Dungeons & Dragons Online Dungeons and Dragons Online Joins the Free-To-Play Market

[Martuk]

Turbine announced today that it will be joining the free-to-play game market by unveiling Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (DDO), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap and add a major boost in content to DDO. Along with the level boost and new content, the update will make the game free-to-play. The update is scheduled to be released later this summer. Players will be able to purchase adventure packs and account services from the DDO store rather than paying a subscription.

TURBINE® ANNOUNCES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE®: EBERRON UNLIMITED™

Free Digital Upgrade Introduces Unlimited Free Play and Raises Level Cap; Beta Begins Today

WESTWOOD, MA – June 9, 2009 – Turbine, Inc. announced today the start of the Beta program for Dungeons & Dragons Online®:*Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach™. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only in premium subscription-based MMOs.*Launching later this summer, DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players interested in getting a sneak peak of the new DDO Unlimited can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program at http://www.ddo.com.

“Our team has spent years crafting DDO Unlimited into a powerhouse experience featuring cutting-edge graphics, a kick-ass combat system, high level content, and cutting-edge social tools.*Today marks a major milestone as we prepare to launch the world’s most exciting free MMO,” said Kate Paiz, Senior Producer.*

“Turbine is blazing a new trail with an innovative new pricing structure that will deliver a new era of choice for the growing market of online gamers, and we are very excited to invite players to work with us in the DDO Unlimited Beta program as we redefine how people play and pay for MMOs,” added Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer.

DDO Unlimited delivers the best combat of any MMO and the most heart-pounding action this side of a keyboard, plus a lot more!

Ø*Brand New Content & Features – DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class, increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more!

Ø*The Fiercest Combat – DDO Unlimited features an extraordinary and heart stopping combat experience that requires players to fully engage in the battle by relying on their wits and reflexes in real time. No more clicking skills and watching the action from the sideline.*

Ø*Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore a vast and dangerous online world that features the most advanced graphics in the industry and is stuffed with the legendary monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless adventures from the world’s best known RPG.

Ø*Full-featured MMO – Experience sophisticated systems found only in the best games including auctions, arena death matches (Player versus Player), NPC hirelings, gambling, crafting, and powerful social tools for finding a group, forming a guild or planning an epic raid!

Ø*Easier Than Ever! – DDO Unlimited gets you playing in minutes instead of hours, using new proprietary Turbine technology. Creating a new character is incredibly simple with guides and templates that speed you through the process. Features an all-new new player experience that gives gamers their first taste of excitement quickly while teaching them how to play solo or with a group of fellow adventurers.*

DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of*Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.® (NYSE: HAS),*under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A.®*Published by Atari, Inc.®, DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.


About Turbine
Turbine, Inc. is the premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities.*Turbine is the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America and has created some of the world’s most popular and award-winning online games, including The Lord of the Rings Online™, Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach™, and Asheron's Call®.*For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.

About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining franchises such as The Matrix™ (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo) and Test Drive®; and mass-market and children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues™ and Dora the Explorer™, and Dragon Ball Z®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR-0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.

About Hasbro
Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop role-playing game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering®, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons®, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at www.wizards.com.

# # #
Dungeons & Dragons Online, Eberron Unlimited, Stormreach, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Magic: The Gathering and Wizards of the Coast and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions, and are used with permission. Hasbro and its logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions, and are used with permission. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

[OneEyeRed]

Well, if there was any hope at all for this game, they killed it. Nothing worse to this genre than item malls and shit in my opinion. Give me a monthly fee to pay without all this over priced BS.

[Metal]

AWESOMENESS


Very happy about this.

[Tom316]

I am always happy to see games adopted a F2P method instead of just killing the game off. Anyone thats played DDO knows that this is it's last chance as a MMO before it gets the axe.

This is what should have happened to Tabula Rasa and AC2 back in the day. But as it goes you live and learn.

This opens up the game to a load of new potential customers while at the same time offering something for both the old subscribers and the news one. Don't want to pay a monthly fee? Then use the item shop to get what you need. Don't like the item shop? Then purchase a monthly fee and gain everything that the item shop offers. I just can't see how the system can end in a bad way. Unless they start offering item shop only items, then in that case the system would take a nose dive.

But from the way it sounds theres no need to worry about that.

[Savanja]

Originally Posted by Tom316

I am always happy to see games adopted a F2P method instead of just killing the game off. Anyone thats played DDO knows that this is it's last chance as a MMO before it gets the axe.

I completely agree. It shows loyalty to those who already pay-to-play the game that Turbine is making an extra effort to keep the game alive.

[Sarr]

Originally Posted by Savanja

I completely agree. It shows loyalty to those who already pay-to-play the game that Turbine is making an extra effort to keep the game alive.

