No way! Without club penguim,one of the greatest mmo of all time?

i call shenanigans

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

Originally posted by HannahMontan

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

Ummm... if DDO isn't ftp, no game is ftp.  And no, you don't have to pay to advance.  You can get the necessary tokens to advance through quests; you don't have to buy them.

I guess this really does qualify as the best of the worst category.

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

Originally posted by godommorpg

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

I'm not sure if you got the memo but DDO became free to play last year.

Originally posted by godommorpg

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

How is the game not f2p? I have been playing a while now (admittedly only little per week) and i have yet to spend a dime.

Originally posted by Robsolf

Originally posted by HannahMontan

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

 

Ummm... if DDO isn't ftp, no game is ftp.  And no, you don't have to pay to advance.  You can get the necessary tokens to advance through quests; you don't have to buy them.

no f2p game is absolutely free, otherwise they would make no money and would not last long. All f2p mmo's have some kind of pay to play scheme, whether its an item shop, or whether you buy the software up front and then pay no monthly fees(guild wars). DDO is a combination of a f2p option with some content restrictions that can either be overcome by purchasing content, or paying monthly, or if you have the time earning turbine points through completing content by gaining favor(you get 25 Turbine points per 100 favor, yes its a grind but its a free grind)

Originally posted by godommorpg

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

No, just the ones who don't know the game is free. At least the U.S. version. If you play through Codemasters in the EU, sucks to be you, don't it?

it's pretty easy to smash the competition when the others did not have a AAA budget on release and X years (can't remember when DDO came out) to develope the game.

Are we able to hear who came 2nd?

I wonder why Runes of Magic wasn't on the list.  Anyone know?

You don't think it's a bit odd the best free to play game wasn't designed to be free to play? What does that say about the ones that were?

As much as it is F2P, I'm not arguing that since it's subscription feature has been changed, and now it's free, I'm just wondering how it's actually top of the list. I've played this game, and I don't see what would put it at the very top. I was thinking maybe Atlantica, but maybe MMO wanted to be edgy.

Originally posted by Samhael

I wonder why Runes of Magic wasn't on the list.  Anyone know?

Prolly becuase of thier crappy customer support. They are a very bad company. and besides, I played the game and it wasnt that good. I quitafter a few plays.

Originally posted by Samhael

I wonder why Runes of Magic wasn't on the list.  Anyone know?

While RoM did have a few nice things about it, mainly the dual class system, when you get down to it its really nothing mor ethan another WoW-clone, of which way too many exist. Not very unique in any way, where all the games listed had fairly unique overall gameplay and werent just clones of eachother or other game sthat have been around for years.

On another note.... ok so great DDO is the best F2P of 2009.... but it wasnt a 2009 game, its been around for a few years, along with some of those other games. Id really like to see who the title of Best NEW F2P in 2009 would go to, or simply reevaluate this one. Some of the others are right, it was not originally designed or launched as a F2P, whereas all of the others were always F2P, and with it being launched a few years ago, i wouldnt even really want it considered as the "best of 2009".

I'm starting to love this, so many people pissed about what games get picked. What did you expect, it's the only F2p that has P2p production values?

Originally posted by Malickie

I'm starting to love this, so many people pissed about what games get picked. What did you expect, it's the only F2p that has P2p production values?

That would be because it was P2P for a couple years, then they converted to F2P. Thats like Blizzard converting WoW to a F2P model with cash shop and then reviewing it as the best F2P game of the year, when its been around as an established P2P for years. Its kind of a slap in the face to true F2P games. I dont really have a problem with the fact that DDO gets high ratings as an F2P (i play it myself, and it is a great game), just saying would have been nice for them to stick to truly F2P games which were designed and launched as an F2P model, and actually launched in 2009.

Originally posted by kaiser3282

Originally posted by Malickie

I'm starting to love this, so many people pissed about what games get picked. What did you expect, it's the only F2p that has P2p production values?

 

That would be because it was P2P for a couple years, then they converted to F2P. Thats like Blizzard converting WoW to a F2P model with cash shop and then reviewing it as the best F2P game of the year, when its been around as an established P2P for years. Its kind of a slap in the face to true F2P games. I dont really have a problem with the fact that DDO gets high ratings as an F2P (i play it myself, and it is a great game), just saying would have been nice for them to stick to truly F2P games which were designed and launched as an F2P model, and actually launched in 2009.

Just wait and see new AAA-class MMO games coming as Free to Play from the start. Very soon.

Besides, I'm sure Turbine would be able to outdo what DDO is now if they started it as a new project with this F2P system. They're getting pretty rich, they're expanding both in staff and technology, and they're creating new MMO now for some "big IP" (possibly AAA-class F2P from the start).

So yes, other F2P games were done to be "cheap MMOs" and they've stayed with that, so they aren't the winners : ). New wave of P2P-class F2P MMO games is certainly around the corner. DDO proved it works and pays off if it's done wisely, so it's just a matter of time now.

While DDO is OK as the winner in this rather useless "Best of the Worst" category, it escapes me how only one single F2P MMO could have been nominated for the "Best New MMO of 2009" category but at the same time NOT for the "Best New F2P MMO of 2009" category. Did I miss something?

Well, it's not a Best "NEW" anything. It's just Best F2P of 2009.  DDO actually came out in early 2006 so it's by no means new.  (that said, it would have still been my choice for Best F2P of the ones I've played thus far)

Originally posted by Phall

While DDO is OK as the winner in this rather useless "Best of the Worst" category, it escapes me how only one single F2P MMO could have been nominated for the "Best New MMO of 2009" category but at the same time NOT for the "Best New F2P MMO of 2009" category. Did I miss something?

There is nothing "worse" in F2P. I've left WoW, LotrO, WAR and AoC for DDO - or rather, as a former WoWer I find DDO much better game in many aspects than those titles. There's only a matter of taste. DDO isn't worse or better - but I prefer it to those P2P games.

Obviously, "best of the worst" category ceased to exist when D&D Online went free to play.

