There is no casual vs hardcore

[Zaodon]

I really dislike the terms "casual" and "hardcore" (or "elite", or "vet"). I really do not think they exist. I know I can't single-handedly stop people from using those terms, but they really don't apply at all to any MMORPG, and certainly not DDO. I'll explain why.

Truly, the difference between players has more than 1 facet. There is dedication, skill, experience and instinct. All 4 of these factors determine what kind of player you are.

Dedication
Not only how much time you play each day, but how much time you spend on the game in general, even outside of the game. This includes posting on forums, downloading char builders, browsing DDOwiki, etc.

Skill
This is sometimes called "twitch skill", but it is the players ability to .. well .. play a video game. A lot of it is hand-eye coordination. But some of it is internet connect, PC power, etc. (i.e. limitations on your skill if your PC/connection isn't up to snuff)

Experience
This means playing DDO (and other MMOs to some extent) for a long time, to learn the ins-and-outs of the game, including very nuanced information that helps you optimize your game play and character builds, learn AI and how to expl .. uh .. take advantage of it, etc.

Instinct
This is innate to the person, and is somewhat related to IQ and "common sense", but also that "gut" reaction some people have to unexpected situations. Its how sometimes you wipe, and sometimes that healer (or bard or whoever) pulls the entire raid out of a fire for a completion.


Players with very little of those 4 things are, in my opinion, the ones who are referred to as "casual". They play DDO, but hey, they just don't have "what it takes" to complete the high end, tough game content, no matter how much gear they get a hold of or how many times they TR. Players with a lot of those 4 things are, correspondingly, the ones who are referred to as "hardcore", "elite" or "vets". They have everything needed to accomplish the hardest content, and even special feats, such as soloing a high level raid, for example.

What I find most interesting about those 4 things, however, is that all of them boil down to a single element. Time. One of the greatest things about DDO is that the time it takes to complete a quest or even a raid is *so* incredibly shorter than any other MMO on the market. Most MMO raids take 60 people and hours and hours of time, for very little gain. DDO puts them to shame. And the culture of DDO has evolved to the point that time, and really SPEED, is the most important thing. And to get speed in DDO, you have to have a bunch of people who have those 4 things listed above.

Case in point: when was the last time anyone reading this ran an Epic quest or raid where the group set up, and had a rogue stealth ahead and "stealth pull" 1 mob at a time? Answer: never. 100% of people would say "Pfft, takes too long."

"Takes too long." And there, you have it, folks. The so-called "casual" player doesn't really ever think playing smart "takes too long." They need every advantage they can get. Whereas, the so-called "hardcore" player would never accept taking hours to complete something that they can do quicker by spending more resources or getting better players. I have been in "elite" guilds. I know how they address hard content. There is no "nuance" in how such players play the game. Its "run in, DPS, CC, keep heals up, don't suck or be a gimp." There are very few variations on that theme.

This is the real difference in DDO. Its not "casual" vs "hardcore". Its "slow/less capable" vs "quick/highly capable". No amount of gear, or "pay to win in the DDO store" or content rebalancing will remove those differences.

[Junk]

I agree with everything you said except your conclusion about time. Time or how fast you complete a quest does not make you less or more capable. There are some very dedicated ,skilled, experinced, and instictive players that have gotten bored with the game and so have moved on to RP guild, Gimped guilds, or Permadeath guilds that always run quest very slowly. In the end your falling back into the failice that you are argueing against. It does not matter if you a min/maxer, a PDer, or like running quests as fast as possible if you meet those four catagories then your more capable then if you don't

[Chai]

"Takes too long." And there, you have it, folks. The so-called "casual" player doesn't really ever think playing smart "takes too long." They need every advantage they can get. Whereas, the so-called "hardcore" player would never accept taking hours to complete something that they can do quicker by spending more resources or getting better players. I have been in "elite" guilds. I know how they address hard content. There is no "nuance" in how such players play the game. Its "run in, DPS, CC, keep heals up, don't suck or be a gimp." There are very few variations on that theme.

Alot of these cats are the ones complaining about having to change their game in order to beat higher difficulty raids nowdays. Any change from the ages old "full ****** DPS" who runs up to the boss, hits all boosts, stays nailed to the ground, and delivers tons of damage, is considered bad and makes their toons "useless."

