A few folks have asked me now that I've quit WAR and not returned for a while, am I now done with blogging about it?
The answer is a mixed yes and no. I can only write stuff about WAR if there are things to talk about, but unfortunately right now there is nothing but negatives to say. Despite the forts supposedly being imminent, there's no news, no talk of the future and barely any sign of Mythic. The forums have descended to an all time low and are now quite probably the most depressing MMO forums I have ever had the misfortune to read. And with no attempts at damage control from Mythic, well... I don't know if Bioware Mythic realise this, but for an outsider things with WAR look beyond terrible. It looks like WAR has been dropped for WoH, which at the blogger meeting where we were first shown WoH is exactly what I said to Carrie would be everyone's concern if they didn't play it right and give WAR players reasons to feel otherwise.
They didn't play it right. Far from it in fact and now WAR looks totally fucked. It might not be, they might have stuff up their sleeves, but it looks and is perceived as being totally FUBAR. This is not me as someone that's quit having a whinge, this is the reality of the hugely negative light WAR is now seen in by almost everyone.
To change that Bioware Mythic need to actually do something. Unfortunately for WAR I think they believe Wrath of Heroes is the answer to everything, however as anyone not too close to the two games can see, it really isn't.
Since I have no interest in WoH, that leaves me with precious little to talk about regarding WAR. :(
Showing posts with label Wrath of Heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wrath of Heroes. Show all posts
Monday, 21 November 2011
Friday, 28 October 2011
Wrath of Heroes - NDA gone, so some words
OK here's my take on Wrath of Heroes...
It's exactly as Mythic said: fast, furious and fun. But what they didn't say is it's not aimed at a gamer like me or probably you if you're reading my blog. It's a shallow game that requires no real thought or planning, as there is no real depth or character development in WoH, it's just a drop straight in and play thing with barely anything else to care about. That's not necessarily a bad thing, many folks will see that as a huge benefit, but for me after the initial new toys phase wore off it became a little dull as an overall experience and I have no motivation to log back in. Which meant I just couldn't be arsed with the last few beta events, so I've not tried out the latest heroes and maps added and as such can't pass judgement on those fine details and the current state of balance between the heroes.
The core game itself is just instanced scenarios, which according to Bioware Mythic are "the best bit of WAR", which is obviously complete bollocks as WAR's scenarios are nothing but the standard instanced stuff from PvE MMOs with bolted on PvP. Wrath of Heroes has no relation to WAR's real character and defining feature; open world RvR. So a better statement would be "we took the best bit of WoW".
Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely.
They have however made the excellent improvement of having 3 teams and that does make for much more dynamic and interesting gameplay, particularly when in a match with multiple premade groups. Apparently this was learnt from DAoC, though really we know this was learnt from WAR and almost everyone that played it over the last few years saying why the hell did you not learn from DAoC? :P
However Warhammer lore fans should note that it is 3 teams and NOT 3 factions, so you will get Chaos, Orcs, Elves and Dwarves all on the same team. A bit shite, but really I don't think they had much choice, as restricting it into proper factions would make it harder to balance and would present problems for a game that requires 3 equalled numbered teams for it to function. Whilst ORvR campaigns work very well with 3 factions of varying population, alas instanced PvP is not very flexible in that regard. So gameplay wins over style, theme and atmosphere. If that's a good or bad thing is totally down to individual preference.
Visually the game looks better than some screenshots suggest and it runs extremely well, though I do think some of the characters are a bit dull and they look like the most basic of their WAR equivalents. That is possibly contributing to the excellent performance, which was impressive and if so is certainly justified.
The heroes only have 5 abilities, which does make gameplay rather shallow, but I think the key here is it's 5 per character and with so many characters to play you can mix it up to keep things fresh. I personally enjoyed playing the Skaven Gutter Runner the most, closely followed by the Black Orc and Marauder.
So we have a fun game, that runs very well, but is just not ticking my boxes. I quite liked it, I just don't care about it. It is NOT an MMO in any way or form and I like MMOs, arena games leave me a little cold. WoH is an ok game and will do reasonably well, but it is not good enough to stop me being disappointed, disenchanted and irritated by the whole situation with this and WAR. If as suggested it will benefit WAR, with more than just jpegs on Facebook teasing people, then I wish it well.
The problem is I just don't believe it will. Mainly because the timing is all off, with 2012 being all about SWTOR, GW2 and even WoW's panda bear bollocks. WoH doesn't compete with those games, but WAR does and I simply can not see how it will find a time slot, let alone the content required, to force itself back in to people's gaming schedules. Unless of course something really drastic happens and unfortunately that is extremely unlikely.
Which I shall say again just doesn't matter for WoH, it's going for a whole other audience and I'm not included.
It's exactly as Mythic said: fast, furious and fun. But what they didn't say is it's not aimed at a gamer like me or probably you if you're reading my blog. It's a shallow game that requires no real thought or planning, as there is no real depth or character development in WoH, it's just a drop straight in and play thing with barely anything else to care about. That's not necessarily a bad thing, many folks will see that as a huge benefit, but for me after the initial new toys phase wore off it became a little dull as an overall experience and I have no motivation to log back in. Which meant I just couldn't be arsed with the last few beta events, so I've not tried out the latest heroes and maps added and as such can't pass judgement on those fine details and the current state of balance between the heroes.
