So the "NEW" Mabar is just a rehash of old quests?

[Novalis]

Am I expecting too much when I was hoping for something original like the former Mabar? Was I too off base thinking we would see a new boss raid comparable to the spectral dragon? According to the wiki and the sneak preview videos we run old quests for challenge ingredients. Now there is nothing wrong with turning an event into a challenge. But running Black Loch and other old quests over and over again? If DDO was a tv show, it would be considered end series reruns just before getting cancelled without a finale.

But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. This will provide players a real test ground for the garbage nerfs being forced down. It will certainly be better than beating up 500k kobolds. I also find it gobsmacking that the original reason for these nerfs (paladin) was taken off the table but most other builds are getting the full nerf treatment in full and pointless measure. While you're at it set up graves for VIP subs. Have players become so easily distracted even after complaining about variety we tolerate more drek like this? Can't wait for E Vale. Or will it be Vale set up like challenges???

[alvarego]

Am I expecting too much when I was hoping for something original like the former Mabar? Was I too off base thinking we would see a new boss raid comparable to the spectral dragon? According to the wiki and the sneak preview videos we run old quests for challenge ingredients. Now there is nothing wrong with turning an event into a challenge. But running Black Loch and other old quests over and over again? If DDO was a tv show, it would be considered end series reruns just before getting cancelled without a finale.

But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. This will provide players a real test ground for the garbage nerfs being forced down. It will certainly be better than beating up 500k kobolds. I also find it gobsmacking that the original reason for these nerfs (paladin) was taken off the table but most other builds are getting the full nerf treatment in full and pointless measure. While you're at it set up graves for VIP subs. Have players become so easily distracted even after complaining about variety we tolerate more drek like this? Can't wait for E Vale. Or will it be Vale set up like challenges???

so you think everyone will go mad at new Mabar because it's not original, which basicaly means most population are playing the game for the special events ... oh rly?!?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c1/cd/20/c1cd20d71cbce388bd84ebfde5fb7e22.jpg

[axel15810]

The events are just bonuses for players. And they're free for everyone. If you don't like it, don't participate. I don't get getting angry when the event is totally optional and free. Yes, a boss encounter would be nice and I'm not a huge fan of how they designed this event either, but at the end of the day this is bonus content which is totally free and optional. Giving critical feedback is fine, but getting angry over it seems silly to me.

[oldkraft2]

Its no surprise. What can be felt lacking is active and imaginative new quest development and design. I'm not sure there is any employees atm for such ? Outsourced stuff ? Balancing game is important too, and thats the the focus these days, but maybe should be adressed before epic Arachnophobia is the new update ?

But I guess 'they' ... look at Threnal and Deleras and think : We simply cant beat that, why try ?... or maybe even : lets not risk ending up w another titan-raid-thing...;-D
Still from time to time we get three linears and an ambush in wellknown graphic styles. And we be nice.

[Coyopa]

Its no surprise. What can be felt lacking is active and imaginative new quest development and design. I'm not sure there is any employees atm for such ? Outsourced stuff ? Balancing game is important too, and thats the the focus these days, but maybe should be adressed before epic Arachnophobia is the new update ?

But I guess 'they' ... look at Threnal and Deleras and think : We simply cant beat that, why try ?... or maybe even : lets not risk ending up w another titan-raid-thing...;-D
Still from time to time we get three linears and an ambush in wellknown graphic styles. And we be nice.

Uhh, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Threnal is not the gold standard of quest design. Threnal is pretty much the opposite of that. Nobody likes running those quests, their levels are out of order, and they aren't that much fun.

[bartharok]

Uhh, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Threnal is not the gold standard of quest design. Threnal is pretty much the opposite of that. Nobody likes running those quests, their levels are out of order, and they aren't that much fun.

Almost nobody. I for one enjoy them.

[Coyopa]

Almost nobody. I for one enjoy them.

Well, one is the loneliest number!