I /grin when I see players called "casuals" in DDO, because many have no idea what hard core gaming really entails, which is large amounts of time, full expectation of wiping until the entire zone is learned, and understanding that you **might** get one new loot item in a three month period of time that is actually better than everything else you have slotted. DDO casuals are still in end game, with three toons or less, and they choose to keep a few really strong toons rather than branch out on an alt itis binge and have a ton of low end toons. The "hard core" (which are only slightly less casual than the "casuals" in DDO) simply have more decked out toons.

I know a few people on Sarlona who have one toon and one toon only. Three are completionists and the rest are a few lives away. Every single time they log on, its on that toon, and its paid off for them, as their toon is powerful and has most of the best gear in this game that interests them as well as the past lives. Playing lower amounts of time has not stopped people from being able to play end game here in DDO, as it certainly would in most other MMOs.

[bigolbear]

speed of completion has little to do with it.

how 'hardcore vet' have you gota be to complete missions above your lvl on elite in low man groups without excessive resource use? Well I can tell you that this is common behaviour for some play styles, play styles that have evolved from people sick of the idea that all quests must be run as fast as posisble with max ****** DPS.

DDO is a far more complex and rewarding game if you throw away the concepts many players live by. So much so id argue that the game is meant to be played this way acording to its original concept.

In order to cater to the needs of the many tho we now have casual mode, epic mode, and chalenging raids on higher dificulties.

im curently amusing my self with such things as stealth teams, static groups, non twink groups and having a blast doing so. DDO has plenty of challenge, but like any game if your willing to twink the hell out of your characters, make flavour of the month builds, gear to the max and then proceed to RUSH everything on normal because you want the fastest XP/loot then dont expect to be challenged doing so.

true vets can handle them selves and the team in diverse situations with varied tactics and without excessive resource use.
casual players play weekends.
some casual players are true vets.

[TheSwamper]

DDO is a far more complex and rewarding game if you throw away the concepts many players live by. So much so id argue that the game is meant to be played this way acording to its original concept.

In order to cater to the needs of the many tho we now have casual mode, epic mode, and chalenging raids on higher dificulties.

im curently amusing my self with such things as stealth teams, static groups, non twink groups and having a blast doing so. DDO has plenty of challenge, but like any game if your willing to twink the hell out of your characters, make flavour of the month builds, gear to the max and then proceed to RUSH everything on normal because you want the fastest XP/loot then dont expect to be challenged doing so.


Completely agree.


And the culture of DDO has evolved to the point that time, and really SPEED, is the most important thing. And to get speed in DDO, you have to have a bunch of people who have those 4 things listed above.

Case in point: when was the last time anyone reading this ran an Epic quest or raid where the group set up, and had a rogue stealth ahead and "stealth pull" 1 mob at a time? Answer: never. 100% of people would say "Pfft, takes too long."



I would kill to find a regular group of people who play this way. IMO, if anyone dies unnecessarily, or even takes large amounts of unneeded damage, the group is a failure regardless of the quest result. The casual, callous attitude with which people accept teammates dying in this game makes it seem so far from original D&D to not be worthy of having that in it's title.

+1 to the OP

[Zaodon]

I would kill to find a regular group of people who play this way. IMO, if anyone dies unnecessarily, or even takes large amounts of unneeded damage, the group is a failure regardless of the quest result. The casual, callous attitude with which people accept teammates dying in this game makes it seem so far from original D&D to not be worthy of having that in it's title.

I have a static group now, and it does make the game more fun to go slow, come up with an actual strategy, and make it work. Or, see it fail and run higgly piggly in circles trying not to die. Either way makes for a barrel of laughs. :)

[llyrnionfor]

Case in point: when was the last time anyone reading this ran an Epic quest or raid where the group set up, and had a rogue stealth ahead and "stealth pull" 1 mob at a time? Answer: never. 100% of people would say "Pfft, takes too long."


Well, you've just described why I mostly solo.

