Aug
19

WAR Beta Impressions – One amoung many

35 Comments

OK…looks like it’s safe to talk. I don’t see any Mythic goons anywhere and the most rabid WAR fans have left my lawn….from the looks of it anyway.

Instead of giving you a wall of text you need to sift through, let me start off right:

Summary

Warhammer is a good game….make no mistake that. Mythic will be successful (…to a point…) with this title. They have followed the tried and true MMO formula of questing, leveling, classes (read: “The Trinity”) and crafting….with twists, and I’ll get into that more later.

Warhammer is not THE game. Some may disagree, but they would be incorrect. Here is what WAR has that WoW/EQ2/CoH/LOTRO don’t have:
- Public Quests (AWESOME!!)
- RvR and blending of PvE elements.
- good class mix…especially healers
- Tome of Knowledge

…everything else, you’ve played before. WAR is a great addition to the MMO genre, but it won’t blow your socks off if you’re looking for something other than WoW. If you’re in WoW, with WoTLK coming, I suggest you stay in WoW cause you’re not going to find what you’re looking for in WAR. You WILL find fun, but you will not find a replacement for your gorilla.

WAR is not WoW. WAR is WoW’s emo brother…and that can be a very good thing for lots of people.

WAR is not a WoW killer…but it will bite at its ankles and cause a serious rash.

..and finally, WAR is not the Jesus MMO. WAR is more like Peter.

Beta Experience

I’ve been in the beta now for about a month starting with build 3.2 (…or the tail end of 3.1, can’t recall..) and I’ve played pretty much every class except for the ones offered by the Dwarfs (….sorry, I don’t play shorties….). I’ve seen Mythic increase the quality with every update and they have really, really listened to their community. Community on the beta forums is really great and quite supportive, however; the ones in the game are about average. Some good people, some not so good.

I have not been playing like a madman in the beta…I learned my lesson with LORTO that betas are for a quick look-see into the quality and stability of the game. I go in, I don’t read any quests, I report bugs as I see them. I think I’ve put in about 5-6 bugs and I’ve got a list of about 6 written down that I have not submitted yet.

Graphics

Graphics are good as they stand right now…and I hear they haven’t turned everything up just yet. There are some issues like hair going though the body, feet going through the ground etc, etc. So far, I’ve been most impressed with the environments presented with Chaos….they just reek of evil goodness. The good races are, well, boring…at least to me.

“The Grapics are good”. Why didn’t I say “great”? Well, because they are not. The one thing I will say about the graphical aspect of WAR is that it just barely inspires me…because I’ve seen most of the environments before. The spooky forest, the areas charred by fire, the elf/dwarf cities/structures…yadda yadda.

As a footnote (…this one is for you John…), I found LOTRO’s graphics to be the best so far and WAR doesn’t touch it. Ummmm….you know what, Vanguard would also get that “best graphics” thing too if it weren’t for the character models.

Performance

You should be able to run this game on a computer that runs any of the mainstream MMOs out there as I did not find anything too intensive. Any hiccups that I’ve noticed from a graphical point of view I’ve just attributed to network issues.

Lag has been pretty bad lately, but that should just be footnote to the whole beta experience.

No use really going into performance, because getting all that tweaked out is what beta is all about. They’ve been super responsive at getting a lot of performance bugs ironed out. /thumbs up.

Sound

Sound is good. Creepy when it needs to be. Again…not very inspiring, because I have heard these kinds of moods before. The sound (music, effects…) fit perfectly in the world, hence why I am happy with it, but not blown away.

Not much more to say on this one…and I kind of wish I did have more to say

Crafting

Not a crafter. I probably never will be and WAR will not be the game that will make me into one. Lots of coverage on various sites regarding how this works. I Looked at it. Played with it. Wasn’t impressed because it seems like a money sink…so I moved on.

…experiences may vary.

Class Offering

DPS, Healer, Tank. Pick one, cause those are you basic choices. I was totally pumped to play a Witch Hunter until I got a very WoW Rogue feeling out of it. Nothing wrong with that, but I’ve played that class before.

…are we seeing a theme yet..??

Plus, looking at the Witch Hunters at around level 30 made me think that I should be hunting for turkeys, not getting the bad-guys.

