Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Dungeons & Dragons Online Goes Free
I still don't think I'll go back to play it...
Dungeons & Dragons Online Goes Free to Play
There are a lot of MMOs that have discovered that subscription-based models are difficult to pull off unless you are definitely in the top tier. The advantage is a consistent cash-flow, and probably a lower turnover of users (people are less likely to go inactive if they are paying.... which means they keep playing and paying...) But once people drop out, it's harder to get them back.
I played DDO for about a year, and had some good experiences playing it, but I became increasingly frustrated around level 6 or so. The way they balanced the game was... poor, I felt. We'd get penalized by having someone of a little higher level in our group, yet his extra level wasn't nearly enough to make up for the fact that we had five members in our group instead of six (but no, no bonus XP or treasure or anything for completing dungeons with a sub-optimal party size - nothing to offset the penalty). So over time we found ourselves "under-equipped" for being forced to go through "too easy" dungeons, which made us even less capable of handling the ones that were supposed to be appropriate for our level.
It felt like we were always behind the power-curve. At least it felt that way to me. This wasn't a horrible problem, since we really only played with a particular group of friends so there wasn't the feeling of competition. But it did feel like we ended up doing the same quests over and over again.
They made some changes that made it easier to solo (mainly solo-oriented quests), and continued to pump out some interesting content for the standard, optimal, power-gaming groups, but it seemed like the 'casual,' non-optimal group sized were a little left out. Or simply not planned for. But they did do a pretty good job of making the rogues feel welcome, I thought.
I'm sure the game has changed a ton since then (and now you can get up to level 20, which ought to be significant). And really, it's not a bad game.
We'll see what this means for Dungeons & Dragons Online (or now, "Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited"). This could be a last-ditch effort to make the game pay off, or it could be the move that allowed them to hit the jackpot.
What makes things even more convoluted and interesting is that Atari / Cryptic is rumored to be working on a Dungeons & Dragons based MMO of their own... based on Neverwinter Nights. The irony is that the original Neverwinter Nights was an MMO based on the old "Gold Box" D&D games from SSI. Then the title was appropriated for Bioware's excellent stand-alone multiplayer game series (which I devoted way too many hours to). And now it may come full circle as an MMO again.
As for me - I'm looking forward to Champions Online, but I failed to cancel my City of Heroes account before they billed me again, so I've been paying for a game I haven't even played in months. I love the game, but don't have the time to devote to an MMO.
(Hat tip to RPGWatch for being where I first heard about it...)
Labels: Mainstream Games
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:31 AM (Permalink)
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I've never played D&D online before but maybe now is the time to check it out. However I am a die-hard solo'er so it probably won't fit the bill for what I like to do.
Right now I'm playing World of Warcraft on and off until something more exciting comes out. I'm really looking forwards to the new Star Wars MMO that Bioware and Lucasarts is putting out. I used to love Star Wars Galaxies until they changed every thing.
Ah, City of Heroes. I used to play that so much. Never made it past lvl 40, or was that 41. The problem with CoH was that it got too repetitive and all the missions started looking the same. Still have a soft spot in my heart for that game though.
Right now I'm playing World of Warcraft on and off until something more exciting comes out. I'm really looking forwards to the new Star Wars MMO that Bioware and Lucasarts is putting out. I used to love Star Wars Galaxies until they changed every thing.
Ah, City of Heroes. I used to play that so much. Never made it past lvl 40, or was that 41. The problem with CoH was that it got too repetitive and all the missions started looking the same. Still have a soft spot in my heart for that game though.
Otto: True dat. While it was fun to face new enemies and stuff, the missions did get a bit of a "paint by numbers" feeling to them. There were some exceptions - particularly some of the longer mission chains. I'd say the task force missions were that way - I assume they were - but honestly, whenever I was in a task force we went so fast and furious through the mission sequence that I was never entirely sure what was going on.
The new Star Wars game has potential. I loved the teaser. But - it's only a teaser. We'll see. At least the pedigree is good.
@CodeJustin - Yeah, I had fun playing it. Just not enough to stay. And I got frustrated a lot. But I think it really could enjoy a renaissance as a free-to-play game. There was a lot to like.
The new Star Wars game has potential. I loved the teaser. But - it's only a teaser. We'll see. At least the pedigree is good.
@CodeJustin - Yeah, I had fun playing it. Just not enough to stay. And I got frustrated a lot. But I think it really could enjoy a renaissance as a free-to-play game. There was a lot to like.
Actually, from anecdotes I've heard, a "free to play" game retains people a bit easier in some circumstances. In most games, if a player leaves the game and wants to come back, then the subscription is a barrier to entry. A "free" game, on the other hand, can stay installed on the computer and re-visited with no problems in the future.
But, in general, you are right that people will stick with something they've paid for a bit longer. But, there are advantages to the "free to play" model in this area.
But, in general, you are right that people will stick with something they've paid for a bit longer. But, there are advantages to the "free to play" model in this area.
I'll defer to your anecdotes, then, since you are probably a bit closer to that side of the industry than I am. :)
I have talked to some of the guys who worked on Yo Ho Ho Puzzle Pirates, though, and it was clear that moving from a purely subscription based (their original model) to a free-to-play model did WONDERS for that game's revenue stream. I really hope this pays of for DDO.
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I have talked to some of the guys who worked on Yo Ho Ho Puzzle Pirates, though, and it was clear that moving from a purely subscription based (their original model) to a free-to-play model did WONDERS for that game's revenue stream. I really hope this pays of for DDO.
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