We got game

[admiralthrawn]

For those of you who haven't had an update from me in a long time, I've been working at Turbine Games, on the Dungeons and Dragons Online project, since, well, around the time of my last lj post (eight days after it, in fact

Comments

I am Galstaff_666, sorcerer of light

[topologist]

Mind if I make fun of you for working on a Dunegons and Dragons MMORPG? Please? It combines Dungeons and Dragons dorks and 14-year-old computer gamers; the only way it could be any better is if there were any hippies or Caltech undergrads involved. Hmm, do you have anyone playing druids or bards? If you manage to find a Caltech undergrad playing a druid in the game, don't let me know; I want to finish my thesis on time.

Anyway, congratulations on the game release.

Wondering right now how I got to be so amazingly bad at actually communicating with people. I'm decent at speaking, but apparently not at causing the things I say to be meaningful to the people listening.

This sort of thing varies with time. You've probably been concentrating until recently on finishing up the game. You'll return to normal once the stress subsides and you have more free time for social interaction.

Re: I am Galstaff_666, sorcerer of light

[topologist]

No druids yet, though they're on our list of things to add in an expansion later. But we do have bards. In purple sequined armor, even.

So you can go through a dungeon, slaying things, and then the bard says "stop!", pulls out a mandolin, plays a jaunty little tune, and mind-controls an enemy. Which usually leaves the fighter saying "you know, I could have killed him in half the time it took you to do that..."... I'll let you know if I find any Caltech bards floating around :)

Re: I am Galstaff_666, sorcerer of light

[topologist]

Well, that's the main problem with Dungeons and Dragons: the character classes are too rigidly defined to be interesting. Melee classes hit things with pointy sticks (fighters) or their fists (monks); wizards and sorcerers cast area-effect damage spells and buff the party; clerics and druids buff the party and heal damage; and rogues backstab and pick locks. That's all they do. Bards are just there for a bit of color in a game that's pretty bland. The only thing they have going for them is high charisma; but that's only important when role-playing, and that's not what Dungeons and Dragons is about, especially in a MMORPG. Still, you have to be impressed with a character class whose members apparently believe that the best way of killing a dragon is to sing at it.

[amerryman]

I'd just like to say that after finding your post in the DDO community, I would like to sincerely thank you for your time at MIT, and for helping to make all my 16th lvl wizard spells work correctly! You my friend are awesome, and I applaud you.