<!--QuoteBegin-Thansal+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thansal)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->REAL world PvP? PvP with a Goal? All classes viable in PvP? Collision detection between players? Public Quests (enter a zone and suddenly you are in the middle of a grand old battle with a bunch of players)? Tome of Knowledge? Dual Targeting (one friendly one enemy)? Quest hints on your map (seriously, I got this awesome map of awesome, yet all the quest givers can say is some vague crappy explanation of where I should be? Just circle the are on my map of awesome!)?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I'm now officially excited about this game just because of your post. I think I'll wait until it comes out to do any research though, to keep the game intensely fresh and new for myself until I experience it first hand.
<b>One question!</b> I know this sort of breaks the NDA, but...how does decorating yourself with the remains of fallen enemies work? I read it in PC Gamer a long time back and I've never forgotten about it, but I never actually see it mentioned anywhere else. C'mon, spill the beans. :| Can you? Hows it work? Is it awesome? Is there verity? Do you just "equip" a random skull/bone and then it appears somewhere on your person as a pre-designated object? Or can you place it yourself?
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
edited August 2008
heh
The deal with trophies is this: They are all specific rewards from various different things (PvE/RvR/Tome unlocks). You will have a max of about 5 trophies that you can display at one time, with something like 12 or 15 (IIRC) slots to place them in.
So, you have your giant collection of trophies, 5 displayable at one time, and 12 or so body slots to place them in.
So no, you don't get random drops from killing noobies, but if you go about killing 5K greenskins, you might get a tome unlock that gives you a new trophy that looks like a gobo head that you can then dangle from your belt/bandoleer/backpack/whatever.
And yah gem, I know you like your players to be purdy, thus you will not be playing a Dwarf. And I feel for you missing out on stomping mudholes in greenskins (god I am such a damn dwarf at heart).
Seriously, one of the Engie deployables is a Keg of Ale that regenerates AP for all your buddies around it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Note, none of what I have said breaks NDA as I know nothing that CAN break NDA, all my info comes from being a silly little fanboy, and thus much of it is subject to change (if it hasn't already).
Mark Jacobs has said that the NA and Oceanic Beta servers will hopefully be going up before mid week, and which point all the new beta testers (me included) will get a run at Tiers 1-3, while the old beta testers will be doing T4. (<a href="http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1066279&postcount=38" target="_blank">Horse's Mouth</a>) I suspect that when we get let in the NDA will drop, primarily as I don't think they expect 50K+ noobies to keep their damn mouths shut.
If you haven't signed an NDA, you can't break it. Simple as that. If somebody who is under an NDA passes you information that they're not supposed to give you and you then pass it on, they're breaking the NDA, not you.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1685713:date=Aug 11 2008, 08:07 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Aug 11 2008, 08:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685713"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If you haven't signed an NDA, you can't break it. Simple as that. If somebody who is under an NDA passes you information that they're not supposed to give you and you then pass it on, they're breaking the NDA, not you.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am under an NDA, however all the info I have given out is publicly available <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<!--quoteo(post=1685715:date=Aug 11 2008, 05:31 PM:name=Thansal)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thansal @ Aug 11 2008, 05:31 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685715"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I am under an NDA, however all the info I have given out is publicly available <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'd still be wary. Apparently if you get reported for even skirting the NDA, they can get your spot.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1685717:date=Aug 11 2008, 08:54 PM:name=Quaunaut)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Quaunaut @ Aug 11 2008, 08:54 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685717"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'd still be wary. Apparently if you get reported for even skirting the NDA, they can get your spot.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> yah, I know.
Thus why I am not talking about anything having to do with the Beta itself, simply stuff that is posted by the devs in various different locations <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<!--quoteo(post=1685719:date=Aug 11 2008, 06:57 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 11 2008, 06:57 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685719"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->WHY DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT THEIR BETA SLOT WHEN THEY ARE JUST GOING TO BUY THE GAME<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not to mention, I'm not completely sure I am anymore. I was, but certain events lately have made me skeptical.
