Dark Millennium Online

What seems like a lifetime ago, back in August when I attended Games Day Baltimore 2010 I not only got a chance to talk with Mythic about WAR but also got to talk with some folks from Vigil Games who are developing the Warhammer 40,000 MMO, Dark Millennium Online.

Since DMO isn’t on the near horizon — planned for 2013 or so — the guy I talked with wasn’t sharing the secret soup recipe or any firm details. I’ve seen a few interviews online where they simply aren’t talking. Fair enough. It’s what I would expect of a developer working on a product not slated to release for several years. What we do have is a pretty neat trailer that shows game footage. Game footage. This goes with my complaint about WoW, Star Wars TOR, and WAR with their super-slick trailers as opposed to how their games actually look in game. My talk with Vigil went something like this. See the tap dance? And here’s a neat interview with Joe Madureira (the creative director at Vigil … you might know him as the former kick-ass X-Men artist).

For those who don’t know what Warhammer 40k is … it’s a futuristic vision of mankind’s struggles in the 41st millennium (started back in 1987). Mankind is trying to reclaim its empire across the galaxy as they face the threats of their former brethren turned evil, Chaos, and various threatening xenos, Dark Eldar, Eldar, Necrons, Space Orks, Tau, and Tyranids. No one gets along in this universe so there is basically non-stop war everywhere. Thus the game’s long standing catch phrase: “In the 41st millennium … there is only war.”

At this point all we have to go on is this confirmation: the first race announced for the game will be the Imperium of Man. Classes mentioned were Imperial Guard, Tech Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and Black Templar Space Marines. (You know that every freaking schmoe out there will be gorked out rolling Space Marines.) To satiate you SM geeks, here’s an interview discussing them (sort of but not really … actually discusses a bunch of other stuff). Okay, this is a better interview that will give far more details on the Black Templar Space Marine. Hey, I’m just trying to wet your appetite with all this info!

I’ve been reading that DMO is going to be more action oriented than other MMOs. And if you watched the interviews linked above, the main producer speaks to this. I like what they’re saying. I hope the playstyle equates to some nice PvP action. He said it will be somewhere between an MMO and a twitch-based FPS. I assume that will require some skill in the aiming department but will be tied to your toon’s stats (ballistics, initiative) moreso than your own eagle eye. I don’t envision there being many one-shot kills between the eyes a la Call of Duty.

The developer has said they want to move away from the action bars and other UI elements that have become an MMO mainstay. For a more action-based game it will be interesting to see how far they stray from that reliable look. Players are comfy to that when they play … familiarity.

If the world doesn’t come to an end in 2012 we have this to look forward to. I’ll be writing further posts on this MMO soon as it will be the next timesink I intend to spiral down.

T-Minus 4 Weeks … or So

If you’re ever going to pull out a trick play … it’s now. Rift is slated to launch on March 1, 2011 here in North America and on March 4 in Europe. I’m not here to say Rift will be good or bad but it’s the next big lamprey that will be sucking players away from WAR.

To date it’s no secret that the natives are restless, myself included. A communications glut and a recent significant departure have left the doom slightly ahead of the gloom in the wake of Patch 1.4’s flop. And why shouldn’t players feel that way? We need to be coddled, consoled, and told every single little plan that is hatched. The secret squirrel, hush-hush stuff is old — TOO OLD — and we wants us some firm plans so we can plan out how we intends to plan to play.

That’s where Mykiel comes in. He’s definitely different and has a unique perspective on things. Mykiel loves him some PvP and he simply enjoys playing. He wants to get out there and fight which will lead to him having fun. Meeting him last August at Games Day Baltimore it was refreshing to hear his thoughts on WAR from a rather interesting angle. Some say he’s too rosey but I say he’s realistic. But that’s me.

Mykiel was at Mythic recently and writes about it here. The astute will recall that it was Mykiel who started the whole Red Plague rumoring last year in April. That led to other bloggers chiming in and a flurry of speculation, theorycrafting, and excitement that led up to the RvR Packs. Okay … so things haven’t been that awesome since those packs launched but the build up to them was fun. Right?

Mykiel eludes to what he heard. And because he’s under an NDA he can’t mention specifics. Fair enough. He says that he was really surprised by what he heard. He also says to watch the forums over the next few weeks. Quote: “Good stuff is coming.” End Quote.

Okay, Mythic … it’s now or never. With some thinking F2P is on its way, others saying that the expected exodus to Rift will surely crush this game, what ace is up your sleeve? Can you pull off some of this kind of amazing shit? That’s what it’s going to take. You’ve got until Rift launches and then … perhaps only the crickets will be listening.

