Awww, this is rather sad. Once upon a time, Mythic created classic MMO Dark Age of Camelot, one of the few real alternatives to EverQuest back in its heyday, and classic MUD Dragon's Gate before that. Later it also warred out the warrisomely war-packed Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which recently went bye-bye itself. Since then, Mythic's been in a strange spot, unable to find a new niche with middling arena brawler Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes and eventually, the utterly wretched mobile version of Dungeon Keeper. Now, however, it's in no spot, as it no longer exists. EA has shut down the studio once and for all.
]]>Oh ho, the plot thickens! Or rather, it congeals from thin air, because I suppose there wasn't much of a plot before this. EA yanked the cord on Warhammer Online's servers (and then presumably bit it in half and bathed in its blood), and that was that. The end. Roll credits. But now a former Mythic developer who's currently working on Camelot Unchained has revealed the existence of a single-player, server-free version of the sadly short-lived (by MMO standards) game, and he's pleading that EA release it for history's sake.
]]>Nathan reported back in September on coming demise of Warhammer Online. Now it's happened. Due to the end of EA's licensing agreement with Games Workshop, as of Wedneday 18th Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has put the hammer down for good.
]]>Warhammer Online, we hardly knew ye. OK actually that's not true at all. But still, it is a bit weird when you realize that Mythic's fantastical dig through Games Workshop's toy meticulously crafted figure chest launched in 2008. Five years is hardly a mail-clad, blood-drenched spring chicken, but it is rather young by MMO standards. And yet, here we are. Mythic's deal with Games Workshop has run its course, and the once tighter-than-a-too-small-sweater war buddies have decided to part ways.
I'm amazed Warhammer Online hasn't gone free to play yet. Amazed! I say as much to everyone I meet. "I'm amazed Warhammer Online hasn't gone free to play yet" I said to my dad on the phone only yesterday. "Son, is that you?" he replied. "Is something wrong? What do you need a free hammer for?" Then I hung up.
Mythic's underwhelming MMO may be resisting microtransactions, but as an alternative it's releasing side-project Wrath of Heroes, a free-to-play PvP game featuring quickie battles and pre-made heroes, with more emphasis on the bashing than the levelling. That's now in open beta, which means you can right now and for free.
]]>Love rats? Patch 1.4.0 hits the now free-to-play-for-the-first-10-levels Warhammer Online this Thursday, and will bring all kinds of tasty additions. You can read about them here, but to summarise: revamped Realm vs. Realm combat, 4 new playable Skaven classes, a new Skaven dungeon for levels 65+, and two new pay-for Realm vs. Realm packs, one for endgame players that also accelerates character progression and another containing pets, dyes, mounts and haircuts. Details on those new classes follows. Squeak!
I had a pet rat as a kid, but he went wrong and we had to release him in a forest. There's a lesson in that. If something in your life goes wrong, take it to a forest and leave it there. Never fails.
]]>Shaun C Green directed me at Nostalgia For Infinity picking up The Daily Mail reporting a story in a somewhat strange way. They report on the sad story of a woman apparently who neglected her children and let her dogs starve to death due to her obsession with the board-game Smallworld. Except, in addition to assets from the boardgame, they use an image of Warhammer Online, even seeming to add an URL to Days of Wonder's site to the image.
There's a twist to even this, however. As far as I'm able to ascertain, there's no Smallworld game which you could receive a facebook invite for. It simply doesn't exist. There's some other games from Days of Wonder, sure, but unless something has changed suddenly, there simply isn't a Facebook-integrated Smallworld game. In fact, there's not even one you can play online. However, there is SmallWorlds - plural - social world thing which seems to fit the bill. This story's been picked up by other newspapers today. We've contacted the Mail and all the developers for comment.
UPDATE: We may have reached the bottom of this, speaking to Roger Pearson who wrote the apparent origin-story up for Mercury Press Agency...
