| April 14, 2005 House of Commons |
Brekkee - Good evening and welcome to another great Stratics House of Commons chat, tonight our guests are the developers of Dungeons & Dragons Online! The topic tonight is general discussion so all questions are welcome.
Brekkee - Please send your questions to [QT]Ishu OR [QT]Phineus - to do so type /query NICK and type in the window that pops up. Questions sent to me or the developers will not make it into the lineup. Full logs of the chat will be up on http://www.stratics.com shortly after the chat.
Brekkee - We'll start with a brief introduction from the developers, now would be a good time to send those questions.
SporkfireDDO - Hello, everyone. I'm Victor "Sporkfire" Wachter, Community Relation Manager for DDO. It's great to be back on Stratic with the House of Commons and to be with the DDO team in their first Stratics chat.
KenTroop_DDO - Hi, everyone. I'm Ken Troop, Lead Designer for DDO here at Turbine
WizardTed - I'm Ed Stark, Special Projects Manager for RPGs and Minis at Wizards. I was the Creative Director for D&D during 3rd Edition and 3.5 and now I work with our computer folks to make sure the games are great!
EckelberryDDO - Finally, I'm David Eckelberry, Senior Game Systems Designer for Turbine.
Brekkee - *godski* Will DDO finally be the MMOG that properly captures the role of a rogue in a dungeon making it a valuable class to have. Picking locks, finding traps, listening in the next room, scouting ahead... etc.?
EckelberryDDO - Yes, Godski, this is the MMOG that you have been waiting for. Rogues in D&D have the functionality of the phenomenal skill-wielder you'd expect.
EckelberryDDO - He can sneak, using Hide and Move Silently skills. He can discover hidden objects and traps using Search and Spot skills, and he can Listen for events, monsters, and traps ahead.
EckelberryDDO - Once he's discovered a trap he can disarm it .. or at least try.
EckelberryDDO - If he fails the disarm attempt, there is some chance of backfire, but hopefully that happen to you.
Brekkee - *mattllow* will there be Attacks of Opporutunities in the game, IE can a fighter with a bow fire in melee without penalty?
WizardTed - Attacks of Opportunity are a method we came up with in the turn-based paper and pencil game to keep people from doing really odd or time-consuming things in combat. DDO handles AoO in real time and "punishes" characters for those things, handling AoO in a smooth manner using the computer's AI. So, while AoO aren't in the game per se, the solution is still there.
Brekkee - *Reyiss* Can you give any information on when the first invites to alpha will be sent out?
SporkfireDDO - We're extremely pleased with all of the alpha applications we have received and are excited to be starting. Though we haven't set a date yet, we are looking forward to getting the invitations out fairly soon.
Brekkee - *Frozen-Solid* Originally it was said that Keith Baker wanted to leave Xen'drik as unexplored territory and keep it relatively undocumented for dungeon masters to run as they see fit. Has this changed with the announcement of DDO? Just how well will DDO map out Xen'drik and it's story?
WizardTed - Keith certainly designed Xen'drik to be an open area for folks to explore. DDO opens up a small part of that vast continent and Wizards had always intended to provide source material on that area. Now, DDO players will get the opportunity to be the first to explore Xen'drik and Wizards will follow along with accompanying paper and pencil product. Keep in mind, however, that Xen'drik is huge and we won't reveal all its secrets at
WizardTed - in either format. done
Brekkee - *CrazyJim* Will dungeons have a low level requirement, so people too high can no longer do them? How will you handle upper levels tourguiding lower levels through dungeons?
EckelberryDDO - Some dungeons, yes, have level maximums. This is configurable by the designers here so that we can allow each dungeon to "admit" those that it should.
EckelberryDDO - Moreover, when higher level characters "twink" or "tourguide" lower level characters into a dungeon, they will reduce (or even eliminate) rewards such as XP that would otherwise be granted
Brekkee - *Dungeoneer* How will Monstern interact with their environment in the 'Dungeon' - will they have other senses than vision, will they use levers, keys, will they swim, be afraid of fire... etc?
KenTroop_DDO - With our adventure-based xp model, we have been able to really push a lot of interactivity between the monsters and environment
KenTroop_DDO - For example, traps effect monsters as well as players, and smart players can use this to their advantage in certain situations
KenTroop_DDO - Basically, we have lots of different interactive elements in our adventure spaces, many of which effect monsters equally as players
Brekkee - *Frozen-Solid* Do you think that DDO will have a significant impact on the table top game or vice versa? If so, how do you think it will be affected or will affect the table top game?
WizardTed - I hope they have significant effect on each other! With DDO set in Eberron, we get to develop more of the world in two radically different formats and ...
WizardTed - ... we also get to see what we can learn from D&D in an online format. I think that players of either format will find interest ...
WizardTed - ... in both, to the betterment of the whole D&D experience. I know we've got a lot of folks around here who play both paper and pencil ...
WizardTed - ... and online games, and we're raring to go with D&D Online!
Brekkee - *[tI]jetuser* Will this be a game for a person who doesn't know how to play Dungeons and Dragons, will there be some sort of tutorial system in place at release?