The core game itself is just instanced scenarios, which according to Bioware Mythic are "the best bit of WAR", which is obviously complete bollocks as WAR's scenarios are nothing but the standard instanced stuff from PvE MMOs with bolted on PvP. Wrath of Heroes has no relation to WAR's real character and defining feature; open world RvR. So a better statement would be "we took the best bit of WoW".
Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely.
They have however made the excellent improvement of having 3 teams and that does make for much more dynamic and interesting gameplay, particularly when in a match with multiple premade groups. Apparently this was learnt from DAoC, though really we know this was learnt from WAR and almost everyone that played it over the last few years saying why the hell did you not learn from DAoC? :P
However Warhammer lore fans should note that it is 3 teams and NOT 3 factions, so you will get Chaos, Orcs, Elves and Dwarves all on the same team. A bit shite, but really I don't think they had much choice, as restricting it into proper factions would make it harder to balance and would present problems for a game that requires 3 equalled numbered teams for it to function. Whilst ORvR campaigns work very well with 3 factions of varying population, alas instanced PvP is not very flexible in that regard. So gameplay wins over style, theme and atmosphere. If that's a good or bad thing is totally down to individual preference.
Visually the game looks better than some screenshots suggest and it runs extremely well, though I do think some of the characters are a bit dull and they look like the most basic of their WAR equivalents. That is possibly contributing to the excellent performance, which was impressive and if so is certainly justified.
The heroes only have 5 abilities, which does make gameplay rather shallow, but I think the key here is it's 5 per character and with so many characters to play you can mix it up to keep things fresh. I personally enjoyed playing the Skaven Gutter Runner the most, closely followed by the Black Orc and Marauder.
So we have a fun game, that runs very well, but is just not ticking my boxes. I quite liked it, I just don't care about it. It is NOT an MMO in any way or form and I like MMOs, arena games leave me a little cold. WoH is an ok game and will do reasonably well, but it is not good enough to stop me being disappointed, disenchanted and irritated by the whole situation with this and WAR. If as suggested it will benefit WAR, with more than just jpegs on Facebook teasing people, then I wish it well.
The problem is I just don't believe it will. Mainly because the timing is all off, with 2012 being all about SWTOR, GW2 and even WoW's panda bear bollocks. WoH doesn't compete with those games, but WAR does and I simply can not see how it will find a time slot, let alone the content required, to force itself back in to people's gaming schedules. Unless of course something really drastic happens and unfortunately that is extremely unlikely.
Which I shall say again just doesn't matter for WoH, it's going for a whole other audience and I'm not included.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
WoH beta invites
Looks like all WAR subscribers will get invited onto the Wrath of Heroes beta. http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/232/index/8252301/3#8261677
Not sure when that will kick off, as I don't know how long this beta is planned to go on for, but at least we know all WAR subs will get in at some point...
(update) Further confirmation can be found on the herald. It sounds like you'll need to do an application for the beta still at https://wrathofheroes.warhammeronline.com/ but you should get in automatically in the near future.
Not sure when that will kick off, as I don't know how long this beta is planned to go on for, but at least we know all WAR subs will get in at some point...
(update) Further confirmation can be found on the herald. It sounds like you'll need to do an application for the beta still at https://wrathofheroes.warhammeronline.com/ but you should get in automatically in the near future.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Wrath of Heroes beta
OK so the closed beta has started, be sure to check your email folders... For now the beta servers are only coming online for set periods of time and I think its safe to say this is, for once, a genuine beta test. Your feedback is important. More test time details here. And you can sign up at https://wrathofheroes.warhammeronline.com/
There is unfortunately an NDA, so I can't say much about the game for now. What I will say is this... previously I had watched others play the game, thought it looked good, but I wasn't that fussed really. Interesting, but like whateeeever. Now I've actually played it, let's just say that the experience has upgraded my interest somewhat. It was a LOT of fun to play, more than I expected. That is both a good and bad thing, but I'll have to leave talking about that until I have more freedom to do so.
There is unfortunately an NDA, so I can't say much about the game for now. What I will say is this... previously I had watched others play the game, thought it looked good, but I wasn't that fussed really. Interesting, but like whateeeever. Now I've actually played it, let's just say that the experience has upgraded my interest somewhat. It was a LOT of fun to play, more than I expected. That is both a good and bad thing, but I'll have to leave talking about that until I have more freedom to do so.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
WoH, WAR and keeping me subbed
As expected the discovery of Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes has prompted predominantly negative rumblings within the WAR community, predictably amongst the vocal angry people that are always angry regardless of anything, but clearly it has also rattled the faith of many others. And you can understand why, since folks were expecting proper WAR news, which WoH obviously isn’t, at least not to start with. Sure there’s potential for WoH leading to good things for WAR, but for a lot of people the whole “potential” thing has got a bit old. There’s always something potentially good coming for WAR, but so often it just doesn’t quite happen.
