I've been giving it a try for the last few days... I think that I like it, although I haven't formed a concrete opinion of the game. But here are my way-too-early-to-be-accurate opinions of it so far: (a lot of this is based on my personal preference in gaming...you've been warned)
Pros:
It FEELS like I'm playing a pen-and-paper game online. Character creation is almost just like D&D 3.5, and the narration is like DM flavor text: "As you descend deeper into the caves, a blast of cold chills you to the bone..." (I just made that up, but you get the idea...)
Very customizable character creation, just like Pen and paper.... you can be any sort of tank or caster or whatever you want to be. Also, to prevent completely gimping your character, those not familiar with the system can use the standard pre-made character stats.... they don't seem too bad, either, but I haven't played with them too much.
Cross-classing is teh coolness.
Built in voice chat for groups- Raiding in EQ2 taught me to become dependant on voice chat clients. While you still need a mic to talk, anyone in your group can hear someone with one without downloading TS or Ventrillo.
Graphics are pretty- not uber realistic like EQ, but not nauseatingly cartoonish like WoW...
The loot flows like a mighty river... money doesn't seem to be too hard to come by so far, either. Quest instances are also repeatable, and have difficulty settings, with the quality and quantity of loot being related to the difficulty of the mission.
The map isn't so easy that you don't need to search. Now, this is a matter of personal preference, but I hate maps that give everything away. When not everything is labeled, only good can come from searching for what you need: either you waste time looking for it, and in that process you get to know the city better, OR you ask someone and you have the opportunity to make a new friend. Hey, look at me wanting to be social! (met the guild I want to join this way...)
Death penalty that means something. Another matter of personal preference, but I like it when the death penalty actually gives players reason to attempt to avoid death. The debt penalty is just frustrating enough for you to care, but not so much that you... well, get frustrated. If anything, its is a bit more lenient than I'd like, but compared to other games out there *cough*wow*cough* it's an improvement.
Cons-ish: (I don't actually have many real "cons" yet... I'm sure I'll run into them, and I'll add them as I do)
Auction system... dude, it's like a real auction. With time limits and bidding and stuff... I don't know how I feel about that. I guess it really isn't a con, but I'm just not used to that.
Experience is (with small exception, to be explained in a bit) quest based. You get a mission, you go in, kill your baddies, rescue the girl (or whatever) pick up loot on the way and THEN get xp when it is all finished. There are short, medium, and long quests and you are informed before you enter the instance of what kind it is. Some are soloable, some are not, you are told that as well. All are repeatable, and all but some very low level ones are able to scale in difficulty. This is cool because it's like a D&D adventure (when, in D&D did you and your party ever venture into the hills to farm wolves and other little critters?) but not cool because sometimes mindless grinding actually comes in handy. I have found one place that has limited encounters that you actually get experience for, but it's not a large place, and seems to be meant as a small place leading into a larger quest. Also, the experience there isn't that great. I don't know if there will be more areas like this at higher levels.
Right-click spamming to attack. Now, there IS an auto-attack, but right clicking seems to be not only the more accepted approach to attacking, but it also seems more efficient.
(con)Non-customizable GUI.
(con)No customizable emotes. (Sorry, I'm almost a roleplayer... I like the fluff.)
---
All in all, I think I will subscribe when my 30 free days are up. It doesn't seem to be as much a time sink like EQ2 was, and I hear there is PvP... can't wait for that. It's neat to feel like I'm playing D&D when I'm not actually playing D&D... and I really want vorpal weapon. /drool
Ok, I actually need to get back to work... I think I've covered most my bases.
If anyone wants to download the 10 day trial, you really should. It's a two hour download and a 4 hour patch, though, so get on it! (times appx. On a cable connection.)
I'm on the Khyber server, and my characters names are either Waddley Hasselhoff (rogue/fighter) or Leise(barbarian). Leise will probably be my main.
Waddley Hasselhoff has experience playing the following MMO's: Ultima Online, Everquest, Anarchy Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Shadowbane, Final Fantasy 11, City of Heroes/Villans, World of Warcraft, and Everquest 2. Out of all of those, she liked WoW the least, and thinks that Shadowbane was failed by it's programmers. She has been playing D&D since since her father taught her when she was 10. This is her first Kevin's Watch mini-review.