DDO is free to play?? Not for us in Europe.

And why RoM is not on the list? I think a big factor in choosing the games are the graphics besides of the gameplay. At least all of the listed games have 1 of the best graphics compared to other games in their genres. And also mostly unique. But RoM graphics are neither unique nor beautifull in any meanings. The chars are looking as if they were made of modeling clay. Simply its not on an up to date standard of 2009. In best case its a 2006 standard graphic.

Originally posted by Phall

While DDO is OK as the winner in this rather useless "Best of the Worst" category, it escapes me how only one single F2P MMO could have been nominated for the "Best New MMO of 2009" category but at the same time NOT for the "Best New F2P MMO of 2009" category. Did I miss something?

Slight clarification, its best F2P of 09 not best new F2P.

I totally disagree making DDO Ulimited BEST F2P in the end you still have to pay for dungeons that you need to level with and get items from, plus when playing recently the game is still crap since day one.. All the rules DnD stood for were crushed by this game, I suggest you find another F2P that was 100% F2P in the first Place not DDO Unlimited..

This game went f2p because it is horrible and noone was going to pay the monthly fee. So they add microtransactions and now it because Best f2p of 2009 ? It just goes to show people will play anything without a monthly fee.

Originally posted by minix2poo

DDO is free to play?? Not for us in Europe.

And why RoM is not on the list? I think a big factor in choosing the games are the graphics besides of the gameplay. At least all of the listed games have 1 of the best graphics compared to other games in their genres. And also mostly unique. But RoM graphics are neither unique nor beautifull in any meanings. The chars are looking as if they were made of modeling clay. Simply its not on an up to date standard of 2009. In best case its a 2006 standard graphic.

Ok, I post here too often, going to stop now... Only one thing: I'm from Europe, and I not only play Turbine's Free to Play DDO, but I run big, Polish D&D Online Portal : ). Please don't make a false impression that Europeans cannot play F2P DDO.

Originally posted by Sarr

Originally posted by minix2poo

DDO is free to play?? Not for us in Europe.

And why RoM is not on the list? I think a big factor in choosing the games are the graphics besides of the gameplay. At least all of the listed games have 1 of the best graphics compared to other games in their genres. And also mostly unique. But RoM graphics are neither unique nor beautifull in any meanings. The chars are looking as if they were made of modeling clay. Simply its not on an up to date standard of 2009. In best case its a 2006 standard graphic.

 

Ok, I post here too often, going to stop now... Only one thing: I'm from Europe, and I not only play Turbine's Free to Play DDO, but I run big, Polish D&D Online Portal : ). Please don't make a false impression that Europeans cannot play F2P DDO.

To be honest, I dont care what kinda portal you run. But if you dont mind you can tell me how to play it free... I registered my self a while ago, played the 14day trial (okok I played only 10min of that 14days and never played again.) but now cant log on anymore.

But honestly, who needs DDO if he can afford the monthly fee for a P2P game.

First of all DDO is NOT F2P, only a portion of it is, most of it you have to subscribe to or purchase modules for certain content,  that is in no way F2P.

some F2P games i enjoyed:

Luna

Bright Shadow

Runes Of Magic

Cloud 9

Originally posted by HannahMontan

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

For your persistence in dungeon delving and earning favor...you earn Turbine points that can be spent in the DDO store where you can buy those sigals for level advancement and P2P adventures. It is free you just need to be persistent and patient if you don't want to spend cash...all the Turbine points you earn with characters you create, even the ones on other servers, stack on your single account. It is possible to get level 20 and do all the adventures without spending a single penny. What other F2P game gives you that. This in my opinion is the best F2P game out there.

Credible sites are giving this award to Runes of Magic.

I half expected MMORPG to give the p2p award to Aion (lawl), but DDO over RoM? Really?

Quite funny this "DDO isn't F2P, Runes of Magic or *insert random F2P here* is truly F2P!".

Anyway it's quite ironical how a stagnant game maybe even on life support managed to become the best in a new category as soon as it changed from P2P to F2P. Just shows the quality in that category.

LOL almost 85% of the content is locked unless you buy it or go VIP. hontestly this is why i quit,because it is NOT a true F2P mmo imo. A true f2p mmo has 75% of the content already unlocked at least if not all to be f2p...just goes to show that Video games are going the way of hollywood movies HA!.

 cus it was nominated for best mmo of 2009 already 

 Whilst we are on the P2P to F2P "best game" category I am interested that Spellborn has missed a mention.

It is an exceptionally innovative title, great fun and suits the causal nature of a F2P game ( no $ verse max-grind to achieve stuff). It is based on skill. Although I think that this is why people don't get it, it requires a lot of reactive playing not sequecial number button hitting whilst standing still.

Originally posted by zaylin

LOL almost 85% of the content is locked unless you buy it or go VIP. hontestly this is why i quit,because it is NOT a true F2P mmo imo. A true f2p mmo has 75% of the content already unlocked at least if not all to be f2p...just goes to show that Video games are going the way of hollywood movies HA!.

Ah, do you people know a thing about Free to Play MMOs? Do you really think there are MMO games which are 100% free?

No, there's none. And there won't be any. But "Free to Play" is an accurate term - it means just that: you are able to play for free. Get used to it, it's not like developers depend on charity or donations for their hard, daily and past-time work.

And when it comes to being "free", DDO does it best - it's actually the only F2P MMO in which playing 100% for free is possible at all. On our portal we're even organizing events which help people earn Turbine Points for free on, all servers.

Originally posted by Sarr

Ah, do you people know a thing about Free to Play MMOs? Do you really think there are MMO games which are 100% free?

No, there's none. And there won't be any. But "Free to Play" is an accurate term - it means just that: you are able to play for free. Get used to it, it's not like developers depend on charity or donations for their hard, daily and past-time work.

And when it comes to being "free", DDO does it best - it's actually the only F2P MMO in which playing 100% for free is possible at all. On our portal we're even organizing events which help people earn Turbine Points for free on, all servers.