]]>Remember the above campaign we ran in the golden age of Rock Paper Shotgun? Well, in the most recent letter from the Mythic Producer Carrie Gouskos she revealed the coming of player controlled Skaven. Not as a faction, but in part of a new Skaven-themed Realm-versus-realm zone, where both Destruction and Order players get a chance to play THE MOST SPLENDID OF WARHAMMER RACES. This makes me suspect something akin to Lord of the Rings Monster-play may be in the offing. The rat-related details are found in full below...
]]>A lot of people mailed us about this. In short, reports have came in of Mythic's billing system going mental and charging people multiple times for their subscription. Go to the forum to see some of the reports, with some people reporting hundreds of dollars being vacuumed out of their bank accounts. The official advice at the moment is that the vendour will reverse payments in 24-36 hours, and if it hasn't by then, you should hit up your bank, who should reverse the charges (And if they don't, you should phone Mythic Billing). They also promise more news on the issue next week which - considering some of the tales of over-draft annihilating woe in the comments threads - better include at least some conciliatory compensation to those affected.
]]>Well, up to the first 10 levels anyway. It's quite the move; replacing the traditional 10-day trial, you're now able to play Warhammer Online as much as you like. You can't go past the first ten levels, but that still allows you to try all the character classes to see if any fixes. Also, rather than the enormo-client download, the game's been re-jigged to work on a Guild-Wars-esque streaming basis. So you can just go and get it here and start playing. If I get a chance, I plan to actually go back and have a nose - I've heard some interesting word on stuff they've been doing on the quiet, and I want to see if it's true or not. How's RPS' Warhammer-playing readers finding it?
]]>Once more unto the breach of reviewing that which is many ways unreviewable... This time around, I'm taking a sober look over on Eurogamer at the Euro-state of Mythic's MMORPG Warhammer Online, nearly a year on from its high-profile launch. You'll find my ruminations lurking over yonder, and including chin-scratchy nuggets such as these:
Mythic don't want you to waste your time saving up money for a bigger rucksack. They just want to you to fight - ideally, to fight other players. The game's greatest triumph is a largely seamless blend between punching NPCs and punching real people - no need for different skill sets or alternative armour. The enemy is the enemy. That row of number keys and a few team-mates, be they anonymous or known chums, are all you need. The sad side-effect of such single-mindedness is a glaring loss of personality.
A few bonus thoughts are below...
]]>If you've not yet grasped the squig and tried Mythic's Warhammer Online for yourself, then now might be a good time. The main website has just launched a 10-day free trial for the game. But Europeans are excluded from the offer. And, ah, okay, I missed this completely: Euros have a separate offer entirely.
More or less cut off from my sugary internet drip-feed for a couple of weeks due to a house move (look ma, I'm in That London!), the very idea of playing an MMO seems absolutely ludicrous to me right now - it's like dreaming of going swimming while stranded in the desert, or asking for a Big Mac in Burger King. What I can do while I wait is appreciate Mythic's cheeky viral hints as to upcoming Warhammer Online updates. Remember all those classes they cut a while before release? A couple of 'em were reinstated last month, and now it looks like the remaining fellas are inbound too. Either that or Mythic are just really rude about bloggers' haircuts.
]]>Mythic have announcified two new careers for Warhammer Online, due to appear this Winter. And they're beefcake. The Empire’s Knight of the Blazing Sun, and the Dark Elf Black Guard will be available to the game's current 750,000 players, as part of the first major patch, 1.1. Discussed by Mark Jacobs in his first State Of The Game address, we've cobbled together the highlights of the rest of the included updates below.
]]>Another one of our favourite things has sort of come back into life. We've only mentioned consolevania in passing before, but the web-TV show (which sprouted TV spin-off Videogaiden) has returned for a series 4. Except rather than their traditional shows, they're doing a rolling-feature model, with youtube videos added as and when they're finished. Thankfully, one of the first three is PC-game related, thus justifying a linkage. Rab is embedding himself in Warhammer Online to return in the world's most long-form review. That he seems to be even more of geek than yours truly bodes well, but... well, surely nothing can go wrong?