[ReaperAlexEU]

i kinda agree with the sentiment, but i'm gonna quibble over the details :)

for me a casual gamer is someone that doesnt have a lot of time to throw at the game. work, family, studies etc are all important things in life and will often limit how much time a gamer has free. there are also players that just enjoy an hour here and there a week on a game but dont feel the need to play longer. those players may have the skill and instinct to rub shoulders with the best, so i dont see casual as being a bad thing, its just an indication of how much of you're life is spent in a game and how much is spent in RL.

now i'll admit i've not seen hardcore used much in DDO, but to me it brings back memories of diablo II. i'm more used to elite, vet and power gamer as terms.

now, for me a power gamer is someone who does have a lot of time to devote to the game, and also someone who will invest that time in perfecting their character with raid and epic gear. those are the players i expect to see forging ahead when new content comes out working out how to beat the new quests and then being the first to get the new gear and post it on the forums/wiki/etc for the rest of us to look at and decide if its a goal to aim for or not. i expect a power gamer to be highly skilled at the game.

a vet however is different, i see a vet as more an indication of experience than one of gear level. knowledge not power. im sure most power gamers will be vets, but over the years this game has been out there will be many casual gamers that are now also vets. they know the game inside out, they understand what the power gamers are doing and how the do it, but the might not necessarily be hitting the raids and epics hard as most casual gamers tend towards altisis. so being a vet isnt a mark on the casual to power gamer scale, its more an indication of general competence, someone you'd trust to have in your party even if they arnt geared up yet, and someone who you'd trust to hand out good advice to the newbies.

as for the elite, well the only time i see that word used in DDO is when its part of the word elitist. so i don't really use that word as i tend to think in terms of power gamers vs casual gamers and then vets vs newbies, 2 different scales much like chaos vs law and good vs evil, a player can be any mix of them.

as for play styles, the power gamers tendency to aim for time efficiency and other wishing more for resource efficiency, i'm not fussed. i'm addicted to pugging and just love playing every style going. i'll be happy when i land in a TR exp train, i'll also be happy when i land in a newbie train wreak, it all adds spice to my game! i'm also in a light RP guild and have a lot of fun with RPing my characters too. i guess for me i'm more interested in the variety than one single play style.

[sebastianosmith]

Z, I must confess that do I not only disagree with you suppositions, I find your argument and conclusions to be part and parcel of the very divide you are attempting to claim does not exist.

I know it may be difficult for many forum members to understand, but most casual players - among whom I include myself - play the game to have fun and really have no other agenda. It is not that we are deficient, lack drive, experience or instinct. It's not that we can't zerg. It's not really even the lack of time as you have defined it. It's that we want to enjoy the game and for us that means taking our time and savoring the moment.

I played PnP D&D before most players of this game were born. I played the first video games to have ever existed. I had been matriculated from college for almost a decade when Doom hit the scene. I played Unreal Tournament until my fingers bled. I have run through so many games that I no longer care about "winning". I just want to take my time and enjoy the game with my friends.

I don't know that anyone outside Turbine has the statistics to corroborate this claim, but I suspect that since DDO went F2P many, many players who share my age, experience and viewpoint have joined, bought VIP memberships and play only on the weekends with their friends who share a similar lifestyle.

So, you go ahead and think what you want about any segment of the player base upon which you care to speculate. But really, don't think we casuals can't play, lack the desire or capability. We just see things differently and don't always share the same goals as you hotshot whippersnappers.

[HAL]

so, You Go Ahead And Think What You Want About Any Segment Of The Player Base Upon Which You Care To Speculate. But Really, Don't Think We Casuals Can't Play, Lack The Desire Or Capability. We Just See Things Differently And Don't Always Share The Same Goals As You Hotshot Whippersnappers.

This^

[Arianrhod]

Yeah, there is casual, even long-term casual, and there's hardcore, including wannabe hardcore. Some people can play for years, learn every dungeon, get whatever gear they need, and still prefer hanging out with their lowbie friends to running raids to complete their epic gear ensemble. Others can start the game from day one fretting about having to go through all the low-level stuff and, worse yet, run enough shrouds to get their greensteel before they finally get to "the good part". Some people fall in love with their gimpy 28-point first character and insist on continuing to play it long after learning every mistake they made with it. Others reroll every time the rules change and render their uber FOTM build obsolete in their eyes. It's not a matter of experience, it's a matter of perspective, and what the player wants out of the game.

[Kmnh]

It's not about skill, dedication or instinct. Its about wanting to play a fun game where you can and will lose, like the old single-player stuff that I played as a kid, or to play a boring game about collecting loot/friends/level/whatever like the old simcity/harvest moon abominations that we used to laugh at :)


The push towards the second kind of gameplay is what has kept me away from MMOs until I spent 3 hours slowly grinding away at proof is in the poison only to wipe at the endfight. (that boss has unfair AC!)

