A Look Ahead - Producer's Letter January 2020

[Satyriasys]

[DRoark]

Our level cap increase will not impact current forms of reincarnation.

Indirectly it will. Alot of people's reincarnation's will become 0, because 79% of the people polled are saying "NO" to a cap raise and yet-another-TR plateau.
DDO had a good run, but four TR-Wheels-of-Doom has made working on multiple toons extinct for alot of players. A good chunk left last time, it's inevitable.

[Ballrus]

Our level cap increase will not impact current forms of reincarnation.

Same xp in more levels?

[Katalissa]

We're with you, if they add an unneeded Legendary TR on top of this hot-mess of a Ranger-Nerf-Patch, we're done.

Isn't it blatantly obvious at this point that that's exactly what's going to happen? The whole road map is laid out before us...

And at level 35, yes, you're going to be fighting some REALLY buff goblins riding super tough giant rats!

[SothranSlackFu]

Inevitable that they will add new ways to drive revenues with a shrinking player base. Like gravity, it just exists. I just wish you guys would do something to tune up the monotony of the TR cycles instead of just extending them. Lets be realistic, unless you are new, playing high skull, or playing a INT based divine caster for the lols (never tried, might be OP . . .), we can run the existing TR train blindfolded. We are all like Superman, tons of enemies, but few of them really pose that much risk. That is why people leave. They are bored. I think about quitting every time I have to listen to stupid Gandalf's speech in the rift. Side note, you should really make Bob in Detour an attackable NPC - sure it would fail the quest, but would feel so good to dirt nap that tool.

Anyway . . .I wish we could see some procedural generated dungeons. Higher risk and reward per run because no more seeing the dungeon layout in our sleep. Every run is new. Every TR is new. Every group has to focus on careful and strategic exploration of content, every time. You don't know if that door is trapped, unless you have a trapper, right?

Now I am not a developer, so while it is easy for me to say, the reality may be like cracking cold fusion.

[Xoham]

Hello, and thanks for the update!

I am a little disappointed that there was no new racial variant. I was hoping for a Forgotten Realms drow (either racial variant or iconic). Hopefully this is still on the cards for the future.

2020 will also bring a long-standing community request to the game: a 64-bit client. The 64-bit client can improve the overall performance of the game for many, and we look forward to its release later this year.

A 64-bit client and improved game performance sound good to me!

We also have user interface improvements planned for the Shared Account Bank to make it easier to store, sort, and access the items you've collected. Other quality of life improvements are in the planning stages as well, and we'll talk more about it later this year.

Sorting for the shared account bank is a great idea! I’m assuming this will also apply to the shared collectibles/augments/etc. storage? It would be great to also add sorting to the normal character inventory, normal character bank, and the TR cache. Adding search functionality to the latter three would also be excellent!

As we gaze further into the second half of the year, we are thrilled to share news about our next expansion, which will see players travel into the mystical plane of the Feywild! Joining characters on their trip will be our next new player character race: the Shifter, capable of temporarily embracing their bestial aspects to rend enemies and survive. Another thing we can say today about our upcoming Feywild expansion is that you will need to learn new, powerful ways to overcome challenge, and doing so will gain you the experience necessary to push past level 30 for the first time in DDO history.

I found this quite a surprise! I had thought either level 20 or 30 were the natural places to stop. At the moment we have a hybrid with character levels up to 30, but class levels only up to 20. I think prestige classes at the moment are somewhat spread across enhancement trees and epic destinies; will these spread across the new “legendary” levels too? Or will our characters now advance as demigods, and acquire corresponding powers/abilities with each level?

Most importantly, I hope that the new high-level content feels high-level. Menace of the Underdark was truly excellent: drow house politics in the underdark followed by adventuring in the outer planes. At the time I was so happy because we had previously been fighting rats at level 20 in the old epicified quests. There have been some good high-level adventures since, for example, on the outer plane of Shavarath, and in the Amber Temple and Strahd's crypt on the demiplane of dread. Unfortunately though, we have also been fighting rats on the prime material at level 30, which feels nothing like a high-level campaign. The fact we are going to the outer planes again in the Feywild is very encouraging! Planar travel is exactly what we should be doing at level 30+!

