News Free D&D Online boosts paid subscriptions

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/10/19/free-d-d-online-boosts-paid-subscriptions/1

Turbine has revealed that releasing D&D Online for free has boosted paid subscriptions by 40 percent.

 

Nice going! My friend tried out the game (all he does is play MMOs) and he rather enjoyed it.

 

Played it for a few minutes, though it was rather dull and didn't like the Controls, I calmly strolled back to the more structured chaos that is 24/7 ctf_2fort to "frag som noobz".

 

seen´s nice, maybe I try it

 

How is the game, any good?

 

Don't bother with EVE, lol, it takes 6 months to get your first clue and about 2 years to be able to push your own vision, if you are properly trained up.

I think all MMOs should have the option, as in EVE, to pay with the ingame currency. This would push people to excel at the game and then offer them a reward (essentially free play) when they reach proficient levels.

Yours in paying with ISK Plasma,
Star*Dagger

 

I thought this game was really fun and it kept me interested far longer than WoW ever did. However, I was so disgusted by the blatant bait-and-switch advertising of 'Unlimited Free Play' that I eventually ended my subscription. In the beginner's area, all of the low level beginning quests are free to play and you suspect nothing. But once you level up a little bit and enter 'The Marketplace', about 2/3 of all the quests, especially the fun ones or the ones that you need to advance the plot or gain a lot of XP points, are pay to play, or VIP(subscribers) only. I wanted to actually experience the game so I was forced to become a subscriber because it was cheaper than paying around $15 per dungeon. I would have continued my subscription but alas I am a veteran PC gamer, a cynical one at that and if I feel slighted by the company or just like I am nothing but money to them, which is obviously the case with Turbine, I will not support that company. Good company, but bad treatment to gamers.

 

Shame to hear that, what sort of level does that kick in?, as i have got my bard to level 5, and haven't found any quests i couldn't do (well, not ones i couldn't do for that reason)

I'm definatly liking the game overall so far, something you will want a team for however. It's nice to see dungeons actually offer puzzles, and they do not joke when they say traps are dangerous (i got instakilled by one once) So its quite nice to see rogues needed in teams.

If you've played the PnP game, it's a pretty good translation (it even has a DM >< which still seems very eerie to me) The combat is also a lot more involved than most MMO's i've played, as is most movement (Running around parts of the harbour is like playing assassins creed )


Edit: and welcome to the forums

 

I was just about to start playing so I have a question: can you play by yourself?

If not, is there a similar game you can recommend, where you can play solo?

 

I tried it, liked it, and am one of those new subscribers who would probably never have even discovered it without the new f2p (free to play) model. It is true there are many quests that are paid for, but if you think you will be around for a while (or would like to) there are ways around it. First what I liked about it (and dropped LOTRO in the process), then how to maximize it without paying:

I loved the graphics and storylines in LOTRO, but hated the questing, which invariably was: kill 12 spiders, go cross the planet by foot, taking 20 minutes then kill 15 wargs, then cross the planet again, twice, etc. Moving around, even on an automated horse could take 10 mins easily. Combat was also unbelievably repetitive. BTW, these complaints about LOTRO illustrate what I love about DDO, which is nothing like this.

First of all, combat in DDO is plain amazing. It is visceral and dynamic. Enemies cast clouds of poison (for example), and you lose visibility until you move out of the cloud's area, you can go blind (screen turns black), lightning, fire, etc. Very spectacular. Rogues are not an option, as in some games, they are a necessity. Traps abound, each neater and nastier than the other and need disarming. The sheer variety of spells is amazing, and you will be using them too. And finally there are the classes themselves, which allow extremely varied gameplay even within the same class. In other words, variety isn't only choosing between sorceror and fighter, but even as a sorceror you can gear yourself to play as a major enchanter, converting enemies to your side while blasting them, or be a nuke, etc.

As to the economic model. Whining the game isn't all free is ridiculous IMHO, since the company does have to make money. That said, as you play, you gain favor with patrons (quest givers), who in turn give you TP (Turbine points) which can then be used to buy (FOR FREE) those very same quests. You wont get them all, but you can certainly select a few. In the DDO forums there are threads on maximizing pure free play. If you don't want to go the full subscription, you can buy packages of TP for $10-$50, which can then be used to buy almost the entire quest line. Every week there are promotions and some quest lines and areas will have 20% to 35% discounts. Again, there are threads in the forums on how to achieve this. Personally, the issue is always one of value for the buck. I can live with $15/month if I feel it is worth it. With a paid subscription, you obviously get all the quests there are, never a question asked, and can pay less by going for more months. I.e. I paid $40 for 3 months, which is easily worth it IMHO.

 

Yeah I'm soloing it myself, as no one I know plays it - they all are addicted to WoW. I like the fact that it is DX10 (or so they claim) and that when I go in a dungeon I can either opt to go at solo difficulty, normal or hard/elite (if part of a group). I play once a fortnight or so and MMO wise suits be fine.

 

I just started playing this yesterday. Initial impression is nice. Player moves around the world well. Have to use turn keys as he won't move 'forward' in the direction of the camera but instead moves forward in the direction he is facing. Would like to have an option to make movement keys move in relation to the camera. Still it seems very nice so far.