Comments on: Another WoW-Tourist takes a look at Warhammer Online

By: Bertie

Bertie — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:00:50 +0000

It was a good review.

Note also that he touched on what seem to be the growing consensus reason for WAR’s failure — it is perhaps the most population dependent MMOG ever created. Or at least the most population dependent big-budget MMOG ever created.

WAR doesn’t merely need people, it needs people spread throughout its four tiers, in roughly equal proportions per faction. But, oh yeah, you can’t have too many people in a T4 zone, because that’ll lag everyone out or even crash them all to desktop. And class/faction balance, instead of being merely a source of passionate argument, becomes completely gamebreaking.

Should have mirrored all classes straight across (which, I gather, is what Aion does) and held the line against premature server expansion at launch (yeah, that’s a hard one to get right, but it isn’t impossible — Turbine launched LOTRO with the same number of NA servers that the game has ever had — EU might be the same — and EA/Mythic should have known that WotLK was going to draw away again pretty quick). That still wouldn’t have fixed the T4 lag/crash problems, but would have at least bought them some time/money.

By: spinks

spinks — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:21:40 +0000

I think it was a really good writeup both of the things he liked and hated. I just don’t think he really picked up on what a good casual PvP game it is (ie. one of it’s strengths passed him by), prolly because like he says, he’s not a big PvP player.

By: xXJayeDuBXx

xXJayeDuBXx — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:01:32 +0000

A very excellent read, thanks.

By: Klepsacovic

Klepsacovic — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:35:31 +0000

It seemed remarkably positive for what I took to be a negative review. Or was it negative for a review that still said to try it? Either way, I’m glad I read it, though if I go sight-seeing I’m morely tikely to try LOTRO anyway.

By: Longasc

Longasc — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:28:23 +0000

I could not resist and almost wrote a beginner’s starter guide for Mengtzu’s next tourist game, LOTRO.

I wish I would not have told him that the human starting experience is supposedly the best…

I am too lazy to play dwarf at the moment. Massively has already someone playing a Hobbit, so I guess I would like to read his report about an Elven or Dwarven char.

I guess the broken hips of LOTRO were the early and futile western try to create something like the elegant and super sexy hip swing of an Aion Sorceress back in the days…

By: We Fly Spitfires

We Fly Spitfires — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:56:49 +0000

I think MMOs should standardise their UIs so we don’t have to learn new shortcuts every time we play one

By: Longasc

Longasc — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:48:46 +0000

Did you notice that joke about opening the inventory with “I” instead of “B” – Guild Wars does that.
There are also games out there that have click to move (Aion, Guild Wars, most eastern games), and players find it annoying even if they can switch it off.

Generation Warcraft – hardwired to a certain control scheme?