Currently downloading the Warhammer Online pre-load, 9GBs oi (plus more probably for patches). Both my brother and I have cancelled our WoW accounts.. not because of WAR (boredom/need to stop playing WoW and get a job syndrome).

But Blizzard's, "keep your characters FOREVER" policy makes it so you can restart the addiction anytime you want.

wolfeditor

@thor79:

Its just an easy solution to a problem. Instead of creating a website to handle all the hits from those trying to do it, then process the ones they get, then the PR backlash when the site goes down due to the amount of traffic, they just gave little cards to those that preordered it.

I preordered mine a long time before they announced this. Then Gamestop calls me and says "Hey we have a box for ya."

And at most places a preorder is not a purchase and you can get your 5 bucks right back.

Go to a gamestop, preorder it and get the box, leave and come back the next day and cancel the preorder. You get your 5 bones back and you have the box, if its the preorder that is bothering you.

gahazakul

NDA is about to go away, at this point, it's going to be released, so I'll throw my opinion out there.

I think the artists picked for this project did a great job. They came up with a good compromise between the WH aesthetic and the WoW aesthetic that they seemed to be pushed toward. What they didn't do was come up with their own version of game mechanics that could make the world work. Basically, it reminds you of DAOC, where there are just basic kinds of clunky interface issues that make playing a real chore--regardless of how pretty things are when you're standing still. They didn't learn anything from MMOs that came out between DAOC and now, even beyond WoW, itself, which they have unsuccessfully imitated. Many hyped features from before, like the idea of having 3 squigs as a goblin, have fallen by the wayside in favor of a goblin-and-squig skinned version of the hunter class from WoW. The similarities don't end there--it's just a random example (and one that, btw, you don't have to be in beta to have known).

Basically, they got a great PR guy, dropped a ton of money on a talented art team, and (probably) the writers/quest people, but the basic game isn't there to support the effort. I've had a great deal of difficulty leveling a character up into the teens, simply because I lose interest quickly. To kind of calibrate what I'm saying--I played AoC, and enjoyed it alot early on, and then lost interest when content ran out at higher levels (and I was frustrated by the direction the balancing and patching was taking). So it's not like I'm generally MMO adverse. At least early on.

deathbunny

@PearceShea:
Kotaku seems to draw people with a more metered reaction to announcements, or maybe the mighty ban hammer really has worked. Look around and you'll see the usual overreaction that I at least have come to expect.

@acrana:
Good, that's what I had heard but wasn't sure if that was 100% positive yet.

@GreyFoxV1:
I hope so. It looks good from what I've seen but I'll have to play it myself to know for sure.

jobble

@gahazakul:
Fine if they want to restrict the numbers to stress test their servers, that's ok. Just don't call it open beta when it is not open to everyone without paying money to get in.

thor79

^Thats 800,000, not whatever I put...

gahazakul

@Jebusman:

The problem is they have 800,oo people that have tryed to get into the beta. They are trying to thin the numbers a bit because it will probably only be 2 or 3 servers.

This is a stress test to see if the equipment/software is ready to run on its own. This isn't debugging just seeing if things on their end can handle the load.

gahazakul

This is not open beta...so don't call it an open beta. Open beta does not require you to lay down money to get in (every preorder I know of requires a deposit).

At most this is preorder beta access...like so many other games have had IN ADDITION to a true open beta.

thor79

just a point here, but I thought the point of an open beta is that anyone can just join to help test, not "You have to preorder the game just to participate in an incomplete version of it"

Jebusman

WoW Buddy: Im going go play WAR
Me: Ok, it wont last. . .just like AoC
WoW Buddy: Yeah, well see

2 Months later

WoW Buddy: So yeah, you were right ;/ Still got room in the guild?
Me: Fill out an app - PS i told ya so

Omegasoap

@jobble:
It's good don't worry.

GreyFoxV1

The "open" part annoys me.

jackburnt

That's a real shame that there's no other way to get into it other than pre-ordering. I play World of Warcraft and WAR is the first MMO to catch my interest since WoW came out. I guess I'll have to wait for opinions during the Open Beta, and reviews - Even though I wanted to play it the first day it went live =[

TheDaftPunk

My friend's gonna be all over this. Good to hear the beta's relatively easy to get into.

Then again, every idiot could very well hop on and flame about how OMG THIS DONT WOKR LOL!!

