Editorial - What Makes a Good DDO Instance?

Fun is Where You Make It

Listing the best and worst instances or zones in any game is a difficult task. For one, it’s subjective--one person’s fun is another person's grind. Instead of offering up a list of her own favorites and not-so-favorites in Dungeons & Dragons Online, Shayalyn ponders what makes for a good instance and accompanying quest.

Fun and challenge are difficult to balance. If an instance offers up a quest that causes a group of average gamers (and by “average” I mean not too casual, and not too hardcore, but somewhere in between) to struggle and curse and die repeatedly, then the challenge factor is too high and most players simply aren’t going to enjoy themselves. On the other hand, if a quest is so simple that running through it seems trivial, then the challenge factor is too low. If, however, the quest poses enough danger to make it fun, but not so much as to make it seem impossible or frustrating, then it’s going to rank high on most people’s lists.

Read the editorial (and see if you agree) at DDO - Ten Ton Hammer.