Well, we can't say we exactly saw this one coming. Turbine has pulled back the curtain on some details for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, namely the new class being added with the major business model shift. Although, we've also learned there'll be new combat updates and a return of Stormreach's marketplace, which was destroyed last year.

As for the new class, it's been revealed to be the Favored Soul. According to Turbine's press release, "Favored souls draw on divine magic to both heal and destroy. Like clerics, favored souls have access to powerful healing spells, but they are also more skilled with weapons than any other spell caster. Like sorcerers, they get a larger number of spell points than other spell casters and cannot freely switch spells at taverns or rest shrines." So it sounds like we're dealing with a cross between a Cleric and a Sorcerer, which is pretty awesome actually. What sorts of weapons -- and screens of the class itself -- remains to be seen, sadly.

Still, we should have even more details in the coming weeks and hopefully Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will launch sometime this summer.

We all seem to have that one game that hangs on the edge of our radar -- taunting us with alluring gameplay mechanics while still being just expensive enough for us to pass up the offer. You want to play it, you really do, but you just don't want to pay that much for it.

Yet, Dungeons and Dragons Online has shown that it's certainly not impossible for developers to embrace a new business model. So that now begs the question, "What game would you jump all over if it went free to play?" If you could choose any game in the whole MMO genre, what game would it be?

Furthermore, why that particular game? What about it makes you want it to be free, so you can get your paws all over it? Speak to us, oh readers, via that little comment box below, and shout your opinions to the internet beyond!

Dungeons and Dragons Online going free to play is undoubtedly an awesome announcement. But exactly how awesome of an announcement is it?

Yesterday we were all over the announcement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and really look at the changes in an in-depth manner.

Certainly not everything about the new version of DDO has been defined by Turbine, but we're going to take a look at the basics of what this new version offers and compare the ups and downs of what's being offered. By the time we're done looking over the new system, you'll be able to answer that one burning question that's plaguing your mind.

Is free to play DDO worth it for you?

The cons of the whole switchover

Item malls that offer players the ability to purchase items or item upgrades degrade the gaming experience. We've been over this before -- letting Mr. Moneybags deck out his character at level 1 so he's 10x more awesome than everybody else is a major downer to people who don't have the money.

While I've pored over the text that Turbine is released, it doesn't appear that they will be offering items like weaponry or armor. They will be offering "items of convenience" to the players. My best guess is things like potions, perhaps portals, resurrection scrolls, things such as these. Even though these are low powered items, they can still annoy you when Moneybags can teleport all over the place and you're left walking and taking the slow route.

This con is, however, offset by the fact that points can be earned by actually playing the game. It sounds like they are attempting to make the cash shop available for everyone, not just the Moneybags of the world. This will be interesting to watch, as no other developer as truly tried this in the American market.

"I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold."

The big con to this is the limited play that free players get. Limited auctions and limited mail are two nasty inconveniences in their own right, but limited gold storage and limited chat seem to be the features that take the cake. How would you like it if you couldn't chat in all of the chat channels, or were restricted to how much you can say in game? Even worse, limited gold storage may mean that you might not be able to purchase the best items from the auction house simply because your wallet just doesn't hold enough.

I could easily see some players offering up items in the auction house above the amount that a free player's wallet could hold. This is going to inconvenience the player further because it's going to restrict how the player can interact with the auction house and interact with the vendors in the world.

Another two bites out of the pro pile are the fact that free players rank lower than DDO VIP subscription players in the login queue and free players don't get access to customer support. This means that a constant influx of DDO VIP players could easily keep bumping free players back in the login queue, should the server become overpopulated. While I don't exactly see this happening, it could become problem should the lines really get backed up. I know I wouldn't like to see that my place in line as number 27 get jacked backward to 30 or 35 just because a few subscribers chose to log in.

Lastly is the fact that free players are stuck with the online knowledge base and the forums as their source of aid should they encounter problems. I can foresee some free players attempting to play the game, getting stuck on some odd technical problem, and then becoming unable to solve it simply because the knowledge base doesn't have their problem on file. You're going to inevitably lose some people over this, just because they don't want to deal with the frustration of attempting to make a free game work. It's a free game, so if it doesn't work, just move onto the next game.

