Warhammer Online seemed poised to be the next big “WoW Killer”. Believing the hype, I bought my copy of the game and was quickly immersed into a world constantly at war. I was hooked. The ability to effortlessly join a Scenario, unlike the time needed to simply que for Battlegrounds in World of Warcraft, was a true innovation. However, Scenarios were greatly influenced by the game world population (ie lack of players playing equaled longer que times) which eventually began to kill the game. No longer in the spotlight as a potential “WoW Killer”, Warhammer Online now has the ability to refine itself in semi-obscurity.
The new Apprenticeship system allows players of differing Ranks to play together, whether battling it out in RvR, or aiding your Realm’s war effort in quests and Public Quests. Just click on another player’s portrait in the group or Warband window and choose the “Make Apprentice” option, and that player will be scaled up to your Rank, no matter how much lower of a Rank they are. Check the patch notes for full details on this exciting new system.
2. New Player Guilds:
New players will automatically be placed in a ‘new player guild’, one for each Realm, to facilitate communication among those new to the game, or those who are rolling up an alt character, and to make finding a group a bit easier. The guilds are called the ‘The Forces of Order’ and the ‘The Forces of Destruction’.
First, lets talk about the Apprenticeship System. Currently in World of Warcraft, I have gotten to a point to where I am 20 levels behind a good friend that I play with. 20 levels! This ends up causing my friend to help me level while he gains zero experience points. The two of us have no problem with this arrangement but why make someone waste their game time? Final Fantasy XI already uses a “Level Sync” system that allows players of different levels to party together at a matched level. The Apprenticeship System addition to Warhammer Online is a victory dance for everyone! Now if only World of Warcraft would employ a similar system…
Moving along.
Forcing new players to automatically be placed in a “new player guild” is a stroke of genius on Mythic’s part. I would call this “forced community”. Reminds me of freshmen orientation in college. After saying goodbye to mom and dad, suddenly you are forced to “make friends” with others in an attempt at survival. Time will tell how Warhammer Online players react to this forced match up, but I think its a good thing.
Do you currently play Warhammer Online? If so, how have these changes impacted the game? Let me know in the comments below!
Reminds me of something I would have seen in college.
Yesterday, the Telegraph reported that Britain’s first videogame addiction center opened.
Mr Dudley* believes treating game addiction needs a different approach to “conventional” vices like drink and drugs.
”Obviously this is the very early stages of researching how many youngsters are affected,” he said.
”But I would stick my neck out and say between five and ten per cent of parents or partners would say they know of someone addicted to an online game.
”However, you can’t simply say to a 23-year-old male ‘you should never use the internet again’. It’s just not practical.
”So we go through all the issues surrounding gaming use and ensure there are triggers through which an addict recognises their usage has become a problem.
”Behavioural shifts include users becoming agressive, with chaotic lifestyles that result in irregular eating and sleeping patterns as well as social exclusion.’
”I don’t know anybody else who is treating such cases in this country. There’s no helpline.”
Having spent a summer of my life playing World of Warcraft from dusk till dawn, I can personally attest to the power of videogame addiction. If you find yourself living and breathing videogames 24/7, I encourage you to talk to someone. There is a difference between living in a virtual world versus playing videogames as a hobby. No duh, huh.
10 years ago, I stepped through the portal into the lands of Dereth. As a beta tester, I remember spending hours chatting with friends, watching sunsets/ the virtual sky, and adventuring forth into the unknown. Asheron’s Call (AC) marked my first introduction to the world of the MMO.
In the years following AC’s launch, much has changed in the virtual landscape. EverQuest is no longer the reigning MMO champion, the Warcraft universe has expanded into World of Warcraft, and the sequel to Asheron’s Call, dubbed Asheron’s Call II, has come and gone.
With all the changes in the MMO landscape, Asheron’s Call is still the only game—to my knowledge—that features an allegiance system. This system introduces the unique concept of vassals and patrons. In this system, a vassal swears allegiance to a patron. The patron then acts as a protector, item giver, and basically a guild leader. The reward for being a patron equals a daily award of experience points based upon a small percentage of experience that the vassal makes while playing. The allegiance system ultimately encourages the formation of miniature kingdoms, much like guilds found in today’s more modern MMO.