I remain fairly apathetic towards Wrath of Heroes, despite Bioware and some community member’s attempts at hype. I do think it will be a good game, a very good game in fact and I do think it is going to be hugely successful, but I continue struggling to care a great deal about it. Perhaps the beta will change my mind... For me it sits in the same personal category as games like League of Legends, APB, Battlefield and World of Tanks, they’re good fun and brilliant at what they do, but I just don’t play them for long periods of time in MMO terms. I’ll do a couple of months of solid play and then move on, perhaps dipping my toe in for brief visits but never really getting stuck in again. I think it’s their completely instanced and enclosed nature that eventually halts my interest, much like it did with Guild Wars. So for me it is unlikely that Wrath of Heroes will be a factor in how long I am subbed to WAR, regardless what attached benefits that sub has for WoH. The fate of my WAR sub can only be decided by WAR itself. At the moment I’m quite happy with it and looking forward to having spare time for playing more in the near future, but as I’ve said before, long term WAR is going to have some competition and I want to see some further return for that subs fee we’ve been paying for so long.
Unfortunately for us, those subscriptions are very much speculative investments, there is no guarantee that our funding will result in expansions, new content or anything else and in fact our contract with the game’s publishers is in reality just to give us access to the game right now; we have no legal rights to demand anything else. However, regardless of what publishers may think about what a subscription is for, we as MMO gamers pay a sub fee so that game we like grows, stays fresh and can continue to keep us interested. But if that ceases then so will our subscriptions. If the future looks bleak then we’re likely to stop investing, particularly if there are new shiny things elsewhere. And PC gaming has a LOT of lovely shiny things on the way.
So as I’ve said before, for WAR to not be royally buggered by new shiny things (hello GW2, SWTOR, Diablo3, Skyrim et al), it needs to deliver some pretty solid temptations of its own and share some community confidence about. The question is though, considering the whole lack of resources bit, is there anything realistic that could do that?
Actually, yes! There already are things that Bioware Mythic are looking at that could go a long way to securing my (and many others) long term loyalty. Of course this goes back to how I started this post; talking about potential. As such perhaps none of these will see the light of day. /facepalm
Sylvania - They have unused Sylvania assets that were previously developed but never made it into the game. This place is the home of the Vampire Counts and has some pretty cool stuff associated with it. I don’t know how much they’ve got sitting there to use, but if this was a new PvP zone then I would be extremely happy.
West Praag, Cinderfall and the other wasted side zones - I don’t know what Mythic are considering for these zones, but they are considering something. I want them RvR enabled with objectives that affect the campaign somehow. Something that would promote small scale roaming and battling in those zones would be perfect. Not instanced copies though please. Having new scenery would be hugely refreshing, in fact it would be HUGE MASSIVE OMFG! PLEASE GIVE US SOMEWHERE NEW TO FIGHT. Ahem. WAR’s tagline was “WAR is everywhere”, but unfortunately, much like cake, that is a lie. Make it a true instead please.
Monsterplay that doesn’t suck - Yeah I would rather have proper new playable careers, cor blimey would I like that and I remain MONSTROUSLY (sorry) disappointed with the Skaven implementation. Though I would settle for new monster play options that don’t suck, fit better into the game than the Skaven nonsense and are actually fun. Ideally with some form of progression or advancement system that makes them feel worthwhile and perhaps gives customisation options. Now we know that Bioware Mythic are toying with more monsterplay and we know they’re looking at an advancement system, so it seems like this one is half way there. If we could have things like Chaos Trolls, Ogres, Goblin Fanatics, Empire Greatswords, etc, etc it could work quite well.
None of those are unfeasible and all of them are being talked about at Bioware Mythic, so they could happen. If they actually do and they’re done well, that will make Boots a happy bunny. Obviously there’s a bloody huge list of other things I would rather see, but these would go a long way towards preventing other distractions becoming the new obsession.
PS: Fortresses could be a big help, if it gives us some dynamic PvP that works well alongside the campaign, but we'll have to see and it's not enough for me on its own.
I remain fairly apathetic towards Wrath of Heroes, despite Bioware and some community member’s attempts at hype. I do think it will be a good game, a very good game in fact and I do think it is going to be hugely successful, but I continue struggling to care a great deal about it. Perhaps the beta will change my mind... For me it sits in the same personal category as games like League of Legends, APB, Battlefield and World of Tanks, they’re good fun and brilliant at what they do, but I just don’t play them for long periods of time in MMO terms. I’ll do a couple of months of solid play and then move on, perhaps dipping my toe in for brief visits but never really getting stuck in again. I think it’s their completely instanced and enclosed nature that eventually halts my interest, much like it did with Guild Wars. So for me it is unlikely that Wrath of Heroes will be a factor in how long I am subbed to WAR, regardless what attached benefits that sub has for WoH. The fate of my WAR sub can only be decided by WAR itself. At the moment I’m quite happy with it and looking forward to having spare time for playing more in the near future, but as I’ve said before, long term WAR is going to have some competition and I want to see some further return for that subs fee we’ve been paying for so long.
