World of WarCraft

[maximus]

I may be buying this today. I have did some searches as to what I can expect and it (WoW) sounds amazing. The only other Massively Multiplayer game I have ever played was World War II Online (which I still believe is a great concept for a game). I still have a few questions about WoW. For exaple, what is the monthly cost and how easy it it to actually pick up and play? I am not really looking for something thats just a slash & hash game, is WoW like that at all or is WoW something way different? Thanks.

PS: I also would like to get together with other FOFers in the WoW world, assuming some of you play often.

[flere-imsaho]

Go here: http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...ad.php?t=33922

[maximus]

Ahh, cool. For some reason I thought that last for something else.

Lol, I bet I am months away from levels that most of you already are at.

[maximus]

Is WoW just a slash and hash game or is there some depth to it?

edit: spelling

[GoldenEagle]

My roommates play the game 24/7. I am guessing there is some depth the way they keep playing it.

[hhiipp]

In a way it's a slash and hack kind of game, except the fights aren't terribly long and you have styles or abilities you can use. Styles are things you do with your weapon that will cause the target to take more damage, abilities, classes like the paladin don't have styles but they can do other things, like they have heals and some buffs.

Here is a good site to get you familiar with what certain classes can do - hxxp://www.thottbot.com.

[maximus]

Thanks guys.

How does this game compare to EQII? For ex: what are the differences, ect?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by maximus

Is WoW just a slash and hash game or is there some depth to it?

edit: spelling

I'd say it's a little bit of both.

There are what, eight classes in the game, and each plays out differently. Some of the classes are simpler to play, IMHO, but some are fairly complex. Group/solo play also require different skills and strategies. Also, as skills change, so do your strategies. Add PvP play and you've got even an additional level to the strategy. Then there are the professions (blacksmithing, skinning, herbalism, cooking, etc.), which add more depth to the game. There are oodles of quests. The world is immense. There are guilds to join. So in one sense, the game has unparalled depth.

Given all that, there are times when you've got a quest to finish (find 12 raptor testicles, for example) and the strategy is the same, and you end up having to kill about 40 of the beasts to get the 12 items you need. At that point, the game becomes a simple hack-and-slash.

[jbmagic]

Diablo 2 and NWN are fun to play online and its free too.

[maximus]

Well its tough to decide between EQII or WoW because EQ just seems more than a hack & slash game (not saying WoW is just only that) but EQII worlds sound bigger....I could be wrong though.

[hhiipp]

In EQ2 the mobs take a lot longer to kill, EQ2 when mobs are linked it actually shows you that they are linked before you pull them, in WoW it's a guessing game as to how many might come. The range at which the mobs will attack you is pretty huge.

In EQ2 you get a group, decide what you're going to kill, and go set up camp somewhere, however, in WoW there aren't really such camps, and the only thing that would come close to that are the instanced dungeons.

EQ2=pretty good grouping atmosphere can't solo all that great (at least when I was playing a few months ago, there has since been a patch or 2), WoW=grouping is a chore unless you need help to finish a quest or run an instanced dungeon.

Both have their ups and downs, WoW doesn't require anywhere near the beast of PC that EQ2 does. WoW is a bit more cartoony but pretty damn good graphics. EQ2 seems to have a better 'community', for example no one saying "Hitler is a god!!" in global chat.

Edited the first paragraph for clarity. They are both kinda hack and slashish, but EQ2 mobs take longer to die so that may be a little more tedious for you if you're looking to run from mob to mob.

[jbmagic]

Maximus

get Neverwinter Nights and the expansiosn for it..

awesome game.

[Godzilla Blitz]

WoW is the only MMORPG I've played outside of NWN's Avlis, which really doesn't compare well with WoW.

No idea on the comparisons with EQ2. As hhipp said, I've heard it's much easier to solo in WoW than in EQ2. WoW is definitely an easy game to solo in. The other thing I like about WoW is that you can play for short spurts. This afternoon, I took a 30-minute break from work and played. I logged on, hunted some lions for an NPC in the Barrens, returned a lost keg to a merchant in another small town, improved my tailoring and enchanting skills by five points each, and picked up two new quests for this evening. Things move fast, and I always feel like there are tons of things to do.

As for groups being a chore in WoW, I'd have to say that my experience has been the exact opposite. Groups form quickly, are generally functional, and the majority of people have been easy to work with. However, outside of a few hours at the very beginning, I've been playing on WoW's role-playing servers, and I've had many people tell me that the percentage of nutcases is significantly higher on the regular servers.

