Having come from a graphically inferior game (Ultima Online) any game today would be considered better, right? Well, that is not always the case. I have played games as beautifully drawn as Lineage 2, Dark Age of Camelot whose graphics are pleasing to the eye, and something that had decent graphics and unlimited (re)playability in Neverwinter Nights 1 (no, not the AOL version). What keeps me playing is content. Prior to the Age of Shadows expansion, Ultima Online had the deepest content of any game. Unfortunately, Electronic Arts saw fit to make the game about players who can dedicate more hours to a game than I was willing to give it anymore. On top of that the changes were so much that I decided I wasn’t ready to adapt anymore. Currently, my game of choice has been World of Warcraft (WoW). It has so much content sometimes I have to decide between crafting, finishing a quest, working on Reputation, or simply cleaning out items and shopping for other characters (I will admit that UO, at its peak, still had the deepest content of any game). Many players have complained that World of Warcraft holds the player’s hand way too much. Personally, it’s the best game out there for me. Its fun and I can get on for an hour and just do … stuff. That “stuff� can be crafting, finishing a quest, grinding a mob, or even participating in a high end dungeon crawl (such as the one infamously known as the “45 Min Baron Run�). Even so WoW can lose a bit of its luster and I have been looking at many games that are to be (or already have been) released to find something to find further enjoyment. I still wish I had my old Log Cabin though…I digress.

Dungeons & Dragons was my first roleplaying experience. I began playing with the “Red Book� set of rules. My first Dungeon Master Rudolpho was good at officiating the game’s rules AND providing fun and interesting game play. I eventually moved on to AD&D 2nd Edition (which were, to me, the glory years of Pen & Pencil Roleplaying). 3rd Edition+ rules are all fun and much easier to use and understand, but today’s single book releases (expansions) are nothing compared to the boxed sets available for the 2nd Edition version of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

My first introduction to online gaming was through Diablo, although you wouldn’t consider that true online roleplaying. Diablo was Doom with prettier graphics and good gameplay attempting to complete the same [censored] objectives (where they ever really quests) over and over and over and over and over. Many electronic iterations of the D&D game had been released including the first online version of Neverwinter Nights hosted by America Online. AOL = bleh but the game was good or so I was told. I never really got to play it. Fast forward ~10 years and Neverwinter Nights (NWN) was re-released as a single player game, a multi-player game, and a tool by which gamers could develop their own game adventures, modules, tools, monsters, equipment, etc., etc., etc. that players all over the world could enjoy. I would have to say NWN was the best online roleplaying game every built because its re-playability was unlimited. It continues to go on strong today. Even with the release of NWN2, I suspect NWN1 will still be supported by gamers everywhere.

Fast forward a few more years and Turbine released an online version of Dungeons & Dragons. When I first heard about the game, I was excited. Then I started to read about it. Group only play!? What about those people that were not into group only play!?? Months later, the game had gone through its beta testing and eventual release and the game received poor reviews from MANY players. I was skeptical at first. Then I heard about a free 7 day trial for the game. I decided, why not? I gave the game a chance. When I first loaded the game, I was awed at the detail of the character creation screens. The extent to which you could customize your character was surprisingly fresh. Although Lineage 2 had, argueably, better graphics, not all characters in D&D did not look the same. Upon entry into the game world, I felt immersed and was pleased by the quests and adventures that pull you in. Although the stories of bad lag are true, when the servers are not lagging, gameplay is extremely good. Other things I found enjoyable about this game was the way in which you can play in a full ‘3D’ environment. What I mean by that is you can climb on top of things, go under them, etc. In some cases, you have to go up and over obstacles, swim around or under barred areas to get to where you needed to go. The combat system is not too much unlike Shadowbane. It’s not click and watch your character deal out damage (although you can set your character to “auto attack� with a double left click or in the option settings). You can dodge attacks, block, and initiate special attacks. Now that I have given you some positives, let’s talk about the bad.

The lag has got to be dealt with. It is beyond frustrating. Sunday (July 23rd) was the worst for me. I got tired of dealing with it and logged out. Attempting to fight creatures in lag has always been a chore. Lag death sucks. Period.

The economy in my opinion is broken. Although there are no player run vendors or ‘crafting economy’, there is too much money in the game world. Another player gave my character two hundred platinum pieces on my 2nd day in the game (no, I didn’t ask, he just gave it to me when he found out I was new). Let me illustrate how much 200 platinum is:

100 Copper Pieces = 1 Silver
100 Silver = 1 Gold
100 Gold = 1 Platinum

Anyone that has played Ultima Online can understand how that too much in game money can break an economy. If you play World of Warcraft you can appreciate just how much money 200 platinum is for a character. I know one person giving me that much platinum may not be an indication of the economy as a whole, but I have seen how one can solo dungeons and rack in gold and items quickly. By myself I had 10 gold after two days. Again, the economy, in my mind, is broken in this game. Online roleplaying games, in my opinion, should require effort and make you feel as if you earned your way. World of Warcraft still gives me that feeling today. I don’t know if this game can do that after some time. I would consider this world “too magic rich� for my personal tastes. Anyone that has played Dungeons & Dragons tabletop versions can appreciate that statement.

No crafting system. Players like to make things. Although many D&D purists will argue that the crafting system is in the background or not part of the whole scope of playing D&D, I have to disagree with them. A good DM can administer and have his players roleplay the acquisition of the materials necessary to create a new magical item or spell. Add the requirement of having to require the necessary knowledge to build such a device and it could make for great gaming. Turbine would do well to introduce a crafting system that players can participate in as well as trade with. In my opinion, a good crafting system in an MMO makes for better gaming.

The lack of real content after 10th level is a real bummer. Getting to level 10 is NOT hard. Although they have added solo content and are, eventually, going to implement content for higher than 10th level, one can run out of things to do fairly quickly. And, eventually, even creating new characters is not going to keep people busy for long. Gamers will push the envelope and find the fastest and best ways to play a game. The “Min Maxers� (Google it) have already found ways to ‘break’ open the game to make their characters “uber� (ditto).

The lack of “Freedom� to roam the world. Although the game world feels huge and it can feel like you really are in a large city, the game does not allow you to visit anywhere you want when you want. Some areas are inaccessible without the proper ‘trigger’ (i.e.-a quest line that is already active). In games like Ultima Online and World of Warcraft, you realize very quickly where not to go (and when). I like being able to run wherever I want, even if it means a pounding by a potential Player Killer or a higher level monster. Although you can go into some higher level dungeons repeatedly (once a trigger is active), it’s not truly a ‘free’ experience. You get locked out of some areas. I understand the reasoning for that control (keeping players from leveling too quickly), but the lack of freedom for a player used to the UO and WoW experience of taking your character wherever you want is stifling.

Dungeons & Dragons Online has a lot of potential. It has great graphics, a really nice interface (which, for those interested, resembles WoW’s in function), and some really good game-play. Unfortunately it’s lacking in so many areas that will make the game great. But don’t take my word for it. If you wish, give the game it’s 7 day trial and judge for yourself.

Excuse me while I “Go play the [censored] Game�TM 2006.

Hasta.

PS-Yeah, I am back. Be afraid.

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PS-Yeah, I am back. Be afraid.
_____________________________________

**shivers**

LOL!!

Nice to see you around again.......behave!!

Dodger,

If it means anything, I was in Bregan D'Aerthe on UO:Great Lakes. It had original members of BDA on AOL:NWN. They shared stories of their time in AOL:NWN. It was interesting to say the least.

Hasta.