Good Luck, Andy

By now many have heard that Andy Belford will be leaving Mythic for an opportunity out west. The allure of being close to home and around family is important (for those that are family oriented). I never got the opportunity to meet Andy but trust my fellow bloggers with their assessments of him. I always felt he seemed genuine and forthright in his posts on the forum. I also feel that he did care about his work and for WAR. In the technology world (games fall into that realm) it’s not uncommon for folks to come and go quite often. Tech is a fast-moving industry and with signs that the economy is slowly starting to wake up … companies are starting to hire again (albeit not as quickly as we’d all like).

Thanks, Andy, for you work and good luck in the future with wherever you land!

Hiatus Extendicus (January Producer’s Letter)

So … like Punxsutawney Phil, Mythic has crawled out from their hibernation and have seen their shadow. That means six more weeks of nada for the faithful. Groundhog Day jokes aside, this letter was long overdue.

I’m not shocked that Patch 1.4.1 will be a small one to address bugs and to fix things. That is to be expected after the previous patch’s girth. However, some of the flaws we’ve seen since last November are not so easily resolved nor should they be classified as “bugs”. But all of that can be discussed in another post. Let’s focus on the January Producer’s Letter itself.

F2P?
One major thing that’s coming through loud and clear seems to be a covert move to a F2P model. Why else would there be a push to the forefront on this new interface to get your EA Store items and other oddities? The F2P chestnut has been lurking in the background for quite a long time. Some seem to feel that making a move to this model would be a good thing while others disagree. I’ve never played a F2P MMO so I truly can’t say whether it’s a good or bad idea.

I’ve heard of some successes like Wizard 101 … while there have been some base disasters like Allods Online. I suppose if it’s done the right way it could be a good thing. And many gamers enjoy “free” so if it draws more players to give the game a try then it could be a good thing. There’s a part of me that hates the idea of a potential pay-for-power game. But then the selfish side of me wouldn’t mind paying actual cash for some things (within reason, of course).

For example, I’ve never completed my Sentinel set. As it stands, I’d never wear a single piece of Sentinel again — it’s now beneath me — but the completist in me wants, demands, to finish the set! If I could buy the remaining two pieces I need for a $1 a piece I’d do it rather than run Sigmar’s Crypt ad infinatum. But that could open the gates to a host of other items where those with the cash improve while those on a limited budget do not. That’s where F2P can be a bad thing. The letter mentions additional items becoming available on the EA Store … name changes, more pets, etc. Perhaps this F2P bluster is just that.

Scenario Facelift
Next we learn that the permie scenario list will be mixed up a bit. That’s probably a good thing (as long as Thunder Valley isn’t added). The Maw of Madness was mentioned — I like that! Also mentioned was some of the scenarios will be shuffled between tiers. Imagine the fun of Tor Anroc in Tier 4. I’ll respec just to get Backdraft so I can punt the crap out of people. Lava! We’ll have to wait to learn more about this. With this it would be nice to see some new Weekend Warfronts? Maybe?

Get Me Out of Here!!!
That free server transfers to select servers is on the way could be a godsend. It will also draw the ire of players that have already paid a premium to find fun elsewhere. Fun, by the way, which is something the game should already be providing for our subscription. Since we’ll never get an accurate count on population, isn’t it more likely for a server merger or two? Would it hurt to have a Volkmar/Iron Rock, Volkmar/Gorfang, or Gorfang/Iron Rock merger? That’s what I assume these “free” transfers will be … a merger. My server of Iron Rock has been hit or miss. So far my guild has stuck it out and in the end, I will go where they go.

Awesome Coming … We Swear!
As always, there’s some big, BIG things on the horizon. By ‘Big’ they mean ‘major’. And we’d love to tell you all about them but are constantly reminded of our past promises and failures as we sit on our psychiatrist’s couch wondering what went wrong. Get over it already!

Unless I’m daft, which I very well may be, one assumes Forts are a part of these “new features” we can expect. And when you sit back and think about that, a reimagining of the Forts really isn’t new. If that’s going to be a cornerstone of the new features then how dumb do they think we are? I guess pretty dumb. Maybe we’ll be surprised.

Would it be so hard to outline the entire year and state: “We plan to roll out new zones, new gear, new races, and new classes”? Or mention one quarter of that. Can’t something be promised? Anything? Mythic isn’t the CIA … and keeping the new goodies a secret is pretty much overly old at this point. If this game isn’t going to be turned off, then they should dig into the forums and see what players really truly want. It’s not that hard to discern but it is understood that the resources probably aren’t there to deliver on a significant chunk of what’s being clamoured for. Then be carefully selective on what you focus on. Find the longest thread out there … ((cough-Skaven-cough)) … and do it. The implementation of Skaven in 1.4 didn’t pan out. Then go back and make it right. You’ll be surprised how excited players will actually be.

