http://www.vgchartz.com/ Sorry mate but the "gfx is king" days are over. Thank god but it seems we're returning to the olden days where gameplay was more important than polycounts. AoC is still running, no? I'm sure you'll find plenty of joy there.
It doesn't have to be AoC in looks or Crysis to be modern - but looking like a reject from 2005 is hardly respectable in 2008. Gameplay matters, graphics matters, sound matters, stability matters, content matters. Any one of the various elements of a game being so terrible for its time cast a big shadow on everything else.
Hmm... of all the factors you listed I concur the gfx is not the "top of the pops". However taking into account the gameplay requirements which include 100+ player characters on screen simultaneously with all kinds of effects I'd say it's pretty damn good. It is a matter of subjective opinion so I can understand some people might find it "offensive" for some reason. I can't stand COD4 graphics because its extremely tight angle PoV makes me feel slow, claustrophobic and irritable... but some people adore it precisely because of it.
Objectively speaking, some animations are sometimes glitchy and clunky... but nothing that is unusual for a beta. A few months polish will weed those out.
Gameplay, balance and content are superb for a MMORPG at this stage of development - I'm overwhelmed by all the options presented to me at any given point in the game. Stability is ok, nothing serious considering the game is being stress-tested right now. Those few crashes i started experiencing recently, once servers started going "full" (say 1 crash to desktop every 2-3 hrs) aren't game-breaking by far - no items/quests/achievements lost. All perfectly normal for an online beta.
I haven't paid much attention to sound cause I usually don't but nothing hurt my ears so I suppose it is ok, at the very least.
There, that's my honest opinion... Different strokes for different folks, I guess...
Look, if you don't care that the came is generations behind in terms of the visuals then so be it - have fun. But arguing that it is not the case is ludicrous.
As for the beta stuff - are you really so naive in this day and age to realize the game is done, this is not a beta - in a couple weeks it is live. It is what it is, open beta a couple weeks before live is not a testing exercise except perhaps in terms of load and infrastructure. There is no time to make these magical visual improvements in the short time before live, and even if there where that would mean going live with a totally different load on clients than has even been tested.
The game looks now as it will for quite some time to come, if that doesn't matter to you then fine. But don't deny the reality that WAR is very old looking and not anywhere near, visually, the standard of the genre unless you are simply comparing it to games still around from many years ago.
Originally posted by cooms tell me games with better grapics that are open world mmorpgs that will have over 150 on each faction and tell me you would want better graphics when your 5000$ comp shits all over its self.
Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Vanguard, Tabula Rasa or just about any other game released in the last couple years. Games I am not a fan of for differing reasons but all are modern looking in terms of visuals in a way WAR will never be save a complete remake of all the assets. All look modern enough to engage you in the world sufficiently to experience and evaluate the other game elements.
Originally posted by markoraos but nothing that is unusual for a beta. A few months polish will weed those out.
Again, this game goes live in days - not months. What months of beta to refine and improve the visuals are you alluding too?
Didnt mean to spark so much controversy, just giving my input from what I saw the first day. I always appreciate a fair review (which I attempted to do)...I wish I would of listened to the AoC testers a little better...:)
You couldn't find the RvR? use the map? or the war icon in top rite.. jeez even i know that and im not in the beta yet. Every person that posts on these forums puts the game down for the most pathetic reasons, amazes me really, how picky some people are. p.s. i would never go back to wow, i played for 4 years, quit around may last year, that game is a complete grind fest, don't know how anyone could go back to it.
That really says it all, doesn't it?
Btw, in May last year, WoW was 2.5 years old. You did not play for 4 years. Attacking the OP and then proving your even more clueless, isn't exactly a smart move.
EDIT: before you claim to have been in the beta: the signups started a little over 3 years before you quit.
The game world is bland? I think you played too much WoW. It has a different feel.
The last game I played was DAOC which was only a few weeks ago. I can handle the graphics but I think alot of ppl including myself had a high expectation. I believe alot of ppl will enter the game at startup and be a little surprised how it turned out.
The graphics in this game look great. They look fine by 2008 standards. Since when has GRAPHICS been the focus point of MMO's? MMO's NEVER, EVER were about the graphics! WAR's graphics are fine. seriously. I dont know where you guys are coming from. Sure, the pre textured faces suck, but really....they probably need it to keep the lag down for the large battles. I cant believe people are complaining about this crap.
