Friday, August 15, 2008
Downloading Warhammer Beta this weekend
So my boss gave me his spare Open beta key so I'm gonna download the game this weekend since open beta downloads start today. Once the Open beta starts up I'll pop in from time to time. Sadly, (or fortunately) my free time is very limited soooo probably wont really go through and burn myself out on the first 15 or 30 levels before the game even releases. Most likely I'll just get a good taste for the newbie zones and couple of the classes. Should be fun. I'm not delighted that it takes up 15 gb of hard drive.. that tells me its gonna be hard to make space on my laptop (my main development pc), though my desk top had a gazillion of the gigabyte thingies. (Not to mention the download is gonna take a whole day)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
More from Jeff Steefel
Here's some more info on the classes and things we can expect in Moria. They both sound kinda innovative so I'm actually a bit interested to play them. Not your ho-hum MMO classes at all.
(Start quote)
Of course, Steefel and company will be pushing the boundaries of Session Play and Live Events much further in Moria. It was still too early for him to speculate on a release date, but he did have a lot to say about the new classes that will debut in Moria, the Runekeeper and the Warden. Both will introduce entirely new gameplay mechanics to LotRO's class roster and offer a "snappier" and more immediate feel.
The Runekeeper will be the first magic-using class in LotRO - "in and of itself a breath of relief for many players who were wanting that kind of unabashed magic in the game, and a cause for stomach churning for people who are really into the lore that think we're going to suddenly turn it into flying wizards and stuff like that," Steefel said. But more interesting is a new "attunement" mechanic that will allow Runekeepers the flexibility to switch between fully offensive and defensive rules, even within the same encounter. More succinctly put, "the Runekeeper is really interesting because it is a gameplay that can be tuned in real time."
Most hybrid classes encourage players to specialize in either damage-dealing or healing through their choices in gear and talents. But the Runekeeper's "specialty" will depend on the player's choice of spells during an encounter. Choosing damage dealing spells will increase the power of subsequent offensive spells and limit the effectiveness of healing spells, and vice versa. Out of combat, the Runekeeper goes back to a sort of "hybrid equilibrium" where both schools are available. Steefel elaborated, "you have an actual 'attunement bar' that's a special part of your UI that allows you to manage this balance between one side and the other - almost a yin and a yang - and you can't do both at once." This ability to slowly transition between roles should make for some interesting raid encounters in Moria.
The other class that Moria will introduce, the Warden, employs a combo system similar to the Fellowship Maneuvers that groups of players can activate mid-fight. By stringing together a group of abilities, the Warden will have access to special "macro" skills. Like the Runekeeper, the Warden's role incorporates elements of more pure offensive and defensive classes. "The way that Cardell Kerr, our Creative Director, likes to describe him is that he's like the local beat cop of Middle earth ... he has this kind of utility about him," Steefel said.
Finally, Steefel talked about one of the major changes Turbine is making to LotRO's Trait system. In it's current form it offers players a ton of flexibility, but the developers were concerned that the game lacked clear upgrade paths for players to follow if they wanted to pursue a certain specialty. In Moria, Turbine will be adding a mechanic called "Trait Sets" which will allow players to gain additional bonuses by pursuing a specific upgrade path. "They're class based, and depending on your class, you'll have different sets available to you, and by getting certain traits and equipping them properly, you get to this complete set, and that gives you a set of macro bonuses and extra stats," Steefel said. It's another way for players to maximize their characters' abilities, and another reason to look forward to entering the Mines of Moria.
(Start quote)
Of course, Steefel and company will be pushing the boundaries of Session Play and Live Events much further in Moria. It was still too early for him to speculate on a release date, but he did have a lot to say about the new classes that will debut in Moria, the Runekeeper and the Warden. Both will introduce entirely new gameplay mechanics to LotRO's class roster and offer a "snappier" and more immediate feel.