<!--quoteo(post=1685719:date=Aug 12 2008, 03:57 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 12 2008, 03:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685719"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->WHY DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT THEIR BETA SLOT WHEN THEY ARE JUST GOING TO BUY THE GAME<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I'm pretty sure Gem just explained that. And for that matter, so did I.
<!--quoteo(post=1685532:date=Aug 9 2008, 01:08 AM:name=Quaunaut)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Quaunaut @ Aug 9 2008, 01:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1685532"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->LOL TWO YEAR OLD HAET LAWL
Tank and Healer classes have been fine in terms of solo content ever since BC. And now you can easily level from 0 to 70 as a Tank or Healer spec, even.
As to its likeness to WoW, I'll say what the previews have said: It learned from WoW.
In all honesty, as soon as NDA is down I'll give you all my opinion. I don't think its against the NDA to say that I am having a lot of fun.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Open beta is open beta, a seperate event that happens before head start. Once open beta ends, the slate is wiped clean. The characters created during head start are the first ones that will stay permanently.
I still have no idea what I'm going to play but the Magus tempts the heck out of me I have to admit. I'm naturally drawn to order over the darkness of destruction but I'll probably try this lot in beta to see where I stand: - Magus (Just said it a second ago =P ) - Shadow warriors (don't like that they have a 3 minute cooldown ability but outside of that they look interesting) - Archmage (Running about blatting DoTs on people AND I can heal? Fun!) - White Lion (No idea why, but I love polearms plus pets can be a good source of mischief =3 ) - Blade Masters (Don't usually play tanks but the agility and balance themes appeal) - Warrior Priest (I don't usually do blunt weapons but their armour looks nifty) - Witch Hunter (I'm worried these will basically be assassins but I love the hats!) - Engineer (this'll probably never get past character creation but who knows... maybe it's possible to make a pretty dwarf somehow? =o ) - Disciple of Khaine (The only dark elf who knows what clothes are, plus they're like Warrior Priests but with stabby things instead of Hammers!) - Chaos Chosen (Male only sadly, but I've always had this thing for 'living armour' style characters like Nightmare in Soul Calibur)
Soooo... out of 20 Classes I'm looking at 10 of them and not even all on the same side ~sigh~
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<!--quoteo(post=1686087:date=Aug 16 2008, 05:48 AM:name=Geminosity)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Geminosity @ Aug 16 2008, 05:48 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1686087"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I've got to say... I won't be playing one but the marauder class for chaos really does look amazing!
I still have no idea what I'm going to play but the Magus tempts the heck out of me I have to admit. I'm naturally drawn to order over the darkness of destruction but I'll probably try this lot in beta to see where I stand: - Magus (Just said it a second ago =P ) - Shadow warriors (don't like that they have a 3 minute cooldown ability but outside of that they look interesting) - Archmage (Running about blatting DoTs on people AND I can heal? Fun!) - White Lion (No idea why, but I love polearms plus pets can be a good source of mischief =3 ) - Blade Masters (Don't usually play tanks but the agility and balance themes appeal) - Warrior Priest (I don't usually do blunt weapons but their armour looks nifty) - Witch Hunter (I'm worried these will basically be assassins but I love the hats!) - Engineer (this'll probably never get past character creation but who knows... maybe it's possible to make a pretty dwarf somehow? =o ) - Disciple of Khaine (The only dark elf who knows what clothes are, plus they're like Warrior Priests but with stabby things instead of Hammers!) - Chaos Chosen (Male only sadly, but I've always had this thing for 'living armour' style characters like Nightmare in Soul Calibur)
Soooo... out of 20 Classes I'm looking at 10 of them and not even all on the same side ~sigh~
WHERE ARE YOU EU BETA???<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
Okay, NDA is up. Time to say my piece.
If I were going to rate it now(which is flawed at best, but I'm also giving it a bit. Its also not 'final' by any means), it would get a 7, close to an 8. Here is my biggest thoughts about it:
The systems in this game are ######ing fantastic. True innovations that change the entire way you play, making you WANT to be more social, even though you don't have to be, at all.