Didnt mean to spark so much controversy, just giving my input from what I saw the first day. I always appreciate a fair review (which I attempted to do)...I wish I would of listened to the AoC testers a little better...:)
I jumped the gun and figured you for a auto-hater of the game is all. Like I said, we all cant agree about everything. Sorry if I was a bit caustic about my words.
LOL WTF!!!!!!!!! The graphics suck!??!?!?!? Are you crazy?? Seriously. The graphics in this game look great. They look fine by 2008 standards. Since when has GRAPHICS been the focus point of MMO's? MMO's NEVER, EVER were about the graphics! WAR's graphics are fine. seriously. I dont know where you guys are coming from. Sure, the pre textured faces suck, but really....they probably need it to keep the lag down for the large battles. I cant believe people are complaining about this crap.
Relax - your opinions are exactly that: opinions. Not facts.
Lots of ppl seems do dislike WAR's graphics. Going bananas over it, will not make them chang their minds. Personally, I don't mind it's graphics (except from some character models), but they are not exactly revolutionary.
And saying that MMOs never were about grafics, that's just bs. Lots of companies have put a lot of effort in graphics, they wouldn't if it was a "fact" that MMOs are not about graphics.
Ever played EQ2 on high settings? Looks fantastisk, even though it's a 4 year old game. LOTRO looks absolutely great too. And, regardless of the crappy reviews AoC gets, graphics gets high scores. Even from haters.
WAR graphics = better than most, a little under LOTR, but very nice.
Gameplay = superb. from RVR even to the PVE quests. Nothing feels like a grind.
This is coming from a player who honestly can't stand quest based type mmo's, and is all about the sandbox. Once you log into the WAR world, you can't deny the feeling of battles happening everywhere. To me, the game has accomplished everything it set out to do.
anyway.. Play the game when its launched and then talk about it. To think the game is complete as of now is just silly. I am a BIG fan of PVE, never was with PVP. PVE in this game is a blast and man there are TONS of quests. Dont like the human quest, hit the dwarf side or the elfs side and do those.. your not stuck to one place and have to stay there. RVR is SO easy to find.. like someone said use the map. When War is out go play WOW for about 1h then go play WAR lol you will love WAR. There is alot I think should be changed and still needs fixing but it WONT be like AOC.
Community... again its BETA people KNOW they cant keep there TOON so they want to PLAY and lvl as fast as they can to see the game. When its launched you can stand there and chat all you want.. just cant WALK YET DAM! lol
Well I stoped reading after the first line , why do people no matter what game it is there talking about have to put in a reference that they hate WOW , like its got anything to do with a review of WARHAMMER!!
Originally posted by markoraos but nothing that is unusual for a beta. A few months polish will weed those out.
Again, this game goes live in days - not months. What months of beta to refine and improve the visuals are you alluding too?
I meant the animation glitches - very occasionally some animations get staggered and don't execute properly - but only at a certain distance and never within combat for example. Another example is one particular humanoid mob that instead of "guard" stance played "standing" while not directly executing an attack in combat. However I noticed those only with PvE mobs and never with other players. Considering that WoW had that infamous bug with mobs gliding around with arms outstretched years after the release I'd consider these very very minor issues.
All in all the game feels more finished than WoW did six months after its release. For example I haven't yet seen anything to the magnitude of the WoW's looting bug where you got stuck in crouching animation that you couldn't get out of without relogging.
This game is more than ready to go live IMHO. Relatively speaking ofc. If it were a console game then I'd say it is a total load of BS. However, for a MMO it is amazingly stable and polished at this point.
Char Models: All graphics are being upgraded for release. Doesnt Effect game play.
Community: Join a guild. Doesnt effect game play.
RvR: So you didnt read the quest that you are given for RvR? Good job sparky.
Bugs: B....E.....T...A... Your grade: F. See me after class.
OP just got raped?
Not really... Music is a huge part of immersion (for some people, thus a valid argument.
Graphics cannot possibly get much better, as we will be able to use our beta clients in release. Yes, I fully understand there will be a patch, but honestly, how much do anyone not being ignorant think the graphics can change... (Myself, I have no problems with the graphics, but being realistic is good for you).
That he should join a guild, I agree. However during beta I haven't encountered a lot of people bothering to interact with each other. But that's the norm of MMO's today and I guess people are busy rushing through the content at this point.