The bottom line?

The final thoughts for all of this is you should weigh it for yourself. If you want to save some cash and you like Dungeons and Dragons, then this might just be the experience for you. If you're looking for a second quality MMO to have as a side-game, then this might also be what you want to pick up.

If you're someone who's easily frustrated by limitations, however, then you might not enjoy this experience. Some of the stuff, like decreased auctions, gold storage, and chatting capabilities might hamper gameplay just enough to turn off some people.

But, don't take my word for it. Judge the game for yourself when it hits free to play status later this summer.

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Turbine has just announced that Dungeons and Dragons Online will be moving to a free-to-play business model, and we have the inside scoop. Be sure to read our complete coverage of the changeover, and look for more info as DDO Unlimited approaches launch.

You, much like myself, may have had summer MMO plans a month or so ago. But like many things in life, circumstances changed and both Champions Online and Jumpgate Evolution were met with delays in their schedules -- making any plans to play them over the summer null.

It's a bummer, but not all is lost. Another thing I'm certain we all share is our love of gaming in general. I've been thinking of a list of games I plan to play through this summer in lieu of shiny new MMOs to delve into, with an emphasis on filling the void left by a lack Cryptic's and NetDevil's still forthcoming titles. I'm sure I'll play more than just three, but these are the ones I'll definitely play the most of overall.

I never played any of the numerous MUDs -- let alone DikuMUD -- back in the early nineties, and it's probably for the best, as my then youthful mind wouldn't have spared more than a few minutes to learn how they worked, let alone spend the necessary time to play them. We're talking pre-teen here, just to be clear, and I was really interested in stuff like point and click adventure games. Oh, and also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Even though I wasn't around for the progenitors that would eventually lead to things like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft, it's not hard for me to see in the wake of all those titles the line of ideas and creativity that connects all of them. Hell, you can trace it back to the original release of Dungeons and Dragons if you really wanted to, but let's focus on the future for today.

Should MMOs try to become to gaming what Rocky is to movies? A series of sequels with the same base setting, familiar characters, and expected outcomes? Or should they create a new world with each release? This is the debate offered in a recent article from WarCry, exploring the types of intellectual property offered by MMORPGs.

In the past year, we have heard announcements from some of the largest MMO companies that AAA titles were being closed and games with tremendous recognition may not be getting sequels. It seems there is a movement towards the new and unfamiliar out there, even as the lists of new titles are filled with the likes of Star Wars: The Old Republic, Star Trek Online, and DC Universe Online. So it begs the question, are the games you're most looking forward to based on what has come before or a fresh new world and lore to explore for the first time?

As a caveat to an example used in Mr. Steinhauer's article, this blogger would point out that the Forgotten Realms setting was originally from Dungeons & Dragons settings and had a rather extensive series of novels behind it.

Above is the sole bit of evidence that the World of Warcraft movie has seen any completed work at all -- one item of concept art. We know very little about the film, and the only news we've gotten recently is that Uwe Boll will not be directing it (admittedly that's very good news). Joystiq blogger Kevin Kelly is perfectly fine with that, as he wrote a blog entry over at Spout about why this movie really oughtn't ever get made at all.

Three reasons were provided: Dungeons & Dragons was a disaster, it couldn't earn back its huge budget even if every WoW player in the world went to see it, not even most WoW players know what the story of the game really is. There was a fourth reason, too, but it isn't so much a reason as why it shouldn't be made as why it won't be -- the concept art is all we have after two years.

It's true that the movie couldn't make it on WoW players alone; it'd have to be appealing to people unfamiliar with the franchise, too. But we really doubt that's going to happen, and it doesn't matter anyway because, as we said, it probably will never get made!

[Via WoW Insider]

If you go to Paul Barnett's personal blog, you'll discover two enticing things. One, there's a lot of videos with him doing his thing in a pretty much unfiltered manner. And two, you can grab sneak peeks at upcoming Warhammer Online updates and fixes in general. Today Paul posted a video in where he flashes a sheet of paper filled with his thoughts on expansions and new careers, but not just one's we've heard of apparently. Nope, Paul quickly points out that these are "new-new careers" before Mr. Josh Drescher (also featured in the video) pulls the latch shut on that topic. Oh, how they love to tease us.

