So why no Dungeons and Dragons: Online threads?

[Archetype]

Just wondering. Is that a bad sign? (Considering this *is* a D&D community site...)

Is no one playing Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach?

Any feedback on it from those who have played it?

I've never considered playing a "timesink" game on my PC before, but that South Park episode got me curious. So I was going to activate the World of Warcraft 10-day trial and check it out (yes, I know "the first taste is free" for a reason...).

But then I started reading reviews and interviews and stats on DDO, and it seemed like something that would suit my D&D-oriented tastes better (as well as give me an Eberron fix until I can get my hands on the Dragonmarked book for Christmas). The fact that you should be mostly safe from "grievers" (or whatever you call high-level idiots without a shred of self-respect who prey on the cyber-young...). The inclusion of actual puzzle solving and exploring in dungeons. The lack of "grinding" to get experience (never did like the taste of wild boar...) And just the fact that it is D&D!..

But when I went to get a free 10-day trial key from the DDO site today, every time I went to register it said, "There was an error processing your request. We are temporarily out of Trial Keys for your Region. Try again later."

This seems like horrible customer service (as well as really bad business sense, as I can just jump over to the WoW site and start playing NOW). Is this typical of a Turbine customer experience? I don't want to make a long-term investement with a company that will be like this all the time, and I've not heard of the WoW owners being a problem company to deal with.

Any feedback from any DDO players here?

Thanks,
Drew

 

[Patman21967]

DDO in my opinion!!

It is the first MMO that I have played. I am 39, and have been playing RPG's (pen&paper) since 1980. I love DDO. It has some drawbacks, such as if you are a casual gamer, you get a little left behind, and I really think there are alot of what I call twinks, who buy their platinum and cool gear with real money, but from what I have heard, it is alot less in DDO. My guild (Blades of Khorvaire) on the Aundair server are all friends in real life. There are only 8 of us, compared to other guilds who number in the hundreds, but most everyone I have grouped with, out of guild, with a few exceptions, are really cool.

If you join, and wind up on the Aundair server look for me

Bragi
Corum
Kzzam
Theon

are my characters. I'll be glad to have fun and work through quests slowly. There are alot of pick up groups who just try and run through for loot or XP.

 

[andargor]

Here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

DDO: Stormreach wins BAFTA for best Multiplayer

What Would Your Eberron CRPG Feature?

D&D Online gets an upgrade

DDO - MMORGP for Dungeon and Dragons!!

So who all plans on playing DDO?

D&D MORPG

 

[Archetype]

Thanks for the links and the feedback, guys.

I think from all the negative stuff I've been reading about WoW that it is one drug I should avoid. The DDO atmosphere seems closer to actual D&D PnP or PC gaming that I'm used to, from what I can tell.

Of course, if I could just jump on to the DDO site NOW and find out with a free 10-day trial I would be able to see for myself...

STILL "no trial keys available in your area" today on the website, and Turbine customer service hasn't responded to my e-mail yet...very frustrating when a consumer WANTS to buy a product, but the company makes it hard to get to (while their competition is sitting there waiting for my $ as well...). Doesn't make sense, unless it is a lame marketing ploy to get us to just plunk down the $50 sight unseen at a retailer in order to play immediately. (And this is the first year in 14 years that I've actually had time off @ Christmas to putz around in...the time is ripe...)

Well, I do have $40 left on my Best Buy giftcard...(from a successful Bluff check against a hapless Best Buy clerk in order to get a refund on the horrifically crappy Neverwinter Nights 2 "boxed-beta" game that I had rushed in to get sight unseen..another reason I want to try a trial of DDO first...). But Amazon has DDO software on clearance for $9.99 now, which I would probably order immediately after taking a couple of hours to examine DDO and make sure I don't get burned again.

Hello, Turbine? Here's my $$$!!! (waves bills in the air...)

 

[Archetype]

Su Su Su Suuperrrsweet!

Holy Gygax, what a good game!

Now I *really* don't know why there aren't more DDO: Stormreach threads here. It is just an awesome D&D experience all around.

Turbine e-mailed me a new Trial Key right away, and I've been playing ever since. Having a blast, and I've only had time to work up one character so far. I can't believe I almost went over to WoW.