By far, the most interesting class in WAR are the healers. Here is where Mythic strayed from the usual path. If you’ve read anything about the Shammie or the Disciple, then let me just they’ve really hit an interesting gameplay mechanic with these guys. You’re constantly balancing things with these healer class and it was quite refreshing. Should I heal? Should I do damage? For a while there, the Disciple had me thinking of making it my main. That should tell you something since I don’t play healers…but I think I’ll play a Marauder.

The Marauder is a freaking killing machine…seriously. It had me hooked when I first saw that you can mutate your arms when faced with different situations.

RvR

Fun….but from what I experienced, it offers nothing that WoW’s BGs already offer. World RvR…hmmmm, now that I need to play a bit more before I totally get an opinion on it. I’ve only really played tier 1 and some of tier 4…so I don’t think I have a very good picture just yet.

Public Quest

I’m going to make this very short: PQs are THE selling point for WAR. If there is one thing that every MMO should have, it’s these things.

The ability to do these makes it very possible to log in for 15 minutes and still get something done.

Bravo Mythic.

Conclusion…and the future

I can only speak for me, but from where I stand right now, WAR will not be the game for me at this time. Quite possibly it will be 3, 6 or 12 months from now…but not right away. Why? Simply because I’ve played it before by playing EQ2, WoW, LOTRO etc etc. Yes, a new player should pick this up. It does give you that type of gameplay that we all know…but like I said, if you’re looking for a NEW MMO experience, you will not find it in WAR.

WAR brings the MMO genre a baby step forward and brings some very interesting elements to the table. PQs…freakin awesome. RvR, interesting…but. Classes…you’ve played some before, but healers are really well done.

…but we’ve already played WAR, it was called World of the Lord of the Everarcraft Hero.

Why? Why? Why?

OK. So…let’s bring this up, and this will bring my previous (…purposely short…) article full circle. WAR will probably be the last successful…insert definition here… “first generation” MMO. Why? And why am I drooling all over SOE?

FreeRealms, DCU and Agency will offer MMO GAMEPLAY mechanics that are new and interesing. Why? Because even though WAR is released in 2008, it is still a game caught in the past and, like it or not, with the same feature sets (…with some variations…) as WoW/EQ2/LOTRO. It still follows the definition of an MMO as set out by Blizzard in 2004 and as set out by Everquest in 1999. Same forumla. Same game. Different IP. Which is fine…but I’m expecting something different at this point.

Why is this going in a WAR beta review. Well, because of the sameness in WAR. Games like DCU, FreeRealms, Agency, Wizard101…those are the future…and I’m super amped about it. Am I wrong about them? Possibly, but I think I’m right about WAR…at least for now until they catch up to 2008.

D out.

Posted in Editorial
35 Comments Posted by Darren

35 Responses to "WAR Beta Impressions – One amoung many"

  • Jalann says:
    August 19, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    “WAR is WoW?s emo brother?”

    I didn’t think so. I thought it was more like a cousin. The cousin that you didn’t even want to see during the holidays. Familiar, yes, but not someone you wanted to get to know.

  • Harry says:
    August 19, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    “And why am I drooling all over SOE?”
    Yes something new is good except when you read SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT.

  • Cuppytalk » Blog Archive » WAR First Impressions says:
    August 19, 2008 at 4:01 pm

    [...] The Tome of Knowledge is so freaking badass that I hope every game copies it.  Like Darren said, it’s not revolutionary.  It’s another grindy time MMO that happened to add some [...]

  • Earnest Dodge says:
    August 19, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    I appreciate your level-headed views, but i really disagree with “If you?re in WoW, with WoTLK coming, I suggest you stay in WoW cause you?re not going to find what you?re looking for in WAR. You WILL find fun, but you will not find a replacement for your gorilla.”

    I’ve been playing WoW for 3 years, and I’ve looked over and played the Wotlk beta, and played the WAR beta, and if you are bored with WoW right now, there is nothing coming that will excite you. Same old shit, different texture. A lot of classes will even be spamming the same spells in the future raids (that are pretty similar to the last few years of raids.) Like my shaman– I spam chain heal now in Sunwell, and I will still be spamming chain heal in t7. Not a single new healing spell for shaman. They added some talents that make my other 2 heals that Ive had for 70 levels not suck quite as much, but yeah, that’s not too exciting.

