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DDO Update 5: Massively's interview with Fernando Paiz
Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 5 has been out for a while now, and it came on the scene to mixed reviews. Some players were unhappy about the combat changes, bugs here and there caused problems, and there were a couple of hotfixes in the first few days. The new adventure pack and guild renown system balanced it out nicely, though. In spite of continued glitches they were viewed overall as a great addition to the game. We were curious about several aspects of the update and what Turbine has planned for the immediate future, so we posed a few questions to Executive Producer Fernando Paiz. Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say about DDO's Update 5.
Exploring Eberron: The great dice notation debate
Recently there was a community kerfuffle over the way the dice notation is phrased in Dungeons and Dragons Online. Instead of the traditional 1d6, 2d4, etc., the game was stating "does 6-16 damage," for example. The change was made because players new to the game and unfamiliar with traditional DnD were having trouble understanding what the phrasing meant. On the surface, this just does not seem like a big deal, and many players were left wondering "So what? Why get so bent out of shape over a little thing like that?" Well, there's a very good reason, because it's more than just a simple matter of phrasing. The dice notation change is a handy illustration of something that many DDO players are very concerned about: Dungeons and Dragons Online becoming just another standard-issue fantasy MMO that just happens to have some familiar names scattered about. Follow along after the jump as I look at the underlying issue of the dice notation debate and what it means for DDO.
Dungeons and Dragons Online getting guild airships in next update
We're not sure who clued Turbine into this particular fact, but our two favorite things on this earth are, in order: boats which use primitive yet impossible technology to travel through the skies, and owning property. The fifth major update to Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will manage to incorporate both of these elements into the free-to-play MMO when it launches June 28. Not only will the update give your guild access to soaring, winged home bases, it will also add the "Carnival of Shadow" scenario to the game, which sounds like the worst carnival ever. Check out the game's blog for more information on this new adventure, or check out the gallery below to catch a few glimpses of DDO's pretty new airships. %Gallery-94199%
The Daily Grind: How would you make a D&D MMO?
We've made it no secret here at the Massively offices that we love us some Dungeons & Dragons Online (especially with our regular Wednesday evening guild play), but we'd be naive to think that DDO is the last D&D MMO we'll ever see. Considering that the franchise has a long tradition of console titles, PC games and MMOs (dating back to 1991's Neverwinter Nights), we'd go as far as saying that another D&D MMO is probably closer than we'd expect. So if you could define the parameters of this theoretical new game, what would you choose? What studio would handle it? What D&D setting would you like to play in the most? What edition of the rules? How would you overcome the difficulties of transitioning the pen-and-paper game into a MMORPG? Would it follow DDO's highly instanced format, or be something else entirely? Cast your level one spell of Creative Thought, and let us know: how would you make a D&D MMO?
Cryptic to announce new MMO later this summer
With Star Trek Online and Champions Online chewing the scenery and igniting passions on both sides of the aisle, it's sometimes easy to forget that Cryptic Studios has a third project brewing in secrecy. Long rumored to be a D&D MMO -- perhaps even Neverwinter Nights -- the Cryptic folks have been, well, cryptic about the title. It looks like we may find out in a few months, however. In a recent MMORPG.com interview with Bill Roper, Cryptic's Chief Creative Officer cracked a small window into this upcoming announcement: "I can't speak to the specifics of what we're doing, but it's true that we have another game in the works. We won't be making an announcement until late summer, and we're still a ways off from launch. I can say that this is a game and a franchise we're very excited about. I think people are going to pleased and a bit surprised with what we're doing in terms of the game, how we make it, and even how we sell and support it. The game is being developed around new design principles merged with Cryptic's community-first approach to ongoing development."
The Road to Mordor: Becoming a true Tolkien lore-master
Every Friday, The Road to Mordor brings you the latest in Lord of the Rings Online news, guides and analysis. Every MMORPG comes bundled in with what we call "lore" – that is, the background story of the entire world, the framework which holds the game together. Although some people claim to ignore the lore of the game to "just play it," everyone's aware of the lore at least to a certain point. Without it, we'd be generic heroes fighting generic mobs in generic settings. Lore provides the Who, the What, the Where and the Why of the virtual world around us. Who are those guys I'm fighting against? Why is it important that I beat them? Where did they come from? What history do they have? By providing context, lore enriches the game experience, and as such, it's a vital part of constructing a good MMO. Don't believe me? Think back to some of the blander MMOs that you've played or seen – chances are, they're pretty weak in the lore department.
