mmarsh

As I wrote, I finished playing LOTRO and I just started on DDO. A 10 free trial is available for anyone who wishes to try it. I will give my impressions on DDO. For anyone who has played the PnP you discover that DDO is a pretty faithful translation.

Playing as 1st level/rank 3 Human Paladin.

Graphics. The character graphics are nice, but the scenery does equal LOTRO.

Classes/Races. This was nitpick I had about LOTRO. Character proper character construction is very important in DDO. Unlike LOTRO where 1 level 50 champion resembles another. Classes in DDO require that you plan very carefuly. You will have to make choices of traits and abilities. For example have a STR of 16 will allow you to use a 2-handed weapon and use sheer force attacks, but it also means you will not have the DEX high enough to dual wield, shoot a bow effectively, or to use certain combat manuevers that require agility. Character creation is a very careful balancing act. Already my longsword and a shield carrying Paladin has met another Pally carring a 2-handed Warhammer while another used a longbow (no idea as to why).

Combat is better in LOTRO hands down. There is to auto-target. To kill a monster you must be in range, facing the enemy. Attacks work in a cone. Anything inside that cone can get hit. So I actually hit 2 spiders at once using a single normal attack.

Environment. The game takes place inside the city of Stormreach, there is no exploring the countryside. Most quests are in Dungeons, all quests are instanced. While in a Dungeon you will not meet other players except those in your party.

Questing/XP. You will only get XP from completing quests, you gain nothing from killing monsters. As DnD is all about grouping, Soloing is not recommended. You need to form parties in order to survive. Unfortunatly the partying interface is not as intuitive as say LOTRO, can be annoying to find people.

In short, LOTRO is more of a hack and slash, whilst DDO is a true rpg. More later as I play further.