Beta Impressions
While I'm not permitted to release details about WAR and the ongoing beta, I simply must give you my current impressions. First off, I'm seriously considering going ahead with a PC upgrade. The game is looking fantastic, but all that detail comes at a cost. While there's probably still plenty to do with regard to programming and graphic optimization, let's not beat around the bush - this is a new generation MMO and you're going to need a solid gaming rig to squeeze the most out of it.
Trust me, you'll want to. It's the first MMO I've seen thus far that has tried to portray realism in their character models and game world and appears to be succeeding. I remember trying out EQ2 shorty after it launched, and thinking how disproportionate their characters looked (think bobble-heads). WoW gets around this by going a different route. By exaggerating features and opting for a more cartoon-like feel, you can avoid excess criticism. EA/Mythic took on a big task and I think their risk and hard work is going to pay off.
I'm not very well acquainted with the Warhammer franchise as far back as the tabletop days. While I may have enjoyed playing it, nobody I knew during my childhood and teen years did to my knowledge. I did, however, enjoy toy soldiers and such. My first introduction to Warhammer came by way of the PC RTS Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. In a nutshell, you get to customize whole regiments and then battle with them in real time on a variety of battlefields. Some have asked the question of Warhammer Online - will it actually feel like Warhammer? I'd have to say, based on my limited experience with the franchise, that the answer is yes. That's probably due in large part to the close partnership between Games Workshop (owners of the Warhammer franchise rights) and EA/Mythic, especially in the art department.
A lot of people in WoW have been asking me if I think it will pose a serious challenge to Blizzard's juggernaut. I've been telling them that WAR certainly has the potential to give big blue a run for their money - especially among the PvP crowd. In WAR, I was experiencing real solid PvP (and broader, group-clashing RvR) as early as level 6 or so. In WoW, you don't even really begin to see the opposing faction in the world until the 20-30 mark. Warsong Gulch is relegated to a nice sterile 10v10 instance where you can't disturb the carebears. In WAR, you immediately get a sense that you were dropped head-first into an epic conflict. This is no capture-the-flag sillyness, folks. Thankfully, things are set up like they are in WoW where you can only attack members of the opposing faction - a fact that EA/Mythic has already pointed out (so don't get nervous and think I'm leaking details).
As this is a blog dedicated especially to the Warrior Priest, I should probably say a few words about that as well. First, understand that things are never set in stone during a beta. The whole purpose is to test content and see how well ideas are actually implemented, and to make changes to those ideas when necessary. Naturally, I rolled a WP as my first beta toon. It's been a lot of fun so far and the developers have been true to their word in designing a class that combines melee combat with group healing and support. Thanks to some clever mechanics being tested right now (which I am, of course, not at liberty to discuss in any detail), this multitasking is not as frustrating as you may think. It would be even less frustrating if my PC could keep up in all the lag caused by my aging hardware, but such is the cost of wanting to see things at max detail. Sigmarite lore abounds within the Empire lands and quests - much more richly than Paladin lore in WoW, sadly.
Anyhow, it's late and I'm already going to be short on sleep tomorrow. There you have my impressions so far. I hope I wasn't too vague, but it's necessary if I want to keep my spot in the beta. Trust me when I say that a great new game is in the works. If you enjoy purpose-driven PvP in a world steeped in lore and conflict, then you're going to be in for a real treat.
Trust me, you'll want to. It's the first MMO I've seen thus far that has tried to portray realism in their character models and game world and appears to be succeeding. I remember trying out EQ2 shorty after it launched, and thinking how disproportionate their characters looked (think bobble-heads). WoW gets around this by going a different route. By exaggerating features and opting for a more cartoon-like feel, you can avoid excess criticism. EA/Mythic took on a big task and I think their risk and hard work is going to pay off.
I'm not very well acquainted with the Warhammer franchise as far back as the tabletop days. While I may have enjoyed playing it, nobody I knew during my childhood and teen years did to my knowledge. I did, however, enjoy toy soldiers and such. My first introduction to Warhammer came by way of the PC RTS Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. In a nutshell, you get to customize whole regiments and then battle with them in real time on a variety of battlefields. Some have asked the question of Warhammer Online - will it actually feel like Warhammer? I'd have to say, based on my limited experience with the franchise, that the answer is yes. That's probably due in large part to the close partnership between Games Workshop (owners of the Warhammer franchise rights) and EA/Mythic, especially in the art department.
A lot of people in WoW have been asking me if I think it will pose a serious challenge to Blizzard's juggernaut. I've been telling them that WAR certainly has the potential to give big blue a run for their money - especially among the PvP crowd. In WAR, I was experiencing real solid PvP (and broader, group-clashing RvR) as early as level 6 or so. In WoW, you don't even really begin to see the opposing faction in the world until the 20-30 mark. Warsong Gulch is relegated to a nice sterile 10v10 instance where you can't disturb the carebears. In WAR, you immediately get a sense that you were dropped head-first into an epic conflict. This is no capture-the-flag sillyness, folks. Thankfully, things are set up like they are in WoW where you can only attack members of the opposing faction - a fact that EA/Mythic has already pointed out (so don't get nervous and think I'm leaking details).
As this is a blog dedicated especially to the Warrior Priest, I should probably say a few words about that as well. First, understand that things are never set in stone during a beta. The whole purpose is to test content and see how well ideas are actually implemented, and to make changes to those ideas when necessary. Naturally, I rolled a WP as my first beta toon. It's been a lot of fun so far and the developers have been true to their word in designing a class that combines melee combat with group healing and support. Thanks to some clever mechanics being tested right now (which I am, of course, not at liberty to discuss in any detail), this multitasking is not as frustrating as you may think. It would be even less frustrating if my PC could keep up in all the lag caused by my aging hardware, but such is the cost of wanting to see things at max detail. Sigmarite lore abounds within the Empire lands and quests - much more richly than Paladin lore in WoW, sadly.
Anyhow, it's late and I'm already going to be short on sleep tomorrow. There you have my impressions so far. I hope I wasn't too vague, but it's necessary if I want to keep my spot in the beta. Trust me when I say that a great new game is in the works. If you enjoy purpose-driven PvP in a world steeped in lore and conflict, then you're going to be in for a real treat.
posted by Vaelin at 12:48 AM
1 Comments:
grats man, im still looking foward to the game, and still looking foward to being in the regiment.
-Sigma
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