# DDO Free 7-day Trial



## mrtauntaun (May 16, 2006)

Don't know if anyone has seen this:  http://trial.ddo.com/
It's a seve day free trial for DnD online.  You have to download a 1.7 GB file, but you can use it free for a week.  I've played it, and I have to say it did exceed my expectations, though not enough to actually pay money for it.  Anyone else give it a try who does not normally play MMORPGs (like me)?


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## GlassJaw (May 16, 2006)

I downloaded the free trial and installed it on my second computer so I could mule and transfer items.  Does that count?    

I sum up DDO best by someone in a group I was in once:

"For all its flaws, DDO is like crack - I just can't stop playing."

That pretty much sums it up for me.


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## KenM (May 16, 2006)

I played the beta. IMO its a decent MMORPG, but since they totally changed the leveling system, its not DnD.


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## gray stranger (May 16, 2006)

If they released the trial in europe I would definetly try, but alas, no luck for me


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## EricNoah (May 17, 2006)

Took a long time to download.  Took a long time just to copy it from the temp folder to my desktop!  Took a long time to install!!!

It's almost ready to go and now ... it's time to go to work.


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## GlassJaw (May 17, 2006)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> Took a long time to download.  Took a long time just to copy it from the temp folder to my desktop!  Took a long time to install!!!
> 
> It's almost ready to go and now ... it's time to go to work.




Play on the Xoriat server - there's a few EN Worlders there.


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## EricNoah (May 17, 2006)

Good to know.  I whipped up a character and stepped into the world, looked around, cast a spell on myself for fun, and logged out.  I might be back later on this afternoon on the right server.


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## mrtauntaun (May 17, 2006)

Good to know there's some enworlders on Xoriat, that's the one i'm on.


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## GlassJaw (May 17, 2006)

There was (key word: was) a DDO thread listing all the EN Worlders playing DDO and the servers they were on.

On Xoriat, you can look for my main characters - Zayne or Izzy.  I have some low-level alts if you want to play.

Wulf Ratbane and Rodrigo (among others) are also on Xoriat.


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## CrusaderX (May 17, 2006)

What are the game's system requirements and minimum specs?


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## GlassJaw (May 17, 2006)

CrusaderX said:
			
		

> What are the game's system requirements and minimum specs?




www.ddo.com

Let's just say "High".


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## EricNoah (May 18, 2006)

That was a lot more entertaining than I was expecting.  It did get laggy/choppy in public areas for me, but otherwise played pretty well on a 2-year-old laptop.  I got my butt whipped by some heavily armored skeleton dude in a crypt though.


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## GlassJaw (May 18, 2006)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> That was a lot more entertaining than I was expecting.  It did get laggy/choppy in public areas for me, but otherwise played pretty well on a 2-year-old laptop.  I got my butt whipped by some heavily armored skeleton dude in a crypt though.




Were you playing solo?  Depending on your class, that's probably the toughest Goodblade quest to solo.


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## mrtauntaun (May 18, 2006)

That's my only major complaint was having to group.  When I could find one it was great, but one night I couldn't find ANYONE. 
Well, my trial is over, it was fun, but not fun enough for me to fork over $50 for the client and then a montly fee on top of it.


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## D.Shaffer (May 18, 2006)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> Were you playing solo?  Depending on your class, that's probably the toughest Goodblade quest to solo.



My cleric did pretty good with it.  I'd be sad if he couldnt though.

Oddly, my 750 mhz old (and badly in need of an upgrade) desktop can play it.  But I need to turn the graphic details to the lowest setting and the load lag is HORRIBLE. But the game's still playable.


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## WanderingMonster (May 18, 2006)

I'm on Argonnessen server (Fantasia, Brd5/Sor1; Dallii, Rog4; and Sayamen, Clr4).


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## GlassJaw (May 18, 2006)

D.Shaffer said:
			
		

> My cleric did pretty good with it.  I'd be sad if he couldnt though.




Clerics (depending on your build) and the warrior types have it the easiest in the early quests, at least if you want to solo.  



			
				D.Shaffer said:
			
		

> Oddly, my 750 mhz old (and badly in need of an upgrade) desktop can play it.  But I need to turn the graphic details to the lowest setting and the load lag is HORRIBLE. But the game's still playable.




I guess everyone's has their own definition of "playable".  I have 2 comps - one is top of the line: AMD Opteron, 2GB of RAM, GeForce 7900, etc.  It flies and I have everything on max.  It looks gorgeous.  My second comp is a few years old: AMD Athlon 1.5 Ghz, 512 RAM, GeForce 5900, and while it's definitely "playable", I'm not sure I would pay to play DDO on that machine.


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## Nareau (May 18, 2006)

Is this your thread?

