Several D&D Online Beta Articles
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From what I have seen of DDO so far, I am hoping that it will attract a more mature group of players than other games. I'd like to see friendlier, more role playing oriented people who won't be in it just for the "phat lewts." Maybe at the beginning the channels will be full of "l33t speak" and annoying drivel, but after six months, the people who don't "get it" will move on, and the real role players will be allowed to enjoy the game. To me, that would be the ideal environment for actually enjoying an online RPG, and THAT is the reason people should play. THAT is the reason I would continue to play DDO - the PEOPLE. The very thing that is ruining other MMO's will ultimately help DDO to succeed.
The second is at Stratics:
Another area that you'll find DDO being completely different from than many other MMORPG's out there is the extreme emphasis on GROUP PLAY - Turbine has taken the roots of their game to heart (i.e. Tabletop D&D) and focused almost every aspect of their game on requiring you to find others to play with. This is clearly not going to be another game that allows you to max out your characters by soloing the entire time. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find anything to do as a solo player even with the very beginning dungeons (some exceptions are out there, especially in the training dungeons). The entire purpose of this game is to encourage players to join forces as a Cleric and Fighter, or a Rogue and a Bard, or a Wizard and a Barbarian, etc, etc. And with the incredibly fast action-oriented combat that you'll find in DDO, you'll quickly discover exactly why it is important to have a wide variety of classes in your party. Even as a 1st Level Fighter, it doesn't take long for your 33 Hit Points to drop to nothing when you have 4 or 5 (or more) Kobolds beating down on you from all directions (positioning and shields are a critical part of your defense in this game). So knowing that you have a Cleric in your party can make a world of difference in how you approach every encounter. And you'll never look at a Trap or Treasure Chest the same way again once you convince a Rogue to join you for a night under the city.
The third is at The Corporation:
The good folks at Turbine have always done well with their own engines and DDO is no exception. The features range from full mirror effects to real-time deformable terrain, such as the floor above. Particle effect weapons and realistic animations, when that Hill Giant stomps, you fall on the ground or get thrown across the room when that Minotaur charges you. Oh, and the traps. Lots and lots of traps that I really don't want to spoil but let me just warn you: that chest sitting over there sparkling just begging to be looted, you'd best wait for your rogue (you have a rogue with you right? you don't want to miss out on those secret doors!) to give the all clear first. You can thank me later.
The fourth is at Warcry:
So my first impression has been one of amazement and feeling of thrill. I have never played a game that offers the challenges and play style that DDO offers. The combat itself offers the ability to block an attack or tumble out of the way. I use my shield regularly to bash opponents. Rogues are invaluable to a party as they alone can disable traps. Speaking of traps they offer an exciting obstacle in the game. In places you have to either have a rogue or be very resourceful to make it past challenges. I have found that my stats are a factor in things such as opening doors or activating runes. The need and desire for a group is great but I have never had a problem finding people with whom to play.
The fifth is at f13.net:
If you never played D&D before, recognizing a level 8 character as being (high level) requires an adjustment in thinking. That being said, you won't go from 1-10 in a long weekend. Turbine has taken the standard 3.5 D&D experience curve and multiplied by a factor of 10 due to the nature of the game. So instead of it taking 1000 experience to reach level 2, in DDO is 10,000. To counter act the long time between levels and the corresponding lack of (ding) moments, Turbine has added 4 Action Points in each level. So, when you earn 1/5 of a level, you gain an action point you can spend at a class trainer to get an improved stat, skill, new ability or feat; in essence, they are mini-levels. You can only have 4 action point upgrades at one time, and you can trade up to more powerful versions of earlier action point abilities. By way of example, my cleric currently has the Dwarvern Faith enhancement (adds spell points), Energy of the Zealot IV (yet more spell points), a +2 Wisdom enhancement (upgraded from an earlier +1), and a Devotion enhancement which makes my level 1 and 2 healing spells 40% more effective.
The sixth is at OGaming:
We ended up finishing a few more quests adding in other players, and having some leave. It was always easy to find people to join us, and we always seemed to have the classes we needed. Even at times when we didn't have a Cleric to run with us, we seemed to manage fairly well. My whole goal during the stress test was to see how far I could get, and test out these mini levels (as I like to call them). I did fairly well, with getting to the real 2nd level by the end of the night. I thought it would be much tougher, but it really wasn't that hard to do, and all the mini levels really seemed to go fast.
And the seventh is at The Arda Post:
The first mission I did was in the first Tavern and I was to head down into the cellar to retrieve a cask of ale which I momentarily was like, oh no. But when I did, that's when I entered my first instanced dungeon -- and it's where I really got an experience of how much this felt like D&D and how instancing can be a very good thing when the game system is built around it. When I picked up the cask, one of the walls slid open, letting me into a secret underground cave system. As I went further into the caves I came across a sleeping kobold. Well since I was playing a Rogue I decided to sneak up on him and I managed to take him out with a quick swipe of my dagger before he even woke up!! I was able to open the chest near him and take its contents back to the bartender. He then sent me back in to finish out the quest. The nice thing was I could do it then or wait and do it days later if I so desired.
