World Of Warcraft: WorldofWar.net scrutinizes recent gameplay movie

Title: Second official Game Play movie
Released: 3 March 2003
Download : 23.6MB

After a quiet spell, Blizzard have now released the second game play movie showing some of the newer features in action including mounts.

The movie is 2 minutes 50 seconds in length. A new musical score accompanies, far more rousing than the bites previously released. All the game sound effects can be heard in the background.

0:17 - The movie starts with a Dwarven warrior mounted on his steed making his way to the top of a snowy hillside, probably some place in Khaz Modan. The snow crunches underfoot and the horse neighs as the Dwarf brings him to a stop. As he raises his sword the music begins and the remainder of his group join him and all four immediately charge full pelt down the hillside and into the camera. One of the other horsemen raises his fist also and it could be that both the fist and sword raising are our first look at emotes in action.

0:24 - The scene then fades to the Swamp of Sorrows and rapid 3rd person sweep across the marshy floor, the camera at times passes straight through small elevated wooden platforms with lit with wooden torches. Some place dry to eat and rest. A clearing in the trees brings us to a group of five Orc warriors, one of which is female. One male has a Mohican hairstyle and the other two give Dr. David Banner a run for his money in the hairdo department. There is a fifth Orc but he's off to the right hand side but you can just make out his arm a second or two later.

They're all in medium armour and carrying one-handed weapons with no shields and none have head gear on either. The female has a pike, the two Orcs to the rear wield a hammer and a mace while the one in the front carries an Axe. He issues a war cry, raising his arms and looks skyward and a second later the rest of his party join in with the female jumping in the air. The war cry may just be an emote for the cameraman's benefit rather than a Warcry skill as there are no accompanying effects and skill cries would surely warrant some sort of visual indication.

0:31 - Then we move onto Dun Morogh and possibly the base of a quarry into one huge battle against a pack of Troggs. There's only two seconds of this scene but it's just enough to see a Dwarf perform a sizeable leap over a fighting group. This shot shows where he leapt from and to. This is the first time we've seen a character leap in this way and it certainly seems by the distance and height he travels that this could be a skill rather than an innate ability of all characters. No other character types or races perform this in the movie.

0:34 - We jump to another battle, this time in the Swamp of Sorrows and it's Orcs Vs. Humans {an possibly a dwarf or two}! This scene demonstrates various weapon imbues and protection auras. We can see an Orc on the right hand side battling a human and he has a small banner floating above his head, not dissimilar to the one shown in this screenshot from May 2002. This skill has been confirmed as 'Frost Armor' by Blizzard. It doesn't necessarily mean that the Orcs are under the influence of the same spell in both instances but perhaps the banners above the heads indicate a category of spell.

To the left of this group there are other small two or three character skirmishes taking place and the humans appear to be protected by another buff spell, this time 'defend', as confirmed by Blizzard, indicated by the floating luminous shields circling around their midriffs, and they're using imbued swords. The Orcs they're battling on the other hand have no such 'auras' and their weapons although menacing are not imbued and on contact their weapons ignite no elemental effects.

0:37 - We switch back to the earlier battle in Dun Morogh with the Troggs. Right in front of the camera a Dwarf battles a Trogg. The Dwarf is protected by a defence enhancing aura which disappears just as we get there. Behind him a human female run across the screen, she's carrying a bow but switches to duel wielding two daggers and strikes a Trogg. Just as he dies, both of his massive fists dramatically slamming on the ground as he goes, two small pink flashes materialize at her side and it's not clear if that's the after-effects of some imbue on her daggers or she was hit by something from the Trogg. The latter seems unlikely as we've seen no indication Troggs' attacks being imbued. As the Trogg falls to the ground ad blonde female warrior with a two-handed sword nearly as tall as her runs to the aid of the Dwarven warrior.

0:42 - In the larger melee of about 10 characters {Dwarves and Humans} and 4 or 5 Troggs we can see that Troggs leap high into the air before thumping their massive fists onto their target. The one you see on the left doesn't fare too well however as he dies less than a second later. There is another dwarf performing a massive leap, this time across the entire group towards us, landing on both feet simultaneously.

There are 2 or three spell casters on the outskirts of the main fray probably supporting their party members with offensive and defensive skills. There are a couple of human females and a male in a white robe who must be fairly confident as he is in amongst the battle as you can see from this final shot in the sequence.