]]>In a move that's a little less Led Zeppelin and inching into Spinal Tap territory, Mythic have done a punky-metal song about Warhammer and put together a video for it featuring footage from the last two years on the road. And it looks like this...
]]>Spore has only sold 1 million copies. Warhammer Online has a piffling 500,000 subscribers. Ah well. Might as well call it a day for the old IBM Compatible, eh?
Pffffffft. It's been a grand Autumn for PC so far, and with Left 4 Dead, Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 (shut up) also incoming our beloved maths-box's star isn't going to dim any time soon. Two things worth noting about the Spore/WAR (hey, that rhymes!) success though.
]]>About time for a general update on all things Guild Based and has generally been pillaging for over a week now. It's still on the ever-busy Karak Hirn. There's been a server cloning thing, which means that we could move the Guild, but general feeling is to stay at Karak - and discussed on the new Warhammer Guild Forums. Equally, Poisoned Sponge has actually got into gear and sorted out the Order side of this endeavour, which rather than actually being at Karak Eight Peaks is off at Tor Arnoc instead. Details on the actual forum and the latest details on how to join the guilds beneath the cut.
]]>There was a smattering of confusion yesterday with our WAR Collector's Edition compo, regarding who could enter. We're super-sorry, but because this is the GOA edition of the game, it will only work in Europe. So to the rest of the world, understand that we love you, but this one's not for you. However, to the rest of the European continent, you're welcome to enter. Hey, we're not paying the postage. All the details for entry are in the previous post. We recommend reading it before entering however - four people so far have entered without including, um, their entry. Odd choice.
]]>Here's a rather fabulous thing. GOA have given us three Collector's Editions of Warhammer Online to give away, and they're a bit special. In the enormous box you get, along with a copy of the game (and 30 days' subscription), a 128 page graphic novel (in remarkably expensive-looking hardback), The Art Of Warhammer Online (in an even more expensive-looking and equally hardback book), a Grumlock & Gazbag tabletop miniature, and of course a mousemat.
As well as all that you get the following in-game items: The Librams of Insight (temporarily increases your rate of experience gain), 12 additional quests, and exclusive character customisation options. And it all comes in a remarkably sturdy and impressive looking box that you could use to kill a wolf. Want one? Read on.
]]>Gamasutra have a giganto-interview with Mythic boss, Mark Jacobs, about the launch of Warhammer Online. He discusses how a UPS truck nearly destroyed Dark Age of Camelot's launch, and then how WAR already has 50% more players than Camelot ever had, server queues, and how Roseanne Barr would make a bad romantic lead in a comedy. It's some great reading, with impressively candid thoughts about Blizzard and Funcom.
]]>RPS is not unreasonable. We grasp why the starting races of Warhammer were chosen - three matched pairs of dark mirrors who have every reason to be at each others throats forever. We also know that Mythic's next step will be reintegrating the cut cities and classes, which we're pleased to hear will be totally free. We're fine with that. We understand. However, when all that's done, we're going to tell you what you're going to do next.
You're going to let us play Skaven. Because otherwise, we're going to cut you up with knives.
]]>And, at last, we have a Warhammer Online guild. Server - Karak-Hirn (EU), side - Destruction, name - Rock Paper Snotling. Yes. Yes!
]]>Edit - and...no. People - including us - are being thrown back to the login screen whenever we try to fly to the Inevitable City. Impossible City, more like. So we'll try again tomorrow. Sorry!
]]>Okay. The vote's over and we had a little think. There were so many people who actually voted on the EU thing, it is a bit tempting to do - as people have suggested - a guild on each side, for instant war. However, since voting isn't the same thing as actually playing, it's probably best if we concentrate our manpower to make guilds that actually work. In which case, you'll find servers to play on beneath the cut...
