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The Daily Grind: The MMO you're most looking forward to
There are so many upcoming MMOs to anticipate, we honestly can't say which one we're looking forward to most. Champions Online looks like good fun (with a good sense of humor!), DC Universe Online has us wowed with its array of super powers (that thing where you can freeze someone in a block of ice and throw them around? We're led to understand it never gets old.), Wrath of the Lich King is sure to turn our attention back to Blizzard (we may or may not have the beta client open as we type -- we'd never admit it if we did), Warhammer Online is just around the corner, Star Trek Online calls to the inner geek in all of us, and Knights of the Old Republic Online (or whatever it might be called) is a siren's song to any geeks not falling head over heels for STO. We're in such a state of giddiness over upcoming games, we can't quite determine which one we're most excited about -- and that's where you come in. Which of the many new titles out there are you most looking forward to?
Warhammer Online launches Sept 23, says EA website
We already knew Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was pretty much done, but now the Electronic Arts website has updated with a release date. The day of reckoning? September 23. There's been no official press release from EA or developer Mythic, so someone has either jumped the gun on updating the site or this won't be the official launch. In the meantime, check out Massively's extensive WAR coverage.[Via Massively]
Rumor: Warhammer Online set to release on September 23rd
We have a date! Not that kind of date, not the awkward first kind. This is a better date, one where Warhammer Online will be released unto the masses. There have been many 'release dates' since the game went into Beta testing, but this one seems like it might have legs. The preliminary launch date is September 23rd. This release date has been updated on several retail sites, but what lends to its credibility is the official EA site was recently updated with the same date.The developers acknowledged at E3 2008 that Warhammer Online was pretty much done and that the team is in high-polish mode. The guild beta will also be the last beta phase before the open beta starts. Of course, nothing is official until EA and Mythic Entertainment release an official press release or statement but the pieces are falling into place. Aside from any unforeseen circumstances September 23rd is the day that Warhammer: Age of Reckoning will launch. Delay after delay, no longer. There is no denying that WAR is inevitable, and if you need a heads up on what to expect catch-up on all our exclusive WAR coverage. [Via Nullword]
Warhammer Online EU guild beta begins
Severing proposed and often hyped portions of content this late in beta development left Warhammer Online fans devastated. We learned that the capital cities for the Dark Elf, High Elf, Orc, and Dwarf factions all fell victim to the development cycle. Additionally, four classes also hit the chopping block as they were not up to snuff. Mythic VP and General Manager, Mark Jacobs spoke out earlier assuaging the negative feedback by explaining the positive ramifications as a result from the content loss. Mythic Entertainment's decision was exceedingly difficult but the implemented content received more development resources and otherwise wouldn't have been as outstanding. With that said and Warhammer: Age of Reckoning nears closer to release with the announcement that the US guild beta invites were sent out earlier this week. And now the European WAR guild beta is ramping up with both guild beta phases to commence at the same time! The official EU Warhammer Online website is reporting that thousands of guild beta invites have been sent out. Invites will continue to flock to various selected inboxes this evening and throughout tomorrow. If your invite doesn't show up immediately there's still some time, at least until tomorrow night. Good luck.
E308: New Warhammer Online screenshots
Though Mythic hasn't yet had anything to tell us about Warhammer Online, they have released a handful of new RvR-focused screenshots at E3 today. There are a number of nicely composed moments in there, including the sweet action shot above. Leaping squigs, arcane-blasting Archmages, and a Marauder on the rampage. There even appears to be a screenshot-first of a high-level female Chaos Magus in their distinctive armor. This blogger's personal favorite is what appears to be the last stand of an Empire Warrior Priest. He's facing off against a full compliment of Chosen, Marauder, Zealot, Magus ... and a giant purple demon thing. Anyone more firmly steeped in Warhammer lore want to tell us what that is? %Gallery-27605%
Josh Drescher on WAR in a post-WoW world
Many of you probably know Josh Drescher from his nifty production podcast videos for Warhammer Online. While you may think of him as "that video podcast guy" Drescher does also work on Mythic Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG as well. In an interview with Gamasutra, the man behind the digital curtain of animated bits discusses his thoughts on MMOs in the post-WoW era. The general gist of his thoughts? World of Warcraft has done quite a bit of good for the industry --- which is true -- and Warhammer Online is a different experience that will draw from the general audience created by Blizzard's success. He also plays the "WAR doesn't have to compete against WoW" record once more, in case you hadn't heard the tune already.From the sounds of things, Mythic doesn't seem to think its game is going to gain enough critical mass to tip the scales against World of Warcraft -- and why should it? Drescher himself puts it best when he says, "I imagine if you ask most of the people who are continuing to work on [Vanguard, Lord of the Rings Online], they're profitable, and really, at the end of the day, that is the most basic metric of success."