[Starla70]

Really? I know from reading the forums, there is no way to EVER please everyone that plays this game. The new event has the taste of the old, in you are killing stuff in the graveyard. The new quests with in it are neat. I think they did a good job of changing things up in it.

As far as repeating the same quests? Really? I got so sick of doing Wiz king x2, Von 3 & 4 x 2, DA x2 nightly because it gives the most xp. So that idea is just silly, players have found ways to farm quests until they get the xp they want, or the items.

I for one really liked this new event. I can't say it will replace the cove as my favorite, but I plan on running it to get the gear I want, with or without guildies.

[Faltout]

The events are just bonuses for players. And they're free for everyone. If you don't like it, don't participate. I don't get getting angry when the event is totally optional and free. Yes, a boss encounter would be nice and I'm not a huge fan of how they designed this event either, but at the end of the day this is bonus content which is totally free and optional. Giving critical feedback is fine, but getting angry over it seems silly to me.
I don't see where you got the "angry" part. Noone got angry with the event. Try sad instead because of the lack of imagination and originality.

Oh, and let's not forget: You're wrong about the purpose of the events in a game (as I have already explained in past event threads). They need to exist and they need to differ from what we do everyday for the health of the game.

[axel15810]

I don't see where you got the "angry" part. Noone got angry with the event. Try sad instead because of the lack of imagination and originality.

Oh, and let's not forget: You're wrong about the purpose of the events in a game (as I have already explained in past event threads). They need to exist and they need to differ from what we do everyday for the health of the game.

The language from the original poster comes off to me as anger.

This particular event did not have to exist. The devs could have said the mimic event was the mabar replacement and been done with it. As I undestand it, that was the original intention and not until later on did the devs decide to make the mimic event an additional side event.

[AbyssalMage]

Am I expecting too much when I was hoping for something original like the former Mabar? Was I too off base thinking we would see a new boss raid comparable to the spectral dragon? According to the wiki and the sneak preview videos we run old quests for challenge ingredients. Now there is nothing wrong with turning an event into a challenge. But running Black Loch and other old quests over and over again? If DDO was a tv show, it would be considered end series reruns just before getting cancelled without a finale.

But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. This will provide players a real test ground for the garbage nerfs being forced down. It will certainly be better than beating up 500k kobolds. I also find it gobsmacking that the original reason for these nerfs (paladin) was taken off the table but most other builds are getting the full nerf treatment in full and pointless measure. While you're at it set up graves for VIP subs. Have players become so easily distracted even after complaining about variety we tolerate more drek like this? Can't wait for E Vale. Or will it be Vale set up like challenges???
My guess is you didn't follow the promotional unveiling of Night Revels. There was no surprises to me personally. It isn't Mabar, we can all agree, but it is better than the Mimic Hunt that they originally thought was a good idea to replace Mabar. It would be nice if they added the Spectral Dragon back though, maybe in eTS due soon(tm).

[The_Human_Cypher]

Am I expecting too much when I was hoping for something original like the former Mabar? Was I too off base thinking we would see a new boss raid comparable to the spectral dragon? According to the wiki and the sneak preview videos we run old quests for challenge ingredients. Now there is nothing wrong with turning an event into a challenge. But running Black Loch and other old quests over and over again? If DDO was a tv show, it would be considered end series reruns just before getting cancelled without a finale.

But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. This will provide players a real test ground for the garbage nerfs being forced down. It will certainly be better than beating up 500k kobolds. I also find it gobsmacking that the original reason for these nerfs (paladin) was taken off the table but most other builds are getting the full nerf treatment in full and pointless measure. While you're at it set up graves for VIP subs. Have players become so easily distracted even after complaining about variety we tolerate more drek like this? Can't wait for E Vale. Or will it be Vale set up like challenges???

Yes, this is a shameless rehash. Read my review earlier on the Lamannia sub-forum.

[bartharok]

Well, one is the loneliest number!

Havent noticed. Im excellent company.

