Cryptic's Neverwinter D&D MMO

lost, I won't go into ethics, but I assure you, not a single one of those game/server owner companies is registered as a gambling company. And what happens in those games is nothing but gambling. Cryptic can say they made an MMO, but a fair thing to say would say we offer a gambling MMO.

This scenario you portray of "inventory full of boxes" and spending $100s to open or quit the game sounds like utter BS to me. Granted my experience with this stuff is narrow to Lotro, but I haven't opened a box in 30 levels at least and haven't though twice about their contents. I just sell them to box junkies at auction house along with the keys.

Its *optional content* for fun. Not a huge conspiracy to steal your cash. I simply cannot believe Neverwinter or Star Wars is vastly different in scope for key/box.

Are you really suggesting these games are unplayable if you choose to ignore the feature?

Todd, there have been excessive complaints about "lockboxes" from many games taking over normal drops.

If you don't believe that this isn't huge with companies consider the founder of Bioware Sacramento (aka KlickNation) who developed a real money lottery system and made $200000 off a guy to get a 1/10000 item at $10 a roll. He had his head in the clouds the whole lecture going on about "what it means".

When I mentioned to him (as a professor) that the Feds shut down the poker sites for doing this he quickly chimed that it wasn't gambling since real money wasn't being exchanged. Before I could question that technicality which the Poker sites also tried to use (ie. "the law isn't clear") he changed the subject by taking another question.

The lockboxes were found to be a way get a few bucks off players by exploiting their curiosity. Its become a huge problem in Asian games and I wish the Feds would do something about it over here.

The lockboxes were found to be a way get a few bucks off players by exploiting their curiosity.

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But thats the rub, game companies are always using things to get customers to part with their money be it extra DLC, expansion packs or simply the promise of rare drops in an MMO. No one is calling that gambling. Because you simply cannot bet money in this game to make an extra payoff of real life money. In Diable 3 you can make money by grinding away and selling your rare drops(why isn't this gambling?)

If you really want to buy the stupid keys they are like a dollar or you can trade the in-game astral diamonds for zen and use that to buy them. I think the zen/astral diamond exchange is also a good idea because the value of the diamonds is set by player demand. Going by the rare drops that the nightmare boxes are, I would be out a whole 3 dollars if I instisted on opening them(Or trading in some of my astral diamonds which you can make freely per day.

They also have bound and unbound items to keep the cheating down but the leveling is so quick it doesn't matter. Anyone who plays for awhile with or without spending real money will get to see high level content and they can do so largely without having to join raids and guilds.

wolfgrimdark said:

I have heard mixed reviews from other gamers on sites I visit. Some found the classes limited and restrictive with little freedom. Others said almost the opposite …
Anyone else been playing the current version have thoughts?

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I've played throughout the beta weekends and think both sides have a point. If what you like is 3rd edition-style character customization and the ability to completely revamp your spell list as often as you want, you'll see Neverwinter as limited and restricted with little freedom. If what you like is 4th edition-style versatility in battlefield maneuvers coupled with a chargen system so simple you can jump into the game in minutes, you'll see Neverwinter as liberating rather than restricted.