PVP:Yes | Distribution:Download,Retail | Retail Price:$39.99 | Pay Type:Subscription
Desktop Client | System Req:
| ESRB:T
WAR: Early Impressions of 1.2 - Map, Groups and Rally Calls
MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood reports on three of the most visible features of yesterday's Update 1.2 for Mythic's Warhammer Online, the new map features, the grouping tool and the rally call system.
Last night, I gathered a number of my friends and logged into Warhammer Online not only to check out the new Live Event, but also to see the practical application of those pages and pages of patch notes that bombarded us when we first heard about patch 1.2. In this article, I wanted to share some of my early experiences with the new event, and of course, the new patch.
As it turns out, a great big pile of patch notes would seem to directly relate to the length of time that it takes to download a patch. Yeah, I know, that falls into the “wow, this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about” category of stupid and obvious things to say. I only note this because up until now, I can’t remember ever really waiting any length of time for a patch to apply with this game. This time, I spent 20-30 minutes waiting to be able to play. Not to worry though, that wasn’t even enough time to go through the condensed patch notes on the game’s launcher. That being said though, a half an hour isn’t really that long relative to most MMOs, I just thought that it was something worth noting.
Once I was finished patching and logged into the game, there were a couple of changes that struck me almost instantly and prompted me to write this report for you all today.
)
The Map
I’ve always thought that the map was one of the aspects of WAR that needed a good overhaul. As it was, it felt like a very static thing that more or less just sat there. It always seemed to provide just enough information (beyond the obvious location of things) to make you want more.
Before update 1.2, the map showed location, who owned what capturable points on the map, and the locations of important points that you had already discovered. Occasionally it would tell you where PvP battles were being held and where attacks were taking place, though many felt this system to be somewhat inaccurate as one would often arrive at a battle site to find it abandoned and empty. Also, in order to see what was going on in a neighbouring zone, you had to travel there manually to look at the map.
Let’s start with the capturable points. To keep it simple, we’ll concentrate for now on battlefield objectives. I was pleased logging in last night to find that the battlefield objectives on your map now come equipped with timers that let you know how long it will be before a given objective becomes attackable. This little feature has a couple of practical benefits. First, the obvious: you now know when an objective is attackable. Second, this can lead to more fights over objectives. If both sides know when any given point is attackable, there is more likely to be a skirmish at that time in that area. It’s just another one of those little touches that Mythic has put in to try to make RvR a little bit more interesting, accessible and fast-paced.
Moving on, I can not say enough good things about the ability to see maps other than the one that you’re currently standing in. How often have I been in, for example, Tier Two empire / chaos lands, running around in Ostland and wanting to know what battles or objectives were open in Troll Country. Previously, I had to run to the edge of the zone and pull up my map to get the information. It was annoying and unnecessarily time consuming. Now, I know whether or not to waste my time running all the way over there.
The battle markers seemed to me to be just a little bit more accurate last night as well, though I honestly can’t confirm that. I will say this though… I didn’t run toward any battle markers last night and find them empty.
Now, to address the issue of public quests being marked on the map before they’re discovered. This is either one of those features you’re going to love because it’s convenient, or hate because it flies in the face of traditional exploration… no more, no less.
The last thing that I wanted to say about the maps is that they have changed the group member indicator from a grey block to a nice looking green orb. It doesn’t have any direct game influence, but aesthetically, it is a huge improvement.
My overall assessment: Good work Mythic. This was something that desperately needed an overhaul and I’m glad to see that it got one.
)
The Group Tool
When WAR launched, it did so with a pretty nifty feature: the open group finder. You see, one of the more charming elements of Warhammer Online, at least for me, has been how easy it is to group up with other people. I’m not one for chatting in an MMO, and I’ve never liked aimlessly yelling out in general chat that I’m LFG. It’s just not my style. WAR allowed me to roam into an area, click on a little icon below my character’s portrait and see a list of nearby groups that were marked as open.
After 1.2, the system remains, but it’s been given a bit of an overhaul. Visually, it now has the look of a much more serious system. Instead of being placed below the portrait (why on earth it was there in the first place, I’ll never know), it now appears on the menu bar. That’s not all though, they’ve also added some new functionality to it that lets you search worldwide for groups doing specific things. If you’re looking for an RvR group, for instance, you can find those. A new Manage button allows you easy access to party options and the spiffy new visual design presents the whole thing as a much more serious feature.
