Gambit7

Welp, I broke down and purchased this game tonight (curiousity). I told myself a long time ago that I wouldnt buy this game, especially after betaing it for a very short time.

After reading some of the Gamespy posts and the gross indecision by the editors to come up with a definitive position, I thought it would be worth a shot again.

All in all, I actually really like this game... main reason, just the way it "feels". It's highly rewarding being able to go from quest to quest, dungeon to dungeon with your guildies and conquer not just MOBS, but an actual PROBLEM that needs to be solved. This game causes you to actually think.

During play, I found myself not even worrying about what level I was, what neat toy I might get, etc. I found myself worrying about HOW I was going to tackle the next problem without getting me and my buds killed. This to me is a good quality in a game. As well, I found myself actually FEARING the dungeons and wanting to complete the quests. Most other games, it's just a grind.. even in the instances, just kill a whole bunch of mobs and leave. DDO has purpuse to its play.

As well, I like the combat system a lot. It combines the die roll with good reflexes and common sense. You can actually block, counter, tumble and slide out of the way. If you're not facing the mob, u obviously cant hit him. Juggling this aspect with other usable skills and spells is quite interesting.

Yes, the game is un-polished in the sense it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of WoW. But I believe what they were trying to do is really focus on the party questing atmosphere the original DnD had. Sure, there are a few quirks and balance issues that have to be solved, but EVERY MMO goes through this, even WoW (heck, they're still foolin with the formula). I will say this, the game is silky smooth... unlike most other games at release.

Graphically, the game is very, very nice and will reward you if you have the hardware to crank up the juice. Musically, it feels very "bardish"... like you're in a medievel tavern. It actually is a pretty soothing soundtrack, which makes it easier to spend lots of time in-game. During combat sequences it could be a bit more exciting and varied though.

In conclusion, it's a nice "little" game. I dont agree with the pricing however. It's not a $50, $15/month game. It's a bit too simplistic to command that much fee. I can justify it if the Devs are really good on future content, but if not... it's a waste. In the short term, to me, it's a very entertaining game and I definitely plan on playing.

Redleg75

Cadian I thought 10 was the cap now? If it is 20 even better :-)

I like your review Gambit7, goodstuff.

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P8riot

That is very much what my first impressions were.. pretty much exactly. I don't feel the world is very large.. but it is very dense. Not being large is ok because.. well, they aren't done yet.. there is still a have a huge amount of dev space available to work with.. and this is only 'Stormreach' in Eberron. I imagine Stormreach is not the extent of this title.. especially if it wants a piece of WoW's $1Bn annual income.

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Gambit7

Yah, that was the other thing I noticed... the density. They dont waste gamespace, which I like. This enabled them to focus more on the dungeons rather then spending years figuring out how they're gonna render the terrain.

I'm not sure how quick they're gonna be able to keep up with the powergamers though. For now, there's PLENTY to do. Later on, of course, high lvl toons will take on more of a dungeon-guide/quasi-DM role... which can actually be quite entertaining even when you've done every quest. As well, the dungeons seem to be pretty replayable... for instance, you may enter a dungeon with doors/chests/runes etc. that you may not be able to get to. You may FINISH the quest, but you by no means conquered the dungeon. Last night this happened where we didnt have anyone with enough intelligence to read the runes and missed out on a few areas... or perhaps u cant pass an area without a thief... this makes one want to come back with a ring of intellect or some such buff. Or find the appropriate party-member.

How far this will go... we'll see. If the Devs truly take on the role of "DM", then keeping the adventure moving is important.

Zarku

Cap at release is 10, they have stated they will be slowly uping it to 20 (starting with 11 soon). They will be adding the 2 base classes, Monk and Druid, as soon as possible.

The Devs stated in many posts on their beta forums that they never intended this game to be power leveled. They have actualy said those who do (PL) have missed the "point" of the game and will miss most of the content. An example of this is how you see people running WW and Steam, they are missing so many other fun quests in their MMO mind set to get to Max Level. The trick to enjoying this game is exactly what you said, go slow, and forget that you are leveling.

Just my 2cp

Zarku