Yes, exactly. And even if it was their choice to keep it all secret for 5-6 months, and they didn't have to - I am happy with it. And I am player who was waiting for this announcement all that time. It all just depends on you - if you're egoistic and want to have some fun before the game bleeds out and is closed, you whine. If you think about betterment of the game you play, want to see great future before it - you're happy.

And if you didn't play it, well, you should .

Originally Posted by OneEyeRed

Well, if there was any hope at all for this game, they killed it. Nothing worse to this genre than item malls and shit in my opinion. Give me a monthly fee to pay without all this over priced BS.

Well, you can subscribe just like before . You'll have "VIP subscription" in the same price as before, and have all access - just like before.

So it's not only DDO becoming F2P game. It's DDO being the first hybrid MMO out there that I know of.

[Darke]

Originally Posted by Tom316

I am always happy to see games adopted a F2P method instead of just killing the game off. Anyone thats played DDO knows that this is it's last chance as a MMO before it gets the axe.

This is what should have happened to Tabula Rasa and AC2 back in the day. But as it goes you live and learn.

This opens up the game to a load of new potential customers while at the same time offering something for both the old subscribers and the news one. Don't want to pay a monthly fee? Then use the item shop to get what you need. Don't like the item shop? Then purchase a monthly fee and gain everything that the item shop offers. I just can't see how the system can end in a bad way. Unless they start offering item shop only items, then in that case the system would take a nose dive.

But from the way it sounds theres no need to worry about that.

Complete agreement! I would like to see what happens next!

D

[SWBgHz]

Originally Posted by Tom316

I just can't see how the system can end in a bad way. Unless they start offering item shop only items, then in that case the system would take a nose dive.

But from the way it sounds theres no need to worry about that.

Yeah, it isn't like they would do game breaking things like selling in dungeon supplies or resurrections for real money, wait - they already announced that will be done. Oh well, RIP.

Personally I think this is a total scam by Turbine, who is fast becoming one of the most deceitful and underhanded developers around (which says something). They spent months flat out lying about MOD9 sucking money from loyal customers with no intention to deliver on their promises then they come up with this half brained RMT system which already does some game breaking stuff (like the above mentioned selling a 'no lose' button). I don't buy it, it makes no sense that they really think this is a viable means to grow a dead game. Clearly this is just a way to test an RMT system for their other projects (be it harry Potter or LotRO). We know they are working on moving something to the xbox and a 3+ year old rejected and left for dead game like DDO is certainly not getting the attention of an xBox port which leaves LotRO or the Harry Potter MMO (or something else). This DDO RMT thing is just a way to get the remaining suckers still sending them money each month to pay to test their RMT system.

[Sarr]

Originally Posted by SWBgHz

Yeah, it isn't like they would do game breaking things like selling in dungeon supplies or resurrections for real money, wait - they already announced that will be done. Oh well, RIP.

Personally I think this is a total scam by Turbine, who is fast becoming one of the most deceitful and underhanded developers around (which says something). They spent months flat out lying about MOD9 sucking money from loyal customers with no intention to deliver on their promises then they come up with this half brained RMT system which already does some game breaking stuff (like the above mentioned selling a 'no lose' button). I don't buy it, it makes no sense that they really think this is a viable means to grow a dead game. Clearly this is just a way to test an RMT system for their other projects (be it harry Potter or LotRO). We know they are working on moving something to the xbox and a 3+ year old rejected and left for dead game like DDO is certainly not getting the attention of an xBox port which leaves LotRO or the Harry Potter MMO (or something else). This DDO RMT thing is just a way to get the remaining suckers still sending them money each month to pay to test their RMT system.

As people asked numerous times, I ask again. Link me to where Turbine lied to you about Mod 9.
They never lied. Other than that, this is going to be DDO success, heck, it is a success now - just look at people asking everywhere or stating they will be joining the game. So I don't think your speculations may be correct.

As for items - you can buy only "basic" items. So, arrows, bolts, etc. I think that max would be some, for example, swords +1, +2, +3, etc. Or armors with such simple modifier and that's all.
If you played DDO, you know that those simple +X are nothing when you compare it with "+3 Vicious Greatsword of Puncturing". Just an example, I don't mean I've seen such specific item anywhere. But you get the picture, that's nowhere near overpowering.

[SWBgHz]

Originally Posted by Sarr

As people asked numerous times, I ask again. Link me to where Turbine lied to you about Mod 9.
They never lied. Other than that, this is going to be DDO success, heck, it is a success now - just look at people asking everywhere or stating they will be joining the game. So I don't think your speculations may be correct.

From Zam.com interview with Meghan “Patience” Rodberg: We know that they've been waiting, and we know that it has been tough. The delays to Mod 9 were not due to the development of Mod 9. They've already seen quite a bit of it on the test servers and it's fairly robust. There are just some other 'forces' at work, and that's really all I can say. The team is still really dedicated at getting it out the door, and work on Mod 10 has already begun and planning for beyond. We know they're [the players] frustrated with the wait and we've all been really appreciative of their patience.