You make a point these carping critics should take to heart - no commercial undertaking is truly entirely free. They've got to sell you gPotatoes, or expansion packs, or gear, or ads, or something.

Borror0 suggested the term "Freemium" - used in other similar settings - to describe DDO and other free-to-play-some-of games.  That said, DDO is free in a sense that Warhammer and Champions On-Line are not.. you CAN earn enough store points and loot enough level sigils to play the entire game for free - it is mathematically possible, and there is no free player level cap.  

I'm thrilled to see MMORPG acknowledge the quality of the game and leap Turbine has taken in turning it into a free/premium/subscriber game. This is the model the rest of the MMO industry will have to follow eventually to survive. It sure is nice that our hidden gem of a game was first out the gate, and that the change has gotten it the players it deserved.

Those of you dismissing it in this forum need to come try it for a few weeks. You have nothing to lose and you might have a lot of fun.. so long as you don't insist on yet another WOW clone.

RoM is a great game and has much of what any p2p game would have but the fact is DDO was designed as a p2p once it went f2p its features and quality easily trump anything on the market. Though  I did find it funny RoM wasn't on the list.

I have to say that DDO is a terrible game... the combat is "ugh", and the game is even more instanced than guild wars! lol yea I played this game for about a week before I couldnt get myself to log in to it... I would have definitely gone Atlantica Online or RoM for best F2P.

Too crappy to make it worth paying a subscription, but  for free you can't beat the price!!  It's worth twice that much, easy.

Congrats DDO on failing upwards.

Why not nominate the other games which have "unlimited trials" as F2P? Because at the end of the day DDO has a very similar model.

Anyone who has ever seriously played DDO knows that the amount of Turbine Points earned while playing is minis cal, making it nearly impossible to purchase adventure packs to continue to advance. Is it possible? Yes, but after your done I couldn't imagine your mental state.

Here is a link that explains it:
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=2396345#post2396345

Is it F2P? I think so but there are lots of F2P models out there. I consider my EVE account more F2P then my DDO.

Should they have won this award? I don't play enough F2P to judge but Turbine needs some credit. They took a dieing AAA MMO title and using their spin on F2P seem to be increasing their market share. Of course this is all speculation and personal observation. So gratz to Trubine!

I don't really mind D&DO winning but as someone else mentionned, why did Runes Of Magic get nominated for "Best New Game of 2009" and not in "Best F2P MMO of 2009" puzzle me. And by that I mean that Runes Of Magic is strong enough to rival many P2P MMOs enough to be considered amongst "The Best New Game of 2009" but doesn't make the cut for F2P titles?

I don't know what's happening anymore....I'm confused...

I deleted DnD after the first day.

It was one the most disappointing games i ever tired.Not that it is the wost game,but carrying a title of such grandeur ,warrants a triple AAA release of the product.I was totally turned off by how cheap the game is,it looks like some indie console developer made it.

Oh well i know there is millions of people out there playing ANYTHING and everything,so trying to make sense of what goes on in the gaming world is useless.

How the Hell is DDO free to play ? Free to try and get interested maybe, but to enjoy it totally you must pay.

Two Free 2 Play game that kill your list are

Perfect World

Runes of Magic

Both murder your list and are totally free to play Forever....

Trialling Allods Online at the moment in Beta and from what i've seen its better than all F2P games i've tried as of yet.

Originally posted by godommorpg

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

Yes, show us your intelligence. Oh wait, you just did.

Originally posted by MadnessRealm

I don't really mind D&DO winning but as someone else mentionned, why did Runes Of Magic get nominated for "Best New Game of 2009" and not in "Best F2P MMO of 2009" puzzle me. And by that I mean that Runes Of Magic is strong enough to rival many P2P MMOs enough to be considered amongst "The Best New Game of 2009" but doesn't make the cut for F2P titles?

I don't know what's happening anymore....I'm confused...

I agree and approve of this message.

 DDO should not be apart of this because for quite some years it was P2P, which may or may not have given them an edge over games who have used the F2P model since they were developed.  

Originally posted by godommorpg

yeah mmorpg, keep burning ur reputation doing notices like this....how can a not free to play game can be called as free ? and worse how can it be the BEST F2P, lol  u sold guys must thing all the gamers are idiot... keep going.

Please list a F2P MMO that doesn't get money out of those wishing to experience the game with all it has to offer without having to part with money at cash shop for the  game? They all have business model that make players part with money in order to experience something bigger and better that the game has to offer. Do you think all F2P MMO's are run by little elves at the north pole for free? They have running costs which are met by its core player base paying money for better perks,so of course DnD is entitled to be listed as a F2P MMO!

DDO was a P2P MMO which now uses a hybrid P2P/F2P revenue model, no way is it a F2P MMO. Are the staff at MMORPG.com actually thinking this through? We don’t need a Crappie F2P MMO award anyway, they are rubbish, please stop trying to sell them to us.

Grats turbine

DDO is not only completely free to play , but also probably among  best MMOs all around.

Originally posted by SaintViktor

This game went f2p because it is horrible and noone was going to pay the monthly fee. So they add microtransactions and now it because Best f2p of 2009 ? It just goes to show people will play anything without a monthly fee.

Mate...mate...

It was never horrible. Actually it was always quite good. But it was DIFFERENT

MMO that is 100% based around instances and plays like PS3 Demon Souls - thats highly unusual.

Subscription system was just wrong for that game from ground up.

They changed it and now this game is AWESOME

 Stop the scam of calling any of these games "free to play" and use the correct honest term

MICROTRANSACTION

Anyone who really thinks these games are ment to be "free" needs to realize no business would EVER make a game with no ability to generate PROFIT.

Wake up people, nothing in the business world is free.

Originally posted by Sarr

Originally posted by zaylin

LOL almost 85% of the content is locked unless you buy it or go VIP. hontestly this is why i quit,because it is NOT a true F2P mmo imo. A true f2p mmo has 75% of the content already unlocked at least if not all to be f2p...just goes to show that Video games are going the way of hollywood movies HA!.