Here are the systems that really change things in my eyes(these influence gameplay, but are not gameplay themselves):
Public Quests: Its such a good idea it makes you wonder how the ###### it took so long, and implemented nearly perfectly. They estimate that there are ~300 of these public quests. Generally, they work like this: 3 phases. 1st phase is mostly solo stuff, really easy mobs, killing lots of them. Its easy to farm this for "Influence"(which I'll explain later), and tends to be the slowest phase, lasting between 3 minutes, to infinity(no time limit). 2nd Phase is generally things needing a group- either LOTS of the solo mobs that will swamp you, or much tougher enemies in general. Usually between 5-15 of these. Most of them can be done by 2 or 3 people, though. Then, Phase 3: Big ass boss. This requires working together- most of the bosses will slaughter anything that isn't a tank, and it'll still take a lot of healing on the tank. Its mostly a tank and spank, but a big group effort. If you did a lot of work(usually measured in actual damage done- this puts healers in a bad position at times. It tries to measure the healing, but doesn't seem to get it right.) At the end, a chest pops up, and if you won(Measured first by contribution, then a random roll between 1 and 1000. Its not just the top 3- it depends on how many interacted, and how long you've been there in general), you get a bag with loot custom tailored for your class. Then, after 3 minutes, it starts again! You don't have to be in a group to get credit, but it sometimes helps give you more(especially if you're a healer).
Open Parties: When you party up with folks, your party defaults to "Open". With this, anyone can click a small circle beneath their character pane to see your party(or any others in the area), and join it as they feel free. It tells them how many are in the party(and the maximum size), as well as what the party is for- Public Questing, RVR, or plain PvE. You can also close your party simply by right clicking on your portrait as a leader and selecting it.
I'll say more when I get more time. I know this is only one facet- but there is a lot to cover.
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
Okiedoke, flaws it is.
Personally, these are the instantly-coming-to-mind shortcomings: <ul><li>A complete lack of polish</li><li>Graphics settings haven't been turned on</li><li>Crafting is more than uninteresting, its little more than nonexistent</li><li>Gameplay feels sluggish</li></ul> I'll go down the list.
As for the lack of polish, its in an 'okay' midpoint: Not quite as horribly unpolished as Conan, but not even approaching what WOW was at when it released(let alone now). The UI has a lot of useless pieces of art, the ability icons aren't that easy to decipher from one another once relatively small(like WoW level), so you end up taking huge amounts of screen real estate with it, and even basic things, like moving around, mounting up, talking to NPCs, all sorta feel wonky and not-quite right.
As for the graphics settings, right now you have to select between high quality, high performance, or midway. Currently, we can't tell the difference, so we don't know what end of the spectrum were on- but I hope its the lower. I will say though, the shadows look pretty good(even on characters).
There are 4 crafting types- and I know of only 2 being worthwhile: Scavenging, and Butchering, but those are just the gatherer ones: Scavenging to gather from humanoid bodies, Butchering for beasts. Then there is Cultivation, and Apocethary. Neither of those are a viable option, but you don't make enough money without Scavenging(there aren't many beasts, so butchering isn't worth as much).
The last patch improved gameplay speed a lot, making it so animations play instantly when you use an ability, but the way the animations are designed is much slower than what you're playing- its not uncommon to only be 1/2 or less of the way through the animation when your global cooldown is up, allowing the next ability- then it just starts queuing animations. I was able to get about a 4 second lead on all my abilities last night because of this. Its not a deal breaker for me, but it is a part of that polish- but I wanted to note it because it is such a huge part of the experience.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
edited August 2008
I will touch a bit on the healers thing:
They are badass.
They also get rep (And I think inf) from healing, thus making a healer not 100% screwed in PQs.
I haven't gotten to play much yet (computer is sucking and I just moved and just got internets back).
I got to play my first PQ last night (did it 2 times, once I wandered in randomly the second time I stuck around till the new one started). I think that RDPS do far outclass every one else when it comes to getting credit for doing stuff (came in 1st place as a Sorc in the PQ, and 1st place as a lvl 20 sorc in a demo event a while back).