The Runekeeper will be the first magic-using class in LotRO - "in and of itself a breath of relief for many players who were wanting that kind of unabashed magic in the game, and a cause for stomach churning for people who are really into the lore that think we're going to suddenly turn it into flying wizards and stuff like that," Steefel said. But more interesting is a new "attunement" mechanic that will allow Runekeepers the flexibility to switch between fully offensive and defensive rules, even within the same encounter. More succinctly put, "the Runekeeper is really interesting because it is a gameplay that can be tuned in real time."
Most hybrid classes encourage players to specialize in either damage-dealing or healing through their choices in gear and talents. But the Runekeeper's "specialty" will depend on the player's choice of spells during an encounter. Choosing damage dealing spells will increase the power of subsequent offensive spells and limit the effectiveness of healing spells, and vice versa. Out of combat, the Runekeeper goes back to a sort of "hybrid equilibrium" where both schools are available. Steefel elaborated, "you have an actual 'attunement bar' that's a special part of your UI that allows you to manage this balance between one side and the other - almost a yin and a yang - and you can't do both at once." This ability to slowly transition between roles should make for some interesting raid encounters in Moria.
The other class that Moria will introduce, the Warden, employs a combo system similar to the Fellowship Maneuvers that groups of players can activate mid-fight. By stringing together a group of abilities, the Warden will have access to special "macro" skills. Like the Runekeeper, the Warden's role incorporates elements of more pure offensive and defensive classes. "The way that Cardell Kerr, our Creative Director, likes to describe him is that he's like the local beat cop of Middle earth ... he has this kind of utility about him," Steefel said.
Finally, Steefel talked about one of the major changes Turbine is making to LotRO's Trait system. In it's current form it offers players a ton of flexibility, but the developers were concerned that the game lacked clear upgrade paths for players to follow if they wanted to pursue a certain specialty. In Moria, Turbine will be adding a mechanic called "Trait Sets" which will allow players to gain additional bonuses by pursuing a specific upgrade path. "They're class based, and depending on your class, you'll have different sets available to you, and by getting certain traits and equipping them properly, you get to this complete set, and that gives you a set of macro bonuses and extra stats," Steefel said. It's another way for players to maximize their characters' abilities, and another reason to look forward to entering the Mines of Moria.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Trogadogador!!! And the dragon comes in the Niiiight!
Strong Bad is at large and in charge on the Wii. However you can also get a pc version of the game if you want that instead and hate Nintendo. Sounds like a win win to me. I may get the pc version instead just cuz Nintendo doesn't allow me to store much crap on my Wii cuz they are a bunch of 'out of touch' type peoples.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
4 WAR NOOBS
Here's a link for the lore behind WAR if your a NOOB like me, you might also check out this link on greenskins by da Greenskin. He did a pretty good job. :)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
WAR's Looong term impact (also speculative)
WAR will change a number of things I hope. It will change the boring, closed minded corporate idea that only pve based MMO's can make money. It will also change the way people perceive what pvp can mean and open world pvp can mean to some extent since most people didn't really play DAoC who play MMO's currently. It will possibly force Blizzard to innovate or just steal some more ideas. It will possibly force Turbine to innovate more or start a sad decline. It will be on every kid, teenager, young adult and older adults' pc for this year and so on until it peters out. They will hopefully come up with a console version with voice chat for the Xbox, the most online game friendly platform out. WAR will eventually get directX10 and become a contender in graphics with the big boys and probably even upgrade to directX11 when that comes out. WAR will be fun. and it will have a fresh world, and lots of races and classes, like Vanguard. Only more funner.
The Public quest system will be interesting and may have some long term ramifications on how things work in future MMO's it may even become a standard, just as traits have become a part of Warhammer's Book of Knowledge or whatever its called. Open dungeons may also work well, we'll see.
p.s. I'm not trying to be a fanboy or too negative or too positive, just trying to realistic.
