When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

How is that linear?

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

Let me start of by saying I play WAR, and enjoy it, however I can see the where these folks are coming from.

you travel from point A to point B to point C.

in all aspects of the game, you are being led down a particularly small hallway, now yes perhaps theres an occasional intersection, however they all lead to the same place eventually.

My vote is that people SAY it is linear because that's the way they play it. WAR is quite open. Do whatever the hell you please. You only get "led" if you are following quests....which makes sense because they want to help push you into areas on par with your level as well as guide folks who might be....well, not as experienced in gaming or possible younger or maybe just too ADD to actually read the quests and pay attention to what they need to do. However, no one is forcing you to play that way. Want to jump ahead to more difficult areas? Do it. Even group up and go hit an area 5-10 levels ahead of you. No one is stopping you. Want to jump over and check out other lands? Nothing in WAR stops you. So all this talk of  "linear", I call bunk. Right now, I am level 34 and am playing ahead with mobs around 38-39 to check out some of the harder areas. In a bit, I will head back over to some of the areas I ran through (Chp.16-17) or I might not. It's my choice.  What's really funny about this, is that if you made a truly completely open game, you would have soooo many more people bitching and whining "I can't figure out what to do"...."where am I suppose to go?"...."this sucks...I keep dying because I can't tell what level mobs are". Typical.

 level based games are linear

at low levels they restrict where you can go

at high level they give you no reason to go back where you started or even most places you have been

most of the time it's a waste to go back because you out level the content

even if you branch off and try to do your own thing they make you come back to the path they have laid out

for you

even WOW with all it's zones is linear because you have to go to the zone for your level

It's linear since each pairing has a predictable and straight-forward progression. Everything is guaranteed and nothing breaks the mold. You have one Chapter 1 PQ, then three for each chapter from then on, you know the farther "down" you go on any given map the mobs' levels will always be higher, not lower. You can't say "I don't want to level in Nordland, I'm going to go to...Praag and kill level 1 mobs there." Each zone is intended to hold a specific level range of people. There are no quests for anyone outside that range, and absolutely nothing for them to do.

In sandbox games, for example, you get thrown out in the starter town with a sword and some pants and they encourage you to take it from there. There are many areas you can begin exploring to level up. You have to discover everything on your own(barring help from other players or perhaps in-game hints). Not only that, but there are several ways to accomplish your goals, and several places to do it in. Don't want to mine copper in Generic-city-X? You can go to the outskirts of Cliche-city-Z.

Warhammer follows a path that is easy to learn and simple to decipher. Once you're a couple of levels into the game, you pretty much know where you're going to go if you want to encounter mobs of a specific level. For example: Norsca and Nordland. The farther down south you go, the higher the level mobs will be if you're Destruction. For Order, it's the opposite. Their higher chapters and higher level mobs are going up north, instead of south. In Ostland and Troll Country, the highest level mobs for destruction chapters are all the way northeast, and the opposite direction for Order.

I love WAR, but mainly because of its PvP and the development team in charge. It's like they know their game isn't going to win any awards for providing a "deep" experience. It's a simple go-out-and-kill-the-opposite-faction game, with a simple learning curve and a linear progression most people can understand. Nothing wrong with it, it isn't trying to be anything other than that, and I respect it.

I wonder how people can say it isnt? WAR is the most linear game I have seen. Maybe some like it, and it doesnt entirely kill the game for me, but still I feel very confined. Its like a tunnel with no going left or right. You never go back where you have been, you are hook nosed from entertainment point A to entertainment point B. *shrug* Thats how I feel about it.

Ok, my background is coming from games like SWG and VG, and I am also sure some will be quite happy about the way WAR is made. I dont mind quests and guided experience, but the way WAR is made is too much like a Disney World theme park where I am led through various prepared entertainments than a living, open world. But honestly, compared to most other MMOs WAR feels like the very embodiment of linearity to me.

I think the reason is that WAR is very blatent about its linear progression.

You go up tiers and chapter numbers in a very linear way..  at least it seems that way.

Other games try to hide this.  For example WoW or VG has exactly the same.  Each zone is essentially geared towards a particular level range, but theyre spread out and not given numeric titles..  and somehow people are convined they arent following a linear progression.

Few games have truly non-linear gameplay.. such as EvE.

HOWEVER.  Let me just say that WAR is actually less linear than some other titles.  Whilst the PvE progression is essentially straighforward, remember that WAR offers you the opportunity to take part in scenarios and open RvR at almost any point in your travels.

In other games, PvP is something you have to wait for..  or it is barely implemented at all.

So yeah, WAR is called linear because.. it mostly is..  and Mythic dont hide that.  What astounds me is that the people making such accusations seem unaware that the game they love (as well as most MMO's) is linear too.  Perhaps mores o.

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

1) Look at the map, each Tier is perfectly in line with the other; once you finish a Tier, go to the next.

2) Explorin g the world is meaningless, since flightpaths take you anywhere you want in your level range without much trouble. You get to naturally explore the world as you do PvE quest anyway.

Players are left no choice about what to do, they follow the golden road traced for them.

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

War is linear, but is not more so than most other mmo's on the market.  The only true Sandbox that is really worth anything that is out there is Eve-Online.

 I like the Tier system. Doesn't make me feel trapped but gives me a sense of accomplishment when I move on to the next. I don't see the problem here.

Linear to me is AOC with its closed zones and invisible walls.