Unfortunately for us, those subscriptions are very much speculative investments, there is no guarantee that our funding will result in expansions, new content or anything else and in fact our contract with the game’s publishers is in reality just to give us access to the game right now; we have no legal rights to demand anything else. However, regardless of what publishers may think about what a subscription is for, we as MMO gamers pay a sub fee so that game we like grows, stays fresh and can continue to keep us interested. But if that ceases then so will our subscriptions. If the future looks bleak then we’re likely to stop investing, particularly if there are new shiny things elsewhere. And PC gaming has a LOT of lovely shiny things on the way.
So as I’ve said before, for WAR to not be royally buggered by new shiny things (hello GW2, SWTOR, Diablo3, Skyrim et al), it needs to deliver some pretty solid temptations of its own and share some community confidence about. The question is though, considering the whole lack of resources bit, is there anything realistic that could do that?
Actually, yes! There already are things that Bioware Mythic are looking at that could go a long way to securing my (and many others) long term loyalty. Of course this goes back to how I started this post; talking about potential. As such perhaps none of these will see the light of day. /facepalm
Sylvania - They have unused Sylvania assets that were previously developed but never made it into the game. This place is the home of the Vampire Counts and has some pretty cool stuff associated with it. I don’t know how much they’ve got sitting there to use, but if this was a new PvP zone then I would be extremely happy.
West Praag, Cinderfall and the other wasted side zones - I don’t know what Mythic are considering for these zones, but they are considering something. I want them RvR enabled with objectives that affect the campaign somehow. Something that would promote small scale roaming and battling in those zones would be perfect. Not instanced copies though please. Having new scenery would be hugely refreshing, in fact it would be HUGE MASSIVE OMFG! PLEASE GIVE US SOMEWHERE NEW TO FIGHT. Ahem. WAR’s tagline was “WAR is everywhere”, but unfortunately, much like cake, that is a lie. Make it a true instead please.
Monsterplay that doesn’t suck - Yeah I would rather have proper new playable careers, cor blimey would I like that and I remain MONSTROUSLY (sorry) disappointed with the Skaven implementation. Though I would settle for new monster play options that don’t suck, fit better into the game than the Skaven nonsense and are actually fun. Ideally with some form of progression or advancement system that makes them feel worthwhile and perhaps gives customisation options. Now we know that Bioware Mythic are toying with more monsterplay and we know they’re looking at an advancement system, so it seems like this one is half way there. If we could have things like Chaos Trolls, Ogres, Goblin Fanatics, Empire Greatswords, etc, etc it could work quite well.
None of those are unfeasible and all of them are being talked about at Bioware Mythic, so they could happen. If they actually do and they’re done well, that will make Boots a happy bunny. Obviously there’s a bloody huge list of other things I would rather see, but these would go a long way towards preventing other distractions becoming the new obsession.
PS: Fortresses could be a big help, if it gives us some dynamic PvP that works well alongside the campaign, but we'll have to see and it's not enough for me on its own.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Games I give a toss about
As I sat pondering what to write about earlier today, I decided that it’s about time I put something up that wasn’t WAR related, but then I realised that there just aren’t a huge amount of games coming out this year that I give a toss about.
On the MMO side the only one in the near future I’m intrigued by is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Not because I’m expecting anything particularly great, innovative or wonderful, it’s simply because it’s Star Wars, made by Bioware and I quite like the idea of a more story driven game. So I think it should provide a nice, albeit temporary, distraction for a month or two. Other than that, there’s nothing grabbing me. Yeah I know people are going all hype monkey for Guild Wars 2, but I think it will be very average WoW style game with dubious looking hi fantasy nonsense, just like the first one. Actually, I’ll be blunt… I think it will be more of the same old shite, just like the first one. I don’t care what vids and other hype people go on about, I’ve not seen anything that impresses me and I certainly don’t consider a 1v1v1 server based PvP set up to be comparable with genuine 3 factions. Oh and the races look stupid. Crappy mutant gnome space alien rubbish. Sorry folks, it's gonna be all fur coat and no knickers. GW2 is just not working for me, apart from no sub fee of course.
What else is there this year MMO wise? The Secret World has some nice ideas, but it’s Funcom and since they’ve repeatedly smothered my hopes with a steaming pile of buggy, badly supported turd (Anarchy Online and Age of Conan I am looking at you!), I think I’m done with Funcom games. Honestly I really liked both of those games, but they were so badly supported and so broken for years that I just can’t be arsed with them anymore.
Oh there is one that could be good: Prime BFD. A brief summary of the game for me would be; small developer, big ideas, impressive development pace, but dodgy looking artwork. The whole Ben 10 alien style is not for me, but the gameplay is intriguing and this could be something worth watching.
