Wilhelmus Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 WESTWOOD, MA ? September 9, 2009 ? Turbine, Inc. announced today the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online?: Eberron Unlimited? (DDO Unlimited), a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry?s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based MMOs. DDO Unlimited introduces an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game?s content. Starting today, players can download and play DDO Unlimited for free by visiting http://www.ddo.com. ... Source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_r_nelson Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Getting it now. Gotta give it a shot since it's D&D and I'm an old-school PnP guy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minifig Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Their site is down.. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x9248 Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Downloading at about 600kB/s. Youtube videos look kinda boring but it's D&D after all :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_r_nelson Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Installing. I wanted to try this so bad, but the reviews were not good enough to justify the cost. Free is my type of cost ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minifig Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Downloading at about 600kB/s. Youtube videos look kinda boring but it's D&D after all :p Real D&D with friends, beer and dice is a blast. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x9248 Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Well what can I say... Pros: Equipping is fun. Lots of customizing possible Solo play is available (no need for big groups like WoW or FFXI) Graphics aren't too bad Cons: VOIP sucks Combat is very... well boring Animations are kinda bland My buddy and I are going to play again tomorrow. This is just what I noticed doing the first couple of quests, hopefully it gets better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obiwong Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Well what can I say...Pros: Equipping is fun. Lots of customizing possible Solo play is available (no need for big groups like WoW or FFXI) Graphics aren't too bad Cons: VOIP sucks Combat is very... well boring Animations are kinda bland My buddy and I are going to play again tomorrow. This is just what I noticed doing the first couple of quests, hopefully it gets better. WESTWOOD, MA ? September 9, 2009 ?Turbine, Inc. announced today the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online?: Eberron Unlimited? (DDO Unlimited), a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which delivers heart-pounding gamfeaturing the industry?s best combat systemystem, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based MMOs :laugh: :laugh: lol really starting to wonder about the combat system i'll give this a try when i get home not gonna say no to some free D&D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashel Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 What is wrong with the voice support? Works flawless out of the box for everyone I know and is really needed for how fast paced the game is. I don't see how you can be so bored. I guess if you just fell off the boat then yes, being first level is kinda boring. Having a real time combat system with real, solid characters is something DDO did first and still does best imo. Lets not forget the game itself was released in early 2006. I disagree with your mischaracterization of solo play. While that has been tacked into the game to appease some lets be blunt, this is an unabashed multiplayer game, always has been, always will be. WoW is far too solo for my tastes which is why I jumped for DDO to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x9248 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 You might want to read my post better. How did I mischaracterize solo play? All I said was that it was available... is it not lol? :p I didn't say I was bored, I said combat was boring... which imo it is. That doesn't mean I think the whole game is boring. Now don't get me wrong tho, I've only experienced a fraction of skills, weapon types, classes, etc etc so my opinion could change at any time. As for VOIP hell I don't know, it's not like I could hear myself. Maybe my friend was just being a turd telling me he couldn't hear me :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Why couldn't they have kept Asheron's Call 2 up for free-play... especially considering they pulled the plug on it like 6 or 7 months after selling an expansion pack. Oh well I may give it a try. Tired it in the open beta but that was beta soo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 I wanna check it out. I'm tired of WoW. I want to play something that is at least as good as wow, without being wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Being an mmo in cities and not an mmo in "instances" is awkward and one of the reasons I really didn't like guild wars. The pricing options are really confusing and make it seem like the only way to get far is to buy all the stuff in the ddo store. Just seems weird to me. The graphics and gameplay are decent. I'll give it some more time. Me and my friends were talking about how we wanted to find a game as good as wow but not wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minifig Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Me and my friends were talking about how we wanted to find a game as good as wow but not wow. You won't find that in D&D O:EU.. :laugh: Hell, you'd be hard pressed to find that anywhere.. not even Champions Online is that good, and I love it to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Yeah. Blizzard has the money and the user base. The best other mmos can do is make their content free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashel Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Sorry for the confusion rpg81. That is what I was aiming at. Character/Quest variety doesn't really start to shine till mid-level and low level content is boring compared to what comes later. As for the voice, its not Skype quality but hey. I just don't want people think the game is a sandbox like WoW, as that just leads to disappointment. This isn't for WoW players, but action gamers that like RPG elements. You grind quests, not mobs. To do so effectively you need other players. Solo is possible, but rarely practical. The difference between a WoW mage and a DDO wiz/sorc is night and day. That is what made me fall in love with DDO to begin with. Shad, you can easily hit lvl8 with little repetition of free content. The store is just the easy button, not that the game isn't much easier in general, for good or bad, than at launch. If you are in doubt, play to lvl4 or so then go VIP. Its only $15 and if you get to four and still enjoy the game, its already paid for itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 You can actually get all the way to level 20 w/o paying a dime. If you goto the DDO store, you can buy the "Sigils" that unlock the higher levels. Or they could drop from various dungeons. At least that is my understanding. I played for awhile last night and it was pretty fun. I'm getting more into it now. Only level 2. The 3d graphics are good. The connection speeds and latency are all fine. The game seems well thought out. My only