Comments on: Why not make a MMO EXACTLY like World of Warcraft? http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/ A blog about EverQuest, EverQuest II and MMORPGs in general Tue, 01 May 2012 18:43:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sean http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-2/#comment-9539 Sean Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:02:51 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9539 I have been playing Warhammer and it is a lot like WoW, but better in so many ways. So far, my favorite features have been this. 1. Public Quests - Fun, repeatable quests where everyone works together as a team. Plus when it's over you get exp and loot for participating. And you get influence points to spend on gear upgrades or potions. 2. Scenarios (Battlegrounds) - Queue from anywhere! When you're done with the scenario, you zone back into where you left. So basically, you never have to stop questing just to play a BG. Also, you can do a repeatable quest for exp to do the BG, which is good. AND you get XP and renown for playing (renown gives you gear points to spend). 3. Tome of Knowledge - I love the tome as it tracks what I'm doing and maybe someday I'll read it. It's too much to absorb right now though. 4. Mobs spawn and then seem to "assault" you to new battle positions. Nice touch, makes you feel more like your in a battle than just a field of never ending wolves. 5. Mana - there is none! woot! Everyone has a rogue like energy bar. Things I dislike about Warhammer online... 1. Animations - Very choppy animations, mobs kind of teleport between my turret and my character sometimes. 2. Graphics - I have an awesome video card (ati radeon 3870 512mb), 3 gb ram, 2.2ghz dual core AMD processer and a SATA hard drive. I can run other top end games on full settings without any slowdown (for the most part). On this game I get a lot of choppiness unless I turn it down. 3. Graphics... extended - I have an ATI card and sometimes the faces are transparent.. IDK why. 4. Customer Service - Where is it? I can't find a number to call anywhere. I'm getting ping ponged between EA and mythic for customer service. Not fun. 5. Scenarios - Joining a game where chaos team has all level 9-11's and the order team is all level 1-7. Matchmaking ftw. Getting utterly destroyed sucks. Overall, I'm addicted to this game, moreso than spore. Good times! I have been playing Warhammer and it is a lot like WoW, but better in so many ways. So far, my favorite features have been this.
1. Public Quests – Fun, repeatable quests where everyone works together as a team. Plus when it’s over you get exp and loot for participating. And you get influence points to spend on gear upgrades or potions.
2. Scenarios (Battlegrounds) – Queue from anywhere! When you’re done with the scenario, you zone back into where you left. So basically, you never have to stop questing just to play a BG. Also, you can do a repeatable quest for exp to do the BG, which is good. AND you get XP and renown for playing (renown gives you gear points to spend).
3. Tome of Knowledge – I love the tome as it tracks what I’m doing and maybe someday I’ll read it. It’s too much to absorb right now though.
4. Mobs spawn and then seem to “assault” you to new battle positions. Nice touch, makes you feel more like your in a battle than just a field of never ending wolves.
5. Mana – there is none! woot! Everyone has a rogue like energy bar.

Things I dislike about Warhammer online…
1. Animations – Very choppy animations, mobs kind of teleport between my turret and my character sometimes.
2. Graphics – I have an awesome video card (ati radeon 3870 512mb), 3 gb ram, 2.2ghz dual core AMD processer and a SATA hard drive. I can run other top end games on full settings without any slowdown (for the most part). On this game I get a lot of choppiness unless I turn it down.
3. Graphics… extended – I have an ATI card and sometimes the faces are transparent.. IDK why.
4. Customer Service – Where is it? I can’t find a number to call anywhere. I’m getting ping ponged between EA and mythic for customer service. Not fun.
5. Scenarios – Joining a game where chaos team has all level 9-11′s and the order team is all level 1-7. Matchmaking ftw. Getting utterly destroyed sucks.

Overall, I’m addicted to this game, moreso than spore. Good times!