]]>For a while we've been wanting to do some things with the splendid community of RPS folk, so... well, this is us trying. We're excited by Warhammer and figure it's one which people would find a ready-made mass of like minded people attractive to play alongside. One problem: we need to choose a "primary" side to be on. And since it's a time of experimentation, rather than RPS's tradition fairly-benevolent tyranny, we're going to go with Diplomacy.
Those who wish to vote will find the digibooths below.
]]>If you've been following the 200+ comments in the thread below our recent discussion of our experiences in the Warhammer Online closed beta, you'll have spotted that a vocal minority of the WAR community, having made their way here thanks to a link on the warhammeronline.com frontpage, are absolutely furious with us. All those that were simply critical remain, but there were at least another 50 abuse-filled tirades we deleted, consisting of the usual expletives, judgements about our intelligence and sexuality, and a surprising amount of racism towards the British. It's true: we do drink a lot of tea.
Whether expressed politely or furiously, there were three or four central complaints about what we said - but one stands above them all.
]]>Edit: As confirmed by GOA in the comments below, the prices for Warhammer ARE lowering in the UK as we printed last week, and their statements contradicting this and poo-pooing our reporting seem to have been somewhat erroneous. The lesson: RPS is always right, and handsome.
After astonishing amounts of confusion, GOA has finally made what appears to be the definitive statement regarding Open Beta access for those who pre-order Warhammer Online from the EA Store, and Direct2Drive.
It seems their plan was to not announce which of their partners would be offering customers OB access until the day the game becomes officially available for pre-order sale - this Thursday. However, EA and D2D, who it turns out will be amongst those partners, put the information up early. GOA then responded to this by, er, denying it. Now they have said they intended Open Beta to be available via certain pre-order outlets all along.
]]>As you can see below, we're really looking forward to Warhammer Online. We've been playing it lots already, and our impression is that it's the first MMO to take a step in front of WoW. That's a big deal. We're just a bit concerned by the current state of affairs when it comes to EU distribution. As we've covered quite heavily, there's the internal confusion at GOA over UK pricing, and now there's a further concern: the open beta. Right now, at least two online retailers - one of them EA itself - are selling pre-orders of the game with the promise that a purchase will mean access to the open beta. GOA are stating that this is categorically not the case, and that the 55,000 beta invites will be distribute by other, rather unclear means. What is going on?
]]>This is not a review. It also isn't a verdict, or a judgement, or a rating, or anything of the sort. WAR isn't released yet, there'll likely be a fair few changes in the final game, elements of it won't be up and running properly until the servers are jam-packed, and without a doubt none of us have played enough of it to make a really definite judgement. Apart from Jim, who knows full well he won't be playing it until they put some spaceships in.
What it is a discussion. We've been on the WAR closed beta for a few weeks now, and it's certainly a game we've desperately wanted to talk about here. And not simply because we're British, hence playing Warhammer is fairly synonymous with puberty for us. Also because, well, it's potentially the most interesting MMO this year. Despite... ah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's see what we've got to say...
Edit - a little context. The European closed beta differed significantly to the US closed beta in that players were split onto different servers dependent on their language. The net result was four fairly quiet servers instead of one busy one, and that mean the PvP/RvR elements of the game were barely operable. That's why we don't discuss 'em as much as we do the PvE and Public Quests. If you think we shouldn't be talking about the game at all given that, well, that's your prerogative, but we disagree. We're writing about what the game's European publisher presented us with. Additionally, WAR is far from being just a PvP game - the PvE is substantial and omnipresent, and the reason many people want to play the game. And again - this is not a review. It's just a cheerful, informal discussion of our experiences on the closed beta.
]]>There really does seem to be a lot of confusion regarding the pricing of Warhammer Online. You'll remember that a couple of weeks back the EU prices were announced, and we called them into question, noticing they were simply conversions of Euro into Pound, not only very odd numbers, but numbers well above the competition. We nagged at the UK PR, Indigo Pearl, and they eventually came back to us with new prices in line with what we'd expect. Well, madly, it doesn't end there.
