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I just read the newest review on this site...
Dumin
Member Posts: 17
I just got done reading the newest review offered by this site on the up and coming World of Warcraft. I couldn't really take issue with much of the article and most of it was right on. I did find the following quote most objectionable.
Quote: __________________________________________________________________
One of my biggest complaints in this category would have to be how easy the game seems. Leveling is quite fast. The death penalty is almost non-existent. A lot of people complain about the grind in most games; however I think that World of Warcraft has gone too far in trying to alleviate that grind. In my opinion it just seems like it's too easy to level up and basically max your character, leaving you only the options of starting another character or continuing to use that character in PvP battles and such.
_______________________________________________________________________
I have played in the beta for 5 different MMO's to date. I only got to play the stress test for World of Warcraft so far. (Hoping to still end up in open beta) I have noticed with most if not all of the MMO's during beta the game is much easier to level and gain skills than after release. While playing the stress test every time I caught a fish or managed to get some ore while mining I got skill gain. I am willing to bet that will be nowhere near the case once the game is released. Most MMO's actually are not concerned much with difficulty while the game is in beta they are more worried about if the aspects of the game are working properly. All the items that contribute to difficulty or lack there of can easily be changed in programming by changing a number or two. Move the number one way the game gets easier move it the other it gets more difficult.
To hold this up as a flaw of the game when it is just the nature of MMO betas is totally off base and inappropriate.
Dumin
Comments
I've also beta tested almost every game to come out. I took that into account. I can't write a preview about the game based on what it might be like at release, my preview is based on what it is like at this given point, and it's too easy in my mind at this point, beta or not. But once again, thats my opinion, and the opinion of others I've talked to about it, but like I've said before, everyone's entitled to their own opinion.
---------- MMORPG.com Staff --------- Desolation Guild Website ----------
Richard J. Cox
"There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust."
Did you think WoW was too easy due to fast leveling? Because certainly, those are two totally different things. One reason that WoW has "faster than average" progession is because the PvP aspects and the Raid aspects of the game.
PvP Battlegrounds is going to be a dream come true for PvP fans. Based on what Blizzard has explained so far, Battlegrounds is going to be a mix between BF1942 and WC3 gameplay, all fitting perfectly within a MMORPG. It sounds like it's gonna be fun as HELL and who would want to have to level up for 3 months until they can experience it? (that was a major problem in DAoC)
Raid Instances are gonna be a dungeon crawlers dream. HUGE dungeons (even bigger then the already world dungeons) that have "multiple tracks" and goals that will be able to accomidate up to 40 people (8 5-person groups). Also, these raid dungeons will eventually incorperate Life/Epic quests that will either start and/or finish in them.
I understand your opinion about the game at this point but be prepared, once this game is finally completed, I'm willing to bet you're gonna love every aspect of it then.
As stated above. I think you might of been to harsh with your review. I understand people have their own opinions. I believe, when the game goes gold you should redo your review.
What will he do next?
Thats why this is a Preview. It's my opinion of the game as it is now, not what it will be down the road. Reviews are for completed games, Previews for games still in beta, not released yet, etc. More than likely I'll be doing a Review on it after it goes live also, so we'll see then. Personally I don't feel I was too harsh, everything I said I've seen said elsewhere, and several other testers proofread the preview before I submitted it and also agreed with what I said.
---------- MMORPG.com Staff --------- Desolation Guild Website ----------
Richard J. Cox
"There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust."
I just got done reading First Impressions review. Let me just state that I have been playing for some time so let me put some perspective on what the reviewer said...<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Graphics--
This is a matter of taste. A lot of people like the Cartoon fantasy feel that is being maintained from the WarCraft RPG games...and some don't. Those I find that don't like it, are those that generally do not or have not cared for the WarCraft Series in the first place. For me...it fits and fits very well with teh WarCraft theme. The Graphics are very Colorful and Vibrant. I wish people would stop trying to turn it in to some sort of EQ clone.
