First Look: Module 1 Release Notes

[Arthur_Parker]

Source

Here is a sneak peek at some of the many items included in the Module 1 release notes. Please note: this list is neither final nor complete, we just wanted to give you an idea of some of the changes you can look forward to.

Performance
Players should no longer receive falling damage when they are simply walking along minding their own business.

We have implemented another batch of changes that should help with dialup performance.

UI Improvements
Weapon Sets shortcuts are now in! You can now set up a single item shortcut to point to both a main weapon and off-hand item. So, for example, you can now equip two daggers, or a sword and a shield – all with one shortcut. Simply drag two different items into the “weapon sets” panel in your inventory panel to create a single shortcut for two items. Now use that shortcut in your shortcut bar to equip the two items.

Potion and Scroll icons all now have a mini-spell icon in their upper left corner (just like wands) to help identify what spell the item casts. Say goodbye to the “I have ten different potions and all of them are blue!” problem.

The enter key will now correctly activate the chat text entry field.

There is a new (and louder) sound when you receive a tell.

You now receive a message in chat when one of your friends goes online or offline.

The Guild list now properly updates members' online status.

Examination Issues
Many spells should now have their damage ranges and bonus types displayed when examined. This is part of an ongoing effort on our part to provide more detailed spell descriptions.

Weapons, Shields, and Armor now display their proficiency requirement when examined.

The descriptions of many items have been improved.

Combat
Improved Feint now works as an instant AOE bluff, performing bluff checks to all nearby targets. Bluffed targets are open to sneak attack attempts.

Sneak attack bonuses no longer apply to glancing blows since a sneak attack is intended to be a targeted attack and should not apply to collateral damage.

You can now shield bash if you have a shield and thrown weapon equipped, instead of queuing up a thrown attack for when you release the block button.

Quest Mechanics
A few different bugs with Encounter XP have been fixed
- Higher level encounters are now worth more XP than lower level encounters.
- Certain areas had a bug where their encounters were worth zero XP. This has now been fixed.

If you are 5 levels or more below the max level of someone in your Party, you will see reduced XP, culminating in potentially zero XP.

Character files now automatically save after completing a quest and earning XP, or after receiving a quest reward.

Completing an adventure while at the XP cap will no longer count towards that adventure’s repetition count (even if you are carrying a death penalty).

Quests
Several adventure areas have had their treasure tables adjusted to be more in-line with their level of difficulty.

Small changes have been made throughout the world to help prevent pathing issues.

Numerous broken traps and control boxes have been fixed.

Character Abilities and Spells
We have made improvements to many of the spell effects. Also, many player-cast spells now contain inherent lighting cast a fireball and you will see the difference.

Flaming Sphere and Lightning bolt have been changed so that they do more damage. Previously, if monsters were standing in a line the spell would hit the monster at the head of the line and then stop. Now the spells will travel down the whole line of monsters with a chance to do damage to any monster it hits.


Flesh to Stone is now permanent but, like Hold Person, now grants periodic saving throws to end the effect. Break Enchantment will still remove this status effect. Characters with high Fortitude saving throws will find the average duration lower than before. Characters with low Fortitude saving throws may hope for some good rolls.

All undead will now properly react to Turn Undead. Turned undead will now properly flee in terror from the cleric or paladin that turns them rather than cower, rebuked.

When resting, Warforged should now heal at least one point of ability damage, regardless of their repair score.

We fixed a bug with Fear where it would hit no target if no target was selected. It now correctly has a cone radius for its effect, even with no target selected.

Monsters
Many monsters will now heal and buff themselves and their friends more effectively.

Monsters should now react more intelligently to inanimate obstacles that are preventing them from moving where they desire, with a greatly increased chance of being able to navigate around objects that may have been impassable barriers to them before. We have also improved monster targeting behavior in doorways and other bottlenecks, as well as their behavior landscape and dungeon areas.

Charmed monsters should attack enemy creatures more reliably.

Monsters should no longer clump up into a mob when encountered in large numbers.

Items
When you loot an item from a chest, a message is sent to everyone in the Party.

Banishing effects will now only work on critical hits.

When picking up a Bind on Acquire item that is not reserved (for example, in a treasure chest from which only 1 pull for the Party is possible), there is a confirmation dialogue box opened.

Wands found in treasure chests now start with a random number of charges instead of fixed number of charges. This change does not affect wands purchased from vendors.

Level 4 Bard components have been added to Arcane Reagent vendors in Kundarak and Jorasco.

Named docents have had their durability increased.

Previously items could be generated from chests that had both a temporary damage amplification and an inherent spell effect. This has been corrected and all items should now have only one effect or the other.

Magical Shields no longer add their enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls for the shield, they only apply to your AC bonus per D&D rules.

