DDO? Wanna talk about it? Here we go.

[sukael]

Huh? What mean "instanced"?

Basically, dungeons and such are implemented separately for each party. So you can go on a mission in a dungeon, and someone else's party can go on a mission in the same dungeon--but you'll never meet each other, because it will be two different versions of the same dungeon running separately.

It's how the missions in City of Heroes work, if you've played that.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Basically, dungeons and such are implemented separately for each party. So you can go on a mission in a dungeon, and someone else's party can go on a mission in the same dungeon--but you'll never meet each other, because it will be two different versions of the same dungeon running separately.

It's how the missions in City of Heroes work, if you've played that.

Never have. So I guess that explains my confusion....

 

[Lady_Acoma]

Basically, dungeons and such are implemented separately for each party. So you can go on a mission in a dungeon, and someone else's party can go on a mission in the same dungeon--but you'll never meet each other, because it will be two different versions of the same dungeon running separately.

It's how the missions in City of Heroes work, if you've played that.

Never played City of Heroes, but that kinda sucks. I would want the chance to meet others, like friends in a dungeon. Gives the game realism to a point.

 

[reveal]

Never played City of Heroes, but that kinda sucks. I would want the chance to meet others, like friends in a dungeon. Gives the game realism to a point.

Not really. Before instancing, what would happen is that the "mcguffin" would exist in the world (this is back when I used to play Ultima Online) and only one party in the entire world could get to it. So the power balance was WAY off because one person, or one party, would have everything good and leave the scraps to everyone else. Instancing made it where everyone had an equal chance of gaining power and equipment.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Never played City of Heroes, but that kinda sucks. I would want the chance to meet others, like friends in a dungeon. Gives the game realism to a point.

Yep. It'd make it more interesting.

 

[Captain Tagon]

Yep. It'd make it more interesting.

It would also make the problems of spawn camping a lot worse. Suddenly you can't finish a quest you're on because you have to wait in line to kill the dungeon boss.

 

[wingsandsword]

Not really. Before instancing, what would happen is that the "mcguffin" would exist in the world (this is back when I used to play Ultima Online) and only one party in the entire world could get to it. So the power balance was WAY off because one person, or one party, would have everything good and leave the scraps to everyone else. Instancing made it where everyone had an equal chance of gaining power and equipment.

Of course, that's if you make your game about unique MacGuffin items and uber-rare special super drop items.

Instanced dungeons remove the "massively" multiplayer part, you could play an "instanced" dungeon on a LAN, without needing a subscription. Non-instanced dungeons at least have the randomness of having some other group accidentally "train" monsters across your path, running across them and teaming up, or following in the path they blazed (like if a dungeon connects two areas and you have to travel through it to get somewhere). If the plot or mechanics of the game isn't based on rare items dropped by monsters, it works quite well.

Don't make the game about rare MacGuffin artifacts that are one-of-a-kind (or insanely rare). It's a trap many games have fallen into, but when you make the game into Uber Stuffquest, then make the stuff only on rare monsters, some things are inevitable.

When creating an MMORPG, you need to realize it's not tabletop, and some things just need to be changed to fit the format. You can't run a MMO like you run a tabletop, any more than you can run a LARP like you can a tabletop (I've seen that tried, and it's always a disaster), you have to adapt your setting and plot to fit the medium.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Its still an MMORPG the point is to team with one another to help eachother complete your missions.

There are two types of overall missions in COH. Street and Door (meaning outside and instanced)

I'm sure DDO works similarly having both types of missions.

For all the latest in DDO updates (or dragonshard, or eberron, but fan and official, check out www.brelandledger.com)

 

[Desdichado]

I don't know for DDO--but I'll talk about DDR!

 

[reveal]

For all the latest in DDO updates (or dragonshard, or eberron, but fan and official, check out www.brelandledger.com)

Or www.ddo.com since it's the official site.