Ryandor.com

Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:39 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 11:12 am 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
My girlfriend and I decided to try it since there is a 7-day trial and we have been enjoying the basic pen and paper game.

First impression: complicated and clunky. They provide movies and ample information about everything during character creation, but it seems all too easy to gimp your character.

Second impression: VERY hard, if you play a wizard. The first few missions are solo-only, so my girlfriend, who had decided to be a paladin, could not help me (the wizard). I died a few dozen times trying to solve the last solo mission, and there is no way I can solo anything without a meat shield. She, on the other hand, can solo many missions and brute-force her way through things.

Final impression: It is very true to the pen and paper game, complete with rolling dice in the corner. The graphics are superb if you max them out, and the quests are, by far, the best in any game I have played.

There are some things that set this apart from most other online games, but may be familiar to those of you who played the pen and paper version.

You do not heal over time, unless in a tavern, and the same goes for mana. That is why I kept dying in the solo mission -- I'd burn through my mana and be helpless.

Potions, especially health potions, are far too expensive to be practical.

Equipment is found, not bought, and you are likely to end up with better stuff than anything they sell in the stores before you are 1/8th of the way through level one.

Experience can only be gained in two ways: solving quests (by far, the most common way) or by going to "encounter areas" where you just do good old-fashioned monster bashing.

Almost everything that happens, happens underground. Not much in the way of outdoor experiences and the few I have seen, have been somewhat boring -- though, of course, the city (which I do not think you can even leave) is aboveground.

Levels go up very slowly -- the highest level you can achieve right now is 10, if that gives you any idea. You do get "ranks" between levels, but they are mostly meaningless.

You are very limited in terms of travel. You start out on a small island, then advance to the harbor of the main city. You are stuck in the outer harbor until you solve a series of quests, and then stuck in the overall harbor until you solve more.

You simply have to be in a group to do much of anything, and the game is, well, hard.

Overall, though, I would recommend it -- I am enjoying it a lot, even if I do get my ass handed to me by every low-level kobold that comes around. I do kick ass at crown-control, though, mowing down dozens of enemies at once (though that seems like a rare encounter).

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 11:44 am 
Offline
Grand Master
Grand Master
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 6:57 am
Posts: 472
You can't walk in this game. So I don't like it.

_________________
-= Ho Eyo He Hum =-


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:07 am 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
Xuri wrote:
You can't walk in this game. So I don't like it.


You can, but there is no default key mapping for it.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:10 am 
Offline
Grand Master
Grand Master
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 6:57 am
Posts: 472
Really? How? All I managed to do was "jog" and "run". Annoyed me to no end that I couldn't STROLL into the tavern.

_________________
-= Ho Eyo He Hum =-


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:27 am 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
Xuri wrote:
Really? How? All I managed to do was "jog" and "run". Annoyed me to no end that I couldn't STROLL into the tavern.


In the options there is a key for "Walk Mode" that, when held, makes your character walk. It does look strange, though.

I honestly see this game as more of an adventure game than a roleplaying game.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 8:05 pm 
Offline
Posting Whore
Posting Whore

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2003 6:21 pm
Posts: 1434
Location: Colorado Springs, Co.
Well Syd got me curious so I downloaded the 7 day trial and...I hate it...

The game has "0" depth to it. To me it's nothing like D&D/AD&D and even the creatures do not look the same as described in the Monster manuals.

The cities look really bad which is strange considering the reviews for the graphics were very good. The ubber limited interaction with objects is horrible, the doorways that do not open...period!.

The quest are not only annoying but stupid. The designer needs to be pimp smacked for ruining my expectations of what a online D&D game should be.

It reminds me of a re-skined Dioblo with bad graphics.

When they come out with a D&D online game based off the 2nd edition rules then I might blow $50 for the software but I wouldn't pay them $10.00 for what they have now. Oblivion is more fun, without the $15 a month (or whatever their charging) and the quest blow D&D out of the water.

Even an ancient game like UO puts D&D Online to shame.

Scrap it, fire everyone and start over! Two thumbs covered in snot down!

Dev

_________________
"So...if crazy people don't know their crazy...does that mean your only sane if your know your crazy?"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 8:23 pm 
Offline
Grand Master
Grand Master
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2002 12:13 am
Posts: 414
Location: West Virginia, USA
Wow.

*scratches that one off the list of things to try*


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 8:49 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:01 pm
Posts: 1473
Location: CO, USA
Sounds like D&D Online is for non D&D players....
:/

-Ryandor


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:22 pm 
Offline
Slayer of Fools
Slayer of Fools
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2002 4:54 pm
Posts: 1289
Like I keep saying, it was meant for pen and paper and that is what it does well. I don't even know who is putting out the online version but let's see...Bioware is one of the best companys out there and even NWN just couldn't hold my attention long enough to finish the 1st chapter of the official campaign, let alone the expansions (and I have them all). The graphics are great (although I hate the viewing angles, and even first person sucks). The GUI is probably one of the best I have seen. Something is just lacking.

_________________
This space for rent.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:40 pm 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
It's an action game, not a role-playing game. Fun for what it is, which is a pen and paper game translated to computer -- something which cannot be done properly. The only things which can come close are text MUDs, and those are all (that I have tried), FAR from fully interactive.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:41 pm 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
Oh, but it is good for teaching you the D&D rules and number games, which, so far, seem accurate.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2006 10:10 am 
Offline
Peanut Gallery
Peanut Gallery
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2002 8:53 pm
Posts: 1864
Location: Hayward, CA
Big down side: easy to gimp.

On the plus side, it is fun to start over anyway. I've made maybe 6 rangers before landing on a build I enjoy playing, but it was fun and worth it.

_________________
Blog: http://www.sydius.org
Web: http://www.sydius.net


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2006 1:13 pm 
Offline
Young
Young

Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:14 am
Posts: 7
Stormcrow wrote:
Like I keep saying, it was meant for pen and paper and that is what it does well. I don't even know who is putting out the online version but let's see...Bioware is one of the best companys out there and even NWN just couldn't hold my attention long enough to finish the 1st chapter of the official campaign, let alone the expansions (and I have them all). The graphics are great (although I hate the viewing angles, and even first person sucks). The GUI is probably one of the best I have seen. Something is just lacking.


The first original storyline to NWN is actually the worst of the lot... it's dreadfully boring. I found the last expansion (hordes of the underdark? something like that) to be extremely good, though.

I didn't manage to drag myself through all of the first storyline either. It was just poor. :/


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group