For anyone who was thinking of trying this, now is the time to get a good deal. Amazon is offering the $49.99 software for $9.99 (DVD rom) for a limited time. Believe me, even if you just try it for the first free 30 days, that is ten dollars worth of D&D gaming that you just couldn't get from a PnP module...

Back to Stormreach...see ya there!

 

[Tarek]

Turbine's In-Game Customer Service department is severely overloaded, and has been ever since the Auction House was implemented.

If there are any links to the out-of-game CS department, and there usually are in an MMORPG, that would be the explanation for the delay in getting an answer.

To be honest, ever since the Auction House was implemented, Customer Service at Turbine has been the worst CS I've ever experienced in any MMORPG I've played. Even at its worst, Sony Online Entertainment's CS department has been more responsive than Turbine's DDO CS department.

The game itself is fun, but you will find yourself repeating quests, and you will also find it hard to get groups together for certain quests. The "grind" is still there, but it isn't as intensive and exhausting as in other MMORPGs.

If you play it with a group of friends, or find a compatible Guild to play with, then your DDO experience should be very enjoyable.

 

[Kaodi]

Wow, finally. A thread I started has been the subject of linked thread necromancy! I'm so proud!

So... uh... what would *your* Eberron CRPG feature?

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Just wondering. Is that a bad sign? (Considering this *is* a D&D community site...)

Is no one playing Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach?

Any feedback on it from those who have played it?

There's probably no talk about it because so few people are playing it. There's reasons for that of course. The biggest reason is that it came out long AFTER WOW and thus in order to devote time to it players will have to sacfice time from their WOW experience to make room. Recent threads on MMO subscribership levels shows that DDO is way down the line.

I played DDO, didn't care for it, and deleted it. Absolutely zero single-player experience. Can't speak for others but for me that's a deal-killer. If I can't log on at odd hours and just bash monsters or solo at least a FEW dungeons it won't work for me even if the team play is great. I don't want to make a MMORPG a second life (one of the reasons I no longer have a WOW account) in order to enjoy it. That means that I don't want to have to organize a party - neither from strangers or by coordinating time with friends who are busy playing other games at any given time and ALL of whom are quite committed to the WOW endgame. Myself, I have NO interest in MMORPG endgame play.

Biggest problem is that by adhering close to the D&D ruleset a solo character is very vulnerable regardless of race/class/level. That works fine in face-to-face, tabletop D&D where you have a SCHEDULED game. It does NOT work for a MMORPG for any CASUAL player.

And just the fact that it is D&D!

I used to think that just getting a truly accurate port of D&D rules and settings would do it for me. But I want a different experience from my computer games than that. If I want to play D&D then I start a weekly game and get my friends to come to my house and physically roll dice. When I play games online I'm not looking to REPLACE that experience - and even so, it isn't going to happen when a COMPUTER is the DM. It of necessity removes the one element from D&D that MAKES it D&D for me - the interactivity with everyone and everything in the world that a flesh-and-blood DM provides.

 

[Tarek]

Except for two quests, I've soloed my Warforged up to level 6.

Despite there being no "official" solo difficulty setting for most quests, I've managed to solo a lot of them. It was a bit time consuming, and mildly frustrating at times, and hard on the virtual coin purse, but it is doable.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Except for two quests, I've soloed my Warforged up to level 6.

Despite there being no "official" solo difficulty setting for most quests, I've managed to solo a lot of them. It was a bit time consuming, and mildly frustrating at times, and hard on the virtual coin purse, but it is doable.

But is it even remotely worth the time and effort in comparison to other MMORPs? By not making even a half-hearted attempt at intentionally providing solo content (and I'd be the first to acknowledge that online solo play and actual D&D rules aren't the best fit) they cut their potential users drastically. An online game is NOT the same thing as actual D&D. IMO, adjustments should have been made, given the change in media, to provide the best MMORPG experience. Where that bumped up against D&D rules the D&D rules and tropes (like a standard 4-person adventuring party) should have been sacrificed. Just MHO.

Personally, I play City of Heroes. It's the one MMORPG that, even though I cancelled it for a while because I never played it, I finally managed to stick with. There are still ways I'd like to see it improved - and some of those are planned - but it still manages to work for me in ways that WOW and other games don't. I can't quite put my finger on why yet. Haven't given it that much thought until now.