So now we're left the with a question: Are these new-new careers to possibly replace one of the old ones, or for an eventual expansion? We wouldn't be surprised if they were for both, honestly. Don't put it past Paul -- a man who just finished having a wonderful time playing D&D over the weekend -- not to have oodles of careers ideas written on pieces of paper. Check after the break for the latest video update.

	Anti-Aliased: Games you should have played, but probably didn't What games would I recommend to my readers who just aren't happy with the current mainstream market? What games should you have played, but probably overlooked? I think I have a few.
	Massively in Metropolis: How your superpowers are going to work The big question behind a game about superheroes is pretty blunt. How am I going to feel powerful? How are my powers going to work? If you don't feel superheroic there's been a failure right from the get-go. That's entirely the point behind the development process at SOE Austin, for the DC Universe Online project.
	Dungeons & Dragons Online Module 8: The new player experience You can certainly expect more feature articles here at Massively concerning Module 8 in the near future, but for now, we wanted to focus on the new player experience for anyone looking to get into the game for the first time.
	Massively's WAR Camp: Tier 3 Scenario Guides This week on the WAR Camp, we're hitting the scenarios again, and we're focusing on a couple of the offerings in Tier 3. In Tier 3, knockbacks really start to make a difference, with most classes by this point having received their knockback abilities.
	The Digital Continuum: December updates for WAR Warhammer Online has its flaws that like to run up and slap you in the face from time to time -- it can put a damper on the fun. Lucky for us, one of the strengths found in Warhammer Online actually comes from its design team, Mythic Entertainment.

So I learned two things since my last column. The first is if I mention Warhammer Online or Playboy models in any capacity, my traffic rating graph begins to resemble the Swiss alps. So... Warhammer Online and Playboy models.

The second thing I learned is that everyone is pretty much agreed on Warhammer, except for a few outliers. The game has faults, but all those faults are easily overlooked when the game provides a fun environment to romp around in. But that made me start thinking... what other games on the market are pretty good, but overlooked due to a lack of popularity? What games would I recommend to my readers who just aren't happy with the current mainstream market? What games should you have played, but probably overlooked? I think I have a few.

Matt's raising said proceeds by auctioning off the six seats in the game, with bids starting at $49.99. He'll be setting up the DM's screen at 8:00 pm PST on Friday, October 17, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, California - the venue for HeroCon, of course. And Matt will be using the slick new 4th Edition rules, so we won't be seeing any multiclassed dual wield spiked chain half-dragon-half-unicorn characters.

There exists a very close relationship between MMOs and table-top games.

Yesterday saw the launch of Ethernauts, the fifth expansion to EverQuest-related collectible trading card game Legends of Norrath. LoN is digital, but gameplay-wise, it's totally a table-top game. World of Warcraft has an entirely material trading card game. Warhammer Online is of course based on the Warhammer miniatures game, and WoW is getting a miniatures game of its own. And of course, the RPG genre originated on the table-top with Dungeons & Dragons.

We're wondering: how much crossover is there between digital and table-top games? How many of our readers play them? Tell us! What do you think of table-top games?

This blogger was intrigued, on looking through a copy of the Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, to see that each character class had two different 'builds'. Apparently, the terminology (and the thinking behind it) has now officially migrated all the way back from MMOs to the pen-and-paper games that preceded them.

Some players create characters purely for concept, some for efficiency, some to fit a particular playstyle. In City of Heroes, a suprising number of not-so-good powers will still get picked if they fit a character's concept, such as Flurry for a superspeeder. In fact, one of the developers said some time ago that concept should be the primary reason for picking any power.

But other players come up with carefully structured builds and respect them like Cordon Bleu recipes. The thought and planning that goes into these builds, which are arguably a form of engineering challenge, is impressive. The individuality of the character doesn't matter; what matters is how well the character's abilities milk the game for every possible drop of performance.

Are you a build-user? Have you ever worked a character out to the specifications given in someone else's build? Do you like to plot and plan, and possibly share your work? Or would you rather make characters freestyle?