| ESRB:Dungeons and Dragons Online: The Monk and More
At Connect '08, MMORPG.com's Donna Desborough had the chance to hear about a few new tidbits that will be making their way into Turbine's Dungeons and Dragons Online, including the Monk class which will make its debut in Module 7.
The weekend of Codemasters Connect marked the two year anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons Online. All weekend, celebrations were happening to mark this momentous occasion. Old players were also invited back to play DDO to take part in the celebrations and see just what they've missed out on. This of course was perfect timing for Connect'08 as old players would be able to log in and play DDO at Connect without having the hassle of having to download and re-install the whole game.
While celebrations were happening in the game, we were getting a sneak peak at things at Connect'08. During the Dungeons and Dragons Online roundtable, attendees were able to see the new class that will be coming to DDO in the Mod 7 update. The Monk class. This class is a balance between a Shaolin monk and the traditional monk class from the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons game. The developers have done their best to stay true to the class in the tabletop game and from what we were shown they've actually managed just that.
The Monk will mostly be a hand to hand combat character with proficiencies in quarter staff and exotic weapons, such as the shuriken. Attacks will include both single target and area of affect damage. Good news comes in the form of the lack of restrictions. Any race will have the option of playing the Monk, but there may be mandatory alignments. The Monk class is still in the pre-Alpha stages at the moment, so much could change as decisions are made and the class further developed.
As many will know Gary Gygax, co-creator of D&D, died recently. A trinket has been created in tribute to Gygax called Voice of the Master. This little trinket item gives a small experience boost when equipped. There will also be a tribute to Gygax in one of the graveyards. Fitting reminders for a good man.
Some other good news is that Turbine may be having a serious look at guild housing next year. Of course it's not definite, but it was said to be looked into for a release some time in 2009. That certainly would be very welcome and make many players and guilds happy. I'm sure many would agree with me in saying that this is a feature that should have been brought in some time ago, but I guess better late than never.
Some news for the lovers of crafting. It has been said that crafting will be worked on all year. No details beyond that have been given unfortunately. Still nice to hear for those of us who love to make things.
DDO is now 2 years old so some players were wondering if there was a sequel in the works for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The happy answer is that currently there are no plans for a DDO2. With so much work to be done with the first iteration I don't think we need a second one quite yet. Of course it may be interesting to see other settings, such as Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk, as new versions in the future.
Dungeons and Dragons Online has had a good run so far and is continuing strongly. The game is growing and the developers obviously enjoy what they're doing as they continue to endeavour to improve it for us to play. Happy birthday DDO. Here's to a long and happy life.
DDO has been improving steadily and the possibility that housing, more challenging crafting and other enhancements may be on the way is great news.
The best nugget of info from this article is that a DDO2 may be a reality at some point. If this happens and they happen to pick GREYHAWK as the setting, I will remove all other MMOs from my hard drive, use the disks for coasters and burn the manuals. Greyhawk is the original setting for D&D and is home to some of the greatest adventures ever. Tomb of Horrors, Against The Giants, White Plume Mountain and the list goes on and on...
*crosses fingers*
Greyhawk
will this be a dream come true ?
I've played in Greyhawk, Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms, but to be honest I don't think much about that this game is in Eberron. As the game plays it hasn't that big a difference what world we're in. But sure, I wouldn't mind getting rid of all the ugly mechano-mecha-iron-men, whatever they're called again.
I'll rather see graphical updates, and getting more items visible on your character, I think that MMO's primary strength is character development, so I wan't it as detailed as possible, not only getting +1 to your stats. I wan't to be able to find cool looking boots, get headbands, look stylish in capes and so on.
My dream for this title?? One word: Ravenloft.
I've tried and tried to get back into DDO. I was in the betas, and even pre-ordered the game playing for a good six months after release. It got me into P&P Eberron, and unfortunately the Keith Baker's lavish visions of Stormreach and Xen'drik in the Dreaming Dark trilogy make DDO look bland. I know Xen'drik was chosen for its unknown wilds, and adventurous feel but there really could have been more to this game had it been set in Sharn and parts of Khorvaire.
I find it funny that Turbine is putting the Monk in as a player class, and and made Drow a playable race when Eberron had other more grander things to offer, like the Artificer class or Kalashtar, Changling and Shifter races. Things that were truly "Eberron." What made Eberron unique compared to Forgotten Realms or other D&D settings is either not present in DDO or twisted away from the setting's original view.
LOL! Lots of people still play this game, and in fact lots of new ones are playing it. These are reviews just from within the last couple of months as Mod 6 was being released. Fact is, content has MORE than doubled since launch, they've added PVP, solo options, outdoor areas, crafting, and on and on and on...and all without charging for paid expansions. Combine that with (IMO) the best combat system in MMO's today, the best actual quests in any MMO, and the best character development...there's few games that are like it.
TenTonHammer says "Overall, Dungeons & Dragons Online remains a very fun game. If you have not tried it, the fast paced combat interface and small group content really are some of the best examples in MMOGs."