Oh and EVE is not sandboxed, hello? You have to literally click on everything and set it as a destination. Take your imagination away and eve is just a huge array of database items with a nice illusionary graphics engine over it. The fact I couldn't race my ship around like in jump to lightspeed for swg made me feel like whats the point.

I think you confuse vastness to sandbox.

UO is a sandbox game.

You get thrown in with a sword and pants and you have to figure it out.

You don't even have levels. Ok wait, they changed that, UO 5 years ago :)

I play WAR and love the game but it is linear.

You are being lead down from one area to another. No open world at all.

People arent doing public quests as much as you'd like because too many ppl are spread out.

RVR is great but the world rvr is rare because you arent getting the xp or items rewards to make it worthwhile. They are gonna fix this thankfully.

its linear and the landscapes are very boring and bland..every zone looks the same with a change of colour here and there.

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

Well, the choices are kinda limited, your character kinda ends up like he started but with more skills and better gear. You can't really have your elf to turn evil and betray his friends for the mighty Khorn or something like that.

MMOs are usually very linear and WAR is far from an exception.

A non linear game would change your character depending on what he does and it would have many ways to reach the endcontent. Your should be able to change sides and your actions should at least to a smaller degree shape those around you.

I am not saying linear is bad, I had fun with Diablo which is very linear but compare Diablo with KOTOR and you see the difference. The MMO business are usually making games on a straight path, I hope Bioware will change all that.

But even in quite linear games like EQ2 you can change between good and evil at least even if most of your actions doesn't really matter.

Well I like a lot of things about war but one thing I can't see how anyone can debate is the fact that the game is linear.  Hell it even has a single linear road through the ride from lvl 1 to 40.  Well actually there are 3 paths running in parallel so you can mix it up some but still it is like being on a ride at an amusement park.  You walk to one path and stop from time to time to play on the attractions along the way.  

A game like Vanguard is very non linear.  Meaning there is no path laid for you and you are very much open to go anywhere you want and there is no real sense of a single path you are being told to walk.  Most people playing vanguard are all over the world.

I mean with any level based game there are paths you take.  It is just that in war the path is drawn on the freaking map and you have a road that takes you the entire distance :P

I play and enjoy WAR, but I admit it's very linear.  Frankly, I think it's even more linear than WoW.  Again, that doesn't make WAR a bad game.

I felt the need to comment on all  the responses to this post. They were mostly all excellent and accurate, which is rarely the case.

I like WAR, but, it is really linear for an mmo.

another reason people say WaR is linear is you go through the same exact sets of armor as everyone else.

its like here is Weapon A, weapon B weapon C. etc etc.

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

because there is a predefined path you take through the zones. there is absolutely no reason to explore, get lost, or opportunity to find a different quest path. it is so linear that the in game map shows you the path to travel. it doesn't get more linear than that. even an adventure FPS makes you figure out puzzles and what not to progress....

Originally posted by Monorojo

When it comes to lvl, you have 3 options to choose from if you want to do quests, which makes the game non-linear from the start....or you can competely ignore quests and lvl through scenerios / open rvr. If you get sick of these 4 options, you then have PQs that you can do.

 

How is that linear?

It's one of the most linear games I've ever played.  There's little to no diversity in chaarcter creation and the "3" options given to focus is not something you could call dynamic. 

I currently play Dungeons & Dragons Online which has one of the most diverse character building processes that functions extremely well with their content.  Dungeons in DDO are predetermined although there's random spawns and traps which spice it up. 

Just 'cs Warhammer has limited diversity does not mean it's less fun, it just means that for every character you meet that's of the same class there's a good posibility it's using the exact same build skill for skill as you.

Originally posted by ronan32

its linear and the landscapes are very boring and bland..every zone looks the same with a change of colour here and there.

This has got to be one of the Top 10 Most Rediculous statements made about Warhammer.  Reading it makes think there's a different game then the one I'm playing...

What MMO ISNT linear?

Just because the main city is at the very start of the game making you travel all the way back and because the zones are all jumbled doesnt mean that other MMOs arent.

Yes all RPG games MMO and non-MMO are linear at their core. You are telling the story of  someone who starts out with humble begginings that ends up the hero saving the world yada yada yada.

Any GM/DM that is worth their salt will tell you one of the most difficult things to do is to get your players to  follow the path you want them to take so you can show them your scripted pieces(encounters). There are many ways to do that.  There are many t methods to  hide the linearity and they way to do that is to make it seem like the players choice that they go to place a or b and not that they were given a yellow brick road to follow all the way there.

What games like UO, EQ1 and FFXI did fairly well for the most part was hide the linear nature of the game so that even though if you stepped back and looked at the big picture and saw that yest the game is at its core linear, you didtn't actually feel that way when playing it. A lot of that had to do with mixing content of different level ranges in the same zone, how the zones were connected and designed. Other things that helped were rich fatcion systems very very different playing experience for different races.  All the tracks in Warhammer are pretty much identical even down to having an NPC quest giver that roams up and down  each track giving out the same type of quest with identical rewards. The NPC name and race may be different , but its just a copy paste job.  Playing a Dark elf in EQ1 was a very different playing experience  from playing an ogre or halfling.

Originally posted by j_jonson

What MMO ISNT linear?

Just because the main city is at the very start of the game making you travel all the way back and because the zones are all jumbled doesnt mean that other MMOs arent.

What mmo isnt linear???

ummm, Eve online, UO, Dransik, Ashen Empires

just a few for starters, plenty more

Eve is anything but linear....

Originally posted by Indo

Eve is anything but linear....

Sandbox all the way