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Indian company purchases fifty percent stake in Codemasters
While some gamers in the US may not be immediately familiar with Codemasters, we know our readers across the pond will immediately recognize them as the company with the rights to publish Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and (the "who-knows-when-it-will-release") MMO Jumpgate Evolution overseas. With that said, last year we heard that the COO at Codemasters, Tony Williams, decided to step down from Chief Organizational Officer. Not too long after that, there were rumors that Warner Brothers was looking into buying the company. Today, it seems that a company from India called Reliance Big Entertainment has pounced, and now owns a 50% stake in Codemasters. Apparently, Reliance Big Entertainment is very well known in India. It's subsidiary company, Zapak Digital Entertainment, owns the largest online gaming portal in the country as well. This gaming-specific company will be the one in charge of overseeing the investment in UK-based Codemasters. As to what this could mean for MMO gamers in the EU, we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps Reliance/Zapak will see fit to close the gap in differences from the Turbine-controlled version of Lord of the Rings Online. Or perhaps this new company will finally roll the Codemasters version of Dungeons and Dragons Online over to the same free-to-play model that has been such a huge success for Turbine in the States. No matter what, this is going to be interesting to watch. [via Joystiq]
Dungeons and Dragons Online sees update to Module 7
The first post-module 7 patch has dropped to the Dungeons and Dragons Online live servers, taking care of a few outstanding issues. Probably the most welcome change was the fix to an accidental deletion bug. Players were reporting losing items when they tried to move loot from the bank to their character if their character had full bags. Other tweaks include the reapplication of spell failure chances, some modifications and improvements to the recently-added Monk class, and a few odds-and-ends corrections to collection bags.The official forums also has a known issues post up, allowing players the comfort of knowing certain bugs are being addressed. Our favorite in-the-game-right-now bug: "When attempting to guide your teammate across the chasm in the 2nd puzzle room of the Abbot raid, please be sure to remove your goggles before recalling after failure or success, as recalling with the goggles equipped could cause your party to become stuck during the loading screen."
Rumor: Dungeons and Dragons Online coming to consoles
Our good friend reader Schad sent us a tip that rings strangely true, as weird as may sound: Turbine may be releasing Dungeons and Dragons Online for the Xbox 360 and/or PS3 consoles. The game is riding high after their big Module 7 release last week, and connecting the dots on this just might mean DDO is console-bound.Before you try to throw the case out of court, hear out the evidence first: Schad notes that Turbine's careers page calls for a console engineer, and if you read the description of what they're looking for, phrases like "extend the functionality" and "updating Turbine's MMOG engine" point directly to a console port kind of situation. And the DDO team specifically has just recently announced that big changes are in the air over there -- they've suspended the "Weekly Dev activities" alert, saying that what they're working on is under wraps, and that the Turbine PR team is giving them more focus. Which is exactly what you'd expect from a console port. Doesn't sound as strange after that, does it? And after thinking about it, DDO's "real-time" control scheme does lend itself very well to console controls, and the ongoing rumors that the game is going free-to-play would also make things easier for a console version. It's still a rumor for now, but all the signs we can see point to a possible console-based Stormreach in the future.
Massively covers Dungeons and Dragons Online's Module 7
DDO's Module 7 goes live today, and boy, if you're looking for information about it, you're in the right place. Massively has been covering Module 7 since before Module 6 dropped, and just in case you missed out on any of our great coverage, it's right here for your perusing pleasure. Live at Connect '08, we provided coverage of the DDO panel, including a first look at the Monk class Turbine released in this patch. Shortly after that, we chatted with the woman herself, DDO Senior Producer Kate Paiz, on what worked well with Module 6, and everything else they were planning in Module 7 and beyond. We covered "Monk Week" and the official Turbine events leading up to the game. Not only did we provide great original coverage, but we aggregated coverage from around the 'net, including other interviews with Ms. Paiz, as well as official info drops (and did you take advantage of your chance to grab the soundtrack?) And finally, Massively's got the dungeonmaster of all Module 7 previews, including the number one reason you'll want to roll a Monk, a look at the Gary Gygax shrine and the new midlevel content, the new high level instances and bosses, and even an exclusive video preview of what you'll see in Module 7 (which you'll find right after the break). We critted on the coverage of this new patch (going live today), and you get to be the one to claim all the loot. Before you sign in and check out Module 7 today, be sure to check all the links above and read about it here.%Gallery-23551%
Turbine slates DDO Module 7 for release on June 3rd
Turbine has announced the date that Dungeons and Dragons Online's Module 7 will move to the live servers. Get your wands of Magic Missile ready for June 3rd! Yesterday we posted a preview of all the new dungeon-crawling goodness. Mike Schramm put together a lengthy discussion of all the Mod7 additions, including Monks, a revamp to Three Barrel Cove, and a demon-tastic raid boss. We also have on offer a video showing firsthand what these new areas look like. Take a look!%Gallery-23551%
D&DO Module 7: The Monk