[chris421]

I echo the forum's sentiment.

As someone who currently spends several hundred a month in DDO Store Points just to "win" a game I don't particularly enjoy anymore, I will close my two accounts if a level increase comes to fruition.

Your artwork is laughable, reaper is garbage, quests are bugged, etc. There are still so many problems that've gone unaddressed for literally years.

The game is entirely geared toward draining wallets and time, and makes no effort to even pretend that it isn’t.

I’m amazed that we haven’t read about class actions against you over the rerolling of loot boxes yet.

To "save" DDO:

Dungeon populations, traps, etc. should be procedurally randomized.
All dungeons should scale to the party (no more causal/normal/hard/elite/reaper grind).
Mobs need better AI in general.
Narrator DMs should put down the Ambien.
You need an art department from the current millennia, and a 3D engine to boot.
And you need to stop the f’n loot box rerolls. Gear drop rates should be increased.

The days of the theme park MMOs are long, LONG gone, and Standing Stone is still following that tired old playbook.

You can only bleed the 10 players that will be left on the servers so much to keep the lights on.

Greed is your downfall.

[rfachini]

Dungeon populations, traps, etc. should be procedurally randomized.

This one I've been hoping for, for a long time. A true random dungeon or random encounter tables for outdoor areas would break a lot of monotony and keep people on their toes. Exploring the unknown is exciting.

[Aelonwy]

With some extensive digging I found this from the last years of Turbine:

[*]Epic Reincarnation. Extending reincarnation creates new opportunities for you to customize and advance your characters. We view this as only one step along the path to create a stable and substantial endgame along with adding new level cap content, settling on a persistent level cap (30), and making endgame systems like items and advancement more robust.

Our final update of 2014 will extend the level cap to 30, which is intended to be DDO’s “permanent” level cap and complete the Epic levels. With this update we’ll be looking at ways to complete and improve existing systems like Epic Destinies.

Some snippage of other stuff like talk of Anauroch and such.

This is pretty much the last we heard till this newest Producer Letter, its no wonder many of us had the expectation that L30 was the permanent cap and everything they've been doing including revamping raid reward systems supported the idea that L30 was their and our "endgame".

[Bjond]

just like wee halflings were doomed to after L8 in the old days of PNP

Small correction in bold.

[Bjond]

64-bit client

A snappier client with scaling UI would be VERY nice as would more (and more useful) inventory. Also (imho), you are definitely far less likely to loose a potential DDO whale if his Ultrawide 3440x1440 works when he first gives DDO a try.

experience necessary to push past level 30 for the first time in DDO history.

This makes me want to drop the game right now.

DDO's single biggest problem is the lack of groups and you want to split people up even more!? I already half-punted DDO and only come back for guild raids because I'm tired of solo'ing all the time. There ARE people playing the game, but they're spread across 30 character levels, roughly 5 difficulty levels, and a plethora of diverse areas to attract interest. Regular DDO session for me was to put up low-reaper LFM and go solo for a couple hours. Roughly 1 in 4 or 5 sessions, a group would form.

If you want to make a meaningful change that would super-charge DDO, find a way to permit any level to group with any other level without resulting in a "one overpowered old char" carries all situation. Suggest something similar to how FFXIV did it, but that's not the only way. Splitting people up is great when the MMO has 30~40K players online. It's horrible when it only has 300~400.

If I could have what I'm getting from the other MMO I'm playing in DDO (5m maximum wait for a group), I'd instantly swap my focus back to DDO. This game is fun, it's just blue-moon rare to get the right mix of level, interest, and circumstance necessary for a group to gel.

[Qadashael]

2019 brought me back to DDO with the Hardcore League, and I loved every minute of it.

