As many other I am going to play both when they come out I have pre-ordered both already. Can't wait for either of them to come out. Right now I am not playing anything because I am sick of WoW and can't find one I like.
Not unless it gets rave reviews after release. Personally what I have seen of the game doesn't appeal to me so far. The graphics while sophisticated and modern, look crappy to me. Kind of like how EQ2 and Vanguard graphics both look "wrong". Technically they use superior technology but something about the art style doesn't feel right to me.
Plus I have a feeling that the game will have too much appeal to the "Barren's Chat" type of World of Warcraft players. Hopefully all of those players will stay in WoW though, but AoC just has too much that appeals to them in my opinion.
Currently playing: LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too: Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
I will be playing AoC and warhammer when it comes out. Its just pretty sad have to wait another long time for war now. All those videos saying YES it will release Q2, then December they said would release Q1. Oh well we know not to trust any mmo company now with release dates. Those arent' release dates..release dates are like May 5th 2008..thats a release date. They give estimated 'time frames' they're aiming for...thats a huge difference atleast to the normal gaming community. I feel a bit pissed off about a few things. If they can combat all the negative previews and make a good game then it will do well. I mean releasing in the next month or two would be suicide with crafting just gone in, no siege testing, not all classes in game, bad animations and rvr lacking objectives are just some of the massive things that need work on I hear and read. Im curious where your getting the above information..all the actual Objective Reviews done by journalists have been really positive. See I can tell your full of it with RvR lacking objectives..HELLO Keeps, area objective, scenarios have various objectives, PQ's have objectives..what are you wanting them to do ask you to run 10 miles?! At least EAMythic released their game would release sucky, which some have pointed out here for a while and are taking steps to improve the magic that is warhammer.
sometimes i wonder about you tikovoo are you actually interested in the game or are you just trying to 'blend in' so you can spread misinformation.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
I will be playing AoC and warhammer when it comes out. Its just pretty sad have to wait another long time for war now. All those videos saying YES it will release Q2, then December they said would release Q1. Oh well we know not to trust any mmo company now with release dates. Those arent' release dates..release dates are like May 5th 2008..thats a release date. They give estimated 'time frames' they're aiming for...thats a huge difference atleast to the normal gaming community. I feel a bit pissed off about a few things. If they can combat all the negative previews and make a good game then it will do well. I mean releasing in the next month or two would be suicide with crafting just gone in, no siege testing, not all classes in game, bad animations and rvr lacking objectives are just some of the massive things that need work on I hear and read. Im curious where your getting the above information..all the actual Objective Reviews done by journalists have been really positive. See I can tell your full of it with RvR lacking objectives..HELLO Keeps, area objective, scenarios have various objectives, PQ's have objectives..what are you wanting them to do ask you to run 10 miles?! At least EAMythic released their game would release sucky, which some have pointed out here for a while and are taking steps to improve the magic that is warhammer.
sometimes i wonder about you tikovoo are you actually interested in the game or are you just trying to 'blend in' so you can spread misinformation.
-------------------------------------- A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
I remember reading in several interviews that Jacobs said that warhammer online will release Q1 2008, doesnt matter if it was FY or CY, this was last september i think, then with the following delay they all said Q2 FY or CY or whatever. Barnett was quoted so many times pumping out we will release 'THIS PERIOD'. Then they give the next time frame of fall 2008. I SO remember in those interviews it was a "we will release" "warhammer is scheduled for..." not a "we are aiming for but might miss it". I could probably find them out but im a little disheartened right now. Somewhere on commonsense gamer, ign, etc.
So here we are being told the game will come out "they think" 18 months after it was supposed to.
Its obvious from Non press write ups that this is a good thing delaying the game, there are plenty opinions out there, screenshots and videos as proof that if they had released next couple months it would be disastrous. If you look past the official line and the fan sites you see the bigger picture. If your not in beta then well... You can hide behind the official word and 1 objective based rvr part played by press - if you only really knew..
Let me just say too the developers at AoC are just as bad in giving periods. Release period is the same as an exact date to me, you expect it to come out in that 'period'.
EDIT : if the game never had a release date how can it be delayed?? why does every news report state a delay then? You can swindle the words by saying a date was never given, however periods were, this is just the same. Even warcry say http://www.warcry.com/news/view/82686 "Already delayed from Q1 to Q2 2008, the ambiguous date is now sometime in the "fall". Jacobs indicated that the delay would allow developers to "invest additional time and effort in implementation and polish to make WAR great".
If they are bad, I will wait for post-launch reviews and then decide. If they are mediocre, I will buy at retail and give it 30 days. If they are good, I might even get the CE.