I’m not alone in saying I want new races, classes, and zones to explore and fight in. And dare I say a new dungeon or two? That would make people excited. All the lore, art, and groundwork is there … it’s almost too easy. Easy? Well, the creative end of it, anyway. The programming, developing, etc. is where the challenge comes in and therein lies the problem.

8 … Yes 8
Live Events seem to be on the menu this year. We’re told to expect 8 of these which could be some nice chunks of new content. We’ll get some of the usual repeats (Night of Murder, Wild Hunt, Daemon Moon/Witching Night, Keg End). So in addition to the 4 repeats we should have 4 new ones coming. Some of these LE’s are a lot of fun and usually spur a resurgence in players and action. Here’s hoping for something cool.

Expansion … Not What You Think
The letter mentions expanding existing areas. This sounds like what so many WAR bloggers have been blogging about since forever: enlarging the RvR lakes. At this point any thoughts of players flodding the PvE parts of each map is not going to happen. Even thought there are some interesting quests, cool sites, and fun PQs … the game has totally turned its back on anything relating to PvE (except for the dungeons). Why they haven’t dug into their old DAOC playbooks to update the WAR zones to mimic those is beyond me. Here’s looking to a bit more substance in the lakes as well as more objectives necessary to flip zones.

Lastly, Congrats!
More real news … Carrie was promoted to oversee all of Mythic’s Live games. This sounds like WAR, DAOC, and Ultima Online. I’ve been happy with the game and communications since Carrie took over … right up until she stopped communicating after 1.4 went live. Congrats on the promotion but sad to see such a drop-off with the communication thereafter.

About That Hiatus
Even though I mentioned in my last post the beginning of this month, I am still on a hiatus. I had all the best of intentions to get back in and play but the urge has yet to grab me. Other games have diverted my attention but I still often find myself thinking of WAR. Believe me, one of these nights I’ll be downloading whatever updates I’ve missed and will be running around. I’m hopeful we’ll get some more news on what’s planned … but I wouldn’t bank on too much info. That’s just the way Mythic rolls.

P.S. The Realm War is still borked.

Hiatus

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and is ready for a hopefully better 2011. I’ve been on a little hiatus from WAR since before the holidays. They are a hectic time of year for me with a lot of family activities and going here, there, and everywhere. It’s a busy time of year and despite intentions, getting into game just didn’t happen.

I did check in on the blogs to see what’s going on and sadly, it sounds as if my Iron Rock home is hurting. What is troubling is the lack of formal communications from Mythic. I totally understand not getting info just before and through the holidays. Heck, I didn’t even login and missed my first Live Event since launch. I’m referring to the monthly Producer’s Letters we’ve come to expect the last day of each month. The last one we received was back in October.

With the high hopes of Patch 1.4 not panning out communication is important to let the core players know what we can expect in the future. Wherever the population of WAR is there are a diehard group of PvPers who enjoy the game and haven’t left because there really isn’t a lot of PvP competition in the MMO genre. I’m hoping they throw us a bone here soon.

The other thing that’s miffed me is the broken Realm War on the WAR website. I use that as a gauge for logging in to play. I like to see who from my guild is online and what’s going on in the zones. Without it, I’ve been blind and frankly, too lazy to login to check. LOL

I’ve heard that many North American players are rolling on European servers. Other than Badlands it seems Iron Rock, Gorfang, and Volkmar are hit or miss and we could be leading towards some sort of server consolidations. That may sound like a bad thing but for a game that is dependent upon people fighting people … you need a decent population. I would welcome this.

So hiatus is over.

Merry Christmas!

To those that celebrate … hope you and your families have a very, merry Christmas!

PvP’s Expansion Limpness

There are sooooooo many other things I’d like to be posting about, but it seems the expectations and hope for Patch 1.4 are a resounding clunk. I was reluctant to even post my comments on Thanquol’s Incursion but as I take a gander around the WAR blogs … I am not alone with bad feelings. Many WAR bloggers have been accused of being too happy shiny about the game so they’ve been posting items that are taking a critical look at this MMO.

And the most recent post from Bootae has hit on something I’ve been thinking for quite a bit of time … the lack of actual new content. I feel that’s the biggest problem with a PvP game. How do you give new content to a playerbase that wants to fight other players?

