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The second part of the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning article, Behind the Career System is up on MMORPG. In the first installment, EA Mythic’s Adam Gershowitz reviewed the evolution of the career system for WAR. In this article, Gershowitz covers career design and game balance.

…while the structure of the classes in Warhammer may seem strange, they are actually designed from “a matrix of choices” created by looking at three specific elements:

1. Race - How does it look? What do they feel like?
2. Archetype - What is their role?
3. Play Style - What mechanics will be needed for the class to work as intended?

“As a result,” he said, “you will always see similarities between two careers that share one or more of the 3 variables above. Careers of the same Race will always have similar visuals. While Careers that share Archetype and Mechanic may play very similar to one another.”

“In reality,” he said, “about 60 - 75% of the game balance can be broken up into 12 Careers shared across 2 realms (24 total). While the remaining 25 – 30% of the unique items to a specific Career become easier to balance because they add the additional flavor to the career not the core balance.”

Ultimately, character classes will fit into familiar roles for MMO players; Tanks, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS, Melee Healers and Ranged Healers. For a full list of which careers fall into these roles, read the full article WAR: Behind the Career System - Part Two on MMORPG.

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A Mythic’s Adam Gershowitz, the Combat and Careers strike team lead for Warhammer Online recently outlined the career system for the upcoming MMO. In part one of the interview, Gershowitz talks about the evolution of the career system for WAR.

“[Other MMOs] can do the whole Knight, Paladin, Rogue, Mage, format,” Gershowitz said. “When you get down to it, in Warhammer, those things do exist but they exist in a different fashion.”

“We have a very rich and vast IP,” he said, “we always want Careers that are Iconic and represent that Lore. That means no matter how cool the concept, if it’s not WARHAMMER, it’s not in the game.”

“This,” he continued, “is the primary reason why each Career is a unique experience, while other MMO’s can homogenize classes across multiple races, WAR follows the time honored Warhammer tradition so each Race has its own unique identity and does things its own way. For example you’ll never see a Dwarf Wizard b/c dwarfs don’t believe in sissy nancy pants magic. Nor would you ever see a Human wizard manipulating more then one type of magic, because their minds would melt and they would become gibbering pawns of the chaos gods if they tried to.”

For the list of the four careers for each of the races, read the entire article on MMORPG. Look for more specifics on careers in the second part of the Warhammer Online interview with Adam Gershowitz.

Emergent Game Technologies has announced the release of the Gamebryo 2.5 development tool. The engine has been used to create Bethesda’s Oblivion and is being used to develop Fallout 3 and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Gamebryo 2.5 features a redesigned core with the Emergent Terrain System, a new Geometry System and enhanced support for the Floodgate stream processing engine.

“Gamebryo 2.5 is the foundation for a new generation of creativity in game and simulation development,” says Geoffrey Selzer, CEO, Emergent Game Technologies. “The significant transformation of the Gamebryo core and our vibrant partner community has given birth to the industry’s most powerful and flexible game development environment. Nothing else allows developers to as easily and smoothly create in any genre on multiple platforms.”

Gamebryo 2.5 is compatible with the PC as well as the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. Perhaps this is one of the reasons you see familiar settings in multiple games. The engine is meant to be a framework for development, not a cookie cutter short cut.

via Business Wire

Many of the developers highlighted on Gaming Today have said that to get into the games industry, you need to get your foot in the door with an entry level position. EA Mythic is providing just such an opportunity. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning needs Customer Support Representatives.

Sure the hours are long and you’ll have to deal with a few “cellar dwellers;” but it does pay more than flipping burgers, and you won’t go home coated in grease. If you’re in the Fairfax, VA area or willing to relocate, get the full details on EA Mythic.

Eurogamer has put together an MMO novice’s guide to Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar character classes based on its recent interviews with Turbine’s LotRO producer Jeffrey Steefel. While adult MMOs like Age of Conan and Warhammer Online are under the spotlight right now, they aren’t for everyone, and LotRO is a fine alternative.

If you’re not so enchanted with decapitation, burly men in thongs and the low (cut) fantasy of Age of Conan, how about popping over to Middle Earth for a bit of posturing high fantasy?

The classes are listed by where they rank in popularity with LotRO developers. The list starts at the bottom of the rung with the Captain and covers all nine classes up to the class favored by 28% of Turbine devs… read the article for yourself to see which class is the favorite.

via Eurogamer

EA mythic has noticed a SNAFU involving pre-orders of Warhammer Onlne: Age of Reckoning from Amazon.com. People who purchased through Amazon.com were given an expiration date of June 10, 2008 for entering their codes. The good news is:

CE Pre-Order codes do not expire.