]]> By: Tipa http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-2/#comment-9414 Tipa Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:09:10 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9414 ... and there's nothing wrong with that :) The flip side, unfortunately, is that when you're tired of WoW, you get the feeling you're tired of MMOs as a genre, since they all copy each other so much. … and there’s nothing wrong with that :)

The flip side, unfortunately, is that when you’re tired of WoW, you get the feeling you’re tired of MMOs as a genre, since they all copy each other so much.

]]> By: sid67 http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-2/#comment-9405 sid67 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:42:52 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9405 Let’s take the idea one step further and allow the “porting” of your character via WoW’s armory to the new game. Attachment to your old character? No problem! Bring him with you! Sadly, Tipa... I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. Everyone talks about innovation, but consumers really say is MORE WARCRAFT. Let’s take the idea one step further and allow the “porting” of your character via WoW’s armory to the new game. Attachment to your old character? No problem! Bring him with you!

Sadly, Tipa… I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. Everyone talks about innovation, but consumers really say is MORE WARCRAFT.

]]> By: Yeebo http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9382 Yeebo Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:40:09 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9382 @Toldain: I've playd LoTRO longer than most MMOs because it has a well thought out cohesive setting, it's among the first with an end game that a casual player can make real progress in, because new content has been added at such a steady clip (so I rarely get bored), and most importantly because of the craftsmanship exhibited in the storytelling. The quality of writing in the quest text is generally is exceptional (at least for an MMO), and the Book Quests are some of the most fun and cinematic quests I've ever experienced in a RPG. It's like playing through a cut scene in FF. These are things that are important to me, though the masses care little for them. The masses think WoW's mostly amateurish writing and cobbled together setting are just fine after all. I don't ever expect LoTRO to be a real mass market success, because the things that really set it apart just aren't things that most people would ever notice. Even experienced MMO players often dismiss it nearly out of hand because it's not mechanically very innovative (with a few minor exceptions). And honestly, a cohesive setting and good writing only appeal to a very particular kind of player. I think most of us are already playing. OK, sorry to spam up this topic with three tangents. I'm done. @Toldain:

I’ve playd LoTRO longer than most MMOs because it has a well thought out cohesive setting, it’s among the first with an end game that a casual player can make real progress in, because new content has been added at such a steady clip (so I rarely get bored), and most importantly because of the craftsmanship exhibited in the storytelling. The quality of writing in the quest text is generally is exceptional (at least for an MMO), and the Book Quests are some of the most fun and cinematic quests I’ve ever experienced in a RPG. It’s like playing through a cut scene in FF.

These are things that are important to me, though the masses care little for them. The masses think WoW’s mostly amateurish writing and cobbled together setting are just fine after all. I don’t ever expect LoTRO to be a real mass market success, because the things that really set it apart just aren’t things that most people would ever notice. Even experienced MMO players often dismiss it nearly out of hand because it’s not mechanically very innovative (with a few minor exceptions). And honestly, a cohesive setting and good writing only appeal to a very particular kind of player. I think most of us are already playing.

OK, sorry to spam up this topic with three tangents. I’m done.

]]> By: Yeebo http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9381 Yeebo Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:38:59 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9381 @Sean: If I could play WoW in space or some other setting, I'd be on it in a heart beat. They could rip of Warhammer 40K and set it in the starcraft universe, I'd be stoked. It's not the mechanics I'm bored with (I've found Diku MUDs entertaining for over a decade now after all), there's just not much left for me to explore in WoW. And one extra class (WotLK) doesn't get me as juiced as an entirely new set of classes and a radically different endgame to mess around with (WAR). @Sean: If I could play WoW in space or some other setting, I’d be on it in a heart beat. They could rip of Warhammer 40K and set it in the starcraft universe, I’d be stoked. It’s not the mechanics I’m bored with (I’ve found Diku MUDs entertaining for over a decade now after all), there’s just not much left for me to explore in WoW. And one extra class (WotLK) doesn’t get me as juiced as an entirely new set of classes and a radically different endgame to mess around with (WAR).