 

Ah, do you people know a thing about Free to Play MMOs? Do you really think there are MMO games which are 100% free?

No, there's none. And there won't be any. But "Free to Play" is an accurate term - it means just that: you are able to play for free. Get used to it, it's not like developers depend on charity or donations for their hard, daily and past-time work.

And when it comes to being "free", DDO does it best - it's actually the only F2P MMO in which playing 100% for free is possible at all. On our portal we're even organizing events which help people earn Turbine Points for free on, all servers.

Honestly I think Runes of Magic does it better. At least Most of the GAME world is unlocked. Dont get me wrong I enjoyed DDO very much but hit a bump in the road about lvl 11ish or so where it was just not my Flavor of ice cream anymore. And I do understand that even F2P games need to make there profit some where.

Not only is DDO by far the best F2P MMO but its easily in the top 5 of best MMOs overall.

Grats Turbine, its nice to see that a MMO with some challenge can be sucesfull aswell ;)

Originally posted by Evile

 Stop the scam of calling any of these games "free to play" and use the correct honest term

MICROTRANSACTION

Anyone who really thinks these games are ment to be "free" needs to realize no business would EVER make a game with no ability to generate PROFIT.

Wake up people, nothing in the business world is free.

Wrong.

By "free" they mean first you do not have to purchase the product.  its free to download.

Second it doesnt have a mandatory subscription.

In fact, DDO is one of the few mmo's that is truly free.  most f2p restrict access to items and the only way to get them is to make a real money transaction.

With DDO you can earn the tokens in game or buy them with real money. 

As to the quality of the game...  yea, its true DDO is an MMO which had the development of a regular MMO, so its hard to deny it should win this.   But it doesnt detract from the truth, it IS the best.

Very few F2P games have dx10 graphics and in-game voice support.... jesus, most Paid MMO's dont have dx10 and ingame voice..  and thats just for starters.

Originally posted by Papadam

Not only is DDO by far the best F2P MMO but its easily in the top 5 of best MMOs overall.

Grats Turbine, its nice to see that a MMO with some challenge can be sucesfull aswell ;)

Exactly : ). But this game is just too hard for many people, who are used to Blizzard's spoon feeding. So they leave it and return to their simple MMOs. Yup, there's no carebears and no spoon feeding in DDO! You're on your own, beware!

I guess that's the reason it has user rating of 8.1 now, 0.1 more than its MMORPG rating here. Those who aren't able / are too lazy to learn DDO generally don't even trouble themselves with writing an honest review...

Originally posted by sadeyx

By "free" they mean first you do not have to purchase the product.  its free to download.

Second it doesnt have a mandatory subscription. 

Agreed, this is all F2P means. You can get the game for free and it's free of a monthly sub fee. That's it. Of course all F2P games are not really free, and have microtransactions. DDO is a fantastic game, grats to Turbine.
 

Shouldn't this be the

"Biggest P2P MMO fail to go F2P as a last ditch effort to stay afloat award"

It all fairness DDO had money coming in for a while before it went free to play. other free to play games don't have that luxury. I know DDO wasn't making money hand over fist but between the cost of the game and the few years of subs, I'm sure that paid for the cost to make the game. that left a professionally developed game to be ported to the F2P system.

It would be like a Olympic Athlete winning all the games at a family picnic, sure he PWN'ed the family but he paid for the training.

This award should go to a game make from scratch to be a F2P game. DDO is a great F2P, but if other games that were P2P the past went F2P, how would DDO stack up?

Originally posted by Robsolf

Originally posted by HannahMontan

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

 

Ummm... if DDO isn't ftp, no game is ftp.  And no, you don't have to pay to advance.  You can get the necessary tokens to advance through quests; you don't have to buy them.

I've met level 20 characters that have not spent one cent. Personally, I like a lot of the items in the cash shop, and some of them are a fair price(yes, some a are ridiculous and no one buys them).

If you did want to buy the AP's its actually cheaper to buy the APs, than to subscribe for a year. DDO, actually hoses its VIP members. I'm about to drop my VIP status, because the cash shop is cheaper in the long run.

This game is absolutely f2p 100%, and they don't make you pay to continue playing.

Originally posted by zymurgeist

You don't think it's a bit odd the best free to play game wasn't designed to be free to play? What does that say about the ones that were?

Well, I think its bad form to take a P2P game that tanked to the point they felt the need to make it free to play and call it the Best F2P MMO of 2009.

I feel the award should have gone to games designed to be F2P from the start, but hey, its not my site.

I think the protests in this thread are entirely unwarranted.  DDO is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the f2p field because it was designed as a p2p and has decent content unlike it's other f2p competitors.

Awarding DDO as the best f2p was clearly the right thing to do.  How anyone can dispute this is unclear to me.

While I think it's unfair to judge DDO against designed from the ground up F2p games, I do think Turbine did a great job in switching it over and deserves some credit for that.  Is it the best F2p 2009 game?  Well from the others I've played it is and yes that has a lot to do with it starting out as a P2p game. 

And it wasn't dieing because it was a horrible game, it was dieing because of the limited new content being put into it.  You can only run the same dungeons over and over and over again so many times.  As a P2p game I found the money worth factor to be lacking for just that reason, also it's not a game you play every single day as most are.  It really did / does follow in the same line as the P&P game in that you get together once a week and play, then put it away until next week.  Was that worth the $15.00 a month being played like that?  No.

But as a F2p game it is and has really come into it's own.

And for all that keep trying to say it's not really free - there's a thread either here or most likely on the O-boards that lists out exactly how you can gain favor, unlock higher levels and quest areas and NEVER pay a cent.  Yes you can pay money to play, but you don't have to.  Play fast and spend $$ or play slow and do it free, it's your choice, but you don't HAVE to spend money if you don't want to.  Stop thinking you have to power game to max level in a week to enjoy the game, try sitting back and enjoying the ride once in awhile.

