Hamster Overload

Now I don’t know if War is gaining subscriptions or whether it is down to server consolidation. But the amount of players running round in tier 4 on Karak Azgul is getting a little crazy. When I logged in Thursday night both sides population were high.

Large scale RvR can be fun and epic feeling, but the hamsters keeping the servers rolling make some awful creaking noises. (Just in case you didn’t know the European servers are powered by hamsters in wheels.)

I have posted before about splitting up the zerg, here which might take a little effort. But maybe they could introduce some mechanism for double capping. If two battle objectives or both keeps get capped within a described time of each other you get an extra renown bonus. This would need organization on the region scale, but could also break up multiple war bands.

Forged by Chaos

So I have just finished reading ‘Forged by Chaos’. It has been my favourite out of the 3 Warhammer Online novels. Even though the first book called ‘Empire in Chaos’, did entice me to roll a warrior priest.

The book follows the tales of the 3 destruction sides from Warhammer Online in their quest to retrieve the Spear of Myrmidia and that’s about it. The book is basically a dungeon crawl with a little bit of characterization. I wouldn’t be put off by this though, as we are here for the combat and insight into destructions point of view.

Chaos and the Dark Elves are represented reasonably well. The two main characters in the book Kormak a marauder and Beblieth a witch elf have consistent stereotypical storey lines and managed to build a hate, hate relationship.

What shines throughout the novel are the green skins, I looked forward to any time they appeared in the book. They also have some of the best lines in the book such as ‘It was up to him then, one black orc against a few hundred humans and their elf sorcerer. Gorgut considered it fair odds. Gorgut also had a hard time understanding numbers bigger than twenty.’

The combat is fast paced and flows well with loads of enemies and blood with lots of enemies from Bastion Stair such as Thar'lgnan and Lord Slaurith. If I had a complaint about the book it would be the amount of characters. As a reader I can not handle too many weird names thrown at me and I was glad as the numbers started to thin out.

If you have some spare toilet reading time, I’d definitely give this book a quick flick through.

Large Scale RvR

Werit posted the video on Friday, I just had to repost it because it shows the large scale RvR so well.

What is the goal of a premade scenario group?

I imagine the goals are varied from farming PUGS, fun, to the challenge of meeting a similar group. A lot of the premade groups you will meet will be bomb spec’ed. Are these groups just in it for the farming or are they just using the most effective tactic to win? What would happen if scenarios as well as the blind queues, offered group/war band listings? So you could put your group up and accept challenges from other groups.

Would the premade groups still choose to just farm the PUG’s or would you get teams playing against each other.

But does this stray away from the point of ‘War’ which is the RvR campaign? The scenarios would still contribute to campaign but could they also add more? Then again would this kind of e-sport help ‘War’ gain subscribers, and if it did would it ultimately spoil the campaign shifting focus away from oRvR. You could then see this e-sport vocal minority calling for changes to classes to support the smaller scale team based combat.

I know there are more questions than answers. But that’s what scenarios do to me…

I always envision the premade group as the elite champions of your army, but shouldn't’ they be out on the field of battle and if they are not what’s keeping them in the scenario and off the open field?

Am I examining scenario’s too closely, are they just meant for the occasional distraction? Or to hide from the zerg when you don’t have the numbers and again I have more questions…

Patch 1.3.4

So we have some details of the possible 1.3.4 patch here below are the snippets with some thoughts.

We will be introducing an entire new line of weapons earned via RvR (this is the "feature players have been asking for"). These weapons will be purchasable via a vendor and will not be bought using medallions or crests, instead utilizing an entirely new currency system earned via Scenario gameplay from tiers 1-4. More information about these new items and how they're earned will be forthcoming in a Dev Diary with Developer Sean Bosshardt.

I hope ‘entire new line’ also means new models as I would hate to see existing weapons with just new stats. My favourite part of ‘War’ is oRvR and I mainly do scenarios when there is none about while levelling. Then with my level 40 alt’s I play scenarios even less as generally PUGS and tier 4 scenarios equal little or no fun. But the introduction of RvR items for scenarios could mean my guild start to put together more premade groups and those equal lots of fun. Especially when you meet a similar pre made group.

We are completely reworking the current structure of Scenarios by removing some of the less popular and streamlining the tiering of Scenarios. There will be more details upcoming in a Dev Diary from Content/RvR Lead Mike Wyatt next month.

I don’t like the fact they are removing content as less choice is never a good idea. I’d prefer them to examine each scenario and try and improve them.

The last tidbit is a change to the way that the campaign functions. Starting with 1.3.4, once a Contested City flips into the Captured state (otherwise called "Stage 2") the Open RvR Campaign will now restart, leaving the realm sieging their enemies city with a tough decision: Stay in the city, possibly defeating your opponent's King, or retreat back to the open field to defend your realm?

I feel quite positive about the city siege changes and as it’s a pain standing round with no opposition waiting for the zones to unlock, so we can get back to oRvR. It also might help the under dog realm, while the dominating realm are still in the city maybe the other realm can get a head start and lock zones with less opposition.

Aldreter the Warrior Priest

It has been a little quiet in the guild of late so I thought I would see how the other half live so I have been playing a ‘Warrior Priest’ called ‘Aldreter’ on the European ‘Karak-Norn’ server. The ‘Warrior Priest’ is my favourite looking ‘Order’ class. I think it is the bulky armour and hammer.