Spider


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## EricNoah (May 18, 2006)

It's not running great on my laptop -- loading times are very long and there's lots of lag in public areas, even with graphics on the lowest setting.  I joined a group and they were halfway done with the quests before I could even start moving.  I did manage to catch up with them and the last half of each quest was fun.   If my computer were up to speed I would be having a ton of fun with this game, but as it is I think I'm going to keep hobbling along with my slow speed for another five days and then call it quits after my time is up.


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## GlassJaw (May 19, 2006)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> It's not running great on my laptop -- loading times are very long and there's lots of lag in public areas, even with graphics on the lowest setting.  I joined a group and they were halfway done with the quests before I could even start moving.  I did manage to catch up with them and the last half of each quest was fun.   If my computer were up to speed I would be having a ton of fun with this game, but as it is I think I'm going to keep hobbling along with my slow speed for another five days and then call it quits after my time is up.




I built a new computer just to play DDO (among other things).  The req's are pretty steep but that's seems to be the standard in PC gaming these days.


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## KenM (May 20, 2006)

I was wondering about how DDO defines a "group". Is just one other person considered a party, or do you need a full party to get through most of the quests?


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## EricNoah (May 21, 2006)

Two characters can be a "group."  Doesn't mean you'll have the right mix of offense, defense and healing for a particular mission.  

You CAN attempt missions solo; they're just not always very easy to do alone.  I don't know if there are missions that do absolutely require grouping or not.


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## Nifft (May 22, 2006)

Ook... my lag is so slow (or something else is so wrong) that I can't even walk out of the starting area. Bluh.

 -- N


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## EricNoah (May 22, 2006)

Well I took the plunge -- or two.  I got myself a better computer, and I bought the game!  

I'm currently playing on Xoriat with a dwarf barbarian named Jorovius Novus.


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## GlassJaw (May 22, 2006)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> Well I took the plunge -- or two.  I got myself a better computer, and I bought the game!
> 
> I'm currently playing on Xoriat with a dwarf barbarian named Jorovius Novus.




Nice!!  I'll be looking for you!



> my lag is so slow (or something else is so wrong) that I can't even walk out of the starting area.




A lot of people I've grouped with have had a lot of problems.  I have never had any.  I think it's a combination of internet connection and hardware.


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## ElvishBard (May 26, 2006)

Nifft said:
			
		

> Ook... my lag is so slow (or something else is so wrong) that I can't even walk out of the starting area. Bluh.
> 
> -- N





Are you sure it was lag?  I had a similar problem in that my character would freeze after a few steps, but I could look around and everything else without any slow down at all.  It was rather amusing to watch myself tumble in place.  It was weird too because it wouldn't let me log out, I had to quit to do other things.  I ended up giving up on the free trail the first day because of this problem.


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (May 26, 2006)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> I downloaded the free trial and installed it on my second computer so I could mule and transfer items.  Does that count?
> 
> I sum up DDO best by someone in a group I was in once:
> 
> ...



Enjoy it while you can. Apparently it's not profitable and came in massively under expected subscription levels, which is what pays for bandwidth and servers. (Box sales just pay for the development costs in a traditional MMORPG development model.)

That said, there are a lot of MMORPGs out there now, so folks who love DDO will have other great choices if the plug does end up getting pulled.


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## EricNoah (May 26, 2006)

Haven't played in a few days ... got distracted by Oblivion.  Ooh, shiny!


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## DaveMage (May 26, 2006)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> Enjoy it while you can. Apparently it's not profitable and came in massively under expected subscription levels, which is what pays for bandwidth and servers. (Box sales just pay for the development costs in a traditional MMORPG development model.)
> 
> That said, there are a lot of MMORPGs out there now, so folks who love DDO will have other great choices if the plug does end up getting pulled.




Do you have a source for this news?  I've been wondering how DDO has been doing...


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## GlassJaw (May 26, 2006)

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
			
		

> Enjoy it while you can. Apparently it's not profitable and came in massively under expected subscription levels, which is what pays for bandwidth and servers. (Box sales just pay for the development costs in a traditional MMORPG development model.)
> 
> That said, there are a lot of MMORPGs out there now, so folks who love DDO will have other great choices if the plug does end up getting pulled.




You make it sound like this is a big surprise.  I'll be the first to admit that DDO is going to need to improve to 1. keep people that are playing now and 2. bring in new subscribers.

But instead of speaking in generalities, yeah, I would like to see some actual numbers.  As far as I can tell, no one (other than Turbine and Atari) has been able to get their hands on actual data.


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## EricNoah (May 26, 2006)

I think companies keep a close guard on numbers like that, and for good reason.


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## RigaMortus2 (May 28, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> I played the beta. IMO its a decent MMORPG, but since they totally changed the leveling system, its not DnD.




I disagree...  It definately has the D&D feel to me.  I think it is D&D, it's just not d20.