Will play or at least try both too, have pre ordered the collectors edition of AoC already will wait with the WAR till some better english websites put it in pre order
look forward to both but it is better there is some time between them so i can play enough hehe
"One day all will die, surely you but never I." Wheel of Time
I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that.
...."I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that."....
Actually there is logic behind it. One of the main limting factors in MMORPGs is not subscription cost, but TIME. The average player only have enough time to devote to one game .The power of a character and a players influence in a guild is directly proportional to the amount of time spent in game. As such, A player dividing his time between 2 games may find that both characters become reletivly weaker compared to the general population of players who only play one. This is one reason why leaving a game can be dificult for some...every day your not online you feel that others are getting "higher' and your toon is becoming 'lower'.
With AoC coming out (presumably) on May 20 and WAR in the FALL, it may be harder to entice players who have been playing AoC for 4 months (still a relativley short time but enough to have made progress and connections within) to give it up easily and move to WAR.
AoC definately stands to be the biggest winner from WAR's delay.
AOC will not be released with Border Kingdoms or siege in the game for at least 3 months after release so really you will be playing a PVE game with consensual dueling.
Honestly, I am quite disappointed in this delay because I was planning on having a couple of friends play with me and WAR -SEEMED- like the perfect game to get people into mmo's at this stage. (they tried warcraft and didnt enjoy - i am betting though this is due to lack of friends playing with them at once)
I personally think AoC looks good and am considering getting it to play but I am not sure if I will have my friends come along into it, as it seems very much more time consuming and pve focused. of course if AoC is delaying 2-3 months as well I will not get it and just wait on WAR.
Originally posted by Czzarre ...."I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that.".... Actually there is logic behind it. One of the main limting factors in MMORPGs is not subscription cost, but TIME. The average player only have enough time to devote to one game .The power of a character and a players influence in a guild is directly proportional to the amount of time spent in game. As such, A player dividing his time between 2 games may find that both characters become reletivly weaker compared to the general population of players who only play one. This is one reason why leaving a game can be dificult for some...every day your not online you feel that others are getting "higher' and your toon is becoming 'lower'. With AoC coming out (presumably) on May 20 and WAR in the FALL, it may be harder to entice players who have been playing AoC for 4 months (still a relativley short time but enough to have made progress and connections within) to give it up easily and move to WAR. Torrential
That will only be true if you pick/buy two titles at the same time (or very close), it does not take much time to figure out if you like the game enough to play it endgame/hardcore - chances are if you don't like the first 20 hours of gameplay you will hate the rest. So, if you don't like the 30 days included in you original purchase cancel your subscription and move on to something else. It still looks simple to me.
There is no way I can resist trying out every potentially viable MMO on the market, so absolutley I will give AOC a go. I dont have the amount of time to game like I used to so now I try and ensure I am spending my time wisely.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by anubisss
AOC will not be released with Border Kingdoms or siege in the game for at least 3 months after release so really you will be playing a PVE game with consensual dueling.
Got any proof? no?
Didnt realise PvP on the Open PvP server was consensual
mind if I add you to the list of people to laugh at, you can be #2 next to martie.
PS. i'll still be trying WAR when it releases with my guild
I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that.
I agree with Gnazon.
What is wrong with buying and trying most everything that comes out? I figure, buy every game that even seem remotely interesting and try it for a month or two to actually see what it is like.
I also like to support this entire gaming genre and how better than to support their product at launch. Most of these companies try to produce a fun product, the least we can do is support them in an effort to bring better and better games to market.
So many of the games have one or two neat aspects to them that even if they are not something you enjoy long term, they at least introduce new ideas that can help mold your view of what would make better games.
I don't understand how people can say that AOC or WAR isn't their cup to tea. I personally can't tell much about a game from what I read on the boards or in interviews. (For one, the interviews are all kiss-up sessions seemingly desgined to pucker up as much as possible so as to garner later interviews).
If you can't afford to drop $50 on a game every month, then you really should not be gaming at all. A person that has to budget a $50 game in to their paycheck needs to be leveling their real life.
"The reality of the poor in America isn't the difference between The Haves and The Have Nots, it is the difference between The Haves and The Have Lots."
AoC definately stands to be the biggest winner from WAR's delay.
AOC will not be released with Border Kingdoms or siege in the game for at least 3 months after release so really you will be playing a PVE game with consensual dueling.
I see this playing out two ways, and it all depends on whether AoC is any good and how smoothly its release goes.