0:48 - The next short sequence glides through the trees of Elwynn Forest passing over a pair of wolves and a masked thief. We're soon back into the action however.

0:52 - We enter a forte-like encampment nestled in what appears to be Elwynn Forest to find a battle royal between Dwarves and Humans against Orcs and Taurens. Gender equality is fully demonstrated in this scene. In the foreground a massive Orc takes on a petite Dwarf. She has an axe and shield and he's dual wielding two scimitars. We don't see her die but she takes four hits during the sequence, letting blood twice and I fear it must be curtains for her only moments after the scene cuts. As the camera circles around these pair we can see a Human female against Orc male in the background. Some sort of spell effect engulfs the human and it's not entirely clear where it originates, the Orc Warrior she is fighting seems most likely. Just off camera to the right an Orc shoots a single Fireball at her back. Cowardly custard! At the same moment a blue swirling aura goes up around the Orc Warrior. There are no additional effects when he hits the human or when she hits him so probably he's imbued with some sort of protection that doesn't reflect damage back to her.

0:59 - For the first time in this film we see a couple Taurens getting some action. One against a male human and one against a male dwarf in the distant background. The one to rear is of most interest. Twice a green dripping cloud ignites above the Dwarf's head and it looks distinctly poison-like. It just doesn't look like a defensive skill which leaves either something from the Tauren he is fighting or from elsewhere. As the camera swings around we see a potential perpetrator. Click the thumb to see a split screen of the cause and effect. It really doesn't look like a Tauren or an Orc and all the other battles consist of these two groups so it looks as if in this instance the Human has attacked the Dwarf but as parties aren't race-restricted that's not entirely unlikely.

1:00 - We move away from battle and onto an altogether more serene clip. It's very brief but this looks to be Stormwind down in the south in Azeroth. Outside on the right hand side a Ballista can be seen parked - this is a Night Elf unit in Warcraft III but that doesn't necessarily mean Night Elves will be in WoW, although it would seem a waste not to have them. We first saw a siege weapon {human steam tank} parked outside a stronghold in this shot of Ironforge {Dwarven homeland}. Probably in both cases the weapons are merely background art.

Once through the colossal wooden gates, either side of which are two massive towers, a carved lion's head and blue banner adorn both, you pass under a stone and wooden archway lined with wooden lanterns and onto a stone bridge which leads over the "Valley of Heroes," into the heart of the city. Flanking are two massive stone statues, on the right a warrior and on the left a mage. Just then the scene cuts away for a few seconds.

1:07 - Now in Strangletorn, a couple of Orcs a Tauren and human warrior attack and kill a tiger. He has time to get one limp attack and roar in before it's all over.

1:12 - We're back to Stormwind and through an inner set of gates into the "trade district". The same banner that adorned the towers by the main gates now hangs overhead. Two guards in full armour guard either side of the entranceway. Traveling down the boulevard we can clearly see shops either side. The sign hanging outside the first on the left could be compass points so perhaps a cartographers, the first on the right hand side we can see a wedge of cheese, a grocers maybe. Opposite that on the left a sign with an image of a couple of potion bottles so possibly an apothecary and lastly on the right an we see a sign displaying an open chest so this could be a bank or perhaps some sort of storage facility. In the distance we see the spire of the cathedral. Apart from the two guards at the entranceway the street is empty, no shopkeepers and no shoppers.

1:15 - Another area said to be someplace around Elwynn Forest, certainly the trees look similar, the buildings look similar to those in Goldshire and Northshire also. Blizzard have called this the "mage district". Stone and wooden beams with red slate roofs. One thing is for sure this has definitely featured in this screenshot released in November of 2002. Whereas that shot was taken from low down here we glide over a small stone bridge with a streetlamp on and in between the buildings and towers high up amongst the treetops. Birdsong can just be made out.

1:20 - We join a group of four humans, two male and two female and all look to be warriors. We can see some emotes {character gestures} being performed. The female on the left can be seen straight away holding her hands out in front of her wide apart, bow in her left hand, as if relaying a fishing story 'yes, it was this big, honestly'. The fully armoured warrior next to her is performing a decidedly dodgy gesture. I'm not sure if the meaning is international but in the UK it means you're more than a little attracted to the person you're gesturing it towards. Perhaps in other countries it means you have a sore elbow or you'd like to give blood immediately. The female next to him doesn't look to be performing an emote, rather just fidgets. The other male does look like he's doing an emote but it's difficult to work out what it conveys. Just as the shot fades out a number of things happen at the same time. The first female holds her hands up and shrugs her shoulders as if to say "I do not know". A chap behind our group leaps up onto a wall and a third human guy walks into shot. He has a great looking imbued sword holstered to his back. A green and purple hue emanates - poison and attack rating enhancements?

