World of Warcraft: Beta Begins

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Originally Posted by Victrix

So, yeah. It pretty much rules the earth.

Hit me with specific questions, otherwise I'd type for pages.

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I hate MMORPGS.

I hate Everquest.

I love Blizzard.

I love Warcraft III.

How will I feel about WoW?

What do you hate about them?

So do I - this game is EQ minus every damned annoying little aggravating bit of stupid design anywhere and everywhere in the game

m2m2

m2m2

Dunno. If you don't like questing, leveling, exploring, crafting, fighting, dungeon delving, consensual pvp, character growth, grouping, and guilds, then no, you probably won't like WoW any more than any other online rpg.

What I don't like about MMORPGS:

Autocombat
Camping
Fighting the same wimpy looking snake for days
Takes way to long to level - very little satisfaction from playing
Not having a map/automap and getting lost in the first town
Autocombat
Having to sitdown for minutes while staring at a static screen while "regaining mana"
Clicking on a mob to attack them, then just sitting there watching numbers flash on the screen
Monthly fees
Autocombat

*note - some things have changed in EQ since I played it back in the day

My problem with WoW, is at it's core, it still suffers from the same gameplay (or lack of gameplay) features as any other MMORPG. But like I said about, I love the Blizzard, so there is still hope.

If I wanted a massive online interactive gameplay experience I'd play GBSP at my computer with AIM open.

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Originally Posted by Victrix

I've seen exactly one (brief) instance of loading the entire time I've played the game. In one case, I travelled to an entirely different region of the continent, recalled, and the game didn't load or hitch. Poof, I was there.

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That's very awesome sounding. Especially given how awesome and varied the landscapes look in the screenshots and movies... I can't wait to experience that first-hand.

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Originally Posted by Kidnemo

What I don't like about MMORPGS:

Autocombat
Camping
Fighting the same wimpy looking snake for days
Takes way to long to level - very little satisfaction from playing
Not having a map/automap and getting lost in the first town
Autocombat
Having to sitdown for minutes while staring at a static screen while "regaining mana"
Clicking on a mob to attack them, then just sitting there watching numbers flash on the screen
Monthly fees
Autocombat

*note - some things have changed in EQ since I played it back in the day

My problem with WoW, is at it's core, it still suffers from the same gameplay (or lack of gameplay) features as any other MMORPG. But like I said about, I love the Blizzard, so there is still hope.

If I wanted a massive online interactive gameplay experience I'd play GBSP at my computer with AIM open.

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Autocombat is present, but every class will be constantly using moves or spells to survive. Some are automatic, use em when they're up. Many are situational.

I haven't camped a thing so far, but then, I never camped in Everquest either, so that's as much a personal decision as it is a design problem. That said, random loot from random creatures and instanced dungeons eliminates the bulk of this problem.

You won't be fighting wimpy snakes for days. Within minutes of starting a Dwarven Warrior, I was exploring a Troll outpost in a cave.

Leveling is extremely rapid in WoW, and the rest system (along with the tweaks they are adding shortly) aid people who play in short amounts.

There's a superb in-game map. The (biggest) towns are still lacking fully detailed maps, but the map isn't fully implemented yet, so I suspect those will show up as well.

There's virtually no downtime. You heal while moving. If you sit, you heal faster. If you sit and eat or drink food, you regen extremely fast. There are also potions and first aid, so even Warriors and Rogues won't have trouble healing.

If you just click on a mob and don't use your abilities, you'll wind up face down in the dirt. Maybe if you attack a critter several levels below you, but definitely not creatures near or above you.

Monthly fees are a simple reality. The games are huge, with giant infrastructure costs. If you don't like that, there's one coming out soon (being shown at E3) that will be free. Can't recall the name offhand. Compared with the cost of a movie, a book, or even a single player game, I don't find the cost to be even the slighest issue in entertainment value per dollar.

Aye, I agree about the monthly fee, that doesn't mean I gotta like 'em though.

I think what is giving me the most trepidation, is that initially WoW was touted as something really ground breaking, but now it's just a really polished MMORPG with Blizzards dedication to quality and wicked design.

I suppose I'll see when I finally try it.

It's ground breaking in that it is the first online game I've played (and I've played damn near all of them) that hasn't had issues jump up and scream 'I'M REALLY GODDAMN ANNOYING'

Maybe they are there somewhere, but I haven't seen them yet. Hell, even tradeskills are cool. No fiddling with inventory. Pick a recipe, have the components, make the item. Concept!

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Originally Posted by Kidnemo

I think what is giving me the most trepidation, is that initially WoW was touted as something really ground breaking, but now it's just a really polished MMORPG with Blizzards dedication to quality and wicked design.

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That's how Warcraft 3 ended up too.

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Originally Posted by omfgninjas

That's how Warcraft 3 ended up too.

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Yep yep.

Atleast the core genre in WCIII was something I liked.

Any more news about the last phase of the beta they're doing which will let everybody give it a try, albeit briefly, when they stress test the servers?

Nothing other than that it will happen. They've been kinda vague on this point, since they've said there will be a 'phase 3'. I don't know if that means 'phase 3 and then open beta' or if it means 'phase 3 IS open beta'.