Is There Any Hope?

According to an interview with Kate Paiz in an episode of the DDOcast podcast last summer, Module 9, which was advertised to include the increase in the Level Cap to 20, etc., etc., those who were listening distinctly remember Kate telling us that Module 9 was targeted for release in the December/January time frame.

The last time I checked my calendar...

The Gregorian Calendar...

... the calendar accepted internationally to help coordinate... everything...

*NOT* the Turbine Calendar...

It's now just past the middle of April.

APRIL!

I'm usually pretty patient with the folks at Turbine. After all, I've done my fair share of programming and application development. But,

...

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!!



As any long time readers (if any are left) may know... I've been working with Autodesk applications, like AutoCAD, 3ds Max and Revit, for over twenty (20) years now. During that time, I've seem something quite remarkable in the way they develop "improvements" to their software.

Namely that, when they promise to release something, they release *something*, ON SCHEDULE. It doesn't have to be ~everything~ they promised, but it has to be *something*.

Especially once they'd committed to requiring an annual subscription (maintenance) agreement for those who like to upgrade to new releases without paying full retail price for the new version of the software.

In fact, on an Autodesk Subscription, end-users are GUARANTEED at least one major update each year, along with at least one (but usually three) minor updates in between.

For this service, it costs about $700 each year to keep your software up to date.

Granted, that sounds like a lot, compared to the subscription for DDO, but investing in *any* software title written by Autodesk is quite significant. (As in, you can buy a brand new car for the price of some of their software.)

It seems to me that there needs to be a fundamental attitude adjustment on the part of the folks at Turbine. *IF* you're going to tell your user base that a new "Module" (an update) is coming, then you'd better stick to it. Even if it means you didn't get everything into it by the time you told people you were hoping to release it.

Actually, I wish Turbine would treat DDO in more the same manner that the company that produces my wife's game does. They publish small patches and updates to her game on an almost monthly release schedule. And, this is during the interval between any major updates they have planned.

Granted, the player base for my wife's game is significantly larger than that for DDO, which means they have far more money to throw at development. BUT (however)...

*THEY* seem to take development of her game more seriously than Turbine does of my game.

And the result is quite clear... it brings more players into her game. And the game continues to grow.

Meanwhile, I keep seeing folks growing tired of waiting for Turbine. And they end up taking a sabbatical, or even permanently leave the game.

How is that good for the longevity of DDO?

I mean, DDO is three years old now. But it *feels* more like it's sixty-eight.

I'm not saying that I have any intention of leaving DDO. But, if Turbine can't take my game seriously, then neither can I. I was once a seven-day-a-week player. These days I'm lucky if I put in three two-hour evenings.

I suppose there's *some* hope, however...

Turbine did announce that a Module 9 preview has been loaded onto the test server for players to beat on the new features before the prime-time release.

But, then, they haven't committed to a release date yet, either.

Oh, well... I guess I can go play with my Character Planner and see what new multi-class experiment I can come up with next.

Keep it fun!

What to Blog About???

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the lack of posts lately is the lack of something to blog about.  Back when we had thirty-some-odd active guild members, there was no shortage of tales to tell.  These days, with only eight active members, the juicy details are more difficult to come by.

Particularly now that we're all fairly seasoned veterans of the game, too.

That's not to say there aren't the occasional n00b stunts, but that they aren't quite as entertaining as they once were.

I think this means it's time for some fresh meat...  I mean... new guild members.

At least, that is...  if we want someone with some fresh material.

But, at the same time, the guild is small enough that there isn't any drama at all.  Something of a rarity in MMO games.  This past weekend, for example, was the first time in over three months that my wife had logged into *her* MMO game.

(No, she doesn't consider DDO to be *her* MMO...  despite my best efforts.)

No sooner had she logged in than she saw two of our real-life friends who ~encouraged~ her newly discovered addiction, were removing *all* of their characters from the guild.  And, these two were officers and well-seasoned veterans.

Apparently, there had been quite a disagreement going on while she'd been away.

And, as it turns out, the *only* reason my wife's characters are in that particular guild is *because* of our real-life friends.  Once things finally calmed down a bit, we managed to contact our friends to figure out whether my wife should keep her characters in that guild.

I mean, she has no real loyalty to the guild beyond the people she knows.  After all, she hasn't ever played with anyone besides them.  All the other so-called Player Characters are nothing more than scenery to her.

But all turned out well in the end.  Our friends had a nice hour-long discussion of matters in her guild and were re-admitted and promoted back up to officers before the weekend was out.  It was all very stressful for my wife.

Having seen that kind of thing happen in DDO, I certainly had a full-helping of sympathy for her; it's not something anyone should ever hope to experience.

It makes me appreciate the fact that, although the Face Stabbing Misfits may not be as big a guild as it once was, we are a collection of strong friends out to have a little fun.  It just so happens that I was the one nominated to head-up the guild when Althenna decided to take a break from the game.  So far as I'm concerned, any one of us could be the guild leader, and it wouldn't bother me in the least.

After all, it's not about the drama...  it's about the FUN!

Keep it fun, everyone!!!

Long Time No Blog

Okay, I confess... I've been remiss in updating my blog. I don't suppose an excuse signed by my doctor would be sufficient?

Probably not. Not since I haven't actually been sick. Rather, I've been particularly engrossed in work.

Not that that is much of an excuse, I know, as I constantly profess that everyone in general should respect the need for rest and relaxation. Despite that, however, I haven't been as active in DDO as I once was.

But I do still play. Usually two or three nights a week, in fact. Just not the five or six I once spent.

Of course, work isn't the only factor influencing that change, as my propensity for playing DDO did not go unpunished by the wife and real-life friends.

I've always maintained that so long as the wife is happy, I'm happy.

Turns out the wife is happier if I don't spend five nights a week in DDO.

But I still play.

Odd that a great many people seem to think I've left the game.

I haven't. I've just been playing some of my "younger" characters. Especially Trinarias, the construct forged by Trinarius (the Dwarf), thanks to a little assistance from Haywire and his foundry.

In fact, the construct Trinarias is now Level 11, and pushing steadily toward Level 12. He promises to one-day succeed Trinarius as head of the clan, if he lives that long.

That still doesn't explain why I haven't been blogging very much. Actually, the last time I posted a blog entry was January 10th. Almost three months.

Well... sorry. I've just been busy doing many other things. Creative writing simply wasn't one of my higher priorities.

And, if you must know, it's because of some of the guildies and allies that I finally decided to get back into Blogger and post something new.

In fact, Redraider posted a comment about my lack of Blog entries in a discussion thread on the guild boards the other day. And, one of the officers harangued me in the Message Of The Day on the in-game guild board for the same thing. If I ever figure out which officer actually did it... Belzur, maybe??? I may have punish him. In the mean time, I might be able to do what my Drill Sergeants used to do back in Basic Training... when someone screwed up, but they couldn't figure out who it was, they *smoked* the entire platoon...

:-D

Call me a sadist, but I actually enjoyed those smoke sessions.

'course, I was far more fit back then.

Still...

"Just drop and beat your face, until *I* get tired..."

:-D

I wish.

At any rate, Trinarius still plays, and with luck, the mid-level characters will be ready for their first Dragon raid sometime in the very near future.

Until then, I expect Holley the Cleric, from our allied guild, the Lifetakers and Heartbreakers, to be keeping an eye out for us Face Stabbing Misfits, to help round-out their adventure parties. It's more convenient to post on the LFM panel "come group with some *real* Misfits."

Keep it fun! (I'll try to blog more frequently.)