Nothing ever comes out perfectly the way you want it, and that is the main point of this week's entry. The MMORPG genre can be summed up simply as an acquired taste that will appeal to some, but not others. Final Fantasy XI is a perfect example of that as far as Chad Phillips is concerned. The reasons he will no longer continue his coverage of FFXI is outlined in his section this week, but it stands as an example that these games aren't for everyone, but Chad is going to try again. That the good thing about the genre. Most of these games are different enough to warrant another look and in some cases, one will find their favorite game after a second look. So in the end Final Fantasy XI did not work out. Since the very beggining we have stated these are genres we aren't "hardcore" in and basically the point of this is to show us hopefully find the game that will make us full fledged fans. While FFXI may not have worked out for Chad, I may just have found the one I have been waiting for all this time.
Week #5: The End...For Now
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Wow, it’s only been five issues and I’m already quitting. No, no, don’t skip this part. I have something to say, seriously. I know it’s not really been a “week” since the last time we spoke. I know you miss the times we shared, laughing and joking as my cute, little Tarutaru danced his dance of panic. This is my last issue (at least under FFXI). I’m sure you would like to know why.
If you’ve been following the past 4 issues I participated in, you’d know I had a lot of issues with FFXI, and the leveling was excrutiating. Well, Square(-Enix), you’ve driven me to the edge. With your steep monthly cost and cheap-shot experience drops as punishment for my frequent dying, I’ve given up. Prior to EQ2 and World of Warcraft, I had heard FFXI was the best of the best. I don’t care. Your advantages do not make up for your pitfalls and I’ve almost lost hope in the MMORPG genre. Yes, I know it’s naïve to believe that just because I had issues with ONE doesn’t mean I’ll have issues with all. That’s where “almost” comes in.
I plan on picking up World of Warcraft and possibly writing again for this column. Don’t take my word for that. I’ve heard great things about WoW, of which you’ve already most likely read from what Joe has written in this new volume. I hope to be able to delve into this world without too many troubles. Until then, enjoy listening to Joe’s struggles and joys as he traverses the endless world(s) of “LOL U GOT MOBBED”s and “JOIN MY PRTY K”s that we lovingly know as... MMORPGs.
Written By: Chad Phillips
Week #1: World of Warcraft: Introduction Part 1
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If you are an MMORPG fan, then chances are you either, A) Already have an MMO you will never leave or B) Already have World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft was released in late November to early praise from the online media. This wasn't exactly a surprise since World of Warcraft has been generating positive buzz for months. What really caught people off guard were its first day sales which topped 250,000 copies. In that same period of time, 200,000 people registered and at one specific time Blizzard registered 100,000 players logged in at once.
World of Warcraft is definitely something different. From its early coverage to the recent release, World of Warcraft has been “Wow”ing a lot of people. Its not that the game does anything particularly new in the genre, but it seems to be what it’s been waiting for. Almost every MMORPG has at least one defining feature that makes it unique, but aside from that, it usually has glaring flaws that end up limiting the game to a select audidence. World of Warcraft has been generating a lot of buzz because it is trying to take all of the good elements of an MMO and bring them all into one tight package. While I won’t get into how good the game is yet (that’s for our full review next week), I will say it is the most fun I have had with this type of game. I stated many times in past volumes that I have never really been hooked by any one MMORPG, simply because of their time commitment requirements, processed feel and often overly complex game systems. World of Warcraft has changed that for me in a matter of days, as I have become a true fan of the genre, but possibly only for this one game. Wait, let me correct myself. Actually I have always been a fan, because I have known the potential that this type of game had from the beginning and I was testing the waters of each one to see if it was right for me. Luckily I found the right one.
I was lucky when I picked up my copy that I had waited a few days. From the accounts of many early players, the launch was as expected, a mess. In the end, population issues cannot be blamed on Blizzard because the game broke first day sales records and made more people register than they actually had servers for. Most likely, it was improper sales forecasting. There are literally hundreds of thousands of players on World of Warcraft at any given time and getting into a server was a pain in the first day or two, but it has since been worked out.
Staring at the character creation screen was déjà vu as it is with most games of this type. You can’t expect to see much change from game to game aside from classes and skill points. Luckily though, it’s a very simple process in WoW. You simply choose your race, class, appearance, name and jump right into the game. Each race and class has a set number of starting attribute points. I picked a NightElf Warrior, a class and race I had wanted to see more of after seeing a lot of the concept art and background story for the game.
NightElves, like most Elf like creatures are very mysterious, and often dark, but in a good way. From the starting point of the game (which for NightElves, is a giant tree island called Teldrassil) their sense of isolation is immediately apparent and while it looks as if you will end up not interacting with a lot of people, it makes for an excellent starting experience, followed by the awe factor that comes with finally traveling to the mainland.
quest system in WoW is very simple, yet infinitely effective. You are given a brief background of your race and then simply plopped into the body of your character. There is absolutely no tutorial and this was done as a way for Blizzard to show us how quickly accessible the game is. I had started out in a small (it initially looked very large until I moved to another area) area called Shadowglen that featured a giant tree in the center. In and around the tree were the typical things you expect like a weapons dealer, class trainer and some general item sellers. To find a quest I simply navigated around the environment and looked for an NPC with an exclamation mark over its head. When you converse with the NPC, a background to the quest is described, then your reward (if any) will be listed and if there are choices, you can choose anything on the list when its completed, finally topped off with the common “Accept” or “Decline”.
The early missions were the common ones I have come to expect from these games like, “Kill about 5 measly goblin like creatures that are attacking my chickens” and “Bring this glass of water to my dying fire golem husband”. While some of them sound a bit ridiculous the game always tries to provide valid reasons for doing them, some quite believable. The benefit of doing quests is that it’s a faster way to gain experience points. You gain experience from every single mission you do, which cuts down on the typical hacking and slashing you spend hours on to gain a level. Luckily combat is fast, fun and leveling is also pretty quick.
The first genuinely enjoyable mission I experienced was about the third in which I must go into a spider infested cave and retrieve an unborn spider egg so a serum could be developed for the poisoned friend of a woman. The spiders were outlining in and around the cave, and I found myself fighting for about ten minutes until I reached the queen. I was a level 2 and she was a level 5. In EverQuest, a match up like that would be career suicide, but in WoW a game that pretty much encourages soloing (yep, you heard it), it was a mildly challenging battle at the most, that generously rewarded me with experience and an unborn egg to complete my quest.
Before I moved out of my starting area I wanted to make sure I saw all I could in terms of quests, so I happened to take one that involved filling up a vial in a moonwell. While I still haven’t pinpointed the significance of these wells, the way in which I gathered the water was pretty intuitive. Instead of simply going to a well and talking to some random NPC to do it for you (without ever actually moving), you have to put the vial on your toolbar and press the associated hotkey and sit for a couple seconds to fill it. Granted it’s nothing major, but it just makes the game feel like a more hands on experience.
My final quest in Shadowglen actually had me leaving the area to go to a bigger town called Dollanar. I was a bit reluctant to go at first since I honestly didn’t know what to expect in terms of monster activity, but I pulled myself together and went. Traveling out of Shadowglen gave me a sense of freedom that to be honest, I would feel again and again as I continue to realize how large the game is.
This is part one of a two part introductory to my experiences in World of Warcraft so far. Expect another entry by the beginning of next week and after that, the column will take a more detailed turn involving specific mission details that readers can hopefully use to their own advantages.
Written By: Joseph Bennett