[Kompera_Oberon]

The events are just bonuses for players. And they're free for everyone.

Is access to The Night Revels free? I ask because while browsing around in the new store interface I noticed an item sold for TP which allowed access to Delera's for The Night Revels. That would not be free.

But there are some promised 'promotions' coming with The Night Revels, so perhaps one of them will be a code to get that item for free.


As a player who began playing after Mabar was already a thing of the past I'm a bit upset that the devs can't fix something that they built, and that I'll never see the Mabar dragon. But really, it's just that: a bit. I'm not losing any sleep over it and it's really just a very minor annoyance.

[Krelar]

Is access to The Night Revels free? I ask because while browsing around in the new store interface I noticed an item sold for TP which allowed access to Delera's for The Night Revels. That would not be free.

But there are some promised 'promotions' coming with The Night Revels, so perhaps one of them will be a code to get that item for free.


As a player who began playing after Mabar was already a thing of the past I'm a bit upset that the devs can't fix something that they built, and that I'll never see the Mabar dragon. But really, it's just that: a bit. I'm not losing any sleep over it and it's really just a very minor annoyance.

The graveyard area can be accessed at any time. To enter the quests you need a key. The keys can either be earned by killing things in the graveyard or purchased from the store. So you choose time or money.

[Kompera_Oberon]

Ok, that's free. That there's an option to pay to save a bit of time is just a nice add to that. Thanks for the clarification.

[Nonesuch2008]

Free Night Revels keys can be had with this information:

Copy+Paste this coupon in the DDO Store to get 4 free Lasting Night Revels keys for tomorrow's preview! (Valid Now - Oct 30th)

VLkKU7w8L4PvF

[IronClan]

This particular event did not have to exist. The devs could have said the mimic event was the mabar replacement and been done with it.

Sure sure, and they could make every quest from now until maintenance mode a copy and paste of Cannith crystal with different mobs as well (or hey maybe the same, whatever they feel like doing is fine right?)...

You see it's kinda important for a company that is ostensibly trying in good faith to provide compelling entertainment to paying customers, to retain and even find more customers, to try and do stuff like break up repetition and monotony with events and such...

They can of course just mail it in as you suggest and they can of course just continue to bleed players.

What I notice is that the people who seem to be sticking around are incredibly easy to please types who never have a critical or even discerning thing to say about the game. So maybe that's their strategy? Keep making really bland content, and mail it in until there's no one left but the people who wouldn't say boo if they replaced the entire game with a 2d sprite based pachinko simulator.

[Faltout]

This particular event did not have to exist. The devs could have said the mimic event was the mabar replacement and been done with it. As I undestand it, that was the original intention and not until later on did the devs decide to make the mimic event an additional side event.

Sure sure, and they could make every quest from now until maintenance mode a copy and paste of Cannith crystal with different mobs as well (or hey maybe the same, whatever they feel like doing is fine right?)...
Exactly. Just because this is called an "event", it does not mean it's less important or optional.


You see it's kinda important for a company that is ostensibly trying in good faith to provide compelling entertainment to paying customers, to retain and even find more customers, to try and do stuff like break up repetition and monotony with events and such...
this ^
As I said in my post, events are mandatory and extremelly important in a long game especially if it involves repetition. Without events, populations decline because people silently get bored with the game. Most players have left the game because they did not feel the excitement to log back in after logging out yesterday. They did not make a mess in the forums saying "bugs killed the game, P2W killed the game, events killed the game", they simply did not find the game interesting enough to make their next login. Events help rekindle the excitement for the game by making the players play an entirely different game (event) while still being logged in DDO. This means that after the other game is over, logging into DDO will still be something they do frequently and furthermore normal play will feel fresh due to having taken a break from the game (while participating in the event).
As such, the events are of paramount importance for the health of the game and not "did not have to exist" kind of things.

[axel15810]

Sure sure, and they could make every quest from now until maintenance mode a copy and paste of Cannith crystal with different mobs as well (or hey maybe the same, whatever they feel like doing is fine right?)...