[Full_Bleed]

Z, I must confess that do I not only disagree with you suppositions, I find your argument and conclusions to be part and parcel of the very divide you are attempting to claim does not exist.

Truth.



What I find most interesting about those 4 things, however, is that all of them boil down to a single element. Time.

And that's about the only statement that I fully agree with from the OP.

Trying to build a case that hardcore/powergamers are somehow, inherently, more "skilled" or have better gaming "instincts" is silly.

"Dedication" and "Experience", of course, are directly a result of "time" so I'll agree with that.

[grep65535]

How about those of us who are "hardcore" by the OP's definition, but are forced to play "casually" due to IRL constraints that didn't exist previously in our lives because things have changed (i.e. marriage, job, other responsibilities) since we were in high school & college? I presume OP designates us to that other 2% of players who don't really fit either of the 2 proposed categories.

I have "3 toons or less", I tend to have somewhat plain gear, and I tend to not have much money compared to other players. This isn't because I suck, this is because I can spend maybe a few hours every other day with sometimes weeks of not logging on. Therefore when I get on to play I just want to do something fun, not craft of grind for money and gear. If it's absolutely necessary that's different, I do what needs to get done, but my time has to be prioritized differently as a result of these things.

[Vint]

It's not about skill, dedication or instinct. Its about wanting to play a fun game where you can and will lose, like the old single-player stuff that I played as a kid, or to play a boring game about collecting loot/friends/level/whatever like the old simcity/harvest moon abominations that we used to laugh at :)


The push towards the second kind of gameplay is what has kept me away from MMOs until I spent 3 hours slowly grinding away at proof is in the poison only to wipe at the endfight. (that boss has unfair AC!)

I do agree with you to an extent. Of course we are all here to have fun, and we do that in different ways. If you solo everything then maybe this is not pointed to you, but regaurdless if you have played 50 hours a week since release or 3 hours a week for 6 months, both routes could produce the same playstyle.

When it comes to running a raid, i dont ask if you have played for 5 years as a prereq, I ask if you have knowledge of the quest. This is where the huge disaprity comes in at end game content. I as you want to have fun playing a game, but I cant depend on 5/11 other people always carrying me thru content. If people are not dedicated to improving themselves and want to be carried thru everything without relying on their own skill, then they will possibly get booted or not accepted to parties due to their own lack of knowledge.

You can wiki, or you tube most any quest in this game. This link http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=226992 has will show how to run thru every ddo quest. I have used this when running a few. There are of course many other places a "casual, newb, elitest, vet" or whatever you want to call them can look for resources. If you (not op) are one of the many that don't for one reason or another want to improve yourself, you have noone to blame but yourself.

[Drekisen]

What I find most interesting about those 4 things, however, is that all of them boil down to a single element. Time. One of the greatest things about DDO is that the time it takes to complete a quest or even a raid is *so* incredibly shorter than any other MMO on the market. Most MMO raids take 60 people and hours and hours of time, for very little gain. DDO puts them to shame. And the culture of DDO has evolved to the point that time, and really SPEED, is the most important thing. And to get speed in DDO, you have to have a bunch of people who have those 4 things listed above.



Sorry but I'd have to say this is way way way off. The thing about DDO is YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE the quest you are in to get anything out of it.

Most other MMO's on the market you can sign on and off at your leisure and not lose any progress.

Sure, a lot of them are more like the slayer areas of DDO instead of the quests, but again, if you get DC'ed, not really a big deal, if you just wanna get off because you want to, not a big deal...this happens in DDO in the middle of a quest.......you are basically scre**d and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

That is one of the things that makes this game suffer......and lets face it, other MMO's when you do a raid you are coming out of it with something nice no matter what....LOL you grind the equivalent of 60 hours in one raid to get what you want in DDO. I'd say 60 hours is a bit of an extreme example too and are exceptions, not the norm for other MMO's, in fact I have done raids in other MMO's and they may take an hour or two but you get a peice of rare loot everytime.....not every 20th time LOL

The main difference between hardcore and casual players is casual players actually have more than just a virtual life.

[Zaodon]

Sorry but I'd have to say this is way way way off. The thing about DDO is YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE the quest you are in to get anything out of it.

Most other MMO's on the market you can sign on and off at your leisure and not lose any progress.