]]> By: Yeebo http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9380 Yeebo Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:34:45 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9380 Word on the street is that Blizzard had a deal with Games Workshop to create a Warhammer RTS. When the deal fell though, they changed things a bit here and there, made up a new backstory...and viola, Warcraft was born. I personally have no idea if that's true, just a rumor I've seen repeated. If nothing else it's pretty obvious that some-one on the dev team was familiar with Warhammer. And based on the McDonald's vs everyone else numbers cited above, it seems that no-one can hope for more than around a million subs globally by competing with Blizzard on their turf. Of course I think McDonald's is doing a lot better overseas than Burger King or Wendy's, so that could account for the disparity in revenue. Word on the street is that Blizzard had a deal with Games Workshop to create a Warhammer RTS. When the deal fell though, they changed things a bit here and there, made up a new backstory…and viola, Warcraft was born. I personally have no idea if that’s true, just a rumor I’ve seen repeated. If nothing else it’s pretty obvious that some-one on the dev team was familiar with Warhammer.

And based on the McDonald’s vs everyone else numbers cited above, it seems that no-one can hope for more than around a million subs globally by competing with Blizzard on their turf. Of course I think McDonald’s is doing a lot better overseas than Burger King or Wendy’s, so that could account for the disparity in revenue.

]]> By: Sean http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9378 Sean Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:03:56 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9378 I thought WoW and Warcraft stole most of their lore from Warhammer. And the best thing about Warhammer is their developers. They're passionate about the game, and want to eliminate stupid things like killing 20 bears on the way to the quest giver, who tells you to go kill 20 bears. In War, the devs were talking (I don't know if it's implemented, I'm not in beta -_-) about making it so that if you kill any random mob, there would be a quest giver that would reward you for it, and notice that you have bear guts all over your blade as you talk to him. Public quests, leveling from pvp being viable and encouraged. Only problem I see with war is there being a lack of PVE. I want to play it! And about your post.. hmm... Copy WoW exactly, but in a diablo 2 setting (warlocks -> necros, mages ->sorcs, wars -> barbs... rogs ->assassins, druid -> .. well druid! etc). I'd play it. I thought WoW and Warcraft stole most of their lore from Warhammer. And the best thing about Warhammer is their developers. They’re passionate about the game, and want to eliminate stupid things like killing 20 bears on the way to the quest giver, who tells you to go kill 20 bears. In War, the devs were talking (I don’t know if it’s implemented, I’m not in beta -_-) about making it so that if you kill any random mob, there would be a quest giver that would reward you for it, and notice that you have bear guts all over your blade as you talk to him.

Public quests, leveling from pvp being viable and encouraged. Only problem I see with war is there being a lack of PVE. I want to play it!

And about your post.. hmm… Copy WoW exactly, but in a diablo 2 setting (warlocks -> necros, mages ->sorcs, wars -> barbs… rogs ->assassins, druid -> .. well druid! etc).
I’d play it.

]]> By: Relmstein http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9375 Relmstein Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:45:19 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9375 It's not that LOTR was too much like WoW or too different. They just made some decisions which turned me off the game. I also think their IP was a little too restrictive on the gameplay mechanics. In all honesty for an IP that was the birth of the fantasy genre it had too little magic and other qualities that I'm used to seeing in modern fantasy. There was also less emphasis on dungeon crawling which is one of my favorite things to do in games. It’s not that LOTR was too much like WoW or too different. They just made some decisions which turned me off the game. I also think their IP was a little too restrictive on the gameplay mechanics. In all honesty for an IP that was the birth of the fantasy genre it had too little magic and other qualities that I’m used to seeing in modern fantasy. There was also less emphasis on dungeon crawling which is one of my favorite things to do in games.

