GDC09: Paul Barnett and Jeff Skalski interview (part 2)
Massively's very own Shawn Schuster had a chance to catch up with Warhammer Online Creative Director Paul Barnett and RvR Producer Jeff Skalski at GDC 2009. They chatted about the recent player (re)acquisition campaign, server merges, Land of the Dead, and much more.
How have the server splits and now merges worked out for you?
Barnett: It has been good because the game is based around RvR - it's a critical mass game. WAR flourishes and blossoms when the game does things players want it to do, which is mainly group RvR combat. A decision was made early on to limit server queues by opening additional servers. It was right in the short term but caused caustic harm to critical mass over time. Servers with high populations had stronger retention and player enjoyment was much higher. In hindsight, we should have had less servers to start with.
Why do you think fans enjoy your Live Events so much?
Barnett: The live arcs are there to show that the game is alive and well, that we've got a dedicated team working on it, that we continue to make iterative improvements based on player feedback, and that we're willing to add new features at no extra cost. They just make the game feel better. In some cases it's us meeting past promises, and in other cases we're trying to develop and blossom the game's possibilities. We wrap them up in story arcs to give them a tone, feel, and texture.
What kind of feedback are you getting on the Slayer and Choppa?
Skalski: Everyone was extremely excited to see the Slayer. The best feedback came from people who enjoy playing simple roles in RvR - people who like to go into a fight with two axes and do lots of damage without worrying too much about a complex mechanic.
Barnett: Most people are going through the usual dial face of player response. Some people think they're underpowered. Some people think they're overpowered. Some people don't think they were ever tested in the first place. Some think they were tested well. The choppa is more powerful than the slayer. The slayer is more powerful than the choppa. All that kind of stuff!