The Digital Continuum: Diet WAR
Diet Warhammer Online: same great taste, less content. Is it bad that the recently re-branded Mythic Entertainment just cut out a large portion of our Warhammer Online pie and put it in the deep freeze? Well it's certainly not good when a developer cuts content they've been talking about publicly for so long, especially when launch is only three or four months away. I've already written about why this MMO ode to classic tabletop trappings shouldn't be shoved onto shelves half-baked and I still feel like I'd rather see a delay than see so much content cut. While there have been plenty of delays already, that doesn't mean more would have been intolerable. I'm going to try and take an honest look at what the removal of four capital cities and four classes means for Warhammer Online. I will admit that when the news first hit, a vile and seemingly ancient sort of anger began to boil up inside my lungs. It was the onset of some form of draconian rage at the removal of so much content that I'd been personally invested in as a future player. I never really got into Chaos and planned on playing Dark Elves, but now a large part of that content is gone. At first I felt anger and confusion towards Mythic. It wasn't until after that initial knee-jerk anger passed that I was able to give some real thought to their choice and was able to consider the varied consequences.
WAR guild beta begins
It's been a big day for Warhammer Online fans, and in spite of our expectations, not entirely in a good way. We've been having enough trouble attempting to process the news that Mythic is cutting four capitol cities, but wrapping our heads around the idea of a world without Choppas has been trying indeed. In spite of our scarcely contained nerd rage, we haven't been entirely immune to the good news that's come out : namely, that the Warhammer Online closed guild beta should begin some time today.Or at least, that's what the press release says. A straw polling of our many internet spies shows that, as of the time of writing this, guild beta centers have not been updated for those who were accepted into this round of testing. We expect lots of page refreshing to ensue.
Major features cut from Warhammer Online
The world of Warhammer just got a bit smaller. In an interview with with MMORPG.com, Mythic Entertainment VP and General Manager Mark Jacobs (not to be confused with fashion designer Marc Jacobs) has revealed some big cuts for the Warhammer Online's launch. Namely, the capital cities for the Dark Elf, High Elf, Orc, and Dwarf factions are gone. That leaves two capital cities, Altdorf and the Chaos Inevitable City.Additionally, four classes have been cut: Choppa (Greenskin), Hammerer (Dwarf), Blackguard (Dark Elf) and Knight of the Blazing Sun (Empire). Jacobs explained the cuts were made for quality reasons and expressed dismay over having to nix the classes. Also, to seemingly curtail any conspiracy theories, he said, "This has nothing to do with EA ... they had zero input in this ... They don't even know about it. It's not a discussion we would have with them."The MMO-obsessed at Massively have provided explanations for the ramifications of these cuts. No indication on if any of these features will return in an update or expansion pack. [Via Massively]
EA Mythic reclaims original Mythic Entertainment name
It was only a name change! Remember when Mythic Entertainment, the force behind Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online sold out and got slapped in the face with the EA brand? Many gamers associate a stigma to EA and were disheartened by the name retrofitting that took place in 2006. In an interesting twist, Mark Jacobs announced yesterday that EA Mythic has reclaimed the Mythic Entertainment name. As to why, according to Jacobs it's as simple as EA wanting to reinvent itself. EA's recently acquired studios Bioware and Pandemic retained their identities. In an MMORPG.com interview conducted by Jon Wood, Jacobs explains the new rationality being employed by John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts. EA wants studios functioning as their own city states with more creative freedoms and maneuverability, an example Riccitiello uses in a February 10th Gamasutra article. It's important to note that even with the name change Mythic Entertainment is still a part of Electronic Arts. (Duh!) Mark Jacobs also confirmed that the company will be revealing a new logo soon. Two more Warhammer Online announcements are planned for later today. What will they be? It could be about the Collector's Edition pre-orders, a release date, or worse another delay. We will keep you posted.