Yeah, read the quests and open the map ^^.
Again, if you believe that there's a miracle patch which will fix all bugs and remedy the sloppy graphics you're not being realistic. Bugs is a common "feature" of MMO's, as the games are often way to big to find all bugs during betas. This will be fixed along the way and Mythic is already doing a good job.
Terrible grade of OP's review though, narrow minded, "fanboyed" and a tad to "internet tuff boy" for my taste.
Music: How many people?
Graphics: Full client at release requires a release patch of at least 5 more gigs to include a full graphical update reguarding textures as well as shaders ( it pays to research your product ) as well as un-anounced additions.
Guild: I agree, people rushing and not being all that talkative, though our guild is VERY talkative on helbrass.
Agreed, read the dang quests people! ( or RTFM hehe )
"tuff" is not a word, its spelled "tough".
Your grade: B
At least you intelligently formed thoughts.... which is rare on mmorpg.com
As long as one single person cares about the music, it's enough for him to take that into consideration in HIS review. Each to his own and all that.
Ehm.. Is that confirmed? Not saying you're wrong but do you have any proper evidence (I do honestly like to know ^^), or is it just an assumption? If there is such a patch confirmed, I'll withdraw my argument about the graphics.
Tuff was used to illustrate the attitude and language amongs "interget tough boys", though using "interwebz tuff bois" would perhaps have gotten the point out more clear. That was aimed at the "OP got raped?" post by the way.
Never ceases to amaze me the crap DEVs put out that people accept and believe. Yeah, they are letting the world 'preview' this ass ugly game holding back on these excellent graphics they have ready for a couple weeks from now at launch but are not including now because we all know it is best to show yoru worst in order to attract buyers. You must have believed that AoC asshats who said DX10 and all that content was getting patched in just after launch. WAR is an ugly game by 2006 standards, it is barely up to speed with some cheesy F2P game - but a $50 2008 major release? Not a chance it should get a pass based on these lame animations and pitiful graphics.
yawn....lets cry more because lazers dont pew pew out of everyone's eyes at super resolution. everyone should have known that this game isnt made like a fucking FPS. If you want awesome graphics go play far cry or something this isnt final fantasy. tell me games with better grapics that are open world mmorpgs that will have over 150 on each faction and tell me you would want better graphics when your 5000$ comp shits all over its self.
That sentence is so Full of Win, MMORPG.com have had to install two new servers just to cope with its awesomeness.
Comments
It doesn't have to be AoC in looks or Crysis to be modern - but looking like a reject from 2005 is hardly respectable in 2008. Gameplay matters, graphics matters, sound matters, stability matters, content matters. Any one of the various elements of a game being so terrible for its time cast a big shadow on everything else.
Hmm... of all the factors you listed I concur the gfx is not the "top of the pops". However taking into account the gameplay requirements which include 100+ player characters on screen simultaneously with all kinds of effects I'd say it's pretty damn good. It is a matter of subjective opinion so I can understand some people might find it "offensive" for some reason. I can't stand COD4 graphics because its extremely tight angle PoV makes me feel slow, claustrophobic and irritable... but some people adore it precisely because of it.
Objectively speaking, some animations are sometimes glitchy and clunky... but nothing that is unusual for a beta. A few months polish will weed those out.
Gameplay, balance and content are superb for a MMORPG at this stage of development - I'm overwhelmed by all the options presented to me at any given point in the game. Stability is ok, nothing serious considering the game is being stress-tested right now. Those few crashes i started experiencing recently, once servers started going "full" (say 1 crash to desktop every 2-3 hrs) aren't game-breaking by far - no items/quests/achievements lost. All perfectly normal for an online beta.
I haven't paid much attention to sound cause I usually don't but nothing hurt my ears so I suppose it is ok, at the very least.
There, that's my honest opinion... Different strokes for different folks, I guess...
Look, if you don't care that the came is generations behind in terms of the visuals then so be it - have fun. But arguing that it is not the case is ludicrous.
As for the beta stuff - are you really so naive in this day and age to realize the game is done, this is not a beta - in a couple weeks it is live. It is what it is, open beta a couple weeks before live is not a testing exercise except perhaps in terms of load and infrastructure. There is no time to make these magical visual improvements in the short time before live, and even if there where that would mean going live with a totally different load on clients than has even been tested.