Bring Dungeons and Dragons to your $15,000 game table
What happens when you marry board games and video games? The electrical pixel explosion of that chocolate into peanut butter hasn't been fully realized yet, so besides a handful of Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne and Hasbro Family Game Nights, there's not a heck of a lot going on. However, what happens when you force role-playing games and video games into a shotgun wedding? Pure magic for rich people. During GDC we took a look at a student project called SurfaceScapes that brings D&D to the Microsoft Surface. It's not just a simple "Ooooh, touch the screen to activate your character sheet!" port of the pen and paper game, but a touch-tastic experience that will blow your mind. Plot a miniature down on the Surface, and it recognizes your character. You can pull up radial menus for actions, spells, and attacks, see your line of sight, move your character, and run the entire game just using your power of touch.
Cryptic's Jack Emmert: No Plans For Consoles, STO over 100K subscribers
"100% of our focus is on making the current PC product the best it can be. There are no current plans for a console version of Champions." Thus sayeth Cryptic Studio's Jack Emmert on the official Champions Online forums, ending speculation when or if this event would happen. Over the past couple years, it looked as though Cryptic had console ports in its plans, from bringing on board console engine programmers to public plans of expanding their subscriber base into the console market. However, when the date for the supposed console release kept getting pushed back, players grew worried, and now it seems that the concern was justified. This might have been compounded by the fact that recently Champions Online experienced a major transition as executive producer Bill Roper stepped down and Shannon "Poz" Posniewski took over. The folks over at The Big Freaking Podcast grabbed a bit of face time with Jack Emmert, Cryptic's Chief Operating Officer, to expand on this news as well as the future for Champions and Star Trek Online. Read on for the highlights of this interview!
Third update hits for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited
click to make resolution slightly less limited When a free expansion hits for a free-to-play MMO -- in this case, Turbine's Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron Unlimited -- no one is really free to complain (though some no doubt will). Today's drably-titled "Update 3" brings with it a removal of leveling sigils, extending all of the game's items to every player, plus a new Casual Mode for solo players and parties up to the level cap of 20. More dungeons have also been added, geared toward high-level players, and two live events -- The Traveler's Treasure Hunt and The Risia Ice Games -- are planned to "celebrate DDO's fourth birthday" with prizes (of the physical variety). Most importantly, Ski Lift Hot Cocoa and Candy Cane Ice Skates have been added to the DDO Store. (Finally!) %Gallery-84623%
Wisconsin jail outlaws Dungeons & Dragons
[Image: Wiki Commons] And here we thought Wisconsin couldn't get any more depressing. Kevin T. Singer, an inmate at Wisconsin's Waupun prison, has been upset with a policy enacted in 2004 that banned all Dungeons & Dragons in the jail. Officials there cited the game promotes gang behavior and subsequently confiscated all of Singer's D&D materials. Singer's long been a fan of the pen-and-paper game and tried to appeal the policy, but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals filed in favor of the prison on Monday, stating that its policy wasn't unreasonable. Singer argued that the ruling is a violation of his First Ammendment rights, but we guess he failed to gain respect for his cause when he signed his appeal with his elvish mage's name: Gilchall Helehuialagos. [Via G4]
First Impressions: Alganon
Today's First Impressions could use a little bit of external reading before you go too deeply into it. So I'm going to start by linking an article that's nearly seven years old but still excellent -- Fantasy Heartbreakers. Now that you've all clicked "Back" in some confusion or just avoided the link in the first place, some explanation. The article is the origin of a term that pen-and-paper RPG fans have come to use to describe a certain type of game referenced in the article. It's referring to the countless game companies who thought they could make a game that was better at being Dungeons and Dragons than, well, Dungeons and Dragons. Many of the games in question weren't bad games -- sometimes even good ones -- but they were built on the fundamental premise that they would be "like D&D but with X." Some of you probably see where this is going, or got it as soon as you saw the term. Because we're all very aware of how predominant World of Warcraft has become in the MMO marketplace, to the point where it's the essential standard that other MMOs are judged against. Alganon, then, could be seen as our genre's first fantasy heartbreaker. Because it's genuinely tough not to play the game and see that there's some really good stuff in here.