When we first sign on to the special Demo server Turbine had set up to show us Module 7, we found that they'd created a level 16 Monk for us to play with. The Monk class has been in the pen-and-paper game for a long time, but DDO is introducing them with Module 7 as the tenth player class in the game.As we signed in and got set up, the folks from Turbine introduced themselves: Kate Paiz (who we've spoken with before) is the game's senior producer, and Stephen Muray, lead systems designer, and Jesse Smith, a content designer on the game, also joined us as well (Turbine's Director of Communications, Adam Mersky, also spoke up at the end of the session). As the screen loaded up, Paiz said that with the design of the Monk, they wanted to create a class that played significantly differently from anything they tried before. All of D&DO's combat is real-time (as in, you must press a button to attack, rather than just choosing a target), and the Monk's new abilities add a twist to this system. Basically, the Monk has four different stances (Ocean, Mountain, Wind and Sun -- the developers said they drew a lot of the Monk's lore from Dungeons and Dragons' Oriental Adventures supplement book), and each tweaks his or her abilities and attacks -- during most of the playtest, we used the Sun stance to try and do more damage, though the designers said that depending on how the Monk is specced, he would also be able to tank and or do some self heals and group buffs as the class trained up. All of the Monk's abilities are governed by Ki energy, which can be tseen in a meter below the health bar, and is simply earned by attacking. Muray mentioned that this was to counterweight the pen-and-paper Monk's "times-per-day" abilities -- in pen-and-paper D&D, many Monk abilities can only be performed once or twice a day, and while Ki energy still lets players perform Monk tricks much more often, they are still kept limited enough that choosing what abilities you use your Ki on is very important. "Did you just Abundant Leap across that gap? Nice!" But one of those abilities stands above the rest: Abundant Leap (a variant, we were told of Dimension Door in the pen-and-paper game). Starting around level 10 or 11, the Monk can perform a move (with a low cooldown costing a very low amoung of Ki) that pushes them forward in space with a quick jump -- as you hit the ability, the screen blurs, the Monk leans forward, and suddenly you're about 15 yards ahead of where you last stood. Abundant Leap was, during our session, the most fun thing to do as a Monk -- even in noncombat situations (and perhaps especially in noncombat situations), we were leaping and jumping as much as we could. Once, to cross a gap, we jumped, in midair hit the leap ability, and landed gracefully on the other side. It's a minor ability in the overall scheme of things, but Abundant Leap, almost more than any of the other moves we used, makes you feel like a Monk.Overall, the class seems fairly balanced, and Paiz said that they had put a lot of time trying to keep the class not only faithful to the pen-and-paper version, but also a dynamic part of the MMO environment. It should definitely be a fun reroll for everyone playing DDO, and for the players who level it all the way up, the later abilities should offer a lot of interesting twists on what the team has created in the game.After loading the game and playing with the new class for a bit, our game began in sight of a peaceful shrine to one of D&D's greatest heroes.Click here to continue the preview...
Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7
Dungeons & Dragons Online continues to hold their own in a quickly-growing MMO world. When DDO first showed up as a licensed MMO of the grandaddy of roleplaying games, their main goal was just to meet expectations -- so many people have been a fan of the pen-and-paper game for so long that putting it into MMO form was no easy task. But since release, the DDO team has made improvement after improvement, and added so much content to the game that it's moved beyond the license to stand on its own as a very singular kind of MMO.Massively got a chance to sit down with the team and take a look at the latest update, Module 7, due out on June 3, and currently in public testing. In addition to some extended playtime with the new Monk class, we got to see updates to the lower level Three Barrel Cove area, a shrine to recently passed-on D&D creator Gary Gygax, and the new raid area under the destroyed Marketplace tent, as well as a few new monsters and raid bosses that can be found down there.To start your tour through Module 7, just roll a d20 and click on through. To jump to any section of the walkthrough (including directly to our exclusive video preview, if that's what you're looking for), hit the links after the break.%Gallery-23551%
Learn how to be a Monk from the Dungeons and Dragons Online masters
Tomorrow on the Dungeons and Dragons Online test server (otherwise known as Risia) masters of the ancient martial arts will be forming sparring parties in the taverns of Stormreach. As a kickoff to "Monk Week" and a preview of the upcoming Module 7 release for the game, players can hop into test for an old fashioned kung-fu brawl or two. These locations will be playing host to the ancient Masters: The Wayward Lobster, located in the Harbor The Hammersmith Inn, located in the House Deneith ward The Open Palm, located in the House Jorasco ward The Phoenix Tavern, located in the Marketplace Interested players can head there to form parties and try out their new abilities against each other in head-to-head PvP action. Commemorative headgear will be handed out by the GM participants, who will also be forming sparring teams. Make sure to get there early to avoid the rush. Instructions for getting onto Risia are avaiable on the official DDO site.
The Monk and more in DDO
Dungeon & Dragons Online's upcoming free content expansion, Module 7, is fast-approaching it's May release date, and we couldn't be more excited about the goodies we have in store for us. The fine folks at MMORPG.com were able take this opportunity to chat with DDO's Senior Producer Kate Paiz about more details on what was previously reported about this expansion as well as future expansions.Module 7 will introduce us to an improved crafting system and new eldritch rituals, a high level wilderness area with two new raids, a revamp of Three Barrel Cove, and something DDO players have been pining after since release: the debut of the Monk. Reportedly, the Monk is in the balance and bug-fixing stage with some minor artistic fine-tuning going on before it's release.
Massively interviews Kate Paiz of Dungeons and Dragons Online
Dungeons and Dragons Online continues to plough on as a successful (to its players, at least) little MMO based on the official, original pen-and-paper board game. Just off the release of Module 6 and the recent second anniversary of the game, Massively got to interview their senior producer Kate Paiz. She talked to us about the upcoming Module 7 (including a little tip that lower level players will enjoy), the main goals of her dev team as Wizards of the Coast heads toward the release of the pen-and-paper game's fourth edition, and, oh yeah, that Penny Arcade comic that Ms. Paiz featured prominently in.The interview starts right after the break, so grab your masterwork Vorpal blade, your +4 Shield of Blocking, and wade on in by clicking below.