Now, the number one thing that makes me happy about the new and improved group tool is the simple fact that it can now be accessed when you’re already in a group or warband. Previously, if you wanted to, for example, find out if there was a warband trawling around in the RvR lakes, you would have to leave your group to access the feature. It was a hassle and frustrated me to no end. I couldn’t be happier at the change.
Overall assessment: It’s an improvement. That being said, I am still a little bit unclear about how the “world” tab actually functions. It’s a bit confusing and might keep some players from using it. Overall though, it’s a good change.
)
Rally Call
When you first log in, you’re bound to notice a new button lining your mini-map. It looks a lot like the orange button you would use to sign up for a scenario, but it’s blue and labelled as the Rally Call button.
Here’s what the patch notes had to say about the new system:
We are introducing the new Rally Call system. At various intervals, players will be called to join the battle in the Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 RvR lakes. A button will appear near the mini-map, enabling willing participants to jump right into the action.
Basically, when a Rally Call is issued, you get an on-screen notification and the blue button lights up. Push the button and you’re automatically teleported to the appropriate warcamp. The idea is that this should provide easier access to RvR for those who want it.
I do, unfortunately, have a bit of a problem with this particular feature and it’s the fact that it just isn’t well explained. Logging in and finding the button, I immediately moused over it and was told that: “When a Rally Call is issued, click here to be sent to the battle.” While that gave me an idea of what to do, it left me with more questions. Specifically, how does a Rally Call get issued, why does it happen? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an answer to that question in-game and even going to the patch notes, as you can see above, didn’t give me an answer beyond “at various intervals”.
This is a complaint that I find comes up fairly often when I’m playing Warhammer. For all of its user-friendliness, and otherwise well implemented features (the Rally Call, when I answered one, was great and resulted in some pretty hefty battles. Exactly what it was intended for), Warhammer often leaves me (and I assume others) scratching my head about how exactly something works. I have a similar complaint about the new scenario that has been added for this live event, but that’s a story for another time.
Overall assessment: A fun feature that could use just a touch more explanation.
Final Thoughts
I realize that this isn’t a complete overview of the changes brought about in the 1.2 update, but for the couple of hours that I spent in-game last night, they were the most noticeable changes. As I continue to experience the content, I hope to be able to comment on balance changes, career changes, the Zone Control system and more.
Still though, if my first experience with WAR 1.2 is any indication, Mythic has put some real noticeable time and effort into correcting some of the issues in the game and making it an overall better experience for the players. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest you log in and check it out.
Thanks for sharing, but I'm wondering what this has to do with the article in question. Please don't hijack threads simply because you didn't like the game.
They guy wasnt trying to hijack anything, I'm with him no clue what your talking about.
Did you read the article, because that pretty much explains it.
I think that article had some good info for everyone. I don't know what the two posters above have issue with...at all.
ONTOPIC:
Looks like some good changes, but honestly i wonder why they didn't just add a flight master to every warcamp, and added a warcamp for ever zone. While the instant travel is a different approach...i guess it works too.
I will mostlikely come back after a few more patches.
Touchy :) Let me be a bit more clear then:
I liked WAR, I have enjoyed it for the past few months, its not a bad game by any standard I can see. I played a Git shammie and Squig herder both to 40, and enjoyed every single second of it.
As for the article, it is well written, and a pleasure to read. My point was however that all the content that you wrote about is too late on the part of EA. For starters, I have no desire to re-roll a new character and play the same content for a third time, so the lure of new classes simply dont appeal to me. The other new content also has little bearing on me as very few people actually bother with the dungeons. (why that is, I dont know, I wish they would)
So I apologise if this was viewed as a hijack, it was not intended as such.
So, basically, you just wanted us to know your no longer like the game for reasons that have nothing to do with the article.
Do you have a news letter?
Very nice.
But i'm not sure i like the Rally call feature.
One way that i look at it is that it takes away the ability to outmaneuver (spelling?) your oponents. But on the other hand to defend it, the outmaneuvering isn't happening on the order side on my server.
nice article.
i like the fixes and will play slayer from next week on. i share your irritation on the previous LF system, and I'm happy they improved it.
however the rally call makes orvr a bit more like sc's in my eyes, dunno about that feature ..
well havent played yet, so i'll see :)
well written article it makes me happy that mythic is trying to make the game more enjoyable. i havent played in awhile but i think ill reinstall my game tonight to see how the patch is
So the BO timer thing does basically the same as the State of Realm addon? Or will I still need that?
