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DDO Eberron Unlimited rolls high initiative, gets early head-start release
According to a recent Turbine press release, the developer's free-to-play, D20-rolling MMO, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will be granting early access to ... well, to people who've already had their fair share of early access. Though the game launches on September 9, anyone who is a former or current subscriber to DDO, or those who participated in Unlimited's closed beta, can log onto the game right this hot second.The game offers all the DDO action you (might) know and (may) love, albeit with a higher level cap and lower price. Sure, you'll still need to dish out a few bucks for access to the game's full catalog of zones, classes, races and items -- but even without this premium content, there's plenty of game available for the Gygax enthusiast on a budget.%Gallery-71416%
DDO Unlimited's final patch notes released
If you're one of those types of people who loves reading patch notes, then do we have a patch note novel for you! In anticipation of the Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited release later this week, the DDO devs have dropped the final patch notes in our collective laps today. These patch notes are certainly epic. Never before has a developer attempted to defeat the Iliad with the power of bug fixes and game improvements. The patch notes for DDO go over everything from the new class, to the new level cap of 20, to the UI enhancements, feat changes, class specific patch notes, adventure areas, and much, much more.If you're interested in checking out what's in store for you at the launch of DDO, look no further than Turbine's patch notes. Enjoy your scrolling!
DDO Unlimited's Favored Soul and Reaver's Reach screens
Turbine has been a busy bee lately when it comes to DDO Unlimited (launching September 9th) but we're pretty okay with that since the game is a whole lot of fun. Likewise, these new screens featuring the new Favored Soul class and add-on adventure pack, Reaver's Reach, are pretty entertaining. Screens from this particular developer have always been pretty great, and yet Turbine has stepped up their game here.So even if you don't plan on playing DDO Unlimited too much, we highly recommend that you check these babies out. If you're looking to kill some time, especially, because they're oh-so shiny and pretty. It's so distracting that you could almost forget what you were, uh... what were we saying again?%Gallery-66255%
Turbine sues Atari over Dungeons and Dragons Online licensing
Stick with us, because this could get confusing: Courthouse News reports that Turbine – the Massachusetts-based developer behind the Dungeon and Dragons Online MMO – is suing Atari, publisher of the title. At issue is Turbine's claim that Atari has "breached a licensing agreement" related to the development of the free-to-play Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited. Turbine says that while it has spent millions developing the franchise "and continues to invest money to operate and maintain the service," Atari "acted unreasonably in its efforts to promote and distribute [Dungeons and Dragons Online] and failed to devote the necessary resources to it." So, Atari continued to accept payments ("including future royalty payments") from Turbine for the Dungeons and Dragons Online "sublicense" though, Turbine alleges, Atari had a "strategy" to either "terminate Turbine as part of a shakedown" or "proceed with termination in bad faith to benefit from its own competing product at Turbine's expense." We can assume that "competing product" is Atari's upcoming Champions Online MMO, being developed by its recently acquired in-house MMO dev Cryptic Studios. So, to recap: Atari wants to terminate the license agreement with Turbine to develop and maintain the Dungeons and Dragons Online MMO franchise, including the just-announced "Unlimited" free-to-play variant. Turbine says that such a termination threatens its "past investment" in the franchise and the "goodwill" it's developed with the DDO playerbase, and those they expect to play DDO Unlimited. And now, it's up to the courts! [Thanks, Mark]
DDO Unlimited solidifies its Sept. 9th launch
It looks like Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited won't be seeing another delay, as Turbine has announced that the revamped version of the game has gone gold. Of course, while such a concept doesn't really have the same meaning in the digital world, it's a good way of saying they're completely ready for prime time.Current subscribers will be getting an early start with the game on Sept. 1st, instead of having to wait for the official North America launch on Sept. 9th. Turbine has always been exceedingly gracious towards their subscribers, so we wouldn't have expected anything less from the company.If you're wondering what all this is about, you can check out Massively's previous coverage of the new additions through our features and image gallery.%Gallery-66994%
Dungeons and Dragons Online stress test tonight
If the cry of, "Stress test this evening!" isn't enough to get you into the servers, how about, "Free Dungeons and Dragons Online!" Does that work for everyone? No? How about, "Win ATI Radeon HD 4890 cards!" Now do I have your attention?This evening, starting at 8 PM Eastern time and going until 11 PM, will be the DDO stress test party! Turbine has some new hardware that they're looking to push to the limits, and to do that you need people. Lots of people.The stress test will be occuring on the new Lamannia server, which requires a different client than the usual one. This also requires that you be enrolled in the Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited beta test. The full instructions on what all of that means can be found over at the DDO forums, however, so you're not left entirely in the dark.Staying online gives you more chances to win one of the five ATI cards, or perhaps one of the ten DDO posters signed by the development team. Even if you don't win, there's still going to be sneak peeks at some of the new stuff coming to DDO and you can have a fun night with friends. Many friends. Lots and lots of friends. All packed into one server. Fun times!
