DDO2? no! but a new graphical engine for DDO in a few years?

[Chacka_DDO]

Don't get me wrong, I still love DDO and the graphic of DDO but foremost I love what I call "gameplay".
The good news for DDO from what I see, the gameplay can still improve, more classes and races, better balance etc.
And even the current graphics engine has obviously some room to deliver nice things, like new animations. I really enjoy for example the different fighting animations and I read somewhere, a special dagger fighting style animation is in development. I could also imagine we have even more different fighting animations if you use slashing or piercing weapons or if we get two-handed piercing weapons or you could throw spears around.
But there is no question, the progress is progressing and the graphic of DDO gets old especially for new players. But a game needs new players to stay healthy.
I make the suggestion also because I have a deep respect for the work of the artists and developers of DDO even if I sound different sometimes. I don't want that this gets lost one day.

I played Ever Quest for like 9 years and this game was once in its peak times the biggest MMO around until World of Warcraft arrived. Nowadays Ever Quest has gone irrelevant. But the question is why? Is it really inevitable that a game must die or sink into insignificance? I don't think so.
If you ask me, if Sony Online Entertainment would have given Ever Quest a new Engine and would have continuously worked on the gameplay I think I would still play and pay for this game.
(Just to mention it, I had four accounts running with a two years subscription each. But after I changed to DDO I never logged back in again even if the subscriptions were still running.)
Even now if they would give this game a new engine, it would be very tempting to see the old Norrath again in a new guise.
One of the main reasons why I left EQ after 9 years:
Sony Online Entertainment tried partially to improve the graphic of there game like also World Of Warcraft does.
But if I can speak for Ever Quest, I was very excited as I heard new character models are in development. But then I was very disappointed by the result of this try
I expected to see the old characters just more detailed. I definitively wanted they keep their flavor. e.g. the Ogres and Trolls who scratch their butts etc.
The new Ever Quest Character models where qualitative even worse than the old and in addition they lost the Ever Quest style.
Luck for me was, it was possible to disable the old models so could avoid them but bad was, no improvement for the old character models I loved was to expect.

In my opinion evolution and not revolution is the natural move the software development do because Programs become bigger and bigger and nothing really new is to expect.
In addition, the User expects some standards and they don't want to learn a Software all new every few years. So Programs like Microsoft Word and Open office appear quite similar and they don't change dramatically with a new version. If I got it right, Microsoft also changed his policy and now they don't develop an all-new Operating System every few years (or rather, they don't pretend anymore they do) Now they only improve what they already have, mostly with the same functions.
In my opinion, a MMO is not different, it is also a program with a lot of users/players who don't want to learn everything all new in every game they play.
Therefore I am convinced we see one day also MMOs who only improve and this includes new graphics engines, maybe one per decade.
DDO might be the trailblazer who does this move first?

Now for DDO and why I write this, I would love to see DDO running with a new graphics engine one day. I know this would be a huge effort, big enough so you may say it is impossible.
But I think it is doable and worth the effort.
Why?
Because you have already a lot of things you did not have as DDO started.
The biggest problem of DDO at the start was the small game-content, while the game was very innovative and very good already at the start.
Now you have the content but your game gets old with the result, again not enough success.
Your next big plus is also your gameplay improved a lot. So a new player can expect he has enough to play for years if he starts.
But most time the new players see at first screenshots and the graphic so this is, unfortunately, need to convince new players.

So you have now the content you missed at the start and a well-developed gameplay for your game, and all that you need now is a new graphical engine out of my sight. For a real chance, for maybe even really big success in the MMO market.
You should see the work of your developers and your artists as your biggest capital and it would be a waste to throw this away.
The chance I see and because I wrote all this.
SSG is a part of Daybreak, (strange for me that the Daybreak logo appears on the DDO web sides but not vice versa btw.)
Daybreak is got the Ever Quest franchise now. This includes also the now abandoned Ever Quest Next.

A company has now two things under one roof which it only needs to combine

1.
A game with a lot of rich game-content that just needs a new graphics engine. And that's DDO.

2.
A new graphics engine (and one with a style that perfectly fits my personal taste and in my opinion that very conforms to DDO) from an abandoned game because there was not enough money to develop the content. And that's Ever Quest Next.


I know Ever Quest Next was planned as an open world MMO but I don't think that's a big issue, I am quite sure also they have planned to use instances.
If I got it right the development tools they have where planned to make them easy enough to use that even players can develop game content like dungeons, armor weapons etc.
I would really like to see what the professionals in the DDO team can make out of this.

Here is a little demo what the graphic and animation already in the early development process looked like, Maybe it is just me but my impression is, the human model hits more or less exactly what I love. Not too realistic but also not too much comic. Much like DDO and the old Ever Quest.
The cat-like race could be Rakshasa too but this one is a bit big for my taste but the animations are awesome anyhow!



I think it is just naive to tell you this but if I would have the money I would give DDO this engine and rebuild the DDO quests and the gameplay (character system enhancements Epic Destinies Quests etc.) and of course I would like to see some of the new qualities of the Ever Quest Next graphical engine in the new and old Dungeons in DDO and this is the possibility to really break walls if something like a fireball hit them etc. I know DDO got already breakable objects, but the voxel technology of the Ever Quest Next graphical engine seems to be far better for this.
By the way, to rebuild the Ever Quest content with the Ever Quest Next Engine would be a smart move too in my opinion, but my heart beats now more for DDO.

[vryxnr]

I've always enjoyed DDO's graphics and have argued in the past that it not being hyper-realistic is a plus and fits well with the fantasy experience of D&D.

Though I will also say that I've daydreamed about what DDO would be like if it looked like/had the graphics of something like Dark Souls. *dreams*

Heck, I'd pay for a client side downloadable texture-pack that would replace the games graphics on my screen with upgrades like that (my personal system/graphics card being the limiting factor).

Though I'm honestly not sure how feasible that idea could be.