Sound--
I have played in retail and beta tested many MMOs over the years (UO, AC1, AC2, Eve, HZ, CoH, Lineage 2, and others etc... and I can say that WoW is at the very top of the list in Sound. Much of the sound is still being added. The review failed to mention NPC sounds in the last update for example.
Game Play--
Tasks/Quests...same thing. Weather you are doing something big or small it makes no difference. There are TONS of quests to do and Blizzard has mentioned that they are holding a majority of this type of content for retail release. There are also MANY more kinds of quests other than Give X to Y and Kill 10 of X. Granted if you break all quests/tasks down ...they are all making you do something....well no kidding. Blizzard does a great job of telling the story of why you are doing something and the adventure along the way. You forget you are "leveling" most the time. I would bet money the reviewer never bothered to read any of the Quests Notes. It is SUPPOSE to be an adventure and tell a story...not a level grind like other MMOs...noting the reviewers reference to " The NPC coulda just told me "Go kill 5 of MOB A, 10 of MOB B, named MOB C, named MOB D and named MOB E then come back for your reward."
Combat--
reviewer states "Combat is pretty much what you'd expect it to be. It is pretty much what has become the typical form of combat in MMORPGs. Some people call it "sandwich" style combat, meaning hit auto-attack and go fix a sandwich".... Has he even played the game past the newbie area and a class other than Warrior? Each Class is totally different in play for starters. Each has a unique style which you must "Master" as you advance, which not everyone can. Those people end up complaining the class is too hard or etc..are those that do not know how to master a class at later levels. Blizzard has stated and evident in WarCraft 3, that their games are focused on easy to play, hard to master. If you plan on playing any character any length of time, go ahead and go make your sandwich...your toon will be dead when you get back. So saying, "there is nothing new or innovative here, if you've played DAoC or EQ or just about any MMORPG on the market you'll feel right at home. " is not exactly true...maybe if you only play a few levels but not as you advance in you character career. You must master what works and what doesnt for different things as well as pick with special skills (Talents) fit your style of play best. WoW is by no means "generic" combat must later on, especially in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Alliance vs Horde Battles later on.
I could on and on but obviously the reviewer does not care for WoW or explored it to any length to write and accurate review. This is the real reason it has not been published until now....and obvious this reviewer is EQ "fan".
Its funny you should say this because the preview did have the feel of an article I read months ago. I just can't place where at the moment. I personally think you should have taken the time in this preview to inform readers that the ease of the game is often considered normal at this point in a beta.
Mining was the first trade skill I took up with UO my first online game. Ever since every game I have played that offered mining as a skill I have spent at least some time at the profession. In fact my name Dumin is a take off that. (my first character named Duke and his profession was a miner) While doing mining in the stress test (less than 2 weeks of play)
On to other things about the game... I noticed several things about mining. I found that the mines in WoW were often very small and had very few mineral deposits that would get depleated within moments of striking the deposit. This would lead to spending alot of time fighting to get 4-8 ore and waiting a long period of time for another deposit to spawn. Mines seem to be set up for just one miner and would lead to a lonely profession. I often felt more like a fighter than a miner while in the mines.
Dumin
Im kinda curious to know if this site has done reviews of any other game and posted them while it still was in closed beta? Most places try to wait untill the finished product is out there before they give a "Preview" of a game. Blizzard has not even put everything in that they intend to have in the game when its released, therefore a Preview is rather premature.
------------------------------
You see, every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with their surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You spread to an area, and you multiply, and you multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.-Mr.Smith
Many websites do previews of games that are not yet out. I do not think that this preview is anything out of the ordinary. I could link you to a dozen sites that have done previews on World of Warcraft and other games. Being that I am new to this site and I don't know how they would like me doing that so I won't do it for now.
Dumin
I have been a long time fan of mmorpg.com.....That said..after reading your "Preview" of World of Warcraft I was highly
disappointed...In my eyes..a writer of this nature should be open about all things..and not criticize what they do and
don't like specifically..To me this came across as a "gamers" point of view..of why I don't like this..why I don't like
that..not an un bias opinion of the game.
