Comments on Boathammer: Ten Unhappy Facts of WAR

You can also earn two in game items by participati...

2008-08-24T21:31:00.000-04:00

You can also earn two in game items by participating in the “Road to War” mini game. You can sign up here: http://www.road-to-war.com/top10embed.html?uid=854218

Here some links to Head Trophies for Order Players:

http://www.road-to-war.com/headembed.html?guid=81b1441c-908e-428e-a32e-ecdbc559ba9e&uid=854218

http://www.road-to-war.com/headembed.html?guid=a711324e-0b64-4c0a-9f86-972716261cb8&uid=854218

http://www.road-to-war.com/headembed.html?guid=26b796fa-b1fa-4c34-b0e3-7ff63aa1d758&uid=854218

Daily Poll:
http://www.road-to-war.com/poll.html?uid=854218

You might want to check out a free trial in the ne...

2008-08-09T04:14:00.000-04:00

You might want to check out a free trial in the next couple of weeks... before WAR open beta cannibalizes the playerbase.

Hmmph. Now there's an unhappy thought. :(

I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with DAoC, but it's i...

2008-08-08T19:34:00.000-04:00

I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with DAoC, but it's interesting if they made horizontal expansions work.

#7 is the only "Unhappy Fact" that I'd really argu...

2008-08-08T14:20:00.000-04:00

#7 is the only "Unhappy Fact" that I'd really argue.

I don't honestly see Mythic ever releasing a WoW-style "vertical" expansion. Ever.

I think they learned that lesson with Trials of Atlantis.

I thought the content in ToA was brilliant if a bit grindy, but the EFFECT of Master levels and Artifacts on the RvR game was devastating.

To the point that DAOC's most popular single server right now is Gaheris - a server where they completely removed ToA. (Industry first, by the way... removing an entire expansion.)

From my armchair designer perspective - the nature of RvR game design limits pure vertical expansion.

What I do see is something like the Darkness Rising expansion - mostly horizontal with some minor vertical advancement that's mostly restricted to PvE and doesn't really impact core RvR play.

You say that most people will never level up an alt... but I'm not so sure. In DAOC, it was COMMON to see alts (with XP disabled) parked in Thidranki or Molvik. And in DAOC, those Battlegrounds didn't actually impact the RvR endgame like the earlier Tiers do in WAR.

And... if the next expansion added... say... Skaven or Brettonians or Wood Elves or Tomb Kings or Vampire Counts... or well, you get the idea.

I just think there is a LOT of room for horizontal expansion here.

The challenge will be keeping the experience compelling.

I've found that as long as I have enemies, RvR (at any level) never gets old. ;)