DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS ONLINE: STORMREACH

AN MMORPG FIRST – INTEGRATED VOICE CHAT

News by GamesIndustry International Contributor

Published on Dec. 21, 2005

Platform: Windows PC

Genre: MMORPG

Launch Date: March 2006

PEGI Rating: TBC

Developer: Turbine

Publisher: Atari

Hosting: Codemasters

Dungeons & Dragons^TM Online: Stormreach^TM will be the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game to offer integrated voice chat. Unlike previous MMORPGs, voice chat in Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach will not require players to use their own system resources and bandwidth to host a chat server or run third party chat programs while they play the game.

TALK FOR YOUR LIFE

We've all been there. You're in an epic battle, spells flying left and right, swords clashing, and monsters roaring. In the chaos of battle you suddenly realize your hit points are low and start to type, "I need a heal!" Just as you are about to hit enter... you die. Argh! If only we could all type at 100 words-per-minute! Well, now you don't have to.

Dungeons & Dragons^TM Online: Stormreach^TM voice chat is fully integrated and customizable right in the game client. Voice chat only works between those in the same party so players won't be bothered by hearing too many conversations at once.

With voice chat, a rogue can quickly alert his party when he sees a trap before that foolhardy Dwarf charges into it, and Clerics can concentrate on the battle without fear of missing heal requests in the chat window. Integrating an easy to use voice chat system allows players to react swiftly and discuss strategies when dealing with Eberron's many trials, in much the same way as when sitting at the gaming table playing the pen-and-paper game.