If we were to examine Funcom's past with AO, I think many would agree that their biggest weakness back then was their release. There is no question they did an admirable job recovering from that release, but the state of the game at the beginning was one of the worst, and is still considered to be one of the worst by those around at that time.
If (and yes I said IF) that history suggests a possibility of a repeat situation, than it would stand to reason that the most likely period of time when AoC could 'fail' in its lifespan would be at release. They have a record for being good at improving over time, so that would rule out 'later'.
When AoC and WAR were to be released near eachother, there would have been a splitup between the two. Those that were more for WAR would have tried that first, and then tried AoC a ways down the line (after it had time to mature and patch release problems). As this thread implies, there will probably be a lot of WAR players that give AoC a try at release now.... and they will try it when it HASNT had any time to patch.
So I think this is a double edged sword, because the more people that experience the state of a game, the more people will be influenced by it, be it good or bad. So I come back to what I said on the first line... depending on how good the game really is, Funcom could either be gaining a larger number of fans it wouldn't have gained before, or it could be driving people off that wouldn't have been before. And that decision will be made based on how it is at release, not months down the line.
I don't know if it was planned (if business is involved it usually is) but I think Mythic actually upped the anty on this and put more pressure on AoC to make a good showing, not less. And because Funcom 'gaurenteed' that they wouldn't delay again, they really can't turn back without coming off as more dishonest.
I think WAR won't lose much in the long run, but has much to gain, by this delay.
Now.. to answer the actual thread question... I will be trying both if I can get a trial key for AoC or get in open beta, but won't pay for it without seeing if its any good first.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence. Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
AoC definately stands to be the biggest winner from WAR's delay.
AOC will not be released with Border Kingdoms or siege in the game for at least 3 months after release so really you will be playing a PVE game with consensual dueling.
Lie much?
Can't possibly know if its a lie or not until release, which hasn't happened yet. Unless you have some proof of live player sieges running well and working properly in beta?
True he hasn't provided proof, but neither have you. So at best you are at a stalemate, while is a popular place to be on forums i hear.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence. Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
I see this playing out two ways, and it all depends on whether AoC is any good and how smoothly its release goes. If we were to examine Funcom's past with AO, I think many would agree that their biggest weakness back then was their release. There is no question they did an admirable job recovering from that release, but the state of the game at the beginning was one of the worst, and is still considered to be one of the worst by those around at that time. If (and yes I said IF) that history suggests a possibility of a repeat situation, than it would stand to reason that the most likely period of time when AoC could 'fail' in its lifespan would be at release. They have a record for being good at improving over time, so that would rule out 'later'. When AoC and WAR were to be released near eachother, there would have been a splitup between the two. Those that were more for WAR would have tried that first, and then tried AoC a ways down the line (after it had time to mature and patch release problems). As this thread implies, there will probably be a lot of WAR players that give AoC a try at release now.... and they will try it when it HASNT had any time to patch. So I think this is a double edged sword, because the more people that experience the state of a game, the more people will be influenced by it, be it good or bad. So I come back to what I said on the first line... depending on how good the game really is, Funcom could either be gaining a larger number of fans it wouldn't have gained before, or it could be driving people off that wouldn't have been before. And that decision will be made based on how it is at release, not months down the line. I don't know if it was planned (if business is involved it usually is) but I think Mythic actually upped the anty on this and put more pressure on AoC to make a good showing, not less. And because Funcom 'gaurenteed' that they wouldn't delay again, they really can't turn back without coming off as more dishonest. I think WAR won't lose much in the long run, but has much to gain, by this delay. Now.. to answer the actual thread question... I will be trying both if I can get a trial key for AoC or get in open beta, but won't pay for it without seeing if its any good first.
Very nice post. I don't think Mythic planned it necessarily, I think the extra time will be for the best in the long run, but one of my biggest fears for AoC is a bad release and/or the game's not all it's cracked up to be. (Nice videoes! Great. Bad game means nice vids mean nothing.)
-------------------------------------- A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
Given the amount of investment into AoC and WAR, I see no reason not to try it out at least. I mean try it out live. Beta is not conclusive. $50 for a chance to try it out, and as a token support to investors willing to put in $millions to offer us one more choice in the world of MMOs.
As for which one to retain, well, we will see after launch. If they both look nice, keeping 2 subs up concurrently is not too expensive. Personally I am slightly in favour of WAR, given my extreme affection for DAoC. But, well, only time will tell.
Delays are not a big issue. I would rather give them another year to prepare a good launch. EQ2 launched a year too early and the game becomes enjoyable only 1 year after launch. So why bother rush.