I'm confused. You say I'm way off, but then you agree with me that *time* is what's important to most DDO players by explaining that you can't just grind a few xp here and there, you have to complete a quest, and that means you want to do it as fast as possible.

Or do I not get what you're saying here?

[Drekisen]

I'm confused. You say I'm way off, but then you agree with me that *time* is what's important to most DDO players by explaining that you can't just grind a few xp here and there, you have to complete a quest, and that means you want to do it as fast as possible.

Or do I not get what you're saying here?

I think you may be seeing things....no where in my reply did I state time is what is most important to DDO players.

Can you explain to me how you came to that conclusion?

My reply was simple, most other MMO's if not all of them, you are not obligated to finish off a quest to keep your progress for 90% of the content....in DDO unless you like grinding slayers you absolutely have to finish the quest you are in to get your XP......this makes the game high risk as any number of things can happen.....RL emergencies, DC's, getting stuck with a lame party, etc, etc........and there is nothing you can do but suck it up.

There are no pause buttons in just about any MMO, but in DDO it is much more painful of a reality.

[Invalid_50]

This is what most power gamers "want" you to think, that way they can take pride in their characters and not feel too bad about wasting inordinate amounts of time playing video games.

Here is the "real" formula.

Time - Most important divide between power gamers and casuals. (Note in DDO it is true that raids take much less time and people to complete than other mmos. Additionally because of low content delivery, a veteran casual, can achieve power gamer status in terms of gear.)

Tolerance for monotony - people who don't mind, or can endure doing the same mundane thing over and over again, will do far better than those who cannot. Case in point - shroud raids which is the stepping stone to higher level content. If you cannot endure running the same thing over and over, you cannot get the best toys. Power gamers have this tolerance.

Basic rudimentary memory - the ability to remember events (monster spawn points, most effective positioning, understanding applicable AI responses, required buffs) once you figure it out, the game gets a whole lot easier. (Look at VOD; its text book exactly what happens at 75% 50% and 25% health, then "get ready bats!")

Skill? lol - With predictable AI "raids" are just a glorified operant conditioning chamber.

[Zaodon]

I think you may be seeing things....no where in my reply did I state time is what is most important to DDO players.

Can you explain to me how you came to that conclusion?

My reply was simple, most other MMO's if not all of them, you are not obligated to finish off a quest to keep your progress for 90% of the content....in DDO unless you like grinding slayers you absolutely have to finish the quest you are in to get your XP......this makes the game high risk as any number of things can happen.....RL emergencies, DC's, getting stuck with a lame party, etc, etc........and there is nothing you can do but suck it up.

There are no pause buttons in just about any MMO, but in DDO it is much more painful of a reality.

You seem to be saying that if you can't complete a quest/raid, you get nothing (no xp, no loot, no favor). In other words, you cannot "advance" your character in small chunks of time. You have to play DDO for fixed periods of time, to completion.

That time can vary. For example, a popular quest is Water Works. You can run all 4 parts in 20 minutes, or 3 hours. The difference is not the quest (its the same quest). The difference is the speed of the players in completing each part. If Water Works took 3 hours, then, to your point, it would be harder to advance your character in DDO vs other MMOs, because you'd have to commit a lot of time to play. Therefore, people prefer to complete Water Works in 20 minutes. Therefore, players of DDO value speed/time more than anything else.

So, we're saying the same exact thing. Again, unless I'm confused or missing your point?

[sigtrent]

I think they are more about attitude than how good you are at the game, though if you are Hardcore you are probably pretty good. If you are casual, its up in the air as to if you play well or not.

Casual is an attitude of taking your time, not having a lot of strong goals, taking things as they come, not worrying much about winning or loosing a quest etc.. There are high end guilds that are honestly rather causal about their game play, they have just been at it a long time. I count myself casual even though I've played since headstart, host DDOcast, have 20+ characters etc... I play the game at a slow pace and I have few hard and fast goals. I hate grinding for stuff and rarely plan out my loot because of that.

Hardcore is a much more focused and goal driven play style where you strive for excellence and pursue it relentlessly. These folks play to win. It doesn't mean you are uptight or an ass, just that you are driven and directed. Chances are you are among the best of the best in the game, or will be before too long.

