The Quest Guides are Coming!

By Ralsu



It's an exciting time in the world of Dungeons & Dragons Online:
Stormreach (DDO).

With the release of href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=530&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0">Twilight
Forge, Turbine has given us a bundle of new goodies to explore in
DDO. Here at DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer, we've been busy planning exciting
new content for the month of August. Just as we were finalizing the
schedule for August, I happened upon this missive from Catie in my
inbox:

Ralsu,



My guild uses your site for a lot of information. We really appreciate
the link to your spell guides that you added to the front page a few
weeks ago. We use it often. We also like the weekly themes on your site.



Overall, we love T[en] T[on] H[ammer], but we wish you had quest
guides, too. Is there a reason you don't?



Well, keep up the good work anyway!



Regards,

Catie (Dellywick, rogue halfling 8, Argonessen)

First off, you're welcome for the link to the href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=157">Spells
Guides, Catie. I'm glad your guild finds those guides useful. As
for the weekly themes, that's something I'll keep going as long as I
can. We still have a lot of DDO material to cover, so you'll be seeing
new themes.



Now on to quest guides. The truth is, Catie, that we've been collecting
data on quests since launch. We have some of the quest guides written
already, but we wanted to get a bunch done before we published any of
them. During beta (we had 3 writers in beta), we started compiling data
about Feats, Enhancements,
and spells so we'd have it ready when Turbine lifted the NDA
{non-disclosure agreement). We wanted to be able to bring you
description for each of those critical components of DDO by launch in
February 2006. Then Turbine took the wind out of our sails by posting
the Compendium to the official DDO site. Most of the data we collected
was useless duplication of theirs. We had to take a new path: rating
the Feats. Enhancements, and Spells. But that took more time because we
like to test everything personally here at DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer.



Back to quest guides, let me assure you that we've been compiling the
data for the past 5 months. I can now proudly say that we are ready to
start unveiling our quest guides! Look for the first series to come in
late August. After that, we'll start posting them regularly. I'll be
sure to mix them up for you, too. Our first set of quest guides will be
lower level, but future sets will vary in level greatly. Thanks for the
letter, and be sure to stop by and say hello in our href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=PNphpBB2&file=index&meid=89">forums.



Your emails impact our content. If you have a suggestion or a question
about our content, be sure to href="mailto:%[email protected]">drop us an email and let
us know. We'll do what we can to give you the content you want.



I have one other email to share, this one from Bloodycap:

Dear T[en] T[on] H[ammer]:



I think you guys are being a little too harsh about the drow in DDO.
Darkgolems [sic] editorial makes it sound like drow are a bad thing.
They f***ing rock! For once a company gives us something to make
players better and happy but you guys complain. I don't understand.



Peace,

Bloodycap

href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=Custom-Wallpapers&id=wallpaper3spiders&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> alt="spider wallpaper"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/Custom-Wallpapers/wallpaper3spiders.sized.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 267px; height: 200px;" align="left">Thanks
for the email, Bloodycap. I'll try to answer without speaking for
Darkgolem. I think the thing that concerns us is that we see no reason
to play a halfling wizard (for example) at this point. Or an elf rogue.
Based on the Ability modifiers of drow (+2 DEX, INT, and CHA, -2 CON),
they become the race for
rogues (DEX and INT), wizards (INT), bards (CHA), and sorcerers (CHA).
Aside from humans, who get an extra Feat and extra Skills, no other
race really gives me a reason to pick them for the four classes I just
mentioned. The racial Enhancements of a dwarf aren't impressive enough
to make me want to play a dwarf rogue over a drow rogue. Now what about
my friend Larry who has a Level 10 dwarf rogue? He loves his character,
but he knows it could be better if he rolled it as a drow. Something
about that isn't right.



Darkgolem's second issue with the drow was the way we access them.
Grinding through quests to get the faction to unlock the superior race
and grind through the quests again is just not right. Drow should be
selectable at character creation without unlocking them. Some may argue
that drow are a reward for players, but we don't agree. Making people
grind to unlock drow rewards those with the most play time (as
Darkgolem noted). Then the same system punishes them by making them
level a new toon. A person should be able to buy DDO online, download
the updates, and start a drow today if she wants to. But that's just my
view, and I appreciate your opinion. And don't worry: we have a whole
week dedicated to the drow coming up.



Well, there you have it, folks. I promised you a DDO surprise, and you
now have the official announcement that quest guides are coming to DDO
@ Ten Ton Hammer! As always, if you think you can do a better job than
us, I invite you to put your skill where your mouth is and href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=145">join
our staff! Thanks for reading.