A pretty clear admission that MOD 9 was absolutely meant to be part of DDO Unlimited, not to be a MOD for DDO at all, and in the same interview she talks about MOD 10 as if that would ever come as they have already said there are no 'MODs' with DDO unlimited but updates that add content and whatnot to the store.

Ten Ton Hammer: I see that people are already asking, “When will it be out?” I know you’re not willing to commit to a date at this point but maybe if you could talk a little about where you’re at in the production of Module 9? Kate Paiz: Absolutely, yes, as you said, we’re not announcing a launch date for Module 9 right now. Our biggest focus is to get the preview on Lamannia as good as possible and we’ve found a tremendous amount of benefit already on Lamannia. We’re going to continue to run that preview experience until we feel like Module 9 is at that level of polish and readiness where we’re happy with it.

[0h 28m 17s] Ten Ton Hammer (Ethec): There was a few questions about the pacing and the release cycle for Module 9. Are you happy at the rate at which DDO is releasing new content? [0h 28m 33s] Kate Paiz: We’re definitely focusing with Mod 9 as I said before on making it as balanced and strong and self-consistent - that it makes the most sense as possible. I know folks are anxious and eager and ready for it, but I think that the waiting will pay off. We encourage absolutely everyone to jump onto the Lamannia preview to see what we’ve made, see the changes that we’ve made, and give us as much feedback as possible. That’s the single best way for us to get it out as fast as possible. We want to make sure we feel like we understand where the pros are, if there are any cons left - where they are and what we can do to address them. Because ultimately Turbine’s dedicated to quality and there’s just no replacing the right feature set at the right time.

Tell me Turbine wasn't absolutely as full of crap with that, and so many other similar things, regarding MOD 9 knowing full well MOD 9 was never going anywhere as there was/is no MOD 9 only DDO Unlimited (which is still months from live anyways). I love how at the end she acts like MOD 9 is up for testing and they are taking there time with it and such like that had anything to do with what ws really happening at the time. Yeah, get on Lamania and test away the bugs because bugs are the reason for the delay. All BS to buy time, to string along paying subscribers (and honestly dedicated ones keeping a dying game going). BS, just a bunch of BS by Turbine for months and months (nearly a year really) why the sucked what tehy could from those most dedicated to them just to never deliver in the end.

But that it goes back well beyond just that quote - clearly they knew well before MOD 8 this is where DDO was going so all the 'soon', 'coming', even the whole delay *it was originally due late 2008 not early 2009) of MOD 9 until 'around the anniv' was all total made up crap. It is common knowledge that since MOD 8 Turbine has been talking up MOD 9 - even early this year when people where getting worked in to a frenzy at how late it was Turbine keep saying soon and on the way, though not much else. Even recently they went through the sham of putting it on test and publishing release notes and myriad other such things. But now that we know the whole truth we can see that as far back as before MOD 8 went live this was there plan all along. This is why they did Korthos when vets where dying for new content because Korthos was part of the download a small client and start playing right away while the rest of the game downloads (announced with the DDO Unlimited thing). So MOD 9 was never, ever, under any circumstances going to be released for DDO - it was designed and built for DDO Unlimited. If that isn't as bad a lie as it gets in MMO then what is? Stringing content starved paying users along for months upon months just to prind on them that they paid for nothing because, walla, the game is going free to play.

Originally Posted by Sarr

As for items - you can buy only "basic" items. So, arrows, bolts, etc. I think that max would be some, for example, swords +1, +2, +3, etc. Or armors with such simple modifier and that's all.
If you played DDO, you know that those simple +X are nothing when you compare it with "+3 Vicious Greatsword of Puncturing". Just an example, I don't mean I've seen such specific item anywhere. But you get the picture, that's nowhere near overpowering.

Bullcrap. You cannot have an F2P game with a cash shop that works if you are selling useless crap only. Sure, from what they said you may not be buying greensteel blanks in the item mall but it will only 'work' if you can buy good stuff. Furthermore, from what Turbine said to IGN they will be selling potions and the like through the cash shop (so inventory limits matters not - there goes a game mechanic) and they will be selling resurrections (oops, there goes another big game mechanics as now you can just ninja through anything buying another chance without in game penalty). Given the buy a do-over BS how long before they rip out some shrines or inflate more MOB abilities to make more dead folks and generate more resurrection buys? Hrm, I wonder. What a joke this will be, or already is.

Face it - DDO as it was is no dead and gone (for better or worse). This RMT cancer will kill whatever integrity the game had left (granted not much). And look out for that nerf bat, I am sure they will RMT respecs finally so what great incentive to nerf classes to uselessness here and there (if they ever even update anything again).

Just looking at what they have said so far it, the selling items and rezzes in a quest thing alone, makes it obvious this is a trial/test of the system for something else because this is major game breaking changes. DDO is now nothing but a crash test dummy.