I rescind my previous statement.

GwennBlackfeather

@IanC

Actually, the "Closed Beta" is where real debugg info comes from.

MMO open betas are basically them easing people onto their servers and see if the hardware and software is ready to walk on its own. This is normally referred to as a "Stress Test".

gahazakul

Despite knowing about as much about Warhammer as I do about well....warhammer, I'm actually looking forward to this!

excel_excel

@Thunder-1: Restart from scratch. (I think pre-orders get a couple days head start on the rest of the world, though).

PearceShea

@jobble: NDA as already been announced that itll be lifted tomorrow

acrana

@jobble: Really? I've heard only heard wonderful things about... From where did you hear this?

PearceShea

Probably an obvious answer but I've never played a beta for a game before. If you participate in the beta do your characters get transferred levels and all to the main servers or do you restart over again?

Thunder-1

The interwebs are already aflame with howls and claims of certain doom for Warhammer. A few days should be plenty of time to decide whether or not you like it and allow you to cancel your order or send it back. Hopefully the NDA will be lifted soon, potentially tomorrow, and then the information will really start to flow.

jobble

A bit pointess, having the beta 11 days before release...

(and yes, where is the EU one? My code is sitting there useless at the mo.)

IanC

Well all right. I already pre-ordered from EBGames.com so I should be in.

MSUSteve

So much <3 for WAR, can't wait for release.

jamouq

has anyone been able to download it yet?

BlindEagle

Relax, the EU will get it soon enough.

I can't believe it's almost time for this game to come out. September 18th will be a magical day indeed. Sadly, I have to return to college on that day, but as soon as I move in, it's going to be an all-nighter.

Ken Hikari

Once again, the EU is forgotten. Oh the joy.

Acklan

Any news on the European Beta? Will there even be one?

silasthemariner

Btw ugh!

I can't get through the Fileplanet crap to get to the preload files for the open beta.

gahazakul

"Agree to buy our game, and then we'll let you see if it's any good!"

Will they ever learn?

topaz420

@LaserJudas: Reading comprehension isn't your strong point is it? I was implying a lot of people who picked up AoC after playing WoW have went back to . . .you guess it, playing WoW.

Omegasoap

Its funny hearing people complaining about a short open beta.

World of Warcraft (well in the EU anyway) only had ONE week of Open Beta.

It is only a stress test really after all...

Zuluhero

@Omegasoap:
Wow. I wasn't aware that AoC has been shut down. I wish someone would have told me. That way, I wouldn't have been playing last night...

LaserJudas

For those of us that have the Collector's Edition Preorder codes, we get to start open beta on 9/7(shrug).If you preordered the collector's edition awhile back, you were given the beta access code,"head start" code, and a code for "Rittenbach's Portable Camp", and "Sentinal's Armband", along with codes sent seperately for mess of other preorder exclusives you'll get once the game starts(supposably).

Sugaray

Jesus, how can you guys NOT see through the bullshit? Every single video for Warhammer on Gametrailers is Standard Definition, no high def UNLESS it's pre-rendered or a cinematic.

The only way to get into the "open" beta is to order a copy of the game. Obviously they know they know they can't deliver on all the promises and they are trying to nail down all the fanboys.

A month is not enough to know if an MMO has legs or not, much less a couple of weeks. They already had to come clean about a few classes and bunch of cities not being in the final release. If you think AoC was Overhyped then you have seen nothing yet. I give Warhammer 6 months tops before it loses half the subscriber base.

For those of you who want to play it, don't worry, there will be plenty of people and servers for it. This game will be around for many years, but for those of you who think it's the next WoW you are in for a horrible disappointment.

fdisk

I should be in the Open Beta + Preview Weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for a Pezdispenser erectin' a beer dispenser. :D

Incoming Uber Chosen! Witch Elf sappin' mah sentry! Blaergh!

Pezdispenser

Nice to know us closed beta members get transferred over. I look forward to playing with a bigger population. It's so lonely out there sometimes...

sayoko

I hope they lift the NDA soon. I am craving it like delicious cake.

@Omegasoap: I picked up AoC and went back to WoW, but my strong suspicion is that I'll end up playing Warhammer exclusively.

antialias02

Mythic defines "Open Beta" as "Beta without an NDA", just like "Closed Beta" is "Beta with an NDA".