On the single player side there’s again only a few games I’m interested in.:
Football Manager 2012 (a “soccer” game for those poor uneducated souls living in armoured handball land)
The games I’ve played more than anything else are the Football Manager series. Every year it’s updated and every year I end up addicted to it. That’s quite a common thing in the UK, as us Brits do love our football and the monstrous sales figures for these games say it all. Conveniently it’s one of the few games my wife doesn’t think is weird or stupid.
Space Marine
Relic’s face smushing Space Marine game will rock, even if it’s shit. You control a space marine, you have access to that most delightful armoury of doom in all Sci-Fi settings. Bolters, melta-guns plasma weapons, thunder hammers, power fists and so on. And you get to maim things and revel in gory 40k style mayhem. What’s not to like?
Mass Effect 3
Can’t remember when it’s out, but can’t wait. I LOVE these games.
Skyrim
I liked Daggerfall. I really enjoyed Morrowind. I absolutely loved Oblivion. Everything I’ve seen of Skyrim so far suggests Bethseda’s Elder Scrolls series will take yet another step towards gaming perfection and I might just explode in a squiggly mess of gaming man juice. I can’t bloody wait for this to come out, alas I must wait until November 11th. It’s pretty much a given that I will be having a break from all other games once this comes out.
And that’s about it. Now, you may notice that list doesn’t include Wrath of Heroes. I’ve not forgotten it; it’s just that I’m not that excited about playing it. I hope it does really well, but only so that WAR gets some benefits from it. Sure, I’m quite looking forward to trying it out and will do my bit with the beta, yet based purely on the type of game it is, I know long term I would only dabble with it in drips and drabs and then after a few months forget about it. That’s no slight on the game, it’s just I’d rather play a MMO and if WoH doesn’t result in WAR progressing, then in time I will have moved on and be busy with another MMO. I do like the few things coming WAR's way right now, but at the moment there isn't much exciting in my MMO future. That will change.
On the MMO side the only one in the near future I’m intrigued by is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Not because I’m expecting anything particularly great, innovative or wonderful, it’s simply because it’s Star Wars, made by Bioware and I quite like the idea of a more story driven game. So I think it should provide a nice, albeit temporary, distraction for a month or two. Other than that, there’s nothing grabbing me. Yeah I know people are going all hype monkey for Guild Wars 2, but I think it will be very average WoW style game with dubious looking hi fantasy nonsense, just like the first one. Actually, I’ll be blunt… I think it will be more of the same old shite, just like the first one. I don’t care what vids and other hype people go on about, I’ve not seen anything that impresses me and I certainly don’t consider a 1v1v1 server based PvP set up to be comparable with genuine 3 factions. Oh and the races look stupid. Crappy mutant gnome space alien rubbish. Sorry folks, it's gonna be all fur coat and no knickers. GW2 is just not working for me, apart from no sub fee of course.
What else is there this year MMO wise? The Secret World has some nice ideas, but it’s Funcom and since they’ve repeatedly smothered my hopes with a steaming pile of buggy, badly supported turd (Anarchy Online and Age of Conan I am looking at you!), I think I’m done with Funcom games. Honestly I really liked both of those games, but they were so badly supported and so broken for years that I just can’t be arsed with them anymore.
Oh there is one that could be good: Prime BFD. A brief summary of the game for me would be; small developer, big ideas, impressive development pace, but dodgy looking artwork. The whole Ben 10 alien style is not for me, but the gameplay is intriguing and this could be something worth watching.
On the single player side there’s again only a few games I’m interested in.:
Football Manager 2012 (a “soccer” game for those poor uneducated souls living in armoured handball land)
The games I’ve played more than anything else are the Football Manager series. Every year it’s updated and every year I end up addicted to it. That’s quite a common thing in the UK, as us Brits do love our football and the monstrous sales figures for these games say it all. Conveniently it’s one of the few games my wife doesn’t think is weird or stupid.
Space Marine
Relic’s face smushing Space Marine game will rock, even if it’s shit. You control a space marine, you have access to that most delightful armoury of doom in all Sci-Fi settings. Bolters, melta-guns plasma weapons, thunder hammers, power fists and so on. And you get to maim things and revel in gory 40k style mayhem. What’s not to like?
Mass Effect 3
Can’t remember when it’s out, but can’t wait. I LOVE these games.
Skyrim
I liked Daggerfall. I really enjoyed Morrowind. I absolutely loved Oblivion. Everything I’ve seen of Skyrim so far suggests Bethseda’s Elder Scrolls series will take yet another step towards gaming perfection and I might just explode in a squiggly mess of gaming man juice. I can’t bloody wait for this to come out, alas I must wait until November 11th. It’s pretty much a given that I will be having a break from all other games once this comes out.
And that’s about it. Now, you may notice that list doesn’t include Wrath of Heroes. I’ve not forgotten it; it’s just that I’m not that excited about playing it. I hope it does really well, but only so that WAR gets some benefits from it. Sure, I’m quite looking forward to trying it out and will do my bit with the beta, yet based purely on the type of game it is, I know long term I would only dabble with it in drips and drabs and then after a few months forget about it. That’s no slight on the game, it’s just I’d rather play a MMO and if WoH doesn’t result in WAR progressing, then in time I will have moved on and be busy with another MMO. I do like the few things coming WAR's way right now, but at the moment there isn't much exciting in my MMO future. That will change.
