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Warhammer Online : Age of Reckoning: Launch Interview Part Two: Josh Drescher
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Recently, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood had the opportunity to sit down in separate interviews with Jeff Hickman, Josh Drescher and Mark Jacobs to talk about the launch of Warhammer Online, the game that they have both been working on diligently for the last three years. In today's Part Two Josh Drescher answers the questions.
How do you feel now that this stage of development is over for Warhammer Online?
Josh’s answer:
Josh's answer to this question was almost metaphysical. He actually referenced "Lost in the Cosmos" by Walker Percey who at one point talked about how people can get so involved in what they're doing that day to day things get lost in the shuffle. You stop remembering your drive to work... that kind of thing. He went on to tell me that the day after they let the players in for the head start, he actually walked outside and noticed the sky for the first time.
While this may seem like a bit of an odd answer, it isn't as much as you'd think. Making a game like this, on this scale, can be all-consuming. It's funny what happens to people when it ends.
Read the interview here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Having played many MMORPG's and being in many launches, Mythic delivered for me. My hat is off to them. I nerver played a mythic game and thought that Warhammer was just another WOW clone.
It does have some of WOW's ideas in it. But then WOW has ideas from those MMORPG's that came before it. Warhammer stands alone on it own merits and the Dev's have been open and honest so far. Keep up the good work.
I am having fun and to me that is all that matters.
"In the end, they think that the populations are going to balance pretty well."
In other words, they are on their knees praying on a really thick prayer rug every day and night that this is so.
However, reality says differently: "Thou shalt not have balance with two factions... you couldn't balance three with DAOC, how do you expect to balance two?"
I'm going to have to guess that trying to balancing 2 factions would be waaaay easier than trying to balance 3.
Also the server cap that they can raise or lower at anytime without taking the servers down probably stems from issues they encountered in DAOC. I'm also going to hazard a guess and say it's probably a lot less praying and a lot more research and learning from the past (and present) of DAOC.
On a side note I wonder what game they are talking about here:
"With all respect to noble competitors", he began, "it needs to be a vision that extends beyond a weird gimmick. It needs to extend beyond 'in this game you will see geysers of blood, and nipples, please give us $15 a month to play.'
hey EA has allready started shafting people instead of giving the preorder people the advertised time they decided to arbitrarily change it with about no notice at all other than the servers are down screw you guys go outside .
i know i'll probly get flamed or banned for speaking the truth like i have been on the other forums but i'm really done kissing EA's ass if a product has EA on it i'll treat it like VD and either inject it with penecillin ( bargain bin games) or avoid it all together.
you folks enjoy being ea's fluffer i for one am done.
Eagles may soar, But Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Hate EA, Hate Funcom, Hate SOE, Hate GOA, Hate BLizzard, Hate eh... who are those guys who've been making Darkfall since i was a kid.. anyway... why the hate... by the game, play the game, pay or quit... stop letting a game that you dont play get your goat...
Nerf warlock, Nerf shaman, Nerf Druids, Nerf Monks, Nerf Barbarians, Nerf EA... blah...
MMO's... Bitchin' for a new generation...
you've been here for almost 2 years and your first post is this? You must really hate EA. They gave the pre-order people the advertised time and then some so I'm not sure WTF you're talking about. Preview Weekend? That wasn't advertised but given. A SECOND preview weekend? The same was not advertised as a "perk" but GIVEN to loyal pre-order people.
Anyway it's not EA they just publish it. It's Mythic and they have been up front with their customers about good things, bad things etc and have owned up to any mistakes and tried to rectify them. That's saying a lot.
I've never seen any other MMO developer listen to feedback (and actually DO things with that feedback), admit mistakes/f**k ups (up front about pretty much everything) and treat their customers the way they should be treated. Other businesses that deal with customers should take a look at how Mythic has handled things and take notes.
On a side note WTF's up with all the double spaces in your sentences?
you've been here for almost 2 years and your first post is this? You must really hate EA. They gave the pre-order people the advertised time and then some so I'm not sure WTF you're talking about. Preview Weekend? That wasn't advertised but given. A SECOND preview weekend? The same was not advertised as a "perk" but GIVEN to loyal pre-order people.
Anyway it's not EA they just publish it. It's Mythic and they have been up front with their customers about good things, bad things etc and have owned up to any mistakes and tried to rectify them. That's saying a lot.
I've never seen any other MMO developer listen to feedback (and actually DO things with that feedback), admit mistakes/f**k ups (up front about pretty much everything) and treat their customers the way they should be treated. Other businesses that deal with customers should take a look at how Mythic has handled things and take notes.
On a side note WTF's up with all the double spaces in your sentences?
He's jittery from all the drugs he had to ingest in order to be that incoherent, unfactual, and unintelligent.
As you said, Mythic makes the games, EA just publishes. As well, one of the HUGE factors in Mythic's decision to sign with EA, and one reason it didn't go through once, and had to be offered a second time, is that EA is not allowed to interfere with Mythic's development past the obvious acceptance of important decisions.
