The guys were also eager to talk about the public quest system
and why it is so important in an MMO. They both agreed that this style
of questing seemed like it would be common sense. But Paul was quick to
mention that, “Common sense is not always common.”
Most MMOGs force you to go and find your quest then carry it out. Jeff
describes Public Quests as “A system in the game that does
all the stuff people talk about, it tells a story, it draws you in, it
is compelling, and it rewards you.” The EA Mythic team is
very excited about the Public Quest System and how it will work for
players and make them feel like they are a part of the world, part of a
faction, and part of a team.
alt="Warhammer Booth" title="Warhammer Booth"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="113" width="150">
A view of the Warhammer booth.
Both RvR and the city campaigns play a huge part in Warhammer
and also came up as we were talking about the feeling behind the game.
In regards to RvR, Jeff mentioned that “RvR is accessible by
anyone; it’s interesting and engaging,” but he also
noted that “the capital city campaigns are freaking
amazing.” The folks at EA Mythic are not just trying to make
the city campaigns work; they are trying to make them an amazing
experience for the player.
When talking about the cities, Paul had mentioned that
everyone was focused on the times that a city would be attacked and
rampaged. Paul then explained that this happens about one day out of
every thirty. He asked the question, “What do you do the
other twenty nine days in that city? You live in
it!” He expressed that he had to make the team
understand that building a living capital city was crucial.
Jeff explained that the team really wants to “build
a city that lives and that when people go there they have a different
experience each time.” Again this goes back to their way of
thinking on the game, the cities won’t just work; they will
live.
So what happens when you attack that living city? Here was
Jeff’s response:
“It’s literally capturing
somebody’s city, having a bonfire in the middle of the town
square, picking a stick out of it, running down the alley ways, kicking
open doors, setting houses on fire, killing the occupants, stealing
their loot.”
Needless to say, these guys are not just thinking of RvR that
works, they are thinking of making campaigns and battles that have a
feeling, that have It.
It is a rare event when a company is bold enough to take a
stance on the MMO market and talk about other games. In this case both
Paul and Jeff discussed how they felt Warhammer would impact the market
when the game launched.
Paul explained that you need three things to build a strong
game in a very competitive market. He said you need a strong team, a
few new ideas, and mass appeal. In the best analogy I have heard, Paul
summed up his feelings on the MMO market and where he felt Warhammer
would fit in. If you follow music, you will understand this completely:
“WoW is The Beatles who changed music forever. You
can’t be the Beatles; they already exist. You can’t
copy them. If you try, you become The Monkees. You’ve got no
chance. We’re not The Beatles. We’re Led Zeppelin.
We’re very Heavy Metal…we Rock. That’s
what we do. W.A.R. rocks. We’re heavy metal, hard
rock.”
I won’t try to explain that quote; I’ll
let it stand for itself. I will say that Paul really conveys the
feeling behind the game here very well. There is a passion for heavy
metal that started with Led Zeppelin and changed music in an entirely
different way. W.A.R. hopes to capture that passion and of
course…rock.
alt="Jeff and Paul Presentation-2"
title="Jeff and Paul Presentation-2" name="photo_j"
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Jeff and Paul's Presentation.
Both Jeff and Paul pointed out that W.A.R. is one of the first games
to go through production in the post-WoW era. This gives them an
advantage to see how the market has changed and evolved. Paul was happy
to mention an element that sets W.A.R. apart in the current MMO market.
“Our end game is in from the beginning,” he
said. That statement attacks a problem that many MMOGs have
suffered from. Few games have come up with a strong end game right from
launch, and W.A.R. hopes to be different.
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.
