Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

World Of Warcraft Alpha Explored, Blizzard Quizzed

Posted by simoniker on from the razzle-dazzle-of-quizzing-blizzard dept.

Thanks to GameSpy for its two-part tour of World Of Warcraft, as they "got the chance to get our hands on... [an] early 'alpha' build" of the eagerly-awaited Blizzard PC MMORPG. The author praises the "incredible atmosphere and game speed... solid interface [and] fun quests", while expressing a few reservations about the "[lack of] character customization options" and the "racially restricted zones" in which "NPCs...would automatically attack any members of another race." The preview is closely followed by an interview with designer Jeff Kaplan, in which he addresses questions on design philosophy ("It's very important not to fall into that trap of trying to manipulate your community as if you're trying to run an ant farm") and in-game housing ("We do not anticipate that our player housing system will ship with the initial product.")

1 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. I rather like the *lack* of customization options by Liquidrage · · Score: 5, Interesting

    EQ was like this as well early on. You got the ability to "stand out" and look different by earning it. You got different weapons, different armor. Standing out was an accomplishment in itself.

    There is nothing wrong with this approach, and I hope they don't submit to the "we want everything handed to us" crowd.

    Too many games of late hand you this early on. Easily dyed armor, zillions of look combinations (that get covered up by armors anyways).

    I remember in EQ beta seeing the people from earlier beta's and they stood out. They had chain or plate armor. They had robes who's origins I could only guess at. Weapons I dreamed about. It made me want to level, to go to new areas, so I could look "cool" too.
    I'm not some mad powerleveler or Ebay-er of items. But I am a big item-collector. It's a huge part of the game for me. And when games minimalize an items ability to make you stand out, they are taking away a large part of the fun for me.

    Months from now, when a vast array of items flood the world, they can add more customization options. But from the get go, let us have the fun of exploring a new world and let us have the fun of earning our place in that world.