WAR Begins Guild Beta, Cuts Content

The good news: Business Wire reports that the Guild Beta cycle for Warhammer Online has begun:

Mythic Entertainment, an Electronic Arts studio , today announced that the Guild Beta for Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ (WAR) has begun. Over 10,000 guilds applied and those selected will have the chance to experience the game's most expansive beta phase yet.

An historic 750,000 applicants have signed up for the opportunity to enter WAR's closed beta, and the selected guilds will join tens of thousands of new participants as the game enters the final phase of its closed beta test. Guild members, many with long histories playing a multitude of massively multiplayer online games, will test WAR's recently added Guild and Heraldry features, as well as Public Quests™, new dungeons, Scenarios, user interface updates and more as the MMORPG advances towards its launch later this year.

"WAR's Guild Beta is here and some of the world's most experienced MMO players will now get a chance to play one of the most anticipated MMOs of all time," said Mark Jacobs, vice president and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. "We look forward to seeing them beat, bash and burn their way through the world that we have created for their enjoyment. It's going to be a lot of fun and it's going to be glorious!"

The bad news: in an interview with Mark Jacobs over at MMORPG.com, the Mythic VP revealed that four of the current classes had been scrapped, and of the six faction capitals only two - the Inevitable City of Chaos and the Human capital of Altdorf - would be in at launch, with the other four (Dark Elf, High Elf, Dwarf, Greenskin) to be added shortly thereafter.

The four cut classes are:

* The Choppa (Greenskin)
* The Hammerer (Dwarf)
* The Blackguard (Dark Elf)
* The Knight of the Blazing Sun (Empire)

(Via Massively)

Permalink

Huh? Why are they in such a rush to release all of a sudden that they had to chop content? Did the borg, erm, EA poke them in the ribs?

From what I've read, they felt that they needed to concentrate on smaller portions of the game to do them justice rather than spreading themselves too thinly and doing a piss poor job. Either way they were doomed to the bitchfest that's now blooming all over the net. I guess they figure that it'll be better this way to get the crabbing out of the way now instead of at release.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall? Barnett's magical marketing might have had a ticking time bomb in it.

Probably so as seems to also be happening with Conan. I don't know. IMO, the market is saturated with MMOs and it's going to be increasingly difficult for developers to stick to budgets, fulfill expectations and last longer than the average lifespan of a fly. :(

Although, that leaves alot to add at a later date. If the game is successful, sometimes its a blessing to know that there will be new classes/content/etc.

I think Kalias' got it right, EA needs to let these games develop and not try to "crank" em out. The MMO industry is looking alot like the movie industry. Make enough for a good trailer, then screw you at the box office with a lame showing. I play the table top version(40k)and was really hoping for this game to suck my summer away.

Oh well. I'll try it. But if ends up like AoC, I'll bail on it faster than that P.O.S.

There's always Darkfall...

So, pretty much the same as the rest of the game market? Soon enough nobody will have the guts to take a risk and produce something innovative.

One of the reasons I lean more towards micro-transaction type MMOs is that I don't feel so cheated if there's stuff missing I can't live without. The only thing I'm out is the money I -choose- to spend on a game. I'm not -forced- to pay month by month hoping that the game will get better over time.

Thats a lot of content they are cutting, esspecially 4 out of the 6 cities? They must be running way behind schedule again then, why not bring it out around christmas then, like many movies and games do?

Oh well still hoping it will be more fun than AoC
Or its gonna be WOTLK *shivers*

Ohh wait, there's always Darkfall

I think it's telling that you mentioned WOTLK - if they're trying to beat Blizzard to market, cutting corners... is *somewhat* understandable.

They are trying to compete with an expansion? Have they no faith in their product?