Loading ...
Many have asked and commented on our current status here at MMOGeek with Warhammer Geek as well as the rest of the network. I’m here to tell you that we have new plans and that we are very soon going to be doing some major changes. Some of the changes we have in the works include a brand new website design as well as new network additions such as a main network site, a new game we will be covering, and some new gaming blogs we will be hosting. The only downfall to switching is some of our content might be lost due to a switch in our back-end systems, however that should be recovered with new information quickly.
Why has it taken us so long? Well, the current staff here have been working hard on this design and have been focusing their energy on this new direction for the past few months. So as you can see, we are a bit short-handed on staff right now to cover Warhammer Online so if you are interested in doing this, send us an email at resume@mmogeek.com and we will be happy to have any number of you as part of the editorial team.
We look forward to showing off our new site(s) soon!
The Warhammer Online closed beta “preview weekend” has come to an end today. All servers are shut and many of you are eagerly awaiting to get in for the open beta which is schedule to open shortly. We’ve had a chance here at Warhammer Geek to play for the past week or two and we have a lot to say about it (listen in for the podcast which should be available soon(tm)). The wiki is starting to shape up and we have been collecting information already to plug into there and update.
For those of you who haven’t played yet, be impressed. This game is all around one of the best titles the staff here as played and many of us haven’t even got into the Tier 3 area’s yet. The public quest system is better than we expected as the quests are not as isolated as you may have thought.
I won’t spoil the fun though, make sure to get out there and try the game before it launches. If you do not have a pre-order key and you live in the United States, Target super markets are selling the open beta key’s (without having to pre-order the game) for 99 cents.
New screenshots will be uploaded shortly however the wiki will be more populated with them on the individual pages.
Within the next few weeks you may see a slowdown at MMOGeek as I head on vacation starting in the next day or so and lasting all the way into mid-August. Although the news may slow down a bit, rest assure that others wheels are still turning and you can expect some great content during that time from Orlock and our volunteers. I can’t reveal anything yet as the plans have not been finalized, but you should be in for a doozy with some of the content we will offer soon.
Please don’t worry about me, I’ll send back updates when I can from my travels to different places such as Austria, Germany, Italy, and then back for some Las Vegas action. I’m sure Orlock will fill you in with the many great adventures I will have and of course you’ll be seeing occasional news from me about Warhammer Online.
If you’re wondering why I can’t work my magic while on vacation, the vast internet does not stretch into the rural pastures which I am heading. Dial-up exists in some areas however I don’t think my laptop has a modem. Every so often I can zoom into town though and appease all of you fans that are so dear to me.
Anyway, I wish myself safe travels *hah* and again, don’t despair!
Many of you who have listened to me in the past on the Everquest II show on Online Gaming Radio, knew that I was “good” at discovering various theories and ideas the developers have built into their game. The one thing I am known for is successfully guessing different conspiracy “mechanics” that go into the process of building a bigger/better more successful and rewarding title. Today, I would like to reveal to you one of the success stories that I have uncovered and give you a new one that I have been thinking about since our last (heavily edited) podcast recording for the Monday release.
Conspiracy Theory (Old but still Relevant to WAR) #1
When many of you start playing a new MMO you probably turn all other music down, turn some background sound effects off that your computer would normally make at you, and tell the people behind you to quiet down so you can enjoy the full experience. As you play the game you let the music soak in on high volume and you enjoy playing your newly created character. Loot is dropping for you and monsters are behaving for the most part. So far so good! But as you keep playing the game, the music just doesn’t satisfy you anymore so you turn it down a few notches. Still, your doing “ok” with your character. Eventually this trend continues and you start to notice (or sometimes not) that your luck in-game may be running out; that you simply aren’t getting the same behaviors of the game mechanics as you once were.
Well let me tell you, there is a link (no, not you from Zelda)! I have proven through my own gnomish tinkering (I used to play gnomes) that when you turn your music down, the sound developers become spiteful and punish you for throwing their hard work aside. Through the many tests I have run in Everquest II (and I can only imagine this trend and fate will end up in Warhammer Online), I have shown that for every notch you turn your music down past a certain threshold state (normally half volume since you can’t punish players who have loud speakers), your loot decreases in-game and monsters become more challenging and threatening towards you. By the time you get to “mute”, it’s a whole new game out there. But! you never notice it because your volume goes gradually down as you play and you simply believe it’s the game just becoming more challenging as you level higher. This may be true too, however it’s even more challenging then it should be.
Others have not not been able to replicate my theory, but I can tell you that it is true. Don’t listen to those other disheartening souls out there who simply like to shoot down theories because they think they “hold no water”. Psshht. Don’t listen!
Conspiracy Theory (More commonly known) #2
The last recording of our podcast got my wheels turning about the latest and greatest ways developers are trying to reward, punish, and promote their materials throughout the game. I never noticed it too often in Everquest II (intended to be subliminal), but developers hide easter eggs in the game to not only show off there own likings, but to trick the mind! Now we all know developers always put some easter eggs into every game. Many are just aesthetics and pass us by without realizing what they are. For example, a developer at Sony Online Entertainment put myself and Orlock (formerly Akira and Monte) as two NPC’s in an Everquest II newbie/starting zone. No big deal it’s just aesthetics and it’s cool. On the flip side, is it just aesthetics? This got me thinking, if developers promote community members in the game with subtle things such as NPC names, what else do they put in there for more serious things such as branding?
I believe that developers are really selling us in the end a mind tricking game which promotes all their other materials of the company (and rewards us for coming from the other content). Now, SOE does not need this so much because of their station pass and easy accessibility to their other MMO titles, but EA on the other hand is a different story. They are a powerhouse which are known for rigorous advertising and promotions.
Now this theory is not complete yet and won’t be until I can prove it 100% and tweak accordingly, but I believe you will be slammed with advertising in Warhammer Online to play the other EA titles and you won’t even know it! Like you could repeatably hit your space bar and then something flashes across your screen saying “Don’t break your keyboard!” but the fly in effect is like a hockey puck or something! In no time you’ll be playing the EA hockey games and you won’t even know how you had the idea to start playing them. Or, you can have come from Ultima Online and perform a certain action in WAR which came natural to you when you played UO and end up gaining special subtle benefits. You don’t think they have any connection, nor does it even cross your mind, but it’s there!
Again, a developing theory, but I can assure you that whatever I come up with is Gold.
This puts a whole new definition to the phrase “mind numbing“.
Pantso who volunteers on our forums also works with many other fansites to feature his content and one of the things he recently has produced was a website with a Warhammer Slot machine. Now the slot machine is very basic, it doesn’t count your score yet, it’s simply pull the lever and see what comes out, however it could be turned into much more.
Imagine one day EA Mythic having a Warhammer Online get together in Las Vegas and one of the things they feature for the players is a real Warhammer Online slot machine for players to try out!
Anyway, wishful thinking, if you would like to see Pantso’s version, head to his website!
Edit: We forgot to mention his Flash WAR Memory game too!
Well, we certainly can tell that this community keeps active every day by the massive amounts of news that circulates through each website. I (Svoald) have been on a small vacation for the last few days I get back and theres a gazillion amount of new information ready to be packed up and shipped on Warhammer Geek! I hope my poor little fingers will be able to keep up.
Anyway, Zerg INC!