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
The big Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes post
I’m guessing that by now you might have heard the news… Mythic were given the backing to create a whole new 6v6v6 F2P Warhammer game derived from and related to WAR, but one that is actually a separate entity.
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, or as Mythic are shortening the name to: WAR:P4F. Though I think it will quickly be known as WoH… Or maybe WARWOH, or WOWOH.. lol I don’t know :P
The game takes the format of 6v6v6 scenario style combat where players take control of predefined hero style characters from the Warhammer universe and kick the crap out of each other. These characters have 5 abilities each and do not progress like in WAR or other traditional MMORPGS (though I believe there are others forms of advancement for players) this has allowed Mythic to get the game balanced a lot easier and is reminiscent of the other F2P game in that respect, League of Legends for example. Mythic at present have around 30 different characters with some types familiar to WAR players, but a whole load of others including things like Vampires, Trolls and much more. These are not generic classes, but specific special character style named heroes with different abilities and themes.
I was told at the blogger event that subscribers to WAR will get some kind of rewards each month for the new Wrath of Heroes game, so a WAR sub will actually effect both games. Presumably there is also hope that people who play the F2P game might choose to subscribe to WAR to get those benefits. It seems then that Mythic have a chance here to create a symbiotic relationship between the two games, with revenue and development from Wrath of Heroes potentially aiding WAR and ensuring its future. It is also (again) potentially a massive source of new players for WAR. F2P games are unbelievably huge these days and with the Warhammer IP, this new game could draw in monstrous amounts of players. If only a tiny percentage of them start subscribing and/or using the cash shop, then it should have a dramatic impact on WAR’s population and finances. It’s a very interesting concept as unlike other F2P games, subscribing to WAR will give you benefits in the new F2P game as well as access to a separate, full on MMORPG, which I don’t think anyone else has done before. That could be quite an appealing concept to players looking for a new game. And more than anything that’s what WAR needs, players and money, so it’s worth a shot.
So as you can see, when I said Mythic had something significant coming, I wasn’t joking. However, I also said I was not that excited and I’m still not. This new game was not something I had even considered, it’s not something I had ever thought about wanting and of course I would rather have masses of new things to do in WAR itself. Yet the reality of the situation is WAR needs new players and more money if it is to have a chance of adding the things that myself and others want to see. If Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is a success then in theory WAR will get those things, so I can understand why Mythic have come up with this idea, it is potentially a massive result for them, but potential has to be realised and so far WAR has not done so well on that front... WAR players will want to quickly see assurances (by actions) that their game has not been sidelined.
I did of course raise that with Mythic when first shown the new game. Interestingly it was explained to me at the time that this was already starting to happen, as things designed for Wrath of Heroes can be ported straight into WAR. For example the development for the 30+ heroes has meant they now have models, animations and spell effects available for a wide range of new things. These can potentially be used in WAR for all sorts of stuff… New armour sets are already confirmed. But really it’s far too soon and we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves and hype something based on speculation. At least we can finally be a bit hopeful as they now have assets available that they didn’t before and a genuine chance to gain more, which is surely no bad thing.
Will people drop WAR and just play the new F2P game? Possibly, but not if they like RvR and openworld combat, Wrath of Heroes is NOT a replacement for WAR. Mind you, it might take away those that are primarily scenario players. Will people rage and declare it a terrible idea? Definitely, but at the same time some will think it a brilliant way of increasing income without making WAR into a pay to win game. Only time will tell who is right.
Do I think it will work? I honestly don’t know. I hope so; I don’t see a clear reason why it would not, it is supposedly a fun game to play. What I do know, as I keep saying, is that WAR needs money and it needs a way to attract new players. This is a chance for both of those to finally happen. Anyways, I shall cut short my rambling as after the event where myself and other bloggers were first shown Wrath of Heroes, I sent in a few questions to Mythic to clarify things. Which I can now share with you:
Q) Am I right in thinking that it’s always a 3 way fight?
A) You got it, every game is a fight between 3 teams.
Q) Can you do premade groups?
A) Absolutely, games are always more fun with friends!
Q) Does it have guilds and if so do our WAR guilds appear or be linked to those in the new game? That would be very cool…
A) Our extended social plans are still in development, but long term some form of guild/clan system isn’t out of the question. Honestly it’s unlikely that we’ll link guilds between WAR and WAR:P4F, they have very different requirements. However we are looking at other ways we can thank the WAR community.
Q) Are there any limitations on which characters can be on the same side, as per Warhammer’s racial stuff? I can totally understand if it’s not in a more light-hearted game like this of course, but people will want to know.
A) No restrictions at all! Games Workshop have been working closely with us on the project though so fear not for the fluff. The approach we’re taking is that of hobbyists playing side games with their minis. After all, why shouldn’t you organise a fight between the figures you worked so hard to collect? So all of WAR and Warhammer’s rich background is entirely untouched; WAR:P4F is all about having fun with some awesome looking Champions!
