Did WAR Fail?
While doing some paperwork at home the other day, I wanted to listen to a podcast. Caught up on my usual listening, I randomly picked one that was linked from another site. One of the topics for this show was the question posed in my title. I’ve had my on and off again relationship with WAR. So the topic sounded like an interesting one to me.
I was quickly taken aback with what ensued. It was a complete and total bashing of Mythic and WAR. Okay, fair enough. You didn’t like the game. But these hosts were literally cackling with glee at what they felt was the complete failure of WAR. I’m talking giggling, cackling joy like witches over a cauldron of freshly stewed High Elves and Orcs who were mocking what they felt were the last gasps for life.
The item that they seemed to get the most joy out of mocking was the ability to purchase the WAR tract from the EA shop. In their view, the game is so bad that Mythic is asking you to pay them money not to play the game. By their definition, you can pay to skip leveling because there is a brick wall that you hit in T4 that Mythic has turned a deaf ear to complaints about. There were also other general complaints about the game, such as PQs being poorly implemented, being forced to RvR, and some things that weren’t even correct. This from at least one who freely admitted he hasn’t even played the game in over a year. I believe this held true for most of them.
I’ve never understood the glee people take when a game doesn’t live up to expectations or “fails”. And I’ve never really had the desire to tear somebody, or in this case something, down. There is this MMO that I could bash at will. But I don’t. I simply don’t give them my money. Some people like it. I do not. To each their own. I suppose this comes from being loyal to one game over another. I have my suspicions as to what game these guys would knife their own mother over if they had to. But as I found myself getting angry at what they were saying and how they were saying it, I wondered if that in fact made me a WAR fan girl?
fail (f
l)
v.intr.
1. To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately: failed to fulfill their promises; failed in their attempt to reach the summit.
So did WAR fail? By the above definition, you can certainly make that argument. I’ve definitely had a love/hate relationship with the game. I can say it did fail to live up to my initial expectations of the game. I played beta, then for several months after release before canceling my subscription. I didn’t even make it a full year. Heck, I just earned my single aegis earlier this year when I renewed my subscription. I would say that they did fail to fulfill some of their promises. I remember promises that it wouldn’t be gear based and that crowd control would be minimal. I would argue that this was not the case, especially after initial release. They have toned down the CC since then.
You can argue that they have “failed” simply by looking at the sad list of grayed out servers at the log-in screen. If you thought they would be the next WoW killer, then yes, they failed. As for performing inadequately, then yes, there are still bugs that were there in beta. Like that annoying death bug, where someone is running around looking like a corpse.
But I would not say that the game is a failure. Could it have been more? Absolutely. Could things have been done better from the beginning? You bet. Are there problems with population? My T3 Iron Rock toons would give you a resounding “YES!!!”
I would say the launch of WAR was more of a disappointment to me than a failure. Mythic seems to finally be embracing that this game is a niche game if you will. Meaning it is a PvP game. Period. End of story. You want to complain that they are shoving the fact that you should be playing in the RvR lakes down your throat? Then go play a PvE game. This is not the game for you. Do not call the game a failure because it failed to live up to your expectations and it isn’t the game you want to play. Go play the game you want to play. Give them your money. All games are not for everybody. My personal definition for gaming failure is when the game closes up shop and quickly (yeah, I’m looking at Tabula Rasa and APB) or when there are so many bugs that it is virtually unplayable. Time will tell if the upcoming RvR changes in 1.4 and the RvR packs will breathe new, long lived life into this game.
So what do you think? Do you label WAR as a failure in your book? What does constitute a gaming failure in your eyes?
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I label WAR a disappointment. There was “potential” (hack, cough…had to spit that word out…YUCK), but, I do feel it is being squandered away ministering to the Vets who have played the game to death and ignoring the “newer” player, who has that potential new sub.
But, for it to fail, needs more than what it has done…of course, what it IS doing is taking the path of the cheap and easy, which leads to lower pops…and THEN where do they stand?
