It's All Good: Why Devs Get Good
Grades From Me

By Darkgolem



I can't say I agree with everything the developers of Dungeons &
Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO) do.

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I am not about player versus
player (PvP) combat, and the new Enhancements don't seem to be offering
much more than cosmetic changes. On the other hand, I have to give the
developers credit for two things: they are productive, and boy, do they
have patience!



I read the forums regularly, and I see a lot of criticism of the
developers from community members. I'm sometimes critical of the
developers myself. I try to be fair and frank. I realize that I cannot
see their side of the development of the game: I am not down in
Westwood, Massachusetts listening to their conversations; I don't know
how to code; I don't know Turbine's financial situation, or their
future plans (After all, the devs can't discuss their plans ahead of
time until those plans are verified and the information is ready to be
released.) But despite flack from forum members--people who seem to
believe it's okay to accuse developers of what is tantamount to theft
and lies--the devs are patient. Though the majority of the people on
the forums aren't quite that hostile, criticism has a way of getting to
people more than it should, and most times the devs seem immune.



Another thing I have to compliment the developers of DDO on is that
they are productive. While there are plenty of bugs in the game,
Turbine has done a lot to remove them. They also add nice aesthetic
touches (Lightning Bolt and Fireball lighting up the area…good stuff!).
New quests, new monsters, PvP (meh), new Enhancements...all sorts of
things are brought in regularly. Turbine has promised level cap
increases and prestige classes, and I believe they will be on time.
Just guessing, but I bet a lot of lunches are eaten at desks over there
in Westwood.



href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album01&id=Turbine&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> alt="Turbine logo"
src="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album01/Turbine.thumb.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 100px; height: 100px;" align="left">It
seems sometimes that the work the devs do is sort of random...as if
they had a big pile of notes in a bingo cage, each one with something
on their to-do list. They spin the cage, pull out a slip, and put it
next on their list of things to do. But wow, do they do a lot of stuff!
Even though I don't seem to like about half of the things the devs
implement, the sheer volume of changes they make is immense.



So when you read the forums, you may see me posting criticisms,
complaints and reasons why this, that, or the other is a bad idea. You
might sense some impatience in my viewpoints. But keep in mind when you
read that the developers have my respect for the patience they show
toward their (sometimes rude) critics. Frankly, I wouldn't have their
jobs for anything. I understand that sometimes, in any job, you have to
accept rudeness, but to deal with it so often?  No way. And while
I don't always see Turbine's side of things in the development process,
I admire their passion and dedication to the game. A lot of hard work
goes on behind the scenes at Turbine, and I am confident that their
interests are toward improving the game experience.



And that's pretty impressive.

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