real complaints about the game are: * The UI looks hideous and very uninviting. There are a number of "widgets" embedded in the interface w/o any real explanation on what that widget is there for. 3d Graphics are actually quite good, but they are wrapped in 2d crap. There is a way to "skin" the UI, but I haven't found a good skin worth trying yet. * Don't particularly like swinging at barrels and crates to get gold and stuff. What is this, Zelda? I would prefer they just get rid of the meaningless stuff to break open and just have dead mobs drop gold or whatever. * The in-game help isn't very helpful. All that it provides is a search box. This is great if you know what you are searching for, but isn't very good for a newbie that doesn't even know where to start. A table of contents with links would help tremendously. Like I tried to search for "Hot keys" and "Keyboard shortcuts" but it lead no where. Ranting aside, I am pretty hooked on the game now. I need some advice: I'm trying to play healer class (cleric) and am having a hard time targeting my party members without using the mouse. Is there a keyboard shortcut or something that will allow me to easily target party members? I remember in one quest, I had to keep a particular friendly NPC alive for some waves of attacks. I was having a terrible time targeting that guy for heals whenever mobs were surrounding him. How would I cycle through friendly targets that are in front of me? In WoW I think it is ctrl-tab that does this. Also, is there a way to see the HP of all the mobs around me? In WoW I would press "v" and their hp would be above their head. In this one i find i have to cycle through all the mobs, which takes time. There isn't much time for these things though because of the fast pace. And here is an LoL: Lots of people were posting in general chat about how many level 80 WoW toons they had and what T9.5 gear they had and what have you. I couldn't help it, I responded: "<-------------------------------------------- killed hogger in wow O.o" Got a few LoLs and the relentless "I play WoW" spam stopped after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 This page on DDO Store prices makes me feel dirty and not want to play the game: http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/DDO_Store_Guide I don't really like the idea that I can buy into an option that gives me better loot. Or the fact that I may not have this option and another character does so they have a better character overall because of it. I think they should have went with having a "free" content area (or demo area) where you could play all the difficulties to your heart content. Then you could buy additional areas of the game if you want to. I don't really mind some of the options, such as the adding an additional character slot or buying a class/race. The adventure packs don't bother me either. What I don't like is the XP elixir, extra loot option, and all the in-game items you can buy. That kind of discredits the game world for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashel Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 (edited) All the 'good' loot still comes from quests and not from the store. They are usable by all and are handy, especially when leveling new characters (something you will do often if you enjoy the game). I'd rather a player used elixers and play the game than just buy a toon off eBay if it really comes down to it. Per your other issues: -I don't think the defaul UI is that ugly and it doesn't get in the way. I run a pretty minimal HUD for the most part. What widgets have you confused? The ddolite and lite_Red ones aren't bad skinsbut jack up the map usually. They really didn't build the game with this in mind I don't think which was their mistake. Not a lot in the macro/mod department. -All good loot comes from chests, people break things for the xp bonus, arrows, and the occasional potion, not for the 'lewtz' -Advice channel best way to find quick tips. The compendium and online help are for more directed items (hotkeys in config - RTFM ;) ) F1-F6 are hotkeyed to party slots by default. Q cycles though interactive items (and NPCs, though you should generally never have to heal an NPC if you're in a good group. I assume you are talking about Cannith Manufacturing). Active blocking, intimidate, and good CC are more effective.I'm not sure if there is an option for all player/mob health bars. Don't forget that since attacks are radius based you can get multiple glancing blows on surrounding mobs. I guess I can't think of a situation where I needed to see multiple mob health. I use V to hide all names as soon as the quest starts, I guess I find it more immersive that way. The overhead stuff is distracting to me. Most annoying thing for me is that they still haven't added a search field to the auction house. Argh! Edited September 15, 2009 by Dashel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 As I said, the online help sucks terribly. I searched for "Keyboard layout" "keyboard short-cuts" "hotkeys" and didn't get anything. Table of Contents FTW? That makes sense that I would use F1-F6. Thanks for the tip. I had the stupid "F-Lock" on and so my function keys were not working. We played for awhile last night. The quests in Stormreach were a lot harder than Kothos. Got to level 3. Got lots of fireworks and buffs to choose from. My friend who is playing a fighter was complaining that he didn't have very many abilities. Will he get more abilities? He is certainly doing more dps than our sorc. Thats how I remember the other D&D games. Fighter class was always the easiest to play but had less fireworks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGHammer Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 This page on DDO Store prices makes me feel dirty and not want to play the game:http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/DDO_Store_Guide I don't really like the idea that I can buy into an option that gives me better loot. Or the fact that I may not have this option and another character does so they have a better character overall because of it. I think they should have went with having a "free" content area (or demo area) where you could play all the difficulties to your heart content. Then you could buy additional areas of the game if you want to. I don't really mind some of the options, such as the adding an additional character slot or buying a class/race. The adventure packs don't bother me either. What I don't like is the XP elixir, extra loot option, and all the in-game items you can buy. That kind of discredits the game world for me. Actually, the best stuff is available in-game (without spending a penny of real money). Smashing crates and barrels (which even sorcerers can do, given a quarterstaff, which you can earn in the first quest!) lets you start grabbing loot. I'm currently a second-rank level 1 sorcerer, and I've barely been playing. Knocked down the first two quests already (Ceemak's quest, where you first have NPC help, and the dragon's scroll quest, which I tackled solo, deliberately), and it's been *decades* since I've played D&D (even then, it was strictly the pen-and-paper variety). While I have some RPG experience (mostly Guild Wars), DDO is different. Having knocked out the first two quests, I'm going to seek a sorcerer trainer and get more skillage before tackling another quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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