DDO Ruined Me

[Knobull]

Since my main character is nearing the end of a tempest ranger life and was farming tokens to TR and there is no fix in sight for months for the crit multiplier bug, I thought I'd try some other MMOs this weekend...

First up was LOTRO. OMG. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Next up was Guild Wars 2. Bit better than LOTRO, but still the combat system of every other MMO I have tried over the years just does not compare in the least.

We cannot let DDO die. Or if it does, the combat system needs to be replicated in another game.

I feel less inclined to complain about everything that is wrong with DDO now.

[Hutoth]

Aye

[PermaBanned]

That's actually why I complain: this game has much squandered potential. The ship could be righted, wether it will or not is simply out of our hands. We can voice our opinions and/or we can "vote with our wallets;" I do both. Unfortunately, the latter leaves the Devs with less money to act on the former, but such is how it is.

[sephiroth1084]

Not just the combat, though that's a big part of it.

Character generation that is more than: pick class, pick specialty, go.

Character development that is more than: gain HP, gain MP, gain single new ability.

Quests that are (sometimes) more than: hold auto-attack and kill everything in sight. DDO has been hurting a bit here recently, I think. We need more quests that can be solved with stealth. Fewer doors that are magically locked until all monsters are dead. Fewer quests that require beating down a bag of HP to succeed. More traps that alter your approach to the quest. More situations that encourage the use of the mechanics that make DDO such a stand-out game.

I wish we could get a DDO 2, but I know that won't ever happen, since, at best, they would keep a similar engine but change to 5th Edition, but even that is doubtful. I just don't know how SSG can possibly fix some of the glaring problems with the game, like runaway power inflation.

[walkin_dude]

I wish we could get a DDO 2, but I know that won't ever happen, since, at best, they would keep a similar engine but change to 5th Edition, but even that is doubtful. I just don't know how SSG can possibly fix some of the glaring problems with the game, like runaway power inflation.

If there every is a DDO 2, I hope it has a stingy GM.

[KoobTheProud]

DDO 2 would be the fix for power creep. Fresh slate, DDO still running for people who couldn't give up Mini-Thor, etc.

DDO's combat system would be great were it not for the lag in the system at this point and I'm not talking about latency. Playing a melee recently has been less than fun, and this is not a Reaper thing because I do not play Reaper. It's the lag in monster and character interactions that is the problem. Range to target is an issue a lot of the time and hit box is an issue a lot of the time and missed swings due to both of the above is an issue a lot of the time.

It's not as noticeable with a caster or ranged character but you still get actions disappearing into the aether with them also, it just doesn't happen in a cloud of mobs all swinging at you and hitting while your action vanishes.

The basic combat flow is very hinky for a melee right now. I'm not sure if this was the case before the servers were virtualized but it is definitely the case now.

[Mr_Helmet]

DDO2 could also be 5th edition.

Never happen.

[Roberto]

Since my main character is nearing the end of a tempest ranger life and was farming tokens to TR and there is no fix in sight for months for the crit multiplier bug, I thought I'd try some other MMOs this weekend...

First up was LOTRO. OMG. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Why not? What are the shortcomings of LOTRO as compared to DDO?

[dunklezhan]

First up was LOTRO. OMG. Just. Can't. Do. It.

I know, but I'd certainly log on and kill 10 rats using cooldown based combat if I thought it would give me a shot at getting their UI customisation options embedded into DDO.

Incidentally, your various reasons mirror my own and its why I'm still here for sure. There simply is not anything even close to like it.

[scipiojedi]

Since my main character is nearing the end of a tempest ranger life and was farming tokens to TR and there is no fix in sight for months for the crit multiplier bug, I thought I'd try some other MMOs this weekend...

First up was LOTRO. OMG. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Next up was Guild Wars 2. Bit better than LOTRO, but still the combat system of every other MMO I have tried over the years just does not compare in the least.

We cannot let DDO die. Or if it does, the combat system needs to be replicated in another game.

I feel less inclined to complain about everything that is wrong with DDO now.

Yep. Tried Rift. Tried Warhammer Age of Reckoning. Even tried SWTOR - and I'm a huge star wars nerd but couldn't get into it. I've tried Lotro twice and can't get past level 2.
I keep thinking that LoTRO would be just like DDO but with Lotr stuff...but its not. I can't do it. I tried something else too that I forget the name of but it was one of those korean ones where you pick a class and your race is tied to it and you get no options. Sure the cut scenes were cool but I don't wanna just fight big monsters, I want to PICK everything on my character.

[Tetsugin7]

I had decided to try LOTRO because I do like the fact SSG are a more independent studio. Plus add on packs were on sale around Christmas.
There are things i really do like in LOTRO, graphics seem better to me. Has Capes... Must have... Capes in DDO!!!
But overall, got a character to level 25 and was done (goes up over 100). Gameplay is very standard MMO as stated by others above.
Don't like Tabbed Targeting and the just stand toe to toe with a monster til dead. That is where DDO's action combat wins in spades.

Now, Guild Wars 2 is a different type of game even for an MMO. The art style, music and action-ish combat (you can dodge at least! No Tumble though!).
More akin to DDO than any other MMO I would say. Since you can move and attack.
For someone that does not like MMO's really (DDO is D&D, the main reason I play!). Guild Wars 2 held my interest and maxed out several toons.

I do know what you are saying, Preach it!!!
When you start playing another MMO, the character customization is just not so much there.
And mashing 1, 2, and feeling like you are playing Paper Scissors Rock is kind of crappy.
The sheer number of options in DDO just crushes the others.

My 2 cents.

Oh, and Elder Scrolls Online has come a long way.
Will attempt the Morrowind add on in June. (love the single player games)
But... at the end of the day, still very much an MMO and it tires me out also.