KenTroop_DDO - Absolutely. While our primary focus has been bringing D&D to life in an online game, we also are making sure that the game is fun for non-D&D players...
KenTroop_DDO - There are some MMP players who either aren't familiar with D&D or at least 3rd edition, and DDO will still appeal to those people as an online RPG
Brekkee - *godski* Eberron is a brand new world.. will Wizard's release companion books to go along with DDO?
WizardTed - Certainly. Every D&D book we put out with Eberron content in it should be useful and interesting to DDO players. Specifically ...
WizardTed - we will be putting out books with Xen'drik information and information on character building and creation. Obviously ...
WizardTed - Turbine will be expanding the game as the months after release go on, so there will be plenty of opportunities to add other D&D and Eberron content to the game. The paper and pencil game is a possible source for much of that material.
Brekkee - *Alkanphel* With all the advancements in MMO's what makes DDO stand alone from the rest of the MMO's?
KenTroop_DDO - DDO's sole focus is on being a fun online RPG you can play with your friends...we're not trying to advance the "MMO" genre...
KenTroop_DDO - Only in DDO will you get a quintessential D&D adventuring experience, where you can make D&D characters and experience your own private adventure with your group.
KenTroop_DDO - We believe if we just focus on making dungeon-crawling and combat with your friends a fun experience, everything else will take care of itself
Brekkee - *Frozen-Solid* Any chance that you're hiring full/part time players to admin the servers, act as NPCs, or other in-game positions? If so how can I apply and will you hire me?
SporkfireDDO - It so happens that Turbine will be hosting a Job Fair here in Boston. If you'd like to apply, make sure to come over and speak us. You can find details at:
SporkfireDDO - http://www.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=74
SporkfireDDO - Otherwise, make sure to keep an eye on our employment listings at turbine.com
Brekkee - *Geograd-Warcry* Did I get into Alpah? Just kidding :) - How interactable will objects in the world be? Can you climb on boxes, pick them up, destroy them?
KenTroop_DDO - Yes, you will be able to destroy various items in the world, light them on fire, and even sometimes put them out! The dungeons themselves are also changeable...because much of the adventure takes place in an...
KenTroop_DDO - instanced space -- bridges can crumble, floors can break, avalanches can happen, etc.
KenTroop_DDO - We're also doing lots of puzzles and traps, some of which are D&D skill based, and others based on the skill and intelligence of the player
Brekkee - *Flagg* I would like to know if the quest (instance) difficulty will be based on the total levels of all group members, an average, the highest level in group, or some other method?
EckelberryDDO - It
EckelberryDDO - It's not a simple as any of those. We look at the highest level of the party and gate certain admission and rewards based on that. We also look at the party average, and finally we have caps on how many characters can enter a dungeon.
EckelberryDDO - All of those options are configured by the level and content designers on a case by case basis, with some guidelines crafted by the systems team.
Brekkee - *baraquel* evening. I was wondering how the clerics spells resurrection and raise dead were going to be implemented.
EckelberryDDO - Pretty much just as you'd imagine them. When you die in the dungeon, you have a few options: one, you get yourself raised by a cleric in your party, and you return to the fight more or less immediately.
EckelberryDDO - two, you can wait until your party finds a place in the dungeon, set by the dungeon level designers, that allows characters to return to life even though they may not have a cleric
EckelberryDDO - Or, you can bid a sad farewell to your companions and leave the dungeon, returning to life back in the city, typically at a place such as a temple or Jorasco healing house, etc.
Brekkee - *Arawn* I signed up on the Ataribetatest.net site long ago for the ddo beta. My account shows ddo as an active assignment. Are the atari beta accounts still being used? Did my signing up for the beta on your site cause a problem or move me back in line from the Atari one?
SporkfireDDO - We are using another beat registration system from Ataribetatest.net and so players will need to sign up again on the new site: http://beta.turbine.com/signup
Brekkee - *BlackRazor* How will gear distribution of avatars be handled? In other words will our gear such as swords and the like show up on the avatar even when not in combat?
EckelberryDDO - Weapons and armor control a great deal of character appearance. This is obvious as there will be every form of armor that you're familiar with from the Player's Handbook, and even many that aren't.
EckelberryDDO - The same is true for weapons.
EckelberryDDO - (Well, most weapons, anyway). Meanwhile within the different types of armors (for example, plate mail) there will be different appearance representing different forms of magical materials, enhancements. etc
Brekkee - *Nathan138* will there be more depth to this mmorpg in the lines of terrain, in other mmorpgs there is no climbing or scaling at all. it is just whatever you cannot get to, you are not suppose to. Will this be the mmorpg to break the mold?
KenTroop_DDO - Yes, our dungeons explore a lot of vertical space, not just horizontal. So ladder climbing, ledge hanging, etc. all factor into the DDO dungeon experience.
KenTroop_DDO - There are many situations in the dungeons in which it pays to explore all the nooks and crannies, even up high, in order to maximize your loot and experience.
Brekkee - *Doramos* Question: Will every race in the game be able to be any class, much like the PnP game, or will there only be certain classes playable by certain races?