Unlike a fine wine, MMO’s do not age well with time. MMO’s are all about refinement. Each new MMO takes (hopefully) the best ideas from what has come before and melds them together with new ideas. Sometimes this creative process works on an epic scale (World of Warcraft) and other times fails tragically (Star Wars Galaxies). In the end, I think we can all thank Asheron’s Call and developer Turbine for helping to blaze the trail to bigger, better, and more forgiving online experiences.
Happy 10 Years Asheron’s Call!
May ye die eventually and honorably.
Amen.
Have a memory from Asheron’s Call you’d like to share? Post in the comments.
Sad to say, but all things must end and MMO’s are no different. If your preferred MMO has become more of an obligation than a joy, it’s time to retire your character. I myself have also fallen into this most deadly of MMO traps, prioritizing my game obligations above my real life ones. Luckily, I have never lost anything as dramatic as a job or a relationship over it.
Near the end of my MMO playing career I found myself dutifully logging in simply to administrate my guild, check my crafted auctions, and run dungeons, only to fall asleep at the keyboard as I waited for someone in my party to return from AFK (away from keyboard).
Sure guilds, crafting, pvp, dungeon running, and all the social aspects of MMO’s can be fun but they can also be draining, sometimes making us gamers lose sight of what’s really important in life
Are MMO’s evil? Heck no! Just realize you’re playing on a slippery slope.
“Casual Player Friendly” is a buzzword in the online gaming world at the moment. What it means is, the developers want to make online games just as accessible to those players who can only manage a couple of hours a week versus the hardcore “who needs a social life?” players and gold farmers. Unfortunately, as most MMO’s now stand, soloing isn’t very viable for long. Sure all MMO’s start out easy enough but they are designed to require group play before you can access the higher tiered areas, dungeons and epic items. Designers implement this to help build a lasting social experience (and keep their customers paying the monthly fee) but it also means you must rely on others if you really want to advance.
I can remember more than once in Everquest 2 having my paladin spam for an hour, “LFG, PALLY, HEALER!” to finally fall into a half-baked PUG (pick up group) that fell apart the minute a member’s mother called them to dinner.
Of course one can join a guild to avoid these kinds of problems, but then again you have to deal with personalities, and often petty rule sets that have little to do with actual game play. I recall, in WOW, running Molten Core ten times with a guild as a “probationary member.” I was of course allowed to take part in killing the awful beasties (and dying several times in the process) but rolling on items was a right that only went to “Senior members.” I believe becoming said “Senior member” meant you had to know the guild leader, “Chuck,” and spot him for pizza and beer at least twice.
Not all guilds are that elitist but most of the well equipped ones have some kind of lame hierarchy that you must agree to. In addition, these guilds maintain fairly intensive “raiding schedules” that are considered mandatory and will eat up your social life. Your best bet is to find some real life friends and start your own guild with your own timelines for doing dungeons.
Sure $15 a month (the usual price) doesn’t sound too bad, but if you’re going to stick with the game for any period of time and be fairly successful at it, the cost adds up. If you’re spending $15 a month for 12 months, that comes to $180 per year. That’s not counting the initial cost of the client software (anywhere from $20-$60). Of course if you can afford this continual pay cycle then go for it, but if I were to put my favorite single player video game of all time (Thief: Gold) next to the most popular MMORPG on the market right now (World of Warcraft) the difference would be immense. Here is the cost breakdown:.
Games
Initial Cost
YEARLY COST after initial purchase
EXPANSIONS COST
TOTAL COST after 3 years
Thief: Gold
$39.95
$0.00
Fan missions and expansions are FREE.
Still only the initial $39.95 and it’s still fun!
World of Warcraft
$19.99
12 months @ $15/month = $180
$40.00
$600.00! (That’s right! All those monthlies add up…and it doesn’t count future expansion costs).
