don't always like free things. Especially the ones that take up space, though I still haven't installed that Left 4 Dead 2 demo and I almost never play Facebook games. Generally, I prefer to spend a little money for something I think I will truly enjoy or that will last.
But Dungeons and Dragons Online? That was tempting. Even given my frustration over trying to find exact details on some items related to the different account levels, and a slight lack of time, I soon found myself rolling up characters.
After creating a few, sometimes utilizing a predefined build, and others with my own attempts at maximizing my character, I began to focus a bit more on the process of leveling.
Talking to strangers: many groups form during the leveling process.Nearly every quest is performed in some sort of dungeon. Even an extremely short, simple run to retrieve a valuable item from a man's house is set in one. Most quests do have several difficulty levels to go through in a group setting as well, leading to many groups forming during the leveling process. I will admit that I'm rather hesitant to run anything with a group that I've picked up from the general chat channel, but it is extremely common.
There are plenty of dungeons that I cannot engage in for now, as they require Turbine points to experience. Given that these points require either some level of repetitive action or actual money, my interest in them is largely limited to how many I can get with ten or so dollars.
Upon spending the ten dollars, I did manage to solve my initial question about the account levels. Merely spending that small amount upon the game promoted me to Veteran status, giving two additional character slots. This supposedly also gives me higher priority on login queues and game support, though I've only had to deal with the queue once, and the developers opened a new server soon afterwards.
Though the game's challenge is inconsistent at times, and I'm still unsure how crafting works, I've had quite a bit of fun with my time in DDO. Plus my cleric needs attention and the advice channel actually manages to provide advice.
The idea of an MMO supported entirely by microtransactions still makes my head spin. Five or six years ago, I admit that I found even subscription based models ridiculous. Then, I discovered Final Fantasy Online, forever changing my outlook.
While I'm pretty certain microtransaction-based models are here to stay, it will be interesting to see how they effect or interact with existing subscription-based products. WoW is already exploring a hybrid model (to a limited degree) with its new online pet shop. Long story short: the times they are a changin'.