D&D Online To Go Free This Summer

[Asmor]

I've really tried to get into DDO. My best friend who I don't see very often loves it. I've given it at least three tries, where I signed up for a trial account and played for a couple hours each time.

But I just can't. The engine they use for that game (and it seems like it's the same engine used in LotRO) is just terrible. The controls feel laggy and unresponsive, and combat is completely unsatisfying. I also find the interface (particularly the inventory) difficult to manage.

Even free I have no interest in it.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

But I just can't. The engine they use for that game (and it seems like it's the same engine used in LotRO) is just terrible. The controls feel laggy and unresponsive, and combat is completely unsatisfying. I also find the interface (particularly the inventory) difficult to manage.

Doesn't sound at all like DDO to me.

And DDO's combat system is nothing like LOTRO-- LOTRO uses the same "Press a sequence of buttons and watch what happens" mechanic as most MMOs.

DDO's interface is more like... hmm, I'd say Tomb Raider. Or more recently, Oblivion or Fallout 3. You move, you run, you jump, you tumble, you swing, you cast, etc. all in real time.

 

[GlassJaw]

The engine they use for that game (and it seems like it's the same engine used in LotRO) is just terrible.

Yeah, DDO is nothing like LotRO. LotRO's interface and gameplay are like WoW.

I think the play for free/microtransaction model for DDO is very cool. I played a lot about a year or so ago but haven't in a while. This definitely makes me want to check it out again.

It's free... until they cancel it. This is a last gasp attempt to get people to play it.

I couldn't disagree more. If it wasn't making money for Turbine, they would have canceled it long ago. It has a small but very loyal following, which is what you need to make money on the interwebs.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Any game whose success is measured against the WoW yardstick is a failure.

 

[aurance]

I couldn't disagree more. If it wasn't making money for Turbine, they would have canceled it long ago. It has a small but very loyal following, which is what you need to make money on the interwebs.

Heck, they've still got Asheron's Call going, which started in the late '90s.

 

[kenmarable]

Anybody who wants a leg up in the game, can find me on Thelanis (Wulf Ratbane, of course, among others).

I'll also answer questions here (or wherever this thread ends up) about builds and such, and show you "in game" why I think DDO has the best gameplay of any MMO.

Quick question for you or anyone else familiar with it - who playable is it solo or with 2 people? Yeah, I know it's a MMO, but my wife and I really enjoyed WoW either on our own or just the two of us and would like to give DDO a try like that. We're not much into the big group stuff.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Doesn't sound at all like DDO to me.

And DDO's combat system is nothing like LOTRO-- LOTRO uses the same "Press a sequence of buttons and watch what happens" mechanic as most MMOs.

DDO's interface is more like... hmm, I'd say Tomb Raider. Or more recently, Oblivion or Fallout 3. You move, you run, you jump, you tumble, you swing, you cast, etc. all in real time.

That... actually makes me want to play it less.

 

[Mad Mac]

Heck, they've still got Asheron's Call going, which started in the late '90s.

I imagine that if all you're doing is paying for the servers/general maintinance, you probably don't need too big of a subscriber base to turn a modest profit. Isn't Everquest still going?

LOTRO is probably the game that pays the bills, though.

 

[Bumbles]

Well, at least I'll have a reason to give it a try, though like Anarchy Online, I may never bother much with it.

 

[Dire Bare]

I imagine that if all you're doing is paying for the servers/general maintinance, you probably don't need too big of a subscriber base to turn a modest profit. Isn't Everquest still going?

LOTRO is probably the game that pays the bills, though.

I don't know about Asheron's Call, but Everquest (both 1 & 2) is still regularly putting out new content (or they were last time I checked a few months ago). And I know for a fact that DDO has been constantly been adding new content and upgrades also.

I would imagine that an MMO that doesn't regularly add content and is stagnant would be a canceled MMO.

DDO isn't for everybody (what is?), but has been doing quite well for years now with its small loyal fanbase. With a free-to-play option, they'll increase the population on servers, making the game more fun, and thereby encouraging more people to up for the full subscription or drop some cash on microtransactions (or both). Seems like a good move to me.