Warhammer Design for Fun
In the recent shock of Warhammer Online removing some character classes and delaying city content for all but two races it bucked MMO communities everywhere. This blog is not going to be a rant. I have done enough of that already. Now it is time for constructive suggestions.
What I plan to do is try to salvage what we know about the nixed classes and offer how I think these professions could be great and worthy to be put back in to game. It will be a long post regardless, but I will hyperlink as much as I can.
Orc Choppa – the Warhammer online description is here. The direction I believe they wanted these hooligans was close to a beserker.
Morale Buildup concept: Berserk – big damage output
Weakness: less durable
Analysis: I can understand how as Mythic looked at this class and asked themselves. How does this stand out from other berserkers in MMOs?
Judging from videos the Choppa is slow, has some slow attack and a frenzy bash.
Overall the older videos do show a slow combat mechanic. It seems that the Choppa swings – wait – swings – wait. This is boring. Don’t remove the ability, but improve the animation. Maybe a better wind up. When the orc is done swinging these basic attacks, the cooldown button should be ready for another swing…
Lets spice it up!
Movement buffs – Give the Choppa something to move in close to surprise an opponent. In an old Gamespot interview, orcs were supposed to be about shouts and leaps. Yet in videos observed I never see any combat leaps. Only falling from high places.
What if all dps classes have an ability that drains APs over time and increases combat movement and ability recharges (like the COH/COV Haste Power).
Squish! – the animation could be the Choppa jumping a short distance and sitting on his target. This ability serves two purposes. One to get the Choppa in close, two to toggle off an opponents abilities for a few seconds and three a chance to jump over an obstruction and get in the back lines. This ability could be upgraded or maybe bought from a tactics vendor for even a greater leap, more damage on a single target, less damage more AOE splash damage, less leap longer stun, etc. I would enjoy a woopie cushion sound effect as my Choppa lands on your Order character please!
Slide attack – I hate to say it, but take a page from Age of Conan combat mechanics. Give these fellers a form of strafe attack. A slice animation followed by a slide to right or left which positions the Choppa 90 degrees of his opponent. Slide attack left and right. If you choose one, both buttons cooldown. This gives more opportunity to use a back attack like Go For Da Soft Spot.
Use da Feets! I see A Choppa occasionally getting some interesting maneuvers using their Choppa as an anchor to do a swing kick. Maybe a fast knockback maneuver or toggle effect on the enemy. I would only have this ability available while running. So they run, post a Choppa, blade down into the ground and the Orc swings up an smacks the victim with his legs, then lands on both feet and pries Choppa out of the ground. The Victim is knocked back a foot or so.
Improve the Short range attack – All I am aware of is one Choppa Hurl ability. However, we are trying to make this character great, remember? Being a wild fighting type why not improve this mechanic? The Choppa Hurl should have variety of effects. Direct damage (for fleeing foes), Stun or movement debuff (no damage), DoT (a Choppa stuck on your side aint fun), debuff to armor and slow an opponents ability recharge effect.. The strategy in this gives a player a choice. Do I ignore my dual wield abilities as I RISK to use my Choppa toss? I emphasize risk because if I miss that Choppa is out of my hands and I have to spend time and action points to pick it up again. Not to mention all my dual wield abilities are toggled off. However, with risk comes reward. A Choppa thrown may be a last resort to catch that fleeing foe, stumble that caster, annoy and weaken that PvE Boss.
Mastery Lines
This can really make a Choppa stand out and fun.
TWO Choppas
This mastery line focuses on dual wield combinations and inflicting heavy melee damage. These Choppas want to go through enemy lines like a weedwhacker and care little about much else, including their preservation. It doesn’t matter if they are reckless as long as the enemy is dead before they are.
One Choppa
This mastery line is focused on more versatile than two hander Choppas. While they can’t produce the raw damage to multiple targets, they could focus on one victim by using both hands with one choppa for more power, utilize a shield for increased defense and maybe off tank for a period of time, use throwing weapons to catch runners or disrupt other enemies.
Heli Choppa
These Choppas love the thrill of being airborne landing in the heat of battle and using enemy bodies as shoes. They leap over enemy ranks, are more effective when being launched by engines of war, and hurt less when falling. They revel in causing chaos to battlefields, causing even the best laid battleplans to fall apart in retreat. The life of these Choppas are risky at best, because you can be shot out of the sky, and you are not fighting every second so your moral gain is slower. But when your blood is boiling, heaven help your foes, ‘cause you will be splattin em a lot.
References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1IX5jtlKf8&feature=related
What would your suggestion be?
We need Arnold here saying: "Get to da choppa!"
Sun Jul 13 2008 3:23PMHaha, Heli Choppa. Creative. It's constructive and it sounds great, we personally need to know what exactly was wrong with it before we can make suggestions - all I've heard is it wasn't "fun" so it probably was, as you said, slow, or just underpowered/not enough variety.
Hopefully when NDA lifts beta testers who played it can explain what it was like, whether they support the temporary cut or not, and make suggestions too. Thanks for being constructive at least.
Sun Jul 13 2008 9:18PMYes, lets keep the suggestion box open so they don't give up. Hopefully with enough input they can gain some new direction or ideaws and say,
"You know what? We didn't think of that. That would be kewl!" and as a result they keep these iconic characters on the desktop instead of in the trashcan.
Mon Jul 14 2008 3:02PMMMORPG.com writes:
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