]]> By: Openedge1 http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9368 Openedge1 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:30:14 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9368 Seems one of the blogs did not take well to my "rabble rousing" and deleted all of my comments. Very fascinating. I guess I have been harsh in my criticism of LOTRO. But, the game has not proven its worth at all, yet the fans still think it is the most incredible thing. And just like WAR, any negative comment is frowned upon. But, it is deserved in my opinion. LOTRO may be a WoW alike, but I do not think it is a good one. And personally, if you can't handle discussing the subject on your blog...don't blog...(poor Dragonchasers) As to your comment about the WoW alikes., look at Runes of Magic first. 100% looks the same, but with SOGA models (lol). They have no qualms of being exactly like WoW. But, lets be smart about it also. Lets "IMPROVE" on the WoW formula. Housing? Yup, we got it Dyes? Yup we got it Dual Classing? We got it. Oh, did we mention we are F2P? (which is my only issue. They need some money, so hopefully they offer incentives for payment to progress their development. This one could be good.) And recently <a href="http://mmogamers.freeblogit.com/2008/09/03/aion-and-the-na-preview/" rel="nofollow">MMOGamers</a> discussed Aion and NCSoft. When you look at it, it looks totally different than WoW. Yet, NCSoft has no issue embracing the WoW heritage. Even reviewers are willing to go that step.. <i>This MMORPG might look like a World of Warcraft copycat, but there’s more going on here than meets the glazed-over eye </i> And that is the catch. Maybe don't try to stray from WoW. Embrace it, and then hook the player with more unique features (I mean, real flight in Aion...hello) As to LOTRO, they are a wanna-be? That is their problem, and they are not a good one. Steefel thinks he can match WoW as a world class MMO, but, I honestly think the Asian market will burn through those 50 levels of boredom and ask "What now?". (PS: And if you must delete me, please let me down softly.../*sniffle) Seems one of the blogs did not take well to my “rabble rousing” and deleted all of my comments. Very fascinating.
I guess I have been harsh in my criticism of LOTRO. But, the game has not proven its worth at all, yet the fans still think it is the most incredible thing. And just like WAR, any negative comment is frowned upon. But, it is deserved in my opinion. LOTRO may be a WoW alike, but I do not think it is a good one.
And personally, if you can’t handle discussing the subject on your blog…don’t blog…(poor Dragonchasers)

As to your comment about the WoW alikes., look at Runes of Magic first.
100% looks the same, but with SOGA models (lol). They have no qualms of being exactly like WoW.
But, lets be smart about it also. Lets “IMPROVE” on the WoW formula.
Housing? Yup, we got it
Dyes? Yup we got it
Dual Classing? We got it.
Oh, did we mention we are F2P? (which is my only issue. They need some money, so hopefully they offer incentives for payment to progress their development. This one could be good.)

And recently MMOGamers discussed Aion and NCSoft.
When you look at it, it looks totally different than WoW. Yet, NCSoft has no issue embracing the WoW heritage. Even reviewers are willing to go that step..
This MMORPG might look like a World of Warcraft copycat, but there’s more going on here than meets the glazed-over eye
And that is the catch. Maybe don’t try to stray from WoW. Embrace it, and then hook the player with more unique features (I mean, real flight in Aion…hello)

As to LOTRO, they are a wanna-be? That is their problem, and they are not a good one. Steefel thinks he can match WoW as a world class MMO, but, I honestly think the Asian market will burn through those 50 levels of boredom and ask “What now?”.

(PS: And if you must delete me, please let me down softly…/*sniffle)

]]> By: Avenger http://westkarana.com/index.php/2008/09/03/why-not-make-a-mmo-exactly-like-world-of-warcraft/comment-page-1/#comment-9367 Avenger Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:07:33 +0000 http://westkarana.com/?p=1897#comment-9367 You need only to copy WoW's quality of execution - that's what most people don't seem to get - WoW isn't successful because its a "good" game but because its polished to near perfection. You need only to copy WoW’s quality of execution – that’s what most people don’t seem to get – WoW isn’t successful because its a “good” game but because its polished to near perfection.

]]>