Gotta love the open mind, people.  Play the game before you hate.  Be prepared, you actually have to THINK everything through, from character creation to actual playing,  rather go collect ten boar tails.  Several ex-WoW players told me that.  You reallly shouldn't judge an MMO unless you play it more than 30 days.

Best F2P MMO needs a category?  Look, it's the shiniest turd of the bunch, let's give it an award.

Best F2P? My buddy just quit because he found out he had to buy certain areas to even be able to quest in them. How is that F2P? lol

Personally, I'll take Guild Wars anyday over a MMO made by Turbine...

Originally posted by Doctorwhofan

Gotta love the open mind, people.  Play the game before you hate.  Be prepared, you actually have to THINK everything through, from character creation to actual playing,  rather go collect ten boar tails.  Several ex-WoW players told me that.  You reallly shouldn't judge an MMO unless you play it more than 30 days.

Amen to that btw what do you think of the 11th doctor?

Originally posted by Ethian

Best F2P? My buddy just quit because he found out he had to buy certain areas to even be able to quest in them. How is that F2P? lol

 

Personally, I'll take Guild Wars anyday over a MMO made by Turbine...

hehe "hater of haters" ;)

Funny how you and your friend fail to understand what F2P mean.

Congratulations to the staff of Dungeons & Dragons Online and the runner up, Wizard101.    From all of the games being played, you made the list because you advertise F2P. 

Overshadowing the achievement of Best F2P MMO is the buzz on gaming sites and blogs ... an angry buzz ... about the label F2P.  In truth, to play the games to their full extent, it is limited F2P ... or more accurately ... it is P2A ... pay to advance.    

I hope that these two companies become leaders in changing the way F2P games are advertised and managed, especially when children are involved.  Put yourself in the heart/mind of a child who watches other players zip by on their broom or see that just because the other players have money to buy accessories/clothing they are able to win a battle, with ease.    I understand that a company needs to recoup the money spent during development and current expenses ... that is a given factor.  At least allow F2P players to choose to be on separate servers than the players who pay to advance in the game.  

A year ago, I would not have believed that this is as enthusiastic as I can get regarding these games.  

Originally posted by Papadam

Originally posted by Ethian

Best F2P? My buddy just quit because he found out he had to buy certain areas to even be able to quest in them. How is that F2P? lol

 

Personally, I'll take Guild Wars anyday over a MMO made by Turbine...

 

hehe "hater of haters" ;)

Funny how you and your friend fail to understand what F2P mean.

True, GW is B2P and is not in the competition. Both games are actually good, I like them both but we are discussing F2P games here.
 

Originally posted by Ethian

Best F2P? My buddy just quit because he found out he had to buy certain areas to even be able to quest in them. How is that F2P? lol

 

Personally, I'll take Guild Wars anyday over a MMO made by Turbine...

Its pretty simple, you dont HAVE to pay for anything. Yes, you need to spend points to buy some of the content, but you can earn those points by playing through the already free content and earning favor through things like completing quests. So while it may be faster to buy the stuff, you are not required to spend real cash at any point. Just spend some time earning favor and you can unlock every level, quest, zone, race, class, etc. And sure it may take a fairly long time to earn enough favor to unlock it all, but its still free in the end. Its a matter of choice for most, time spent earning favor vs a few extra $. Personally, i will probably be spending a bit on some of the stuff, while also building up free points through favor and get it all with only a small amount of $ invested in the game.

Anyway, been thinking about it, and as i said earlier, its a bit unfair to give a F2P award to an originally P2P game, but a lot of you make good points. It is F2P now, and stands out as one of the best ones around, not only because of the game itself, but also because of the design of Turbines F2P system. I suppose that system alone would bump any game (even if it wasnt as well done as DDO) closer to the top of the list as best F2P. Though in a way RoM did have a somewhat similar method, in which you could earn Diamonds (cash shop currency) by selling in game items in the regular Auction Houses for Diamonds, and get all the CS stuff without spending a cent. Rohan also had their  Exchange system, where you could post in game items, characters, etc for sale on their Exchange Market for cash shop credits. But the main thing that seperates DDO from those, is that in DDO you earn points by simply playing the game as usual, without having to farm for some elite items that people are willing to pay $ for. Though it would probably be nice to see a similar auction/exchange system like RoM or Rohan added in as well to allow you to not only earn points through questing, but also by selling your rare drops and stuff.

So the f2p mmo seems to deserve a seperate category, else those games would go unnoticed in the award winning on this site, while this site is making money off the advertising of those games. I do not buy the rationalisation for introducing this category. There is nothing new about the f2p business model and it has not yet produced more than a couple noteworthy games, but no award winning material at all.

Originally posted by Frostbite05

Originally posted by Doctorwhofan

Gotta love the open mind, people.  Play the game before you hate.  Be prepared, you actually have to THINK everything through, from character creation to actual playing,  rather go collect ten boar tails.  Several ex-WoW players told me that.  You reallly shouldn't judge an MMO unless you play it more than 30 days.

 

Amen to that btw what do you think of the 11th doctor?

WHY DAVID WHY!!!  A stupid Danish Prince over a Timelord!?!?!

Does anyone here think the reviewers who write the articles play the MMO for 30+ days? Richard Aihoshi has said he only has the time to review a F2P game up to ~ Level 15. If the reviewers only look at a game for a couple of days and can write a review I think we are entitled to at least form an opinion.

Oh and for our would be Doctor’s assistant, Hamlet is Shakespeare, Tennet obviously thinks the luvies need to take him seriously now. :)

MMORPG is loosing all credibility with me now. First they choose Aion as best new game and now this. I guess the publisher with the deepest pockets gets points on this site and not really the game.

Originally posted by Netbrat

MMORPG is loosing all credibility with me now. First they choose Aion as best new game and now this. I guess the publisher with the deepest pockets gets points on this site and not really the game.

You don't know even know new D&D Online, don't you? Just look at user rating of the game, and then think again ; ).