The Public quest system will be interesting and may have some long term ramifications on how things work in future MMO's it may even become a standard, just as traits have become a part of Warhammer's Book of Knowledge or whatever its called. Open dungeons may also work well, we'll see.
p.s. I'm not trying to be a fanboy or too negative or too positive, just trying to realistic.
WAR's impact (speculative of course)
So.... this is hard to quantify but since I'm putting on my speculation hat here.. What will WAR's impact be? I can tell you right now I am pretty sure of a few things:
1. Most MMO players will waste/spend 50 bucks (or more... see CE)
and buy it and try it. Their friends will coerce them to do so.
2. Some people will love it. Absolutely love it. Those who missed what DAoC used to be before Trials of Atlantis will have a new DAoC with shinier graphics and smoother game play and maybe some other fun things like Public quests and stuff. These people will stay in WAR for a long time.
3. Some people will try it as their first MMO ever. These people will adore it cuz they aren't comparing it to anything else. Bully for them.
4. Some people will jump from WoW being their first game to WAR, lets break these people into at least 4 camps, shall we?
4.1: Explorers&Socializers (i.e. me and Anton) These people will play WAR until they explore it to their satisfaction and then if they find a guild they like they'll stay, otherwise their guild may pull them back to wow or whatever.
4.2: Stealth Gankers (0.5 of the rogue/burglar audience) These people as I understand it may or may not have a niche in WAR as its stealth ambush abilities in classes are non-existent for the most part, though they will still happen via mob ganking.
4.3: PVP action lovers (my brothers) These people might just get bored with war's "stand there and hit each other. Push buttons, rinse and repeat" method of pvp. They might want more visceral combat and go back to TF2 and Halo and whatever. Admitedly, WoW tried to be exciting but usually it was just .. oops I didnt hit the button faster than the other guy so now I'm dead. Oh well. Time to res.
4.4: Solo Players (every other hunter you ever met (jk)) Will roll through the levels of the game, whining that they have to be around other players in Public Quests who hamper their leet skillz. And then Bounce from the game when they get tired of repeatable quests or whatever the grind is at the end. May participate in zerg and harassment pvp. (rvr)
5.Old Hands from games that have some things better, some things worse, like EVE, Lotro, Wizards 101 whatever. These people will incessantly compare WAR to their old game. The WoW people will also do this a little but WAR will be WoW with RVR added so the cant complain too much. The Lotro and EVE people will complain they are taking a hit to graphics cuz WAR doesn't support directx10 or whatnot. (yet) The Wizards 101 people who are smart like Tipa will complain that WAR has level restrictions and wont let you play with your friends easily. The COH people will have a similar complaint with its lack of side kicking.
6. Some people will churn through the content so fast it make your eyes bleed and will be tired of the city sieges before they even get good (balanced sides and balanced programming from Mythic). These people will only stay a bit longer whining for more content and then only if they have a good group of friends around. Eventually they will get tired of the same old thing in RVR and leave.
7. Some people will take forever to get anywhere but will savor every bit of it. They will leave no stone unturned and will play every part of the game their very limited gaming schedule allows. This may or may not be a large percentage of the game depending on how it is designed and if it is really aimed at a mass market. 1 and a half hours for a dungeon will seem a bit steep to these people but they may still be able to to do it on Saturdays or whatever.
8. Some people will not use their imaginations and will see nothing more than pixels and a money trap especially with no lifetime subs. Many wives and gf's and also parents (my dad) will fall into this category. They will not like WAR.. not at all.
9. WAR will become the next big thing since people are burned out on WoW and EQ2 and Lotro and everything else. But it will only be the next big thing for just a couple years then taper off as something else walks into the limelight. And when I say next big thing I mean it wont flop like Conan or whatnot. I can alreayd guage from the hype and expectations of all my old friends in wow that they are gonna leave wow cold turkey for a while and play WAR until they are sick of it. And just about everyone I talked to in WoW 2 years ago felt this way so I'm pretty sure their feelign have only increased by now. WoW is gonna take a real hit and WAR is gonna take a net gain. Whoop-dee-doo. :P How long they stay will depend on how exciting and fun WAR really is.