Despite the major nerf my class (WE) has got I'm still looking forward to playing this patch tonight for the improvements to open RVR with the Zone Domination system and fairer loot drops. Also, it's live event time so if my class totally sucks I can at least work towards unlocking the Choppa...
Thanks for the article. i enjoyed the read. I commend you and your staff for continuing to write unbiased articles about the games we love. It is nice to know WAR is changing for the better and while I no longer play it I am grateful for the fact that i can come here and catch up on all the news of the gaming industry.
thanks again
I agree with Kalistar. I now longer play WAR cause it just felt like there was too much missing. And the nerf of WE didnt make me happy either.
But articles like this give me a chance to preview patches and hear what is going on in the game. I am hoping to come back to the game if Mythic keeps fixing and adding things like this.
And...off topic, I am so sick of all the DorkFail fanbois hijacking every thread here just to say how much "X" game sucks and how godly DorkFail is.
I haven't really been playing WAR consistently for awhile.. partly because of the little things that become frustrations as they build up..
I'm glad to see they are starting to add a little polish, it just might have me logging in again to take a look..
Yeah I agree that this was a well written article. I quit playing WAR before my first free month expired because I found the game very tedious to play and the RvR didnt really have any purpose behind it. I just couldnt see what I was fighting for beyond the level progress of my own character and the initial fun factor which seemed to wear off quickly.
However this article has peeked my interest a little bit so I might resubscribe to check it out along with the new classes.....even though I know I'm gonna get bored very quickly but oh well. Who knows maybe in a few years Mythic might actually finish making WAR by including all of the cities that were originally meant to be in the game.
Hi Jon, nice article, although there was one small mistake that you should correct if only for information integrity;
The maps could always be switched, at the bottom of the map there has always been 3 buttons to switch between World View, Pairing View and Zone View, you can then see any zone from anywhere. You could also use mousewheel down to "zoom out" the map one layer up, and click in to "zoom in".
For the few people that are considering resubbing to War after this patch, my advice is if you have Rank 40s and were bored, don't resub until they patch in Land of the Dead. For the others that don't mind starting new characters, make sure you pick a busy server (there are only about 3-4 constantly busy ones) the experience is night and day between a busy server and the many many dying ones.
I love this update
Nice update, loving the Live Event, good thing Bitch Elves got nerfed, WAR ftw!
Did you read the article, because that pretty much explains it.
I would hate to have your job Stadden, The troll posters are one in the same, just some guy on a alt after he gets a tempory ban. And looking at the history of them, seems they are bitter Darkfall players who got their' $$$ taken by Tasos.
Back to topic
GREAT UPDATE, I tell ya this game keeps getting better and better. There are alot of things planned for this game, and I am seeing increased numbers of players on my server (on both factions).
The updates are awsome, makes the game easy to navigate and lots more
Good Job Mythic!
There is a flight master in every warcamp. They also added flight masters to the zones that didn't have a warcamp. That change has been in for a while already. I guess they still wanted to do more to help people get to the fight wherever they happen to be when the fur starts flying.
A few other map related things I didn't see in this artical... the hotspot markers on the maps now have mouseover info. They tell you how many people are fighting at that spot, like 12 or more, 24 or more. The pairing map also shows the hotspot icon if their is RvR going on in that zone. Another handy addition is the arrows on the edge of the maps to view the next map in that direction... sure beats backing out and back in to to see the rest of a zone.
The new party and group menu is also great... if for no other reason than the fact you can see the available groups without leaving the one you are in. Now if they would just add the option for a group leader to add his group to another open warband from the group panel.
All in all the changes are pretty good. They are mostly aimed at making RvR action easier to find and get to. No more moving between elf, dwarf and empire looking for the WAR when you log in.
The addon also the ability to broadcast your target or timers to the zone, rvr, warband, or any other place you choose too. It is also a visible popup indication of when a BO is being taken by the other side. I will still use that addon for those features. It is easily toggle-able.
There is a flight master in every warcamp. They also added flight masters to the zones that didn't have a warcamp. That change has been in for a while already. I guess they still wanted to do more to help people get to the fight wherever they happen to be when the fur starts flying.
