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Author: The Shaman
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DDO REVIEW
It’s hard not to pay attention to any game holding a license for Dungeons & Dragons. With a rule set which has more history, play time, and testing than any video game could possibly hold the question becomes one of adaptation. In the past there have been a plethora of games for both console and PC which have made both excellent and poor attempts at designing game play around the original pen and paper RPG. As a huge fan of the original pen and paper game I am immediately suspect of such games and always approach my review with less trepidation but more of a quiet resolve to discover what sacrifices were made in order to make the game feel like D&D. The prevalent questions which race through my mind as I dig into the game are almost always the same but produce such drastically different answers for each D&D title. With Dungeons & Dragons Online being the first MMORPG, these questions were further broadened to encompass a few new areas as well.
Character Creation
The character creation for DDO holds a good deal of options. There are plenty of appearance options to keep all but the most hardcore role playing crowd happy. From a wide range of hair, eye, and skin tones to multiple facial details (including scars and piercings) you run an extremely low risk of running into your long lost twin a few months after release. In fact the only appearance customization this game seems to be lacking is the ability to scale your character in height and weight. While DDO does offer all the standard races with the addition of Warforged and each race does have their own height differences it would still be nice to be able to scale your character.
After you have designed your character you will also have the option of further customizing your character’s attributes, skills, spells, and feats. Turbine does offer a generic template for each class which, for less experienced D&D players, would most likely be a blessing. However, if you know exactly how you want to play your character you are given the option to further tweak him/her for their desired traits. The customization is very smooth and comprehensible and leaves you feeling a bit like rolling a character on paper, “If I only had like two more points in my Con”.
Graphics, Memory, and Updates
DDO’s graphics are done very well combining excellent modeling and texturing with low overhead to provide smooth game play even at high resolutions for a wide range of video cards. I first tried the game on an ATI X1800 XL at 1600 x 1200 with every possible setting maxed out and did not experience a single bit of noticeable frame loss. I then moved to an older machine with a Radeon 9700 Pro and was still able to run the game at 1600 x 1200 with everything but AA and AAF turned all the way up. In addition the client has a very small footprint and does not bog down your entire system while it is running. This means you can still browse Ebay for your mom’s birthday present while you’re waiting for the rest of your party to sell off their loot. While this doesn’t effect game play too much, it’s a nice bonus and a testament to Turbine’s experience in coding MMORPGs.
While only being in beta long enough to experience a single update, the client is designed very friendly so that all updates are done previous to launching the client. No more logging in to find out you have to exit in order to auto-launch a patcher as seen in a few other games.
Audio
The music in DDO is neither inventive nor annoying. It provides a good background with themed music for each of the different areas you will adventure through and is kept at an appropriate level. The sound effects however are excellent with a wide variety of noises for each of the different weapons and spells. With such an active combat system you will primarily be focusing on these anyways as well as the screams of your party members telling you to stop looting while your party is being attacked by mobs. The nice thing however is those screams will be coming through your headset realtime. DDO features a voice chat system built into the game which we hope will stay in place after launch.
The DM / Narrator gets a special note in my review. First, the guy’s voice is outstanding and really fits the game well. Second it works to add that bit of throwback to the pen and paper game that makes the game even more inviting. It’s very comparable to hearing a DM give you an overview of the immediate area with a quick one liner. Turbine even takes this a step further for characters with a high “Spot” skill. For example, if you are a rogue and walking through a dungeon you might hear the DM say, “(Spot) You notice a draft here which is coming from a nearby wall”. This is a very immersive quality of the game which I would love to see expanded even further for launch or even post-launch.
Character Progression (Quests, Kills, and Leveling)
This is where DDO takes a beeline for the D&D crowd and changes up a lot of rules that traditional MMORPGs have always following. I have to admit which I first heard, “no XP for killing monsters”, I was a bit unsure that anything of the sort would work. However, after playing for only a week I can really appreciate the way the system works and surprisingly, it does work. Advancing through the game you can being to appreciate the lengths to which Turbine has gone to make a Quest XP only game. Each dungeon is well balanced and introduces some interesting tactics in order to increase the amount of XP you will receive from any particular quest.
This MMORPG above all the rest stands out in my mind as a thinking man’s (or woman’s) game. Learning a level comes with a huge benefit and plotting your path and method of attack can help you reduce the amount of time you spend in the quest as well as increase your XP per quest. Additional XP can be gained by killing a certain percentage of all monsters in the dungeon, disarming traps, completing optional objectives, and even smashing the majority of crates and boxes within the map. As you progress through the game the benefit to learning each level and bringing along the correct set of characters becomes more apparent. For example, bringing a rogue into mission with 20 traps not only saves you some HP from being hit by them but you could also receive up to a 25% bonus to your XP for the quest. In addition, some optional objectives and big loot chests can only be completed or accessed by having a character with a high strength, high intelligence, lock pick skill, etc… Overall, these new systems put in place by Turbine make for a refreshing change of pace from the norm as well as add teamwork and parties to the “Essential” category.
