh i like this system far more than having 50+ levels but most people want to feel like they have achieved something every time they play and levels are the easiest way for the developer to reward them.

 

In DDO it is not the levels that keep you occupied. Once you hit 20 lots of content is needed to keep you occupied. WHile you may not have hit 10 in PnP in 2 years, I fail to see how that compares to DDO.

 

The 20 levels in DDO will take some time to reach and they really do not need to add more.

 

Considering DDO is pretty much D&D 3.5 brought to life, the comparison is quite apt. Advancement in D&D PnP is very slow, as is this.

 

Don't get offended. For many folks, the slower progression has many positives.

Except DDO advancement is not very slow. It can be if you choose to make it that way, but you can also level to cap in about 48 hours of in game time.  I do not mind the time it can take if you choose to take your time, I was simply pointing out that comparing PnP time to DDO time is not really a good comparison.

Originally posted by Death1942

Its based on the Pen and paper system and i have yet to reach level 10 in that system (been playing for 2 years now, we had roughly 3 campaigns in that time) so 20 is more than enough to keep someone occupied.

 

tbh i like this system far more than having 50+ levels but most people want to feel like they have achieved something every time they play and levels are the easiest way for the developer to reward them.

In DDO it is not the levels that keep you occupied. Once you hit 20 lots of content is needed to keep you occupied. WHile you may not have hit 10 in PnP in 2 years, I fail to see how that compares to DDO.

The 20 levels in DDO will take some time to reach and they really do not need to add more.

Originally posted by zaylin

Originally posted by Rokurgepta

Originally posted by Nadia

gets patched today

compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Release_Notes_Update_1_Official

 

goto link to read the full notes

but I like this feature of being able to start the game at level 4 with new alts

 

Veteran Status

Do you enjoy making new characters, but tire of running the low-level content over and over again? If so, you'll love Veteran Status! Players will be able to unlock the ability to create veteran characters which enter the game at level four.

* Veteran Status Characters will enter directly to the Marketplace rather than playing through the Korthos experience.
* Players must achieve 1000 favor to receive Veteran Status and speak with the Drow Elder, Nyx Durandimion. Alternatively, in lieu of favor, Veteran Status may be purchased in the DDO Store with a level 4 character.

 

I hear this made it into the release notes but not into the game yet.

 

no its all there

You can create a level 4 char? I am not finding it in the DDO store as an option.

Edit: The part about it being in the store is wrong. It is currently only available with 1000 favor.
 

Originally posted by Nadia

gets patched today

compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Release_Notes_Update_1_Official

 

goto link to read the full notes

but I like this feature of being able to start the game at level 4 with new alts

 

Veteran Status

Do you enjoy making new characters, but tire of running the low-level content over and over again? If so, you'll love Veteran Status! Players will be able to unlock the ability to create veteran characters which enter the game at level four.

* Veteran Status Characters will enter directly to the Marketplace rather than playing through the Korthos experience.
* Players must achieve 1000 favor to receive Veteran Status and speak with the Drow Elder, Nyx Durandimion. Alternatively, in lieu of favor, Veteran Status may be purchased in the DDO Store with a level 4 character.

I hear this made it into the release notes but not into the game yet.

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

actually the game has 100 levels....

every level has 5 ranks, and at every rank you get some minor abbility....  At the main levels you get major things. so all in all there are 100 ranks.

 

 

 

The game has 20 levels, as far as grouping is concerned. Which is really the point I was trying to make. The game's design, intended or not, has allowed them a deeper pool of folk whom a player can group with.

 

What's more, you're not necessarily constrained by the Tank/DPS/Healer dynamic, either, I've found. It's far more tactical.

It is based of of PnP D&D and the 20 level system they use.
 

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

actually the game has 100 levels....

every level has 5 ranks, and at every rank you get some minor abbility....  At the main levels you get major things. so all in all there are 100 ranks.

 

 

No you do not. AT every rank you get an action point and the first few levels most of those can get you something, but after the first few levels you have to start saving them as you have enhancements that will cost you 6 APs that takes a level and a half to improve one enhancement. Not to say they are not worth the invesment, but anyone saying you get minor abilities at every rank is simply wrong, or too low level to see the action point costs that they will incur at even mid levels.

DDO has 20 levels. It does not have 100 levels. I would never compare ranks to levels in other games as the usefulness of individual ranks starts to change by level 6 or so.

Originally posted by PhelimReagh

Unlike other popular MMOs where you level up to 60, 80 or 100, D&D only allows you 20 levels.

 

Only 20 levels? Well that must severely limit gameplay!

 

But it doesn't. Players get new abilities ("Feats") at little sub-levels along the way as you progress from one level to the next. So while you're not technically "leveling up" and getting more HP & Mana, you're getting some benefits as you play.

 

One huge, unexpected boon for having only 20 levels is the massive number of players with whom you can group for adventures.

 

Going up a level takes many, many hours. In the time it took me to get to level 3 in one of the faster leveling classes (Cleric), I probably would have been 15-20, if not higher, in another MMO. So while in that other MMO I would have a small number of players to group with, in DDO I can realistically run dungeons with players level 2-4. And there are massive amounts of players at those levels who are interested in running the same content as I am. It's the equivalent of being able to group with players from level 5 to 20 in another MMO, and the content we're running is desirable for all of us.

 

This is a pretty great feature I hadn't expected. I thought only 20 levels meant a limited experience. The reality, however, is quite different. It means a much larger pool of people to play with as you work your way through dungeons.

You get to use actions points on enhancements between levels not feats. Feats are what you pick at certain level ups. As you get higher in levels those enhancements cost mose, so while at lower levels they feel like mini level ups that stops once those enhancements cost 3 APs as now you will go nearly an entire level, and some cost more than that, before you can pick a new enhancement.
 

Takes many many hours to level? Maybe past 16 you could say that, but the first 8 levels in DDO really do not take much time. I am sure for new players it takes more but DDO does not take that long to get past the lower levels.