I am going to touch on the things that I like:
1) PQs/Scenarios/etc are all EASY to get into. PQs, you wander into the right area and you get a popup with your objectives and you go at it. Scenarios (Battlegrounds) can be gotten at from a button on your minimap, you just queue up from any where, and when it is ready you instantly port in and then port back to where you were when it is over.
2) The UI is really damn slick. Easy to screw with (any one that has used Bongos for WoW will know what it is like, you just enter UI editing mode and drag about all the windows to your heart's content). Dual targeting, letting you have a friendly and an enemy targeted at the same time is very nice. Arrows showing where your target it (Wish there was a range finder on it also, I expect to see that soon or as a UI mod).
3) Wide range of skills, lots of options.
4) Class mechanics are amazingly unique. Lots of the "cast to build up power then unleash", but in different flavors. A combo point like system. Pets are fun. 2 Static defense classes is kinda interesting.
What I am having issues with: 1) Skill spam. You will almost never auto attack, you will almost always be spamming skills, and there are a DAMN lot of them, so it can be a decently steep learning curve to a class itself. Now, lack of using auto attack isn't a bad thing per say, but it feels to far in the other direction. I will probably get used to it.
2) It is still buggy. AI movement isn't as nice and seamless as WoW, attacks are sorta clunky, the responsiveness is still a bit wanting (MUCH better then it was, and thus I have faith they will continue to improve it), I am still getting CTDs (but that might be my computer, which is horribly screwed up atm), and some other minor things. IT isn't nearly as bad as some other games I have played recently (AoC, and anything free), but it is a draw back.
3) Quaunaut mentioned somethign that sparked me as well. The UI for some of the classes sucks donkey balls. And the ui for some other classes is perfectly viable and good. I haven't found out how to keymap pet abilities (I haven't looked hard yet, but still) The combo system for the Witch elf is nice, but a raw number would be good (they have a 5 dot combo system that shows up as 5 spines on the bottom of your screen) The Sorc Dark Magic is annoying as hell because it is a friken gradual colour code to tell you how close you are to blowing your self up. (you can mouse over for a number). That being said, I think the UI is better then WoW's was at release, but much worse then it is now. I expect to see some serious moding going on there (And look forward to it)
Some interesting points: 1) Combat is slow, but furious? It is relatively hard to run out of energy (every one uses the same type of energy called action points) at low levels. Seriously, you can spam skills as fast as you can and it will take a LONG fight to drain you. The flipside is that there are few instant cast spells (at low levels), and movement is relatively slow. So there is now down time, even in large fights, people are constantly slinging stuff back and forth.
2) The low levels zones are going to suck at release, like worse then WoW could. Mobs will be camped to hell and back. Fast respawns, and relatively low kill request numbers makes it not that bad, but yah, launch is gona suck <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
3) Nuking your self as a Sorc is fun <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> (the system is that you build up darkmagic which powers up your crits, which also gives you a chance of backlash which blows you the hell up)
A recommendation? We've heard the good and the bad, but ultimately it is difficult for an outsider to weigh them up against each other and say "the end result is that it is worth playing/a waste of time." Would you recommend it to others? Will you still be playing after release?
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
edited August 2008
I will be playing it on release.
I think it is worth at least a month of play time, possibly more (I can't speak of end game content yet, so I don't REALLY know what it will be like).
I think that they will continue to add polish, thus making it WELL worth the play time.
Really, that is the only thing holding it back, it just isn't as polished as other MMOs I like (CoH/V, WoW), however it isn't as unpolished as most mmos are.
Ninja Edit: as an altaholic I will probably be playing this for a long time. The number of classes and the variety in them makes it worth it in my mind.
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<!--quoteo(post=1686288:date=Aug 20 2008, 06:17 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Aug 20 2008, 06:17 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1686288"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A recommendation? We've heard the good and the bad, but ultimately it is difficult for an outsider to weigh them up against each other and say "the end result is that it is worth playing/a waste of time." Would you recommend it to others? Will you still be playing after release?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not at release. They've gotten a ton done in just the last 2 months, so I think they can go a long way towards polishing it. I think in the long run, this is the first real competitor to WoW, because it doesn't actually compete with it- on a PVP front(I'll cover that soon), it completely obliterates it(whereas WoW is the place to go for raiding).