Comments
As many other I am going to play both when they come out I have pre-ordered both already. Can't wait for either of them to come out. Right now I am not playing anything because I am sick of WoW and can't find one I like.
Not unless it gets rave reviews after release. Personally what I have seen of the game doesn't appeal to me so far. The graphics while sophisticated and modern, look crappy to me. Kind of like how EQ2 and Vanguard graphics both look "wrong". Technically they use superior technology but something about the art style doesn't feel right to me.
Plus I have a feeling that the game will have too much appeal to the "Barren's Chat" type of World of Warcraft players. Hopefully all of those players will stay in WoW though, but AoC just has too much that appeals to them in my opinion.
Currently playing:
LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too:
Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
sometimes i wonder about you tikovoo are you actually interested in the game or are you just trying to 'blend in' so you can spread misinformation.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
sometimes i wonder about you tikovoo are you actually interested in the game or are you just trying to 'blend in' so you can spread misinformation.
--------------------------------------
A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
Order of the White Border.
I remember reading in several interviews that Jacobs said that warhammer online will release Q1 2008, doesnt matter if it was FY or CY, this was last september i think, then with the following delay they all said Q2 FY or CY or whatever. Barnett was quoted so many times pumping out we will release 'THIS PERIOD'. Then they give the next time frame of fall 2008. I SO remember in those interviews it was a "we will release" "warhammer is scheduled for..." not a "we are aiming for but might miss it". I could probably find them out but im a little disheartened right now. Somewhere on commonsense gamer, ign, etc.
So here we are being told the game will come out "they think" 18 months after it was supposed to.
Its obvious from Non press write ups that this is a good thing delaying the game, there are plenty opinions out there, screenshots and videos as proof that if they had released next couple months it would be disastrous. If you look past the official line and the fan sites you see the bigger picture. If your not in beta then well... You can hide behind the official word and 1 objective based rvr part played by press - if you only really knew..
Let me just say too the developers at AoC are just as bad in giving periods. Release period is the same as an exact date to me, you expect it to come out in that 'period'.
EDIT : if the game never had a release date how can it be delayed?? why does every news report state a delay then? You can swindle the words by saying a date was never given, however periods were, this is just the same. Even warcry say http://www.warcry.com/news/view/82686 "Already delayed from Q1 to Q2 2008, the ambiguous date is now sometime in the "fall". Jacobs indicated that the delay would allow developers to "invest additional time and effort in implementation and polish to make WAR great".
"Perhaps."
I will wait for the open beta reviews.
If they are bad, I will wait for post-launch reviews and then decide. If they are mediocre, I will buy at retail and give it 30 days. If they are good, I might even get the CE.
Will play or at least try both too, have pre ordered the collectors edition of AoC already will wait with the WAR till some better english websites put it in pre order
look forward to both but it is better there is some time between them so i can play enough hehe
"One day all will die, surely you but never I." Wheel of Time
I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that.
Well since there will be a good few months more of waiting I am def. playing AoC
AoC definately stands to be the biggest winner from WAR's delay.
...."I have already pre ordered both, I really do not get the logic behind 'you can play one but not the other'. Try/buy both, cancel one of the subscriptions if you don't like it, it's not harder then that."....
Actually there is logic behind it. One of the main limting factors in MMORPGs is not subscription cost, but TIME. The average player only have enough time to devote to one game .The power of a character and a players influence in a guild is directly proportional to the amount of time spent in game. As such, A player dividing his time between 2 games may find that both characters become reletivly weaker compared to the general population of players who only play one. This is one reason why leaving a game can be dificult for some...every day your not online you feel that others are getting "higher' and your toon is becoming 'lower'.
With AoC coming out (presumably) on May 20 and WAR in the FALL, it may be harder to entice players who have been playing AoC for 4 months (still a relativley short time but enough to have made progress and connections within) to give it up easily and move to WAR.
Torrential
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
I buy pretty much anything that looks even remotely interesting, so yes.
WAR, AOC, TCOS, Aion, and then some.
The real decision is which I'll keep on playing after a few months
Honestly, I am quite disappointed in this delay because I was planning on having a couple of friends play with me and WAR -SEEMED- like the perfect game to get people into mmo's at this stage. (they tried warcraft and didnt enjoy - i am betting though this is due to lack of friends playing with them at once)
I personally think AoC looks good and am considering getting it to play but I am not sure if I will have my friends come along into it, as it seems very much more time consuming and pve focused. of course if AoC is delaying 2-3 months as well I will not get it and just wait on WAR.