A few other map related things I didn't see in this artical... the hotspot markers on the maps now have mouseover info. They tell you how many people are fighting at that spot, like 12 or more, 24 or more. The pairing map also shows the hotspot icon if their is RvR going on in that zone. Another handy addition is the arrows on the edge of the maps to view the next map in that direction... sure beats backing out and back in to to see the rest of a zone.
The new party and group menu is also great... if for no other reason than the fact you can see the available groups without leaving the one you are in. Now if they would just add the option for a group leader to add his group to another open warband from the group panel.
All in all the changes are pretty good. They are mostly aimed at making RvR action easier to find and get to. No more moving between elf, dwarf and empire looking for the WAR when you log in.
Have not tried this, wonder if the group leader can /join "name of other group leader" and his whole group joins?
I know that currently if you are a group leader you can invite the other groups leader to join, and that will merge the two groups.
Well written article and I am having fun with this patch and live evemt. Can not wait till Slayers come into the game; I use to have a blast playing a troll slayer in the old pen and paper game.
info on mouse over also includes the guild name who claimed the keep ( if any). I really see this game go up with those patches. Mythic is doing a great job.
Great write-up, I've been enjoying 1.2 myself for the last couple nights.
Personally, I found the Hotspot indicators to be a lot more reliable than they previously were. Of all the Hotspots I ran to last night, only one was empty (but there were still fresh corpses lying around).
The Rally Cry system is definitely a little confusing. The intervals at which it went off seemed to be random. Hopefully they supply us with a little more information on how it works.
Thanks. Good overview of the visible changes for those who have not played in a while.
Nice article highlighting some of the major changes with the last patch.
If others don't have the reading comprehension to understand a MMORPG making steps to improve itself (gee, never, seen -that- before) then that's their problem and I'm gald to see their troll posts were deleted.
As other have pointed out there are lots of other changes/improvements but I think the article did a good job pointing out the more noticeable ones.
I also liked that the article pointed out of WAR’s continuing weaknesses:
Warhammer often leaves me (and I assume others) scratching my head about how exactly something works. I have a similar complaint about the new scenario that has been added for this live event, but that’s a story for another time.
I agree completely! The new scenario was very confusing and there was no real explaination what was going on with it. I also agree that WAR suffers from lack of explaination with other game mechanics like Crafting and oRvR.
The patch seems to addressing some of these issues with the new mouseovers and additional descriptions but Mythic needs to continue adding in-game explainations for their various mechanics. They also really need to find a way to emphasize the objectives of their Scenarios rather than relying on players using a trial and error method to figure it out.
I want to add the mass mail that was added in this patch is really helpful for us crafters and gatherers. I was able to drop one of my mods
I no longer play either, but I am glad to hear the changes.
Unlike most, I will gladly admit that once they improve things a bit, I would not mind going back. I'm just giving it some time.
New games dont hit their prime for usually 6 months - 1 year. It's sad so many people expect a launch game to be amazing or to compete with the current top MMO games. They go in with unreal expectations, and then hold a "grudge" against the game and decide to never give it another try. It's a shame because they will be missing out on the "real" game.
All of the best MMO's had to go thru a transition from the skeleton they were originally implemented as, to the fully fleshed out game they turned in to. Seems with these changes WAR is following along nicely and bringing it in to its own.
Now add in some more Pve stuff and the missing cities and Ill resub for a couple months to try the game out again.
WAR always had potential looks like the Devs are doing good.
Just hope other people take notice the game is kinda low pop right now.
Sadly the PVP tards scream and howl every time PVE is mentioned.......I don't see any PVE love coming any tine soon.
The timers aren't there to show you when it's cappable. They are countdowns to domination points. It actually starts counting down the second the BO flips, so it's 3 minutes off the countdown before it unlocks to be retaken.
In all my feel for patch was that it 1) made it easier for newerplayers to become involved in rvr 2) Took DaoC route in over nerfing and gutting playable classes 3) boosted classes that had patch 1.1 boosts.
In 6 months to 1 year there will only be 5 or 6 playable classes per side so much for variance as the others are just nerfed to extinction.
$"#!$#" ....
