shadowfell-conspiracy
Latest
The Game Archaeologist: Classic MMOs in August
How few players do you need to have before operating an MMO becomes ridiculously unprofitable and in need of closing? In the case of The Matrix Online, we found out that the magic number was 500. I wouldn't have even guessed that so few people were in that game when its shutdown was announced, especially considering the vocal anguish that arose when SOE lowered the boom. I guess it goes to show that we're often quite clueless what goes on behind the curtain. There's always this balance between the number-crunchers (who need players and money to justify continued operations) and the passionate creators (who are often developers putting in the effort because they simply love the game and its community). If nothing else, it reinforced my belief that SOE does bend over backwards to keep these games running as long as possible, much longer than some other studios would in a similar situation. So what other news regarding classic MMOs happened this past month? It's time for another one of my patented roundups, complete with archaeological commentary!
Shadowfell Conspiracy now live in Dungeons and Dragons Online
The next major content expansion for Turbine's Dungeons and Dragons Online, known around these parts as Shadowfell Conspiracy, is officially live. Dragon-slayers across the globe can now cruise the prison city of Wheloon and venture into the mountainous passes of Stormhorms, killing new monsters, collecting new loot, and earning new levels along the way. Shadowfell Conspiracy brings a host of features to Dungeons and Dragons Online including new iconic heroes, the now-standard geographical expansion, and a level cap raise to 28. Two versions of the expansion are available: one collector's edition ($49.99) that includes three character slots and three iconic heroes and a standard edition ($29.99) including one character slot and one iconic hero. Both include varying quantities of Turbine Points and skill tomes. If you're curious to see Shadowfell Conspiracy in action, be sure to check out our in-depth look from July. [Source: Turbine press release]
Mountain hiking in DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy's Stormhorns
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Shadowfell Conspiracy, the game's second expansion, isn't just mucking about in a trashed prison city with your new premium classes. Turbine is taking us beyond Forgotten Realm's civilization to the Stormhorns, a mountain region that comprises DDO's first mountain wilderness area. For our third tour through Shadowfell Conspiracy's new content, we put on our hiking boots and headed out for some fresh mountain air. Will this region bring out the beauty of Faerûn or show the creaky underpinnings of this aging title? And why are we going out there to begin with?
DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy screenshots highlight new dungeon
What's more iconic to Dungeons & Dragons Online than dragons? Why, dungeons of course! And this latest batch of screenshots introduces players to the a new dungeon joining the game when the Shadowfell Conspiracies expansion launches in August. Dungeon-divers will have to plumb the depths of Friends in Low Places (yes, that is the name) to find ways to protect the citizens of Wheldon from the criminals who are planning to attack Harvest Hall, all while food supplies dwindle. Check out the 10 new images showcasing Friends in Low Places in the gallery below. [Source: Turbine press release]%Gallery-190160%
Dungeons & Dragons Online shows off A Lesson in Deception
If you can't trust the mastermind behind a gathering of criminals, whom can you trust? Dungeons & Dragons Online seems to imply you can't trust the mysterious benefactor uniting the criminals of Wheloon in the upcoming Shadowfell Conspiracy expansion. Calling the dungeon A Lesson in Deception doesn't imply that you'll reach the end and find out that everything is perfectly awesome... even if you'll be doing most of the deceiving early on by posing as a new recruit and infiltrating this den of thieves. If you're reading this and immediately want to get down and dirty with the infiltration of said thief-den, you're still going to have to wait. But you can examine several new screenshots showing off the dungeon, which looks to be ranging across quite a bit of territory in the city. So get ready to play cutpurse on August 19th and enjoy the preview until then. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release] %Gallery-190160%
Dungeons & Dragons Online screenshots show off new monsters
Just like its source material, Dungeons & Dragons Online is largely a game about killing new and interesting monsters across new and interesting landscapes. So the upcoming expansion Shadowfell Conspiracy really needs to have both. We've seen the landscapes, but now we're also getting a look at the monsters, some of which seem downright personable if you can get past the fact that they'll be trying to kill you. And if you look past the gore-soaked weapons. Maybe they're not all that personable after all. The shots in the gallery below include some general gaming staples (griffons), some specific Dungeons & Dragons staples (beholders), and some things that look like nothing even vaguely familiar. And rest assured, you'll be finding ways to kill every single one of them. So take a look at the gallery if you can't wait until August 19th to see the new face of your enemy. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release] %Gallery-190160%
DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy shows the beauty of Stormhorn mountains
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Shadowfell Conspiracy is exactly two months away today, so there's still some time to work up excitement over this Forgotten Realms-centric expansion to the game world. We've expanded our screenshot gallery to include 10 new vistas of the Stormhorn mountains, a wilderness area that will feature large in players' adventures. You can check out all of the beauty below: %Gallery-190160%
DDO screens bring us into a city prison
We recently learned of the dark prison city of Wheloon that Dungeons and Dragons Online players will be entering when Shadowfell Conspiracy releases this August. Turbine sent us several new screenshots of the interior of Wheloon, showing us that the slammer isn't always the jovial, cheery place that the movies make it out to be. Wheloon used to be a normal town, but when it became infested with Shar cultists, the King of Cormyr walled it off and turned it into a massive prison. As if it weren't already a place to actively avoid, the Shadowfell plane has opened up into Wheloon, inviting a bunch of nasty monsters to mix it up with hardened criminals. And yes, you'll be sent into the mix because that's what heroes do. Well, that and start up internet petitions. %Gallery-190160%
A tale of Forgotten Realms: DDO's Update 18 and the Shadowfell Conspiracy
Dungeons and Dragons Online's second expansion will not be like the first. In fact, Shadowfell Conspiracy might even be seen as a pseudo-sequel to DDO, a game-within-a-game that's offering players a fresh start in a favorite land. When the expansion hits on August 19th, players will be able to ignore all of DDO's Eberron content to start a new character at level 15 in the Forgotten Realms. Between the Forgotten Realms content that Turbine's added to the game in the past year and the new missions coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, players could conceivably level solely in this setting. It's obvious that Turbine's a little Forgotten-Realms-mad right now, although that's not a bad thing. The setting is a favorite among D&D fans, and while Eberron has its supporters, the studio obviously sees the Forgotten Realms as the future of this long-running MMO. While the expansion is still a couple of months away, today's Update 18: Disciples of Shadow update will serve as a prologue so that players can get started on their journey through this fresh land. We sat down with DDO's team to talk about Update 18, the new races coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, and the pre-purchase program that promises to give you head start. Read on, or else the wrath of the owl bear will be upon thee!
Turbine announces Shadowfell Conspiracy expansion for DDO
In a post wishing Dungeons & Dragons Online a happy anniversary, Senior Producer Erik Boyer did more than just reminisce on how far the game has come in the last seven years. He touched on a new enhancement system and incoming changes to astral diamond shards before slipping in the announcement of DDO's second expansion, which will launch this summer. Named Shadowfall Conspiracy, the expansion turns attention back toward the Forgotten Realms and will feature new regions, new quests, and an increased level cap (28). Players will also have faster access to the Forgotten Realms thanks to a new prestige character feature called Iconic Heroes that gets you into the action starting at level 15. More information on this feature will be available in the coming months. Boyer concludes his remarks with a hint about the true reincarnation system that will be focused on later in the year and a promise that "this year is going to be another great year for DDO -- with a big, cool new storyline, new D&D monster varieties, and powerful new character abilities."