And don't bother arguing with fdisk. He's clearly already made up his mind.

baberg

My brother pre-ordered a long time ago. Spent 3 days downloading the beta, played for 5 hours yesterday, promptly uninstalled it and cancelled his preoder.

So if this is any indication they're going to lose a lot of people soon. Apparently the low level PvP is horribly broken to favor ranged classes, so if you don't want to be a ranged class no WAR for you. Or everyone will be ranged and it'll get 2 million people. Just seems funny after months of anticipation a few hours loses them a sale.

Xeddicus

It's pretty obvious that companies offer open betas to pre-orders just to increase exposure and the initial population base when the server goes live... yes, they get a little stress testing in, but 11 days is nowhere near enough time to find and fix major server issues. If they haven't found the big ones by now then they are in trouble. This is just a marketing stunt really.

That being said, I will certainly pick the game up and check it out for the first 30 days... I'll take my time, make several characters, and then a couple months later when everyone who maxxed out over the first weekend abandons the game for lack of endgame content I'll be able to enjoy myself.

Who wants 'another WoW' anyhow? I mean seriously... If something came out that was just like WoW, umm, why would you stop playing WoW? Hopefully WAR is a bit different, at least enough to make PvP and getting to max level enjoyable and not just a rehash...

Vergobret

@fdisk:

I seem to recall people saying the exact same thing about WoW v Everquest.

Pezdispenser

I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with this but I would like to coin a new gaming term.

"Pre-Order Beta"

Seriously. Say it for what it is. Its definatly not an "Open" beta.

garrland

@Omegasoap: Yeah because Warcraft is still fun.

But anyway... Can't you just preorder it and NOT BUY IT when it comes out and still get into the open beta?

Bitten_Dead

I just want balanced pvp :( make it be like darkage before atlantis and ill play. Please no WoW paper, rock, scissor pvp.

Sinharvest

There is a beta and I am in it.

Oh and don't worry about the state of the game, it's doing just dandy.

seamroy

@fdisk:

regarding the cuts that they made, it was more a case of just being too enthusiastic with their content before realising that they had to come back down to earth and fast. I mean c'mon SIX cities and 250 classes?!?!

If people believed that then they deserve to be disappointed...

Zuluhero

@fdisk:

Oh no, the sky is falling!

SeedyROM

@Xeddicus: "Apparently the low level PvP is horribly broken to favor ranged classes, so if you don't want to be a ranged class no WAR for you"

That's strange considering alot of early previews have indicated that Black Orc and Chosen classes are incredibly fun to play..

Lemming

@taftsearlobe33:
Look, I don't care about graphics at all. I was the first one defending WoW's graphics when it came out and I defend Warhammer's. Don't get me wrong on that, the fact remains that Warhammer's graphics while low poly are still artistically well design and executed which is all I care about.

My point is that they are keeping this from the "OMGGFX!" crowd by not releasing high res videos. Why does every single game at Gametrailers has HD videos yet Warhammer does not? Except for the trailers and other pre-rendered stuff.

As for the pre-order, once again; that just hooks you into buying it. Of course you are going to love the game the month it comes; what matter is its legs since it's an MMO after all. I just don't see something so similar to WoW doing that hot, and the fact that they are so adamant to let non-fanboys play it raises a red flag for me.

fdisk

@relax_guy: except of course to have a MMO with real PVP unlike in WoW

taftsearlobe33

@deathbunny:

I couldn't agree more, I was very excited to get into the beta. but this game falls into the category of "nothing new"

there is honestly no reason to play this game.

relax_guy

@fdisk: rofl so because they don't have high definition trailers the graphics must suck? lol that is a good one. I don't know what hype you have been hearing but there hasn't been a whole lot of hype about this game and when I played it at Gamesday I was more then impressed with it.

taftsearlobe33

As a veteran MMORPG player I'm really looking forward to this one, but I don't care at all for this (open) beta. I'm getting the European SE pre-order, which doesn't include open beta.

I see some talking about the NDA here, there's an official statement on the www.warhammeralliance.com forum that the NDA will be lifted tomorrow...

Bluetribal

@fdisk: Open Beta only if you pay them $5 or more (Pre-order minimum at EB last time I checked).

Mythic doesn't get that money. EBGames/BestBuy/whoever does.

baberg

@IanC:
"A bit pointess, having the beta 11 days before release..."

