DDO Module 9 Dev Chat: Loading Live #13

[Ethec]

Dungeons and Dragons Online Senior Producer Kate Paiz joins us for Loading... Live Episode 13, which is all about DDO Module 9. Plenty of new content and features await both new and veteran players with this module, which will raise the level cap to a DnD "natural" 20. After warming up with this week's MMO news, we ask Kate some general questions about the upcoming module before turning the mic over to the audience for in-depth questions about how Module 9 will change DDO for the better.

It's all in this week's Loading... Live: DDO Module 9 Dev Chat with Kate Paiz!

[Ethec]

You can catch the complete Q&A session transcript at http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/67256 too.

A couple people noted that Kate's voice sounds a little crunchy and distorted. Apologies for that, the gain was way high when recorded and I cleaned it up as best as I could.

[Sarr]

Hi. Thanks for the transcript TenTonHammer, as well as this podcast.

Maybe it's not very informative to those already deep into the game, but it certainly helps newcomers and casuals get the image of things to come, and how Turbine wants to "revive" DDO.

Things are getting better and better population wise in DDO since Module 8. Now with Module 9 I'd expect a major influx in population, even bigger than with Module 8's NPE.

Game is getting fine-tuned, and as Turbine stops rising level cap for some time, they will probably concentrate on adventure content and details. In fact, many major changes in that respect are already included in pre-Release notes for Mod 9.

Global chat system including use during questing / instancing, Advice + Trade channels... that alone can make a major difference.

Why? Because of at least 2 things:

1. First is that DDO isn't your spoon-fed MMO type like WoW or even LotrO, WAR, Guild Wars. This game takes time and effort to master. And while it's VERY rewarding experience, when you start to see why there may be no "better" MMO out there (vast number of options everywhere, interactive environment, physics, etc.), it may be too difficult for people used to WoW gameplay. So people know what to do - ask questions on General Chat. But as it's now available only in public spaces, and each public instance has it's own channel, it's almost never used.
So people start to think: "why nobody answers? Are they against newcomers? Or maybe this game is deserted??"
And all such things are not true . In Module 9 it will be different - 3 public chat channels will be major-HUB centered. So in example, Marketplace will probably have one, common instance of these channels: Genera, Advice & Trade. Not only that, but also people doing quests in the whole Marketplace area and Stormrach Houses will be able to use these channels from inside their quests / instances! It's not possible now, but soon, in Mod 9 will be a common thing.
That's a major change for people seeking advice, help, to trade something, to recruit for a guild, to group... for just about everything. And all these channels are configurable, you can even turn them off whenever you like. So there shouldn't be any such problem with spammers like it is in WoW, ever .

2. People coming to try DDO sometimes had the feeling of the game being small or deserted. Both statements are not true, but now in Module 8 it takes time to discover.
Game felt tiny and deserted because of 2 things: small, narrow areas & no traffic in General chat channel. Heck, even if you asked for something on General, it was hard to get answer - almost no one used it.
Now, in Mod 8 areas are significantly larger, more vast and with better views. In coming Mod 9 Marketplace will be changed too, in similar way - more open spaces, more viewpoints to see great areas etc.
But concentrating on Chat channels, it will surely become a place of large traffic, after some period of "getting used to", of course. Chat will now become a very handy tool for looking for something / someone, seeking advice and giving it to newbies, sharing experiences, etc. Concluding, no more feeling of "deserted game", as it will become thriving with life and vast - thanks to new chat system and changes in design.

There are many other changes, UI tweaks, banking changes, more logical and better looking combat statistics, and so on, and so on. It all seems really well thought out, and every feature is linked to another. So in the end, those design changes to become fully integrated into the game and will make a major difference.
Heck, Turbine even made changes to character animation! Such details as legs of characters better synced with their movement, adding sounds for characters taking damage from falls and animations showing in real time who is hit & when... Seems like Turbine is becoming so dedicated to details as Blizzard, which is a good thing. They don't change the game to by anything like WoW, but take the best from experiences in other games. And the "Devil" lies in the details, as they say, so I applaud these moves.