10. Let me know if you think of more.
1. Most MMO players will waste/spend 50 bucks (or more... see CE)
and buy it and try it. Their friends will coerce them to do so.
2. Some people will love it. Absolutely love it. Those who missed what DAoC used to be before Trials of Atlantis will have a new DAoC with shinier graphics and smoother game play and maybe some other fun things like Public quests and stuff. These people will stay in WAR for a long time.
3. Some people will try it as their first MMO ever. These people will adore it cuz they aren't comparing it to anything else. Bully for them.
4. Some people will jump from WoW being their first game to WAR, lets break these people into at least 4 camps, shall we?
4.1: Explorers&Socializers (i.e. me and Anton) These people will play WAR until they explore it to their satisfaction and then if they find a guild they like they'll stay, otherwise their guild may pull them back to wow or whatever.
4.2: Stealth Gankers (0.5 of the rogue/burglar audience) These people as I understand it may or may not have a niche in WAR as its stealth ambush abilities in classes are non-existent for the most part, though they will still happen via mob ganking.
4.3: PVP action lovers (my brothers) These people might just get bored with war's "stand there and hit each other. Push buttons, rinse and repeat" method of pvp. They might want more visceral combat and go back to TF2 and Halo and whatever. Admitedly, WoW tried to be exciting but usually it was just .. oops I didnt hit the button faster than the other guy so now I'm dead. Oh well. Time to res.
4.4: Solo Players (every other hunter you ever met (jk)) Will roll through the levels of the game, whining that they have to be around other players in Public Quests who hamper their leet skillz. And then Bounce from the game when they get tired of repeatable quests or whatever the grind is at the end. May participate in zerg and harassment pvp. (rvr)
5.Old Hands from games that have some things better, some things worse, like EVE, Lotro, Wizards 101 whatever. These people will incessantly compare WAR to their old game. The WoW people will also do this a little but WAR will be WoW with RVR added so the cant complain too much. The Lotro and EVE people will complain they are taking a hit to graphics cuz WAR doesn't support directx10 or whatnot. (yet) The Wizards 101 people who are smart like Tipa will complain that WAR has level restrictions and wont let you play with your friends easily. The COH people will have a similar complaint with its lack of side kicking.
6. Some people will churn through the content so fast it make your eyes bleed and will be tired of the city sieges before they even get good (balanced sides and balanced programming from Mythic). These people will only stay a bit longer whining for more content and then only if they have a good group of friends around. Eventually they will get tired of the same old thing in RVR and leave.
7. Some people will take forever to get anywhere but will savor every bit of it. They will leave no stone unturned and will play every part of the game their very limited gaming schedule allows. This may or may not be a large percentage of the game depending on how it is designed and if it is really aimed at a mass market. 1 and a half hours for a dungeon will seem a bit steep to these people but they may still be able to to do it on Saturdays or whatever.
8. Some people will not use their imaginations and will see nothing more than pixels and a money trap especially with no lifetime subs. Many wives and gf's and also parents (my dad) will fall into this category. They will not like WAR.. not at all.
9. WAR will become the next big thing since people are burned out on WoW and EQ2 and Lotro and everything else. But it will only be the next big thing for just a couple years then taper off as something else walks into the limelight. And when I say next big thing I mean it wont flop like Conan or whatnot. I can alreayd guage from the hype and expectations of all my old friends in wow that they are gonna leave wow cold turkey for a while and play WAR until they are sick of it. And just about everyone I talked to in WoW 2 years ago felt this way so I'm pretty sure their feelign have only increased by now. WoW is gonna take a real hit and WAR is gonna take a net gain. Whoop-dee-doo. :P How long they stay will depend on how exciting and fun WAR really is.
10. Let me know if you think of more.
Monday, August 4, 2008
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