You obviously know nothing about testing. Developers can use any testing they can to find last minute issues that will put on a day 1 patch. So no it's not pointless.

DigitalHero

@Pezdispenser:
There is a big difference. WoW opened its doors to everyone, there was a ton of information available for it, screenshots, videos, no NDA since Closed Beta. Two chances for the whole world to play it, the Fileplanet Stress Test and then the actual Open Beta. They went out of their way to show people "Hey, check this out, we are better than EQ and we can back that up"

- Warhammer instead of doing the same with WoW is doing what? Open Beta only if you pay them $5 or more (Pre-order minimum at EB last time I checked). With this, they are hooking you into buying the final product. Every MMO is awesome the first few weeks to play it. They are just assuring $50 + 2 months of monthly fees at least.
- No high definition videos, they are all pretty small in resolution that I've seen. So those who care about graphics don't notice they are just a notch above WoW's and a little grittier.
- Every other video is the developers talking and showing concept art, there's no gameplay in most of them.

I was looking forward to the open beta to finally decide whether I was going to bother with it or not. However, what I listed above has cemented my opinion that just like Age of Conan this game is all hype.

Hell, I was going to play it just to hold me up until Lich King; I'll just pass altogether instead.

fdisk

@Xeddicus: Apparently the low level PvP is horribly broken to favor ranged classes, so if you don't want to be a ranged class no WAR for you.

So your brother, judging by 5 hours of low-level PvP (he couldn't have gone beyond rank 6) has already decided that the game is broken and cannot be fixed.

I don't think the problem is in the game.

baberg

@Omegasoap: I laughed. Really hard. Mostly because you're incorrect.

Ken Hikari

@MarionBarryHussein: EA purchases Mythic. The main designer associated with Mythic leaves within weeks.

He was the Producer (big-think type stuff, like Shiggy or Kojima) and he left because he and his wife just adopted two Russian children.

But whatever. If the NDA does drop tomorrow there will be plenty of screenshots, videos, and testimonials to praise WAR - and there will also be plenty of gripes and detractors too. Figure out who's the fanboys and who's not, then go from there.

baberg

@fdisk: well thats part of the whole controversy with AoC they were not pre orders it was all part of their big hype machine now AoC there is a game that ran 100% on hype. But I suggest you try out WAR and I am sure if you enjoy PVP you will enjoy this now I was not able to check out the PVE content at gamesday but from my understand there is a lot of in the game more PVE then was in WoW when it shipped

taftsearlobe33

@taftsearlobe33:
And again, why would you ship that many units? Because the pre-orders for that game were high, and you ship as much as there's pre-orders then some.

No one ships units and expects them not to get sold.

@baberg:
That's what this forum is for. Respectful arguments and discussions :)

fdisk

From people who have decided to break the NDA I have heard that Warhammer looks, feels, and plays like WoW however without all the interface polish that Blizzard has tweaked over the years on WoW. With Lich King possibly coming out in November I wonder if I will be even tempted to try this one. Especially after being disappointed by LOTR, Tabula Rasa, and POTBS in turn. With all the cool games coming out this Winter I probably only have time for one MMO.

Trencher-1

Here's the indication you people need. The people coming out and saying bad things are the people who haven't played the game, while the people who have played it are shutting up because they don't want to get removed from beta. But like every single piece of information has said about the game... it's all about pvp (rvr, whatever). And dear lord, the person who said not to play because casters are good at low levels? That's a joke, right? You're talking about unorganized zerg vs zerg gameplay with people not knowing what they're doing or where to go and you're making gameplay assumptions off of that? Wow.

Smeesh

@taftsearlobe33:
I applied for the Beta like everyone else, and I would love for Warhammer to prove me wrong as a good game is a good game and I don't care who it copies, emulates or makes it. WoW is a game that does nothing new, just a lot of things right.

I will not pre-order Warhammer just to try it out, that's what upsets me. The fact that they remain so adamant to let people experience it, the videos keep being short and low res, etc. I'll keep thinking they are not confident about their game.

My friend played it yesterday and was raving about it, same way you said you loved it when you played it. However, pretty much MMO I have ever played felt fun as hell for the first week or so, then the flaws start showing.

The same way someone argued that playing a game for 5 hours and calling it broken is unfair I also think that playing an MMO for a week and calling it amazing is equally unfair. WoW itself had a lot of problems at launch, it wasn't until it was out for about a year or so that it became the clear top MMO.

fdisk

@baberg: I've played WoW to endgame, and City of Heroes/Villains to endgame. If you consider Diablo II 'close enough', then I've been that far in that one too.