Massively says "DDO still isn't the biggest of MMOs out there, but it seems to have found a pretty sure footing, and there is no doubt that the team behind it is interested in making sure players have access not only to typical hacking and slashing, but also to some complex and rewarding game and group experiences. The Shroud is a very nice example of how MMO designers can break boundaries in what's expected of MMO gameplay"
Gamespy says "The company's earlier release, Dungeons & Dragons Online, is still going strong. According to the company, the subscriber base, while not boasting world-beating numbers, has had relatively little turnover and the game continues to hold a steady group of hardcore players. That's a tribute to Turbine's continuing commitment to the title and the steady stream of content upgrades it releases every four to six months."
MMORPG.COM says "While the visual style was there from the start, the actual feel of D&D took a bit longer to develop. I have to give Turbine credit for listening to their audience, as most of my complaints about the earlier version of the game have been addressed in subsequent" modules.
I used to play it when it was launched. I left back then and didn't think the game would last the year.
How glad i am that it did. Come back and give it a go now, it beats the socks off the other Mmorgs out there.
Lot's of people continue to play it while many are discovering that DDO has the best tactical combat and a dynamic character building system that's superior to generic games like WoW.
The game does have some shortfalls and content can always be imrpoved. Thankfully, my return to DDO a year after it's launch proved the game's developers were actually listening and making a solid commitment to ensure the players were experiancing more elements which contribute to that D&D feeling.
DDO is *the* game for players who enjoy environments that reward good strategies and fully customizable character bulids. Other then EVE Online or pre-cu Star Wars Galaxies I am not aware of any other MMO which offers the same level of dynamics.
I just started playing about a month ago per recommendation from someone on this site. I'm glad I did. I am really liking it. And I had just about given up on playing online games for a while.
I agree with almost all of the previous comments. DDO has a fairly mature player base (heck, even the kids that play it seem to be pretty smart), new content being constantly rolled out, and the number of players has increased of late. Overall, the devs are doing a good job and they DO actually listen to the players.
Keep it up DDO! Can't wait to see the next module and love the ideas for later this year.
I second this. I played in Beta and was badly disapointed.
But out of sheer boredom and curiosity Ive just this week taken up the 10 day trial and havnt been sucked into an MMO as much as this since I first started playing in the genre just after Kunark launch with EQ. I have 2 retail copies winging their way to me as I type this.
I too had given up on MMO's, but DDO has totally sucked me back in. Im in a great guild with fantastic people, the dungeons im starting to discover post level 5 are challenging and imaginative and I have that real 'need to play' feeling again.
Currently playing on the Euro server Keeper, take the trial and look me up, same name as my MMORPG.com ID. Come on in :)
Woot!! Troll FTW!!!
An uninformed one at that....
I too played in the Beta and was much disappointed. I played again several months later and was again less than impressed by the game. However, I find myself still drawn to this game, in no small part because of my great love for the D&D ruleset in general and the lore of both Greyhawk and The Forgotten Realms. I am thinking of giving the game another go, and I was wondering what those of you here who are in the game now have to say to someone like me. I love the lore (Eberron, admittedly, not so much, but still), and I would love to know how the game is doing from the perspective of someone playing it. I am seriously thinking about trying it out a third time.
I came back as well after a year to test it out. Actually, it was more out of curiosity when E.G.G. passed away. It really has improved. So far there seems to be plenty of content to move you up in levels without needing to repeat quests. That's what turned me off initially. Now when I repeat, it's usually because I'm trying different builds out. As someone else mentioned above, the ability to customize your character is second only to EVE at this point.
Soloing DDO
Hmm - this is the one major mmo I have not played or sampled over the last ten years, chiefly because it is obviously a group based game. Acording to the article extra solo content has been added. What is the game like for someone who more often solos due to time commitments and not wanting to be led by the hand etc?
Regards
Chrimwinster
My thoughts about DDO are somewhat negative.
I've played Table-Top D&D for over a decade now. And was one of the first avid posters on DDO's pre-release community. Turbine was pretty active in that time on their forums despite not taking alot of suggestions from the community. The day I got to test out DDO, I put it down and wondered why I would pay $15 a month for a reskinned Guild Wars, with a Voice Acting DM, and prodded up 3.5e system. Especially one that wouldn't inspire role-playing of any sort (which is what D&D was all about). 6 months ago I saw it in the bargain bin at EBGames for 10 bucks, so I bought it and tried it it. It felt almost exactly the same as the first stages of beta to me, so I didn't renew after the 30 day trial. I'm sure if it was F2P, I'd play it as I do Guild Wars. But it's just not worth the cash to me.
I'm disappointed in DDO, but I'm glad that at least Turbine's still around. They're a great company.
If you feel similar to my opinion, there's companies like Bioware out there who actually want to bring you a D20 inspired game, instead of using the name to help get noticed.