Penny Arcade takes on DDO

[DaveMage]

Has anyone tried the game solo, and if so, how was it?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You should realize that your posts look about as innocent as mine look dispassionate.

You essentially popped in to tell us all that WoW is the biggest game going right now, eclipsing all others. Thanks for the contribution! Whizbang!

Um, that's not what I was saying at all. I'm saying there are a LOT of good MMOs out there that continue to do well, year after year, without being WoW.

But seriously, thanks for your incredibly hostile attitude over totally innocent posts.

 

[werk]

Has anyone tried the game solo, and if so, how was it?

It's a game designed for group play, soloing is less rewarding if possible at all...I don't recommend it.

What insults?

Not directed at you Whiz, if you scan the thread, I'm sure you'll find it.

 

[PowerWordDumb]

Tonight on FOX: When Rabid Fanboys Attack!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Um, that's not what I was saying at all. I'm saying there are a LOT of good MMOs out there that continue to do well, year after year, without being WoW.

Gosh howdy, did I ever misconstrue your posts then. My bad.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I don't think their style is "dull and humorless" - instead, their humor is simply very different and off-kilter when compared to other, more conventional gag comics. And that's refreshing. I mean, I don't get many of their gaming jokes (since I don't play many computer and no video games), but I often find them hilarious nevertheless.

Some things are considered cult for a reason.

I think my response is basically because they're NOT "cult". They're widely lauded as a great webcomic, the one to beat, when they have the same style of "repeating stuff" that comedies such as Epic Movie or others in that genre, IMO. Most folks I know don't find them amusing 90% of the time, but it gets raves for everything.


An example is Order of the Stick, which early on I liked but which grew old to me. At least when someone posts it, I can see the humor, whether it's particularly funny to me or not. Penny Arcade on the other hand, never really makes that leap.

(Mind you, obviously my opinion is not absolute, plenty of people probably thought Epic Movie was hilarious. And I'm not even saying Penny Arcade fans are Epic Movie fans, just an example...)

 

[DaveMage]

It's a game designed for group play, soloing is less rewarding if possible at all...I don't recommend it.

I thought I had read a while back that they were creating a way for solo play. Guess it never took off....

 

[Xath]

This thread is getting a bit heated. I'm going to remind you to keep it civil and stop making personal attacks.

- Xath

 

[werk]

I thought I had read a while back that they were creating a way for solo play. Guess it never took off....

They did add more solo content, in response to requests for it, but the game itself is still DDO, it's designed for a party just like D&D.

It's a lot like adding training wheels to a sportscar...you can do it, but why?

Now, before people start but but but... some players can solo some of the raids, you can find videos on youtube, but these are super pimped, experienced players that did not get to their current power level by soloing.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I think my response is basically because they're NOT "cult". They're widely lauded as a great webcomic, the one to beat, when they have the same style of "repeating stuff" that comedies such as Epic Movie or others in that genre, IMO. Most folks I know don't find them amusing 90% of the time, but it gets raves for everything.

Penny Arcade is apparently able to make a living for not one, but two people, which is extremely rare among webcomics. And they apparently make enough money to donate $10,000 just to make a point. So they are clearly doing something right.

And they do have a style of their own - and that includes breaking the conventions of most other webcomics out there. Continuity is almost completely absent. The humor is extremely off-the-wall and often very twisted. I mean, who else could come up with a device that extracts juices from fruits by, er, making love to them? And there's the truly strange stuff, like their "Twisp and Catsby" or "Wandering Years" strips, where the punchline is that there is no punchline.

I read a lot of webcomics. And I think that Penny Arcade is one of the funniest and most original comics out there.