I made it to 40.5 in DAOC on a valewalker before puttering out. I have a HG:L character who's completed the game on elite, so--not maxed out, but run through the game more than once, at least. My highest AoC char was 48, I think.

deathbunny

Let's review the highlight reel of EA in the online space (dates are approximate):

1999 - UO's massive lead in the MMO space begins to be squandered as EQ easily surpasses UO's subscription #. Within the next year or so, the entire value of the 'ultima' IP will be effectively trashed and the sub #s will have entered a permanent decline.

2001 - EA.com is fully unveiled, with "majestic" and "motor city online" released after an investment of tens of millions. Both will collectively have a little less of an audience than the average attendance at an MLS game in a second-tier market. The producer of "majestic" will be rewarded for this with a lead role at EA's giant new LA campus, while the executive in charge of EA.com will eventually end up as CEO.

2003 - EA passes on the chance to buy Blizzard for well under a billion dollars. 5 years later, the Blizzard portion of the ATVI/Vivendi "merger" will be valued by the market at over ten times this amount.

2004-2005 - EA top execs cash out stock options worth over 100 million dollars. Many will leave the company within the next few years.

2006 - EA purchases Mythic. The main designer associated with Mythic leaves within weeks.

2008 - EA loses its #1 publisher spot in a dramatic fashion, as the new combined ATVI/Blizzard easily surpasses it in market cap, and utterly crushes it in profitability. After numerous delays, they are finally ready to release "Warhammer" - a game which, to those unfamiliar with the GW IP, will seem to be superficially derivative of "Warcraft".

In the 90s, EA was able to see how a subscription-type relationship with sports series translated to good, steady income. Too bad this industry transition hasn't gone quite as well.

MarionBarryHussein

@fdisk: the problem with AoC was units shipped compared to accounts created they where saying it was a big deal that they shipped so many units not sold.

taftsearlobe33

i randomly ended up in the closed beta last weekend when open beta was theoretically opening up at least for CE preorders. i'd say give the open beta a chance im lovin it so far (though in all fairness ive had all of a whole night to actually play but it was one of those "go to bed at 7 am after playing all night" type nights :)

demonknightinuyasha

@fdisk: I played it at Gamesday and I can say the graphics are far from a low poly count. Is it AoC quality no but they are very good. The big thing with this game is that is very much PVP oriented and the gameplay is tons of fun each class has its own way of playing so playing a dwarf tank is nothing like playing a orc tank. LoTRO was closer to WoW then this is. Its not about raiding dungeons its about huge pvp battles in an open world its about laying siege to a castle and claiming it for your guild. Trust me it is a diffrent direction from WoW. I once thought it would be just another wow clone but it is a diffrent game and no it won't be a WoW killer however if you are a PvP fan you will enjoy the game.

taftsearlobe33

@deathbunny: I've had a great deal of difficulty leveling a character up into the teens, simply because I lose interest quickly. To kind of calibrate what I'm saying--I played AoC, and enjoyed it alot early on, and then lost interest when content ran out at higher levels (and I was frustrated by the direction the balancing and patching was taking). So it's not like I'm generally MMO adverse. At least early on.

That interests me - what MMOs have you played that you kept playing until the endgame? WoW? Everquest? DAoC? None of the above?

baberg

@baberg:
So what? It still counts as a pre-order, which means it's 1 more unit they can claim was purchased. I.E. Age of Conan, remember the disparity in numbers between units sold and accounts created?

fdisk

As someone that's been experiencing the beta from an over-the-shoulder perspective for many months now, I can honestly say that the initial release of the build was bloody AWFUL! The animations sucked, the holy crap! I'm playing WoW only shittier! experience was deeply felt and the world just felt ugly and uninspiring.

Now, months later, the game is starting to take shape as something really FUN and full of as much character as anything in Warcraft. The aesthetic nigglings I had have been rectified and a lot of the class imbalances have been addressed (FYI: Shadow Warriors stand NO chance against a Black Ork or Chosen player that knows how to close in).

After reading through the game's 25 year history of canon, it astounds me how much Blizzard borrowed from Games Workshop. I especially loved the story, "Wrath of the Witch King" that the Age of Reckoning storyline is based on.

