Warhammer Online: Guild Preview with Josh Drescher and Christian Bales
By Garrett Fuller
Guilds have become a major part of MMO game play. Players have organized guilds that now span across different games and game genres. There are hardcore guilds who try to dominate game content as well as casual guilds who enjoy having fun and exploring an MMO with much less intensity. Warhammer Online is prepared to help both types of guilds in their game. As MMOs grow more sophisticated we have learned what works and what does not work for guilds. WAR plans to take what works expand on it and help guild leaders and players organize a well running guild so the game can remain fun. Josh and Christian were on hand to show us some of the features in WARs guild system.
border="0" width="200">
Players will be able to customize the UI in the guild section to best fit the look and style of their guild. We did not get to see the full impact of this feature because it was not finished yet in the game. What we did get to see was a good look at guild heraldry. Players will be able to customize the look and feel of their guilds using banners which appear in the guild UI. Christian explained to us that there will be tons of options for guilds to choose from when creating their symbols. She also explained that there will be loads of colors and designs for banners. The best part of these designs is that when you take a keep in RvR your banners will fly from the towers!
It will take six players to start a guild in the game. Josh explained that there will be some cost involved. Six players is also the standard single group in the game. Josh fully admitted to being a solo styled MMO player; however he explained how WAR is trying to encourage players to be part of guilds in the game. The social aspect of MMOs is very important to the way these games are played and Warhammer hopes to make that experience the best for everyone involved. While we all may like to do some quests on our own, it makes sense in a game expecting massive RvR battles to be part of a group.
border="0" width="200">
Guilds can gain their own amount of experience in the game. Do not worry, once you reach top tier you wont have to go out and level your guild. This will happen naturally as you progress in the game and gain experience yourself. Guilds will eventually have tactics they can use and place on their banners. Josh and Christian both explained that running a guild in an MMO should not feel like a full time job. Guild leaders will have plenty of tools at their disposal to support their guilds along the way. WAR wants to give guild leaders the tools to schedule events, give rewards to strong members, and make life as easy as possible.
The guild UI has several options that go with it. The first is a guild profile page which allows members and new members a chance to get a feel for the guilds overall approach to the game. There is a section for guild news about events and achievements among the members. There is also a guild roster which allows for players to manage the number of members. Guilds also can form alliances with other guilds in the game. These Alliances make up what Josh called super guilds. Here players can share resources and work with a cooperative membership to make life easy. They also hope to have rewards if a player joins a guild. They want to encourage guilds to give back to the player base.
While Warhammer Online continues to drive changes in the MMO market there has become a lot of standard expectations among players for guilds. Players will not only have the standard tools and options to run their guild, but WAR wants to add things into the game that take guild management one step further. Many players know there are times when guilds can become very tough to run, Warhammer hopes to make it easier for players and guild leaders alike.
Feel the need to talk about the guild options? Head on over to the Ten Ton Hammer WAR Forums!
Don't forget to check out Ten Ton Hammer's main page for all your gaming needs
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Game Page.