Looking forward to season 2, shifters, and the quests in Stormreach. Epics are a bit daunting for me, but would try any feywild stuff that could be run 1-20. With Hardcore now seasonal, grouping shouldn't be an issue once the season starts.

Shoutout from Shanghai. Nice to have something to look forward to this New Years. :3

[TinkTM]

and doing so will gain you the experience necessary to push past level 30 for the first time in DDO history.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, for the Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil love of all things DDO, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go back to the drawing board in your plans to raise the level cap.

I'm a returning player, the DDO bug has just bitten again. I'm certain I won't be interested in continuing playing if the level cap gets raised.

If you guys simply HAVE TO, whether it be for financial reasons or political reasons, or some business persons' (who clearly doesn't understand the community) really really silly terrible bad idea to raise the cap, please do not make it more difficult for players like me lagging behind the cutting edge to catch up and spend more time ETR'ing...

PLEASE!!!!!!!

The other stuff is really exciting. But you totally tactical nuked our enthusiasm with the 30+ idea man.... please rethink it.

All the best Standing Stone. Wishing you a fabulous content filled 2020.

[Jhishma]

...Or how about this - let maxed out characters embark on a long quest arc that results in them "ascending" beyond lvl 30, which deletes their character but adds them as an npc, or to a list of ancient heroes in game, or maybe grants a unique cosmetic to all characters on the account.

What an awesome idea!

[Losercrew]

guys what if reincarnating a hundred times is just called using cheat codes and the game should really just be played as a 28 pt build lvl 42 universe creator

[Jhishma]

Will the upgrade to 64 bit mean that I’ll be able to play on my Mac again?

[Montegue]

My question about 64 bit is what it might mean for a potential graphic overhaul.

[FlameDiablo]

More levels... horrible idea

[Cordovan]

Will the upgrade to 64 bit mean that I’ll be able to play on my Mac again?

No, sorry. The 64 bit client is not related to MacOS compatibility following the decision by Apple to no longer support Wine client functionality.

[SpardaX]

I echo the forum's sentiment.

As someone who currently spends several hundred a month in DDO Store Points just to "win" a game I don't particularly enjoy anymore, I will close my two accounts if a level increase comes to fruition.

Your artwork is laughable, reaper is garbage, quests are bugged, etc. There are still so many problems that've gone unaddressed for literally years.

The game is entirely geared toward draining wallets and time, and makes no effort to even pretend that it isn’t.

I’m amazed that we haven’t read about class actions against you over the rerolling of loot boxes yet.

To "save" DDO:

Dungeon populations, traps, etc. should be procedurally randomized.
All dungeons should scale to the party (no more causal/normal/hard/elite/reaper grind).
Mobs need better AI in general.
Narrator DMs should put down the Ambien.
You need an art department from the current millennia, and a 3D engine to boot.
And you need to stop the f’n loot box rerolls. Gear drop rates should be increased.

The days of the theme park MMOs are long, LONG gone, and Standing Stone is still following that tired old playbook.

You can only bleed the 10 players that will be left on the servers so much to keep the lights on.

Greed is your downfall.

Let me start by saying 2 things.

1: I like your ideas.

2: I would totally play that game.

Now on to my point.

When I say "That" game, I use the word, because let me break down what you've just said.
"Recreate all the art. Rebuild and modernize the engine. Scrap the existing hand crafted dungeons, and implement a procedural dungeon creator. Scrap dungeon levels and make dungeons scale to the party. Fix / Upgrade / ?? to make enemy AI good."
That's basically the whole game you want changed. Minus the characters themselves. You have just asked, "Please make a whole new game from scratch but with our current characters in it. Also the game should be still free to play."

I will repeat, I would totally play that game. But what you have just asked for, IS an entirely new and different game to be built. You might be asking slightly too much.

P.S.: I don't know what an Ambien is, but I'm pretty sure the DM has it's own volume slider in the Audio settings. I know I've got mine muted.
I don't like the loot re roll feature either. But it doesn't offend me at all, since the game is built around opening treasure chests anyway.