I guess Warhammer: AOR is "Warcraft for Adults" anyways.

resvrgam

@PearceShea:
My only disagreement with your post is that a lot of the WAR hype comes from Mythic itself. Every single developer diary is one of the developers talking about how WoW does things different/better than the standard. How you can do this, and that, yet they don't show any footage in those diaries. At most they throw you a concept artwork here and there.

As for LOTRO, yes, it's a huge WoW clone, I bought it for $9.99 and played it for a month before I had to quit out of boredom. However I had been in the Beta and knew what to expect.

LOTRO failed in large part because it coincided with Burning Crusade. WAR has a month or two before Lich King comes out. However, I don't want to pre-order a game just so I can try it out. Open Betas for MMOs are nothing more than demos, and the same way I don't buy a magazine for a demo disc I don't like pre-ordering a game for a "taste".

It's not about the $5 either, I have a good enough job that it's a non-issue; it's about this being just one more red flag for me and this game. While all other companies over saturate you with content prior to release Mythic/EA is going out its way to hide as much as they can of their product from the public.

fdisk

@jobble: Some people like chocolate and some like vanilla

Only kiddie Alliance Pally-lovers like chocolate. Vanilla is the grown-up choice. L2Drink imo.

:)

baberg

@jobble: if lack of forms for WAR means it won't be as big I would gladely have that. After all the WoW forums are just horrible. Allthough it will be interesting to see how the community will grow, I personaly think its a great idea not having forums for the game after all the WoW forums have done was gotten nerfs for classes that don't need them and allowed both sides to become exactly the same.

taftsearlobe33

@Smeesh: Too true; and tomorrow, when NDA lifts, those of us in the beta will bear that out. Maybe. (/discretion)

antialias02

Just so everyone moaning about how it shouldn't be called open because it isn't open to everyone knows, It's called "Open" because the NDA is lifted, whereas the closed is NDA locked.

From the developers mouths. ^_^

Yadama

Just in this one thread we have some people saying WAR is great and others saying its not so great. I've been burned one time too many and won't purchase any game unless I have had a chance to demo it. In this case the open beta is going to be my demo and the only reason I'm doing that is because my personal interest level is so high for this particular product. Some people like chocolate and some like vanilla, if everything and everybody was the same life sure would get boring.

I do believe however that WAR is not going to be the next WoW. They have not had the openness of Blizzard and I have not seen them actively trying to build a community. Case in point: their lack of forums. That might good be for them in the short term, in their point of view, but I think its going to hurt them in the long run.

In any case competition is good and hopefully something is garnered from every attempt.

jobble

Supposedly WAR has more content right now than WoW did when it was first released 3 years ago. Take that as you will.

belo

@fdisk: I think that yes, the pre-order thing is a way for Mythic to cover some of their bets earlier than they normally would. To suggest, however, that it, or the lack of hi-res graphics (which is, as I recall, was something LOTRO also held off promulgating) is a complex marketing strategy smacks of conspiracy theory-think.

More to the point, I also disagree with your point about advertising. You seem to be conflating "hype" and "advertising." WoW was well-advertised, but I don't think the world was saturated with the stuff (after all, Blizz didn't expect nearly as many people to be interested as they were). A large portion of the pre-game hype wasn't anything Blizz really paid for: it was largely just word-of-mouth. AoC seemed even more advertised (makes sense, given how big a market for MMOs there seems to be now) and as hyped, if not more so, than WoW. When WoW and AoC failed to deliver on all the hype (both did, but AoC way more so), it was AoC that came out looking way worse- mostly because so much more of the hype surrounding AoC came from Funcom themselves. It's one thing if you have a rabid fanbase (which, frankly, speaks to the quality of the game) that over-promotes the game than having a company fail to deliver on the promises they advertise.

I just don't see how the same is true of Warhammer. If anything, it seems like the game is being under-advertised (relative to the previous two). I would guess in large part because Mythic/EA have learned AoC's lesson and have let alot of the fans do the advertising.

I think another big, encouraging, disparity between Blizz at WoW's launch and Mythic, now, is that while Blizzard sort of "ran" with a lot of unfinished things (no PvP system, and then half a pvp system... pvp still seems week in WoW; the Paladin class; the armor system) right at the release. Mythic seems to have taken the opposite approach: they pulled four classes "for now" because they felt unfinished, undefined and imbalanced; they pulled four capital cities because they felt unfinished and lacking compared to the first two cities finished and because they were concerned that having so many cities would dilute the endgame.