Q) I remember hearing that WAR subscribers will get in-game cash each month for it, but will it work in reverse so that people subscribing via the new game will get access to WAR, providing a population boost?
A) We’re still formulating exactly how the two games will interact, particularly as there is no subscription for WAR:P4F. Whether we offer in-game currency, items or whatever we’re always considering the impact on the WAR community.
Q) So am I right in thinking that you’re seeing this and WAR as a sort of combined product? With a relationship between the two where they promote growth in and help fund each other?
A) At Mythic there’s a lot of respect and appreciation for our live products. That’s ultimately part of why we’re making WAR:P4F in the first place. We want to continue development on the WAR game we all love without making changes that, while they’d make it more accessible to a wider audience, would damage the experience our community are dedicated to.
Q) What kinds of things are available for purchase with the in-game currency/cash shop/thing?
A) Tactical and cosmetic options, including Champions and alternate visuals, as well as accelerators if you just want to save some time. However we’re being very careful about not selling “power” that can’t also be earned, just more options for your toolbox.
Q) 30 characters were mentioned, but roughly how many are expected to launch with and is access to these limited in any way relation to subscription/paid for unlocks?
A) At the time of the blogger event we had just over 30 Champions. The number that we launch with will be considerably smaller than though as we want feedback from the WAR:P4F community to help set the direction from there. At any one time a few Champions will be available for use by everyone, with the other available Champions only usable if you’ve unlocked them.
Q) I heard something about advancement or progression in the new game, is that linked to the characters or the player?
A) All progression is associated with your meta-character (aka. You) as you’ll be switching Champions a fair bit while playing a single game.
Q) When is the beta testing likely to start?
A) As soon as we’re ready, which won’t be long after our official announcement. We want to get peoples’ hands on the game as soon as possible, we’re as eager to show it as you are to see it. Of course we still need to make sure we get all the balance and stress testing done too, but rest assured that it is coming.
Q) Is there any kind of ETA on when it would go live?
A) After the beta ends ;)
Kidding aside, we want to make sure we have a solid beta phase first, and that will dictate a lot about the final launch.
Q) What sort of plans are there for advertising? I know that's quite a big question, but it's quite a sensitive topic regarding WAR at the moment and the answer could go a long way towards promoting positivity within the WAR population.
A) If you wondering about TV ads or 50 foot billboards, those aren’t going to happen. There are plans, there are budgets, and there is a reality about hype. We want people playing WAR:P4F, and we want them playing soon, but we also want to control the flood as much as possible so we can gather real, usable feedback.
+++
Oh and here's the producer's letter to help ease any concerns about WAR
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, or as Mythic are shortening the name to: WAR:P4F. Though I think it will quickly be known as WoH… Or maybe WARWOH, or WOWOH.. lol I don’t know :P
The game takes the format of 6v6v6 scenario style combat where players take control of predefined hero style characters from the Warhammer universe and kick the crap out of each other. These characters have 5 abilities each and do not progress like in WAR or other traditional MMORPGS (though I believe there are others forms of advancement for players) this has allowed Mythic to get the game balanced a lot easier and is reminiscent of the other F2P game in that respect, League of Legends for example. Mythic at present have around 30 different characters with some types familiar to WAR players, but a whole load of others including things like Vampires, Trolls and much more. These are not generic classes, but specific special character style named heroes with different abilities and themes.
I was told at the blogger event that subscribers to WAR will get some kind of rewards each month for the new Wrath of Heroes game, so a WAR sub will actually effect both games. Presumably there is also hope that people who play the F2P game might choose to subscribe to WAR to get those benefits. It seems then that Mythic have a chance here to create a symbiotic relationship between the two games, with revenue and development from Wrath of Heroes potentially aiding WAR and ensuring its future. It is also (again) potentially a massive source of new players for WAR. F2P games are unbelievably huge these days and with the Warhammer IP, this new game could draw in monstrous amounts of players. If only a tiny percentage of them start subscribing and/or using the cash shop, then it should have a dramatic impact on WAR’s population and finances. It’s a very interesting concept as unlike other F2P games, subscribing to WAR will give you benefits in the new F2P game as well as access to a separate, full on MMORPG, which I don’t think anyone else has done before. That could be quite an appealing concept to players looking for a new game. And more than anything that’s what WAR needs, players and money, so it’s worth a shot.
So as you can see, when I said Mythic had something significant coming, I wasn’t joking. However, I also said I was not that excited and I’m still not. This new game was not something I had even considered, it’s not something I had ever thought about wanting and of course I would rather have masses of new things to do in WAR itself. Yet the reality of the situation is WAR needs new players and more money if it is to have a chance of adding the things that myself and others want to see. If Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is a success then in theory WAR will get those things, so I can understand why Mythic have come up with this idea, it is potentially a massive result for them, but potential has to be realised and so far WAR has not done so well on that front... WAR players will want to quickly see assurances (by actions) that their game has not been sidelined.