The big dog WoW is easily expanded as we’ve just seen. Forget that they destroyed Azeroth via the Cataclysm, forget that they did a redo and “improved” the graphics … they went in and did this:

• Two new playable races (Goblins, Worgen).
• Each race was given their own starting zone to get players to Level 6.
• Expanded use of flying mounts.
• Seven — yes 7 — new dungeons.
• Three new raids.
• Two previous dungeons revamped.
• New battlegrounds and PvP zone.
• And more …

Easy, right? PvE is much easier to add to and those who love PvE are somewhat easier to cater towards. Call them carebears or whatever, serving up new quests and dungeons is what they want, what they need. You can build a quest chain with story, some loot, and lead them all over the map finding things, talking to NPCs, and killing mobs. And if you’re WoW that could entail taxiing mobs from one side of Gobbo Land to the other. Same with new dungeons … add a portal to some underworld cavern with elaborate architecture, increasingly difficult bosses, and epic gear to be won. That particular path really doesn’t seem possible for WAR since RvR and PvP are what keeps us here. So what can be done?

Patch 1.4’s zerg-busting, RvR-stalling intentions haven’t really come to fruition. Every server is different but on the whole, the zerg still rules and getting into your opponent’s city is still a frequent occurrence. Hey, Mythic tried and what looked good on paper didn’t pan out. Where do we go from here?

If us PvPers can’t be satiated in the same way as WoWophiles, what will fit the bill? We need more territory to fight over, more zones to explore, some more scenarios to clash within, and yes … more gear of all kinds to win. That’s the easy stuff that can be added in. The “hard” stuff referenced above therein? How about new classes, races, and pairings?

Forts … Forts … Forts
They aren’t expansionworthy since they currently reside in the game as pretty scenery and they definitely better not charge us for doing something with them. These need some sprucing up to put a little speed bump in our paths to city siegedom. This post isn’t about specifics so I won’t go into ideas for how to bring these back … all I know is they are needed. Get on it.

Change Your Mind … Add Missing Capitals
When asked directly at a Q&A session, Carrie conceded that completing the missing capitals was off the table. There are other things to focus on. Fair enough but those other things better be freaking good. Going along with my theory that we need more places to fight, four new capital cities with different mechanics, Warlords, and Kings would be cool. Throw in a special set of armor only available from each of the cities all with different appearances and stats. A rotating “city to siege” would be in order rather than capturing one pairing to enter. You’d still need to lock two pairings to get in with the second one locked opening up that pairing’s cities. You wouldn’t fight to lock Dwarf/Greenskin second for a chance at the Grudge set?

More Zones, Please
As others have made mention, it is a bit stale to be fighting it out in the same zones over and over and over again. New is good and despite the hardcore who play WAR, even we are getting tired of the same old Dragonwake and the same old Chaos Wastes. Yeah! Praag again! There are four Tier 4 zones just sitting there not being used. What a waste. And I’ll bet there are players who don’t even know they are in the game.

These are West Praag (Empire/Chaos), Isle of the Dead (High Elf/Dark Elf), Cinderfall, and Deathpeak (Dwarf/Greenskin). I posted a Q&A question on the forums that Andy Belford actually answered. I asked if they considered repurposing these existing PvE-only zones for RvR? He said it was a good idea and something they would consider. Okay … do it. It’s as low a hanging fruit as you’ll find with them just sitting there waiting. Give us a reason to fight there.

Refresh the Weekend Warfronts
We have yet to cycle through all of the retired scenarios that were to be repurposed for the Weekend Warfronts. Some of these gaps can be explained with resources working on other things. But I’m also guessing some of it is a lack of knowing just what to do to make some of them better. To make my point, here are the retired scenarios that have yet to make a reappearance:

• Gromril Crossing
• Grovod Caverns
• Maw of Madness
• Reikland Hills
• Thunder Valley

All but one of those are bottom-of-the-barrel in the fun department. Grovod’s is a Phoenix Gate clone only underground. Gromril and Thunder Valley are near clones of one another with multi-flag captures and ranked near the bottom of players’ fave scenario lists. Reikland Hills is similar with multi-cap BO’s for players to run between. The Maw of Madness really doesn’t need any rejiggering. It’s a death match that’s actually a lot of fun. Let’s bring these back some weekend, spruce up the rewards (a longstanding issue for all WWs), and perhaps surprise us with some new scenarios (War Quarters, Undercroft, Bright Wizard College, The Monolith).

Beyond the Warfronts the issue of pops also needs to be addressed. Many have thought that with scenarios removed from the campaign that cross-server matchups would soon follow. Let’s hope they do.

Easy Said …
Those are the easy things that could pump some new life into WAR. I say “easy” from my armchair but some of them are easier than creating a ton of new content from scratch. Much of what I’ve listed is there already either in game or hidden code currently hidden.

The hard stuff? Yeah, now that would take some effort but I feel that’s where the path must go despite the limited resources. You could probably hold back the dogs by simply adding in missing mirrors for the races. Mr. Meh actually listed some intriguing options. Wouldn’t it be cool if every race had a glass cannon? What about a melee-healer for all?