That will only be true if you pick/buy two titles at the same time (or very close), it does not take much time to figure out if you like the game enough to play it endgame/hardcore - chances are if you don't like the first 20 hours of gameplay you will hate the rest. So, if you don't like the 30 days included in you original purchase cancel your subscription and move on to something else. It still looks simple to me.
There is no way I can resist trying out every potentially viable MMO on the market, so absolutley I will give AOC a go. I dont have the amount of time to game like I used to so now I try and ensure I am spending my time wisely.
Got any proof? no?
Didnt realise PvP on the Open PvP server was consensual
mind if I add you to the list of people to laugh at, you can be #2 next to martie.
PS. i'll still be trying WAR when it releases with my guild
What is wrong with buying and trying most everything that comes out? I figure, buy every game that even seem remotely interesting and try it for a month or two to actually see what it is like.
I also like to support this entire gaming genre and how better than to support their product at launch. Most of these companies try to produce a fun product, the least we can do is support them in an effort to bring better and better games to market.
So many of the games have one or two neat aspects to them that even if they are not something you enjoy long term, they at least introduce new ideas that can help mold your view of what would make better games.
I don't understand how people can say that AOC or WAR isn't their cup to tea. I personally can't tell much about a game from what I read on the boards or in interviews. (For one, the interviews are all kiss-up sessions seemingly desgined to pucker up as much as possible so as to garner later interviews).
If you can't afford to drop $50 on a game every month, then you really should not be gaming at all. A person that has to budget a $50 game in to their paycheck needs to be leveling their real life.
"The reality of the poor in America isn't the difference between The Haves and The Have Nots, it is the difference between The Haves and The Have Lots."
Lie much?
I see this playing out two ways, and it all depends on whether AoC is any good and how smoothly its release goes.
If we were to examine Funcom's past with AO, I think many would agree that their biggest weakness back then was their release. There is no question they did an admirable job recovering from that release, but the state of the game at the beginning was one of the worst, and is still considered to be one of the worst by those around at that time.
If (and yes I said IF) that history suggests a possibility of a repeat situation, than it would stand to reason that the most likely period of time when AoC could 'fail' in its lifespan would be at release. They have a record for being good at improving over time, so that would rule out 'later'.
When AoC and WAR were to be released near eachother, there would have been a splitup between the two. Those that were more for WAR would have tried that first, and then tried AoC a ways down the line (after it had time to mature and patch release problems). As this thread implies, there will probably be a lot of WAR players that give AoC a try at release now.... and they will try it when it HASNT had any time to patch.
So I think this is a double edged sword, because the more people that experience the state of a game, the more people will be influenced by it, be it good or bad. So I come back to what I said on the first line... depending on how good the game really is, Funcom could either be gaining a larger number of fans it wouldn't have gained before, or it could be driving people off that wouldn't have been before. And that decision will be made based on how it is at release, not months down the line.
I don't know if it was planned (if business is involved it usually is) but I think Mythic actually upped the anty on this and put more pressure on AoC to make a good showing, not less. And because Funcom 'gaurenteed' that they wouldn't delay again, they really can't turn back without coming off as more dishonest.
I think WAR won't lose much in the long run, but has much to gain, by this delay.
Now.. to answer the actual thread question... I will be trying both if I can get a trial key for AoC or get in open beta, but won't pay for it without seeing if its any good first.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence.
Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
Lie much?
Can't possibly know if its a lie or not until release, which hasn't happened yet. Unless you have some proof of live player sieges running well and working properly in beta?
True he hasn't provided proof, but neither have you. So at best you are at a stalemate, while is a popular place to be on forums i hear.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence.
Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
Very nice post. I don't think Mythic planned it necessarily, I think the extra time will be for the best in the long run, but one of my biggest fears for AoC is a bad release and/or the game's not all it's cracked up to be. (Nice videoes! Great. Bad game means nice vids mean nothing.)
--------------------------------------
A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"
Order of the White Border.
no b/c WAR city siege and keep siege > amature AoC siege.
Saw this coming. It'll be worth it if they do everything right.
Given the amount of investment into AoC and WAR, I see no reason not to try it out at least. I mean try it out live. Beta is not conclusive. $50 for a chance to try it out, and as a token support to investors willing to put in $millions to offer us one more choice in the world of MMOs.
As for which one to retain, well, we will see after launch. If they both look nice, keeping 2 subs up concurrently is not too expensive. Personally I am slightly in favour of WAR, given my extreme affection for DAoC. But, well, only time will tell.
Delays are not a big issue. I would rather give them another year to prepare a good launch. EQ2 launched a year too early and the game becomes enjoyable only 1 year after launch. So why bother rush.