Monday, April 27, 2009

Should I return to Warhammer?

So I’ve been pondering this question with my time off while taking care of my new baby girl. Its coming time that I might start playing some games at night on a limited basis but I noticed I haven’t missed War all that much. I’ve been keeping up on the forums and have discovered quite a few of the really popular and nice guys on the SwordMaster forums have finally quit and now I’m wondering if it isn’t maybe time for me to do the same. The sad part is it isn’t really the game play that’s at fault, but all the bugs (see beta comparisons) that still exist. I enjoy the game, but I’ve made it to the end level up and now am wondering do I want to lag my way through keep sieges? Hammer away at pve dungeons?

The root of the problem is this. I love Wars pvp and I think the balance is somewhat there. But the fights are never in fair numbers, and the keeps are all exactly the same pretty much. Scens would be great, if they didn’t seem to always be one side rolling over the other. And scens are real picky whether they will be open or have people playing them anyway. I enjoyed the first three city dungeons, but after running them several times those are boring as well. I could gear up, but for what? In WoW I would gear up so I could compete better in the arena, which I guess was one of the only reasons wow kept me so long. I really wish War had an arena and ranking system, maybe some day.

So I like small scale skill based pvp, but I can’t find it much in War right now. I like the PvE, but only to the point of gearing me, not running it 90 times and not ever seeing my drop. And after I get my piece from a dungeon there isn’t a whole lot of motivation to go back there except to help friends which I have done. The end game is supposed to be Orvr and sieges, I don’t know, maybe if there wasn’t massive lag those would be more fun, but I’m not really feeling like that would be the case. The set ups are boring, the lord rooms can be walled off by players using collision detection and aoeing a small spot. This usually leads to the enemy even if outnumbered 4-1 being able to easily stop you. Again its mostly zerging and little strategy, IF you can even move well at all.

In any case I guess this post speaks for itself, I’m not sure I’ll make it back to War. My sub ends on the 17th and I may start playing other games and writing more about them. Most notably Demigod but I may try a free game called Atlantica as well. These games also have there issues but at least I don’t have to pay monthly to play them. In war these things still plague me and are wearing me out now:

Massive Lag (scens are usually ok, keeps are almost always crap, forts are outrageous)

CTD (still crashing to desktop at least once a night)

Bugs galore (fligh paths not taking me where I chose to go, chests not looting, abilities not firing, millions more that have been discussed)

So I guess I’m asking why stick around and play War through all this? What incentive do I have to get higher than 40/40? Are you all still enjoying War and plan on sticking around? Is there something I’m missing that is going to make end game more fun?

2 comments:

Grimnir said...

WAR is a beta.

As long as you can be OK with that, then treat it as such. Think about back when they were doing beta testing. Everyone wanted in, and some of them willing to pay for it. To pay for a service that ain't quite done yet. Something that needs polish, bug fixes, and the rest of the content they promised.

EA pushed it out the door. Not Mythic, not Games Workshop. So this is what we have ended up with. This is the reality of the situation. EA wants you to pay to play-test, as it does with pretty much all of their games.

WAR is in beta.

...and I like it.

***All Things Rob Wild*** said...

I agree and have said so before, unfortunately the beta bugs, combined with the stale end game have done me in. I'm just not motivated to play at the moment, it is a great game though, and I enjoyed it.