I have not done much PvE except for the odd PQ so her level and renown rank are still the same. Returning to play ‘Nordenwatch’ with her has been fun. Usually when you get completely wiped at the ‘Fortress’ flag it is a forewarning to a scenario of pain. But I stuck with the group and we went to the ‘Barracks’ flag to try and cap that. There was me, a ‘Witch Hunter’ and an ‘Engineer’ and we managed to hold the flag for most of the scenario.

She is only level 12 so I am not sure if I’ll look for a guild yet but it would be good to see how people react to the ‘Destruction’ classes through guild chat and ‘Ventrilo’. As I said I have been mostly doing PvP but if you know of some good public quests or other PvE content I must see please point them out. It was weird seeing ‘Altdorf’ in the peaceful state as I am usually trying to kill people in the streets with my Choppa.

P-O-D-C-A-S-T

Just incase you have not come across this beauty check out ‘P-O-D-C-A-S-T’. It’s a ‘War’ blog with a difference, the difference being it is a series of video podcasts with some excellent information which is also entertaining. I would like to access it through ‘YouTube’, but then I suppose there would be no need for the site.

Splintered

Play time over the last week seems to be splintered and varied. Do you ever have one of those nights were you play about 3 alts and none of the time with them seems to stick. The scenario’s you enter are filled with bomb squads and all you have are pugs, and even half of them head for the exit once they see the guild names above the opposing team. So you try another alt but the zones have all been captured by your side.

Then you think of playing alts on another server and your enthusiasm wanes as what you really wanted to do was make progress with the first character you logged in that night.

Well that was me until we got a group together for ‘Land of the Dead’ and just started to farm experience. I have never seen my experience bar go up so fast, within about an hour I had gone up a level on my Shaman. I don’t do it very often but grinding mobs sometimes can be very relaxing. It’s like the Earl Grey tea of MMO’s predicable and relaxing. You can actual learn something about your character and have time to chat with guild members.

Freedom!

‘GOA’ has lost the ‘Dark Age of Camelot’ licence. I am not entirely sure if this is down to their management of DAoC but might be down to the fact the cost of having someone else run your game. As I imagine most distribution is done digitally and support might be much more cost effective when it is done in house. Obviously this is pure speculation.

I don’t imagine ‘War’ will follow suite anytime soon as the contract probably lasts more than just a year, but I would love to see ‘Mythic’ take the power back with ‘War’. Even if it meant getting the patches a week later I would much rather have the same forum and perks as the USA.

Hell I’d love ‘Mythic’ to completely take the power back and go solo from ‘Electronic Arts’ and have the power to say and release what they want. ‘Werit’ made a very insight tweet “I've never seen a MMO so afraid of itself as ‘WAR’ is”. A lot of the time you get the feeling from the staff that they want to howl from the hill tops what is coming up but a very tight leash seems to choke their voices.

Mythic the impossible, possible.

Around this time of year, blogs tend to come up with lists. Not wanting to be left out I thought I would come up with my own list with regards what I would like from Mythic. Now this list is purely selfish and completely unreasonable and in no way needs to benefit the wider player base or even attract other MMO players to the game.

An alternative mount

My Choppa is getting tired of looking cramped on a boar, and would love a different/bigger mount. For comedy value maybe a Troll gimp mount complete with Orange (fruit not the colour) mouth piece harness so my Orc can ride on his shoulders.

More siege weapons

I want to be able to climb on a catapult with a group of friends and be launched over a keep wall in oRvR. I want a slowly moving destroyable armoured siege tower to push up against a keep wall.

City siege scenarios

I’d like scenarios based on ‘Altdorf’ and ‘Inevitably City’ siege warfare, as an alternative to the instances. These scenarios need to be themed around the siege with capture the city entrance (flag) to hold off the invaders. Pollute the cities water (like the Serpent's Passage mechanic) by carrying the tainted water to a point on the map.

In game guild mail/forum

Able to send/receive mail from my guild as a group mail and have our own in game forum… While you’re at it… have it accessible through a browser as well.

War camp warfare

The ability to attack the opposing realms war camp and take out their flight masters for up to 2 of the 3 points in a single paring.

Fortresses back

I would love to see these back after the improvements they have made to performance.

Human Cloning

Mythic need to implement human cloning, so I can get to play some of my Order alts.

Siege defence with a difference

So what did everyone get for Christmas? Was it a ‘Millennium Falcon’? Well that was probably my favourite gift when I was a child.

I have not played much of ‘War’ over the holiday break as my wife got me ‘Dragon Age Origins’ as a gift. I like it, but it just feels like ‘Baldur's Gate’ with cut-scenes and without my cherished ‘DnD’. For me this does not bode well for ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ as I don’t really want the same MMO formula with voice-over’s and dialogue trees. If you can tell me a story through game play and quests instead of scripted dialogue and text it may win me over.

‘War’ could do this if they build on the public quest mechanic. I would love to see more of the ‘Land of the Dead’ public quests where the kill x defeat n are wrapped up in more unique events.

Back to ‘War’…so my first major play session was a city siege defence with a difference. Instead of queuing up for the instances a large contingent of destruction decide to defend the city gates on ‘Karak-Azgal’ lead by a rather famous server player called 'Nitro' who seems very apt at getting the masses to function through region chat. We managed to keep the gate up and even push order back on a number of occasions. It was a lot of fun.

Heartless_Gamer also made an interesting post about a ‘War’ prediction ‘Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will be sold or shut down by EA.’. I am not sure this will happen but the thought does not fill me with dread either. ‘War’ has a very solid base and anyone with money could easily use this to build a very successful game. I still don’t believe MMO’s are built in a year (after release) and take time to mature and grow to their full potential. ‘Electronic Arts’ just need to see this and not let ‘War’ fall by the waist side.