Three new weapon effects added to treasure generation system – True Law, True Chaos, and Pure Good. Each of these effects gives the weapon an additional 1d6 damage versus non-aligned targets, and requires the wielder to have that alignment. UMD skill of 20 to bypass the alignment requirements.

NPCs
Lowest level pawnbrokers have been moved to the Marketplace.

Merchant names are now visible in the Marketplace tent.

Pawnbrokers have also had their dialogue tweaked to be slightly more useful.

The Harbor weapons vendors now carry Exotic weapons.

[Samwise]

Weapon Sets shortcuts are now in! You can now set up a single item shortcut to point to both a main weapon and off-hand item. So, for example, you can now equip two daggers, or a sword and a shield – all with one shortcut. Simply drag two different items into the “weapon sets” panel in your inventory panel to create a single shortcut for two items. Now use that shortcut in your shortcut bar to equip the two items.

About goddamn time.  If this had been in at launch I might have bought the game - I liked my halfling ranger a lot (hobbit ninja ftw), but I HATED that I couldn't switch between my bow and my dual weapons during combat.  HATED.

[tazelbain]

This doesn't sound like a "module."

[Telemediocrity]

This doesn't sound like a "module."

Tazel, read all the Dragon's Vault stuff.  This is just the technical changes.

[tazelbain]

Not going to happen.  My interest is only at the "driving by a car accident" level.

[Telemediocrity]

You're missing out, Tazel.  It's a really great game, and so far everything with launch, etc. seems to  be going rather smoothly.  Most people I talk to who play the game are really enjoying it.  Some 'car accident'.

The dragon content is looking very cool.

[Mesozoic]

Apparently the maxed-out folks are SOL here.  They can't advance past 10.4, and to even attempt the new content while at max level actually loses them XP, since once the level cap does get raised and they do the quests again, they'll get the reduced XP for a quest repeat.

Its the first time I've ever seen a company actively and directly discourage their playerbase from playing the game.

[tazelbain]

I'll probably try it in a year.

[HaemishM]

You're missing out, Tazel.  It's a really great game, and so far everything with launch, etc. seems to  be going rather smoothly.  Most people I talk to who play the game are really enjoying it.  Some 'car accident'.

The dragon content is looking very cool.

Are YOU actually playing and paying for the game?

[Arthur_Parker]

Source

We are very excited about the fact that the Dragon’s Vault Module contains DDO’s most challenging raid content. The Vault of Night sequence will truly put player’s skills to the test as you face monumental obstacles. With the introduction of this raid content we wanted you to be aware of two game mechanics that are new to this quest sequence and currently only apply to this sequence.

Quest Timer

The Vault of Night Sequence is comprised of six parts.

1. Tharashk Arena
2. Prison of the Mind
3. Jungle of Khyber
4. Haywire Foundry
5. Vault of Night (dungeon raid)
6. Plane of Night (dragon raid)

When you have beaten the dragon and completed the whole quest series, you can’t start the quest series (1-6) again for 66 hours (real-time hours, not in-game hours). However, you can “tag along” with players who are on phases 1-4 of the quest and help them complete Tharashk Arena, Prison of the Mind, Jungle of Khyber or Haywire Foundry (however, when your quest timer resets, you will need to redo parts 1-4 to advance your own quest). You can’t enter the two raid dungeons (Vault of Night and Plane of Night) unless you are on the correct phase of your quest – even if someone else in your party has the correct quest phase. To see how much time is left before you can restart the entire quest sequence again you can either use the /quest command to view all active quest reset timers or check your quest journal.

Loot Mechanic

When you slay the Red Dragon guarding the Vault of Night, you will have a chance to share in the rewards left behind as loot. The dragon’s chest is protected by a pair of objects called the Glyphs of Ward-Breaking, which you must possess in order to pull items out of the dragon’s chest. Two Glyphs will appear next to the dragon’s chest. Only the leader of the party can pick them up. Once they are in the party leader’s possession, he or she may trade them to another party member, allowing that member to choose an item from the chest.

When you take a piece of loot from the chest, your Glyph will be destroyed and you may not choose another piece of loot unless you have the other Glyph. The items are bind-on-acquire, and display a confirmation window to that effect to prevent accidental looting. As bound items, they cannot be traded.

Currently the Plane of Night is the only place in the game where loot works in this manner. The release note “When picking up a Bind on Acquire item that is not reserved (for example, in a treasure chest from which only 1 pull for the Party is possible), there is a confirmation dialogue box opened.” refers ONLY to the Plane of Night. We have not changed the loot mechanics for the entire game.

12 man raid, two characters get the best loot?  You have to wait 66 hours to get another go?  Am I reading this right?

[Trippy]

12 man raid, two characters get the best loot?  You have to wait 66 hours to get another go?  Am I reading this right?