]]>We linked to the Wrath of the Lich King video yesterday, to general applause. But it's not just Blizzard who showed they could spend a ridiculous amount of rendering an intro at Leipzig. Mythic revealed theirs and it's ridiculously fancy. It's beneath the cut. Well worth watching to warm you up for our Warhammer Beta round-table later today.
]]>And WoW was The Beatles... Warhammer Online creative director Paul Barnett can talk more than anyone else. See him talk about WAR in a video interview after the jump. If the squig herder thing doesn't sell it to you, then nothing will. Excepting, perhaps, the RPS Warhammer Online discussion later this week.
]]>Mythic have finally announced a date for the beginning of Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning's open beta. It's 7th September, with the game released proper in a month's time, on the 18th. They're expecting it to be very open, with what they hope will be hundreds of thousands of people piling in to stress test the servers. This announcement is only for the N. American servers so far, with open beta invites given to anyone who pre-orders the game. We've asked EA when the EU servers will be offering the same, and will let you know. US players can register here.
Meanwhile, you might remember our confusion over the pricing for the UK subs rates on the game. At the time they were announced, the one month price was £10.31, which struck us as odd. We enquired, and have now been told they're lower.
]]>As one MMO dies, another is born. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning (or WoAoR as I prefer to say) has finally shouted out a release date: 18th September, 2008.
How much will it cost to play a month, you cry? Read on.
]]>Yep, EA again, because this time I’m not talking about their press conference but the excellent time I had in their far-too-crowded demo room checking out their titles – Dead Space, MySims, Mirror’s Edge and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, first hand.
]]>Siege battles in Mythic's upcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning -
]]>Some huge changes to Warhammer Online have been revealed in this interview on MMORPG. The number of capitol cities available on release will drop from six to two (Empire, Chaos). Mythic boss Mark Jacobs explained: “We wanted to make our Capital Cities the best cities in any MMO. We think we’re doing that, but it came at a price and that price is that the other cities aren’t going in the game right now.”
But that's not all that's going.
]]>This is possibly best saved for The Sunday Papers, but seeing as we've been nattering about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning lately anyway, I reckoned it was worth its own post. If you're an active follower of WAR you'll already be aware of this, but those less ingrained in MMO society can roll their eyes at this startling storm in a teacup.
MMO site Massively.com recently ran an interview with Richard Bartle, co-creator of the Multi-User Dungeon system, the concept that essentially birthed the MMOs. He's more theorist and author than developer these days, but MMOs remain his major subject matter. And though he may not be making the things anymore, he can still stir up controversy.
]]>Over the years I've been following the development of Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning, I've noticed one steady trend. It's the gradual subversion of the formerly calm, carefully paced executive producer Jeff Hickman into Paul Barnett's comedy sidekick. I blame Barnett entirely for this. That nice man, all gone strange. It's very telling that when Kieron and I went to visit their studios in Washington DC a couple of years back, I was drawn to Hickman and Kieron to Barnett. What it tells is that Gillen and Barnett are both eccentrics, while Hickman and I are calm, thoughtful and better looking. I digress. The positive result of these personalities at the helm of WAR is seeing both sides appearing in-game. WAR is looking like an MMO that will sit down to tell you a good story, then fart in your face and run away. I stress that this is a good thing. Anyhow, point is, you can see Hickman and Barnett doing their thing in the video below, along with some new in-game footage.
]]>A preview of Warhammer Online has appeared on Edge's website, Next-Gen.biz. But being Edge, it's literally impossible to know who wrote it. It will forever remain a mystery, not even to be solved by futuristic robot races with special Knowledge Tablets.
]]>Blizzard appear to take a very approachable attitude toward rival MMOs. But then, I suppose if I were a 5000 foot mountain, I'd probably not make too big of a fuss about the surrounding hillocks spoiling my view. However, it's nice that they don't take the attitude of "DESTROY THEM! DESTROY THEM ALL!" In fact, they're humble enough to concede that their reign will one day come to an end. Speaking to Eurogamer, producer J. Allen Brack explained that he doesn't see Age of Conan or Warhammer Online as enemies.
