[WHO] Games Day Canada

[Kaylena]

As part of EA Mythic's marketing campaign for Warhammer Online : Age of Reckoning, 7 shows and conventions have been scheduled across the world for 2007. The latest was Games Day Canada located at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on May 5th.

For those behind on the upcoming early 2008 MMOG release, you can check out the basics here, in all of Paul Barnett's usual, insane style.

On the player front at Games Day Canada, was Nazgum from MMORPG.com, where he gave this review.

From his visit to the May 5th convention, he was able able to capture 7 hands-on videos of the developing progress of the game, listed here for convenience:

Black Orc, Gates of Ekrond

Black Orc, Murder Ball I

Black Orc, Murder Ball II

Squig Herder

Chaos Magus

Chaos Zealot

Empire Warrior Priest

You will have to visit Nazgum's blog to get an overview and description of what is happening in each video, but it's informative and well worth the trip.

The next show is Games Day Baltimore, scheduled on June 23, 2007 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD, USA. As happens at every show, free beta slots can be won by participating in the contests. Or you can just signup for the free Warhammer MMO Newsletter which will randomly draw a chance for you there. I believe they have also just begun a guild signup beta procedure.

More news and information is consolidated at MMORPG.com in the sticky.

Enjoy!

[Arrr]

are they still planning to have almost no substantive PVE (ie: loot) rewards whatsoever? What does Mythic have against PVE? I love the lore, and it's a tremendously rich world setting, but it just seems a waste to blow the proverbial IP wad on a game where I'm going to be killing "luvs2spooge" over and over again in a DAoC reskin/WoW BG hybrid.

[Draegan]

Fuck PVE give me some PVP and I'll buy it.

All those links are broken.

[chaos]

Originally Posted by Draegan

Fuck PVE give me some PVP and I'll buy it.

All those links are broken.

^ truth

I am so tired of carebear bullshit WoW PVP, yeah it passes the time and it can be fun, but you always feel like a second class citizen in WoW if PVP is your goal. I pray every night that this game is awesome.

[WillzZz]

^^ double truth

Too bad the system they're using looks like they didn't think it through.

"Oh! You can take over the enemy's town!"

"Cool! What then? Do they have to take it back from us?"

"Well, no. It resets automatically and then you get to do it again!"

"..."

Hope that system changes a little bit.

[TwiNCannoN]

Hard to see much. :/ looks a lot like WoW PVP with what I can see, but I haven't read up on the game enough to know what's different and what isn't.

f12 to fly = funny stuff.

[Draegan]

Originally Posted by WillTR

^^ double truth

Too bad the system they're using looks like they didn't think it through.

"Oh! You can take over the enemy's town!"

"Cool! What then? Do they have to take it back from us?"

"Well, no. It resets automatically and then you get to do it again!"

"..."

Hope that system changes a little bit.

The main goal of the game is PVP. It's not like if your side is losing you can go ahead and kill something else for loots or levels. You have to fight back. I'm pretty sure you can earn rewards for defense as well.

Barnett seems like a pretty savvy guy. I think he understands what makes a game work: Fun. Just like Blizzard original motto, "Does this feature make the game fun?", he has the same outlook. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to shill the game or become a fanboi, but his excitement and presentation are pretty infectious. Lets see if the devs and QA are at his level of commitment. The game has potential, but I have my doubts obviously. I'll hold any real opinion until I see a working version for myself.

Here's to my Beta App.

[Kaylena]

Originally Posted by Arrr

are they still planning to have almost no substantive PVE (ie: loot) rewards whatsoever? What does Mythic have against PVE? I love the lore, and it's a tremendously rich world setting, but it just seems a waste to blow the proverbial IP wad on a game where I'm going to be killing "luvs2spooge" over and over again in a DAoC reskin/WoW BG hybrid.

Good question on the loot in terms of epic-style drops if that's what you mean. A large amount of the content is still under wraps, but you can get a hint at some of the direction and objective from various sources.

I suppose your question is answered best at this time in the Overview:

For the first time, WAR's RvR system integrates both Player vs. Player (PvP) combat and Player vs. Environment (PvE) quests on the same map. Every aspect of the game, including PvE missions, is geared towards the greater war in some important way. However, players are not required to participate in PvP combat, and may aid in the RvR war effort and enjoy the game in its entirety via PvE content.

How this is played out exactly is a mystery at this point, but the claim does purport to contain fulfilling enjoyment entirely from PvE content. The game's theme is Realm vs. Realm. The difference in mechanics seems to be integrating an equally PvP and PvE playground to enjoy. General Manager, Mark Jacobs alludes to the push-back date to early 2008 from the Fall of 2007 as being due to development challenges. For instance, from this GameSpy Interview with Jacobs, he states:

Jacobs: The most challenging aspect of development has been the delivery of exciting quests that immerse you in the ongoing war efforts as well as designing, testing and balancing our "Careers." Over the years we have proven that we can create great and lasting Realm vs. Realm systems -- now we have to take both our RvR and PvE systems to the next level. That takes a lot of time, energy and focus to pull off.

[Zerai]

Let's just hope they actually pick one over the other. WoW couldn't decide and pays for it daily. Or make the choice to excell in one affect both positively.

[Kaylena]

Originally Posted by Draegan

All those links are broken.

Fixed.

[spentmotiff]

My biggest problem with the way WHO is being developed is that Mythic is building it so that most of the Pvp "points" you gain for your side are done in their instanced BGs. Don't get me wrong, I like WoW's BGs just fine but after running Arathi Basin 10 times in a row it gets....old. I would much rather have a quasi-Shadowbane/AoC approach where you actually build and fight over keeps and castles.

From what I've read, even sacking the city is done in an instance. Granted, once the city is sacked it bursts into flames, but it looks like the attack will be done in it's own instance.

I don't know, the gameplay and classes so far look fun but I just can't imagine running BG's over and over again and not getting bored of it eventually.

[CXB]

I think the game is going to be almost purely PvP, everything related to PvE seems to be mostly lip-service and not really amounting to anything. This is perfectly ok with me as after EQ and WoW, I've had more than enough of raiding.

From what I've read, it seems like theres world objectives in the game like terrokar's towers, epl towers, etc but the main stuff does appear to be instanced.

My biggest problem with the way WHO is being developed is that Mythic is building it so that most of the Pvp "points" you gain for your side are done in their instanced BGs. Don't get me wrong, I like WoW's BGs just fine but after running Arathi Basin 10 times in a row it gets....old.

yeah, I agree but there's supposed to be way more than 3 'bgs' so if there is enough options I'm hoping it doesn't get old fast as WoW would be pretty dumb if all you ever did was BG.

[Mist]

If the game is all about instanced PvP it will not draw enough people from WoW to be successful.

[chaos]

It depends on how the instancing is done.

[Itzena]

Originally Posted by WillTR

^^ double truth

Too bad the system they're using looks like they didn't think it through.

"Oh! You can take over the enemy's town!"

"Cool! What then? Do they have to take it back from us?"

"Well, no. It resets automatically and then you get to do it again!"

"..."

Hope that system changes a little bit.

What, you want the Alliance Order to control all the towns all the time?