Tim Turner files the second of three reports from his trip down to Turbine HQ last week. In this article he looked at his time in the new content of Dungeons and Dragons’ Module 4.
Based on event at Turbine HQ
Article by Tim Turner
Although the primary reason for my visit was to see Lord of the Rings Online, I had a chance to sit down with the Dungeons and Dragons Online development team. In a recent preview of Gianthold Tor, we looked at the adventures that led up to the final encounter.
During my time in the Turbine offices with the DDO team, I was introduced to the Stormreaver and the battle you must endure with him. No spoilers here, but I can say you will be in for one heck of a fight and then some. As you enter the chamber you see glyphs glowing on the wall, a hallway out that appears to be sealed and a vaulted ceiling. Inside the Stormreaver’s chamber, you will be tested just like some of the previous encounters that you experienced before you even get the chance to meet him. Not only do you need to survive battling the Stormreaver, but you also need to survive the challenges from the room. Devilmouse, my guide for the virtual tour, was kind of enough to show some of the pain and agony one might receive in the room depending on your choices. For example, balls of static charge zap you around the room, for short periods of time, as you battle the Stormreaver.
Once you have defeated the Stormreaver, as well as the other challenges, there are a few more tasks to complete. The first new task is getting out of the Stormreaver’s chamber. Once you make it beyond the chamber, you are nearly finished and can finally retrieve your much deserved reward… Wait a minute! What is this? The path to the treasure room is locked! Ahh, don’t worry, the key is right there in front of you. Just unlock it before times runs out. However, get it wrong and you may have a small problem or two on your hands. Once you’ve finally made it into the treasure room, you will be well rewarded for your efforts.
After my tour of the Stormreaver, I had a bit of time left with the DDO team and was able to get a sneak peek at some of the monster pathing changes that will appear in a future update. Now with Module 4, we are getting the first wave of monsters that move and fight more intelligently, but in the near future the monsters get even smarter. In the example, our character was fighting a little kobold. Realizing the battle was going bad, we made the choice to flee into a room with four doors and shut the door. The little kobold tried to blast the door with his fire bombs, but had no success. Seeking a new strategy, we thought we might sneak out the back door while he was occupied. Quietly, we open the door, and next thing you know the kobold starts running around the room to the open door to stop us from leaving. The smart little bugger knew that the door had been opened and started to take advantage of it. This was just one of the ways in which the monster AI is improving.
As my time with Samera and the rest of the team was up, I thanked all of them for the time they took to show me the raid and upcoming features. Module 4, due out in just a few short weeks, is really looking awesome. I can’t wait to see the final version on live servers.
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