    On the other hand, I’ve played 6 classes to level 10 in WAR, and I’m having a blast. Sure, the mechanics are pretty similar, and yeah, the game is not the revolutionary Jesus of MMO-dom, but I’m pretty happy with Saint Peter.

    Anyway, appreciate your write-up!

  • gamebunny » Blog Archive » WAR: Floodgates Open, News Rushes In says:
    August 19, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    [...] The Common Sense Gamer has posted his WAR Beta Impressions. [...]

  • Openedge1 says:
    August 19, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    I agree with Earnest.
    It may not be WoW, but so many people are burned out on WoW.
    This may make enough of a difference while making it the “same” to bide people over and get them to RvR which is the big sell point.

    WAR does look slightly better, and some mechanics will be familar but new enough to push people over the hump.

    Will just have to wait and see eh?

  • Warhammer Online - Analyzing the Response | Random Battle says:
    August 19, 2008 at 10:24 pm

    [...] play it long enough in beta for a proper review, and 2) everyone on the internet has been exploding with that information since the NDA belatedly dropped this morning. I suggest you hit any one (or [...]

  • Scott says:
    August 19, 2008 at 11:44 pm

    I don’t know why anyone ever thought WAR was going to be revolutionary to begin with, other than blatant fanboyism. It’s DAOC 2.0, and ya don’t get a whole lot more first-gen than DAOC. Actually it’s DAOC and WoW’s love child. It’s the same old Diku combat, and I’m still waiting to be convinced that Diku/MMO PvP is actually viable. The reason I’m excited for WAR isn’t WAR, it’s the Casualties of WAR guild. It’s the people, this community, that will draw me in though I won’t discount the possibility that the game itself may be enough to end up turning me away as well.

  • Isanox says:
    August 20, 2008 at 5:38 am

    My mini-review after playing since guild beta.

    War = WoW + Wii + XBL
    In other words War uses the familiar gameplay from Wow, adds mini games (PQs) and Xbox Lives Achievement system (ToN)

    Character Models are nice.
    Some zones feel like I?m right back in WoW.
    Cramped world at time. Not that sweeping feeling of Lotro.
    Sounds are great.
    Guild tools are a nice step up.

    For me it really comes down to the three core features that War offers: PvP, Public Quests, Tome of Knowledge.

    1) PvP. I?ve already run into people who in their teens are all deck out in purple and blues from farming the PQs. Only the largest guilds have the power to take the keeps. So just like in every other pvp game, large guilds and the hardcore people have a huge advantage. Also, one of the Beta servers was owned by Chaos. I re-rolled a chaos alt and was constantly getting the buffs for dominating. Only having two sides is going to be a problem

    2) Public Quests: They are really fun to do. Very engaging. You build up faction for killing mobs in them, and finishing it. You can then spend it in like a mini store for some nice items. The big payoff is if you finish in the top 3. You can get from white all the way to purple loot. And this is where PQ?s fail. There are three parts to each PQ. A large number of solo mobs. A smaller number of pickups / heroic kills and a boss. Based on you contribution you get a bonus. Then a dice is rolled. If you are not a top three finisher you get an extra bonus for you next roll, but only if you do it right away. If you are on a small team of say eight people, you can do the PQs which last about 10 to 15 min for an hour and get a top 3. If you are in large group say 20. Forget it. It?s just grinding. Also, contribution counting is off. Solo mobs count for way less then the next phase. Melee tanks get way more contribution. I was in a 8 man for nearly two hours and watch our tank pull 2 purples, 1 blue and 3 greens while all I got was one white.

    3) Tome of Knowledge. Very nice. I wish more games had this. It helps pass the time for grinding.

    Both PvP and PQ offer me, the casual player very little in way of enjoyment or rewards. The Tome just isn?t a strong enough feature to carry War. In summary, I cancelled my pre-order. I?ve already told my guild that I will play it some time in Q1 or Q2 of 2009. Compared to EQ2?s massive amount of content, and Lotro Book of Knowledge and overall character, War finishes third. That?s not to say it?s can?t or won?t get better. War didn?t leave me with that sour milk taste that AoC did. I just doesn?t do it for me.
    In summary, I cancelled my pre-order. I?ve already told my guild that I will play it some time in Q1 or Q2 of 2009.

  • Hudson says:
    August 20, 2008 at 8:57 am

    Vanguard best graphics vote? The players look like plastic Stretch Armstrongs and bend backwards at the waist when they get hit like He Man action figures. Not sure that game qualifies, but the terrain is nice!

