Getting Reacquainted With... is a feature where we give developers of popular massively multiplayer online RPGs a chance to talk about the past, present, and future of their games. Skip over an MMORPG and want to see what you missed? Want to find out what has changed about a certain game since you cancelled your subscription? Are you currently subscribed to a game and you want to know what the future holds? Here's the place.  

First up, three questions for people who haven’t ever looked into Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited:

Gamervision: Pretend that someone has never, ever heard of Dungeons & Dragons Online. This is the first they’ve encountered it. Give a brief overview of the game.

Turbine: Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited is an action-combat online RPG based on the original fantasy role-playing game system: Dungeons & Dragons.  Since our re-launch in September 2009, DDO Unlimited is now recognized as the premier free-to-play online game in North America – having pioneered a new business model that lets players enjoy hundreds of hours of game play completely free and then decide when and how they choose to pay for additional game content and features.

Gamervision: What makes DDO unique among its contemporaries?

Turbine: DDO stands apart from other MMO games with our unique action-combat model and our approach of providing hundreds of hand-crafted adventures designed to challenge small adventuring parties and solo players. These adventures encourage true role-playing where each character class has a different part to play in helping the party complete its goals and can take different approaches to each challenge. We also have a unique character customization system that lets advanced players create their own character builds with a diversity of customization options that few RPGs can match.

Amongst other free-to-play MMOs, DDO stands apart with our approach with high production values and the level of support we give to the live service. We have brought AAA MMO features like DX10 graphics and integrated voice chat to the free-to-play space. Our game technology is extremely scalable so we are able to run on a brand new gaming machine with state-of-the-art graphics or on a 6 year old laptop at lower detail. We have already done 5 major updates to the game since DDO Unlimited launched in September and we have 3 more planned for the rest of 2010.

I don’t think any other game offers this value – especially for free!

Gamervision: Many are intimidated by previously established MMOs due to the problems leveling and finding early-game groups. What makes DDO different?

Turbine: DDO has large population of new players and we continue to get thousands of new accounts created every day, so new players definitely won’t be the only new arrivals on their server when they first get in the game. Our veterans also regularly create alternate characters and play through the early level content, so it is never hard to find groups across all levels of game play.

Many new players have also commented on how great the community is in DDO and it is generally very easy to find others in game that are very happy to point new players in the right direction on any number of topics.

Now, three for those who either looked into the game and decided not to play, or tried it and eventually stopped:

Gamervision: In the broadest sense, how has Dungeons & Dragons Online changed since it first launched?

Turbine: Oh, where to start? We have changed so much! We have done 24 major upgrades to DDO since the game went live, so we have made a number of improvements and addressed a large number of the concerns players voiced around the time of launch.

To answer in the broadest sense, we have more than doubled the size of DDO’s content, made the game more solo and casual friendly, and adopted a generous free-to-play model that makes it easy to get into DDO and only pay for content when you are ready for it.

Gamervision: What have been some excuses that you’ve heard from people who have quit DDO, and how have you addressed those issues?

Turbine: The single largest reason that players do not play an MMO is the recurring subscription fee. The biggest reason why they will play is to join up with real-life friends. The move to free-to-play was about both of these so that friends can easily join the service and subscriptions are never mandatory so players of different play styles are free to enjoy the game at their own pace.

Another complaint we heard from many early players was about solo-ability as the game was initially designed with an emphasis towards party-based gameplay. Since then we have added a number of new features like NPC hirelings, automatic challenge scaling and casual difficulty mode which make it possible for players to solo DDO without being an uber-hard-core player all the way to level 20.

Gamervision: Why should someone who skipped over Dungeons & Dragons Online return to the game?

Turbine: I think a few players may have avoided DDO because they felt like they needed to understand the intricacies of D&D rules to enjoy the game. While that used to be true to some extent, we have made lots of changes to make DDO friendly to gamers of many different backgrounds.

One of the great improvements we made in the last few years was a complete overhaul of our new player experience. Our character generation is much friendlier and lets players make characters based on pre-built paths which let players level all the way to 20 with stats and abilities tuned by our designers. Then characters are immediately thrust into a multi-part D&D adventure dealing with a white dragon that is terrorizing a small island. It’s a really fun way to get into the game and learn it as you go.

Three questions looking into the future of the series:

Gamervision: What does the immediate future hold for DDO?

Turbine: Later this summer we are releasing Update 6 – which features an all new adventure pack with a large level 9 wilderness area called “The Red Fens” and a fun new series of quests which culminates in our first adventure with underwater combat. It is looking really great and the players will have fun uncovering the secrets of the swamp and fighting the all-new monsters they will encounter.

Gamervision: What are some changes that are still down the line for the game?

Turbine: We have lots of long term plans we are looking to bring to DDO starting next year and beyond. One of the biggest new features which we have already started working on is a new kind of content system for DDO. This system will present players with different kinds of challenges from what they are used to in the game today and lay groundwork for future features like new forms of PvP and Dungeon Master tools which will let players customize game content to play with their friends.

Gamervision: Are there any features fans have been asking for that the team is looking into implementing?

Turbine: Absolutely! We are very excited our Update 7 release coming this Fall which will include many of these. Players will be glad to know that we are working on a major overhaul of our UI system that will make the UI look and work better than ever before. This update includes much-requested search improvements to our auctions and inventory systems.

The whole DDO community is also looking forward to the release of the Half-Orc as a playable race in Update 7. Half-Orcs are an iconic D&D race that DDO players have been clamoring for, no doubt because their racial bonuses to strength will allow them to quickly become the most physically powerful characters in the game.

And, finally…

Gamervision: Why pick DDO?

Turbine: DDO is not your typical MMO. We offer a unique, action-focused online RPG experience, kick-ass combat, rich social features and some of the best quests of any MMO on the market. Playing DDO is like playing only the best part of other MMOs – the hand-crafted instances and raids – and skipping all of the quests that have you kill 10 boars or collect 8 rat tails!

We encourage all online gamers, RPG fans and D&D players to go to ddo.com and sign up for an account and give DDO a try. Better yet, get a group of friends and try it together while talking on voice chat. You will enjoy hundreds of hours of free gameplay and we are betting you will want to keep coming back to Eberron!