As the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMO gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch.
Current subscribers will see no real change in the game, as what they're paying for now is what's included in the new VIP model. The F2P players will not exactly have access to the same features for free, yet they can purchase as little or as much as they'd like in the Turbine store with Turbine points. This allows more casual players the chance to play the game and only pay for those features they know they'll use. To help explain this new system, and answer some questions Massively had, they had a chance to sit down with Adam Mersky, Turbine's Director of Communication, Kate Paiz, Senior Producer for DDO and Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer for DDO.
D&D's Unearthed Arcana Playtest 8 has Wizards of the Coast offering some great tweaks to monks, bards, and barbarians as the pieces fall into place
Dungeons & Dragons and videogames are both 'games' goes the general understanding, but how are they inherently different to one another and what is it about their designs that cause us to interpret them in wildly disparate ways?
Join Indie By Design's John Robertson and Stace Harman as they discuss the fundamental approaches to design that lead to videogames and Dungeons & Dragons being viewed, by their players, as very different entities to one another.
What sort of ripple effect might the cultural phenomenon known as D&D have on video games? How do gamers feel that ripple today?
Wow! Despite using a clickbait thumbnail, Cheat Code Central actually wrote an article...
It's surprisingly a decent length and relatively interesting.