Players can redeem the Open Beta code anytime leading up to and during the Open Beta phase. You can also enter your Head Start and Item codes prior to the opening of the Head Start program through account services. With that potential problem out of the way; hold on to those codes, sit tight and wait for the start of the Open Beta phase. Just remember to breathe

via Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning 

Dawn of War II ushers in a new chapter in the acclaimed RTS series - taking players to the brutal frontlines of war to lead an elite strike force on a mission to save the galaxy.It’s the 41st Millennium in the Sub-Sector Aurelia - a cluster of worlds on the edge of the Galaxy - where a battle of epic proportions is about to commence. Ancient races will clash across the planets that dot this section of space, battling for the greatest of stakes - not only the claim to the land and its bounty - but the fate of each race.

With a focus on fast-action RTS gameplay, Dawn of War II brings to life the science fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before. Experience the intimate brutality of battle as you play through your chosen race’s epic campaign. Clash with enemies on battlefields ablaze with visceral melee and ranged combat. Lead and develop your squads from raw recruits into the most battle hardened veterans in the Galaxy.

WH40K: DoWII is expected to be released for the PC in September 2009. Shawn posted a short trailer for it yesterday and you can check it out here.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is looming on the horizon and gamers are already comparing it with other MMOs trying to figure out where to spend their money. Massively was recruited to experience Realm vs. Realm combat first hand and has lived to tell the tale. At first blush it may look like the familiar WoW Horde vs. Alliance system, but RvR in WAR is far more more dynamic system.

RvR in WAR is more than a PvP “gank” fest. Players can join the war effort immediately after character creation in a variety of scenarios to bring pain and suffering on their sworn enemies. Massively has a break down of the RvR combat system.

We had the chance to hack and slash across four maps during our time in Virginia, each with a very different feel. Howling Gorge, for example, sets players against each other on “bomb runs” towards the opposing side’s camp. Khaine’s Embrace offers an explosive twist on capturing and holding territory, a style of gameplay honed to a point in the Gates of Ekrund encounter.

Check out the full article on RvR combat in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on Massively.

THQ has released a trailer with featuring footage from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. This real-time strategy video game based on the classic miniature war game is a lethal as ever. It boasts both single-player and multiplayer modes and so far Space Marines and Orks are both confirmed.

There’s no age gate on the video, but it “may contain content inappropriate for children” such as Ork dismemberment. With that cautionary statement out of the way, here’s the trailer.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is slated for release for PC Spring 2009.

via FileFront

Well, we’ve had Age of Conan at retail for a little over a week now, and so far, it’s doing pretty well in stores. I mean, 400,000 copies in its first week is a solid start for any title. Additionally, the retail launch was pretty smooth, although some bugs were still present. All in all though, I agree with what seems to be (from my reading) the prevailing opinion that the AoC launch was arguably the best MMO launch ever.

The success of Age of Conan is a boon not only for the MMO market, but for MMO gamers everywhere. For the first time in recent memory, there are now two quality MMO titles competing for subscription dollars. With the release of Warhammer Online looming, it looks like that count will soon rise to three.

This means that there is now healthy competition in that market space, and that means that all 3 of the companies behind these MMO’s will be working hard to earn those dollars. That’s great for us as gamers, as it means we’ll get to see all sorts of new and exciting stuff in our MMO of choice.

Now, since all of this is true, it gets me to thinking about a question that is (I am sure) being debated in more than one venue, and that is this: What effect will the early success of Age of Conan have on World of Warcraft?

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EA Mythic has revealed the crafting system for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. The system is designed to not interfere with the Realm vs. Realm combat that is central to WAR, so players won’t be grinding for raw materials.

“Crafting is a beloved MMORPG element for many players, however, it can often feel like an unnecessary addition to the game,” said Mark Jacobs, general manager of EA Mythic and WAR’s lead game designer. “The crafting system I’ve envisioned for WAR is innovative, fun and doesn’t require hours and hours of grinding materials, items or recipes in order to succeed. It is a system that is tied directly to your Realm’s ongoing war effort whether you are a player who loves PvE, RvR or simply crafting in general.”

There are two main crafting abilities for creating items; Apothecary and Talisman Making. These vocations are supported by four gathering professions;  Cultivating, Magical Salvaging, Scavenging and Butchering.

The Apothecary crafting ability allows players to create all manner of useful potions, lotions and powders to heal, enhance stats, or cause damage to others. By combining various ingredients, players will even have the opportunity to “design” their own potions according to their needs. The second crafting ability, Talisman Making, will allow players to make useful items imbued with magic powers to be worn by a character.