User rating is totally independent of mmorpg.com.

www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/163/view/ratings

Originally posted by Sarr

Originally posted by zaylin

LOL almost 85% of the content is locked unless you buy it or go VIP. hontestly this is why i quit,because it is NOT a true F2P mmo imo. A true f2p mmo has 75% of the content already unlocked at least if not all to be f2p...just goes to show that Video games are going the way of hollywood movies HA!.

 

Ah, do you people know a thing about Free to Play MMOs? Do you really think there are MMO games which are 100% free?

No, there's none. And there won't be any. But "Free to Play" is an accurate term - it means just that: you are able to play for free. Get used to it, it's not like developers depend on charity or donations for their hard, daily and past-time work.

And when it comes to being "free", DDO does it best - it's actually the only F2P MMO in which playing 100% for free is possible at all. On our portal we're even organizing events which help people earn Turbine Points for free on, all servers.

  lolz... first, in a true f2p model game  u can go anywhere even if u cant kill anything there... u just buy better boost or something like that on the cash shops, u dont play like using a dog collar that dont let u go to through the whole game. in DnD u CAN' T go anywhere, u are restricted by cash itens... simple, so thats not a true F2P and thats the point.

yknow, saying something is the best F2P game is kinda like comaring piles of dog crap and trying to figure out which is best.

Originally posted by Doctorwhofan

Originally posted by Frostbite05

Originally posted by Doctorwhofan

Gotta love the open mind, people.  Play the game before you hate.  Be prepared, you actually have to THINK everything through, from character creation to actual playing,  rather go collect ten boar tails.  Several ex-WoW players told me that.  You reallly shouldn't judge an MMO unless you play it more than 30 days.

 

Amen to that btw what do you think of the 11th doctor?

WHY DAVID WHY!!!  A stupid Danish Prince over a Timelord!?!?!

LOL!  I'm with ya, but after Christopher Eccleston, I thought the "kid" would crash and burn, and he did GREAT.  So I'm gonna shut up about the Doctor.

It’s a side effect of Time Lord rejuvenation that they keep getting younger, the new guy is the 11th Doctor. Doctor number 12 will look about twelve years old too. :)

Originally posted by Scot

It’s a side effect of Time Lord rejuvenation that they keep getting younger, the new guy is the 11th Doctor. Doctor number 12 will look about twelve years old too. :)

Derailing a thread about gaming purely based on your forum name---PRICELESS!   ;P

Originally posted by Scot

Does anyone here think the reviewers who write the articles play the MMO for 30+ days? Richard Aihoshi has said he only has the time to review a F2P game up to ~ Level 15. If the reviewers only look at a game for a couple of days and can write a review I think we are entitled to at least form an opinion.

By chance have you even played the game?

Level cap is 20 so if he got up to level 15 he put some work into it since only completed quests give XP.  Trash all the monsters you want and it don't count for squat, only thing that does is finishing the quest.

If it will help you visual it better, each level has 4 sub-levels so a lvl 20 cap = lvl 80.  Level 15 would mean he made it up to around lvl 60.

I have gathered a bunch of adventurers and downloaded the game last week (and did the tutorial), tomorrow will we start our first adventure here.

We figured that this is the game that works best if you play it with your friends, from the little I seen does it look better than I thought, it even have dx10 support.

I hope this game will be a good game to run 1 or 2 days a week with a large party, something closer to pnp RPG games.

Originally posted by godommorpg

Originally posted by Sarr

Originally posted by zaylin

LOL almost 85% of the content is locked unless you buy it or go VIP. hontestly this is why i quit,because it is NOT a true F2P mmo imo. A true f2p mmo has 75% of the content already unlocked at least if not all to be f2p...just goes to show that Video games are going the way of hollywood movies HA!.

 

Ah, do you people know a thing about Free to Play MMOs? Do you really think there are MMO games which are 100% free?

No, there's none. And there won't be any. But "Free to Play" is an accurate term - it means just that: you are able to play for free. Get used to it, it's not like developers depend on charity or donations for their hard, daily and past-time work.

And when it comes to being "free", DDO does it best - it's actually the only F2P MMO in which playing 100% for free is possible at all. On our portal we're even organizing events which help people earn Turbine Points for free on, all servers.

  lolz... first, in a true f2p model game  u can go anywhere even if u cant kill anything there... u just buy better boost or something like that on the cash shops, u dont play like using a dog collar that dont let u go to through the whole game. in DnD u CAN' T go anywhere, u are restricted by cash itens... simple, so thats not a true F2P and thats the point.

You're not restricted by cash. You can earn turbine points ingame and buy the adventure packs, the other classes, etc. no cash needed. Does it take longer than just plunking down the cash? Sure does. Just like it takes longer to get anywhere without buying leveling items from cash shops in other f2p games.
 

So your "point" is wrong. I sense a false "god".

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I think the protests in this thread are entirely unwarranted.  DDO is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the f2p field because it was designed as a p2p and has decent content unlike it's other f2p competitors.

Awarding DDO as the best f2p was clearly the right thing to do.  How anyone can dispute this is unclear to me.

People have a difference of opinion.  Personally I think DDO is trash even as a F2P game.  I enjoy Jade Dynasty, Granado Espada, RF Online, Atlantica Online, and even Runes of Magic (and I think RoM is just bad).   A hell of alot more then DDO.  It's all just preference.

Originally posted by Roin

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I think the protests in this thread are entirely unwarranted.  DDO is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the f2p field because it was designed as a p2p and has decent content unlike it's other f2p competitors.

Awarding DDO as the best f2p was clearly the right thing to do.  How anyone can dispute this is unclear to me.

 

People have a difference of opinion.  Personally I think DDO is trash even as a F2P game.  I enjoy Jade Dynasty, Granado Espada, RF Online, Atlantica Online, and even Runes of Magic (and I think RoM is just bad).   A hell of alot more then DDO.  It's all just preference.

