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.