Honestly, my plan is to have both a WOW and Warhammer account. WoW for raiding/co-op, WAR for anything PVP. Well, depending on how good Lake Wintergrasp is in WOTLK. But I'd still recommend WAR, its tons of fun as is.
I won't be missing WoW's graphics. I never hated them, but I never particularly liked them, either. And I'm going to enjoy NOT having shoulderpads the size of truck tires.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1686300:date=Aug 20 2008, 11:43 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Aug 20 2008, 11:43 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1686300"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I won't be missing WoW's graphics. I never hated them, but I never particularly liked them, either. And I'm going to enjoy NOT having shoulderpads the size of truck tires.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> oh, you will still end up with that depending on class (don't play Chosen.)
I like the art for the game, it is similar to wow in that it is good because it is good art, not necessarily screaming edge technically, but good art.
It is a bit on the dull side colour pallet wise, but it isn't as bad as most games these days <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
however, yah I agree with Quaun.
There should be some major improvements with in the first few months, if there are not, then forget it.
It is at the point that I will be glad to play it, and the bugs will not bother me that much, but if there isn't more polish added relatively quickly, I will drop it.
So I haven't read much into this game, but I keep hearing it referred to as a spiritual DAOC2. If that's true then that is all I need to know. I loved RvR and every MMO I played since then I definitely missed it.
MonkfishSonic-boom-inducing buttcheeks of terrifying speed!Join Date: 2003-06-03Member: 16972Members
Every single screenshot i've seen of this looks like they just gutted WoW and put Warhammer in there instead. They could have at least put some effort into making the UI look a bit different from WoW.
Comments
I'm now officially excited about this game just because of your post. I think I'll wait until it comes out to do any research though, to keep the game intensely fresh and new for myself until I experience it first hand.
<b>One question!</b> I know this sort of breaks the NDA, but...how does decorating yourself with the remains of fallen enemies work? I read it in PC Gamer a long time back and I've never forgotten about it, but I never actually see it mentioned anywhere else. C'mon, spill the beans. :| Can you? Hows it work? Is it awesome? Is there verity? Do you just "equip" a random skull/bone and then it appears somewhere on your person as a pre-designated object? Or can you place it yourself?
I wanna play a dorf. :x
The deal with trophies is this:
They are all specific rewards from various different things (PvE/RvR/Tome unlocks).
You will have a max of about 5 trophies that you can display at one time, with something like 12 or 15 (IIRC) slots to place them in.
So, you have your giant collection of trophies, 5 displayable at one time, and 12 or so body slots to place them in.
So no, you don't get random drops from killing noobies, but if you go about killing 5K greenskins, you might get a tome unlock that gives you a new trophy that looks like a gobo head that you can then dangle from your belt/bandoleer/backpack/whatever.
And yah gem, I know you like your players to be purdy, thus you will not be playing a Dwarf. And I feel for you missing out on stomping mudholes in greenskins (god I am such a damn dwarf at heart).
Seriously, one of the Engie deployables is a Keg of Ale that regenerates AP for all your buddies around it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Note, none of what I have said breaks NDA as I know nothing that CAN break NDA, all my info comes from being a silly little fanboy, and thus much of it is subject to change (if it hasn't already).
Mark Jacobs has said that the NA and Oceanic Beta servers will hopefully be going up before mid week, and which point all the new beta testers (me included) will get a run at Tiers 1-3, while the old beta testers will be doing T4. (<a href="http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1066279&postcount=38" target="_blank">Horse's Mouth</a>) I suspect that when we get let in the NDA will drop, primarily as I don't think they expect 50K+ noobies to keep their damn mouths shut.
I am under an NDA, however all the info I have given out is publicly available <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I'd still be wary. Apparently if you get reported for even skirting the NDA, they can get your spot.
yah, I know.