"We don't make games in a vacuum, we don't just play World of Warcraft, I love online games, I play a lot of online games, and I'm really excited about those games coming out because I want to play them... I think there's room for all three of those games to be successful."
]]>VG247 has a bunch of audio recordings of the presentations from EA's London studio showcase earlier today. The sound quality is a bit iffy, but the info is good. There's also a bunch of new screens. Mm, rich, tasty info.
]]>...the more they look like World Of Warcraft. Here's a CLOSED BETA FOOTAGE video of a load of things going on in Warhammer Online. Orks and dwarves bashing each other, a demon having a stroll, cannons a-firing, a giant mysteriously committing suicide.
]]>It was going to be that or "Guildy Feet Have Got No Rhythm", but it wouldn't fit on the title line. First I heard of this was John Walker appearing on a late night MSN chat this informing me, in a clear panic, that there was apparently to be no dancing in the forthcoming Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and we should campaign against it. He was gone before I could type "Huh". However, PCG's jovial Dep-Ed Tim Edwards has reported further...
]]>The Warhammer Online open beta can't be too far off, right? Well it might still be a few more months away, given that the game has now slipped to "Autumn 2008." Nevertheless, pre-ordering the retail version of the game commenced today at 3pm, or thereabouts, and it gets you a guaranteed beta slot. If you want to get a place in the pre-launch Empire then keeping an eye on the WO site is a pretty good idea. Pre-ordering also gets you a couple of rare in-game items, while the slightly more plush (and pricey and pictured) collector's edition will come with a unique Games Workshop figurine, a book filled with luscious artwork, a graphic novel, and - rather more importantly to the gamer - in-game quests that can only be undertaken by collector's edition owners. Not a bad little package.
After the jump, the full press release about collectors claptrap.
]]>Two conflicting positions: I have very high hopes for Warhammer Online, and believe it will be a great MMO with fresh ideas, and a unique way of dealing with global conflict. Also: I really worry about Warhammer Online, concerned that by the time it comes out it will have devolved into a very generic WoW clone.
The very first time I saw WAR, back in February 2006, it was more conceptual than physical. They had built a bit of the beginning ground for the Dwarves and Greenskins, and that was just about it. But they had some really exciting ideas. The world of the Games Workshop monolith was going to take some really original approaches to the genre, and the most immediately exciting was the abandoning of levels. Instead they had this fantastic structure in mind that let you micro-manage your character’s skills, picking three at a time and then letting the XP you accrue fill each until it’s complete. This was then broken down into five distinct stages, and, well, it doesn’t exist so it’s not worth explaining. But they were excited about it, and so was I. It’s very telling that the MMO genre seems to have the power to force developers to lose anything that strays too far from the familiar. You’ve got to get a player-base, and if you want them, you’ve got to make it familiar enough. Which means, of course, you’ve got to make it feel like World of Warcraft. Sigh.
]]>As Warhammer: Online keeps slip-o-sliding further and further away, it can get tricky to maintain the correct amount of enthusiasm. I've been out to see the game in development a couple of times, and both visits have left me full of hope that this could be a meaty MMO to occupy a fair number of my evenings. And then I hear it's been delayed again.
Any how, it's now due for the middle of next year, and to keep us interested, EA/Mythic have released a couple of videos. There's the Dark Elf Sorceress trailer, and then below the electronic hyper-jump, what is called the Inevitable City Trailer. Can we keep the momentum? Even if the betas hurriedly vanish, and the release date slides into a future with silvery suits and hoverboards?
Gamershell makes our lives possible.
]]>You may be aware that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has been undergoing a closed Beta. Your awareness is a day out of date. Mythic have confirmed that they're closing their Beta for a couple of months so they can - I paraphrase loosely - "Have A Little Think".
]]>
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