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PAX East 2010: Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 4 and beyond
PAX East in Boston kicked off yesterday, and we were lucky enough to have a visit with Fernando Paiz, the Executive Producer of Dungeons and Dragons Online. We spent some time looking at Update 4 as well as chatting about what else is in store for Dungeons and Dragons Online in 2010. Update 4 will bring the standard Adventure Pack, of course -- "Sentinels" is geared toward more low-level characters than the previous one -- but Turbine didn't stop there. Players were pretty excited and even more curious about the guild housing planned for this summer, with a lot of questions about it. Will smaller guilds be at a disadvantage? Do you have to spend money to access it? How is it all going to work? For all the answers, follow along after the jump to see what we heard from DDO's Executive Producer.
GDC10: Massively's picks for the best of GDC
GDC 2010 has come and gone and as we recover from the insanity a bit, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on our favorites from last week. Although the Game Developer's Conference isn't usually made to be as flashy as E3 or PAX, it is mostly catered towards students looking to break into the industry, panels and summits interesting to only other developers and a few demos. This in mind, we compiled a short list of what made the biggest impact on us, pertaining to MMOs. Although there were plenty of other exciting demos, booths and panels, we're keeping these awards strictly to MMO-related topics. Follow along after the jump for our complete list.
DDO State of the Game released
In our interview with Fernando Paiz last week, he mentioned that a state of the game address was coming for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The address was posted today, bringing news of exciting new updates coming to DDO. Guild housing, another update, a new race, bug fixes and more: DDO players have a lot to look forward to. Update 4 is scheduled for release in April, and is currently available on Lammania for preview. "Sentinels," the adventure pack coming with this update, will take players back out to Searing Heights as well as into House Deneith. You'll encounter undead and pirates. While this pack starts at level 7, Epic mode will be unlocked right out of the gate for high level players, so everyone will be able to enjoy it. The new adventure pack is exciting -- we all love new content -- but this time it's not the only big news by a long shot. There are new items coming to the game, guild housing (which is being implemented as a reward for guilds to work for), and even a new race. If you've ever wanted to play a half-orc, it's your lucky day. The list of additions to the game is extensive and promises to keep players busy for quite a while. Check out the state of the game address for the full story.
GDC10: Massively's interview with Dungeons and Dragons Online, part 1
Nine short months ago, Dungeons and Dragons Online was "the forgotten MMO": "a game that really doesn't jump to the forefront of the MMO market, but stays quietly in the background, chugging away with a loyal fanbase and consistent content updates." The timing of that story on Massively was uncanny, because ten days later Turbine dropped the news on the gaming community that Dungeons and Dragons Online was going free-to-play. Opinion on the decision was sharply divided, with many players saying they'd take a look at the game and a small but vocal minority declaring this to be the death knell of DDO. Today, the numbers speak for themselves. Their revenue is up 500%, they've had over one million new players, and you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who would refer to the game as "forgotten." Turbine has arguably set the standard for a hybrid free-to-play business model, and it's paid off very well. However, it wasn't always a sure thing and it certainly wasn't a snap decision. Follow along after the jump for our interview with Executive Producer Fernando Paiz at GDC as he explores the thoughts behind the business model and where it's taken Turbine.
One million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online
For all that the Penny Arcade guys may have made a joke about the old Dungeons and Dragons Online format, there's no disputing that the change to a hybrid free-to-play model has given the game a new lease on life. Groups aren't hard to find; the cities are bustling; and players have great things to say about their hybrid model which allows you to either work for rewards or pay a small fee for the level of content you want. Add to that Turbine's wonderful graphics and passionate devotion to their games -- and player-base -- and you can see why Dungeons and Dragons Online is just getting better.That's why it should come as no surprise to hear that since relaunching as a hybrid F2P in September, DDO has managed to amass more than 1 million new players who had never played the game before. According to Turbine, there are over twice as many paid subscribers as there were prior to the change. The revenue from DDO store transactions is now also over 500% -- three times the industry standard for similar titles!
Massively's tour through DDO Update 3
Recently, we posted information about the current release notes for Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 3, the latest in a series of updates from Turbine since Dungeons and Dragons Online went free-to-play last summer. The update is scheduled to go live on February 3rd, and is only the tip of the iceberg for Turbine's plans, including six content updates for 2010, with a new one added every two months. For now though, Update 3 offers more than enough to keep players very busy exploring all of the new surprises that it brings. The team at Turbine was kind enough to take us on another extensive tour of the new content, and since we are kind as well, we decided to share it all with you! Follow along after the cut to see all that Turbine has in store for DDO.