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## Panthanas (Jun 8, 2006)

I downloaded the free trial.  I have 5 days left (no more free goodness after 6/13   ) and it's pretty fun.  I would like to try it with a group though.  I'm usually on after 8:30pm Eastern if anyone wouldn't mind having a 1st level elven fighter tag along with them.  I made the character on Xoriat (since it seemed some Enworlders were already there).  My characters name is Corannu Silverleaf if anyone is interested in teaming up.  Thanks.


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## EricNoah (Jun 8, 2006)

I might come on tonight and see if you're around.  I made a warforged paladin named Mek Anikal or something goofy like that.


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## JediSoth (Jun 9, 2006)

I downloaded it and gave it a try last night. It was pretty fun, but I probably won't be buying it. I had a problem with EQ addiction a few years back and there's no need to go through that again.

If it doesn't make it as a MMORPG, I think it would make a fine single-player game with some modifications.

JediSoth


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## Panthanas (Jun 9, 2006)

Well, after a couple of days I think it is pretty fun and definitely has D&D feel to it, but...(there is always a but)

...I don't know if it is only me but the game is uber laggy outside of the Inn.  It is fine once I'm in a dungeon though.  Does anyone else have this problem?  My graphics are set to med-high and my ISP is cable.  WoW doesn't run any where near as laggy for me.

Also after playing WoW for over a year, where you can solo up to the highest levels, the idea that most of the quests pretty much require you to have a party (I know, this is what makes it D&D   ) is a mild pain if you are unable to find someone to go on a quest with you   .

Other than lagging out every 2 steps outside of the dungeons and being unable to find a group to help me, I think it is a pretty cool game and if I wasn't so involved in WoW I would pick it up for longer than the 7 days.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jun 9, 2006)

My buddy has it and I've watched him play it.  It seems all you can do is walk around this town then go into dungeons.  I thought it was closer to Diablo than WoW.  It looked like it could be fun but I couldn't see paying a fee for it.  He has DSL and an Athlon64 3200+ with 1GB of RAM and it was choppy has hell.  Of course he's running a GeForce 6100 integrated video so I'm sure that has somethign to do with it.  And for some reason he makes no effort to tweak his settings to improve frame rate, I can't understand that.  Half the fun of computers is tweaking to wring that last frame out of it. 


I may DL it and see how it runs on my rig which as a faster CPU and a better video card. But that would cut into my WoW time...


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## Panthanas (Jun 9, 2006)

Well, I have an okay system.  I'm running an Athlon 3200+ with a gig of ram and a GeForce 6600GT (AGP).  WoW runs really smooth for me, that is why I was a little surprised DDO was so laggy.  I know the requirements are higher for DDO, but the lag is pretty bad.  I have the graphics at a medium to high setting.  I only have serious 'choppiness' when I'm outside of the inn walking around town.  In the dungeons (and the inn) there really isn't an issue.

Oh well.  Not that big of a deal.  I'll have fun for my remaining 4 days and then go back to WoW.


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## MarauderX (Jun 10, 2006)

Got the trial version, tried it out for that week, and decided it was worth the plunge.  It beats Everquest as far as 'realism' and movement (doesn't take 1/2 hour to cross the world).  WoW is nice, but I like DDO for the more original D&D take on the adventuring and system.  

The graphics can be unearthly beautiful, but running around in an adventure with them on super-high will slow any system down.  I run at the 'medium' setting, and I have a 3200 P4 w/ 1G ram and a 64 nVidia graphics card.  

Plus the game can only get better as they go along... adding more levels, classes & adventures.


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## GlassJaw (Jun 10, 2006)

MarauderX said:
			
		

> The graphics can be unearthly beautiful, but running around in an adventure with them on super-high will slow any system down.




It doesn't slow my system down.  I have an AMD Opteron 165 with 2gigs of RAM and an nVidia 7900GT.  Trust me, it flies.  I could overclock the heck out of it but it runs so well I haven't really had a need to.  

The only time I ever have problems is in the Marketplace but that's caused by server lag and not my system.

I was playing with a guy last night that said he was playing on a laptop or something.  It literally took him a few minutes to load in certain zones.


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## Corsair (Jun 26, 2006)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> It doesn't slow my system down.  I have an AMD Opteron 165 with 2gigs of RAM and an nVidia 7900GT.  Trust me, it flies.  I could overclock the heck out of it but it runs so well I haven't really had a need to.




I wouldn't actually suggest this.  The problem ElvishBard described can occur with certain types of overclocking (usually dynamic overclocking, either because of installed software, or because of motherboard-based OC).  I'm not a hardware guru though, so it may take some trial and error if you want to do it and find the point right before it starts locking you up.


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## GlassJaw (Jun 26, 2006)

Corsair said:
			
		

> I'm not a hardware guru though, so it may take some trial and error if you want to do it and find the point right before it starts locking you up.




Trust me, I've done the research.  Opterons were made for OC'ing.


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