To this point, EA Mythic has been very careful what they talk about with the public regarding their upcoming MMO; they’ve wanted to make sure the game was actually in presentable shape, with features confirmed rather than making promises. Now, however, they’ve popped the cork on Warhammer Online, and the info came gushing out.

From the presentations and play times -- which I’d like to add took over a day and a half to complete, and that was no doubt only a sampling of what’s to come -- the game could reasonably be called three- to- four games in one. There’s really that much jam-packed into it.

Today’s article is just the beginning; we’ll be releasing a series of articles over the next few days that detail all of the information gleaned from EA Mythic’s office earlier this month. It’s a lot, so you may want to build a campfire and roast some marshmallows while taking it in.

Josh Drescher and Paul Barnett

These two contributors to Warhammer Online’s development will no doubt go down in history as two of the more rambunctious figures in the game design industry. Day one kicked off with them giving us a “Where WAR is now” briefing, and early on in the presentation we discussed PvP -- and more specifically -- RvR.

“We [EA Mythic] figured out the ‘Lorenzo’s Oils’ of RvR with Camelot,” Paul Barnett said of their experience in the Player versus Player portion of the MMORPG genre. EA Mythic originally didn’t plan to “compete” with Dark Age of Camelot -- by purposely excluding its Realm versus Realm mechanics -- but through beta testing, they discovered players wanted that type of PvP content in the game. They missed it from Camelot, and it simply had to be there.

Initially WAR focused extremely heavily on scenario, instanced PvP -- think of World of Warcraft battlegrounds, but with a point other than farming Honor for that next purple item. Only about 10% of the PvP gameplay in Warhammer Online was comprised of persistent, world PvP. This obviously had to change after feedback, though; players didn’t dislike scenarios -- in fact they were quite popular -- but something was missing.

December is when things started to change. The world RvR experience was dramatically expanded with the introduction of keeps that factions and guilds can claim and control -- much like the Dark Age of Camelot iteration of the mechanic. A major difference in gameplay for keeps in WAR is that as you progress through the tiers of zones the size, and number of keeps available both grow; culminating with a fortress that must be captured prior to being able to assault an enemy faction’s city.

Yet another chunk of the RvR world from Camelot that will be making its way into WAR is player-targeted Siege Equipment. We’re not just talking battering rams, though; you’ll be able to control ballistae and the like, which are specifically designed to kill other players, not just knock down doors and walls.

December Was a Month to Remember

Of course, RvR wasn’t the only thing changed in December. There was also a new approach to the beta taken, with specific, targeted beta phases being the standard from here until release. They introduce content, and then have the beta testers only focus on that content. High Elves and Dark Elves were the current beta phase during our visit, so this was the only area accessible to testers, for example. Through this targeted testing, Public Quests have been retooled -- especially in terms of rewards. Now the reward system is set up such that, the more you contribute -- of which you have to contribute a certain threshold -- the more “points” you’re allotted into the loot rolls at the end of the quest. This still doesn’t guarantee that everyone on each and every PQ will be rewarded, but those that win loot will be. You’ll have a choice of several different items tailored specifically to your career.

Paul then described his thought process when viewing a game, and what content it needs to succeed. “We’re not making a game that’s a series of check boxes,” he said when talking about how he’s made sure that even in the odd nooks and crannies, you’ll be able to find content. You may not want to find it, but it’ll be there waiting to smash your skull if you do. Basically, explore at your own risk. Paul likes this kind of content in a game, especially an MMO -- the kind of stuff you’re not specifically told about by an NPC, but that you discover on your own. "It defies common sense, and that’s what you have to do with a game,” he said when commenting on how it’s really not possible to describe why people follow through with certain routines in the games, but also that you have to support that kind of thing. You know, like jumping off every single cliff in a game, or trying to visit every tile of game space.

One of the most profound statements Paul made though is one about the graphics versus gameplay debate; “Tech is as deep as plastic, gameplay goes on forever.”

Our next article will be covering Renown, Career Mastery, and the High Elves and Dark Elves; more specifically, their available careers in the beta, including the Dark Elves’ healer.