The evolution of classes
Classes are one of those central components of our MMOs. From the early days of Dungeons & Dragons to the use of class based systems in MUDs, we've been relying on the concept of characters with unique sets of skills working together to get the job done. Andrew Vanden Bossche over at Gamasutra has recently sat down and looked at everyone's favorite FPS, Team Fortress 2, to analyze how classes have gone beyond their original roleplaying roots. While the article isn't exactly MMO-focused, it certainly does have bearing on our genre as we too begin to branch out away from the sword-and-board fantasy and into FPS territory with games like Global Agenda and Darkfall. So if you want to see how experience and bullets go together while making gameplay more social and fun, check out the full article at Gamasutra.
Attacking the holy trinity of MMOs
If you've played MMOs for any length of time, you've probably grown very familiar with the trinity. You can't help but be acquainted with it in any sort of group content, where in more games than not there's that split between the tank, the healer, and the DPS. Certainly there are subdivisions and extra roles, but for the most part those extra roles are slight twists on one of the existing roles. (Controllers in City of Heroes are DPS with a debuffing/controlling aspect and slightly less damage, for instance). Brian "Psychochild" Green has an article on Gamasutra examining the issues with the holy trinity in game design: what purposes it serves, what its drawbacks are, and how useful it might be to get rid of it entirely. Examining the roots of the trinity design in Dungeons & Dragons and common gameplay types it offered, Green goes on to take a look at how the structure has become codified, what other potential systems could be put in place, and if there's even an advantage to doing so. He discusses the issues of hybrid classes, group versus solo design, and proposes a potential alternative that remains rooted in the core elements of the design. Anyone with an interest in design should take a look at the full article, as it contains some interesting insights and analysis of one of the core underpinnings of our genre.
Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast sues Atari over Dungeons & Dragons rights
You might be wondering right now, "What's Massively doing covering a lawsuit between two companies that aren't MMO companies over a non-MMO product?" Well, dear readers, if you would come with us on a trip down memory lane, you might remember a certain MMO developer suing a certain publisher over a certain set of rights pertaining to, you guessed it, Dungeons & Dragons Online. Well, it seems that Atari has sub-licensed the Dungeons & Dragons rights out to Namco-Bandai, and Hasbro isn't too fond of that. Namco-Bandai is seen as a competitor to Hasbro's products, and Hasbro's contract with Atari specifically forbids them from doing any licensing like this. Namco-Bandai has recently purchased Atari's distribution wing in Europe, renaming it to Namco-Bandai partners.
Hasbro suing Atari over alleged breach in D&D licensing agreement
It seems the Dungeons & Dragons franchise has brought more legal troubles upon Atari than it's probably worth. In August, Turbine Entertainment, developer of the MMO based on the tabletop game, sued the publisher for failing to "devote the necessary resources" to promoting and distributing the online RPG. Now, Hasbro, owner of subsidiary company Wizards of the Coast, which is the current owner of the D&D franchise, is suing Atari for allegedly breaching a licensing agreement the two parties struck up concerning Atari's use of the popular role-playing brand. Hasbro's main complaint in the suit is that Atari might have taken part in an "unauthorized sublicensing relationship" with Namco Bandai during the latter's purchase of Atari's European distribution company this past March. According to the suit, Namco Bandai is a direct competitor to Hasbro and Wizards, and allowing them any access to the D&D license is a violation of the contract agreed to by Atari. Hasbro seeks compensatory damages, and also to terminate the allegedly violated licensing agreement, denying Atari further access to the brand. In a press release statement, Wizards of the Coast president Greg Leeds said, "while unfortunate that we had to take this action, it is crucial for us to protect the Dungeons & Dragons brand." Leeds later added, "we have been working for several months now to reach resolution with Atari, and they have left us with no other choice than to pursue legal action." Atari isn't taking these complaints lying down -- the publisher just distributed its own statement through PRNewswire, claiming, "Hasbro has resorted to these meritless allegations, in an apparent attempt to unfairly take back rights granted to Atari." The statement goes on to say, "we regret that our long-time partner has decided to pursue this action. Atari will respond appropriately through its legal counsel in court."