New races with a whole new pairing is definitely pie-in-the-sky but it’s what’s truly needed. The Skaven implementation of 1.4 has been lackluster at best. Thanquol’s Incursion is not widely embraced nor is it much fun. Talking with those who’ve actively played the new Skaven “classes” say other than the Gutter Runner and Warlock Engineer … they really are only so-so. I don’t see too many people using them.

Suck it up and finally — FINALLY — load that silver bullet into your gun and pull the trigger. I know the RvR Packs have sold pretty well by all the players I see running around with their trinkets. There’s a lot of new people playing (or some say). Take that momentum and capitalize on it. Bring Skaven to the game for real with actual classes and zones. Match them with the Lizardmen for double the win. That’s your silver bullet, trump card, sure thing. I wrote about a possible pairing before and Ekalime wrote an epic post on both of these races (and a ton more … shame on you if you don’t read his blog!). It’s right there! Go head down and do it!

Closing Thoughts
It’s a tough road ahead to say the least. Are we coming to the end of the line or is there something worthwhile on the horizon? A patch that on paper sounded fairly solid has landed on its face. Instead of slowing the campaign it’s been accelerated more than ever. The anticipated addition of Skaven has been a dud. We’re tardy on a Producer’s Letter by nearly a month. Guess there’s either nothing to say or is Carrie at a loss for words? I don’t buy that … she’s always got something useful to write. What’s going on?

I know a ton of work went into the RvR Packs and Patch 1.4. And there is some good stuff there just not as substantial to truly enthrall subscribers for longer term. Taking a step back to recover on Mythic’s part is warranted. However, with some of these glaring issues at a time of year when a good chunk of WAR’s playerbase is off from work and school, all ears are open awaiting some word on what is planned to resolve these problems and any hint of what the horizon holds.

The conspiracist in me sees the quickening of the game and the raining of gear on the playerbase as a precursor to no good. Have we been kidding ourselves the past year thinking that if we turn the corner all will be well? I don’t see WAR closing down but can it grow beyond the meager subscriber base it currently has? Where are we … 100,000 – 200,000? More? Less? Who really knows? Is it possible to take the EVE route and grow this thing slowly to where you can gain momentum or are we staring at the eventuality of a F2P model?

If you’re profitable as stated earlier this year … if you have all these “cool expansions” planned … we better see a roadmap or are you guys moonlighting on Star Wars The Old Republic. All I do know is we’re coming to a real crossroads with this game and the directions aren’t looking too rosy. I want Doomflayer and Warpforged gear but am staring at 10 tough renown ranks for each with nothing truly new in between to keep me happy or engaged. It’s just an extension of the grind that isn’t that appealing for me at this moment.

Two years in and we have no new zones … no new races … no new classes … and all the hard work and effort put in to fix the game is quickly forgotten with this recent patch. The work put into WAR to fix its innumerable wrongs does not go unnoticed but for how long can that be the excuse that holds us back? What do you think should be done?

My Xmas wish is for clarity.

Thanquol’s Incursion … Fail?

It’s been out for about a month … is it too soon to cry ‘Fail’ on Thanquol’s Incursion?

Since it went live I’ve run the thing four times. The first time was me and a lone Warrior Priest running around trying to disrupt half a warband of Destro. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

My second journey through the Skavengate was with over half a warband of guildies as we ran around fending off less than a party of Destro while we killed the bosses. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

My third and fourth forays were roughly a warband of Order — no Destro — as we burned down all three instance bosses in what seemed record time. That worked out as well as you can imagine.

Your results may vary but so far despite the cool look and feel of the Incursion, the interesting boss mechanics, and the potential loot one can win, this new addition to the game neither slows the RvR campaign nor does it provide a new outlet for fun and competition.

Guildie 1: “Hey, wanna go do the Skaven thing?”
Guildie 2: “What, turn into a Skaven?”
Guildie 1: “No, the dungeon thingie.”
Guildie 2: “It’s open?”
Guildie 1: “Yeah.”
Guildie 2: “Ok.”

That’s how a conversation will go in my guild vent as someone happens to notice the Incursion is open since the 20 other players online didn’t even know nor seem to care.

I know I’m not always the most observant person when I’m in game, but shouldn’t there be some big announcement or billowingly obnoxious horn sound a la Land of the Dead with words on the screen to let us know the Skaven are running amok? Does that happen and I just don’t hear it because my guildies talk too much? I even recall seeing in region chat that it was active in a zone that no one was really fighting in.

I’m sure a lot of work went into the dungeon and it’s a shame to see it under used. My view is, of course, not the view of everyone but other than the occasional “yeah, it’s pretty cool”, no one is truly ZOMGing about it. And honestly, other than the chance to win some loot I really don’t yearn for it to open. And if it did, I wouldn’t know it was open anyway.

It’s easy to complain but what can be done to improve the instance?