Yes you are. Everybody will get treasure for completing the story arc but there will only be two pieces of dragon loot per run (both of which could go to just one person).

http://www.ddo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=218905&postcount=76

[Mesozoic]

D&D fans will recoil at the unabashed use of the word "raid" by Turbine.  Bad call. 

[Yegolev]

Raid, yuck.  I was interested after reading the first bit, but it's already turning Diku.  I already didn't like the idea of repeating quests.

[Rhonstet]

Everybody will get treasure for completing the story arc ...

I'd also point out that you gather treasure as an adventure progresses. 

Unlike WoW, you don't only get good loot when you off the final baddie.  Many monsters have treasures of their own, and many secret areas might contain treasure chests and other loot, and some treasures are protected by traps or other defenses that might not involve monster guards (the Butcher's Path kobold treasure being the earliest example).

I actually like this, since it rewards people who organize raid groups.  Its the party leaders who get to claim the glyphs, after all.

Oh, and repeating quests is optional.  If you are willing to do a little legwork, you can advance just fine while never repeating a single quest.  But that can be hard to avoid if you have done quests that a party member has not done, or vice versa.

[Miasma]

I look forward to many future links to recordings of people screaming at eachother over this thanks to their built-in voice chat.

[shiznitz]

So DDO is already abandoning the "one group adventure" dynamic?

WE WILL HAVE ENDGAME, DAMNIT!

[Telemediocrity]

So DDO is already abandoning the "one group adventure" dynamic?

WE WILL HAVE ENDGAME, DAMNIT!

It's 2 groups max.  They've said that this will be the max and stay the max.

[Shockeye]

So DDO is already abandoning the "one group adventure" dynamic?

WE WILL HAVE ENDGAME, DAMNIT!

It's 2 groups max.  They've said that this will be the max and stay the max.

Until module 2.

[Telemediocrity]

If they move in that direction, I'll be really disappointed.  That's just not what the game needs.

Either way, I've never seen a 40 person raid that wouldn't be just as much fun or more (IMHO) if they designed it around 8 people.

[Furiously]

You're missing out, Tazel.  It's a really great game, and so far everything with launch, etc. seems to  be going rather smoothly.  Most people I talk to who play the game are really enjoying it.  Some 'car accident'.

The dragon content is looking very cool.

By fun you mean there are lots of ways to annoy people?

[Telemediocrity]

Furiously, I enjoy playing all sorts of games that don't involve annoying others.  I was a big fan of ToonTown, too, as well as CoH.  The majority of my gameplay is straight co-op.

[HaemishM]

But are you actually paying for and playing DDO? Because you still haven't answered that question yet.

[Telemediocrity]

But are you actually paying for and playing DDO? Because you still haven't answered that question yet.

Oh, sorry.  I will be, as soon as school ends in mid-May.  I played for a month of Beta and loved every bit of it, but now that I'm back at school with finals upon me and a laptop that's nowhere near the desktop I have at home (even on minimum settings), it's just not feasible yet.

Is that insufficient for me to have a valid opinion on the topic?

[HaemishM]

It's insuffiecient for you to be such a fanbois whore for the game.

[Miasma]

I guess the module was live for less than hour before they brought down all servers.  It has some impressive bugs, including a very easy dupe bug which they would have to fix before bringing the servers back up, either that or do a rollback.  I guess they fixed the friends list by deleting all of them.

The DDO boards aren't as fun to read now that only the fanbois are left, most threads merely devolve into "I love the game more" "NO, I love the game more" shouting matches (with the exception of the screaming over the dragon loot stuff).

[Margalis]

I don't understand what the problem is with Turbine. They have such problems with things like working chat servers, working friends lists, etc. In the DDO beta when you logged in or died you would often start out with other people's quests in your quest log. These are NOT complicated tasks.

In all seriousness a good chat server is not some monumentally impossible task. They seem like the SWG team - even simple programming jobs are really hard for them.

I can understand things like random crash bugs to some degree, but problems with things like chat and friends lists are just inexcusable.

[Murgos]

A good chat server is a multithreaded sockets app.  Not retardedly complicated and there is plenty of source code out there to look at but not retard level simple either.

[Furiously]

Furiously, I enjoy playing all sorts of games that don't involve annoying others.  I was a big fan of ToonTown, too, as well as CoH.  The majority of my gameplay is straight co-op.

By co-op you mean co-oping the system by pushing people who are afk into mobs so they get attacked right?

[Telemediocrity]

No, actually, I just flat-out enjoyed them.  The games themselves were a lot more fun than anything I could do in that regard.

The closest I came to what you described was playing a televangelist (from teh future!!!111) in early ATITD that went around conducting baptisms and standing on proverbial soapboxes converting ancient Egyptians to the love of Future Jesus.