World of Warcraft was officially released in Australia today. I haven?t played it yet (I missed the Beta), but I?d love to hear from other people who have, or plan on getting it. I know I?m not the only RPG loving person around here, so I?m guessing there must be a few Sumean?s keen on some WoW adventuring.
Unfortunately for me, with all the great games out recently I?ve completely blown my gaming budget for a while, so I?ll have to wait a few weeks until I can experience the game. Though that gives me some time to be productive before giving a large portion my life to another MMORPG addiction. [:P]
I like how WoW has the pre-pay option, so you don?t need a CC to play.
Also, the collectors edition sounds really good (much better then that HL2 collectors edition that I wasted an extra $40 on [:(]) ? you get the game on both CD-ROM and DVD, a free one-month subscription, a World of Warcraft behind-the-scenes DVD, an exclusive in-game pet, a cloth map of the game world, a soundtrack CD, an Art of the World of Warcraft coffee table book (not a crappy little pamphlet like the HL2 collectors!), and a commemorative game manual signed by the development team. The collectors is $130. Of course there is the ongoing fee, which is about $12.00 USD a month, but that?s fair enough considering the server requirements.
God, I?ve heard so much great stuff about this game, I?m really looking forward to it!
lol - that pretty much describes every RPG.
HISSSS, SPIT, MEOW.... I love rpg's man, the best genre out their for real story telling and depth, unfortunately the problem is everyone takes rpg onto every combat orientated action game they make, seems if you can change weapons and open inventory thats enough to get the rights to the genre. [:P]
Yeah, I think RPG?s have long since stopped being about role-playing! It really sucks that people in mmorpg?s usually don?t even bother. When I?m hunting Orc, I want to be that Elf character, not some leet gamer focused on the next level up?
That?s the thing with mmorpg?s ? it?s entirely dependent on the gaming community to make or break the game.
BTW, my comment ?that pretty much describes every RPG?, in response to your example of WoW was true wasn?t it? Doesn?t every single game go:
run...run...run...click..click..click....
...ooh thats pretty!...
...click...click...ouch...run...run...run...
[:D]
It?s not very descriptive [:P]
[comment]
When I?m hunting Orc, I want to be that Elf character, not some leet gamer focused on the next level up?
[/comment]
I couldn't agree more. My past housemates have been MMOG FREAKS, and I guess I've experienced MMOGing vicariously through them.
What has surprised me about the experience is that for games featuring 1000's of other human players, the focus is more on racking up XP rather than interacting with everyone else. If you join with other players, it's only to power-level with them.
Doesn't really tilt my kilt. I'm pretty interested in WoW as I'm an RPG fanatic, so I'm interested to see how it pans out. That collectors pack sounds pretty tasty. Too bad my connection is so poor right now [:(]
Scott.
I picked up my collectors copy yesterday and the presentation of the box is awesome, though I guess a little irrelevant to the actual game. I played in the beta for a few weeks as well and I loved it, sad to see my old character go.
If you think the game is all about XP grinding then maybe it is, for you. The game is what you make of it and to me it's a chance to interact with 1000's of other people in the Warcraft universe which Blizzard have done a great job of bringing to life. If you look hard enough there are some really fun people on line, but you will need to be a little less pessimistic to find them.
http://www.leagueofpirates.com/sirvival/queuedance.html
tic toc.. tic toc.. tic toc.... [:)]
Monthly subscriptions, yukko. I'd feel guilty if i played it too much and guilty if i wasn't playing it enough.
I find it kind of funny when people say they hate the idea of a monthly subscription fee, yet have no problem spending $100 on a new game only to finish it a week later and never play it again (example: Doom 3). If you were to spend $100 on a mmorpg and only play it for the first month of free membership, you?d be getting your money?s worth. If your still keen after a month, then I?d say you?ve found a good value game that would be worth spending $15 or whatever to play it for another three months.
I think it?s just the principle of an ongoing fee that people don?t like, because when you look at it logically, it?s really not that big a deal.
As for the loading time, yep, it?s a drag. Though I?m a pretty patient person, so it doesn?t bother me very much. Besides, it gives me a chance to get something constructive done while I wait, like some reading or drawing, or god forbid, house cleaning. [:P]
-Actually, a friend told me that WoW is pretty quick on a dial-up connection, much more so then most online games. Also it?s supposed to have a seamless transition between zones. Though I haven?t played it yet, so I?m not sure. But all the reports are that it?s a damn fine game.
BTW, I?ve checked out EverQuest 2, and it seems pretty average to me. The worst thing is the shocking lag on dial up. What?s the point of having cutting edge graphics if you have to turn every option off in order to play the game???
Well you're paying $90 for a game which only works for a month, that's not worth it for me. Say you finish your game in a week and then a month later you want to play it with your friends for a little while who only just bought it, well you can't can you? You have to pay again. Also, some people don't have a whole bunch of time to play a game so a month can turn into an hour or two a week. (Yes that's right busy people can enjoy mmorpg's [:D]) I hate the idea of having a time frame to enjoy my game.
I was glad when i heard it was monthly subscription, i bet a mmorpg made by Blizzard would be very addictive.
Yeah, true. I guess the pay to play games are mainly for dedicated players. Still, I?ve always though that a 3 month subscription is enough time to fully experience a game.