Leash on developers slackening thanks to Blizzard?
Few developers in the world have the leverage with their publishers that Blizzard has enjoyed over the years. Where most companies involved in major mergers or corporate hullabaloo end up being cut up and sold for scrap, Blizzard actually had a major say in which parties their parent company dealt with. The resulting mega-corp is even partially adopting their name. Not bad for a developer started many moons ago by a trio of UCLA grads.Some are now speculating that the spectacular success of outfits like Blizzard and Bungie may be prompting publishers to reconsider their relationships with other rockstar development houses like Infinity Ward, the folks behind the best of the Call of Duty series. It seems the suits are finally coming around to the idea that trusting in their proven talent can yield benefits far exceeding the cost of a delay here and there. EA, for instance, appears to be demonstrating patience with Mythic's treatment of Warhammer Online, but only time will tell whether these aren't just isolated cases.
Mark Jacobs responds to 'magic show' accusations
Earlier today, we posted a link to an article over at Warhammer Alliance that accused Mythic of conducting a "marketing magic show" on their fan-base by refusing to come forward with many of the juiciest, most controversial details about Warhammer Online yet to be released. Judging by the comments on that post, the disagreement about the quality of Mythic's efforts to date is stark indeed.In a demonstration of class and forthrightness, Mythic co-founder and designer Mark Jacobs stepped forward on the WHA forums today to address the editorial directly, taking apart the argument piece by piece. He outright rejects the notion that the marketing department is calling the shots when it comes to the release of details, saying that the flow of information begins and ends at his desk. He further disputes the notion that the game is unfinished or lacking in the fun department, citing the imminent guild beta as proof of the confidence they have in their product.Given the volume of information we were allowed to show off in our Massively goes to WAR coverage, we're inclined to side with Mark. For a site whose message of the day for many moons now has been, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last," we hope the writers and posters over at WHA regain their patience.
Mythic's Barnett rails against GDC's 'peacock display'
With the demise of E3 proper some two years ago, there's been a tectonic shift in the way games are announced, developed, and shown off. Where once the entire development year revolved around having a polished trailer or playable demo available at the conference in May, the burden has shifted a bit. One of the events that has really assumed some of the burden up to this point has been the Game Developers Conference, an annual event where game developers get together to network, discuss design philosophy, and occasionally show off their wares.According to Mythic's Paul Barnett, that might be less worthwhile than it sounds. For long-time attendees like himself, the conference is the repetition of a tired, old "peacock display," where people come to argue about the same things they've always argued about. For someone in his position, nothing productive stands to get accomplished. While our gut feeling was to dispute the point, his argument isn't entirely unfounded. The difference, we suppose, is that as outsiders we rather enjoy the peacock display.
Are you a worshipper of Tzeentch?
One of the delightful things about the development of Warhammer Online is that it has breathed life into a tabletop game that, for many, was an every-present fantasy standby as they grew up. While few people we know of were actually rich and/or talented enough to put together that 2000 point painted and converted army that is the stuff of dreams, just about everybody could inhale the lore in the army books and fancy the day when they could.Cicadymn over at The Greenskin is doing his part to get everybody back into a Warhammery mood with a recent blog post about the chaos god Tzeentch--pronounced "Zeench" for those who tend to side with the forces of Order-- the first in a series highlighting the plethora of Warhammer gods. As he rather astutely points out, Tzeentch, as the changer of ways, is really the patron god for any MMO player who strives for the next level or who has ever gone back to fix his talent layout. More than that, we think EA Mythic opted to go with Tzeentch over one of the other Chaos gods because they couldn't stand the thought of making a game without those nifty Discs of Tzeentch.
"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.
Is Blizzard stealing ideas from WAR?