Dungeons and Dragons Online developer tour: The Dreaming Dark
Back in October, the kind folks at Turbine invited us along on a tour of Dungeons and Dragons Online's Update One, where we enjoyed an introduction to the newest Adventure Pack: "The Path of Inspiration." This month, we got the same treatment for the Update Two, which is scheduled to arrive later this month. If you enjoyed the Inspired storyline, you'll love this one. The Path of Inspiration introduced us to the Plane of Dreams, and this time we'll revisit the area in the culmination to the storyline that we began in Update One. This new Adventure Pack -- The Dreaming Dark -- is named for the creatures controlling the Inspired cult. We defeated the citizens of Dar Qat in Update One and now it's time to take on their masters. Follow along after the jump to explore The Dreaming Dark with us in this exclusive early dev tour.
Fernando Paiz talks game updates for Dungeons and Dragons Online
Good times seem to be here for Dungeons and Dragons Online -- the game has been enjoying a huge surge in popularity from its new free-to-play model, not to mention making quite a bit of money as a result. The game's executive producer, Fernando Paiz, mentioned the game's surge of popularity in the opening of his recent letter to the game's players, but that was hardly the end of the letter. Most of the letter discusses the upcoming improvements to the game, including the upcoming and aptly-named Update 1 that's scheduled for release on October 28th. One of the more interesting large-scale bits of information is the differentiation now being made between software updates and simple content additions. the game previously used a "module" numbering system for major patches, but Paiz points out that the changes made to the game have meant that content can be added independent of a full-on game update. Update 1, for example, will coincide with the release of a new adventure pack. It will also feature new options such as Veteran mode (allowing you to create a character starting at Level 4 instead of Level 1) and an Epic difficulty setting, further exploring the strength of the game's instanced dungeons. If you haven't yet tried Dungeons and Dragons Online -- and now that it's free to play, you don't have much of an excuse -- it might be well worth it to take a look at what the game has to offer in the near future.
Hit the Virtual Goods Summit 15% cheaper this year
The Virtual Goods Summit has been an annual event since 2007, and features speakers from organizations all over the world, all focused on virtual goods, and virtual economies. This year's summit in San Francisco features quite a lineup, including the delicious Steve Meretzky, Turbine's accomplished Fernando Paiz, the engaging John Smedley of SOE, and plenty more. Through the Virtual Goods Summit, developers and publishers share knowledge and get a deeper understanding of virtual goods and economies, how they function, their challenges and how to maximize the opportunities inherent in them. The Virtual Goods Summit runs on 30 October (with an optional half-day seminar on the 29th, covering the fundamentals and drivers of virtual economies, called Virtual Goods Summit University. Want to get to the summit with a 15% discount on general admission? Register for the summit and use the code MASSIVELY at the checkout, and save! There's also discounted early-bird registration until 29 September.
DDO Unlimited launch pushed back to September
Back in June, we first got word that the new free-to-play version of Dungeons and Dragons Online was going to launch on August 4th. But the folks at Turbine recently pushed that date back another month to throw on another coat of polish. Executive Producer Fernando Paiz made an official statement on the subject: "While we are very pleased with the performance of the game and are excited about the response from the players, we are committed to delivering a high-quality experience. We feel that more time is needed to deliver on this commitment."What exactly does this mean? We have no idea, but if waiting another month means a better game, we're all for it! Look for DDO: Eberron Unlimited to launch on September 9th of this year.
DDO goes F2P: An interview with Turbine
As the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMO gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch. Current subscribers will see no real change in the game, as what they're paying for now is what's included in the new VIP model. The F2P players will not exactly have access to the same features for free, yet they can purchase as little or as much as they'd like in the Turbine store with Turbine points. This allows more casual players the chance to play the game and only pay for those features they know they'll use. To help explain this new system, and answer some questions we had, we had a chance to sit down with Adam Mersky, Turbine's Director of Communication, Kate Paiz, Senior Producer for DDO and Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer for DDO. Keep reading after the jump to find out what they had to say.%Gallery-65663%
Dungeons & Dragons Online's new executive producer comments on Module 9
Dungeon's & Dragon's Online players are getting two new things as of late: the free Module 9 update and a new executive producer by the name of Fernando Paiz. The update isn't out just yet, but its preview notes are and they're pretty substantial. Players are getting level 20, which brings tons of new feats and powers, along with DX10 graphics support, combat, UI and many other improvements.If you're wondering who this new guy is, Fernando has actually been with Turbine for over three years and seems rather excited to be working with the team. We don't doubt that it's partially because he's now working with his wife, Kate.Mostly though, Fernando appears to be pretty excited about both Module 9 and what he calls, "an aggressive push to grow the game in 2009" We'll be curious to see exactly what that means. Will players be getting epic levels starting with 21? Seems like the thing to do at this point in the life-cycle of Dungeons and Dragons Online, but we suppose that we'll just have to wait for the official announcement.
