D&D Online

*Akasha* · August 08, 2004, 08:55 AM

It had to happen eventually -- an MMORPG based on the rich heritage of the Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper role-playing game. With almost 30 years of refinement under its belt, its rules systems have been begging for this sort of large-scale, digital reinterpretation. The worlds created by its designers, too, are peerlessly fleshed out. What MMORPG developer wouldn't love to have at its disposal a painstakingly developed world to which to apply its own twists? Well, Turbine is that lucky. It has the newly-released D&D campaign setting of Eberron to play around with, as well the time-tested (and ever-evolving) rules set to build on. And, while it's easy enough to envision the sort of game that D&D Online can be, the truth will probably come as a bit of a surprise.

Things are bubbling at that steadily growing, Boston-based studio. With two of its teams working on what are arguably the hottest fantasy properties available -- namely, D&D and Middle-earth -- the position it's in seems quite enviable. I got to visit the studio recently to check out D&D Online, and I got the distinct impression that the guys there live and breathe this stuff. Rulebooks were strewn about, talk of their in-office D&D campaign was vivid and animated, and their enthusiasm for working directly with Wizards of the Coast was hard to hide. Much like it would be to any group of hardcore D&D players, working on D&D Online is a dream come true, to many of the team members. If the final product can reflect this, then we're in for a treat.

For what it's worth, things seem to be shaping up. Here's the basic rundown: Firstly, D&D Online will be extremely combat-heavy. A whole lot of thought was put into its real-time combat system, and from what I got to experience, the work has paid off. Combat is fast, exciting, and most importantly, it keeps you active -- more Diablo than EverQuest, at the risk of oversimplifying. Secondly, don't expect a huge, sprawling world full of nigh-empty zones littered with random spawns. The team looked long and hard at what it liked best about MMORPGs, and running for minutes at a time through sparsely populated landscapes didn't make the list. The area in which you'll start your adventures will be more compact than what's normally found in MMORPGs.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, don't expect to ever feel lonely. D&D Online has been designed from the ground up to encourage interaction between players, regardless of their in-game status. Sure, this is something that all MMORPG developers claim, but the team at Turbine appears to have taken some very practical steps toward making this a reality. My impression from talking to them is that it's the foremost priority, actually. As you'll learn later, the world -- and even the servers on which it'll reside -- have been built so as to make it very difficult to avoid civilization. Bad news for the hermits among you, but if that's your style, what are you doing playing MMORPGs in the first place?

Some big questions remain, however. For one, we have no idea how player-created organizations will be handled. Turbine promises that they'll play a prominent role, but admitted that the exact details haven't hammered down yet. There's also no conclusive word regarding what role the various factions that govern the world of Eberron will play. We know they'll send players on missions and such, but to what extent they'll be able to align themselves with these factions remains unknown. PvP, too, warrants a big old question mark. No word yet on how it will be implemented. One thing we know that is definitely out of the question, however, is crafting. Bad news for all you would-be artificers out there, for sure, but maybe not forever. Word from the team is that once they devise a fun way of implementing it into the game, they'll put it in. But as far as the retail release goes, it's definitely out.

But enough talk about what it ain't got. Let's break down for you what we do know. Hopefully, you'll be just as excited as I am, once you got the skinny.

To keep reading the rest of the 4 pages click here.....

August 08, 2004, 08:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
Akasha	D&D Online It had to happen eventually -- an MMORPG based on the rich heritage of the Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper role-playing game. With almost 30 years of refinement under its belt, its rules systems have been begging for this sort of large-scale, digital reinterpretation. The worlds created by its designers, too, are peerlessly fleshed out. What MMORPG developer wouldn't love to have at its disposal a painstakingly developed world to which to apply its own twists? Well, Turbine is that lucky. It has the newly-released D&D campaign setting of Eberron to play around with, as well the time-tested (and ever-evolving) rules set to build on. And, while it's easy enough to envision the sort of game that D&D Online can be, the truth will probably come as a bit of a surprise. Things are bubbling at that steadily growing, Boston-based studio. With two of its teams working on what are arguably the hottest fantasy properties available -- namely, D&D and Middle-earth -- the position it's in seems quite enviable. I got to visit the studio recently to check out D&D Online, and I got the distinct impression that the guys there live and breathe this stuff. Rulebooks were strewn about, talk of their in-office D&D campaign was vivid and animated, and their enthusiasm for working directly with Wizards of the Coast was hard to hide. Much like it would be to any group of hardcore D&D players, working on D&D Online is a dream come true, to many of the team members. If the final product can reflect this, then we're in for a treat. For what it's worth, things seem to be shaping up. Here's the basic rundown: Firstly, D&D Online will be extremely combat-heavy. A whole lot of thought was put into its real-time combat system, and from what I got to experience, the work has paid off. Combat is fast, exciting, and most importantly, it keeps you active -- more Diablo than EverQuest, at the risk of oversimplifying. Secondly, don't expect a huge, sprawling world full of nigh-empty zones littered with random spawns. The team looked long and hard at what it liked best about MMORPGs, and running for minutes at a time through sparsely populated landscapes didn't make the list. The area in which you'll start your adventures will be more compact than what's normally found in MMORPGs. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, don't expect to ever feel lonely. D&D Online has been designed from the ground up to encourage interaction between players, regardless of their in-game status. Sure, this is something that all MMORPG developers claim, but the team at Turbine appears to have taken some very practical steps toward making this a reality. My impression from talking to them is that it's the foremost priority, actually. As you'll learn later, the world -- and even the servers on which it'll reside -- have been built so as to make it very difficult to avoid civilization. Bad news for the hermits among you, but if that's your style, what are you doing playing MMORPGs in the first place? Some big questions remain, however. For one, we have no idea how player-created organizations will be handled. Turbine promises that they'll play a prominent role, but admitted that the exact details haven't hammered down yet. There's also no conclusive word regarding what role the various factions that govern the world of Eberron will play. We know they'll send players on missions and such, but to what extent they'll be able to align themselves with these factions remains unknown. PvP, too, warrants a big old question mark. No word yet on how it will be implemented. One thing we know that is definitely out of the question, however, is crafting. Bad news for all you would-be artificers out there, for sure, but maybe not forever. Word from the team is that once they devise a fun way of implementing it into the game, they'll put it in. But as far as the retail release goes, it's definitely out. But enough talk about what it ain't got. Let's break down for you what we do know. Hopefully, you'll be just as excited as I am, once you got the skinny. To keep reading the rest of the 4 pages click here.....