Nice list of games, except they are all horrendous grindfests and have little or no end game content.  Of course getting to end game is a real chore in all those games you listed, unless of course you invest very heavily in the item shop.  I got to end game in DDO with very little cash spent and actually have things to do.  Turbine also updates their game regularly which again cannot be seen with any of the games you listed.

So you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't see you posting one reason why you find these games better.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Originally posted by Roin

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I think the protests in this thread are entirely unwarranted.  DDO is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the f2p field because it was designed as a p2p and has decent content unlike it's other f2p competitors.

Awarding DDO as the best f2p was clearly the right thing to do.  How anyone can dispute this is unclear to me.

 

People have a difference of opinion.  Personally I think DDO is trash even as a F2P game.  I enjoy Jade Dynasty, Granado Espada, RF Online, Atlantica Online, and even Runes of Magic (and I think RoM is just bad).   A hell of alot more then DDO.  It's all just preference.

Nice list of games, except they are all horrendous grindfests and have little or no end game content.  Of course getting to end game is a real chore in all those games you listed, unless of course you invest very heavily in the item shop.  I got to end game in DDO with very little cash spent and actually have things to do.  Turbine also updates their game regularly which again cannot be seen with any of the games you listed.

So you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't see you posting one reason why you find these games better.

I did give you a reason.  I find them more fun.  As a gamer that's all the reason I need to choose one game over another.  I honestly don't understand why you are getting so bent out of shape about it.  So people don't think DDO deserves it, so what.  At the end of the day all the matters is what you decide to play, what you find "fun".   Like I said personally I thought DDO was trash.  Thought the same about it during beta and at release.  Does that in any way effect your ability to enjoy the game?  Nope, it's just people speaking their mind.  Just like most things dealing with game awards "best" is subjective.  Just look at that game of the decade thread.  Alot of people thought HL2 is game of the decade by a long shot.  Where as I on the other hand happen to agree with Gameloading.   HL2 was a great game, but hardly game of the decade.   People will always see things differently.  Do you really want a game site or even a world, where everyone agrees with everyone else?

Originally posted by Wizardry

I deleted DnD after the first day.

It was one the most disappointing games i ever tired.Not that it is the wost game,but carrying a title of such grandeur ,warrants a triple AAA release of the product.I was totally turned off by how cheap the game is,it looks like some indie console developer made it.

Oh well i know there is millions of people out there playing ANYTHING and everything,so trying to make sense of what goes on in the gaming world is useless.

Yeah... I loved the dungeon design (I still think Turbine does it best in that category), and the implementation of puzzles (though having them exactly the same every time kinda limits the challenge... be nice if they were in any of a number of locations on each run, or triggered in different ways.... just to change it up a bit.

But anyway... I've frankly seen more creativity and originality in some persistent servers I played on for Neverwinter Nights back when that game was still really active.

There were a number of things that just felt off to me about DDO.

- I don't like the Eberron setting... Among other things, the Warforged are just weird to me.
- The starting town you're in feels *entirely* too claustrophobic and is needlessly meandering in its layout, in my opinion
- I hate the gated nature of the content; seeing all these doors and such and reading "you don't have the quest for that", or whatever the dialog is. That only made the place feel even smaller.
- Way, way, way too instanced
- A variety of other little things that irked me.

I dunno... the game just didn't sit right with me.

Haven't played it in some months now, since well before it went F2P.. so who knows, maybe they've made improvements.

Originally posted by Nebless

Originally posted by Scot

Does anyone here think the reviewers who write the articles play the MMO for 30+ days? Richard Aihoshi has said he only has the time to review a F2P game up to ~ Level 15. If the reviewers only look at a game for a couple of days and can write a review I think we are entitled to at least form an opinion.

 

By chance have you even played the game?

Level cap is 20 so if he got up to level 15 he put some work into it since only completed quests give XP.  Trash all the monsters you want and it don't count for squat, only thing that does is finishing the quest.

If it will help you visual it better, each level has 4 sub-levels so a lvl 20 cap = lvl 80.  Level 15 would mean he made it up to around lvl 60.

Before you post, please read what you have decided to comment on.

I was referring to what he normally does, I do not even know if he has played this game. The level 15 he quoted was for a game that had 50 to 60 levels.
 

Originally posted by WSIMike

Originally posted by Wizardry

I deleted DnD after the first day.

It was one the most disappointing games i ever tired.Not that it is the wost game,but carrying a title of such grandeur ,warrants a triple AAA release of the product.I was totally turned off by how cheap the game is,it looks like some indie console developer made it.

Oh well i know there is millions of people out there playing ANYTHING and everything,so trying to make sense of what goes on in the gaming world is useless.

 

Yeah... I loved the dungeon design (I still think Turbine does it best in that category), and the implementation of puzzles (though having them exactly the same every time kinda limits the challenge... be nice if they were in any of a number of locations on each run, or triggered in different ways.... just to change it up a bit.

But anyway... I've frankly seen more creativity and originality in some persistent servers I played on for Neverwinter Nights back when that game was still really active.

There were a number of things that just felt off to me about DDO.

- I don't like the Eberron setting... Among other things, the Warforged are just weird to me.
- The starting town you're in feels *entirely* too claustrophobic and is needlessly meandering in its layout, in my opinion
- I hate the gated nature of the content; seeing all these doors and such and reading "you don't have the quest for that", or whatever the dialog is. That only made the place feel even smaller.
- Way, way, way too instanced
- A variety of other little things that irked me.

I dunno... the game just didn't sit right with me.

Haven't played it in some months now, since well before it went F2P.. so who knows, maybe they've made improvements.

The game is still instanced.  Stormreach has been getting bigger and bigger.  More "cities" such as Gianthold, Korthos and Meridia have made the place feel better.  Not sure when you played but they have put the Marketplace Tent back up and it is alot smoother than before.  Also, the wilderness areas are staarting to get quests in them, like Cerulean Hills. 
 

Eberron setting was the only choice for Turbine.  Atari has the rights (for now) to publish FOrgotton Realms. 