    But it is too bad you have partaken of the Sony kool aid Darren :(

  • Darren says:
    August 20, 2008 at 9:13 am

    @ Hudson: Learn to read dude ;)

    “Ummmm?.you know what, Vanguard would also get that ?best graphics? thing too if it weren?t for the character models.”

  • Nat says:
    August 20, 2008 at 9:54 am

    I have a simple and honest question regarding Darren and Brent?s claim that SOE is the future.

    From what I can tell it seems that both DCU and the Agency will be heavily instanced, more action oriented and play much more like a console game.

    Do you feel that all MMORPG players are tired of MMORPG?s as we know them? Do you not think that there are a large number of people who enjoy this type of gameplay (large open worlds, levels, loot and heavy on the math)?

    It seems as if you (Darren) are projecting your views and desires onto the entire gaming population. Just because you are tired of the genre as it stands now does not mean that everyone is.

    I think this is a result of the blogosphere in some ways. Like it or not but you all do kinda have a group think going on from time to time or perhaps it is that people who are into MMORPG?s enough to blog about them share enough similar characteristics that it is logical that they have many of the same views. This insular universe is only reinforced by the fact that anyone who takes the time to comment on an MMORPG blog most likely has those same characteristics and views also. I?m just not sure that you have the pulse of the average MMORPG player or gamer for that matter.

  • Scott says:
    August 20, 2008 at 10:56 am

    @Nat: speaking for myself, we’ve had a decade now of exactly the same game. Different graphics, different sound effects, maybe different crafting, but the same game. We tab-target a mob (or player), stand still and auto-attack in various degrees of slow combat along with clicking umpteen hotbars of skills and consumables. We level up, maybe get some new gear. Rinse, repeat. We already have plenty of choices to find which one(s) suit us best within that paradigm.

    But a lot of us are also ready for a whole new paradigm, a new way to play these games, not simply a new twist on decade-old (or more) mechanics.

    Despite DCU’s instancing, etc. just look at the way it plays compared to CoX and CO (which is shaping up to be nothing more than CoX 2.0 unfortunately — more of the same ol’ same ol’) Every single new game doesn’t have to appeal to everyone, but at least DCU is taking a more action-based approach to the whole thing, which truly suits the superhero theme more than CoX/CO’s generic “run slow, fight slow, stand still and play whack-a-mole” that we’ve already seen for 10 years. It’s just a shame that it’s DC and SOE is making it…

  • Rob says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:08 am

    I pretty much agree 100% with Darren on his WAR thoughts. Although, I would stress that the Tome of knowledge is incredibly amazingly great for the OCD side of me. However, WoW is adding achievements as an answer to this.

    Having played the beta and with a CE ordered … like Darren, I wonder if I will play this game much. It is a solid game and it is very great, but I realized something the other day. I enjoy the community surrounding MMOs more than the MMOs themselves. I listen to SUWT, Virgin Worlds, and all the podcasts I can find the time to. I read MANY MMO blogs and I am continually fascinated to hear what other people are playing and how they like it. This is why I MMO hop so much. I used to have a core of friends in WoW, and because of this, I played a LOT of WoW. However, they have all moved on. So, for me, I hear about the fun Darren and Karen are having in EQ2 and it makes me hop back into that game for a while. Then I will listen to Voyages of Vanguard and it makes me want th fun that Beau and Luper are having. Hell, after listening to the SUWT with Van Hemlock on it, not only did I discover a new podcast, but I also went out and bought Guild Wars: Nightfall the next day.

    So for me, no matter how good WAR is, it wont hook me until I hear about others playing and enjoying it and I get a sense that there are people out there that I can join with and become friends with. It just feels strange to jump into a new MMO where I know no one. Knowing that I could be out there playing games with people I have already met. As of right now, none of my friends are planning on leaving their game to play WAR, though I know that some of them will likely break down and buy it.

    Then again, maybe I am just a strange guy. Hell, right now I really am feeling the “want to check out vanguard again” itch. I have seriously considered playing vanguard again and sitting on my WAR CE for a few months until things even out. Honestly, I will probabaly just end up playing both, but who knows. :)

  • Darren says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:14 am

    @ Nat: I’m fully aware that my opinion is in the minority, as I’m sure Brent is as well….far from group think me thinks, as the majority of bloggers seems to give it a thumbs up to some extent. But if you’re happy with WAR, then that’s fine…but I’m not really there with ya ;)

    …I think it’s more than just SOE that is taking a new track and trying to grab a different audience. Actually, I think I mentioned Wizard101 up there as well.