WAR’s gathering skills produce the raw materials required for Apothecary and Talisman Making:

• Players can train themselves in Cultivating, and plant seeds and spores in order to harvest weeds and fungi, components frequently used in Apothecary creations.
• Magical Salvaging lets players break down magical items, converting them into fragments and essences that can be used in the crafting of Talismans.
• Scavenging and Butchering are used to collect unseen resources off of the corpses of slain creatures – Scavenging allows players to recover hidden items from more intelligent creatures, while Butchering allows players to collect meat, skin and bones from non-sentient beasts.

It will be interesting to see how the crafting system for WAR works out considering the emphasis on RvR. Warhammer is not traditionally a PvE game. Although it’s an option that has been included to satisfy a certain audience, it isn’t in the spirit of Warhammer.

via Business Wire

According to a recent GamesIndustry interview with Josh Drescher, EA Mythic’s senior designer, Warhammer Online has been built to contain five years of content.In the interview, which will be published in full next week, Dresher discussed the challenges the development team faced when creating Warhammer Online and also discussed the MMORPG’s longevity:

“All the under-the-hood numbers all actually scale through the next five years. What you don’t want is when you launch the game you’ve got 40 levels - and it takes however long it takes to get to level 40. You then launch an expansion and it now takes two weeks to get to level 40 because now we need everyone to spend six months to get from level 40 to 50. So you need to spec the game out in such a way that you actually have those progressions in mind for later - so you don’t wind up trampling all over the earlier experiences every time you expand the game. We have actually five years’ worth of numerology out in front of us in terms of all that.”

Sounds like loads of content can be expected when Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning launches sometime this Fall. No wonder it has taken so long.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Namco-Bandai has released an Editor’s Day 2008 video from Warhammer: Battle March.

On the Xbox 360, Warhammer: Battle March includes the original content from Warhammer: Mark of Chaos as well as all-new features, intuitive control schemes and support for online play via the Xbox Live online entertainment network. Thrusting players into Games Workshop’s renowned fantasy world, players will be able to control six unique armies – the Empire, Chaos, Skaven, High Elves as well as the all-new Dark Elf and Orcs & Goblins forces – as they battle for supremacy in a world torn apart by constant warfare. The individual units of each army can be customized in great detail, allowing players to put their own mark on their fighting force and strike fear into their opponents with terrifying combinations of weaponry and armor. Players can also control Heroes and Champions for each army, high-powered units that gain new abilities as they tear through the opposition. Placing the focus of gameplay on combat and tactics rather than tedious resource management, Warhammer: Battle March on the Xbox 360 features two control schemes for both master battlefield tacticians and novice warriors that offer full control over all aspects of the player’s army. On Xbox LIVE, up to four players can engage in massive multi-army clashes in head-to-head and team-based modes of play.

An expansion to Warhammer: Mark of Chaos for the PC, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Battle March builds upon the game’s tactical foundation to offer new units for each army as well as an original campaign and new online modes. Players will be able to experience the mysterious sorcery of the Dark Elves and the savage brutality of the Orcs and Goblins in an all-new chapter of the game’s single player campaign as they battle to overcome an invasion by the armies of Chaos.

Warhammer: Battle March is expected to hit the PC and Xbox 360 in September.

A video featuring footage from the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning closed beta was unleashed this morning. If you were interested in playing WAR before, you will be gagging for it after watching this - well, at least I felt that way.

Based upon Games Workshop’s tabletop fantasy war game, EA Mythic’s Warhammer Online: AoR will hit the PC sometime this Fall. For more information and tons of assets you can look back over our previous posts here.

EA Mythic has released a new series of assets from its upcoming MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Included in the assets are screenshots of the noble High Elves and the Inevitable City, the dark and anarchic capital city for the forces of Chaos. A new zone overview, complete with new art, provides details about the Elven land of Caledor, home of the Dragon Princes. Newly revealed concept art shows off the wicked weapons of WAR, and introduces fans to the leaders of the forces of Destruction: the sinister Witch King Malekith of the Dark Elves, Grumlok and Gazbag of the Greenskins, and Tchar’zanek, dread Champion of Chaos.

For more information on Warhammer Online: AoR check out our previous posts.

MORE SCREENS

By the Gods this man is bold and brazen!

THQ’s Jack Sorenson stated in a recent interview that World of Warcraft has basically peaked and other MMOs are about to get in on some of the MMO loving from gamers tired of the online behemoth.

Speaking to Eurogamer last week at Gamers Day in San Francisco Sorenson stated that:

“However long it takes World of Warcraft to go through its cycle there will always be people on it, probably always be millions of people on it, but does it keep at that peak? And I think that, I wish I could see the numbers, but my guess is that it probably already has peaked - but it’s still a great business. Who wouldn’t want that?”