Thus why I am not talking about anything having to do with the Beta itself, simply stuff that is posted by the devs in various different locations <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Not to mention, I'm not completely sure I am anymore. I was, but certain events lately have made me skeptical.
I'm pretty sure Gem just explained that. And for that matter, so did I.
Tank and Healer classes have been fine in terms of solo content ever since BC. And now you can easily level from 0 to 70 as a Tank or Healer spec, even.
As to its likeness to WoW, I'll say what the previews have said: It learned from WoW.
In all honesty, as soon as NDA is down I'll give you all my opinion. I don't think its against the NDA to say that I am having a lot of fun.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Reported.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
The pre-order keys have been activated, but apparently the open beta and/or head start (wtf is the difference?) haven't started.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
<a href="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2876/marauderscreenff6.jpg" target="_blank">http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2876/ma...erscreenff6.jpg</a>
I still have no idea what I'm going to play but the Magus tempts the heck out of me I have to admit.
I'm naturally drawn to order over the darkness of destruction but I'll probably try this lot in beta to see where I stand:
- Magus (Just said it a second ago =P )
- Shadow warriors (don't like that they have a 3 minute cooldown ability but outside of that they look interesting)
- Archmage (Running about blatting DoTs on people AND I can heal? Fun!)
- White Lion (No idea why, but I love polearms plus pets can be a good source of mischief =3 )
- Blade Masters (Don't usually play tanks but the agility and balance themes appeal)
- Warrior Priest (I don't usually do blunt weapons but their armour looks nifty)
- Witch Hunter (I'm worried these will basically be assassins but I love the hats!)
- Engineer (this'll probably never get past character creation but who knows... maybe it's possible to make a pretty dwarf somehow? =o )
- Disciple of Khaine (The only dark elf who knows what clothes are, plus they're like Warrior Priests but with stabby things instead of Hammers!)
- Chaos Chosen (Male only sadly, but I've always had this thing for 'living armour' style characters like Nightmare in Soul Calibur)
Soooo... out of 20 Classes I'm looking at 10 of them and not even all on the same side ~sigh~
WHERE ARE YOU EU BETA???
<a href="http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2876/marauderscreenff6.jpg" target="_blank">http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2876/ma...erscreenff6.jpg</a>
I still have no idea what I'm going to play but the Magus tempts the heck out of me I have to admit.
I'm naturally drawn to order over the darkness of destruction but I'll probably try this lot in beta to see where I stand:
- Magus (Just said it a second ago =P )
- Shadow warriors (don't like that they have a 3 minute cooldown ability but outside of that they look interesting)
- Archmage (Running about blatting DoTs on people AND I can heal? Fun!)
- White Lion (No idea why, but I love polearms plus pets can be a good source of mischief =3 )
- Blade Masters (Don't usually play tanks but the agility and balance themes appeal)
- Warrior Priest (I don't usually do blunt weapons but their armour looks nifty)
- Witch Hunter (I'm worried these will basically be assassins but I love the hats!)
- Engineer (this'll probably never get past character creation but who knows... maybe it's possible to make a pretty dwarf somehow? =o )
- Disciple of Khaine (The only dark elf who knows what clothes are, plus they're like Warrior Priests but with stabby things instead of Hammers!)
- Chaos Chosen (Male only sadly, but I've always had this thing for 'living armour' style characters like Nightmare in Soul Calibur)
Soooo... out of 20 Classes I'm looking at 10 of them and not even all on the same side ~sigh~
WHERE ARE YOU EU BETA???<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I enjoy my Warrior Priest.
If I were going to rate it now(which is flawed at best, but I'm also giving it a bit. Its also not 'final' by any means), it would get a 7, close to an 8. Here is my biggest thoughts about it:
The systems in this game are ######ing fantastic. True innovations that change the entire way you play, making you WANT to be more social, even though you don't have to be, at all.