WizardTed - One of the maxims of D&D is "options, not restrictions." While D&D computer games often have to impose limits the paper and pencil game doesn't have ...
WizardTed - this won't be one of them. You can be any race, any class offered in the game. Sure, you might not ...
WizardTed - want to play a warforged bard or a halfling barbarian for "pure power" reasons, but you could have a really interesting character idea. Who wants to
WizardTed - stand in the way of that? And, of course, D&D Online allows multiclassing! (Thank goodness!)
Brekkee - *Lancy* Question: With the spellpoint system in place, what will be put in place to make sorcerers unique from mages and even divine spellcasters?
EckelberryDDO - Great question. There's a few obvious ways, and some not-so-obvious, that makes sorcerers different from wizards. Sorcerers for one, have more spellpoints, but they have fewer spell to choose from. In addition, the sorcerer's spell list is basically hard-coded, and only adjustable when the sorcerer gains levels. The wizard, on the other hand...
EckelberryDDO - gains additional spells through scrolls, and he can adjust his spell list on a day to day basis. We're also exploring some other options that I'm not ready to talk about yet. Thanks.
Brekkee - *Vipper* With the apparent emphisis on partys of players going at quests together, just how will grouping be handled? IE: Am I going to find myself waiting for an hour just to get a party with the right levels/classes/ect only to find I no longer have time to finish a quest or that my party is unbalanced or unsuited for the task at hand?
EckelberryDDO - First of all, we intend to do a good job of helping you to find a group so that you're never waiting around for long. The heart of that system lies in creating hubs of player congregation in town--common places with good reason for them to come together.
EckelberryDDO - The other half of my answer lies in that DDO, more than other MMPs I play (and I play them all) doesn't require a balanced group, really. You can go into a dungeon with one fighter, two fighters, or three, and you'd perform successfully.
EckelberryDDO - No cleric, no fighter, and my groups still succeed. That's partially thanks to intelligent play, treasure, and good use of resources.
KenTroop_DDO - I'll just chime in here as well -- the other side of this is that not all content is group-focused.
KenTroop_DDO - There will be lots of single-player and what we call "shared solo" opportunities
KenTroop_DDO - So, if you only have 15-30 mins to get in and play, there will be a number of short dungeons you can accomplish in that time, often by yourself.
KenTroop_DDO - And DDO will also have instanced adventures that are capped at X number of people, not a party...so that you and anywhere from a few to many other players could be playing through an adventure, and either cooperating or just focusing on your own section
KenTroop_DDO - These spaces will have a goal to them that you must complete...so it's up to you whether you want to work together or not
Brekkee - *ravi* In a DDO gameplay vid I have seen, it shows a Rogue shooting a barrel of water and extinguising a candle which dims the room. If I saw that correctly, will real-time lighting have a true impact on gameplay in terms of Spot checks and other PnP rules?
EckelberryDDO - Yes.
Brekkee - *Rovmis* What kind of variety can we expect in weapons and armors in comparison to pen and paper D&D? Also, will different armor & weapon materials (steel, bronze, mythril, etc.) be available?
EckelberryDDO - A good variety. Just about everything from the PHB, and some weapons and material types from the PHB. Yes, you can get your mithral chain shirt, Rovmis.
EckelberryDDO - Er, I meant from the Eberron book too, eh.
Brekkee - *ludo* Will the instanced dungeons have any replay value? In other words, will loot/monsters be somewhat random, or once a dungeon is 'cleared', then there will be no incentive to replay it?
KenTroop_DDO - Yes, on a few different levels...first, many dungeons can have random spawns and/or different collection of traps and monsters spawning...so that each time the dungeon can be a different experience...
KenTroop_DDO - Also, we're building in more formal replay structures into some of the dungeons to reward you for replaying it...but we're not talking about the specifics yet
Brekkee - *Dezuria* question: We know there will be plenty of dungeon crawling fun, but will we have an equally large amount of outdoor wilderness adventuring as well?
WizardTed - Sometimes we fall into the trap of calling all adventuring areas "dungeons," and we probably shouldn't do that. There are plenty of adventure sites that will take place outdoors ...
WizardTed - Naturally, Dungeons & Dragons is about dungeon adventuring, but there are lots of outdoor "dungeons" as well. One of the things I like about the game so far is that the ...
WizardTed - environments often feel very different from each other and tactical game play changes based on where you are and what you're fighting, moreso ...
WizardTed - than in many other MMORPGs I've played.
Brekkee - That will wrap it up for tonight. I’d like to thank the folks from Dungeons & Dragons Online for coming! The log for tonight’s chat will be up shortly on http://www.stratics.com.
Brekkee - Thank you all for joining us! You can join #DDO to chat more about the game. Also, be sure to keep an eye on http://ddo.stratics.com for Stratics DDO site going live soon!
KenTroop_DDO - Thanks everyone for coming out!
EckelberryDDO - Good night, and good luck to the Red Sox tonight. They're going to win it in the 9th.
SporkfireDDO - Thanks for coming out, all. You had great questions tonight and we look forward to doing this again!
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