Originally posted by Locklain

Originally posted by Solude

Anyone who can honestly answer this question beyond regurgitating hype can't because we are still bound by NDA.  Videos and pictures can't convey the user experience from being at the controls.

What?  Anyone with a half-ounce of ambition can go to google and type in the differences of WoW and WAR or WAR vs WoW and get tons of differences between the two.  There is no NDA breaking, its all outlined in what the game design is.  If we didn't know about these things. . .well we wouldn't know about the game at all.

Well then you tell me.  What are the weapon delays in WAR like, is there a command queue, how far can you see, what options exist in the settings, hows the performance, any stalling, how is key response, skill/global cooldowns...  You tell me which podcast answered those actual gameplay, not game design, points.

I love the devs for this game, they are great to listen to go on about WAR and obviously care and are invested but that doesn't mean you or I will be interested in the actual gameplay.  On the shooter scene I thought CoD4 was just amazing but GoW and Crysis were terrible for one reason or another that you just can't know about until you have time at the keys.

I was in closed beta for AoC and knew damn well what I was buying at release.  Is it finished in the layoff the dev team there is nothing left to do sense, no.  Is it fun and engaging with lots of content, yes.  The only problem I have with it that results in my canceling was thinning out of quests in the late 40s on.  The bugs aren't anywhere near show stoppers for me.

When the content patch does go live, I'm back in it.  For now though its CoH for my main MMO and WAR closed beta here and there.

Anyone who can honestly answer this question beyond regurgitating hype can't because we are still bound by NDA.  Videos and pictures can't convey the user experience from being at the controls.

3500+ is a P4 3.5GHz equivalent.  You will be able to run WAR.  Though run and run well aren't the same thing

Cough WoW is RvR too foo 

I don't play WoW anymore and am in WAR beta but shesh, WoW isn't the devil.

Good business sense would be to launch 6-8 weeks after WAR.  That way people who came in early and are complaining about this that and the other will drift back to WoW knowing they gave WAR a go and just didn't do it for them.  If you launch first, it goes the other way.  You play WotLK but wonder about this WAR thing... and even if its not great you already played WotLK so you stay in WAR.

My money is on a late Sept WAR launch and an early Dec WotLK launch.

I agree with the OP, pop is low.  When I played my Raki Disciple up to level 34 I duoed once and thats about the extent of my running into people in game.  Lots of 50s running around but that doesn't do anything for lowbies.

I play CoH right now and in that game, like WoW, people roll alts over and over so you're never alone in your trek to cap out.

Cough EQ2 has more subs than EQ1 cough.  I played EQ1 back in the UO v EQ v AC days and loved it.  But there is not going back.  While EQ2 will grow, EQ1 can at best retain its player base.

Given you already played WoW to cap... EQ2.  By the time you find your favoured class, cap out and raid like crazy, WotLK will be launched and you can make the call then which to continue with.

VG as stated had very limited raiding content and pop, when I played it it was more about combat and old school feel than content.

All I know about WoW lore is from WC2 and WC3 cutscenes.  All I know from LotRO lore is the movies.  Yet WoW's method of story telling is more effective despite having far less information about it up front.

LotRO does not have the content of WoW either.  I had to run instances and grind traits in LotRO to reach 50.  In WoW all you have to do is the quests you like because there are enough that if its not your cup of tea just drop it.

But I've played WoW to death so I look to other MMOs until there is something new to do in WoW.  Guess same could be said for LotRO but Book content usually only takes a few nights to go through.  Hopefully the expansion will add a solid month and two like TBC did for WoW.

As many have written if you haven't played WoW thats the easy answer.

I have played WoW, LotRO and VG.  The order listed is about the fun factor for the games.  WoW is dated technology wise but its colourful and its zones are very distinct.  PvE wise the instances are great and flow well.  Quests will carry you right to 70 and you will be deleting many along the way cause you simply out level them.  The classes again are distinct, no two feel the same.

LotRO is similar but feels less connected, less responsive and the 'story' is done terribly.  I found getting into the lore of WoW much easier than LotRO since WoW does it through quests on an ongoing basis and not start and stop like LotRO.  Many more outdoor instances in LotRO but there are well done.  World size is smaller but not cramped.

VG had responsive combat and unique classes.  However it has no story, tiny world, low quest content, no real flavour to its dungeons and has both bugs and performance issues.  Its fun, but has a lot of flaws compared to the other two.  But I did enjoy my Raki Disciple for the months I did play.  Really if you think VG looks interesting... play EQ2.  They are quite similar and frankly EQ2 has more content, more varied gameplay, larger world, stable though not quite as immersive combat.  But the casting bar for melee doesn't bug everyone.

So umm err ya there you have it.

WoW>LotRO>VG

Currently I'm playing City of Heroes and Warhammer Online.

I am in beta and its been real hard not correcting misinformation on this forum but...

NOTICE: The Warhammer Online Beta Test is currently under a strict Beta Test Agreement. The only permitted disclosures at this time are:

1) The fact that there is a Warhammer Online Beta Test currently underway.

2) The fact that you are a member of the Warhammer Online Beta Test.

You read anything else and its either breaking NDA or someone not in beta.

WoW has two problems... its was released in 2004 with a graphics engine designed to accomidate everyone so by 2008 standards its looking dated and two, it came out in 2004 so the bulk of us have had our fill.  Doesn't make anything that has come since better, just different and after years in WoW that's really all it takes.  WoW is still the benchmark for what MMO quality and content should be though.

No crashes in retail or closed beta since downgrading my router firmware.  The router is a d-link di-624 for what its worth.

There is no cost to get every expansion up to now.  Actually if you go to the site... they are giving $5 to spend on later exp as well as everything until now.

Thats the good news.  The bad, though not mentioned anywhere, is that the account have to have been inactive for a good long while.  My account expired in May, no free time for me :(

AoC is a lot like CoH and in that regard its a success.  I for one love that I won't have to alt-tab back and forth between eq2i/wowhead type sites to game.  Graphics are good but I do think LotRO and EQ2 make better use of colour to make things pop more.  Water looks awesome though.