At the risk of violating the NDA, I can say that the game is incredibly fun and a refreshing take on a lot of the things WoW does. Will it "beat" WoW? Who knows and, frankly, no one should care but Mythic, Blizzard and their stockholders.

PearceShea

People that say there is so much hype for both WAR and previously for AoC just read Kotaku too much! =)

Vergobret

@fdisk: additoinally there is no way to predict how long a game will last in the MMO world its just impossible. It is like the movie industry I mean everyone thought Iron Man and The Dark Knight were going to be succesfull but they never had any idea it would be that huge. Or look at Pirates do you think anyone would have thought a movie based of a 40 year old dark ride would have turned out to be one of the largest franchises of all times? Truth is it is very hard to tell if a game is going to be a hit.

taftsearlobe33

@fdisk: read the gamespy playing journal. That's not developer hype is it?

Lemming

@fdisk: I would not call developer diaries hype since the only people who watch them are those interested in the game. In fact the only people who even know they have developer diaries are those who visit the main site. I have only ever watched one developer diary and I am interested in this game.

Lotro did not fail its still a very populor MMO granted its no where near as big as WoW but it still has a very large player base and is going to have its first expansion.

taftsearlobe33

@belo: I could see WoW players treating this game as another xpac between Blizzard xpacs - so any similarity between the two games might be beneficial for Warhammer. Hard to call.

Trencher-1

@jobble: If I love it then you'll love it. Okay that's just me being naive but the game is good, if not solid whoever says it crap is not getting into the lore.

@Sinharvest:
The really cool thing is PVP seems like it was built with the game from the very beginning and doesn't feel half arsed or anything like that. And the unlockable stuff is just fun especially when you have something that very few players have (written above their heads).

And coincidence being what it is i'm playing the game as i'm typing this...(damn you kotaku, i just got mauled).

Dirame

A lot of my friends are psyched for this game, so I'm hoping it's pretty good because many of them are burned out on WoW and the next expansion is still a few months off. However, since EA has announced no plans to support Mac users (something Blizzard has never had a problem doing), I'm hoping it's not TOO good. :P

Grave

Hooray we Europeans are being totally left out again, suprise suprise...

Prime-Omega

@Lemming:
Link me up to that if you don't mind.

fdisk

Since Amazon and other stores do not charge you until they actually ship the product, I wonder if you can just cancel the order if you end up not liking the game during "open" beta? I know Amazon lets you easily cancel orders online.

berribrand

The EU beta is at the exact same time as the North American one is.

rizzen93

@fdisk: [pc.gamespy.com]

taftsearlobe33

@Yadama: Maybe the developers should use the proper terminology then, as per the definitions of the term, Mythic does not have an 'open beta'. That's like Coke claiming their product "helps promote growth in children" because it makes them fat and cancerous.

What they're running is a 'buy-in stress test', which is in poor taste and not a sign of developer confidence in their product.

@belo: "Supposedly WAR has more content right now than WoW did when it was first released 3 years ago. Take that as you will."

I take that to mean you're living in some sort of alternate history timeline, as WoW was launched in 2004.

@Zuluhero: Maybe in the EU, but the WoW beta was at least a month in NA, maybe more... it's been about five years. And it was an actual "anyone can DL the client and play" open beta, not this "at least pre-order so we can claim we sold a million copies before the game even hit the shelf" PR bullshit the companies opt into when their game is on questionable ground.

Don't get me wrong though. I want WAR to succeed, it's the original that Blizzard took so many cues from when designing Warcraft, I'm just not seeing a lot at the moment that makes me feel enthused. Certainly not enough to be bothered to pre-order and cancel the game just so I can join the stress test.

Calhoun

@fdisk: amazon sends their codes in the media library so you could get the preorder and then cancel if you don't like it.

taftsearlobe33

@berribrand:
I was wondering this myself. How would Amazon send the codes? Regular mail or email?

@taftsearlobe33:
Thanks!

fdisk

"open" fuck off...

brenoporra

I'll just chime in real quick like. I too was hoping to get into beta just to test it/play around with it. Unfortunately I didn't and this "open" beta is not so "open" as others have pointed out....anyways....

