Warhammer Online: Exclusive Interview #4

Today we come back with five more questions and answers from Warhammer Online Community Manager Richard Duffek. Within, we get answers from the EA Mythic employee on things like siege, instancing and playing together.

WarCry: Instancing is supposed to be quite limited in WAR. As more and more MMOs continue to add more instancing to their games, can you explain why WAR is going the other way?

Richard Duffek: While instancing can be very beneficial to a game if done the right way, overall it still takes away from what makes a game a MMO. The first word there is massive... There really isn't anything all that massive about being in an instanced zone with five other people and some mobs. WAR is all about the war, being out there with the rest of your army, capturing zones, and beating down your hated enemy's capital city gates.

Having said that, though, we'll definitely use instancing where appropriate, especially with boss encounters and other areas where we want to focus on a single-player's (or small group's) action.

WarCry: With each race having its own starting lands, how easy will it be for me, as an Orc to team up with my friend who is playing Chaos?

Richard Duffek: Technically one of you could go to the other's starting land almost immediately. If you know your way around the game, you can run through the starter areas to the first warcamp and travel from there to your capital city. From your capital city, you can travel to your friend's warcamp and run down to his starting area. For the more patient types, by playing through the starter areas naturally, you should get there within about ten hours of gameplay.

WarCry: The Bloodthirster, which is the nastiest daemon in Warhammer, will be in the game. Can you tell us if we will get to fight any of the other big nasties from the other races?

Richard Duffek: Oh, yes. You'll come across major beasties from all throughout the Warhammer world, as well as running into more than a few recognizable characters.

WarCry: In one of the screenshots released in the April Newsletter, there was an Orc riding a beast. Is that a class specific mount, or just an NPC; and what kind of mounts can we look forward to getting in WAR?

Richard Duffek: That was an NPC, the leader of the Greenskin camp where you begin the game. While there will indeed mounts, we're not ready to get into the details just yet.

WarCry: We have now seen Dwarven cannons and Orc Catapults in game. Can you tell us what Empire and Chaos can look forward to as far as siege weapons?

Richard Duffek: As you play the game, you'll run across Chaos Hell Cannons, Empire Great Cannons, Empire Steam Tanks, Chaos Siege Towers, Empire Hellblaster Volley Guns, and many more. And let's not forget Greenskin Siege Towers and Dwarf Organ Guns!

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The first answer makes me want to throw money at them! Freaking awesome answer! Even though I want to play a Chaos Zealot really bad, I definately want to be apart of the epic dwarf/greenskin struggle. Though I'm sure I'll make an engineer or squig herder eventually so I'll probably just level up in the chaos zone. The starting zone for chaos sounds pretty neat, as well as their public quest.

I wonder if the seige weapons will be dynamic? Or just for fixed parts of quests/environment?

Cicadymn:
I wonder if the seige weapons will be dynamic? Or just for fixed parts of quests/environment?

I seem to recall them saying that the seige weapons are usable, but only within the context that you find them (ie. for certain quests, events, etc.)
They aren't going to be allowing players to create and use seige engines for RvR like they do for DAoC. But if you find one out there somewhere, you should be able to use it.

Blaydsong:

I seem to recall them saying that the seige weapons are usable, but only within the context that you find them (ie. for certain quests, events, etc.)
They aren't going to be allowing players to create and use seige engines for RvR like they do for DAoC. But if you find one out there somewhere, you should be able to use it.

That's good to. Seige weapons would probably be abused or exploited if players could just use them at any given time. I think that sounds good though, using them in context is far better than none at all.

Thats correct. Siege weapons are in the game, but you cant drag a cannon around with you. In instances that you are taking a building they will already be there for you to use. Same with all siege weapons, they will be provided in areas that you need them.

Interesting response about the mounts, I wonder if they're being coy about them so we can come up with some good ideas first ;)

It would be crimminal if Gobbo shaman didn't get the chance to ride spider mounts. I'm also interested to know what mounts dwarves will get, as they traditionally shun them. I hope it's a boar, or something small, compact and hard hitting. Epic mount 2 shield bearers and a shield? Would be comedy.

Black orcs on boars and choppas on wolves would also suit. Chaos mounts go without saying - they'd look awesome if based on the concept art.

Thunderhelm:
Interesting response about the mounts, I wonder if they're being coy about them so we can come up with some good ideas first ;)

It would be crimminal if Gobbo shaman didn't get the chance to ride spider mounts. I'm also interested to know what mounts dwarves will get, as they traditionally shun them. I hope it's a boar, or something small, compact and hard hitting. Epic mount 2 shield bearers and a shield? Would be comedy.

Black orcs on boars and choppas on wolves would also suit. Chaos mounts go without saying - they'd look awesome if based on the concept art.

Hmmm You think they'd make mounts based on class rather than just race? That'd be pretty cool, but a lot of work. Maybe they'll just the WoW route and give racial mounts.

i think i saw something in a video of the month on the community site that proves its racial.
all i kno though is that the orcs get wolves and goblinz get pigmie wolves...watch the video of the month #4 at the community site( make sure 2 watch it til the end)

belac:
i think i saw something in a video of the month on the community site that proves its racial.
all i kno though is that the orcs get wolves and goblinz get pigmie wolves...watch the video of the month #4 at the community site( make sure 2 watch it til the end)

Link pl0x. I can't seem to find it.

I think I know which one you're talking about though I'm pretty sure the "pygmy" wolf was just a joke. I believe they were just putting the wolf skin on different "bone" structures. In which they put it on a small creature and nicknamed it a pygmy wolf. Though they made it clear that it wasn't going to be put into the game. I'm sure there would be a smaller version wolf for the Goblins to ride, if they were indeed racial mounts. I'm not sure that it would be that version. After all they were walking upright if I remember correctly.

They've never stated anything about mounts, other than that they will exist.

Yea I was thinking it was just a skin that they were playing with. They showed it standing there and then showed it stretched over different bone structures. Though I can't remember where the video was, now that I think about it I don't believe they said it was going to be a mount. It was a while back when I saw it though so don't quote me =p

The wolf that was walking upright? I think that was one of Paul's video blogs, and yea I believe they were just screwing around with the skin on the wrong character bone structure or whatever.

Yea that's what I'm talking about but I don't think it was a video blog. I could have swore it was at the end of one of the podcasts but I haven't seen it yet, though I've only checked a few. I think the video blogs are too short and low resolution for it. I believe it cycled through quite a few bone structures.

I give up I can't find it anymore =p

yea that was way back in pre-alpha so we need to find a beta key lad and get him to tell us everything he knows about mounts and siege weapons. and maybe shamans.