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Paladuck

Disclaimer: this review is the sole opinion of Paladuck and is based on roughly 10 hours of gameplay. Paladuck makes no representations as to the accuracy of any statements contained therein. Giv itam pl0x. kthx.

Dungeon & Dragons Online

Introduction
Originally released in February of 2006, Dungeon & Dragons Online (DDO) is an often-ignored and almost-forgotten MMO that is making its triumphant return as a Free-To-Play offering. DDO was developed by Turbine (known for Asheron’s Call and Lord of the Rings: Online) and is based off the well-known Dungeons & Dragon franchise. Although flawed in some respects, DDO is a surprisingly fun and deep game that has great potential for rising above the standard F2P fare.

Character Creation and Customization
Aesthetically, character creation is not as deep as other MMOs, but provides enough variety to satisfy most players. Eyes, nose, lips and hair can be customized to a certain extent, and limited facial markings are available (such as scars and piercings). Unfortunately you cannot change the height or body type of your characters. Also as a great detriment to the game, breast size is static (shucks).

Those familiar with D&D will feel right at home, but character creation can be quite complex for the uninitiated. The game features 6 playable races: Human, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Warforged, and Drow Elves, each having certain advantages and disadvantages. The last two can only be unlocked through the game’s shop. There are currently 11 classes available with no race restrictions: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Bard, Ranger, Rogue, Cleric, Sorcerer, Wizard, Monk and Favored Soul. Once again, the last two classes are only available through the game’s shop.

Customizing your character requires you to allocate stat points, choose feats and skills, and make other intimidating decisions that might drive a new player away. Fortunately, the game features three preset “paths” for each class that will allocate stats and skills for you based on your playing style or preference. The more hardcore player will undoubtedly opt to research and choose his or her own build.

Leveling and Multiple Classes
Although the level cap is only 20, the amount of experience and effort required to advance individual levels is substantially higher than most MMOs. Whereas going from Level 1 to 2 in a game like FlyFF takes no more than 4 swings of a wooden sword, levels in DDO are divided into different “ranks.” Going from 1-3 took me several hours of play.

When you reach enough experience for the next level, you go to a trainer to “level up” in that class. Interestingly, you do not have to level up in your chosen class, but instead you can gain a level in a different class. This greatly expands the amount of customization available in the game, as builds combining two more or classes are common (the build I’ve chosen is a Ranger with a “splash” of Monk).

Visuals & Sound
The visual quality in DDO is somewhat dated, but the graphics hold up reasonably well considering the age of the game. Some aspects look terrible (such as waterfalls), but in other areas the game displays remarkably good lightning effects. Overall, DDO is probably one of the best looking F2P games out there (next to Chronicles of Spellborn), and the graphics scale well (with a variety of settings and a high resolution version of the client)

The artistic style of the game is pleasing but not revolutionary. As expected, armor and weapons display unique graphics, but inexplicably the game does not display cloaks, gloves, or goggles. The colors also seem a bit drab and subdued, which thankfully can be helped a little by turning down the “bloom” filter.

The sound and voice acting is superb. Most quests are narrated by a “Dungeon Master” (i.e., “You approach the door to a dilapidated aqueduct” or something to that effect). Although a bit cheesy at times, the narration adds a bit of role-playing flair to the game and is a welcome addition, especially for those who are accustomed to skipping through quest text at the speed of light. As for music, the game seems to lack any kind of coherent musical score. Although most players quickly mute the music in the game, it would be nice to hear something, especially in towns.

Gameplay
Despite being labeled a MMORPG, DDO plays out as more of an action MMO with deep customization. Players move using WASD and must click to attack. Whereas in other MMOs players typically target an enemy, hit auto-attack and spam skills, DDO requires a bit more dexterity since a player must run around while clicking (or holding the mouse button down, or “swinging wildly”). True to a D&D game, calculating success of attacks is determined in part by “dice rolls.” Moving while attacking affects your hit rating. As someone unfamiliar with D&D I found the mechanics a little confusing, but my highly technically strategy of “clicking on stuff till it dies” has worked fine despite my limited understanding of D&D rules.

The available areas for F2P players, Korthos Island and Stormreach, consist of town areas with several entrances to instanced dungeons. Each dungeon can be played at four different difficulty levels (Solo, Normal, Hard and Elite), which at higher difficulties yield better loot, more experience and more challenges. Aside from dungeons there are “outdoor” areas that in turn have their own dungeon entrances. The lack of an expansive game world makes DDO closer to Guild Wars than a true MMO. Since F2P also seems a little gimped in terms of content, F2P players unwilling to pay might tire of the game quickly after running the same dungeons over and over at higher difficulties.

The dungeons themselves have features typically not seen in MMO games. Many dungeons feature puzzles that require you to rearrange tiles or hit levers in order to progress. While they are by no means challenging (at least the ones I have encountered), the puzzles offer a welcome change of pace from the monotony of killing and grinding.

Conclusion
Although DDO may pale in comparison to the more popular P2P titles on the market, its entry into the F2P field will undoubtedly cause a resurgence in popularity. Whether the game will be playable for those who refuse to use the CS is a different question, but that will become more clear once the game goes live. You can check out the website at http://www.ddo.com

Rating: *** (3 out of 5)

(Click for screenshots)

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Vesper

Not a bad review: 6.5/10.

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Sahat

Good read. Makes me want to play DDO even more but it buggs up on my compy :[

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xstaticalpha

Extremely nice review minor flaws

the judges have nade their decision
rated you 7/10
rated you 9/10
OnRPG rated you 0/10


then again what else can you expect from OnRPG


JKing on the OnRPG thing

Ryauneru

i can expect you to not speak for the entire community.

7/10

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xstaticalpha

im just kidding around

Ryauneru

goddamn it. i hate it when i can't tell if people are using sarcasm.

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SPACE

Pow! new guy got them arse handed! Dude awesome review 9/10
Edit: He was being sarcastic..? wewps.

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xstaticalpha

want me to make a paragraph post on why I was sacarstic...NO because
1) I dont have time for it
2) Bleh

SPACE

i don't/can't find any sarcasm hints here. sorreeeeh~

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