DDOcast brings the goods on MyDDO, full respecs and more
If you're interested in playing Dungeons and Dragons: Online Unlimited (or already subscribe to the game) then this is a DDOcast that you absolutely shouldn't miss. It's packed to the rafters with information about upcoming additions such as MyDDO, the social website that we're sure will be as big a hit with players as MyLotRO.Something of particular interest to us is the discussion of Half-Orcs, although we're certain most players are excited to hear talk of full character respecs. The only thing that could've got our geeky blood pumping faster would be Turbine talking 4th Edition and the brand new Eberron books -- specifically concerning Mournland and the newly revamped Artificer class. Then again, we're not even sure their license covers any of that, but it would make for an interesting podcast nonetheless.Our plan? Boot up DDO sometime very soon and hit the play button on iTunes. There's nothing like a double-dose of Turbine goodness. Well okay, maybe some actual table-top D&D with old friends -- but what videogame can compete with something like that? It's practically inconceivable.
Breakfast topic: How do you learn tactics?
I was never one for these tabletop strategy games or D&D but thanks to WoW I have become quite a tactician. Tactics are so integrated in the game that they come into play figuring out how to down Hogger without aggroing too many of his numerous minions, to sneaking through hostile territory and avoiding NPCs who want to kill you all the way to confronting KT in Naxx or Ignis in Ulduar. The latter is especially true, Ignis is a nightmare where a knowledge of tactics is life or death. When your raid leader asks if everyone knows the tactics and you all nod heads and mutter yes, it's not actually courtesy, he or she is trying to figure out how many people will survive long enough to down the giant er ... giant. Once upon a time all you had to do to learn the tactics was play. Wiping on bosses and the depression of death, failure and repair bills can be a great motivator. At the same time, there are few unique boss fights in WoW. They all follow some kind of pattern and sometimes phases are even borrowed from other mobs. Others, such as Shade of Aran's Flame Wreath go down in lore and legend, even getting their own ever-so-catchy (nay beautiful) theme tune. I challenge anyone to move after having heard that (I even have that in iTunes and would play it just in case my raid forgot. No one ever did.).So I wonder, constant readers, how do you learn tactics? I can read WoWwiki, for example, until I'm blue in the face but because of the weird way my brain is wired (don't ask), the only was I can truly learn tactics is in the fight itself. Yes, there's YouTube, there's the pre-boss-fight sit down where the raid leader does a run though the fight because no one bothered to take ten minutes to do some reading up. What methods do you use?
Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited coming Aug. 6
In a crowded MMORPG market, we always had trouble remembering which one, exactly, Dungeons and Dragons Online was. As of August 6, it'll be a little easier, and the game becomes Dungeons and Dragons Online: Unlimited, or "the one that used to be a paid one, but now is free."It's an interesting strategy, and we're curious to see how it pans out. We'd issue a stern reminder, though, that the true cost of MMORPGs (your immortal soul) is much pricier than a few more bucks on your Visa every month.
DDO: Eberron Unlimited details surface, new class revealed
Well, we can't say we exactly saw this one coming. Turbine has pulled back the curtain on some details for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, namely the new class being added with the major business model shift. Although, we've also learned there'll be new combat updates and a return of Stormreach's marketplace, which was destroyed last year.As for the new class, it's been revealed to be the Favored Soul. According to Turbine's press release, "Favored souls draw on divine magic to both heal and destroy. Like clerics, favored souls have access to powerful healing spells, but they are also more skilled with weapons than any other spell caster. Like sorcerers, they get a larger number of spell points than other spell casters and cannot freely switch spells at taverns or rest shrines." So it sounds like we're dealing with a cross between a Cleric and a Sorcerer, which is pretty awesome actually. What sorts of weapons -- and screens of the class itself -- remains to be seen, sadly.Still, we should have even more details in the coming weeks and hopefully Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will launch sometime this summer.
