realm-versus-realm
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Devs reminisce on Dark Age of Camelot's 10th birthday
Dark Age of Camelot turns 10 this week, and if that doesn't make you feel old, well, you're probably not very old (and while we're at it, kindly remove yourself from our lawn). At any rate, Scott Jennings waxes nostalgic about the fantasy RvR title on his personal blog by posting a remembrance from original Mythic producer Matt Firor. The piece is heavy on the meta details, and a read-through will give you an idea of how drastically the MMO industry has changed over the past decade. Firor talks about Mythic's scramble to meet the crushing demand for more servers and the resulting mad dash for the nearest computer retailer to purchase a dozen desktops that were quickly loaded with Linux and whipped into an ad-hoc server cluster. There are more interesting details, of course, and you can read them all at Broken Toys.
Rise and Shiny recap: Regnum Online
Regnum Online is an RvR-based game brought to us by NGD Studios. The motto for the game is "The best MMORPG with realm versus realm action for free." In other words, if you liked it in other games, you'll probably like it here, and for free! I can't really comment too much on this game's similarities to other RvR games, being that I only mildly experienced RvR in Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online so far. Either way, it's a forgivable offense -- DAoC didn't invent PvP, anyway. But then the question becomes: Does Regnum deliver fun of any kind? See, I long ago gave up on PvP -- it's really just a game of tag. In fact, it's one of the least "hardcore" activities that a player can participate in, simply because the "harsh" death penalty is generally equal to sitting down for a split second and maybe jogging a bit after. Granted, if this were real life we were talking about, many gamers might have a major issue with the jogging -- but it's not. Aren't PvP and MMORPGing supposed to be a semi-copy of real life, though? So where's the pain when you die? Where's the suffering or the punishment? Allods tried to punish players, but some players moaned about that. It turns out that the only fear of the Reaper is based on the fact that he has a 30 second stopwatch on. Then there is the PvE aspect of many PvP games like Regnum. Oh, boy -- the PvE.
"Cliffs Notes" version of the June PC Gamer WAR coverage
Over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog, Syp has reported back from his recent time spent with a copy of June's PC Gamer at a doctor's waiting room (and we agree with him, coolest doctor ever). The June issue featured a whole mess of Warhammer related content, including WAR coverage, and Syp has been good enough to condense this down into note form or us to peruse.The result is a quick but worthwhile read, and might give you an idea of whether you'd like to pick up the mag to check out the articles in full. Some of the topics covered are: the original RvR system versus what is in game now, the guild UI, a races "role call", and some information about Warhammer in general.
All you need to know about WAR's keeps and sieges
There's a new FAQ at Ten Ton Hammer that looks at the keeps and sieges of Warhammer Online. It answers a nice chunk of questions that people might have about this aspect of the Realm versus Realm gameplay which was looked at in the February newsletter. The process involved in capturing a keep will be to first breach the exterior walls, then the interior walls, and finally to slay the Keep Lord.Along the way you'll be able to use a variety of siege weapons, and both the attacking and defending sides will find these siege tools useful. When the Keep Lord is taken out, all remaining guards at the keep will despawn, and the Keep Lord will respawn as an ally to the sieging party, ready for when the other faction tries to re-capture the keep. It's a big, messy circle. Check out the rest of the FAQ for more on how you can attack or defend a keep in WAR.
Warhammer video shows real PvP
Remember the WAR 'this is glory' video from a few weeks back? It was a scripted pile of crap, but anyone with some common sense knew it didn't actually portray WAR's RvR realistically. What is realistic? Chaotic bedlam! This new video ganked from Gamespot showcases how PvP plays out on a smaller and more nubish scale. Classes in on the action: Witch Hunter, Chaos Chosen, and the Witch Elf. Paul Barnett appears, surprise, and dials down the hyperbole explaining in calmer terms the hobby experience that will make WAR a free-time friendly fun MMO to play. That way WAR players can still go to the bar wearing Warhammer shirts, and bring along some Warhammer figurines to impress the svelte ladies or the burly gents. While I really enjoy the hobby versus immersion outlook, there will always be hardcores that take it to the immersive extreme and play until someone in a bio-hazard suit shows up with the eviction notice. It's nice that there are some MMO developers that want to make sure their players stay safe and function as normal law-abiding citizens that can afford their subscriptions and buy all sorts of WAR loots. I still have a bad feeling WAR will be an immersive soul-sucking experience. I better get to work on fire-proofing whatever I can. If you still hunger for more footage, and like me you're stuck back in the line for a beta invite, there are more gameplay videos to watch. If you want to join the line, be sure to register for the Warhammer Online beta. [via Keen and Graev] [Video Source]
Warhammer Online hands-on time at E for All
WanderingGoblin.com has posted their extensive impressions of some time spent with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning whilst at the recent E for All event. Seeing as no one else gets to play Warhammer at the moment, the hands-on may provide a much needed hit for anyone experiencing withdrawal symptoms.The article discusses various aspects of the game. There is a breakdown of some of the standout classes, of which the Warrior Priest sounds quite interesting. It is also noted that the two factions in the game, Destruction and Order (referred to as Chaos and Order in the article), do not simply contain identical classes with different names. This has weighty player-versus-player balance implications, and you can be sure that the game's forums will consist mostly of threads beginning with "___ class is OP!", followed by "It's fine, lrn2play", but it is a bold move nevertheless.Speaking of PvP, it seems that EA Mythic prefers to call it Realm vs Realm or RvR, which hearkens back to Mythic's much earlier MMO Dark Age of Camelot. The article includes a reminder that players will gain leveling experience and loot by killing other players, a concept which should tickle the fancy of anyone fond of PvP. The full article is linked below and contains much more about WanderingGoblin's time with with Warhammer at E for All.