Frankly, Mythic did a great job, owned up to everything they did/didn't do, and I appreciate that. I'm sure we've all been screwed by MMO companies lies before, and Mythic is on it's way to greatness from what I can see.
Good luck everyone, and see you online.
After playing WAR, I realize it is nothing like WoW. It is so much fun, too.
-Computer specs no one cares about: check.
-MMOs played no one cares about: check.
-Xfire stats no one cares about: check.
-Signature no one cares about: check.
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-Narcissism: check.
Right on with this interview...
We see what the company is thinking, and I don't see any Funcom here.
I like that.
I fear this as well. Destruction still has the most appealing races and classes even after launch. Personally I blame the cone heads ... *coughs* ... high elfs. They drag the whole order down with them. They should have opted for legolassy wood elfs instead. Limb running, tree hugging, natural born killers.
My brand new bloggity blog.
If you want to play order come play on Vortex Its not as bad a most server there.
LOL!! last time I looked..since release we have been having some wait times and high pops. Don't everyone flock to Vortex...unless you check the server numbers first.
As to the OP once again ..refreshing information, the kind of stuff I like to read about the game I am playing. Just want to comment that too many reviewers seem bedazzled by the 800 pound gorilla Wow..and usually in the first paragraph written on a game about to release there is already free advertising for Blizz's baby.
I really detest that...and thanks Jon for not doing that to us.
Cend
LOL...so true! But hey, if people didn't bitch then the world would still be flat and the sun would revolve around us.
(I fear this as well. Destruction still has the most appealing races and classes even after launch.) it was that way in beta all the way through. Destruction ALWAYS had more on it.
Now I just wish they would WATCH there own VIDEO. The sorceress in the video does what? She WALKS on the scene. Yet in WARHAMMER NO ONE can walk but NPC's. How something so small gets by and I see everyone asking for it yet they say NOTHING about it.
Oh then just log in and look at people. They all LOOK THE SAME! WOW you can die your clothes. LMAO was playing RVR and 5 orcs come in all different levels.. yet LOL all looked the same. After watching World OF Warcraft and how PLAYERS LOVE different armor and weapons. Just look at the pistols, swords, Axe's, hats. Wait till you buy that CLOCK (cape) from RVR .. WHITE or some other color thats IT! Untill you get way higher up or have the CE or get a purple.
What really bothers me is I got to rank 5 and never played RVR once. Geee just like WOW you can just stand around or do other quests and LVL in rank with out every playing RVR..
While this may seem like a bit of an odd answer, it isn't as much as you'd think. Making a game like this, on this scale, can be all-consuming. It's funny what happens to people when it ends.
This was very interesting IMO. I suppose MMORPG.COM has seen many developers in this state before, I never thought about it before. They should post an article about their observations about the developer reactions when game's are released - both the successes and failuers.
There a button near the mini-map that allows you to enter Scenarios from anywhere starting at Rank 1. At the beginning levels all races are given quests which specifically explains this button to them (and the quest can be repeated for XP) You are bolstered in the Scenarios so you're not as powerful as someone higher level but you can still contribute and fight.
Claiming you never RvRed by the time you reached the lofty Rank of 5 (which was what, a whole hour or two of playing?) shows you clearly never learned about the little Scenario button. Read Help hints next time.
You can level completely through quests without playing OR you can level completely through PvP and never quest. The choice is yours.
But you have to LEARN how to play the game before you can make that choice.
I'm going to have to guess that trying to balancing 2 factions would be waaaay easier than trying to balance 3.
Also the server cap that they can raise or lower at anytime without taking the servers down probably stems from issues they encountered in DAOC. I'm also going to hazard a guess and say it's probably a lot less praying and a lot more research and learning from the past (and present) of DAOC.
On a side note I wonder what game they are talking about here:
"With all respect to noble competitors", he began, "it needs to be a vision that extends beyond a weird gimmick. It needs to extend beyond 'in this game you will see geysers of blood, and nipples, please give us $15 a month to play.'
Planetside comes to mind with the dev team for ever going around in circles trying to balance the 3 empires. MMO dev team's can balance until the cows come home, but the fact remains, there will always be the human factor behind the characters. A fact of life is, some players will always be better than others with their ability to react, of which I've been on the recieving end of far to many times
I couldn't put it any better than that tbh.
Same goes for me, I was gonna hold off on buying this (I was a launch day player of AoC :S )
But I took a chance, and have been playing since friday.
and like Soultice said above: "I am having fun and to me that is all that matters".
this is by far, the best game I have ever played
not the best mmo, not the best video game
the best game EVER
and it just came out last thursday.
Thank you mythic!
and heroes is on tonight *cheers*
greatest day OF MY LIFE(just rolled a BO and I love it)
I liked the obvious jab at Conan. "In this game you will see geysers of blood and nipples. Please give us 15 dollars." Who else heard Ahnie saying that when they read it?