I started playing Warhammer back in August when the client was given a Mac hack in the form of a Cider app. WoW exhaustion was already setting in with me, so WAR was a refreshing change. Even with some of it's wonky lag problems. I wrote a small, positive review on my regular blog. This little blurb is another look at the game since I have reached end game material.
End game is problematic in Warhammer Online. But it is by no means different in it's problems than any other massive online game. They all suffer from the same problems, mainly player exhaustion and material repetition. Warcraft has the same problem but their sheen of popularity masks it, plus they have pushed the leveling curve to a ridiculous extreme.
Truthfully FPS games are, by their very nature, perfect for human consumption. They are short, they have character accomplishments, they have story arcs and then (most importantly) they end. Deep down inside our psyches, we have the 3 act play structure ingrained inside each of us. We want a beginning, middle and end. What happens in mmorpgs, is that there is no "end" end. Once the accomplishments and talents are over, the players are stuck in some kind of limbo. Game devs then face the Sisyphean task of throwing new features into the void to satisfy restless VR denizens. There can only be so many levels before it becomes ridiculous. I mean, who wants to start a new character in these games when the leveling curve is set at 80 and above? Not only that, to feed the need for accomplishment without leveling, game developers branch out into armor set perks. Which then gimps lower accomplished players against these player "gods" kitted out in fancy armor. Cynically what it comes down to is that there is no solution to these end game problems in mmorpgs. Unless there is a mass psychological change in the human race or some genius game creator develops a new kind of game. Some would say that Second Life was just that attempt. And what do you know, most game players hate it. So it goes.
But back Warhammer Online's end game.
WAR's game developers had big visions for massive PvP objectives. That dream was cut short in a shaky platform and population problems. In WoW there are enough PvE quests to hide the inevitable for a short time. But the PvE element is a bit lacking in WAR. Everything is geared to the goal of city sieges. The player numbers (better than they were when I began playing) just don't support this set up. Sometimes the opposing sides are evenly matched and it leads to some fun play time. But more often there are gross imbalances in player population on either side. Not to mention the problems of gear disparities between low levels and people at the pinnacle of the game. I've taken my little lowbie Sorceress into end game city sieges and it wasn't a barrel of fun. I can get a few little pot shots in, which are mostly mitigated by higher levels, before being sent back to the start line.
WAR has also gimped the solo play PvE in end game. Their Land of the Dead PvE area is only open to each side if they win in PvP areas. And since the PvP is ever changing that means access to this area can be rather short. Which means not much can be accomplished. Not to mention the fact that most of the quests are of the Public Quest variety. A player needs to be in a well established guild in order to play this area at a moment's notice.
Most of these problems are inherent in the structure of the games themselves. Its just frustrating that WAR is not only working against that factor but also unpopularity as well. It promised a lot to a certain type of gamer who loves PvP. And it couldn't live up to these expectations. Could any game? So the former player base has seized on these problems and trumpet the games demise on any forum on the net. Recently WAR had the bad luck of a bug in it's subscription department. It lead to players being overcharged to a ridiculous degree in subscription fees. The publicity this garnered was not good, and it could lead to people hesitating to register with the game at all. On my end, I haven't noticed a population drop. Free to Play people are still mindlessly running around the newbie Nordland zone and there are more people hanging around levels Tier 2 to 3. End zone is akin to a small town. Its filled with familiar names and faces with everyone knowing everyone else's business.
Warhammer has released information that will change some aspects of the end game city sieges. They have lowered their expectations of massive mob fights and settled for 24 man focused fights. This could help balance if players cooperate which they may not. I just took part in a defensive city siege for Inevitable City, and just 5 players from the opposition took part. Most of the defense players just stood around waiting for the other side to come to the playground but they never did. So we just capped and recapped empty objectives for the next hour. Perhaps the changes toward a smaller population will help.
As I stated before, this game has added good elements to the genre. I hope they can refine what is in the game.
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