System devs and content devs

[Razcar]

We have several devs here on the boards posting about their work on DDO - new classes, feats, PrE's, Reincarnation, Skill changes etc. That is great (not that bringing back the WDA wouldn't have been even better...), and I always click the Dev Tracker after opening the DDO forums.

But where are the quest devs? Where are the guys and gals making the content in where we actually pilot our new classes, feats, PrE's? Long time ago Eldorudo worked on content and participated in the forums, as did Keeper. Eldorudo has left, and it seems Keeper has as well. But where are all the other content developers hiding? I think The_Rocking_Dead makes quests but I'm not certain.

I'm sure the community would love to hear what you guys are working on - just as we love discussing and hearing about systems. Discuss quest details and bugs and propose content ideas and improvements (oups I suppose that last comment made any visiting content devs close this thread ). The additions the content devs bring to DDO is as important as the systems Eladrin, Madfloyd and Flimsy and the others develop, yet we seldom hear from you. I would even say that some think quests are even more important than systems! (sorry Eladrin & Co )

So, anyone in there? If so, I would just like to say that I love all the hilarious quips and small things mobs say - the text that is written above their heads - very funny stuff , and please let us know what you guys are up to!

[MrkGrismer]

I don't think they let them out of their cages.

(dang, that's a lot of third-person plural pronouns...)

[PurpleFooz]

We have several devs here on the boards posting about their work on DDO - new classes, feats, PrE's, Reincarnation, Skill changes etc. That is great (not that bringing back the WDA wouldn't have been even better...), and I always click the Dev Tracker after opening the DDO forums.

But where are the quest devs? Where are the guys and gals making the content in where we actually pilot our new classes, feats, PrE's? Long time ago Eldorudo worked on content and participated in the forums, as did Keeper. Eldorudo has left, and it seems Keeper has as well. But where are all the other content developers hiding? I think The_Rocking_Dead makes quests but I'm not certain.

I'm sure the community would love to hear what you guys are working on - just as we love discussing and hearing about systems. Discuss quest details and bugs and propose content ideas and improvements (oups I suppose that last comment made any visiting content devs close this thread ). The additions the content devs bring to DDO is as important as the systems Eladrin, Madfloyd and Flimsy and the others develop, yet we seldom hear from you. I would even say that some think quests are even more important than systems! (sorry Eladrin & Co )

So, anyone in there? If so, I would just like to say that I love all the hilarious quips and small things mobs say - the text that is written above their heads - very funny stuff , and please let us know what you guys are up to!

Yes, we're here, thanks for thinking about us. Flimsy is actually a content dev! He's written some of our best dialogue.

[Razcar]

Yes, we're here, thanks for thinking about us. Flimsy is actually a content dev! He's written some of our best dialogue.

Ah cool! Thanks for your reply. And my excuses to Flimsy

I understand that maybe content development may not always be as "concrete" as the +1 contra +2 of system work, but please ask your colleagues if they wouldn't mind discussing their (awesome) work more here on the forums!

I'm often impressed with how inventively you guys use the existing art assets in dungeon creation. You see a floor pattern, like the one in the Twelve planescaller room and realise it was made up from the torii gates first seen in Ghola-Fan. There are many cool examples like that. Keep up the good work and as said, I'm sure many of us are as interested discussing quest design as classes, feats etc.

[Cauthey]

Ah cool! Thanks for your reply. And my excuses to Flimsy

I understand that maybe content development may not always be as "concrete" as the +1 contra +2 of system work, but please ask your colleagues if they wouldn't mind discussing their (awesome) work more here on the forums!

I'm often impressed with how inventively you guys use the existing art assets in dungeon creation. You see a floor pattern, like the one in the Twelve planescaller room and realise it was made up from the torii gates first seen in Ghola-Fan. There are many cool examples like that. Keep up the good work and as said, I'm sure many of us are as interested discussing quest design as classes, feats etc.

^^ Absolutely this!!

Thank you for all of your hard work, and highly entertaining content! And yes - please don't be strangers. The community really gets a charge when you guys come in and discuss the game, your work, and give us puzzling hints about future content.

[ReaperAlexEU]

i love seeing the inventive ways the devs find of trying to kill us

a lot of ddo's soul definitely comes from the traps, along with the combat system and FPS style controls its really adds to the feeling of being in a dungeon as opposed to the open killing fields of a generic MMO.

[Mister_Peace]

Purplefooz, are you the animator? Can you tell us when we'll be seeing spear animations?

[FlimsyFirewood]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

[barryman5000]

. . .More traps? Ok... check. . .

Whoever suggested that, thanks alot.