Actually draw attention when it “appears”. Bells, whistles, huge text on screen! Just as we can’t miss when Destro has gained access to Land of the Dead, we should know that Thanquol is up to his shenanigans.

When it becomes available allow players to queue up for it rather than needing to find a portal. I know they look cool, and the thought was to place them at BO’s so one side or the other could guard them … but when they also appear in the warcamp that eliminates the need to fight your way to them.

Springboard this general concept into more. The instance is a lot like a scenario only with NPC boss monsters. So go ahead and make it a scenario. The items in there are pretty nice but ease of entry is not condusive to there being multiple successful battles. When you get 2-on-20 or 16-on-4 or 2-on-0 it really doesn’t make for a whole lot of fun. Take this mechanic and use it for new scenarios in the future that add a little spice to fighting the enemy. It’s fun to fight other players but mixing up the experience helps to keep players on their toes. Dare I even say make Forts into something like this with boss NPCs running around while players are trying to take the area.

What are the results on other servers? I’m guessing this doesn’t happen on say, Badlands. In fact, I’m sure players run to the instance to get away from the lag. Is my experience an aberration or is it the norm? I’m hoping my experience is not what others are seeing. If so, let’s hope for more of that quick Mythic magic to revamp and turn it around.

Gorked Out on Cataclysm

NOT a reference to the Orc gods Gork or Mork!

That other MMO some of you may have heard of launched its big expansion last week. It’s called Cataclysm and the gist is that the world of Azeroth has been devastated by some ancient, all-powerful dragon (Deathwing … very original name) leaving the world torn asunder and forever changed. The business model is to sucker fans into dropping another $40 plus the monthly subscription to replay the same game over again from the beginning in a newly graphically devastated world. The cinematic trailer is quite nice, actually it’s pretty awesome. There is so much hype and talk about WoW that a lifetime gamer such as myself can’t possibly avoid playing this thing … can he? You bet.

A part of me did consider giving WoW the 10-day free trial try. However as I’ve learned the past two years, one MMO is more than enough for anyone to keep busy. I had zero clue what MMOs were or what the gaming experience would be. I’ve been an avid console gamer for decades and never spent time playing online. As I’ve mentioned previously, WAR only drew my attention because of an interest in GamesWorkshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Since starting I have been a devoted subscriber but have cheated on WAR. I’ve given Champions Online a go. It has an interesting art style but the gameplay is like other MMOs. Heavy on PvE players can duel if they want PvP. I’ve found that my opinion feels PvP > PvE. I never made it to Level 10 on any of the zillion toons I rolled. That’s the most fun in this game (and I assume the same for City of Heroes and the soon to be released DC Universe Online) is creating your character(s). It’s a lot of fun with near infinite possibilities. I even created one that resembled an obscure DC Comics character, Dr. Midnight.

I also gave Aion a brief try and like many others have commented, it was a grind. That grindiness and lack of PvP saw me again abandoning before I reached double-digit levels. The game looks stunning … it’s amazing! Visually it blows all other MMOs away. Grinding mobs made me stop and think of the time and effort I placed into my toons in WAR. MMOs steal a ton of time from your life all while you’re having fun. Your characters grow, advance, power up, acquire gear. None of that is handed to you. Players have to invest the time. I realized that I don’t have that kind of time to further a super-hero or Final Fantasy-like emo in addition to defending Altdorf. And that definitely means I don’t have time to dive into the World of Warcraft, which is better than the best dessert you’ve ever eaten and delivers the biggest gaming orgasm, period. Not as good as Doritos.

I’ve learned a lot about this genre and many MMO vets say that the true MMO experience has long since faded with EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot. From what I’ve read those were real MMO worlds with all the immersion, depth, and newness that defined the genre. WoW came along afterwards and “improved” on these by taking the MMO to a broader audience. The 12 million subscribers it has can’t be wrong, can they? Depends upon who you ask.

I tend to feel all MMOs are graphically lacking and solely in place as social spheres for like-minded gamers to come together and play with or against one another in some capacity to have fun. WAR is not the best game I’ve ever played. And despite the legion of WoW-hards it isn’t the best game either. There are far better games that I’ve played at one point or another in my life. The social-gaming universe is a relatively new one that started niche and has exploded into a phenomenon. And don’t look now but WoW has already been passed by the likes of Farmville. You think 12 million players is king? Try 80+ million! Despite the sheer number of people who play or love them, those games themselves aren’t that great (and many even contend their status as games). It’s a matter of how much a slice of escape you’re willing to let into your life and the amount of fun perceived.