The game looks now as it will for quite some time to come, if that doesn't matter to you then fine. But don't deny the reality that WAR is very old looking and not anywhere near, visually, the standard of the genre unless you are simply comparing it to games still around from many years ago.
Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Vanguard, Tabula Rasa or just about any other game released in the last couple years. Games I am not a fan of for differing reasons but all are modern looking in terms of visuals in a way WAR will never be save a complete remake of all the assets. All look modern enough to engage you in the world sufficiently to experience and evaluate the other game elements.
Again, this game goes live in days - not months. What months of beta to refine and improve the visuals are you alluding too?
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Achiever 60.00%, Socializer 53.00%, Killer 47.00%, Explorer 40.00%
Intel Core i7 Quad, Intel X58 SLi, 6G Corsair XMS DDR3, Intel X-25 SSD, 3 WD Velociraptor SATA SuperTrak SAS EX8650 Array, OCZ 1250W PS, GTX 295, xFi, 32" 1080p LCD
Didnt mean to spark so much controversy, just giving my input from what I saw the first day. I always appreciate a fair review (which I attempted to do)...I wish I would of listened to the AoC testers a little better...:)
That really says it all, doesn't it?
Btw, in May last year, WoW was 2.5 years old. You did not play for 4 years. Attacking the OP and then proving your even more clueless, isn't exactly a smart move.
EDIT: before you claim to have been in the beta: the signups started a little over 3 years before you quit.
I felt the music was amazing. Sorry if it isn't picking possies in the park.
The game world is bland? I think you played too much WoW. It has a different feel.
I agree on Character customization, but it still beats WoW.
PvE is standard except for PQs which are really fun. It doesn't even feel like a grind.
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Meow
Op, thank you for your review. It's the kind of reviews I like to read, simple and honest.
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Have fun
The last game I played was DAOC which was only a few weeks ago. I can handle the graphics but I think alot of ppl including myself had a high expectation. I believe alot of ppl will enter the game at startup and be a little surprised how it turned out.
LOL WTF!!!!!!!!!
The graphics suck!??!?!?!?
Are you crazy??
Seriously.
The graphics in this game look great. They look fine by 2008 standards. Since when has GRAPHICS been the focus point of MMO's? MMO's NEVER, EVER were about the graphics! WAR's graphics are fine. seriously. I dont know where you guys are coming from. Sure, the pre textured faces suck, but really....they probably need it to keep the lag down for the large battles. I cant believe people are complaining about this crap.
I jumped the gun and figured you for a auto-hater of the game is all. Like I said, we all cant agree about everything. Sorry if I was a bit caustic about my words.
Relax - your opinions are exactly that: opinions. Not facts.
Lots of ppl seems do dislike WAR's graphics. Going bananas over it, will not make them chang their minds. Personally, I don't mind it's graphics (except from some character models), but they are not exactly revolutionary.
And saying that MMOs never were about grafics, that's just bs. Lots of companies have put a lot of effort in graphics, they wouldn't if it was a "fact" that MMOs are not about graphics.
Ever played EQ2 on high settings? Looks fantastisk, even though it's a 4 year old game. LOTRO looks absolutely great too. And, regardless of the crappy reviews AoC gets, graphics gets high scores. Even from haters.
"Ever played EQ2 on high settings? Looks fantastisk, even though it's a 4 year old game. LOTRO looks absolutely great too."
I disagree with this... but we all have different opinions.
Well let's see.
AOC graphics = Superb, best in an mmo.
Gameplay = Massive failure.
WAR graphics = better than most, a little under LOTR, but very nice.
Gameplay = superb. from RVR even to the PVE quests. Nothing feels like a grind.
This is coming from a player who honestly can't stand quest based type mmo's, and is all about the sandbox. Once you log into the WAR world, you can't deny the feeling of battles happening everywhere. To me, the game has accomplished everything it set out to do.
OMG wow 2.4 years old.. a ok..
anyway.. Play the game when its launched and then talk about it. To think the game is complete as of now is just silly. I am a BIG fan of PVE, never was with PVP. PVE in this game is a blast and man there are TONS of quests. Dont like the human quest, hit the dwarf side or the elfs side and do those.. your not stuck to one place and have to stay there. RVR is SO easy to find.. like someone said use the map. When War is out go play WOW for about 1h then go play WAR lol you will love WAR. There is alot I think should be changed and still needs fixing but it WONT be like AOC.
