I hate BioWare (in Off-topic)

Now I'm all excited about Mass Effect, and it won't be out until April next year. Those jerks.

Play Neverwinter Nights in the mean while?

Maybe I will...

apparently there is a mac version too. Anyone know if I get the Diamond NWN edition if that comes with the mac client?

... it looks like it doesn't, but you can make the Diamond data files work with the Mac demo executable, with some effort.

I just watched the trailer...


man, what jerks they are! I want to play!

I'm a little tired of the "setting the bar" crap though. I think oblivion set the bar for RPG's, and now I'm glad to see Bioware is taking it and running with it. The dialog system in Oblivion is fairly advanced, not "cutting edge" as Mass Effect suggests, but I'm glad to see the whole RPG dialog system getting a much needed makeover and advance in technology.

Please, just don't go anywhere near DDO. >_<

Dance Dance Ovulation?

dungeons & dragons online

It's a confused game. Selling itself as faithful to 'classic' PnP D&D and the closest thing you can get to a PnP session on a computer (with changes only made to make the transition to real time combat) while implementaing standard MMO things ('Holy Trinity' requirements) and ignoring D&D PnP rules (reversing BAB for extra attacks) as the players handbook isn't gospel...

While the game looks nice, the quests are all static, and there's not enough stuff to keep people occupied, so DDO encourages replaying static unchanging quests over and over.

And when you do find one that gives good rewards (which lock out for a week if you run them too much anyway...) they nerf the quest to not make it worth anything.

Plus the power level is out of whack, Drow (Uber race, no other race comes close) are being introduced, and the signature Dragon encounter is stupid. With stupid MMO 1/6 chance of getting loot rules...

If you want an MMO, play WoW/EQ/GW. If you want a RPG, play something like NWN on a persistent world until NWN2 is released. :(

Oh, it also charges the highest monthly subscription of any current MMO.

While WoW is £8.99, DDO is £10.56 a month.

They said they would charge £8.99, but forgot to tell people that unlike other MMOs, they would charge VAT on top...

After the outcry over this, they gave all current subscribers at the time an in game magical item to make up for it.

Oh and they hinted, then withdrew, that 'modules' (content patches) would be paid for, and they still might be.

Actual announcement for the first module was laong the lines of "As a thank you to our exisitng customers, existing customers get module one for free!" which at least to me implied that other modules wouldn't be (and also that players to the game after the modules release would have to pay for it - which hasn't happened...).

Phew, I think I should stop now.

Actually one last thing to add. There is no interaction with the DDO world. Why plainly sucks for a Roleplaying game.

Alignment means nothing as there are no choices, and all you can do is kill kill kill. Even if it's a LG pally stealing a gem for a thief...