ddo posts

Even the very name of Dungeons and Dragons Online conjures up images of going underground to fight off monsters. However in the upcoming content update to Turbine's free-to-play fantasy MMO, the game is going to take to the skies. Specifically if you join a powerful enough Guild in the game you can choose to purchase an airship as your guild's headquarters.

Yes, soon players will be able to fly around in D&D Online's version of a 747, complete with a number of customizable decorations. The next content update, which will be released on June 28, will also add the Carnival of Shadows adventure pack with four new quests centering on a mysterious and creepy traveling carnival (hey is there any other kind?).

Most of the time, developers of massively multiplayer games keep their subscription numbers a closely guarded secret. However the trade organization the NPD Group this week released a new look at the number of US MMO players and what games they are playing.

The survey, which was based on responses from 19,000 gamers in January 2010, still shows Blizzard's World of Warcraft as the king of the MMO space with 30 percent of the respondents saying they are playing the game. Jagex's free-to-play MMO Runescape is at the number two spot with 10 percent. However the number three spot went to Turbine's Dungeons and Dragons Online with 8 percent. It's a huge jump compared to past surveys and is most likely due to Turbine's decision to switch the game from a subscription only business model to free-to-play. Our sister site Massively has even more info on the NPD Group MMO survey.

Developer Turbine's decision in 2009 to turn their fantasy MMO Dungeons and Dragons Online from a subscription business into a free-to-play game has apparently been successful. This week the developer pushed out the third content update since the switch was made last fall.

The update includes four high level dungeons along with two new in-game events. There's also the new Casual gameplay mode which allows for both single players and groups of players to have a more casual gameplay experience (whatever that might mean). But what about that promised DirectX 11 graphical update? We contacted Turbine and their PR rep told us, "Turbine is currently working to implement the technology for DX11, but we haven't yet announced a timeframe for its release."

Turbine's plan to turn their subscription-based fantasy MMO Dungeons and Dragons Online into a free-to-play game has apparently been very successful. The new version launched in early September and while it's not a surprise to learn the game has more players, it is surprising to learn that the game has also seen an increase in revenues.

Fernando Paiz, Turbine's Executive Producer, tells Ars Technica, "All aspects of our business are growing. Hundreds of thousands of new players in the world are playing for free, with a very high percentage using the store." That's the in-game store where players can purchase things from new items all the way to new adventures packs. Even more interesting is that the now optional monthly subscription numbers have also increased 40 percent since the free-to-play model went live (naturally specific numbers were not revealed).

[Via Blue's News]

Dungeons & Dragons Online officially relaunched today as Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (aka DDO Unlimited), a free-to-play version of the massively multiplayer game. Players can choose to either play for free and purchase items, quest packs and account services a la carte from the DDO Store, or they can choose to go with a paid subscription model and get access to everything the game has to offer all at once. The choice is yours, adventure awaits, and you won't need to pay a penny to experience it.

Download HD DDO Unlimited Launch Trailer (49 MB)

MMO game developer Turbine is stepping into the free-to-play MMO business with the announcement today of DDO Eberron Unlimited, a new version of Dungeons and Dragons Online that will launch later this summer and will allow anyone to play the game for free.

Those folks can choose to spend real money in the DDO online store where microtransactions will be used to purchase in-game items, additional adventure packs, more character slots and other items. You can also still pay a monthly subscription fee if you want. Those players will become VIPs which means access to all of the game's adventure packs, access to more character slots and 500 points per month to spend in the DDO store among other things. The free-to-play version is currently signing up people to beta test the game.

Turbine, Inc. announced a substantial new update earlier this morning for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach. The update, titled The Way of the Monk, introduces more playable areas, monsters, items, spells, dungeons, and most significantly, a brand new playable class - the titular Monk.

"We are really very excited with how far DDO has come and we have a tremendous amount planned for the game which we look forward to sharing as the year progresses," said Turbine, Inc. president and CEO Jim Crowley.

According to the press release Big Download received via email, the Monk "features a martial discipline of hand-to-hand combat and kicks, including special abilities that make the Monk even deadlier. Stun your foes, unleash a flurry of blows, and work up to the deadly quivering palm attack, which can kill enemies with a single strike!"

A complete rundown of all tweak, upgrades, and additions found in Way of the Monk can be found at Massively.com.

Funcom boasts 400,000 players in Age of Conan so far An official release from Funcom has announced that Age of Conan is one of the most successful PC titles "of all time."

Massively previews Dungeons & Dragons Online's Module 7 Massively got a chance to sit down with the team and take a look at the latest update, Module 7, due out on June 3, and currently in public testing. In addition to some extended playtime with the new Monk class, we got to see updates to the lower level Three Barrel Cove area, a shrine to recently passed-on D&D creator Gary Gygax, and the new raid area under the destroyed Marketplace tent, as well as a few new monsters and raid bosses that can be found down there.

A first look at Mythos' Overworld Though there were more than a few glitches with patching, we were able to eventually get in and take a quick run around some of the Overworld, its dungeons, the villages outside Stonehill, and the city of Stonehill itself. All we have left to wait for now is the open beta, expected in the next several weeks.

Massively goes to WAR: Emotions behind the Tome of Knowledge In the same way that everyone on the Warhammer team seems to be suffused with passion for the game, Tome of Knowledge lead Carrie Gouskos couldn't help but pass on information about one of the game's most innovative features.

Player vs. Everything: Online Games and Sex As humans, sex is something that plays a very important role in our lives and personal experiences. It's a pretty universal and emotionally charged topic that can dramatically influence how we think of ourselves and how we view our relationships with other people

For more of Massively's Warhammer Online coverage, be sure to check out the full series of "Massively Goes to WAR" articles, continuing tomorrow and throughout the week.