    Here’s a general question: Do some of you just black out and not read anything after SOE is mentioned? heh.

  • Relmstein says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:21 am

    Why are MMOs the only genre where every game is supposed to be completely different from the last?

    I don’t know if you noticed, but not too much has changed in the FPS genre since the original Doom. Oh and while Starcraft 2 looks great it’s still very similar in design with the first Command and Conqueror. Video games have always evolved slowly with small changes so they don’t alienate their base audience. This insistance from several MMO bloggers that everyone is going to throw off the shackles of a DIKU based MMO gameplay and start playing games like FreeRealms is just coming way out of left field. I’m sure FreeRealms will gains millions of players since its free, but’s it not a replacement for games like WoW, War, or the next fantasy MMO that has levels. I understand that Warhammer is not the second coming, but if you think SOE is making better games then I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.

  • Marchosias says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:32 am

    I’d have to agree with some of the other posts that different isn’t necessarily better in the realm of MMO’s. In fact, in any situation most people are seriously resistant to change and they’ll complain LOUDLY if things don’t meet their expectations of same-ness. Several “MMO’s” have tried to implement even slight changes to mechanics and game play and look where they are today: Tabula Rasa, Hellgate, Conan, DDO, Guild Wars (who’s GW2 is sounding like it will be modelled MUCH more like a traditional MMO than their original offering)… The most “Successful” post-WoW MMO’s have been extremely “traditional” in their mechanics: EQ2, LoTRO, and dare I add WAR? Probably. And if LoTRO would have done RvR “right” I’d still be there instead of having to migrate back to DAoC to play in the best PvP model out there.

    And if it truely is DAoC2 – I’ll probably be in there for the next 5+ years, since I still actively play DAoC and have been since release, except for a 1-60 run through on an initially fun then extraordinarily boring WoW interlude. My big gripe with WAR already is that it’s 2-sided. DAoC’s tri-realm dynamic is what really kept RvR fresh and exciting, and I think those in WAR will find the 2-sided model wears out very quickly – hopefully an expansion will add in a 3rd faction.

  • Scott says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:51 am

    I don’t think any of us (at least I’m not) claiming we need to throw away Diku in favor of FreeRealms. FR and Wizard101 are each doing their own thing in their own new way, and I don’t think for a nanosecond they were ever intended to be a replacement for a behemoth of a game like WoW/WAR/EQ2/LOTRO.

    People dislike change, that’s our nature. But change is also inevitable. Sure, for various reasons MMO’s that tried to be “different” have thus far either failed outright in the worst cases, or became niche titles in the best. EVE is the best of the best for being “different” right now; there’s nothing out there like it, but it’s still a niche game and doesn’t appeal to everyone. That’s ok, it doesn’t have to. Just like WoW/WAR/EQ2/LOTRO/etc. all share the same essential gameplay mechanics under the hood, but depending on the little hooks or twists each has, each game will or will not appeal to different gamers, whether that gamer is an avid Diku-MMO fan or not. That’s ok, they don’t have to.

  • Xeevo says:
    August 20, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Hi all, my first post here!

    Thanks for the info, Darren. Something was drifting around the back of my mind when reading the responses here, then Rob went and put it into words for me! Good man:

    “I enjoy the community surrounding MMOs more than the MMOs themselves. I listen to SUWT, Virgin Worlds, and all the podcasts I can find the time to. I read MANY MMO blogs and I am continually fascinated to hear what other people are playing and how they like it.”

    I can certainly echo Rob’s comments.

    I’m looking forward to a different kind of game that will capture my imagination (DCU sounds like it has some interesting new mechanics) but I must say, I’m finding that the internet itself is my MMO these days. I’ve had more fun figuring out how things like blogs and websites work recently than I’ve had in a game for a long time. When I’m doing content for sites and things I feel like I’m making my own rules, figuring out the tricks, learning how to pummel the iTunes RSS dragon. You’re not just soaking up content, you’re creating your own.

    Without robust tools for creating player content, or an imaginative guild, an MMO can seem like a one way process. Quest guzzling; you soon get fat and bloated.

