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Warhammer Online explains the nuances of the Underdog System
One of the biggest problems you face when designing any PvP-focused game is the trouble of slippery slope -- in brief, the problem that losing makes it easier for you to continue losing and even harder to start winning. A game like Warhammer Online that's sold on the strength of fighting other players needs to be especially vigilant, hence the Underdog System rolled out with the game's most recent patch. It promises to make it easier for the losing side to regain their footing -- but that leads to the obvious question of how it will implement the change. A new developer diary on the official site explains the system in slightly more detail, helping to shed light on the method and implementation. Rather than being a straight buff to the players on one side or the other, the system revolves around making the overall objectives easier or harder based on win streaks. The underdog will have more time to capture objectives and fewer control points required to obtain victory, while the top dog will have less time to capture, more control points to capture, and a shorter duration of control. The diary also gives some example of the system in action, something that should be all but required reading for every Warhammer Online player. The system won't fix everything, but it certainly will make the game's PvP more lively and less prone to one side or the other having a consistent edge.
Warhammer Online drops 1.3.3 patch to live servers
Rumors of the death of Warhammer Online have been greatly exaggerated. The game is continuing to put out updates on a steady basis -- at an accelerated rate, even, despite the recent bout of layoffs. Patch 1.3.3 has just hit the live servers today, bringing with it new graphical enhancements and two much-touted features -- the Underdog system and the WAR Report. The former helps even the odds when one faction is outnumbered, while the latter helps pull players straight into the grinding maw of the game's PvP activities by allowing instant teleportation to "hot spots" nearby. If that's not quite enough for the discerning Warhammer Online player, there's also a holiday slated between December 16th and January 4th. Keg End celebrates drinking, talking about how great you are, and explosives -- which sounds like the perfect antidote to yet another Christmas special on TV. Take a look at the patch notes for the full details, as well as the usual array of bugfixes and balance tweaks. We haven't heard as much about the patches after this one, but whatever the next year holds for the game, there's a clear commitment to making it the best it can be.