MMOrigins: Life's funny like that, page 2
What started as simple forum posts on tanking and a little number crunching bloomed into a full guide in Issue 2 of EON, EVE's official magazine. When the article was finally in print, EON editor Richie 'Zapatero' Shoemaker came to me with a work proposal. After writing several more articles for EON and acting as editor on countless others, university work began piling up and I had to stop.
MMOrigins: Life's funny like that
We all got started gaming somewhere. For a lot of people, it was the Sega Mega-drive, the Atari 2600 or the NES that signaled their first steps into gaming. For me, it was the Commodore Amiga, a machine that was more a complete home computer than a games console. It was on the Amiga that groups like Team 17, Ocean, Electronic Arts and Blizzard first really made their mark on gaming and it was a great time of innovation in the industry. I recall long nights spent playing Frontier: Elite II, scooping hydrogen fuel from the corona of a star or wormholing into deep space. Another favourite that I still play occasionally was K240, an early space 4x game and still one of the best I've ever played. It was the public domain market on the Amiga that really caught my attention. It's one thing to play a game, but here was the opportunity to make one and sell it via a page in CU Amiga magazine or a PD order disk. I've always been more interested in making games than playing them but being young with no programming experience, I was limited in what I could do. I tooled endlessly with the "Shoot 'em up Construction Kit" and "Reality Game Creator" packages, making countless primitive prototype games that only I ever played.
All the World's a Stage: We don't need no narration
All the World's a Stage, and all the orcs and humans merely players. They have their stories and their characters; and one player in his time plays many roles. Throughout my career as a roleplaying columnist on WoW.com, I've been talking about roleplaying as a way to tell stories, but last week a comment by Zombie, as well as those made by a few others on the same topic, caused me to think about roleplay stories in a new way. Perhaps what we roleplayers do isn't actually storytelling so much as it is character development through interesting and somewhat disjointed anecdotes. There's really no beginning, middle, or end to a roleplayed character in WoW. Instead, what you get is a mishmash of events and experiences, which you may then string together into a story in your mind if you like. But even if you don't, you can see that most of us don't really expect for a narrative to develop from a clear beginning, through various plot developments, and finally lead into an exciting climax. There is something else roleplayers want to get out of their experience, even if many of us have trouble articulating exactly what it is.
Breakfast Topic: The Madness of Multiclassing
So a reader recently asked us a question: Why doesn't WoW allow multiclassing? It's a staple of many a Pen and Paper roleplaying game, and certain MMOs, such as DDO Unlimited, do offer it as an option. Why not WoW, our read wished to know.Honestly, it's all about balance. Games like Dungeons and Dragons are generally built from the ground up to support multiclassing. Each class has its synergies, and multiclassing its own rules, and there's a limited frame in which they work which works with the whole concept of multiclassing. With WoW, you have 10 separate classes so minutely balanced that even the slightest outside influence can shift the balance of power in class representation and role. With millions of players, each of them expecting to be able to fulfill a certain role and be competitive with everyone else, and each class balanced around a very specific set of skills and equipment, adding multiclassing to WoW would require such an extensive redesign that it would make Patch 4.0 look like a hot fix.
Atari files Turbine D&D suit under 'frivolous'
With a flick of its wrist, Atari has motioned to dismiss Turbine's lawsuit against the publisher, calling the Dungeons and Dragons Online developer's recent legal actions "frivolous" and "a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large." Turbine alleges in its lawsuit that Atari failed to uphold a licensing agreement associated with the D&D MMO and did not devote the necessary resources to market the game, due in part to a supposed "strategy" to promote its Champions Online MMO instead.Unsurprisingly, Atari has filed to dismiss Turbine's suit and, in addition, filed a secondary complaint seeking "monies" allegedly owed to the publisher by Turbine (as supposedly uncovered by a third-party audit). In its official statement, posted in its entirety on IndustryGamers, the publisher adds, "While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter." Oh, by the way, did you see that Champions Online was released this week!%Gallery-71416%