I don't understand the whole 'pvp' aspect so many are wanting...Lineage II was supposedly going to be awesome for pvp/guilds because you could raid towns/castles/etc and claim it for yourself/your guild....but it's only really popular in Korea/Asian market...

Fury was supposed to be "the pvp mmo" (I think....please correct me if I'm wrong) but what happened to that? It has now pulled the plug...

I don't know...I don't see any MMOs get "pvp right" unless/until they get some way of allowing powers/spells/whatever to not be changed in PvE vs PvP....ie. if 1 power is too powerful in PvP, it gets nerfed for PvP and not for PvE....and vice-versa.

Anyways....time to watch some football...

smd31

Can't wait to play WAR. I know it will be great.

By the way, with the recent patch 3.3 closed beta clients finally got foliage. It looks very impressive now. Even now some of the bells and whistle aren't in the beta client yet. Rest assured, unless you have a 4000 $ and you need to melt some rock into lava with every game you play, you won't be dissappointed with WARs looks. As soon as the high-rez textures, all the foliage and lightning are in place, it really looks very, very neat, to say the least.

The big strongpoint of WAR is, that it isn't an elitist dick fest. It isn't 'me and my guildies are awesome gladiators and Kil'jaeden killers'. It is 'me and my realm are gonna kick them pansy other realms collective asses'. From level one through out the whole game into endgame.

I have beaten WoW. I have been in a elitist raiding guild killing the bosses early on. I have been in the aweful content void with nothing new to do. Ever noticed how WoWs entire endgame happens in instances? Ever noticed how the 'open' actual MMO-environment quickly dies out? Ever noticed, that most people log in to disappear in a instance? This will not happen in WAR!

Friends and foes will know my name! My trustworthy sword will slice 'n dice my enemies! My shield will protect my allies! My healing powers will keep my allies alive! My destructive magic will devaste the opposition! We will stand strong together! We will hold our ground! We will be VICTORS!

WAR will be VICTORIOUS!

Seppli

Just pre-order it at Gamestop.

It doesn't cost anything until it ships, so you could just cancel it the day before.

CapnHulk

WAR is not about mere PvP. WAR is about the perfect blend of PvE and PvP. It's trademarked and it's called RvR.

The PvE and PvP portions of the game are interweaved. Keep sieges, city sieges and the like all have PvE gameplay portions included. PvE stuff like public quests contribute to zone control. No matter what you do, your activity helps your realms wareffort.

The wareffort ulitmatly leads to capital city sieges/sackings, where the peaks of PvP and PvE happen. It's genious desing and far beyond trivial. It's why WAR is superior to WoW.

But I guess some mofos still are adverse to the transition from WoW to WAR. Well, your bad. I highly recommend to open your mind to what WAR brings to the table.

Seppli

Wow I haven't played that since E3 2006. I thought it would've been released by now. Shows how much I keep up with MMOs not on consoles. :)

Mongoosekun

The videos tell me the game is mediocre at best, the lack of an actual Open Beta seals it's fate the same way AoC, as in I won't pay to play garbage, you give me an actual demo/trial and things might change

z0phi3l

The leakers tell me, Warhammer will be great.

Don't ever judge a MMO by it's videos. The feeling just doesn't translate as well, as in other genres.

Since leaking isn't an issue anymore as of today, surf the interwebs and inform yourself. The feedback on WAR is overwhelmingly positive.

Seppli

@Jebusman: People keep thinking that open betas are all about debugging. As many other people have already stated both on this article and on articles for other betas that this is to stress test the servers to see how many people it can take without noticably struggling. Early and closed betas are the times when they need to iron out the bugs. Considering this beta starts days before it is released it would make no sense that they are using incomplete code.

el_rezzo

$5 to test this game, as opposed to the $85 I paid to waste on Conan (even bought the strategy guide) seems like a good deal to me.

michaelmacmanus

@fdisk: They provide them in their media section.

PearceShea

The NDA just dropped.

baberg

I just can't understand how everyone is whining so hard about $5. Like has been said before, spend the 5 bucks, try out the game, then go cancel it! Let it sit there, then a month later roll it over onto another game, or take it back from them 15 minutes after you did it. Seriously if you can't part with $5 for a few days, you have no business spending 50 on a game then 15 a month for it.

Also, if you like PvP, just buy this game. I've been in closed beta for a while, and the higher end stuff is amazing.

Monkeus