1:24 - On over a cobbled path and small green verge into the warmth of a local tavern. We've seen this before in shots released in November 2002. Two shots, an overhead and an eye level. Outside the door we see a sign with a tankard swinging in the breeze. On through the door and down a great hallway we find ourselves inside the warmth of the bar. There we find a couple of humans holding court by dancing on the bar. As well as the people watching the guys on the bar there's a guy waving his sword around in front of another guy, perhaps a salutation of some sort. Ornate rugs line the floor and tankards the massive rustic tables. Candelabras light the tables. This looks like a very reasonable place to hang out in. It's probably safe from hostile players too.

1:32 - This looks to be the cathedral we mentioned above, it has enough spires to be and is tall enough. Blizzard have called this the "Cathedral of Light", which is the spiritual heart of the city. The streets around it are abandoned, there's not a soul about but all the street lamps are lit and you can see well tended planted areas line the street. This is not a poor district. The lights are on and cathedral bells ring out calling the local community to evening prayers. This is a majestic cathedral, it's sweeping steps {carpeted no less!} and grand gothic windows are in stark contrast to Northshire Abbey where the features are a lot busier and the whole building has a more gingerbread feel about it. It's unknown if we were to walk in we would see a service being carried out or bell ringers or would access to the bell tower be locked and the caretakers never been seen? Just how far will ambient town life extend isn't clear yet.

1:36 - Fading from the cathedral into what can be best described as an Alchemists hall. Bunsen burners and test tubes brew and ferment on a long wooden table. In the centre of the room in a large pit burns a very large fire, stacked with long pieces of wood somewhat like a bonfire. Lining the walls are small archways. Stairs look to lead off one on the left and the rest either have shutters closed across them or are lined with shelves which are in turn lined with books. The domed ceiling has massive wooden braces running up its entire height supporting the stone ceiling. All this would be merely background art if it weren't for the robed mage character who seems to be wearing some sort of mask. We've had to turn the brightness up on the full screen shot a great deal so you can see the yellow band running round his head holding what looks to be a flat mask in front of his face. He has a blue bladed sword in his hand. He's not moving at all and there's nothing to indicate if he's a local alchemist NPC or a player character.

1:38 - Now we could actually be in the cathedral, the architecture looks very similar. We're in a long hall, no ambient sound at all, no bells or footsteps. Unlit candelabras line the nave and the length of floor looks to be painted with green runners with cream diamonds. Two clerics guard the carpeted stairs up to the altar.

1:44 - Well here's something new. We knew there would be boats but this confirms that we will at least be allowed on them, if not sail on them or better still command them ourselves. This could be the Dragon Boat from The Art of Warcraft. On deck there are four humans {one warrior and three mages} fighting a Skeleton Warrior. When we join them he's already encased in 'Chains of Ice' as confirmed by Blizzard and is unable to move. All but the mage on the left appear to be melee attacking and we see that mage fires off an almighty Frost bolt which explodes and kills on impact. He does appear to drop any goodies. You can see a four piece sequence by following the thumb on the right.

1.46 - Before we've had a chance to blink we're off the deck and under the water and swimming. Blizzard have said swimming would be in but this is our first view of it in action. There's a good six or seven characters swimming towards a sunken wreck one of which has their glowing sword strapped to their back. It doesn't illuminate the sides of the entranceway as they swim into the ship however. Swimming will probably have to consume the Vitality/Endurance/Vigor attribute. It's not known yet if characters can battle underwater or drown should they consume all the attribute that is needed. This sequence doesn't throw any light on either of those points. The female mage on the left of the large screen shot seems to have a snorkel, that cream coloured stick thing stays in position as she moves, it's not a piece of floating debris and it does not flap about as if it were a neck tie.