So you don’t think the changes they made to the Tier 1 “new player experience” on top of the endless trial was more inviting to a potential subber?
And, how are the changes in the upcoming patch cheap and easy?
Or were you referring to the EA Store items?
I would agree that the RvR packs are intended for the vets where as a true expansion would have appealed to more.The other store items could easily be applied to anybody playing though, imo, if not a bit off putting by their price.
Lets take into account…complaints on the textures for the armor being offered in the packs looking low quality… re-purposed assets for the Skaven RvR…big price for a single pet or an item that already exists in game.? All made on mere pennies on the dollar.
It all feels more like money grabs and last minute hopes on Vets who will buy anything WAR related.
As to the “fix” for T1…no, I honestly think it will alienate more of the “Trial” audience, and they will not sub as the constant die, die, die they will experience will hurt more. Here is a good post on it…
http://social.bioware.com/forum/Gameplay/General-Discussion/Overlapping-tiers-T1T2-5215797-1.html
Just my opinion though.
I will just continue to watch WAR fall down the X-Fire charts and let others decide it’s fate.
This is obviously one of those pointless situations where one party no longer plays the game so feels comfortable looking at the product in fine detail, throwing stones at anything they have an objective opinion on. The other party is playing and has a box full of rose colored glasses.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, we can just continue to speak or remain silent with our wallets.
Oh, have I shown you these glasses yet?
Another awesome post Maeve.
I also have trouble understanding how some people seem to take delight in the misfortunes of a game developer. It’s one thing to hate a game and criticize it for whatever I may feel are it’s short comings, but I never actively root for it’s demise. There are developers and staff behind every game and these people count on that game for their livelihoods.
I think there’s no doubt that WAR has failed based on it’s initial expectations and goals. However, I’m not sure that’s even relevant anymore. The developers have no choice but to abandon the past and move forward with what they have, and it seems to me they’re doing exactly that.
i think i commented somewhere that the vast majority of people getting riled up over the buying one level thing had played War, but ceased to play it. I don’t get where they get off complaining. You’ve already given up on the game, how does it matter to you if people can buy one level?
WAR did not fail. It has been up for 2 years. It is the best fantasy PvP anywhere. I left WOW when WAR came out because it was just lacking what I wanted. It was lacking lower level PvP content. WAR has PvP all the way through. You never really need to do much PvE. People need to just take WAR for what it is. RvR fun. If that is not your bag just leave. Sure the end game had some major issues at launch, but it is now much better. I only left WAR for the shininess of AION. Now that I am back in WAR I am having lots ‘o fun.
PS – Global Agenda RULES
That brings up a good question. What is a failure for an MMO? Back in the day when Everquest had 500,000 subscribers that was considered great! Now if you can’t put a dent in some “big winter storm” company numbers or come close to those numbers are you now a failure? I believe if there is someone out there enjoying and having fun playing that game it is not a failure. Heck, my first MMO was Anarchy Online which I played for years. Next year it will turn 10 years old and still has an active player base. Is this MMO a failure? I can’t track down any current subscription numbers but the fact that it is still around does not constitute a failure in my book.
I don’t understand making fun of or laughing at another MMO not doing as well as another. If you are a fan of the genre I would think you would want them all to succeed.
Excellent post.
But to be honest, I have never… not even once… pondered going back.
There is nothing that I want from WAR. Maybe it could be argued that I have gotten the things I wanted, and thus it can’t be deemed a failure to me. But I think there should be something… ANYTHING.. that I’d want to see in the game if it hadn’t failed. But other than enjoying a couple of the environments and seeing lots of little warhammer toons running around, I’m at a loss.
So it failed me. But I can respect that people still see a lot of good in it.
10 comments
I label WAR a disappointment. There was “potential” (hack, cough…had to spit that word out…YUCK), but, I do feel it is being squandered away ministering to the Vets who have played the game to death and ignoring the “newer” player, who has that potential new sub.