You are very talented in the writing department, don't get me wrong..however..after reading
your "story" ie EQ2 Beta journal.....which by the way tells nothing at all about how the game actually is....
and then reading your preview on World of Warcraft...and how Un-innovative it is.....
I have came to this conclusion......
It is one thing to criticize the game because it truly needs to be..it is another to do so when your a huge fan of
another competing mmo...In my eyes your description of WOW was nothing more than an attempt to make the game look
bad before it is even out of beta....When doing previews one should be equal in reviewing all games not play one up
and make the other look bad just because it doesn't fit your tastes and needs..that is unfair in my eyes....
In the future I hope that you keep this in mind..and try to be a little more un-judgmental on a game..that you
don't like, and or equal in previewing and reviewing on all fronts.
World of Warcraft may not be top of the line in the innovation department..but they do a damn good job at everything
in a nutshell....And while the graphics and what not may not appeal to all..it is by far one of the best MMO's I have
played to date and it isn't even out of beta...and let me tell you I have alpha and beta tested..and played many many
mmo's.....so I know a good thing when I see it..
All this preview did..was remind me of something I would see on my guilds forums..when we are arguing about which
game sucks more...I think ya needed to be a little less opinionated and more revealing about the overall game.
And not let another game (EQ2) cloud your overall judgement.
We don't know for sure if he likes this game or that...
But the negitivaty I get . . .
What will he do next?
I'm not arguing with you, I said basically the same thing in the Preview here:
As for the manner in which I wrote the EQ2 "story" as you put it, thats how I was required by SOE to write it. EQ2 still has a NDA in place, and what we're allowed to say about it is VERY limited. I was only allowed to talk about levels 1-9 and I HAD to write it in a first person perspective fromt he characters point of view. Seeing as it was written in such a manner I don't see how it came across that I liked that game more? For the record, i do indeed like EQ2 more, but at the time that I wrote this Preview that was NOT the case, I had not played EQ2 at that point, and really knew nothing about it other than screenshots and movies I had seen. At the time I wrote this Preview I knew exactly as much about WoW as I did EQ2 and had the same interest in both. After playing WoW I discovered it wasn't really the game for me, purely based on personal preference, nothing wrong with the game itself, just not the game for me. It was WELL after that point, AFTER I had decided that WoW was not the game for me that I got a chance to play EQ2 and decided it WAS the game for me. Therefore me liking EQ2 or not liking it had nothing to do with my opinion of WoW.
---------- MMORPG.com Staff --------- Desolation Guild Website ----------
Richard J. Cox
"There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust."
Well this is what he said in his post before he edited it..and
i took that into account when replying what I did..
"Actually I wrote that Preview before I ever went on the Fansite Event or wrote either the EQ2 Fansite Report or the EQ2 Beta Journal. I feel I gave it a fair preview, I listed both good aspects and bad, I said what I didn't like about it and gave my reasons why. No other game came into question when making those decisions. At the time that I was previewing WoW I had not played EQ2 at all. I wouldn't call myself a fanboi of any game, tho I will say that now that I've played both, yes, I prefer EQ2 to WoW. I ran the preview by several other people who have tested WoW before submitting it and they all seemed to feel it was a fair and accurate analasys/Preview of the game. And as I've always said, anything I write in a Preview or Review is PURELY my opinion, you have yours, I have mine, and we're both entitled to them. I said several times that WoW is indeed a very well made game, one of the best to come along in a long time, it's just not my personal style."
All I was trying to get across is I dont feel you gave the
game a fair preview..atleast not in my eyes..and not in
others eyes as well...I wasnt trying to critisize your
overall views..but I felt it was clouded by the fact that you
prefer EQ2 over WOW..and I feel you should be neutral
when writing a preview/review........to each their own..
as you said..
I have noticed that it was said this preview was written some time ago and was updated to reflect recent changes in the game but talked nothing of the change from trade skills and skill points to professions and the new limit on those professions. These changes were announced on 09/09/04 by Blizzard, being that this preview wasn't posted till 09/26/04 you would think these changes would be talked about in depth or at least mentioned.