Here are the systems that really change things in my eyes(these influence gameplay, but are not gameplay themselves):
Public Quests: Its such a good idea it makes you wonder how the ###### it took so long, and implemented nearly perfectly. They estimate that there are ~300 of these public quests. Generally, they work like this: 3 phases. 1st phase is mostly solo stuff, really easy mobs, killing lots of them. Its easy to farm this for "Influence"(which I'll explain later), and tends to be the slowest phase, lasting between 3 minutes, to infinity(no time limit). 2nd Phase is generally things needing a group- either LOTS of the solo mobs that will swamp you, or much tougher enemies in general. Usually between 5-15 of these. Most of them can be done by 2 or 3 people, though. Then, Phase 3: Big ass boss. This requires working together- most of the bosses will slaughter anything that isn't a tank, and it'll still take a lot of healing on the tank. Its mostly a tank and spank, but a big group effort. If you did a lot of work(usually measured in actual damage done- this puts healers in a bad position at times. It tries to measure the healing, but doesn't seem to get it right.) At the end, a chest pops up, and if you won(Measured first by contribution, then a random roll between 1 and 1000. Its not just the top 3- it depends on how many interacted, and how long you've been there in general), you get a bag with loot custom tailored for your class. Then, after 3 minutes, it starts again! You don't have to be in a group to get credit, but it sometimes helps give you more(especially if you're a healer).
Open Parties: When you party up with folks, your party defaults to "Open". With this, anyone can click a small circle beneath their character pane to see your party(or any others in the area), and join it as they feel free. It tells them how many are in the party(and the maximum size), as well as what the party is for- Public Questing, RVR, or plain PvE. You can also close your party simply by right clicking on your portrait as a leader and selecting it.
I'll say more when I get more time. I know this is only one facet- but there is a lot to cover.
Personally, these are the instantly-coming-to-mind shortcomings:
<ul><li>A complete lack of polish</li><li>Graphics settings haven't been turned on</li><li>Crafting is more than uninteresting, its little more than nonexistent</li><li>Gameplay feels sluggish</li></ul>
I'll go down the list.
As for the lack of polish, its in an 'okay' midpoint: Not quite as horribly unpolished as Conan, but not even approaching what WOW was at when it released(let alone now). The UI has a lot of useless pieces of art, the ability icons aren't that easy to decipher from one another once relatively small(like WoW level), so you end up taking huge amounts of screen real estate with it, and even basic things, like moving around, mounting up, talking to NPCs, all sorta feel wonky and not-quite right.
As for the graphics settings, right now you have to select between high quality, high performance, or midway. Currently, we can't tell the difference, so we don't know what end of the spectrum were on- but I hope its the lower. I will say though, the shadows look pretty good(even on characters).
There are 4 crafting types- and I know of only 2 being worthwhile: Scavenging, and Butchering, but those are just the gatherer ones: Scavenging to gather from humanoid bodies, Butchering for beasts. Then there is Cultivation, and Apocethary. Neither of those are a viable option, but you don't make enough money without Scavenging(there aren't many beasts, so butchering isn't worth as much).
The last patch improved gameplay speed a lot, making it so animations play instantly when you use an ability, but the way the animations are designed is much slower than what you're playing- its not uncommon to only be 1/2 or less of the way through the animation when your global cooldown is up, allowing the next ability- then it just starts queuing animations. I was able to get about a 4 second lead on all my abilities last night because of this. Its not a deal breaker for me, but it is a part of that polish- but I wanted to note it because it is such a huge part of the experience.
They are badass.
They also get rep (And I think inf) from healing, thus making a healer not 100% screwed in PQs.
I haven't gotten to play much yet (computer is sucking and I just moved and just got internets back).
I got to play my first PQ last night (did it 2 times, once I wandered in randomly the second time I stuck around till the new one started). I think that RDPS do far outclass every one else when it comes to getting credit for doing stuff (came in 1st place as a Sorc in the PQ, and 1st place as a lvl 20 sorc in a demo event a while back).
I am going to touch on the things that I like:
1) PQs/Scenarios/etc are all EASY to get into. PQs, you wander into the right area and you get a popup with your objectives and you go at it. Scenarios (Battlegrounds) can be gotten at from a button on your minimap, you just queue up from any where, and when it is ready you instantly port in and then port back to where you were when it is over.