I did of course raise that with Mythic when first shown the new game. Interestingly it was explained to me at the time that this was already starting to happen, as things designed for Wrath of Heroes can be ported straight into WAR. For example the development for the 30+ heroes has meant they now have models, animations and spell effects available for a wide range of new things. These can potentially be used in WAR for all sorts of stuff… New armour sets are already confirmed. But really it’s far too soon and we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves and hype something based on speculation. At least we can finally be a bit hopeful as they now have assets available that they didn’t before and a genuine chance to gain more, which is surely no bad thing.
Will people drop WAR and just play the new F2P game? Possibly, but not if they like RvR and openworld combat, Wrath of Heroes is NOT a replacement for WAR. Mind you, it might take away those that are primarily scenario players. Will people rage and declare it a terrible idea? Definitely, but at the same time some will think it a brilliant way of increasing income without making WAR into a pay to win game. Only time will tell who is right.
Do I think it will work? I honestly don’t know. I hope so; I don’t see a clear reason why it would not, it is supposedly a fun game to play. What I do know, as I keep saying, is that WAR needs money and it needs a way to attract new players. This is a chance for both of those to finally happen. Anyways, I shall cut short my rambling as after the event where myself and other bloggers were first shown Wrath of Heroes, I sent in a few questions to Mythic to clarify things. Which I can now share with you:
Q) Am I right in thinking that it’s always a 3 way fight?
A) You got it, every game is a fight between 3 teams.
Q) Can you do premade groups?
A) Absolutely, games are always more fun with friends!
Q) Does it have guilds and if so do our WAR guilds appear or be linked to those in the new game? That would be very cool…
A) Our extended social plans are still in development, but long term some form of guild/clan system isn’t out of the question. Honestly it’s unlikely that we’ll link guilds between WAR and WAR:P4F, they have very different requirements. However we are looking at other ways we can thank the WAR community.
Q) Are there any limitations on which characters can be on the same side, as per Warhammer’s racial stuff? I can totally understand if it’s not in a more light-hearted game like this of course, but people will want to know.
A) No restrictions at all! Games Workshop have been working closely with us on the project though so fear not for the fluff. The approach we’re taking is that of hobbyists playing side games with their minis. After all, why shouldn’t you organise a fight between the figures you worked so hard to collect? So all of WAR and Warhammer’s rich background is entirely untouched; WAR:P4F is all about having fun with some awesome looking Champions!
Q) I remember hearing that WAR subscribers will get in-game cash each month for it, but will it work in reverse so that people subscribing via the new game will get access to WAR, providing a population boost?
A) We’re still formulating exactly how the two games will interact, particularly as there is no subscription for WAR:P4F. Whether we offer in-game currency, items or whatever we’re always considering the impact on the WAR community.
Q) So am I right in thinking that you’re seeing this and WAR as a sort of combined product? With a relationship between the two where they promote growth in and help fund each other?
A) At Mythic there’s a lot of respect and appreciation for our live products. That’s ultimately part of why we’re making WAR:P4F in the first place. We want to continue development on the WAR game we all love without making changes that, while they’d make it more accessible to a wider audience, would damage the experience our community are dedicated to.
Q) What kinds of things are available for purchase with the in-game currency/cash shop/thing?
A) Tactical and cosmetic options, including Champions and alternate visuals, as well as accelerators if you just want to save some time. However we’re being very careful about not selling “power” that can’t also be earned, just more options for your toolbox.
Q) 30 characters were mentioned, but roughly how many are expected to launch with and is access to these limited in any way relation to subscription/paid for unlocks?
A) At the time of the blogger event we had just over 30 Champions. The number that we launch with will be considerably smaller than though as we want feedback from the WAR:P4F community to help set the direction from there. At any one time a few Champions will be available for use by everyone, with the other available Champions only usable if you’ve unlocked them.
Q) I heard something about advancement or progression in the new game, is that linked to the characters or the player?
A) All progression is associated with your meta-character (aka. You) as you’ll be switching Champions a fair bit while playing a single game.
Q) When is the beta testing likely to start?
A) As soon as we’re ready, which won’t be long after our official announcement. We want to get peoples’ hands on the game as soon as possible, we’re as eager to show it as you are to see it. Of course we still need to make sure we get all the balance and stress testing done too, but rest assured that it is coming.
Q) Is there any kind of ETA on when it would go live?
A) After the beta ends ;)
Kidding aside, we want to make sure we have a solid beta phase first, and that will dictate a lot about the final launch.
Q) What sort of plans are there for advertising? I know that's quite a big question, but it's quite a sensitive topic regarding WAR at the moment and the answer could go a long way towards promoting positivity within the WAR population.
A) If you wondering about TV ads or 50 foot billboards, those aren’t going to happen. There are plans, there are budgets, and there is a reality about hype. We want people playing WAR:P4F, and we want them playing soon, but we also want to control the flood as much as possible so we can gather real, usable feedback.
+++
Oh and here's the producer's letter to help ease any concerns about WAR
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes
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About Me
- Bootae
- Half man half pixel. Music obsessive, likes a drink, occasional bastard.