[cdbd3rd]

Concur all of the above - except I do play LOTRO as well. It is different and follows more standard MMO click-n-wait combat. I don't raid there either, and just play it to relax - even sometimes spending some time throwing a line in the water and gathering fish.

When those aren't doing it for me, it's back to Diablo 2 for me. (Hate D3, and PoE just didn't click with me for some reason.)


I'd buy a new puter for DDO2.

[JOTMON]

DDO 2 would be the fix for power creep. Fresh slate, DDO still running for people who couldn't give up Mini-Thor, etc.
~snip~
.

Nah, there would be a transfer option with carry over perks to entice veteran DDO1 players to switch.

[Knobull]

Why not? What are the shortcomings of LOTRO as compared to DDO?

Mostly this:

... follows more standard MMO click-n-wait combat.

---

... a shot at getting their UI customisation options embedded into DDO.

That Lua plugin system did indeed catch my eye...

[Hcinrich_Hain]

"Character generation that is more than: pick class, pick specialty, go."
(If only Elder Scrolls Online was like the single player games in that regard...)

and the other things mentioned are a big plus a DDO 2
however should focus on what MMORPGs leave out:

Roleplay

Really, aligments hardly matter?
No choices - do the quest to get the reward instead
of pick a way that suits your character to get a reward.

No way of players influencing the game.
I remember in Planescape Torment a whole down
changed planes...
I mean how much has Stormreach changed
in half a decade?

That'd be the hard part of making a new DDO.

[Greyhawk6]

DDO doesn't compare to using a big tv and four boxing four toons at once to max level while also levelling your own guild in Everquest 2. Most multi-box friendly game out there. Playing four toons simultaneously in combat and then getting so good at it that you can do a raid (albeit a basic one) single handed is awesome. Also making your own home, crafting furniture for it and bedecking it with a ton of trophies gained through your adventures. Riding on flying mounts, massive open world...a pity SOE/SSG decided to abandon all the content prior to level 85 . It's now a shadow of what it once was.

DDO is easily the least friendly to anyone who likes multi-boxing. That said, its by far and away the best one for character development - nothing I've tried has even come remotely close to what you can do in DDO. Even TESO.

[cnynridr2]

Since my main character is nearing the end of a tempest ranger life and was farming tokens to TR and there is no fix in sight for months for the crit multiplier bug, I thought I'd try some other MMOs this weekend...

First up was LOTRO. OMG. Just. Can't. Do. It.

Next up was Guild Wars 2. Bit better than LOTRO, but still the combat system of every other MMO I have tried over the years just does not compare in the least.

We cannot let DDO die. Or if it does, the combat system needs to be replicated in another game.

I feel less inclined to complain about everything that is wrong with DDO now.

The same for myself.
i tried alot of the other MMO'S and just couldn't stay with them. I guess your first love is the one you always go back to. If there was a way to upgrade the graphics we would have a lot more players playing but as they are we won't unfortunately.

I will always complain about the ladder bug!!! it still hasn't been fixed.

When DDO dies I am not sure what I will do. Go outside in the 110 heat. Yayyyyy!!!

Lighter

[Artrish]

still the combat system of every other MMO I have tried over the years just does not compare in the least.

I find other MMO's the same as DDO.

I had played DDO for roughly 10 years of my life and was accustomed to the combat and scene. It took me 2 years to switch out of the mindset though once it happened it is challenging to go back to DDO as DDO feels awkward.

DDO is still a good game and much more community inclusive then when I first started back in the early naughties. Other games have just as much variety, just takes a while to get accustomed to using it.

The only part I miss in DDO are the friends I met though the game mechanics involved in those interactions are a story for another topic

[Hydian]

Why not? What are the shortcomings of LOTRO as compared to DDO?

Played LOTRO from beta until a little while after Wardens were introduced and then sporadically after that for a while. I still occasionally log in, roam around, and say hi to any guildies that happen to be on, but that's about it.

The combat is terrible! It is completely turn based, though they have gotten better at obfuscating that since beta. If you pay attention, there is a delay between when you hit an ability and when it fires. This is on a strict round timer, rather than being lag based. I played a minstrel in beta and during the beginnings of live and it was extremely noticeable back then. Not as noticeable when I leveled up my Warden. It is also EQ/WoW based button mashing (the EQ Bard being an outlier) with no tactics involved which is the norm for MMOs, really. Only a few like DAoC, WAR, and DDO bucked that trend (and the first two had heavy PvP elements).

It also follows the same general F2P model as DDO, but it feels a lot harsher to me. There is pretty much nothing to do past a certain level (20?) unless you start buying packs.

Character customization is fairly limited, like most class/level based systems. I haven't really tried to decypher the last couple of skill/ability revamps, so it might be better than it used to be.

Unless there has been a graphics revamp since I last logged in, you have these beautiful vistas and wonderful villages that are populated by models that all look like they rolled out of the gutter that morning.


All of that said, if you like Tolkien (and even if you don't) the world is well worth exploring and the vistas are gorgeous. They have explorer and kill achievements like WAR introduced, a lot of fun quests and events (great stories, too), and it is a slightly different take on the holy trinity. I recommend it in the same way that I recommend Secret World. You aren't going to like the combat and the mechanics won't blow you away, but the world and adventures make up for it. You'll still come back to DDO though.

[PsychoBlonde]

Concur all of the above - except I do play LOTRO as well. It is different and follows more standard MMO click-n-wait combat. I don't raid there either, and just play it to relax - even sometimes spending some time throwing a line in the water and gathering fish.

When those aren't doing it for me, it's back to Diablo 2 for me. (Hate D3, and PoE just didn't click with me for some reason.)


I'd buy a new puter for DDO2.

Try Grim Dawn, you might enjoy it.