2) The UI is really damn slick. Easy to screw with (any one that has used Bongos for WoW will know what it is like, you just enter UI editing mode and drag about all the windows to your heart's content). Dual targeting, letting you have a friendly and an enemy targeted at the same time is very nice. Arrows showing where your target it (Wish there was a range finder on it also, I expect to see that soon or as a UI mod).
3) Wide range of skills, lots of options.
4) Class mechanics are amazingly unique. Lots of the "cast to build up power then unleash", but in different flavors. A combo point like system. Pets are fun. 2 Static defense classes is kinda interesting.
What I am having issues with:
1) Skill spam. You will almost never auto attack, you will almost always be spamming skills, and there are a DAMN lot of them, so it can be a decently steep learning curve to a class itself. Now, lack of using auto attack isn't a bad thing per say, but it feels to far in the other direction. I will probably get used to it.
2) It is still buggy. AI movement isn't as nice and seamless as WoW, attacks are sorta clunky, the responsiveness is still a bit wanting (MUCH better then it was, and thus I have faith they will continue to improve it), I am still getting CTDs (but that might be my computer, which is horribly screwed up atm), and some other minor things. IT isn't nearly as bad as some other games I have played recently (AoC, and anything free), but it is a draw back.
3) Quaunaut mentioned somethign that sparked me as well. The UI for some of the classes sucks donkey balls. And the ui for some other classes is perfectly viable and good.
I haven't found out how to keymap pet abilities (I haven't looked hard yet, but still)
The combo system for the Witch elf is nice, but a raw number would be good (they have a 5 dot combo system that shows up as 5 spines on the bottom of your screen)
The Sorc Dark Magic is annoying as hell because it is a friken gradual colour code to tell you how close you are to blowing your self up. (you can mouse over for a number).
That being said, I think the UI is better then WoW's was at release, but much worse then it is now. I expect to see some serious moding going on there (And look forward to it)
Some interesting points:
1) Combat is slow, but furious?
It is relatively hard to run out of energy (every one uses the same type of energy called action points) at low levels. Seriously, you can spam skills as fast as you can and it will take a LONG fight to drain you. The flipside is that there are few instant cast spells (at low levels), and movement is relatively slow. So there is now down time, even in large fights, people are constantly slinging stuff back and forth.
2) The low levels zones are going to suck at release, like worse then WoW could. Mobs will be camped to hell and back. Fast respawns, and relatively low kill request numbers makes it not that bad, but yah, launch is gona suck <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
3) Nuking your self as a Sorc is fun <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" /> (the system is that you build up darkmagic which powers up your crits, which also gives you a chance of backlash which blows you the hell up)
People have specific questions?
I think it is worth at least a month of play time, possibly more (I can't speak of end game content yet, so I don't REALLY know what it will be like).
I think that they will continue to add polish, thus making it WELL worth the play time.
Really, that is the only thing holding it back, it just isn't as polished as other MMOs I like (CoH/V, WoW), however it isn't as unpolished as most mmos are.
Ninja Edit:
as an altaholic I will probably be playing this for a long time. The number of classes and the variety in them makes it worth it in my mind.
Not at release. They've gotten a ton done in just the last 2 months, so I think they can go a long way towards polishing it. I think in the long run, this is the first real competitor to WoW, because it doesn't actually compete with it- on a PVP front(I'll cover that soon), it completely obliterates it(whereas WoW is the place to go for raiding).
Honestly, my plan is to have both a WOW and Warhammer account. WoW for raiding/co-op, WAR for anything PVP. Well, depending on how good Lake Wintergrasp is in WOTLK. But I'd still recommend WAR, its tons of fun as is.
oh, you will still end up with that depending on class (don't play Chosen.)
I like the art for the game, it is similar to wow in that it is good because it is good art, not necessarily screaming edge technically, but good art.
It is a bit on the dull side colour pallet wise, but it isn't as bad as most games these days <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
however, yah I agree with Quaun.
There should be some major improvements with in the first few months, if there are not, then forget it.
It is at the point that I will be glad to play it, and the bugs will not bother me that much, but if there isn't more polish added relatively quickly, I will drop it.