The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like to see go free to play?
We all seem to have that one game that hangs on the edge of our radar -- taunting us with alluring gameplay mechanics while still being just expensive enough for us to pass up the offer. You want to play it, you really do, but you just don't want to pay that much for it.Yet, Dungeons and Dragons Online has shown that it's certainly not impossible for developers to embrace a new business model. So that now begs the question, "What game would you jump all over if it went free to play?" If you could choose any game in the whole MMO genre, what game would it be?Furthermore, why that particular game? What about it makes you want it to be free, so you can get your paws all over it? Speak to us, oh readers, via that little comment box below, and shout your opinions to the internet beyond!
The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online pt. 2
The cons of the whole switchover Item malls that offer players the ability to purchase items or item upgrades degrade the gaming experience. We've been over this before -- letting Mr. Moneybags deck out his character at level 1 so he's 10x more awesome than everybody else is a major downer to people who don't have the money. While I've pored over the text that Turbine is released, it doesn't appear that they will be offering items like weaponry or armor. They will be offering "items of convenience" to the players. My best guess is things like potions, perhaps portals, resurrection scrolls, things such as these. Even though these are low powered items, they can still annoy you when Moneybags can teleport all over the place and you're left walking and taking the slow route. This con is, however, offset by the fact that points can be earned by actually playing the game. It sounds like they are attempting to make the cash shop available for everyone, not just the Moneybags of the world. This will be interesting to watch, as no other developer as truly tried this in the American market. "I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold." The big con to this is the limited play that free players get. Limited auctions and limited mail are two nasty inconveniences in their own right, but limited gold storage and limited chat seem to be the features that take the cake. How would you like it if you couldn't chat in all of the chat channels, or were restricted to how much you can say in game? Even worse, limited gold storage may mean that you might not be able to purchase the best items from the auction house simply because your wallet just doesn't hold enough. I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold. This is going to inconvenience the player further because it's going to restrict how the player can interact with the auction house and interact with the vendors in the world. Another two bites out of the pro pile are the fact that free players rank lower than DDO VIP subscription players in the login queue and free players don't get access to customer support. This means that a constant influx of DDO VIP players could easily keep bumping free players back in the login queue, should the server become overpopulated. While I don't exactly see this happening, it could become problem should the lines really get backed up. I know I wouldn't like to see that my place in line as number 27 get jacked backward to 30 or 35 just because a few subscribers chose to log in. Lastly is the fact that free players are stuck with the online knowledge base and the forums as their source of aid should they encounter problems. I can foresee some free players attempting to play the game, getting stuck on some odd technical problem, and then becoming unable to solve it simply because the knowledge base doesn't have their problem on file. You're going to inevitably lose some people over this, just because they don't want to deal with the frustration of attempting to make a free game work. It's a free game, so if it doesn't work, just move onto the next game. The bottom line? The final thoughts for all of this is you should weigh it for yourself. If you want to save some cash and you like Dungeons and Dragons, then this might just be the experience for you. If you're looking for a second quality MMO to have as a side-game, then this might also be what you want to pick up. If you're someone who's easily frustrated by limitations, however, then you might not enjoy this experience. Some of the stuff, like decreased auctions, gold storage, and chatting capabilities might hamper gameplay just enough to turn off some people. But, don't take my word for it. Judge the game for yourself when it hits free to play status later this summer. Turbine has just announced that Dungeons and Dragons Online will be moving to a free-to-play business model, and we have the inside scoop. Be sure to read our complete coverage of the changeover, and look for more info as DDO Unlimited approaches launch.
The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons Online
Dungeons and Dragons Online going free to play is undoubtedly an awesome announcement. But exactly how awesome of an announcement is it?Yesterday we were all over the announcement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and really look at the changes in an in-depth manner.Certainly not everything about the new version of DDO has been defined by Turbine, but we're going to take a look at the basics of what this new version offers and compare the ups and downs of what's being offered. By the time we're done looking over the new system, you'll be able to answer that one burning question that's plaguing your mind.Is free to play DDO worth it for you?