I’m not trying to say MMO’s are a waste of money, but they’re not exactly a cheap ticket either.
Saying you’re thinking about trying out a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) is akin to saying, “I think I’ll start a crack addiction today.” Well, maybe its not all that bad. Certainly the media has overblown the woes of ex-Everquesters and WOW (World of Warcraft) fanatics who flushed their jobs or marriages down the toilet for more “raid time,” but there are a few things to consider before getting knee deep in all the virtual hack ‘n slash fun.
Being an ex-WOW addict, an ex-Everquest 2 addict, an ex-Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) addict, and a casual user of a myriad of other MMORPG’s has instilled in me certain commandments that should always be followed before shelling out that monthly fee…
.: The MMORPG Commandments :.
Commandment 1. Know Thy Parent Company and Its Track Record…
I don’t care how flashy the graphics are, or how much “phat lootz” may be attainable, if you don’t read up on the company that is producing the MMO, you are doing yourself a major disservice. Case and point: Star Wars Galaxies.
What started out as a wonderful rock solid “sandbox” type MMO became an uber turd fest within three years of its initial launch. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) realized it couldn’t support the innovative character classes, and instead of doing something logical (like hiring more designers and developers) they simply ditched half of their professions. Instead of listening to the growing tide of criticisms for this move on their official message boards they deleted and locked posts. As expansion packs were added, more and more bugs crept into the basic game play, many of which are still unresolved, and then right after their last major expansion, The Trials of Obi-Wan, they reworked the entire combat system and nerfed the remaining classes. These nerfs were given official names like “Combat Upgrade” and “New Game Enhancements.” When asked about these changes, Jon Smedley (henceforth known as Satan) simply replied, “We went for more iconic and Star-Warsy game play and characters.” Nowadays SWG is a wasteland only occasionally frequented by level 1 Jedis and retarded Wookies.
I’m not saying SOE is the worst online gaming company in the world but their less than stellar customer service and short term vision for games (i.e. little to no work being done on any IP except Everquest) has lost them many a customer. Reading up on the forums can save you a headache later on. Try, for fairly unbiased reviews.
While on a Spanish trip to Puebla, Mexico, during my college years, I happened to borrow Donald Miller’sBlue Like Jazzfrom a fellow traveler. At the time, I remember being at a point in my life where Christianity felt stale to me. Too many many people claiming to have this revolutionary Jesus and yet no one living like Him. I felt alone in a sea of hypocrisy and blandness. Blue Like Jazz, came along at a time when I needed a breath of fresh air. The book showed me a world in which being a Christian isn’t about legalism but about truly living for God in a real way. I suddenly didn’t feel as alone as I had before.
I am unsure if Miller’s new book will speak to me (or you, dear readers) in the same way.Below you will find the first thirty pages of Donald Miller’s new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.
Like the ebb and flow of the tides, gaming seems to come and go in my life with regularity. Lately I’ve been playing the following:
World of Warcraft -I have recently hit level 52 with my druid Night Elf, Arclight (Stormscale server). I am also currently looking for a good casual guild. Any suggestions?
Dragon Quest IV – I am now in the final chapter of the game. This chapter is said to be the longest…and it is so far. No joke.
Dungeon Hunter – Currently on the last boss. Game has been pretty good thus far. Although I am questioning, now that I am at the end of the game, how one justifies spending $8 for a few short hours of gameplay. Gaming on the iDevice is like riding a roller coaster, short and expensive (admission ticket wise).
That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!
In a clever attempt at marketing, hype, and product synergy for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins, EA 2D has created a browser-based tactical RPG by the name of Dragon Age: Journeys. Divided into chapter installments, subtitled The Deep Roads, the free-to-play RPG will serve as an introduction to the world of Dragon Age: Origins. This time killer will be available October 2009.
10 years ago, I stepped through the portal into the lands of Dereth. As a beta tester, I remember spending hours chatting with friends, watching sunsets/ the virtual sky, and adventuring forth into the unknown. 
Welcome to a Friday edition of the Surf Report.
That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!
The age of the dragon is but a 