    I guess what I’m trying to say (poorly) is that the meta-game for me is the web itself – MMO’s are portals that take you to different continents. Will there ever be a game again that compels me to spend more time inside it, than out on the larger digital ocean? I’m open to the possibility.

    IPs are a big draw for me. The KOTOR MMO and Star Trek online. DCU, maybe…

    But I’m starting to ramble!

  • Nat says:
    August 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    @ Darren: It?s not about if I am happy with WAR or not, I just wanted to ask the question.

    Here is another question, if you and others who have said the same are tired of the traditional MMORPGs then why do you still spend so much time writting and playing them. This is not meant to be a snarky comment at all – just an honest question?

    ??I think it?s more than just SOE that is taking a new track and trying to grab a different audience. Actually, I think I mentioned Wizard101 up there as well.?

    I never said it was just SOE, but their new games seem to be the ones being held up as examples of the future for the most part in this discussion. I didn?t comment on Wizard 101 as I think it is a great game but it really is just a traditional MMORPG with a different combat system. You fight level one mobs with level one spells in level one gear in a level one zone, and so on.

    I think this statement also hits at the heart of the matter ? they are going after a different audience. This indicates that fans of the traditional MMORPG?s are still numerous and will be for years to come.

    Not sure if ?Here?s a general question: Do some of you just black out and not read anything after SOE is mentioned? heh.? Was directed at me or not, I will assume that it was not as I would be saying the same things if Trubine or Cryptic was making these games.

  • Cliff says:
    August 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    To tag onto the genre discussion:

    Folks like to talk about paradigm shifts as if they are always positive. It reminds me of a quote from “Voyage of the Dawntreader.”

    “Have you no idea of progress sir?
    I have seen it in an egg. It was going bad.”

    I used to play a ton of turn based strategy games. Then this move to faster paced real time strategy games came along and all of the sudden it was becoming damn hard to find a game with the level of detail and depth I had loved in the turn based strategic games. I think the total war series did a nice job of swinging back around and including the turn based element of the past with the present obsession with real time decision making play.

    There is and should be a place for new genres, but that does not imply that the new genre will appeal to everyone, or that every developer should really be striving for the next shift. If this were true, we would have stopped seeing westerns, Sci-Fi, musicals, etc. and would all be reality TV only until the next big shift in entertainment comes along.

    I think there is room and cause for making a perfected version of this present style of MMO, as it is a genre that people obviously enjoy. There is certainly room for new types of genres too, and I hope these games coming up can bring new and interesting forms of entertainment, but for me, I like Science Fiction, and if it is done well I will read/watch it. If it is done poorly, I will pass. The same goes for games and game genres.

  • Darren says:
    August 20, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    @ Nat: “Here is another question, if you and others who have said the same are tired of the traditional MMORPGs then why do you still spend so much time writting and playing them. This is not meant to be a snarky comment at all – just an honest question?”

    …honest answer? Because I care.

    The SOE blackout thing was not directed at you…just something I’ve noticed in general

  • oakstout says:
    August 20, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    I think WAR will be fun, Darren does not. I still like Darren.

  • Nat says:
    August 20, 2008 at 12:53 pm

    @Darren – fair answer.

  • Isanox says:
    August 20, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    @Darren: “Do some of you just black out and not read anything after SOE is mentioned”

    (I?d like to answer that one if I could Darren. Let me just put on my SOE hater hat.)

    ? SOE has a tendency to marginalize if not ignore it?s current player base in favor of new customers (See NGE and living Legacy)
    ? SOE has a habit of not following it?s own rules (Schilling?s guild getting their dungeon lockout timer reset, Unhallowed Triad moved from test to production with all their gear)
    ? SOE has at times released a product with advertised features that were not present and then covered it up (The EQ1 exp pack without the last boss. EQ2 froglocks. SWG Jedi)

    Once is a mistake. Time and again it sure looks like a pattern.
    It?s real hard to trust that SOE will deliver what they advertise. That they will not play favorites.

    I have total respect for both Brent and Johnathan. If they say The Agency, Free Realms and DCU are going to be good. Then yeah, I am paying attention to those games now. However, I will still be very, very skeptical.