DDO is, among MMOs, a hard core game. It requires deep knowledge to play into the mid and end games and it can be bewildering for the truly casual gamer that just wants to look around and get shiny stuff from time to time. DDO is not that kind of game. So even a casual palyer, if they stick with the game, would be pretty hard core compared to the casual gamers in other MMOs. I think with DDO you either get a bit of the hard core in you, or you move on to other games before too long.

[SirValentine]

I have done raids in other MMO's and they may take an hour or two but you get a peice of rare loot everytime.....not every 20th time LOL


I don't play other MMOs...but if you get some "rare" loot every single time you run the raid, how is it "rare"?

[Chai]

Sorry but I'd have to say this is way way way off. The thing about DDO is YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE the quest you are in to get anything out of it.

Most other MMO's on the market you can sign on and off at your leisure and not lose any progress.

Up to raids, yes. In most MMOs, you get xp per kill. The object is to chain kill mobs as fast as possible for XP. In raids, the goal is loot, and completion is a must in both.


Sure, a lot of them are more like the slayer areas of DDO instead of the quests, but again, if you get DC'ed, not really a big deal, if you just wanna get off because you want to, not a big deal...this happens in DDO in the middle of a quest.......you are basically scre**d and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

When XPing yes. When raiding or farming loot, no. Getting DC'd is a huge deal in most MMOs when farming loot.


That is one of the things that makes this game suffer......and lets face it, other MMO's when you do a raid you are coming out of it with something nice no matter what....LOL you grind the equivalent of 60 hours in one raid to get what you want in DDO. I'd say 60 hours is a bit of an extreme example too and are exceptions, not the norm for other MMO's, in fact I have done raids in other MMO's and they may take an hour or two but you get a peice of rare loot everytime.....not every 20th time LOL

No. Its actually the other way around.

In other popular MMOs, raids are on a weekly timer, and one or two items drop per boss. Those bosses are on a one week timer, and it takes alot more people to beat the raid than the 12 person raid groups in DDO. More players, less drops, and longer timers. Those who say DDO is a grind game have likely not experienced games like EQ or WOW, or other games made by the same devs who left those companies. The company doesnt dumb down the content after a certain time in most cases either, and they will come right out and say that 5% of the players have completed the content and thats just fine with them.


The main difference between hardcore and casual players is casual players actually have more than just a virtual life.

The main "in game" difference in DDO is the number of end game characters. In other MMOs casuals would have zero, and many cant even handle the flagging mechanics to get their foot in the door. In DDO a casual gamer can have ~3 end game toons, where the "hard core" player has more due to the things that the OP noted, which are playing longer hours and less tolerance for longer completion times.

No one has to play 8-10 hours a day to have end game toons here in DDO. They just wont likely have entire accounts slotted out with them. It is indeed a matter of time, on a few different levels.

[Drekisen]

Up to raids, yes. In most MMOs, you get xp per kill. The object is to chain kill mobs as fast as possible for XP. In raids, the goal is loot, and completion is a must in both.



When XPing yes. When raiding or farming loot, no. Getting DC'd is a huge deal in most MMOs when farming loot.



No. Its actually the other way around.

In other popular MMOs, raids are on a weekly timer, and one or two items drop per boss. Those bosses are on a one week timer, and it takes alot more people to beat the raid than the 12 person raid groups in DDO. More players, less drops, and longer timers. Those who say DDO is a grind game have likely not experienced games like EQ or WOW, or other games made by the same devs who left those companies. The company doesnt dumb down the content after a certain time in most cases either, and they will come right out and say that 5% of the players have completed the content and thats just fine with them.



The main "in game" difference in DDO is the number of end game characters. In other MMOs casuals would have zero, and many cant even handle the flagging mechanics to get their foot in the door. In DDO a casual gamer can have ~3 end game toons, where the "hard core" player has more due to the things that the OP noted, which are playing longer hours and less tolerance for longer completion times.

No one has to play 8-10 hours a day to have end game toons here in DDO. They just wont likely have entire accounts slotted out with them. It is indeed a matter of time, on a few different levels.

Well, I certainly can't argue with what your saying, but you can have a "hardcore" caliber character without needing to have multiple ALT's that are level 20.

I for one have thrown away the alt syndrome and will only ever make one character for any MMO I play from now on, it is very possible in many MMO's not just DDO to have a capped and powerful character and be a casual player.

I do not associate at all having multiple capped toons in DDO with being a great or even good player.