But, for it to fail, needs more than what it has done…of course, what it IS doing is taking the path of the cheap and easy, which leads to lower pops…and THEN where do they stand?
Another awesome post Maeve.
I also have trouble understanding how some people seem to take delight in the misfortunes of a game developer. It’s one thing to hate a game and criticize it for whatever I may feel are it’s short comings, but I never actively root for it’s demise. There are developers and staff behind every game and these people count on that game for their livelihoods.
I think there’s no doubt that WAR has failed based on it’s initial expectations and goals. However, I’m not sure that’s even relevant anymore. The developers have no choice but to abandon the past and move forward with what they have, and it seems to me they’re doing exactly that.
So you don’t think the changes they made to the Tier 1 “new player experience” on top of the endless trial was more inviting to a potential subber?
And, how are the changes in the upcoming patch cheap and easy?
Or were you referring to the EA Store items?
I would agree that the RvR packs are intended for the vets where as a true expansion would have appealed to more.The other store items could easily be applied to anybody playing though, imo, if not a bit off putting by their price.
Lets take into account…complaints on the textures for the armor being offered in the packs looking low quality… re-purposed assets for the Skaven RvR…big price for a single pet or an item that already exists in game.? All made on mere pennies on the dollar.
It all feels more like money grabs and last minute hopes on Vets who will buy anything WAR related.
As to the “fix” for T1…no, I honestly think it will alienate more of the “Trial” audience, and they will not sub as the constant die, die, die they will experience will hurt more. Here is a good post on it…
http://social.bioware.com/forum/Gameplay/General-Discussion/Overlapping-tiers-T1T2-5215797-1.html
Just my opinion though.
I will just continue to watch WAR fall down the X-Fire charts and let others decide it’s fate.
This is obviously one of those pointless situations where one party no longer plays the game so feels comfortable looking at the product in fine detail, throwing stones at anything they have an objective opinion on. The other party is playing and has a box full of rose colored glasses.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, we can just continue to speak or remain silent with our wallets.
Oh, have I shown you these glasses yet?
i think i commented somewhere that the vast majority of people getting riled up over the buying one level thing had played War, but ceased to play it. I don’t get where they get off complaining. You’ve already given up on the game, how does it matter to you if people can buy one level?
WAR did not fail. It has been up for 2 years. It is the best fantasy PvP anywhere. I left WOW when WAR came out because it was just lacking what I wanted. It was lacking lower level PvP content. WAR has PvP all the way through. You never really need to do much PvE. People need to just take WAR for what it is. RvR fun. If that is not your bag just leave. Sure the end game had some major issues at launch, but it is now much better. I only left WAR for the shininess of AION. Now that I am back in WAR I am having lots ‘o fun.
PS – Global Agenda RULES
That brings up a good question. What is a failure for an MMO? Back in the day when Everquest had 500,000 subscribers that was considered great! Now if you can’t put a dent in some “big winter storm” company numbers or come close to those numbers are you now a failure? I believe if there is someone out there enjoying and having fun playing that game it is not a failure. Heck, my first MMO was Anarchy Online which I played for years. Next year it will turn 10 years old and still has an active player base. Is this MMO a failure? I can’t track down any current subscription numbers but the fact that it is still around does not constitute a failure in my book.
I don’t understand making fun of or laughing at another MMO not doing as well as another. If you are a fan of the genre I would think you would want them all to succeed.
Excellent post.
But to be honest, I have never… not even once… pondered going back.
There is nothing that I want from WAR. Maybe it could be argued that I have gotten the things I wanted, and thus it can’t be deemed a failure to me. But I think there should be something… ANYTHING.. that I’d want to see in the game if it hadn’t failed. But other than enjoying a couple of the environments and seeing lots of little warhammer toons running around, I’m at a loss.
So it failed me. But I can respect that people still see a lot of good in it.
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