Dungeons and Dragons Online
Moderators: Cagliostro, lucimay, Creator, Sorus
-
Waddley
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2406
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:37 pm
- Location: Titan Moon Best Moon
- Contact:
Dungeons and Dragons Online
Last edited by Waddley on Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"Let my inspiration flow in token rhyme, suggesting rhythm." -Robert Hunter
[Edited 
D2 LOD comment deleted 
- I've lost money and experience points!! 
]
D2 LOD comment deleted - I've lost money and experience points!! ]
Last edited by Creator on Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
He/She who dies with the most toys wins! Wait a minute ... I can't die!!!
Waddley Hasselhoff wrote:I burned out on D2 a long time ago... and I'm kinda bad with games in that once I burn out, I really can't get back into them again.
oh THANK YOU. i never even got all that powerful in D2 before i burnt to a crackly crunch on that game.
Last edited by lucimay on Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
-
Waddley
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2406
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:37 pm
- Location: Titan Moon Best Moon
- Contact:
Haha, 
Thing is, Luce, I had at least one character maxed and a few in their... 70's I think (god, it's been freaking YEARS!) before I burned.
This was when I worked at Wizards of the Coast, and there was a LAN, and after close all the employees would play together till like 4 in the morning. Those were the good freaking days. /sigh..
DDO thread!! TALK DDO!!!!
Thing is, Luce, I had at least one character maxed and a few in their... 70's I think (god, it's been freaking YEARS!) before I burned.This was when I worked at Wizards of the Coast, and there was a LAN, and after close all the employees would play together till like 4 in the morning. Those were the good freaking days. /sigh..
DDO thread!! TALK DDO!!!!
"Let my inspiration flow in token rhyme, suggesting rhythm." -Robert Hunter
WOW! cool Waddley!!!! (she says after reading the entire mini review) you made me want to play!!! i don't really know what any of it meant but you made me want to know!!! nice review!! 
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
Waddley Hasselhoff wrote:Download the trial and play with me!!
trial.ddo.com/
You know you wanna...
ok. i'll download tonight at home!
(2hr download and 6 hr patch! urg.)
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
why does it take so long Waddley?
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
-
Sorus
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 13870
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:45 pm
- Location: the tiny calm before the storm
- Been thanked: 1 time
I shudder to think what that'd be on dial-up... looks pretty cool though, and I actually have the minimum system requirements, or I would after I clean my hard drive a little. (Don't have time to play right now though, as I have not yet burned out on D2.)
Edit: 56k 65h:52m
No, don't think I'll be joining any time soon!
Edit: 56k 65h:52m
No, don't think I'll be joining any time soon!
Oh, a change is coming, feel these doors now closing
Is there no world for tomorrow, if we wait for today?
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Loredoctor
- Lord
- Posts: 18609
- Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2002 11:35 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria
- Contact:
You worked at WOC? What'd you do there? I have a couple of friends who do art for the card games. . . would be interesting to see if we know the same people.Waddley Hasselhoff wrote: This was when I worked at Wizards of the Coast, and there was a LAN, and after close all the employees would play together till like 4 in the morning. Those were the good freaking days. /sigh..
DDO thread!! TALK DDO!!!!
~Lyr
PS I still have dialup for the moment, so no way I can download anything intensive. . .maybe at at later date.
-
Waddley
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2406
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 10:37 pm
- Location: Titan Moon Best Moon
- Contact:
I really don't (didn't) know anyone from corporate, I just worked at one of the retail locations before they closed, but I went to corporate a few times for M:tG pre-releases...
God, I'm a geek. I need to go rethink my life.
God, I'm a geek. I need to go rethink my life.
"Let my inspiration flow in token rhyme, suggesting rhythm." -Robert Hunter
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Loredoctor
- Lord
- Posts: 18609
- Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2002 11:35 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria
- Contact:
I just played the game for a couple of hours. Same server Waddley is on. My character is called Markiir.
Please tell me the game isn't just set in the city.
Please tell me the game isn't just set in the city.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!