The All Things WAR Interview

MMORPG.com:

All this talk about Wrath of Heroes, we wanted to find out what has been going on with Warhammer Online lately.

James Casey:

We're still pushing out content and planning out patches, thanks for asking!

MMORPG.com:

What types of player reactions have you seen in the game that might be a reflection from the Wrath of Heroes announcement?

James Casey:

We've actually seen a lot of good feedback in both chatter from Wrath of Heroes as well as from the community for Warhammer Online. People looking forward to the new game, people eager to see how they relate, and people remembering just how fun the Warhammer Online game and universe is.

MMORPG.com:

How is the Realm War end game been going, what are you doing to balance the game even now?

James Casey:

Over the last year and a half we've systemically hit all aspects of the Realm War and introduced new mechanics, new content, and listened to player feedback. On the small-scale front of RvR we changed how scenarios operate, introduced rotating Weekend Warfronts, and have added new scenarios while revitalizing old ones. On the side of Open RvR we made some major changes in 1.4.0 and beyond to change how the campaign in our Tier 4 operates and how you get to the capital cities. Before that we made some big changes and made the City content more player-driven so this tied in well. After that we've continued to redefine and adjust how the mechanics introduced last year play out. Along with these changes we made a number of changes to armor, balance, and the power gap to make the game more enjoyable.

MMORPG.com:

What is it like working with the community? Do the players have an active voice in the game?

James Casey:

One of the best aspects of an online game is a great community that springs up. I love getting to meet players, engage with them in different venues, and even just passively absorb their feedback via the forums or blogs. We've actively taken to getting as much feedback as we can in our patch process and put more time and effort in allowing people to try and report on patches before they go out the door. We can't please everyone but we like to know what they are thinking and more importantly, why they think that.

MMORPG.com:

There has been some talk lately about free to play models and Warhammer remains subscription with free trial options, can you tell us your thoughts on the topic.

James Casey:

It's quite a touchy subject with some people. The free to play model is a growing juggernaut but like any model, it needs to be done right. Wrath of Heroes represents our first foray in this market and gives us an opportunity to see what works and make sure we are prepared for it. That being said, there is still a market for subscription models and I think as freemium games have shown, there will someday be a comfortable overlap between them. We're continuing to look at the market and see how these changes will benefit both us and our players.

MMORPG.com:

What are your favorite parts of working with the Warhammer world?

James Casey:

It's an expansive thought out universe. It's existed for over 25 years and you can see the love and detail that Games Workshop put into the IP and I hope that Warhammer Online shows this as well. Being able to develop in a playground that gives us a chance to do what Mythic does best with PvP and RvR, coupled with a rich engaging world is a very satisfying feeling.

MMORPG.com:

What plans does Warhammer have for the future? Are there events and plans for the communityt o look forward to in 2012?

James Casey:

We are actively finishing up our work on patch 1.4.5 which will mark the return of the all-new revamped Grovod Caverns with a smidge of Skaven thrown in. (Okay, a lot of Skaven goodness...) The bigger news though is that we are introducing a new way to engage the enemy in Tier 4 with the introduction of Realm Relics and the re-introduction of Fortresses. After that, we have patches laid out for the next year that will introduce additional cool stuff like the teased Tier 7 appearance armor, the return of the Ironclad, and a few things I can't preview quite yet. Plus, don't forget that we continue to run weekend warfronts, bonus weekends, and a plethora of Live Events during the year. In fact, soon, plan to join in the Keg's End celebration!