August 26th, 2008
After waiting for almost 2 years, I finally got to play a beta version of Warhammer Online this past weekend. I got the chance to try out the Dwarf Engineer and Rune Priest. My buddies tried the Bright Wizard, Shadow Warrior, Witch Hunter, and Swordmaster. We, unfortunately, got limited experience with Destruction.
I have to say that I’m on the fence on this game now. I probably buy the game when it releases on Sept. 18 just because I would like to see the retail version of the game and because I’m bored. I’m not saying that the game was bad or anything. I’m just saying that the game currently has issues that should not be there when the game launches…which is like 3 weeks…
Cons:
Let’s start of the bad stuff to get that out of the way. I stated it before and can confirm it now that Warhammer Online seems rushed. I’m sure big bad EA is cracking the whips overtime on Mythic as Wraith of the Lich King is nearly completion, big if here. I understand from a financial standpoint that EA has to get this game out of the door soon and begin getting a player base before WotLK seduces the weary WoW players of the last few years, which includes me. Once the players pay for and get started with WotLK, they might not even glance back at Warhammer Online for months, if ever again.
That said, I felt the game feels very sluggish and unresponsive compare to the smooth and fluid combat of World of Warcraft. Then add this to that fact that mobs seems to have path issues getting to the player as time when engaged at ranged seems ripe for exploits make combat not too exciting. Heck, one of my buddies could not get pass the sluggish combat for 10 minutes before deciding to stop playing and return to WoW. Of course, I know that a minor part of the problem has to do with the fact that my computer is old…and probably dying…but some friends with decent computers mention the same thing. This needs to be fix ASAP!!! Mythic needs to seriously refine their code. No MMO launches perfectly and finished, but they have to at least make the first few months fun and playable.
Second concern is about server populations. We choose a low population server, about 1,500 during peak hours, for Preview Weekend because the original server we chose had queue, it was set at 2,100 players. Since Warhammer Online stresses Realm vs Realm, or RvR, server population is very important. I not too sure what they will set the final population cap per server when Warhammer launches but not finding enough players, on both sides, to do public quests, world RvR, and scenario RvR is a major problem. Many of the public quests were empty in Dwarf lands, in fact I barely saw anyone in Dwarf lands. Tier 2 RvR was no where in sight on my server. Would be nice to enjoy the local content without having to charter a flight to a popular area.
Pets are currently broken as well. Pathing issues…
Pros:
I think Warhammer Online has great potential to be a great game that can make some splashes to WoW’s MMO domination. I like how creative Warhammer Online is with handling quests. I thought the cannon quests at the early game really showed the player how creative this game can be. Mythic is able to add some first person shooter to a traditional MMO is quite refreshing. Of course, this first person perspective sets up siege weapons quite nicely in the world RvR and fort/castle sieges, which I never got to experience but I can imagine it would be a blast getting behind a siege weapon to hold off invaders.
One of the most creative quest in Warhammer Online has to be the Public Quests where anyone in the area can come join at any stage and work together to complete the group quest. Some of the Public Quests were well scripted and exciting to take part of. And if you successfully completed a Public Quest, everyone gets to roll for various bags containing loot. The system is created where the more you contributed overall, the more +bonus added to your rolls, thus giving you a higher chance of winning a bag. Of course, anyone has a chance to win a bag even if they just joined in on the quest but that’s what’s fun about it. Everyone has a chance to win something.
Another thing that I thought was great was the you can choose how you want to level your character. You can just grind as there are Kill Bounty NPCs that award you EXP for each specific mob you kill, simply quest, do Public Quests, and RvR. Warhammer Online is not the question of where to level but how to level, as you have so much choice to choose from.
I generally like the whole world PvP that was messing in World of Warcraft. I would like to help position a ram at a fort’s gates and pound it open while the enemy is pouring death around us, trying to drive us away. I got to experienced a limited version of this in the Tier 1 world RvR but I want to experience the fort and castle sieges. I was able to see the Tier 2 world RvR and it looks promising. I hope to experience this in the Open Beta coming Sept. 7.
Anyways, this is pretty much all I can think of right now. I just waiting the days till Open Beta starts and hopefully see improvements to the game. Open beta will probably be the version that they are mass producing and shipping out to stores. Of course, they will use the data collected from Open Beta to patch the game up when we actually install the retail in. But…all we can do is see how Mythic is able and quickly refine and fix things because this will the the bar they set for themselves in the minds of players for many months. I really hope Warhammer Online successes…if not…there’s always Diablo 3, I guess…hahaha.
Till then…I need a new computer. Time to do some component research to construct a $1000 computer for the time being. I don’t feel that shelling out $3000 for a computer like I used to do for the state of the art computer as it is worth it anymore, especially with the speed of computer evolution.
Posted in Warhammer Online | No Comments »
, despite having a decent launch, was launched without some end game stuff that was adveristed which got pretty boring for many quick players.
next month with missing classes from a few races, like the Dark Elves, Empire, Dwarfs, and Greenskins, makes me a little nervous about the condition of the game. I know they will add them in later, but there will be balancing issues when those classes do get introducted that will take months to years to solve.