1:52 - Still in the depths but now we're underground and in a mine. It's a working mine too. Running through this sequence with the brightness turned right up you can see three characters, none of which are moving. Thing is, they don't look like Dwarves which is the first thing you think of when you see short stocky characters in a mine. However, they don't entirely look like Dwarves, their shape seems wrong. The third one you can see in this sequence looks like the Butcher from Diablo. They certainly aren't Goblins or Kobolds which are two races you might expect to find working underground. Much of the quality is lost when you begin to mess with the brightness/contrast and these are the best shots you can get.

1:56 - This is a difficult terrain to place. The path leads through a marshy clearing, or at least it's getting that way, dank and olive colour so you could imagine it being on the outskirts of the Swamp of Sorrows on the east coast of Azeroth, just before it gets overgrown and suffocating. The buildings built straight into the rock face have been best demonstrated previously in this shot also up north in Don Morogh {in Khaz Modan}, you can see they look almost identical; the double band of carving around the top of the tower, the slits. Blizzard have confirmed that the waterfall is in the "Wetlands" at the bottom of Stonewrought Dam in Lock Modan. Well there's Khaz Modan up north so we'll assume this is where the Loch is situated and that it runs down to the Wetlands and over this cliff face here.

2:01 - An entranceway into the mountainside. Looks too elaborate to be a mine entrance, perhaps a Dwarven stronghold. We see an Ogre motionless just by the entranceway and as our party of four approaches he moves off, oblivious to us it would seem. The party looks to be made up of four humans, 1 warrior and 3 mages one of whom is carrying a lit torch. No one seems in a rush and no one has their weapon drawn. Another couple of steps closer to the large entranceway and the scene cuts off.

2:05 - Now we jump back to continue on the path to the waterfall and what a gorgeous looking waterfall it is too. There doesn't appear to be any spray rising up from the crashing stream of water and there should be. Maybe it's not visible because of the video quality or maybe that's a final touch.

2:11 - A coliseum. The closest we have ever gotten to this was this arena in Stranglethorn released in September of 2001. Considerably smaller than what we have here.

A crowd of a few hundred look down from the terraces. The crowds' cheers are audible above the music. Down in the pit are a Tauren and Orc warrior in medium armour and both are wielding axes. The Orc lets out a mighty war cry and raises his arms in the air. The Tauren casually scratches is lower back. Class.

The camera jumps to another duo, this time a Human and a Tauren and the human also lets out a war cry. He has his sword still stored on his back, a purple blue aura emanates from it. These pair of warriors are in full plate armour.

Then we see their opponents. Blood red eyes, razor sharp fangs and claws that would make quick work of your soft and tender bits. These wolf-like Worgen stand easily twice as tall as a human male and a second later the pack of werewolves engage the human and tauren. Despite being roughly the size of the werewolf's leg the human male seems to have some powerful magic up his sleeve. His sword is drawn and he takes one strike at the Wolf, still holding his sword in two hands he pulls back and we see a build up of energy about the man's hands. He holds for a second and then throws his left hand forward releasing whatever it was onto two wolves. We can see the wolf take a swipe with his oversized paw just as the scene cuts away.

2:28 - Back to Elwynn and a parade of humans and dwarves. Human archers to the rear have their bows ready. You can't help but notice the fabulous outfits these guys are wearing, particularly the emerald number the third archer is wearing. Below them stand dwarves equipped with rifles and swords. It's interesting to see that characters can have their weapons poised without firing. Gives you plenty of opportunity to stand atop cliff faces looking windswept and interesting yet slightly menacing at the same time.

2.29 - We are back into the coliseum arena but there are no Werewolves this time, just Murlocs. A different palette than we have seen to date. These are very vivid purple, pink and turquoise. We can see another 'aura' this time benefiting a Tauren.

At 2:34 we flick back to the parade of humans and dwarves in Elwynn and this time we can see there are a couple of human mages and a human warrior who looks to be in command.

2:36 - Once more back into the coliseum and to the 'Frost Giant'. A couple of Tauren, an Orc and a Human attempt to battle him and this looks like a totally futile endeavour given the size and shear strength this beast possesses. He demonstrates two types of attacks here. First, he smashes his giant hammer on the ground and the Orc seems to take some damage, there is a yellow flash. He then takes what can be best described as a golf swing at his assailants. Miraculously he does fall in the end however. These could be the major quest monster that will require the super-group parties to deal with.

2:45 - The final scenes takes us back to the parade and we see an ice-based projectile from a human mage and gun fire from a Dwarve's rifle.

Source link: WorldofWar.net