Turbine announces free-to-play Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited
Good news for MMO fans comes courtesy of Turbine today, as the company has announced it's starting beta on a new game, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, a free-to-play version of its popular MMO. Players can download the game for free at DDO.com, and utilize the new DDO Store in-game to purchase a variety of items and whatnot for their characters.The free-to-play game will also offer paid accounts (wait, what?) known as DDO VIPs, which unlock a host of features compared to the somewhat-robust feature set available to more frugal gamers. The fine folks at Massively were able to take a screenshot showing off what the differences are, and you can check that out right here. So while the cheapskate gamers get a surprising amount of content, you're really going to have to pony up for the full experience. [Via Massively]
The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives
You, much like myself, may have had summer MMO plans a month or so ago. But like many things in life, circumstances changed and both Champions Online and Jumpgate Evolution were met with delays in their schedules -- making any plans to play them over the summer null.It's a bummer, but not all is lost. Another thing I'm certain we all share is our love of gaming in general. I've been thinking of a list of games I plan to play through this summer in lieu of shiny new MMOs to delve into, with an emphasis on filling the void left by a lack Cryptic's and NetDevil's still forthcoming titles. I'm sure I'll play more than just three, but these are the ones I'll definitely play the most of overall.
The Digital Continuum: Evolving past the Diku design
I never played any of the numerous MUDs -- let alone DikuMUD -- back in the early nineties, and it's probably for the best, as my then youthful mind wouldn't have spared more than a few minutes to learn how they worked, let alone spend the necessary time to play them. We're talking pre-teen here, just to be clear, and I was really interested in stuff like point and click adventure games. Oh, and also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.Even though I wasn't around for the progenitors that would eventually lead to things like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft, it's not hard for me to see in the wake of all those titles the line of ideas and creativity that connects all of them. Hell, you can trace it back to the original release of Dungeons and Dragons if you really wanted to, but let's focus on the future for today.
Neverwinter Nights 2 expands into Westgate April 29
It's time to dust off your suit of hardened leather and that cutlass above the mantle ... oh, and wipe the cobwebs off that copy of Neverwinter Nights 2 while you're at it. Publisher Atari announced that it will release Mysteries of Westgate, the first 'adventure pack' for the nearly three-year old RPG, exclusively as a download on April 29.Developed by Vancouver-based Ossian Studios, the download is set within the Forgotten Realms burg of Westgate where players will choose sides between warring factions squabbling over a "powerful but cursed treasure." Armchair adventurers can pick up Mysteries of Westgate from Atari's online store next week for $9.99, with Atari promising more than 15 hours of gameplay for their 10 platinum pieces.
The Digital Continuum: Four days with Dungeons & Dragons Online part 2
Anyhow, I opted to keep away from Stormreach for today and do a few more remaining starter quests in Korthos, which is fine since it gave me the chance to talk about the Korthos experience as a whole. Players originally began in the harbor of Stormreach. In DDO, you're sent to save a man descended from a famous bloodline and he's the only person that can aid the town in some substantially dangerous -- but equally exciting -- stuff.
The Daily Quest: Dave Arneson rolls a 20
D&D co-creator Dave Arneson passed away earlier this week. While you might not have played D&D, know that he and the late Gary Gygax were the pioneers of this genre of games. I would not be surprised to hear from Blizzard on this in the upcoming days. On a personal note, I ran into him around the age of 10 while in a St. Paul, Minnesota comic book store (Schinders, for those of you wondering). I was looking at Magic cards mainly, but he was browsing around and came over and talked with me when he saw I had turned my attention to one of the D&D 2e books. The clerk later told me as I was checking out who he was. Mystic Chicanery gives a good step-by-step guide on how to make voice overs for WoW movies. Teeth And Claws has a nice discussion looking at a feral raiding spec for patch 3.1. Derevka of Tales of a Priest has a very good rundown of the Acutioneer add-on. We've covered it a few times as well. Our own Matticus has thoughts... about Val'Anyr and "stuff." Click here to submit a link to TDQ
Metamorial: Game writers remember Dave Arneson
Somewhere between co-creating Dungeons & Dragons and teaching at Full Sail College, Dave Arneson left an indelible mark on the gaming landscape. Every time we roll for initiative or challenge the dungeon master's ability to adapt, Arneson's guiding hand can be felt. We've gathered sentiments shared by our colleagues around the internet for you here, and encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments section below, about the man that helped move role-playing into the limelight of gaming.Ars Technica: "Get out your classic rule books. Invite some friends over. Keep a chair empty for a fallen friend, and play for a few hours. Not online, in person. Order a pizza ... Remember Dave Arneson, a man who wasn't satisfied with the game when his parents brought home an Avalon Hill title. When he began changing the rules, he began changing the world."
