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.Mark Jacobs may not think the game is doing well, but that is a very respectable success. I hope that WoW has permanently expanded the industry to allow more games to exist with those kinds of subscriber numbers. If 100,000 becomes the mark of a “niche game,” then MMOs will have hit the big time.
: Zubon
No other subscription-based MMORPG that I am aware of has ever added 4 new careers to its game as part of a regular update/addon/free expansion.
– Mark Jacobs
City of Heroes came out in 2004. They added four new archetypes to the game before Warhammer released. They also never cut them during beta.
: Zubon
Hat tip to The Common Sense Gamer for the quote.
I give Mythic credit: this kind of thing definitely gets you a post at whatever site you send it to.
: Zubon
With my new view of hobby elements and how much of that salt I needed for my MMO diet, I had to take a look at Warhammer Online. I have to hand it to the guys and gals at Mythic Entertainment because the hobby elements in Warhammer Online were very different from the elements I was used to in other MMOs. It was another type of hobby element that eventually turned me away: players as content.
As human beings, we are rather good at detecting relationships and rather poor at estimating absolutes. There are plenty of optical illusions that play on how you perceive size, brightness, and color based on surroundings. The author of Mindless Eating found that people eat more snacks if you offer them in two large bowls than in four medium bowls. Not only do people take more, but they do not notice that they have taken more, nor do they feel like they have eaten more, nor are they more satisfied.
Does “a good deal” even have an objective meaning? Probably not, but you can tell when one offer is better than another. Presentation and context still matter here. City of Heroes got good press for engaging in microtransactions: it was presented as an extra employee (not taking away from the existing staff), and the profits were linked directly to hiring more staff and getting more stuff in the next update. Players liked having the opportunity to pay more. Blizzard, on the other hand, got immediate flak for planning to sell Starcraft 2 in three pieces. The first impression was of trying to sell the same game three times or demanding $150 for the full set of units. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, however, did more or less the same thing, and I did not see a backlash.
Note that this is more than cynical manipulation. You can improve the game experience this way. Indeed, that is the point of half the content: hide the fact that you are fighting the essentially the same monster by giving it a different model and slightly different stats. The people eating from smaller bowls felt no less full: they were satisfied with fewer calories. If I can make you happier just by presenting my game in a better way, I am adding value practically for free.
Most restaurants tried this with the size of their fries, drinks, and combos. One day, they were called, “large,” “mondo,” and “colossal.” Wow, a large is that cheap? And I ate the whole thing by myself, I must be full. Nothing was called a “small,” and there might have been a “medium” on the “value menu.” That was a poor manipulation that did not last, and everyone was irritated by trying to remember whether a “king” was bigger than a “biggie,” what they were called at this restaurant, and guessing what you would get if you ordered a medium or a large. I just got back from Burger King, where they changed their sizes to “small,” “medium,” and “large” (with a “value” size on the value menu). Holy crap, realism? This works on several levels. First, I suddenly like Burger King more because they made this change. It implies that they do not think I am an idiot. Second level? We are still conditioned to think of sizes the way every other restaurant lists them. When you order a Whopper combo, they ask if you want that in small, medium, or large. No one buys a small! You might not have ordered the colossal combo, but you order larges all the time. This is a great way to increase sales while manipulating people into thinking you have stopped manipulating them.
: Zubon
Paul Barnett, said again and again during pre-release interviews for Warhammer Online that they were creating a “hobby,” rather than a simple (add British sneer here) game. His line of reasoning was that Warhammer Online required dedication, but what you got from that dedication was something good… more than simply defeating a final boss and turning off the console. I wanted to take a look at why MMOs transcend being a mere game in order to become a hobby.
Mythic is dropping a pretty significant update to Warhammer Online today. There is nothing truly exciting, but everything in the update is good. Things are going in the right direction.
The biggest change, I believe, are the beginnings of a better funneling system to get people to play the game for what it was made for: open RvR. The main change is the addition of a Influence system, where players are guaranteed some loot in the same manner as the PvE Chapter’s Public Quests Influence system. This and correct open RvR contribution rolls should give the beginnings of an open RvR system that feels rewarding for the time played in comparison to Scenarios and grinding PvE. I also am very happy that they have made defending open RvR objectives more rewarding (down with WAR-oboros).
I still think they need to work on getting solo or buddy groups into open RvR land with things to do. But, Mythic states that this is just the beginning… again. Seriously though, I am happy with the direction Mythic is going.
–Ravious
The deserter hiding out in the middle of a battlefield.
I really like Warhammer Online. Sure, it has its problems, but Mythic seems truly dedicated to the game (unlike some other newer MMOs).  It has some level of PvE, but I have Lord of the Rings Online for PvE. Public Quests, I hope, will shape the future of MMO PvE content, but Mythic has laid down the charge that its focus is RvR. So, I really only use the game for MMO PvP. And, that’s the problem. I am subscribing to a PvP MMO. Continue reading A PvP MMO Subscription
From a dear friend at Mystic Worlds:
I do not envy Mythic right now in trying to fix Warhammer Online. Mark Jacobs issued a statement to the community to shed some light on upcoming improvements, mostly related to encouraging Open RVR (oRVR). It appears to have been met with mixed reactions. A portion of players who wanted a game dominated by oRVR, want it NOW. They don’t want to wait the potential months it’s going to take to execute the full vision.
That’s me. And not just open RvR either: I want everything fixed, and I want it now. No, that’s not true, I am perfectly happy to wait months. I want it before I will pay. Mark Jacobs issued a page of promises the last time monthly fees were due. I expect he will issue another in time for the next subscription fees. I have a dozen companies that will happily take my money in exchange for the promise that they will fix things Real Soon Now. Call me when you get around to that.
: Zubon
Read the full post for other good thoughts. That’s just my point.
Long have I believed that Warhammer Online’s Public Quests were a “duh” moment of pure genius… especially on paper. If the hyper-efficient population scattering mechanics were not at work, Warhammer Online could have been the premiere casual PvE game. The premise is simple: get people to play in an area (Chapters) and as they keep running in to each other have a shared goal where it is beneficial (and exciting) for all to play. No quest sharing. No party forming. Just play. This nearly works even soloing as long as you draw in that critical mass. So how did Mythic’s developer groups diverge? Continue reading Because of Different Departments