There is just so much I could be writing about WAR right now, yet despite having lots to say, there’s a bit of a problem… Over the years I’ve written a lot of posts about the things I see as WAR’s problems and how I think the game could be improved to the point that it starts reaching some of its potential. The problem is that everything I’ve said before still stands. Nothing has really changed and everything I’ve recommended before is just as relevant today. Everything that WAR needs is everything that I’ve been saying it needs for bloody ages, so what to do? Do I expand on those thoughts, repeating myself?
I can of course write about the good things that happen in WAR, but at the same time I don’t want to be over hyping what is an enjoyable, but deeply flawed game. Likewise, I don’t want to just write about the game’s problems, I want to be constructive and offer solutions. Those deep flaws are NOT beyond redemption. Though at the same time, to continue thinking and writing about how WAR could be moved forward, will mean all the while being stuck having to watch nothing or even the opposite happen. Which will be like banging my head against a brick wall.
I was talking to a friend the other day who quit WAR when RIFT came out and as of yet has not returned. He was saying how he’d like to play WAR again, but if he did return he’d be just fighting in exactly the same RvR lakes as he was at launch. No new zones have been added, in fact there’s not really any new content and as a result there’s nothing new to look at. Sure things have been tweaked, but nothing has actually been added, nothing has been expanded. Land of the Dead doesn’t count because of its gated entry and general irrelevance, and Skaven are such a half arsed implementation that they’re not interesting at all.
He went on to say it would be frustrating for him to return, seeing nothing but the same scenery as he did at launch, yet all the time knowing there are still huge masses of wasted landscape in the main zones (the majority of land in each zone in fact) and there’s even 4 entire Tier 4 zones that remain completely irrelevant and completely unused. Not adding new content is one thing, but wasting what you have got is unforgiveable. He then pointed out that this is all the same stuff I’ve been going on about for ages, but nothing changes. So he's staying in RIFT for now, they get new content all the time there.
And he would be right on all of that. We’ve had tweaks, lots of tweaks in fact, but nothing significant enough for an ex-WAR player to see and think “OMG! Now THAT is worth resubbing for!”. WAR fans can point at the city changes, renown levels and new armour, but we would be kidding ourselves. Nothing has ever appeared from Mythic that is bold or big enough to tempt people like him back. And he's not a MMO 1 month and leap type bloke, he stuck with WAR for 2 years, he's also far from unique, loads of people I talk to say the same things. Unfortunately the closest we’ve got to major improvements, new content and true expansion is just hot air in blog posts from the community. Thing is, we’re drying up, we’ve pretty much said it all. There’s not many bloggers writing regularly about WAR at all anymore and those that do are probably in a similar situation to me, pondering on if they should continue repeating themselves and smashing their face into Mythic’s wall of nowt.
couldn't agree more with what you said.
ReplyDeleteI think that just by opening up the t4 zones for full RvR would be a big enough change to bring some people back.
Sure, we'd be fighting in the same zones as before, but we'd have a tone more space to do it in, and we would actually be able to fight in places where we never did before (like the many ruins and mansions scattered around the PVE areas of Praag)
With the changes that Mythic made to the rank brackets for each Tier (being able to stay in T3 until 39) I actually got excited and started thinking that MAYBE that would be a first step into changing things in order to open up the T4 zones for RvR... I mean, with the way things are today, people mostly stick to T3 until reaching 40, and only then do they move to T4 (not everyone, but a big chunk of people do this), leaving the T4 PvE areas deserted.
Open up the T4 areas for full RvR action...
Leave the PQ's there so that people can still run them for loot, but with the clear and present danger of being jumped (after all, War is everywhere, or so does the intro say)
anyway, I was meaning to put all of this in a blog post, but you unknowingly hijacked it into a comment :P
cheers.
Total no brainer tbfh. All T4 zones full rvr with new BOs and new keeps all using the terrain already in place. Change that and its like a whole new game.
ReplyDeleteOrder is being quite cooperative with this as well. I am reminded of a keep take in Praag where they were following and ambushing us on our beloved "PvE route".
ReplyDeleteBut that's the only PvE place where that happens because it's the only PvE place where they know we have a reason to be.
Only thing that draws me in to WAR from rift atm is the RVR and GOOD scenario's with good players. for some reason i laugh WAY more when playing war then playing rift. would be sooo coool if some sort of new stuff would come out for war. i think i would leave rift for that t.b.h because the pvp in there is SOOO BAD!
ReplyDeleteSame boat as guy you mentioned. Would like to come back but refuse to pay $15/mo for the existing content after playing for 2 years. They either need to add quality new content, massive revamp, or drastically lower sub price for me to consider it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd like to see them make the pq & dungeon sets, as well as scenario weapons, purchasable with orvr currency. Then make some of the dungeons (p Gunbad and Bastion) Darkness falls like rvr flagged areas with increased rewards.
[shakrah]
ReplyDeleteWow, you did not mention Mourkain's Temple, the return of G-Crossing,... "this is not what you asked, but this is what you get"...
1.4 de facto reduced the played area from door keep to door keep in fact, until you get the shinies or are playing in a fotm roaming party, like me...(jk intended ;) ).
So many people are still re-gluing their jaw to their skull after 1.4 that it will take months to rekindle any type of belief, and it will start only with "physical" proof.
Minimal is zone refreshment. Opening the side pairings (TM, Praag for ex, Isle of Dead is a bit dull) as RvR zones does not seem the most difficult thing to do.
The core is there, people are in game, or waiting on the sidelines, so I really dont know what they have to lose.
Très bien, je suis français et je suis content que ton blog que je partage réanime l’esprit de war. Continue comme ça ( Blameche serveur Karka Norm)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I’m French and I am glad that I share your blog revives the spirit of war. like that ( Blameche serveur Karka Norm)
this 's my blog Fr http://www.warhammerflux.com/
It's impossible not to agree with your post. The lack of any new real content really sucks, you can't get away from that. The game was mis-managed from very early on and in some ways is still trying to get to it's feet (which sounds crazy but I believe it's true). I think an identity crisis plagued WAR for a long time (it's hard to be a great PvE and PvP game).
ReplyDeleteI believe that the reason the game is still going (strong) and still loved by lots and lots of people (ignoring the Warhammer IP) is that since LotD it's shifted it's focus to being completely a PvP game. With low development resource (since the Bioware merge and SWTOR) this is a wise move, as there isn't a serious competitor for a PvP MMO on the market (or on the horizon?). New content isn't as much of a priority as say a strictly PvE game (which is it's life-blood).
That said, the game cannot continue in it's current state forever. Even PvP players will reach their limit eventually.
The vast majority of the community is aware of the lack of development resource Mythic has for WAR these days. I think asking for stuff like a third faction is pie in the sky and will fall on deaf ears. Other ideas like expanding the T4 zones (while probably not as straight-forward as some people make out) seems attainable. I would be delighted to see WAR go down this route. As has already been mentioned, there is tons of brilliant terrain out there which would be great to fight amongst.
Are you listening Mr Casey?!?!? :D
We live in hope.
Give us some towers like in daoc instead of the flags that are BOs, and spread them out i the pve and pvp lakes
ReplyDelete