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Dungeons and Dragons Neverwinter I tried it recently and I want to share
some of my first impressions
having played DDO previously and liking it I was interested in seeing what
changes could be made to the D&D formula to improve its viability is an
MMO
immediately upon logging in I was impressed by surprisingly in-depth
narrative
not something usual to this genre since it's pretty easy to miss
when in the typical MMO rush mode after rushing through a few dungeons with
my group I felt compelled to create a new solo character to take my time with
the plot and voice acting
which turned out to be pretty good I mean it's D&D so I expect nothing less
than stellar storytelling
Fade: okay so something happened and I'm on a beach in my underware
you're given a lot of customization options as far as race
appearance and class
which is better than average for most MMO's but compared to cryptics previous efforts
it seems a bit lacking
still you should have no problem creating character that you feel suits
your tastes in both appearance and gameplay mechanics
you're also given the option to choose a back story and
affiliation for your character
picking from famous D&D locations and deities
Upon entering the game you may notice the combat system is a bit more dynamic than you would expect
from a Dungeons and Dragons game
playing more like an action MMO than a tabletop
you run between mobs rapidly clicking your mouse buttons to attack
Fade: You know what? lets see how you like my level two move
Fade: and then my other move and then and then I'm gonna use this move!
Nikki: I've been using my little two move this whole time
while I feel the town and dungeons are well-designed
as a new player its easy to get lost in the massive world you're being immersed in
luckily the pacing the game is also accelerated by the use of an optional quest tracker
which appears visually as a path of light revealing your next objective
Nikki: What light?
Fade: the light that tells you where you need to go The light will guide us all
Nikki: Where are we even going?
Fade: following the light, follow the Light, the Light Shall guide that the way
Nikki: I lose that light alot Fade:the light will guide you, never lose the light
however the game rewards those who are thorough with their exploration
and of course in true dungeons and dragons style punishes the greedy with deadly traps
as you may be able to tell I'm enjoying my time playing this title so far
but it's not without its issues either the first issue being the server structure and instancing
as a new player it was a chore to connect with friends
but after a few minutes of standing around asking what instance each of us
were in
we were able to make it work I understand these instancing systems allow for
better server performance
but as an end-user I see it only as an inconvenience and detractor from immersion
there were also some very noticeable graphical glitches
in one of the early dungeons as well as a few other small bugs that were appearing
from just a few hours playing
nothing game-breaking and these kinds of things come with the turf of a free to play
MMO
the only other complaint I have so fair is how much time a good MMO like this
can consume
they're designed a draw you in and keep your attention and this one does it well
that's my thoughts regarding the first few hours Neverwinter
if you want to check the game out for yourself it's free to play and the link is below
you can also find my server and character info if you want to hang out
Once again this was Fade Dragontear
See you in game.