https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/431908-Holiday-Producer-s-Letter

ProducerRowan  ProducerRowan is online now
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Jul 2013
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Default Holiday Producer's Letter
Happy Winter Holidays!

We’re coming to the end of 2013, and with that I’d like to capture some important moments from this year and give you insight into next.

This year the DDO Team made a commitment to reduce bugs, increase quality and deliver the features we promised. We’re not 100% yet on all counts, but here are some points of success and failure.

Critical Misses:
Mabar Festival. This event was loaded with more bugs and design flaws than we expected, and our best option was to close it early. Gargoyles are serious performance hogs, and the Vampires shouldn’t be permanently invisible. Expect us to take this back to the workshop and rebuild it before we re-introduce it.
Item duplication exploit. This was the result of another bug that we fixed. It’s an MMO classic and strangely made me nostalgic, but still has negative impacts on the game. Natural 1, ouch.



Critical Hits:
Enhancements! This feature has been in development almost two years, so it’s great to see the light of day. From the feedback and activity we’re seeing most of you don’t actively hate it, which means a good number of people may actively accept it, and some players may secretly love the changes. The new enhancement structure makes it much easier for us to introduce new PREs, such as the Warpriest and Eldritch Knight.
Storm Horn Mountains. This adventure area is the largest we’ve ever built, and arguably the most beautiful. Our goal was also to recreate the experience of exploration in Dungeons & Dragons, complete with varied creatures and random encounters. I believe we succeeded.
Epic Reincarnation. Extending reincarnation creates new opportunities for you to customize and advance your characters. We view this as only one step along the path to create a stable and substantial endgame along with adding new level cap content, settling on a persistent level cap (30), and making endgame systems like items and advancement more robust.



All this leads us to 2014, and the next set of key features we have planned for DDO. The features listed here are confirmed, meaning we’re committing to delivering them in 2014 (barring divine intervention or disaster).

Our first update of the year introduces two level 30 raids in the dwarf ruins of Thunderholme. The adventure area covers 7 floors with multiple raid and group encounters, while the raids start with a mated pair of red dragons and culminate in a confrontation with Aurgloroasa the Sibilant Shade. In addition to these two raids, we’ve reserved the option to add a third later in the year.

With the 40th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, we’ll also be introducing a tribute to the classic Ed Greenwood module Haunted Halls of Eveningstar. This dungeon will have a version matching the published module, and an extended version using Ed’s unpublished notes that introduces you to Whisper’s Crypt. The Original Elminster (Ed) will provide the Dungeon Master voice and an optional author’s commentary around creating this beloved adventure.

Thunderholme and Haunted Halls will both be free to VIPs.

DDO’s second update of the year will be pirate-themed, with new Guild Airship models, layouts, decorations and amenities. We’ll also revisit Three Barrel Cove to extend it into Epic levels.

The third update of the year will take you to Anauroch, the not-so-barren desert to the north of Cormyr. You will have the chance to battle the armies of Netheril and challenge a new enemy – the enigmatic Phaerimm.

Our final update of 2014 will extend the level cap to 30, which is intended to be DDO’s “permanent” level cap and complete the Epic levels. With this update we’ll be looking at ways to complete and improve existing systems like Epic Destinies.


I hear the initial comments already – wow Rowan, good stuff but what about [my favorite feature]! Remember that I’m only listing the features we’ve confirmed. There are many other ideas in process, only some of which will go into the game and out to live worlds.

One concept that we’re working through (but not promising) is end-game items. Initial proposals for this had internal names like “Greensteel 2,” “Intelligent Weapons” and “Sentient Weapons.” (Yes, there are implications of difference between “Intelligent” and “Sentient” weapons, depending on the version of D&D.) Ultimately these are items that are acquired in the endgame, earn experience and advance with you, and could require you to sacrifice other equipment to them to develop their power. Design has barely begun on this, but it may release in multiple phases and include crafting elements.

The team is also considering (but not promising) a range of additions, including scaling more content to Epic levels, adding new Classes or Iconics, adding new Enhancement paths or Epic Destinies, and possibly introducing player housing in Eberron.

Please let us know what you’d like to see next year, and onward as we develop and improve Dungeons & Dragons Online.

Rah rah rah
Get hyped
Promises incoming, it will be awesome, gives us your monies

Reality: turbined

I'll take the wait and see approach.

Owning up to Mabar and duping, refreshing to see

New enhancements I do like

ETR I would not call a hit, needs more tweaks

Redesign guild ship and buffs are store items in the right direction

3bc epic, fire caves anyone? Looks like it won't get any love in the heroic version, outshines by other quests in that level range, but would be nice to see groups or activity for the pack, if it goes epic

Final "update" of 2014, is an update an expansion?

Epic review of other packs is great to breathe life into diversity of groups, I think it would help player retention. More choices and epic items

More classes and iconics opens up possibilities and draws more players and replay value

Housing, that's a joke. Code, server and infrastructure can't even handle additional inventory and character bank slots. Imagine the instance downloading each players house, cannith crafting times100.

Thunderholme..?

They need to get a bit more original with the cheesy names.

Astraghal wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 11:54am:


Stockholm?

Astraghal wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 11:54am:


It predates DDO. It's been around since at least 1998 in the Forgotten Realms books.

It does seem like someone decided to parody the name Thunderdome. However the name comes off to me as hat tip to Thundercrack! and Johnny Wadd films.

FakeStrake wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:03pm:


IF they were smart (big IF there), they'd do what they did with Hound and VoD when those came out.  Level cap was 16 but the raids were level 18.  Heck, at level 16 you had Shroud, Hound, VoD, and all 4 of the reaver's reach quests with a base level over the current level cap.  They should put the raids at level 29 or 30 on norm.  If you want to raise the cap, you need provide some content in advance that already fills the gap.

FUCK YOU wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 11:08am:



FakeStrake wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:03pm:



Asheras wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:10pm:



Too bad Rowan didn't state which level the raids are planned to be. Let's speculate some more on what level these raids may appear in.

rest wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:09pm:


I agree with you, but not 100% Eberron.  I'd like to see a split.  One Eberron pack, one FR pack.  Of course, I doubt that's going to happen.  Eberron still has 80% of the quests. 

I also think they need to fill in the holes in the quests per level.

The weak epic levels being 20(1),23(7),25(1) 26(6),27(5),28(1).

The weak heroic levels being 12-15.  (I know that sounds weird, but there are the fewest quests in this range.  9-11 quests per level.  They just happen to be killer XP/min so nobody cares).

I'd like to see new quests have heroic levels in that range (12-15) with Epic quests that fit in the holes too.  Not just shoving it all at cap. 

Although, I doubt you will see anything actually published in the 12-14 range.  With Iconics starting at 15 and the ottos boxes, you have the majority of heroic play from 1-7 and from 15-20.

FakeStrake wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:04pm:


John Holmes?

Barkabout wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:09pm:


That's exactly what it was.

Astraghal wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2013 at 12:34pm:

There was a name transition at some point.  Originally it was Thunderhome, situated under the Thunder Peaks.  At some point it became Thunderholme after the 90's.  Same place, same lore, new L.