Community... again its BETA people KNOW they cant keep there TOON so they want to PLAY and lvl as fast as they can to see the game. When its launched you can stand there and chat all you want.. just cant WALK YET DAM! lol
Another one who expects an imaginary miracle patch within a week, I guess?
EDIT:
I never said WoW was 2.4 years old, I said it was 2.5 years old, IN MAY, LAST YEAR.
WoW was released Nov 24th of 2004. It is Sept 09, 2008. That is 3 years and 10 months or almost 4 years. It was not 2.4 back in May.
Well I stoped reading after the first line , why do people no matter what game it is there talking about have to put in a reference that they hate WOW , like its got anything to do with a review of WARHAMMER!!
...
May...
Last year...
It is 2008, that would be 2007. May 2007.
Nov 2004 + 1 year (24 months) = Nov 2005
Nov 2004 + 2 years (24 months) = Nov 2006
Nov 2004 + 2.5 years (30 months) = MAY 2007
Wow...learn to math.
_________________________________
"Fixed it. Because that wall of text attacked me, killed me and looted my body..."
-George "sniperg" Light
Again, this game goes live in days - not months. What months of beta to refine and improve the visuals are you alluding too?
I meant the animation glitches - very occasionally some animations get staggered and don't execute properly - but only at a certain distance and never within combat for example. Another example is one particular humanoid mob that instead of "guard" stance played "standing" while not directly executing an attack in combat. However I noticed those only with PvE mobs and never with other players. Considering that WoW had that infamous bug with mobs gliding around with arms outstretched years after the release I'd consider these very very minor issues.
All in all the game feels more finished than WoW did six months after its release. For example I haven't yet seen anything to the magnitude of the WoW's looting bug where you got stuck in crouching animation that you couldn't get out of without relogging.
This game is more than ready to go live IMHO. Relatively speaking ofc. If it were a console game then I'd say it is a total load of BS. However, for a MMO it is amazingly stable and polished at this point.
OP just got raped?
Not really... Music is a huge part of immersion (for some people, thus a valid argument.
Graphics cannot possibly get much better, as we will be able to use our beta clients in release. Yes, I fully understand there will be a patch, but honestly, how much do anyone not being ignorant think the graphics can change... (Myself, I have no problems with the graphics, but being realistic is good for you).
That he should join a guild, I agree. However during beta I haven't encountered a lot of people bothering to interact with each other. But that's the norm of MMO's today and I guess people are busy rushing through the content at this point.
Yeah, read the quests and open the map ^^.
Again, if you believe that there's a miracle patch which will fix all bugs and remedy the sloppy graphics you're not being realistic. Bugs is a common "feature" of MMO's, as the games are often way to big to find all bugs during betas. This will be fixed along the way and Mythic is already doing a good job.
Terrible grade of OP's review though, narrow minded, "fanboyed" and a tad to "internet tuff boy" for my taste.
Music: How many people?
Graphics: Full client at release requires a release patch of at least 5 more gigs to include a full graphical update reguarding textures as well as shaders ( it pays to research your product ) as well as un-anounced additions.
Guild: I agree, people rushing and not being all that talkative, though our guild is VERY talkative on helbrass.
Agreed, read the dang quests people! ( or RTFM hehe )
"tuff" is not a word, its spelled "tough".
Your grade: B
At least you intelligently formed thoughts.... which is rare on mmorpg.com
As long as one single person cares about the music, it's enough for him to take that into consideration in HIS review. Each to his own and all that.
Ehm.. Is that confirmed? Not saying you're wrong but do you have any proper evidence (I do honestly like to know ^^), or is it just an assumption? If there is such a patch confirmed, I'll withdraw my argument about the graphics.
Tuff was used to illustrate the attitude and language amongs "interget tough boys", though using "interwebz tuff bois" would perhaps have gotten the point out more clear. That was aimed at the "OP got raped?" post by the way.
yawn....lets cry more because lazers dont pew pew out of everyone's eyes at super resolution. everyone should have known that this game isnt made like a fucking FPS. If you want awesome graphics go play far cry or something this isnt final fantasy. tell me games with better grapics that are open world mmorpgs that will have over 150 on each faction and tell me you would want better graphics when your 5000$ comp shits all over its self.
That sentence is so Full of Win, MMORPG.com have had to install two new servers just to cope with its awesomeness.