He went on to speak about THQ’s upcoming Warhammer 40K MMO stating that:

“We haven’t announced a release date, but it’s certainly not imminent and we plan on doing a very high quality job. That’s certainly one thing that World of Warcraft’s proved: not only do you have to do it well, it has to be great from day one. There’s not a tolerance like there used to be, when Ultima came out… All those games were buggy and horrible, and eventually got there. You can’t do that anymore, which has lengthened the cycle for good-quality MMOs. Blizzard based a lot of their, let’s say, RPG characteristics on 40k, which was the original. There’s a lot of commonality there that just comes right out of what Games Workshop has developed - the fiction, and the rest of it is incredibly deep. I think if we’re true to that and do it at a high quality, then people will come. And they can certainly co-exist.”

That was straight from the horse’s mouth, not mine, and if you want to read the rest, click through the link below. I almost refused to touch this with a nice, clean, germ free 10ft pole but I figured you would hear about it sooner or later anyway.

Thanks: Eurogamer

DISCLAIMER: This is post was not intentionally trying to get hard-core WoW fan’s silk panties in a wad - it is only the news as reported so please refrain from bashing the author. The views and opinions of Jack Sorenson expressed in this post do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Gaming Today News Editors, their spouses, significant other, lovers, pets, imaginary friends, game characters, house-elves, multiple personalities, ancestors, neighbors, fifth cousin twice removed, or the evil monkey residing in our closets.

The first details on THQ’s Warhammer 40,000 MMO have come to light and according to the information made available, it is likely going to be more of an MMORPG instead of an MMOFPS with an “in-depth combat system orientated around cover, suppressive fire and flanking”.

Players will be able to form squads, and firefights will take place on an epic scale and all races important to WH40K lore will be represented. The ability to explore cities, alien temples, Chaos shrines, deserted battlefields, mysterious ruins, ancient structures, and ‘drifting hulks in space’ will be included in the content along with what creative director Joe Madureira calls: “Tons of stuff hanging off your character, weapons, and scrolls”.

This all sounds really cool, but what I am wondering is whether this will compete with Warhammer Online: AoR. Even though there will be a major difference between the two, I am wondering which of the two Warhammer MMOs will win out in the end. I guess we will have to wait and see, especially since this one is apparently years off.

Thanks: CVG

This past week brought great news to WH40k fans when THQ and Relic announced Dawn of War II, the highly anticipated sequel bringing savage warfare to your computer sometime in the Spring of 2009.

Today comes word that the official website is up along with teaser trailer and some other highly recommended goodies, as well as three hi-res screenshots which I have happily posted for you.

Even though I have never played any games in the WH40k franchise, the news of DoWII gives me something to smile about because when this game comes out my boyfriend and I will no longer have to fight over the computer - he will get this one and I will get a nice pretty new one. So, thanks Relic for sealing the deal for me - you can expect the cake I baked for you to arrive in the mail any day.

Mark Jacobs, the General Manager for EA Mythic recently stated in a blog post that the possibility of one million users for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning could be surpassed once the title is opened up to the Asia markets. The closed beta for the MMORPG has ongoing for over a year now, and the number of users has already surpassed 500,000.

Jacobs had this to say regarding the number of beta testers:

“Actually, I’d be surprised if we didn’t hit one million once we start taking beta apps for our Asian partners. Even without Asia, based on our current sign-up rate, we should blow through 750,000 and we have a decent shot at one million. Since we have already far surpassed my initial goal, I’m quite happy with what we have. And since I’m sure somebody will ask this, my goal, post EA, was to have 500K signed up in North America and Europe.”

Despite some delays, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is currently scheduled to be released in the Fall.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz

Relic and THQ officially announced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II through a press release issued this morning. The highly anticipated sequel is scheduled to bring the 41st Millennium’s savage warfare to life in the Spring of 2009 and will be powered by an enhanced version of Relic’s Essence Engine 2.0. WH40K: Dawn of War II will take players to the frontlines of war for an intense and visceral non-linear single player experience and a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign.

In addition, THQ has announced that gamers than plan to or have purchased the recent expansion WK40k: Dawn of War Soulstorm will be able to participate in an invitation-only multiplayer beta for Dawn of War II. Beta dates have yet to be announced, but how cool is that?

An exact release date has not been given, only the aforementioned estimated Spring 2009 release - but as the year shuffles along, fans have loads to look forward to because I am sure assets will be forthcoming very soon and then of course there is the beta (providing you purchased Soulstorm). Hit the jump for the full press release which includes some nice blurbs from Relic and THQ.

Via: Press Release

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