No idea on how the size of the game world's compare, but WoW is plenty massive. However, Blackadar and others have mentioned that there is a decided lack of things to do once you reach level 60 in the game. Given that level 60 represents about 300 hours of play and you can always start a new character, I'm not too worried about running out of things to do.

Overall, though, WoW may be the most fun I've had playing a game ever. I usually play a half dozen or so games for a few hours each month, and have a tendency to collect games and never finish them. WoW is the first game that has killed my interest in other games. In that sense, the $15 fee is actually saving me money, as I don't buy the usual two or three games a month anymore. The only game I've bought since getting WoW is Iron Hearts II, which is collecting dust at the moment.

Having said that, I could possibly be having just as much fun playing EQ2, for all I know.

[Bad-example]

One thing I really disliked about eq2 was the way combat encounters were "locked". I always play characters that can heal, and one of my favorite ways to play in online RPGs is to drop heals and buffs on the people I run across. In WoW I can solo with my pally and still have fun interacting with others in the area.

[hhiipp]

I really liked the locked combat feature, it prevents morons from running up and smacking your stuff trying to steal the kill. (I did play on a PvP server so I guess this probably happened more to me than it does on Normal/RP servers.)

[Mota]

I play both games.

WoW is more solo friendly for sure. To the point that it is hard to find a group, nor do you really want one. Levelling is fast, and there's always a quest to do.

In EQ2 you really want to be in a group. XP is fast while in a group, and relatively slow while soloing (although they did considerably boost it in the last patch). The graphics are several times better than in WoW although some people prefer the art direction in WoW. I personally find that the graphics in WoW are not much better than current generation EQ1 graphics, and that it's a big turnoff. In EQ2 the quests are a little harder to come by, but the story is good and you really get the feeling that there's something bigger going on.

Overall I prefer EQ2. I find that WoW is too easy, and that too much is handed to you via the interface vs. playing the game. I run around looking for people with question marks above their heads because it means they have a quest. When one of the designers in EQ2 was asked if they would make it easier a la WoW, he said something akin to not wanting people to "play the interface", and I agree with him 100%. I think that EQ2 is a game that I'll be with for the long haul. They are working on expansions, already have added zones and dungeons, it's really a long term kind of game. In WoW half my guild was already level 60, and I can really picture a lot of these people leaving the game in a few months because there's not much else to do.

[maximus]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I am going to go with EQ2 as well.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

I really liked the locked combat feature, it prevents morons from running up and smacking your stuff trying to steal the kill.

This is inaccurate. When you attack a creature, it gets taggged and therefore anybody else who joins in attecking does not get credit for the kill, you do.

World of Warcraft is awesome. It is incredibly easy to solo and to group. I group on an almost nightly basis for elite quests. The people are also great, though admittedly I play on an RP server. My guild doesn't roleplay at all.

The game has been out for 80 days or so and my highest level character is 47. I haven't had to grind (grind means killing the same monsters over and over again) at all except when completing a quest. And even then it might be for an hour at most as opposeod to the stories I have heard about EQ where you need to grind for hours on end.

1-60 is a great ride. Admittedly, there is a lack of high end content at this point, but this will be greatly improved.with the addition of battlegrounds http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/pvp/b...nds-part2.html
and I am sure many other new things added in the coming months. Also, since it will take you around 400-500 hours to reach level 60, I dont think this should be a concern at this point. The fastest person reached level 60 in 270 hours, but they played through the game multiple times in beta and were RPG nuts. From your posting I would guess that like me, it will take quite a bit longer.

[kingnebwsu]

In WoW you can't steal the kill. It's all about who gets the first hit on a creature. But the other day some jerkface got the first hit on 2 guys and ran away for some reason. My party killed them and got no XP/items

WoW rocks hardcore

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Mota

I play both games.

Overall I prefer EQ2. I find that WoW is too easy, and that too much is handed to you via the interface vs. playing the game. I run around looking for people with question marks above their heads because it means they have a quest. When one of the designers in EQ2 was asked if they would make it easier a la WoW, he said something akin to not wanting people to "play the interface", and I agree with him 100%.

Different strokes for different folks. I have no interest in talking to dozens of NPC's hoping one of them might have a quest.