Waaagh! is a blog about Warhammer Online (there are a few of them springing up lately, and our sister site Massively is doing a great job of covering news about the upcoming MMO), and Syp, who writes over there, says his blood pressure rose just a little bit when reading the news that achievements might be coming to the World of Warcraft. When news first broke about WAR, which is made by a company called Mythic (the original creators of Dark Age of Camelot, now working with EA), they got a lot of flak for making a game that looked a lot like WoW. But now that details are coming out about Warhammer, including this really interesting achievements-style feature called the Tome of Knowledge (which basically tracks what your character does around the game and gives you rewards for what you do), the allegations of imitation are going the other way. Is Blizzard ripping off Warhammer now?In point of fact, yes. Blizzard didn't start from scratch with World of Warcraft (in fact, many of their designers were actually players of other games, including Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot) -- instead, they (as they've always done with their games) took a formula and tweaked it close to perfection. And of course, since Warhammer is (if you listen to the hype) supposed to be WoW's biggest competitor going forward, it's not surprising at all that the ideas coming out of WAR are also making waves around the Blizzard offices.That said, give WAR a chance.
Mark Jacobs continues talks on Warhammer's crafting
What do you want to know about Warhammer Online? Last week Massively went to war with Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. The result was an information bonanza never before seen on this site for any big title in development. Our coverage runs the gamut and ranges from crafting, guilds, various classes, capital cities, interviews with developers, and even a controversial post regarding perceptions about the game and its delayed launches. With such an emphasis placed on PvP and combat, until recently not much has been known about Warhammer's crafting. Mark Jacobs has sort of become the official spokesperson for WAR's crafting system and is still making the rounds hitting up TenTonHammer in this one and two part interview. Nothing new is really discerned if you've been following the news closely. In the TTH interview Jacobs discusses scalability, the impact Apothecary will have on other areas of the game like combat, and more. A definite must read while you wait for your beta invite and are frothing at the mouth for anything WAR related.If you missed out on all the news be sure to check out first-hand coverage for all the latest goods on Warhammer.
Warhammer Online's realm imbalance fears
When Warhammer Online releases later this year do you think there will be a skewed realm population? The GREENSkin blog seems to think so, but history would disagree with them. Whenever a game has been faction-based the "evil" races tend to be popular during the beta period. This fear of imbalance was a issue in Dark Age of Camelot and in World of Warcraft. During both of those instances beta testers expressed worry that the more evil of the realms would be entirely overpopulated post launch. However, the exact opposite happened to the complete befuddlement of beta testers everywhere.
From Tabletop to Desktop: WAR's Destruction careers
With the announcement of the White Lion as the final career in Warhammer Online, we finally have a good idea of what the class dynamics will be in the long-anticipated MMO from Mythic. Obviously, the specifics of each aren't set in stone, as some classes don't even have their masteries announced yet, but one finally gets the sense that it's all starting to come together. With this is mind, we've put together an overview of the game's classes, including a comparison to their tabletop equivalents, to give you a better idea of what you've got to look forward to with the upcoming open beta. In the first part of this feature, we take a look at the careers on the side of Destruction.And if you like what you what you see here, make sure to check out our on-going Massively goes to WAR features! From Tabletop to Desktop: WAR's Destruction careers >>>>>%Gallery-24169%
WAR's Dwarf mounts are real head turners
MMO mounts come in an almost endless variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and types. From the mighty Kodo to the agile Chocobo, there's a generally accepted level of convention when it comes to mounts. They're usually organic (or at least they replicate being organic), walk on legs, and have some way for players to sit astride them. Mounts that buck this trend are really few and far between.So you can imagine our surprise then when Avien over at the Warhammer Alliance forums posted several links to the new Dwarven mounts (also featured in the newest Warhammer newsletter) for Warhammer Online -- in the form of personal gyrocopters. They're certainly not what we would have guessed would be their mount if you had asked, but thinking about it, there's something so distinctly Dwarven about the idea of strapping a gyrocopter to your back and flitting about a battlefield. In any case, the concept art is extremely amusing both if you plan to make a stuntie yourself or if you aim to have them fall at your feet.