I’ve never written a WoW post but the game has always intrigued me. I mean, doesn’t every MMO blogger have at least one “WoW is Jizztastic” or “WoW Sucks” post in them? This is neither. Many others know more about it, have played it, or have better insights into it. But getting a good look at it now I am left wondering why it is this unparalleled maitreya. WoW reached people that weren’t hardcore gamers. That’s its magic and still is to this day while alluring a significant chunk of hardcore gamers. The old-school MMOer will say WoW dumbed things down, made things too easy to achieve, and you can dance. In today’s world we have so little time to enjoy the fun things in life. The casual gamer isn’t willing to work long and hard to achieve something a true gamer would. WoW wouldn’t be king if it didn’t make major concessions. That’s difficult to swallow for the hardcore as those not so hardcore encroach upon their turf.

As I scan gaming blogs to read those writing about the Cataclysm it is interesting to see the differing opinions on the highly anticipated expansion since it released …

• Some are nostalgic at the game they spent so much time in and are inspired to go back to play yet again. The world has been “redone” … remade. It will be different this time. It’s a chance to see old friends, to explore lands you once walked before, now changed. It’s a chance to do the things that were fun in a game that changed gaming.
• Some sound like the mistreated girlfriend who finally left to date other men only to be disappointed time after time until realizing the mistreatment wasn’t so bad as to go back and believe it will be different this time.
• The gear-minded are realizing that their once noble grind for epics in the last expansion are now gimp compared to greens that drop in Cataclysm. Thanks for the time you spent getting uber only to be chumped one level into the new expansion.
• While others are simply so sugared up at the pure awesome that not a single thing is wrong in WoWville. It’s as incredible as they remember with the most innovative quests and the most immersive lore and story.
• Some already say they are close to completing the new content. Really? It just freaking came out but you know it’s coming. The hardcore hardies will play non-stop and breeze through the new stuff thus crushing their own enjoyment by prematurely cataclysmalating after the long tease waiting for it to come out in the first place.
• Lastly, people talk about how active the zones are now but in a few months they will be barren as players return to the cities to chat, craft, and wait for raids. Is that really what WoW is? That’s the best game ever?

It appears WoW is like the Kaiser Soze of gaming. It’s difficult to explain, extremely intricate, and is difficult to truly put your finger on what it is that makes it so incredibly interesting, different, (and dangerous) … right in front of your face but poof … gone. I don’t understand, yet I do. Damn Kevin Spacey.

As a gamer I like when my hobby of choice thrives even when it’s due to a game I don’t play. For you youngsters, there was a point where gaming almost died. Honest. Gaming hit big in the late 70’s/early 80’s. There were places called “arcades” where us kids would go waste quarters in these stand-up boxes blasting alien invaders or jumping barrels to save princesses. I have no idea how much money I wasted but I loved every single minute of it. I remember when Space Invaders came out. I remember eating dots as Pac Man. I remember the first time I heard that heroic music as Mario grabbed the hammer on his way up the ramps in Donkey Kong.

And when gaming came home via Atari … it didn’t matter that the graphics weren’t as good as what was in the arcade. You were at home playing! Block-graphics never looked so great. That continued with other systems but then suddenly things started to flop. Arcades weren’t doing so well and people weren’t buying games like before. Were we over the fad waking one morning all grown up?

It took the Nintendo Entertainment System with its improved graphics plus flagship characters to turn things around. Through a series of new systems, new gaming concepts, and a semi-resurgence in arcades, gaming stayed alive to grow and thrive into the multi-billion dollar beast it is today. Games keep getting better and keep evolving. No one bats an eye at seeing game commercials during prime time television and even grandma can play the Wii!

This brings me back to WoW and what I’ve written previously about those who like to shit on things for shitting’s sake. It’s not relegated to gaming but we find everyone in life wants to defend what they like and criticize what they don’t. Why do I hate the New York Yankees? I could write a huge post why. Why does Twilight suck? Ditto. Why do I look at WoW as an outsider and simply do not get it?

I think visually, it’s lame. As I viewed videos of the new Cataclysm gameplay to see what it’s all about (and even ponder trying it), the game was as if I was watching a better Banjo Kazooie or a little known game called Vexx. It’s cutsie, cartoony, and goofy. Everyone seems to sport Popeye deformed forearms. I find that it’s a little too Disneyesque for me. And the faithful tout the new look of the game as amazing. Really? This is the visual improvement that took Blizzard years to complete?

There’s 3500 new quests that are more detailed, more immersive than before. They look like every other PvE quest I’ve seen in my limited MMO life. You still have to stop, click the NPC, and read the quest text. You still get hints on your map where to go. You still have to find X item or kill X things. That’s immersion? That’s awesome?

There are goblin hotrods, disco parties, swimming pools, girl gobbos with pigtails. WTF?!? That super slick game trailer up top … it’s the classic bait-and-switch for MMOs. If WoW looked like the trailer I’d be in there playing. But it’s not. It still looks like a really well done PlayStation 2 game. And the fans eat it up.