I personally like having the game mostly instanced.  THere is no Griefing with quests, loot and rares.  Not for everyone, I know, but most consider an asset of the game.

And WF are the Uber race... :p

Originally posted by godommorpg 

  lolz... first, in a true f2p model game  u can go anywhere even if u cant kill anything there... u just buy better boost or something like that on the cash shops, u dont play like using a dog collar that dont let u go to through the whole game. in DnD u CAN' T go anywhere, u are restricted by cash itens... simple, so thats not a true F2P and thats the point.

According to Wikipedia, your idea of what f2p means is NOT what the currently accepted definition of f2p is.

From Wikipedia:  "Free-to-play (F2P, FTP) refers to any game that has an option of allowing its players to play without paying. Some of these games have both a free version and a Pay to Play version that offers the full version of the game and all of the updates. Free-to-play games with pay-to-play components utilize the freebie marketing technique to draw in a user base with this advanced type of game demo. The term "free-to-play" is frequently heard in the context of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs).

Many game developers keep a free-to-play version running so people can try the game before paying the membership costs. It also helps attract more players to the game. Other developers, for example Softnyx or Nexon, generate revenue by selling in-game items that significantly enhance the player's in-game experience. In-game items can be purely cosmetic (vanity items), enhance the power of the player (power items), or accelerate progression speed (booster items). A common technique used by developers of these games is for the items purchased to have a time limit, after this expires the item must be repurchased before use can continue."

If I had to choose between your opinion and Wiki's opinion, I choose theirs.  And, according to theirs, DDO is indeed f2p.

Originally posted by AnvilMAn

yknow, saying something is the best F2P game is kinda like comaring piles of dog crap and trying to figure out which is best.

Judging from the currently available P2P mmo's out there, the same could be said of most P2P games too.

Originally posted by KualaBD

Originally posted by godommorpg 

  lolz... first, in a true f2p model game  u can go anywhere even if u cant kill anything there... u just buy better boost or something like that on the cash shops, u dont play like using a dog collar that dont let u go to through the whole game. in DnD u CAN' T go anywhere, u are restricted by cash itens... simple, so thats not a true F2P and thats the point.

According to Wikipedia, your idea of what f2p means is NOT what the currently accepted definition of f2p is.

From Wikipedia:  "Free-to-play (F2P, FTP) refers to any game that has an option of allowing its players to play without paying. Some of these games have both a free version and a Pay to Play version that offers the full version of the game and all of the updates. Free-to-play games with pay-to-play components utilize the freebie marketing technique to draw in a user base with this advanced type of game demo. The term "free-to-play" is frequently heard in the context of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs).

Many game developers keep a free-to-play version running so people can try the game before paying the membership costs. It also helps attract more players to the game. Other developers, for example Softnyx or Nexon, generate revenue by selling in-game items that significantly enhance the player's in-game experience. In-game items can be purely cosmetic (vanity items), enhance the power of the player (power items), or accelerate progression speed (booster items). A common technique used by developers of these games is for the items purchased to have a time limit, after this expires the item must be repurchased before use can continue."

If I had to choose between your opinion and Wiki's opinion, I choose theirs.  And, according to theirs, DDO is indeed f2p.

 

I agree with you. There is actually been a few tries with adds in F2P games instead of a cash shop or similar system.
 

I think DDO have handled their cash shop very good, you can unlock stuff from there without paying if you have patience and you don't need to buy anything if you don't have to but they still have sweet stuff there.

In Wizard 101 the first few zones in world 1 are free. For the rest of the first world and all the other worlds you have to pay.

When I read the wiki-text above, this would be F2P. No idea, who fed wiki with this. In my opinion it is more like a trial or demo.

I think MMORPG, for awards sake, needs to define their view of games that fall into the F2P model and thus qualify for awards.

Wiki:
"Free-to-play games with pay-to-play components utilize the freebie marketing technique to draw in a user base with this advanced type of game demo."

As I mention in my former post, using this definition, do "unlimited trials" qualify? I think not but there are to many F2P models and more coming so next year put some qualifiers in place for nominees.

I keep seeing this "DDO was P2P turned F2P so it should not qualify". My view, I am glad it qualified and won. My rationale; it currently IS a fun F2P and I hope what Turbine did with DDO is something we see more of from other publishers going into the future. Imagine games like Auto Assault or Tabula Rasa with F2P models, instead of this "well, it just didn't work out, shutdown". If AOC or Warhammer ever get to this level that publishers would look at what Turbine did and change to a F2P model instead of a complete shutdown. Whether you think DDO should have received this award or not you can't argue what Turbine did was successful and hope this encourages publishers to rethink shutdowns to failing MMO's. Maybe this would encourage a publisher to dust-off an already failed MMO and reintroduce it with a F2P model. Or at least sell the IP to another publisher who would. So gratz to Turbine, I hope what you have done with DDO will get other publishers to follow your lead.

how did dragonica get in the top 5? i heard that was a terrible game and it looks terrible too....replace that with runes of magic.

Originally posted by Swoogie

Originally posted by Samhael

I wonder why Runes of Magic wasn't on the list.  Anyone know?

 

Prolly becuase of thier crappy customer support. They are a very bad company. and besides, I played the game and it wasnt that good. I quitafter a few plays.

So did I !

Seemed too cheesy to me in my opinion.

Originally posted by thorosuch

Originally posted by HannahMontan

How can you call this game the best free to play? Its not even fully free to play. They make you pay at some point later in the game if you wish to contuine with your character.  A free to play game does not charge to keep playing. They may have a cash shop but you dont have to buy to play. Thats a free to play game.

 

For your persistence in dungeon delving and earning favor...you earn Turbine points that can be spent in the DDO store where you can buy those sigals for level advancement and P2P adventures. It is free you just need to be persistent and patient if you don't want to spend cash...all the Turbine points you earn with characters you create, even the ones on other servers, stack on your single account. It is possible to get level 20 and do all the adventures without spending a single penny. What other F2P game gives you that. This in my opinion is the best F2P game out there.

Hear Hear !