  • Openedge1 says:
    August 20, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    @Marchosias

    What you smoking dude?
    You first put Guild Wars in with the likes of Hellgate and DDO. When right now GW has a 16% share of sales according to Amazon for MMO games, with the other “Successful” games you mentioned (EQ2, LOTRO) having 5% of the market.
    4+ Million boxes sold is not a “Look where it is now”
    You can still log into GW and see guilds being advertised with 400+ members.

    Maybe you can pass what you are smoking and maybe WAR will look better to me, or make EQ2 run better on my new hardware or better yet, make all the male characters in LOTRO get MEN waists and not be size 2 ballerina’s in their skin tight suits and less then 200k population.

  • SmakenDahed says:
    August 20, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    Thanks for your opinion Darren. I wasn’t going to post anything because I’ve got no experience with the game yet but I figured I’d post and let you know I did read it, appreciate it and enjoyed some of the fallout from it (hehe).

  • Grimjakk says:
    August 20, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    All I can say is that I’ve been having a blast with the game.

    And I’m older and more jaded than anyone I know. (Now get off my darn lawn, ya whippersnappers! Darn kids…)

    Seriously, they hit the IP right on the nose and built a solid RvR game (DAOC2 ftw!) to boot. That’s all that I required. I’m an SoE fan, but really, their upcoming stuff doesn’t look all that compelling to me.

    I think that one thing to keep in mind is that there is a certain amount of “churn” in any hobby community – people lose interest and new people come in. So for us oldsters, this stuff may be old hat, but the real questions has to be: is it solid fun? Not: is this something I’ve already played before?

    Is someone just entering this hobby going to find it compelling?

    Because frankly, we are not the future. At least you guys aren’t. I’m freakin’ immortal. ;)

  • Marchosias says:
    August 20, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    @Openedge1 You totally missed the point – to reiterate: the point was that even with GW’s success, GW2 is shaping up to be much more like a traditional MMO than GW ever dreamed of being.
    And now for the:

    And come on, GW “men” are even more girly than LoTRO’s IMHO. I mean honestly, just look at anything other than a warrior and it’s femme city – and I KNOW what femme city looks like having attended several Pride Festivals, LOL! GW makes drag queens jealous!

  • Marchosias says:
    August 20, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    dammnit – it took out my “faux html” snarky comments mark ups!!!

  • saylah says:
    August 20, 2008 at 7:27 pm

    I’m with Nat. Any game that is more instanced than AOC can bite me. All that instancing and inability to encounter people not in your group is why I don’t play GuildWars and didnt even consider DDO. I play MMORPGs to play in and explore virtual worlds, not virtual rooms. I’m so not getting what is supposedly next-gen about that Sony lineup. There’s not a single game there that I’m at all interested in playing. The only with some potential for my line-up is if FreeRealms is enough like The Sims to get my friends who won’t play games with killing to advance online. Other than that, I have no need or interest in that line-up. My prediction is The Agency won’t do much better than Matrix numbers, least we forget that fantasy rules for a reason. DCO will be as popular as COH/COV. FR will rival SL for number of people who’ve signed up but we’ll never be told how many people are actually paying!

  • Darren says:
    August 21, 2008 at 6:24 am

    @ Smaken: Thank you sir.

    @ Grim: I’m relaly happy you’re enjoying the game. It is a good one.

    @ saylah: I don’t think WAR gets out of instancing in some cases, like PvP scenarios.

  • DarkReaver13 says:
    September 12, 2008 at 6:09 am

    This logic seems flawed to me: “WAR is the same old stuff, but play WotLK”. If WAR is samey, WotLK is IDENTICAL to what’s been before, because it IS what has been before. In my opinion WAR is a perfect replacement for “the gorilla” – it’s a lot of fun, and it’s comparably fresh – maybe not totally revolutionary (not entirely sure what would pass as being even “different” – sometimes it’s like people are expecting a whole new genre) but it beats the hell out of playing WoW EVEN MORE. WAR is really, really good, and with some bug fixes and minor enhancements it will be superior to WoW in every way. I sincerely hope it does better than all those other MMO’s which have appeared recently (AoC et al.), I think Mythic deserve a lot of success.

  • Bookmarks about Elements says:
    January 16, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    [...] – bookmarked by 1 members originally found by SerasVictoria15 on 2008-12-17 WAR Beta Impressions – One amoung many http://commonsensegamer.com/?p=801 – bookmarked by 3 members originally found by acoia on [...]

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