If your dead set against ongoing subscription, but want to play a fantasy mmorpg, then Guild Wars is the game for you. Also it?s mission based, so you can play in little spurts without dedicating all your time to get anywhere. Also you don?t need a high lvl character to have fun, because it?s designed to be about strategic play and not power playing.
But if your serous about you rpg?s, then I don?t see how anyone can go past WoW.
Phfff, listen to me, I sound like a fan boy and I haven?t even played it yet! [:P]
quote:palantir:
As for the loading time, yep, it?s a drag. Though I?m a pretty patient person, so it doesn?t bother me very much. Besides, it gives me a chance to get something constructive done while I wait, like some reading or drawing, or god forbid, house cleaning.
quote:palantir:
Phfff, listen to me, I sound like a fan boy and I haven?t even played it yet!
What?? still haven't got into a game yet hey? My you are a patient person [:X]
tic toc.. tic toc.. tic toc.... [:X]
Well, what do you know; after the typical mayhem that goes with the release of a new mmog, everything seems to have settled down and the loading times are now quite tolerable.
This is an extreamly fun rpg, especially if you know other people who are playing it. It's awesome to team up with your mates (and anyone you happen to meet along the way) and go off adventuring together. There is so much to see and do.
It?s true what they say ? WoW will ruin your life. Well, this may be a slight exaggeration, but it damn sure is addictive. I only got about half way through Half Life 2 before WoW grabbed my attention and firmly kept it in a vice-like grip.
Oh yeah, don?t get me wrong, Half Life 2 is an awesome game, easily the most fun I?ve ever had in a FPS. I?m just saying that I found World of Warcraft so great that it?s actually stopped me playing Half Life 2 half way through! [:P]. Of course I?m a big RPG fan, so that?s got a lot to do with it.
I?ll definitely come back to HL2, but I need to spend some time immersed in WoW first.
Actually, the HL2/WoW comparison makes me think how awesome an RPG done with the Source engine would be...
Edit: I've just realised this is my 400th post. WOOT!! I?m officially dangerous! [:D]
I don't really believe WOW is an rpg in the true sense of the genre, its a combat based game with inventory. [:P]
point click...point click...ooh stat management and more than one piece of armour, gee must be an rpg...
Sad when the only genre with any real immersion so easily has its name tacked onto an action game and people think its the best the genre has to offer.
Don't get me wrong the games pretty and big and deep enough for a action game, if I had the cash I'd play it till my eyes bled.
Its just not an RPG in the true sense of the genre.
Malus, what games would you consider true RPG?s? What makes a game an RPG?
I think any game that lets the player play in character is an RPG. Any mmog technically is an RPG because the players have the ability to play in character.
WoW is what you make of it. If you want to run around focused on power playing, then sure, it?s definitely just a point & click combat game in a fantasy setting. On the other side however, if you can find a group of people keen to role-play then it?s much more of an RPG then most games. When I?m with other people, I tend to spend more time typing in character then just pointing and clicking. And it?s much more fun then running off on my own in the search of points.
Actually, I can?t think of any other game that has more role-playing then mmorpg?s like World of Warcraft and EverQuest. But of course it all depends on the other people. Most people prefer to simply power play. Also I think there is much less role-playing going on in the lower levels. Once people get to a certain level, I think the RPG factor might become more common. I hope. Of course there will always be the power players.
When Middle Earth Online comes out next year, I think we?ll finally have a true mmorpg. If Tolkien fans can?t get the role-playing factor happening, no one can! (Um, except for maybe Star Trek fans- but that game is still a while off).
You kind of answered my reasoning for what I said, although quite a few people get into the rpg elements of WOW most end up being power gamers who just focus on combat and stats, the fact that its so easy to do that and alot harder to actually be pulled into a deep rich world makes me beleive it was designed less with rpg's in mind and more action.
We agree partially on what makes an rpg, but saying its a game that enables you to be a character means every game could be classed as a rpg doesn't it?
A focus on character growth, character interaction, story and immersion are what I believe are some of the key things that define the RPG genre.
WoW, while touching on these doesn't really focus on them, its all about pretty graphics and powerful combat skills, you could probably take away most of the npc interaction, stat management etc and still have a good action game with WoW, you couldn't with something like Morrowind as it was built from the ground up with them in mind.
I somewhat disagree with you Malus though I think this is probably a rather subjective argument. True to Blizzards recent works the world in WoW is beautifully put together focusing more on a coherent fun art style than pure realism. The game will obviously vary alot depending on your personal play style and we see all sorts of characters from those who are just lovely to play with to those who like to strip naked and dance in the streets with disturbing regularity.
Most of my game time is spent on various quests, many of which aid in character growth and connection with the world, the shamans totem quests being a good example. For a richer experience a couple of RP only servers have been set up where out of character chat is simply not allowed, I have yet to try one of these out yet though. Combined with the excellent oppurtunities for free form role play which are simply not available in a single player game I think the RPG tag is well deserved.
Modern RPG's seem to have become somewhat obsessed with numbers and statistics and I find the simplicity of WoWs characters refreshing as it makes it easier to get out of the 'power level' mentality and actually play the game.
I haven't played it but from what I've seen and from what I've heard from people who did the open and closed betas it goes something like this:
run...run...run...click..click..click....
...ooh thats pretty!...
...click...click...ouch...run...run...run...resurrect....run...run.....
[:P]