Star Wars: The Old Republic does the same thing with its trailer versus actual gameplay. Granted, its in-game art is better than WoW. And I understand that going with simpler graphics enables better, smoother gameplay online. But it amazes me at what so many will accept and annoint as awesome. I can admit that WAR did the same with its trailer … however its in game graphics at least come closer to the trailer than others.

That’s the WoW appeal, I suppose. It has fun baked in with the funny look, whacky NPC names, and casualness that doesn’t seem to take itself overly serious. That’s what makes the non-hardcore love it, right? It also seems to have everything in there to appeal to just about everyone. Blizzard really does have it figured out and people are playing and having fun. That’s the bottom line. Games are supposed to be fun but we dissect them and analyze them every which way we can. I can definitely see some fun in WoW … but I’m not biting. As if Blizzard is missing this lone gamer.

So the big dog did their thing but is this truly the pinnacle of MMO gaming? Subpar graphics, goofy toons, borrowing mechanics and pop-culture references from other games and places in a world that envelops millions of people around the globe? What’s next? Are there no more innovations to this market? Is it one big gorilla and a bunch of niche monkeys that will continue to make up the MMO universe churning out the same old same old? I guess as long as the fans are willing to settle.

There’s already grumblings about what’s coming down the pike. BioWare is catching flack for using voiceovers to relay quest content in Star Wars: TOR. Guild Wars 2 and SWTOR are being attacked for seemingly catering towards a single-player RPG style. Please school me if I’m wrong … other than raids in WoW, is there really a reason to group up? Can’t most quests be completed on your own? Aren’t some WoW-hards complaining at how single-player WoW has become? Is the new awesome playing a game over again with slightly improved graphics, new races, in a destroyed environment really it? I’m thinking more my problem is the MMO genre in general than any of the current offerings available.

Warhammer 40K Dark Millennium Online recently announced no action bars … no “Kill 10 Rats” quests. They want people to look at the game on-screen and not know it’s an MMO. Will it be as simple as shooting a gun or swinging a sword hitting buttons a la some fighting or shooting game? Is that the future? Maybe it is … a return to doing it yourself with a little help from your friends when needed to enter some dungeon.

I’m not meant to get WoW completely at this point. I missed the boat. But I am happy for its fans despite all the differing opinions from their community. These games are all about what we make of them and how we experience them. Depending what MMO grabbed you and enthralled you first will likely determine how you feel about other games and the industry. Had my first MMO been WoW, how would I be looking at other games? Take any MMO and there are people who love it, defend it, and play it all the time. I just criticized the “best” MMO ever for its success and new expansion while playing a game whose only “expansion” was 20 new levels, fluff, and new armor. Case in point.

Right now I think we’ve plateaued until someone wants to really take a chance. Innovation doesn’t always take hold and can summarily get squashed even when it’s worthwhile. Will it be Blizzard who takes that chance or will they continue a sure thing: 10 more levels, more loot, more quests, more raids, so-so graphics? The safe road. I read an article that claimed WoW could be sustained this way for another 20 years. Really? Our expectations are that low.

Comments are welcomed. Help me to understand this and why we are all so easy to please. We’re all friends here.

RR80

Yesterday afternoon during a siege of the Inevitable City … I finally dinged renown rank 80. I guess it was as proper a spot as any … we had just downed Tchar’zanak and won Stage III (I have a screenshot for my own posterity).

Definitely a nice accomplishment but understandably not as momentous as it once was. I’ve heard on the forums … RR80 is like the new RR60. That’s probably a fair statement. Those who have purchased the RvR Progression Pack will notice the significant boost to their renown gain in the upper levels. Since the release of the packs with moderate play I went from RR76 to the ripe old RR80 (78-80 was in less than a week). That’s some renown! Much depends upon your timing and contribution but catching zone flips and taking part in multiple city sieges doesn’t hurt.

Those ahead of me say I should enjoy RR80 as once RR81 comes along … the long crawl hits and those incredible renown numbers get less and less. I suppose that’s to be expected. There are many players out there grinding away and have gotten over the hump inching closer and closer to RR90. I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be achieving that.

In the siege mentioned above, I received my first piece of Doomflayer (the helm). Since the set cannot be worn until hitting RR90, I have a ton of time to try and acquire the remaining pieces. And in even more passive fashion, I’m in no hurry to add to the one piece of Warpforged I’m sitting on.

What now?

Sure, there’s those additional 20 renown ranks staring at me but what’s the hurry? I know I won’t be first to 100 but I sure won’t be last. There’s always my Royal weapon which still sits around 250 emblems away. My Warrior Priest ALT could also use some love and as other WP’s have told me renown flies even faster for healers. I could probably get him close to 80 as well.