[knightgf]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

What aren't you allowed to talk about yet?

[Zadkiele]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

What about a more generalised question?

As a GM, creating adventures and stories for my players, sometimes you get a situation where the players shortcut through the content in a manner you didn't anticipate, and while you don't want to penalise them for thinking smart, and infact actively encourage it, at the same time it's annoying that you wasted time lovingly crafting 'content' that ends up being bypassed or trivialised.

I've only encountered that GMing for a single group of players. You guys create content for hundreds of thousands of players - how do you feel when your quests are played in a manner you didn't intend?

Zad.

[delicious.crab]

Whoever suggested that, thanks alot.

Seconded. More traps please. Deadly ones. Cunningly hidden and uncircumventable. With multiple damage components, including untyped. Oh and random ones. Scores of deadly ****ing random, vicious traps, preferably with DCs consistent with 3-5 levels above nominal quest level.

A rogue has to eat.

[Kza]

When i played LOTRO they had some developers talking about the story behind quests/updates sometimes. The thinking about the plotline etc etc. I know that ddo are not story driven to that extreme like lotro. But i liked those talkings. If any of you who have done a questpack wanted to give a more "lengthy" story behind the plot and how your thoughts were when you did it i am sure many really would like to read that kind of stuff. :-)

[SiliconShadow]

You guys do an amazing job +1 to you all for your hard work, and I also would lose to hear more from the wonderful and somewhat twisted minds of the content devs!

"She used int as a dump stat" Love it

[Tyrande]

I believe creating content is harder than the systems, classes and PREs as it has to deal with story, art, music, dialogues, etc. It is essentially making a movie.

Like movies, some of them are boring, mindless killing and mindless zombie slaying; like "Friday the 13th". They have limited and no story and not even scary after watching it.

Some movies, like "The Exorcist", are more interesting, scary and have a moral dilemma.

Personally, I would prefer content that has a richer story line and can be replayed with different developments on the story.

In DDO, I like the development of the story, from Waterworks to Seal of the San-To-Kor to Giant Hold to Reaver's Refuge...

Twilight Forge to Eye of the Titan interwoven with the Reaver's Refuge story.

or from Vale of the Twilight to Amrath...

or from Xorian Cipher and Threnal the Discovery of a portal to Xoriat to Delirium to the current U9 Harbinger of Madness.

Wonder where the next chapter in the story chain lies?

[Seikojin]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

I know how you feel when it comes to what is allowed to be talked about or not. Especially when features and changes that you are working on are somewhat already out there. Doubly so for crafting. LOL

Thanks for the more traps. Puzzles too please!

[Dragavon]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

I would like to see dungeons with more randomized traps.

Say a dungeon has 50 trap locations, where 5-10 are active in any given run through that dungeon.

And perhaps dungeons where disabling an especially lethal trap opens up a shorter, easier and faster way to complete.

[Seikojin]

I would like to see dungeons with more randomized traps.

Say a dungeon has 50 trap locations, where 5-10 are active in any given run through that dungeon.

And perhaps dungeons where disabling an especially lethal trap opens up a shorter, easier and faster way to complete.

I like that idea. All of it.

[sirgog]

Nah, Purplefooz and I are both content.

More traps? Ok... check.

Can't really talk about new content, not until it hits Lammania. Wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Also, we do our work usually two updates ahead of what's live, so sometimes it's hard to keep track of what we are and aren't allowed to talk about yet.

I still think some of the best traps in the game are in The Cursed Crypt.

Grease trap (into a mincer blade trap)? Check

Shiny chest with a massive collapsing floor in front of it? Check

Traps you really don't want to zerg through, even on Normal? Check (again, collapsing floors).


All that is missing from that quest is a trap that kills one or more Silver Flame hostages...

[Razcar]

Seconded. More traps please. Deadly ones. Cunningly hidden and uncircumventable. With multiple damage components, including untyped. Oh and random ones. Scores of deadly ****ing random, vicious traps, preferably with DCs consistent with 3-5 levels above nominal quest level.

A rogue has to eat.

Most traps we have today do damage, but can usually be circumvented by some jumping. I would like to see traps that don't do damage, but have some mildly annoying effect instead, such as an 3-4 minute debuff to some values, a short-time (1 min) undispellable Slow etc - but the other hand cannot be avoided sans disabling. Or why not have an unavoidable and lethal trap guard a short-cut.

The main point for disabling traps now is xp-bonus, unless they cannot be avoided. Would be nice to have trap disabling actually make running the quest be smoother, and leaving them undisabled would just make the quest take a little more time/be inconvenient.