Dungeons & Dragons Online Goes Free to Play Model

http://www.ddo.com

Dungeons & Dragons Online
Goes Free, Introduces Store Digg this article
Posted by Michael Bitton on Jun 09, 2009
31 comments in our forums

Turbine announced today the upcoming launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online Eberron Unlimited. This latest upgrade to the game brings with it the inclusion of a free-to-play business model and microtransactions in the form of the DDO Store.

With the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online Eberron Unlimited. players will be able to play for free with some notable restrictions: free players will have restricted access to specific races, classes, some chat options, auctions, mail, and others.

In addition, players will be able to choose a VIP subscription that will give subscribers access to all premium content and a monthly allowance of points to spend on the DDO Store.

The full press release is available below:

Turbine® ENTERS FREE-TO-PLAY MARKET

Dungeons and Dragons Online® Eberron Unlimited™ to Launch With Unlimited Free Play and In-Game Store

WESTWOOD, MA – June 9, 2009 – Turbine, Inc., the premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities, today unveiled Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade that makes DDO Unlimited the world’s first free-to-play massively multiplayer online game (MMO) to offer the quality graphics and robust features previously only available in premium subscription based-games. Launching this summer, DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new business model that is designed to provide an extraordinary experience to players who want a choice in how they pay and play online games. Players can download and play DDO Unlimited for free with the ability to purchase additional content and items in the new DDO Store to enhance their experience. Alternatively, players can choose to join the new DDO VIP program and gain unlimited access to all premium content plus a number of exclusive benefits for a single low monthly price. Turbine has launched a new website at http://www.ddo.com where players can learn more about DDO Unlimited and signup for the Beta program which launches today.

“Historically, players of free online games were forced to sacrifice the quality of their experience,” said Jim Crowley, President and CEO. “Those days are over. The new DDO Unlimited is the most innovative, exciting and graphically rich MMO to ever hit the free-to-play market and it changes the very nature of what it means to be free-to-play.”

Turbine’s New Game Offers Players Unlimited Choice!

Ø Free means Free! – Players download and play DDO Unlimited for free by visiting www.ddo.com and within minutes can be exploring a rich, beautiful and dangerous online world crawling with legendary monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless adventures from the world’s best known RPG. There is no time limit or level cap on free play.

Ø Visit the new DDO Store! -- The DDO Store is loaded with hundreds of convenience items as well as premium dungeon packs, additional character slots, hirelings (hired muscle), potions, character customization and more! The DDO Store is seamlessly integrated into the game play and lets the player identify new and exciting ways to enhance and customize their experience.

Ø Be a DDO VIP! – Players who elect to subscribe to DDO Unlimited will have unlimited access to every premium adventure pack, receive priority server access, 10 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of 500 Turbine Points to spend in the new DDO Store.

DDO Unlimited is the award-winning massively multiplayer game with the best combat of any MMO. Entering DDO Unlimited is a snap using Turbine’s new proprietary delivery technology. Now players can download DDO Unlimited in minutes and immediately begin creating their own character to battle through one of gaming’s most immersive online worlds. Featuring the industry’s most visceral combat system, DDO Unlimited puts players into the heat of battle with full, real-time control over their character’s movement and special attacks. Only DDO Unlimited delivers premium experience for free with many innovative features, including DirectX® 10 graphics, action-based PvE and PvP combat, quests that provide a unique, immersive experience whether you play solo or with a group of friends, and advanced social networking tools that let you participate in a large and vibrant online community.

DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A. Published by Atari, Inc., DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.

Nice, might check it out, can be good to spend some time in.

yup.free so i dont mind trying.nothing to do atm anyway online heh

Ah neat. I wanted to play this game before but didn't due to all that p2p stuff :fail: But now that it is f2p...

ddo f2p? i'll check it out. :)

Downloading it now ^^

dont think beta for f2p model is here yet

You'll get a completely nerfed game though:

	DDO VIP	Free Player
Turbine Points	500/month free	Buy
Classes	Free / unlock	Basic free, can purchase Monk & others
Races	Free / unlock	Basic free, can purchase Warforged & Drow
Geography	All included free	Stormreach & vicinity
Adventure Packs	All included free	Some free, can purchase others
Character Slots	10	2, can purchase more
Shared Bank Slot	Included free	Can purchase
Login Queue	Priority	Standard
Chat	Unlimited	Limited
Auctions	Unlimited	Limited
Mail	Unlimited	Limited
Gold Storage	Unlimited	Limited
Customer Service	Full	Self-service online
Beta Priority	High	Normal

just to waste some time.not as if we really moving in with those nerf conditions lol

Well what bugs me is the fact you can only visit Stormreach & Vicinity q_q I love D&D games and would have really loved to play it seriously

Well you get 10 days for free, which I'm gonna use now :)

Reg c'mon join too ^^

Fine q_q

Lol can't seem to find the download button :wipeswt:

Here, register, then it takes you to the dl page.

https://trial.turbine.com/ddo.php

Thanks! Downloading it now :eat:

Only takes me 20 minutes to download whole game <3 *hugs his connection*

Yea me 2 but it keeps getting errors :(

Aaah Buffie! If you make a Cleric I'll make a naked dual wielding dwarf fighter! :^_-: Then we can team up :D:

Ofc i will roll cleric :^_-:

lol Reg, go knight or fighter you can tank for us I ll dd as ranger XD

I know a bit of D&D so no worries :^_-: If you guys need a tank then a Dwarven Fighter is the best choice

Dwarven Fighter with Tower Shield and Dwarven Waraxe with 18con and 16str should do it :thumb2:

I have had so many errors on this download I just know its not gonna play lol

Oh and Buffie you should go for a Human Cleric with as much points dumped into wisdom as possible and also a bit into charisma. Focus on buffs and heals (Shield of Faith, Cure Light Wounds and Doom are great skills for first level).

I'm getting bunch of errors aswell, I might try the other download then the high resolution one o_0

Will do Reggy xD
I just need my weetabix :^_-: