For anyone who hasn’t been following Warhammer news lately, today is “the big day” so to speak. Most have us have been waiting impatiently like children on Christmas Eve for Mark Jacobs to fill our ears with information about the game’s direction. We’re not sure what is going to happen specifically today but Mark has promised it is worth hearing!
It is still somewhat early on the east coast so I imagine we’ll have to wait a bit before anything is released. In any event, I’ll do my best to get the information out and commented on as soon as it is available!
The Valentine’s Day card event is going on strong. We’re still missing a couple of cards but the leading theory is that it is “War Event Ninth” or “War Event Hint.” It seems to be a suggestion of the next live event: the “Night of Death/Murder.” This is a traditional Dark Elf holiday that involves sacrificing the living to Khaine. All in all, it is pretty festive!
Update I
While I was out and about working it seems Mythic started the announcement engine! The first thing announced is a free expansion that will (as expected) include the choppa and slayer classes. There will also be a new RvR scenario and a new Darkness Falls style area! Through RvR you’ll earn access to the “Land of the Dead.” It will have PQs, instances and a new dungeon!
We’ll be seeing three live events starting with the Night of Murder. For more details check out this great write up at Warhammer Alliance.
More information on zone control is also available! I’ll try to do my own summary later but work is slamming me today.
This is all, of course, new content. Mark did promise some information on current content and updates. I hope to see more of that later!
Update II
I’ve finally managed to return to my desk almost eight hours later! I was pleased to see that Mark did, indeed, make a post despite a ton of players saying he wouldn’t bother. In that he more or less personalized some of the announcements. Not surprisingly the VN board users seem to be displeased. I’d like to put my slant on it.
Today was certainly a very hyped up day. After about 25 days of nothing the players of War were promised some very big news covering every aspect of the game. That day came (about 40 days since War has seen any real changes) and it appears many have a sour opinion of it.
I think the key reason that players are upset is that nothing that was addressed today pertains to the current reality of Warhammer Online. Many players, myself included, have hot button issues that were not even touched on. Many new and exciting changes are coming but the time table is again extending further and further out. The most important thing I took out of Mark’s post about “right now” is that we’ll have test patch notes (the things players seem to want more than anything else) in a week or two. It is no wonder that folks are upset. To follow my initial analogy of Christmas it is almost as if we opened gifts that had notes telling us about presents we will get in June.
That said, I have no intention of being overly negative or critical about today. I want to talk about what excites me most. The prospect of an additional dungeon (even if it is captured through RvR) is great for the PvE player. Details aren’t available but Darkness Falls was a lot of fun for PvE players. If I recall correctly the content there was for single and multiple groups. I can only assume it will be the next step of progression after Lost Vale. I’m looking forward to it. I just wish it wasn’t so far out.
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I am hoping that this is not everything. There was no mention of changing how T4 RvR works. Keep/BO hopping and the elf lands being the only ones that seem to work correctly get very old.
I am also disappointed in the new PvE content. I do not want to have to rely on 24-48+ other people in order to do a small group dungeon (or even a 2 group dungeon – gasp if that ever existed). Having to lock a zone and protect it just so I can enjoy dungeon content with my friends is ridiculous. I can see it now, “Oh we are halfway through the dungeon but we have to go back outside and fight RvR for 5 hours in order to continue.”
Sorry for the bitter tone, but I would really prefer RvR and PvE be kept as separate as possible. Right now, you can do all of the “dungeons” without having to do any RvR. With the new way, RvR will take priority over PvE completely. And, to top it off, most RvR ends up being a PvE nascar circuit around an empty zone, killing NPCs and beating on doors.
When will Mythic learn that the people who really, truly enjoy PvP are the guys with the “X poops in Ys face” hotkeys, or the ones that stay around after a fight to laugh at corpses. These are not the people that are true MMO players (those of us who enjoy taking on an NPC scripted encounter with skilled friends in order to accomplish a common goal). We don’t want to rely on that traveling kiddy show to access PvE content.
Perhaps Mythic can make “play pens” and “day care” instances for the hardcore PvPers so they can just stick them in there and let them taunt each other to their heart’s content (Or just send them free copies of Counterstrike or Halo 3). Let the rest of us, who have driven this industry for a very long time, enjoy our content without having to go through the mouth breathing, epeen toting urinating competitions that RvR has become.
The key feature of Darkness Falls in my view was that it was both a PvE and a PvP Dungeon (not instanced). Yes it was unlocked to your realm through RvR but once unlocked (and therefore locked to the other realms) you could PvP against players already in that dungeon. Also you could log out inside DF and log right back in there, even though its entrance was closed to your realm.
It wasn’t simply a PvE dungeon you unlock through RvR.
It is unclear to me from the announcement which type of dungeon the Tome Kings will be. If its just a PvE dungeon (instanced?) unlocked through PvP then I will be most disappointed.
@ Dresden – I find it laughable that you suggest that only PVE players are true MMO players, utter rubbish.
I am super disappointed there was no mention of bug fixes. Poor fortress siege performance, bugged bosses in BWE that have their health reset, trophies that don’t work, no incentive to fight in open rvr rather than trade keeps, poor itemization etc. We will see what other announcements they have soon.
@ Dresden – I think you picked the wrong game if you dislike pvp.
I don’t get why people were expecting a major anouncment about bug fixes. There is not a single MMO out there that does major announcments about bug fixes. They have said they are working on the bug fixes. It’s not like they only have one group of people only working on new content.
Overall I am very happy about this announcment.
@ Dresden – I find it laughable that you suggest that only PVE players are true MMO players, utter rubbish.
Actually I don’t think it is rubbish. PvP at its core is about beating up on other players and pitting your skills against another player’s skills. MMORPGS are about an online, constant world in which you can build your character alongside others and face challenges together, IMO. Obviously alot of people disagree with me, that’s fine. I just think there are plenty of games out there for people who want to test their skills against other people. MMOs offer that too, but I believe they are primarily about providing an environment to work together with other players against NPCs. I believe that there is a “silent majority” of people who have played from MUDs through the EQ years and now WoW that simply prefer PvE over PvP. It’s just that the PvP players are alot more vocal and consistently active. You can play Quake or other such games if you want that pvp challenge, but in order to find a game for people who want to work cooperatively in a large environment against encounters it has to be an MMO. I think pvp is ruining the MMO industry and, along with WoW, watering down content to the point of repetetive stupidity. Max level is easily achieved, death has no consequences, and loot is about random rolls and not guilds. In 10 years the MMOs coming out will be jumpfest click-offs to see who can pwn the other person with a headshot faster.
@ Dresden – I think you picked the wrong game if you dislike pvp.
I totally agree with you, but I have no other choices. WoW is a vanilla joke of an MMO, and no one plays Conan or any of the other innovative or slightly difficult games anymore. The only game that is supported in any real way is Warhammer. So, I completely concede that I am arguing for PvE in a PvP based game (and it was sold as such – all about the RvR). But, I do like the game and I do believe it has potential to have great PvE along side that RvR. I don’t see why it has to be one or the other, or both squished together. I will continue to argue for my beloved PvE, even when I am totally alone and off base! (As evidenced by my prior rant).
I am not sure why I am so long winded on these replies, I am kind of bored and ramble. Anyway, I believe that MMOs were created and still have the basis of being platforms for large groups of people to work together toward a common end. Technically RvR can be that, and I hope that Mythic is able to adjust it so that I feel the same enjoyment out of “raiding” PvP with my friends as I do tackling a difficult NPC encounter with them.