The level cap is currently 10 for launch however there are 5 ranks for each level. You might want to think of each rank as a level which would make 50 levels total. At each rank you’ll get to choose an enhancement for your character but you may only have 4 at a time. This means later enhancements must replace earlier ones. In some cases you may see a level II enhancement become available at a new level which would replace a level I of the same type. Some classes, such as casters, appear to have a more filled out enhancement selection where as some of the melee classes are left out once again.
The enhancements however will allow you to spec your character for a little more customization and since you do have the option of changing 5 times per level it feels less like 10 levels and a bit more like 50.
Combat
Another different approach by Turbine; this time however, not without its sacrifices. The combat system in DDO is very active. Rather than standing idly by your opponent and using a powerful skill set to kill your enemy you are given a very limited skill set and must maneuver your character into (or out of) position to attack or defend. Defending itself is an action as well, bound to the left shift key by default. This will drastically increase your armor rating and you can even throw out a shield bash to your enemies face if you feel so inclined. The sacrifice however is the aforementioned lack of skills. As a fighter or a rogue do not expect to have a pool of skills. In fact, you may only have handful of useful skills even at max level. This is an area I feel needs a bit more attention from Turbine. The quick fix is to play a caster so that you will have your pool of spells to draw on in order to liven up the combat system. If you are playing a melee class, be sure to watch the dice rolls at the bottom right of the screen. Watch for bonuses to hit dependant upon where you are standing against your opponent and if the dice disappear altogether and you are still swinging away, you might be out of range. Ranged attackers might also feel a tinge of pain to the lack of skill set as well as the reload time it takes to notch an arrow or bolt.
Looting
The looting system is extremely party friendly. Each chest or lootable item which is found may be looted by each party member. Each character will receive their own loot from each item. This is yet more evidence towards the fact that DDO is geared towards parties. In fact you will receive no XP or loot loss from having a full party of 6 characters versus just soloing by yourself. The same amount of monsters will be present as well making parties the way to go even when looking at leveling from an XP / hr stand point.
Also in your adventures you will find a ton of lootable items which give collector items. These maybe exchanged at the appropriate collector for a wide range of items most notably weapons of CREATURE bane; where CREATURE is just about any type of creature in the game. Carrying a few of these weapons around (one for each creature type) is crux to quick quest completion. The amount of damage gained makes it worth doing a single quest over and over again just to get collector items to hand in.
Gear (Armor, Weapons, etc…)
The obtainable gear in DDO is decently varied. There are a variety of different textures for even the same type of armor. For example, there may be four different models for a heavy mace. In addition, there are also effects that may be added to weapons such as flames or ice or lightning, etc… There are currently no textures for belts, boots, cloaks, and other jewelry and trinket pieces so you characters walking around in game might tend to be very similar looking apart from their faces. This of course could all change before launch as I’m guessing the system to change textures for each individual item is already in place.
That being said, the textures which are in place look great and the armor functions by much the same rule set as the 3.5 (D&D) rules. Any weapon or any piece of armor may be equipped by any character regardless of proficiency but your will, of course, be penalized for not having the proper skills. In addition, as in the D&D rule set, you will not be able to cast spells or sneak around in heavy armor, etc… Wearing heavier armor will also reduce the length of time you can hold your breath, which is a nice touch.
Storyline
An extremely thought-out storyline with excellent writing graces DDO. Quests are very comprehensible with icons automatically added on your minimap for where you need to go next and which NPCs will give you quests. There’s no wasting time trying to figure out where “over the second hill where the grass meets the big stone” is, thankfully. Instead, the story flows easily and many quests have multiple chapters in order to help draw more of the role playing crowd into the game.
Overall
If you are or have been a D&D fan then this is a game that has been worth waiting for. In fact if you have long been a paper RPG player and have not yet made the shift to online games then this is the game you should make the jump on. With an immersive world to explore, great writing, a rule set you’re already comfortable with, top notch graphics, and a game which pushes you to take a full adventuring party into battle you will be sucked into the world of Stormreach in less than 2 hours at most.
If you are a more experienced MMORPG player who has been playing everything to hit the streets since Meridian 59 then you’ll definitely enjoy this fresh take on your beloved genre. While it may be a bit of an odd change, you’ll soon find yourself plotting the fastest way to hit the level cap regardless of the new rules.
Regardless of your experience with MMORPGs or RPGs, DDO has a lot to offer all skill levels. While there is still a bit of work to be done before the game goes live, I truly like what I see and after just a small adjustment period I’m already hooked on playing. The game feels more focused on intelligent playing rather than grinding out 60 levels and there is a lot of room to expand content and levels in the future. DDO is a game I will definitely be playing on release. In fact I’ll be playing up until release as well! That being said, I’ve put together a few pros and cons for a quick overview below.
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