Dumin
Dumin,
Like I stated before...and you are correct...the Reviewer obviously has limited knowledge of the game (WoW0 thus a slanted view of it and the game play over all.
As far as EQ2's review...that isn't a review. It is SOE attempt to control negative press about their game. Though would expect anything less from SOE?
I am not stating that at all. I was just pointing out that if he actually stated the "Facts" of the game and actually played it to any length, then he could not have possibly made some of the conclusions that he did. Thus his conclusions that he made about the game made it obvious to me that he knew or explored the game very little thus a slanted view.
EDIT:
OH and I am not sure what point you are trying to get across with the "after they have gone gold part" but WoW has NOT gone gold yet. It is likely to go Gold 2 months from now.
The author even admits that this is an old PREview that he polished up a bit.
It has dated information that is not necessarily accurate anymore as it does not seem to take into acount many of the recent changes and gives no information on the PVP system. It was written in such a way as to NOT give the benefit of the doubt to Blizzard about proposed upcoming changes that will be in before release and does not take into account the obvious XP spike per lvl that will no doubt be implemented before the game goes live.
Again when faced with a nearly flawless product that is potentially damaging to your own preferred product one simply MUST say something bad about it in order to lend some sort of imagined superiority to their own preferrence.
ROLEPLAYERS UNITE!!!!!
Critical thinking is a desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and hatred for every kind of imposture.
Thoom,
If you didn't notice I mentioned some things I noticed in the stress test that had to do with mining and I was critical of how the mines and mining system is set up. To say I cant handle a negitive review is a bit far fetched. In a preview I hope to learn something I have not heard before about the game tell me something nobody else has mentioned. This preview did not do that and actually was critical of things that are normal during a beta.
Dumin
This is the first time I have posted..but I have been visiting
this site for ages.....So if you want to judge me on the fact
that I dont usually post here..go right ahead....
Call me a "fangirl".....or gurl or however you ppl want to
spell it.....of WOW..if you wish..but I wasnt the one writing
the preview..which by the way I know the difference between
a preview and a review..so you didn't really need to point
that out....
I don't feel that he was fair in his overall preview..it is
obvious to me that he gave the game very little time..
and came to the conclusions he did..I don't care if he
bashes EQ2 or not..frankly I prefer he not and be
NEUTRAL..........as I stated in my original post..and
give all games a fair preview/review..not judge it on what
they specifically like or hate..
Look at all these replies!
I love it!
Keeping my laughing is great. What's said it said. I said what I wanted, you said what you wanted... it's done.
How much can we beat this dead horse for?
What will he do next?
I don't believe he is lying...though I do think he did not play the game much at all. That means no more than 1 or 2 classes or past the Newbie areas.
All we are trying to say it that if he or who ever is going to do a review. Do it accurately and get the facts straight. It doesnt matter for some of the review if it was played 2 patches ago or this last one. There are some obvious points he got totally wrong...Combat is just one example of that. Too long to get into the rest.
I think they should just delete the article and give the job of rewriting it to someone who has the first clue about objective analysis.
from a person who played WoW phase one, I have to say that Kunou hit the nail on the head several times.
In my opinion the main reason WoW wont be purchased by me is the fact that it offers absolutely nothing new under the sun.
With 14 mmorpgs under my belt, I am dying for something radically new and different, and when I played WoW...it didnt do it justice.
I am not saying the game sucks..I just want to play something "new" and WoW isn't "new" ...just "polished". Most people like polished over new and that's cool too. But I have to say I agree with Kunou's preview.
Also, someone mentioned that WoW should be previewed by a fanboy. Why would you want to do something like that? A fanboi will offer nothing but biased opinions.
Also to the other player that's shocked that he has never seen a negative review on WoW...they are out there. I went to google and found 11 high visible well-known game reviewers giving it an ok review just like Kunou did
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.