You see it's kinda important for a company that is ostensibly trying in good faith to provide compelling entertainment to paying customers, to retain and even find more customers, to try and do stuff like break up repetition and monotony with events and such...

They can of course just mail it in as you suggest and they can of course just continue to bleed players.

What I notice is that the people who seem to be sticking around are incredibly easy to please types who never have a critical or even discerning thing to say about the game. So maybe that's their strategy? Keep making really bland content, and mail it in until there's no one left but the people who wouldn't say boo if they replaced the entire game with a 2d sprite based pachinko simulator.

First of all, I frequently give critical feedback. Just check my youtube channel...uploaded a video yesterday which was a mostly negative review of update 28.

And I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. I agree that revamping old quests for the event is not ideal, I'm not saying I like the design of the event. I'm just pointing out here that the devs honestly were going to have the mimic event be the mabar replacement and that's it (thus why it contained the old mabar loot). From what I understand, this event, unlike others, was never even going to be a thing. The devs are doing this as a bonus. They could have just brought back the mimic event again and not done the extra work.

Therefore I see this event as a "bonus", not an expected part of the experience. If this was something expected in the normal course of the game, I'd be much more critical. But I don't see it that way which is why I'm not going to complain about the devs taking shortcuts by revamping old quests instead of creating brand new event content from scratch.

[HAL]

just continue to bleed players...

LOL

Overdramatic much?

[Vanhooger]

Lol for the first time ever I like the way they did an event.

[Faltout]

not an expected part of the experience. If this was something expected in the normal course of the game
And why do you see the "normal course of the game" as "not including events"? The normal course of the game includes breaking the routine with events. That's a normal course for a game like DDO.

[dunklezhan]

Played the new ones, I enjoyed it. I dont' care if they are rehashing. A familiar environments with a thematic twist is a great idea for an event, nothing wrong with it. If it happens to be a bit easier than creating from scratch, that just means there's less to go wrong with it, more time to spend on the loot/crafting system. They've made the public area selectable by level and then made separate instances within that, you can go in as soon as all your party have a key, no waiting for things to open... honestly, my only real complaint after running all the instances once was that smashing crates doesn't grant ransack :)

Lag problems aside, I would have also been quite happy with a return of Mabar which simply fixed the problem of not knowing where people are during the dragon raid allowed you to see where the rest of the party was, which was the thing that killed it for me before.

This new event won't have any of that stuff to worry about though because it uses well established mechanics. I like it. In certain regards (specifically: as soon as you're all ready, you go do the thing no waiting for server-unlocks), its a better experience than Cove even.

[Faltout]

Played the new ones, I enjoyed it. I dont' care if they are rehashing. A familiar environments with a thematic twist is a great idea for an event, nothing wrong with it. If it happens to be a bit easier than creating from scratch, that just means there's less to go wrong with it, more time to spend on the loot/crafting system. They've made the public area selectable by level and then made separate instances within that, you can go in as soon as all your party have a key, no waiting for things to open... honestly, my only real complaint after running all the instances once was that smashing crates doesn't grant ransack :)

Lag problems aside, I would have also been quite happy with a return of Mabar which simply fixed the problem of not knowing where people are during the dragon raid allowed you to see where the rest of the party was, which was the thing that killed it for me before.

This new event won't have any of that stuff to worry about though because it uses well established mechanics. I like it. In certain regards (specifically: as soon as you're all ready, you go do the thing no waiting for server-unlocks), its a better experience than Cove even.
counter argument: raid groups can't go in as soon as everyone is ready and instead have to break up much like summoning chamber.
Also, since you don't HAVE to go in a challenge as soon as the group is ready, most people leave the group instead when the group decides to go in a challenge. Summoning chamber was only open for a certain time and that meant that everyone went in otherwise they would miss it. Also, no need to post LFM for people that left the party before summoning chamber. You get grouped with everyone that went in.