I can not stress enough how i ***HATE*** when THEY limit to SUBSCRIBERS possibility to play slayer if not partecipating to Bitter Rivals or anything alike! Others must wait one week!? WTF??? I could partecipate, but I will not! Want to play character that is missing since start! And have resubscribed only because wanted to try slayer as i have time this weekend. And they did the same thing with Knight. They could limit at all possibility to play if certain condition is not met. Maybe Im exagerating ... but I'm nearly sure im done with War, at least for long long time. At least because I have alternatives. Wow is stil my first choice, AoC has improved a lot, bugs mainly gone. Maybe Lotro. And no, this has nothing to do with Death Knight requiring lv. 55 alt in WOTLK. Situation is completely different. Bad decision from someone. Not first, not last.
On the one hand you think "It's sad so many people expect a launch game to be amazing or to compete with the current top MMO games" but on the other hand "I will gladly admit that once they improve things a bit, I would not mind going back."
Aren't you one of those people that expect a launch game to be amazing or shouldn't you be currently supporting this game with your money?
I think the best way to describe everything is that the game has improved, still lots of room to improve more, but the Devs are listening and working. Come this summer with patches 1.3 and on, there will be lots more to look forward to, with keep/fort design revisions, the new free Land of the Dead expansion, and much more fixes, etc. For those waiting to "give it more time" you won't be disappointed in the coming couple of months.
Its hard to say the game doesn't have problems, but the continuous work being done on reflects that this game hasn't been given up on by the devs and from the looks, will only get better.
Ultimately, to each his own.
I have mixed feelings about 1.2. These are soley my opinions and it doesn't mean im right or wrong.
The map changes was a very nice added touch. Adding a new scenario was a great ideal, but for some reason it reminds me of a refurbished Khaines Embrace. I was ok with the whole new change to the locking of zones when I read it in the patch notes. I now think it is a horrible concept because the servers are very unbalanced with Order or Destruction outnumbering the otherside 3 -1 depending on the server and now you don't have to break a sweat to lock zones and lock people out of IC or Altdorph.
Not much you can do to defend or attack when your on the side with the least players. I understand this player unbalance occured when they opened up the server transfers, but it seemed like it was one sided depending on the sever. On the server I play on in 1 day 7 guilds ( around 300 ) new players from the order side transfered onto the server and none for the destruction side. I found that to be strange.
I do not like nerfing of the classes that took place in 1.2. I think most of the classes were solid in their previous stages. Everytime dev's start nerfing classes it doesn't stop their and before you know it the whole game eventually goes downhill.
1.2 isn't 100% crap. There were some nice added changes to the maps, to the UI, and few other forgotten things.
I don't understand why there can't be a 2 week transfer service for all the servers with no level restriction. Im stuck on a server that I hate. Can I go to another and start all over again? sure I can, but it is tough to do when you have invested so much time on a character.
Keep in mind that this is just my opinion!!!!
On the one hand you think "It's sad so many people expect a launch game to be amazing or to compete with the current top MMO games" but on the other hand "I will gladly admit that once they improve things a bit, I would not mind going back."
Aren't you one of those people that expect a launch game to be amazing or shouldn't you be currently supporting this game with your money?
No. I went in to WAR to see how the game was at launch, and to give it a go for a few months. I had no plans of playing it long-term. I go in to all new MMO's with that kind of mindset. I expected it to be fun, but have its fair share of problems as all games do. It would be silly to go in to a newly launched game and think that it would have enough content to keep you playing for a year.
I'll gladly note that the game has problems in the first few months as well, the difference is I expect them and dont hate the game for it. It's understandable that not all the issues will be as noticeable until a couple months in to retail, and that they will just need time to fix it up.
this is wrong
the timer doesn't let you know how long it needs until it's capurable, it says how long it has to be captured by a realm to give a domination point
Skullbert talks a bit about the zone domination changes they made here. To me, it seems Mythic has done one thing very well with this patch...get people into ORvR more easily and often. Like some said above, there are a lot of plans based on community feedback in the works, I think the game is in good shape. It won't be perfect but it has a lot to offer still.
I really like the new group function, great add. Hope mythic keeps up the good work .
Good little article that, very handy, especially since, as you point out, Mythic haven't done a fantastic job of detailing the changes themselves.
1.2 represents a high and a low for me, the high being some much needed changes, the low being the coincidental merging of our server with another and now T4 being largely unplayable. It's unfortunate that it happened the same time as 1.2 because the two have become largely unseperable in most people's eyes.
Great article though, it was needed I think.
Intresting how my above quote came thru to be so true of Warhammer.