The End of an Era - 10.9.2008

Simply put, I'm not playing WAR. My subscription ends in eight days and I won't be adding more time.

I also liked to think of myself as an MMO player, but I've finally realized that I'm not and MMO player - I'm a WoW player. I've played WoW for almost 4 years now, and not s single MMO has taken me away for more then 3 weeks. There is just something about WoW that can't seem to allow me leave. I can, honestly, no longer (after AoC, WAR, etc. disappointed me) see myself playing any other game than WoW, and I picture myself playing WoW until Blizzard takes the servers down (or discontinues the creation of new content). I originally planned to write a huge post about all of this, but I decided to keep it short because of what I'm about to say next.

Yes, I am done with Bloghammer (but I still do Blogcraft). However, this does not mean that I want Bloghammer to die out. Now, I am looking for a couple of people out there to take over for me. If you would like to write for Bloghammer, you're going to e-mail me at worldofblogcraft@gmail.com with your name, why you want to write for Bloghammer, your "WAR credentials", and a short 100-300 word example blog post. You may also add any other information that you feel I should know.

Now, don't be surprised if you see me periodically post some new things on Bloghammer. I still be checkin' around the WAR blogosphere every so often.

-Matt Graham

Where In The World Is Car-... The Bloggers? - 9.15.2008

I dunno about you guys, but I've been having a heck of a time remembering and keeping track of where all the other WAR bloggers are playing. I've heard Wolfenberg for some, Averheim for others, etc., but I can never keep track of it. I'd like to play with some of the other bloggers, but I dunno where they are! >.>

So, I decided to compile a list of where all the bloggers are playing (server), what their blogging handle is, what realm they play for, and their character's name. This way, it's easy and accessible for all of the readers who may be looking to play with the blogger from their favorite daily reading material!

So, if you are one in the circle of WAR bloggers and you'd like to have your "information" out there and readily available, e-mail me (worldofblogcraft@gmail.com) or comment this post with:

1. Your blogging handle.
2. The server that you play on.
3. The realm that you play for.
4. Your character's name (guild optional).

-Matt Graham

Syp Is Ugly - 9.15.2008

Syp has created what might be the most ugly being in all of WAR - as his main character. No, he didn't do it as a joke, it's his actual character. I don't even know what it is. I've never seen something like that in WoW or any other game before.

The following are pictures of... it... I did not alter the photos or add uglyness to them (like it really needs any added) in any way. The last picture is just plain wrong. I did not want to see that.

Good lord...

:p

-Matt Graham

My WAR Not-Review - 9.14.2008

Ya know? I was going to do a full on beta review after my previous "disliked first impression". Earlier this morning, I decided against it.

See, four or five days ago, I was invited to the Wrath of the Lich King beta. That was also the last day that I logged onto the WAR beta. I think that shows something in itself. But, don't get the impression that I think WAR sucks, because I definitely don't. This time around, I did play much more of the beta, enough to get a good feel for how the game really works. I liked it, I really did. I liked almost every aspect of the game.

However, the reality is that my computer handles WoW much better than it does WAR. Now, it did run better in the open beta as opposed to the Preview Weekend, but it was still clunky enough for me to completely shove it to the side when I got my WotLK beta invitation. It's very possible that had I been "blessed" with a better machine, I may put the WotLK beta on hold for the moment.

Last night, in the WotLK beta, I experienced one of the most fun things that I've ever done in WoW - the Death Knight starting zone. It was so fresh and different from the other parts of the game. I couldn't log off, it was so amazing. I finished the zone in one sitting.

Once again, I feel that I need to remind you that I really do like WAR a lot! WAR is an amazing game, the thing is, WoW is just amazing-er.

I'm not done with WAR. The Head Start begins in just a few moments and I do plan to take full advantage. I'm going to get as far as I can so that when the game is put on shelves I'll be ahead of the laggy areas. And hopefully, sometimes in the not to distant future, I'll get a new computer. Then, who knows? My WoW playtime might slowly decline.

-Matt Graham

Beta Review Coming Soon - 9.14.2008

I'm not dead. Beta review coming soon.

-Matt Graham

Let Me Clarify... - 8.30.2008

Okay, so I'd like to acknowledge the comments made on my "WAR Is Good, WoW Is Better" post.

Trust me, I am aware that it is IMPOSSIBLE to review an MMO after only a few hours of play. The earlier blog post was supposed to really be a "first impression" from what I had experienced and a full review would come later when I could actually get the time to play. I thought that by saying I only played for a few hours, it would imply that I wasn't doing a full review, but I guess I should have made that more clear.

I apologize to anyone who may have been offended when seeing that post as a full review.

-Matt Graham

WAR Is Good, WoW Is Better - 8.26.2008

So, I got around to playing in the Preview Weekend. I didn't play much - no more than a total of 2.5 hours. I just didn't have the time. In that time, I did basic beginning level PvE, Public Quests, Scenario RvR, and extremely limited RvR (my computer couldn't handle it).

From what I experienced, I came to the conclusion that WAR is a really good game, but WoW is better. Everyone seems to want to compare the two games, so I will do so as well.

I realize that WAR is not yet complete - I mean, WAR is still in beta (okay, but yes, I guess it did go gold today) - and WoW is nearing it's 4th year anniversary. I didn't play for very long and even I was able to see that there is a lot missing in WAR. I know that WAR is not PvE centric, but I gotta tell ya, if Mythic doesn't add a few more PvE elements into the game, it simply won't be as successful as it could be. In my opinion, we are talking a possible 2 or 3 million subscribers if more solid PvE was introduced vs. 850,000 is the game stays the way it currently is.

The people that want a solely PvP MMO are deinitely the minority - and then there's the people that say they would love a solely PvP MMO before they go and finally play and run back to WoW like the carebears they are. It's just not realistic right now.

WAR at launch will NOT be AoC at launch. WAR is much more complete than AoC was at launch, but then again that's not saying a whole lot considering AoC is one of the least "complete" games I've ever seen at launch. The reality is that even after the months of delays, WAR is not as far along as it should be. I hate to go back to it, but maybe if Mythic had decided to push WAR back to 2009 we would not only have a more polished game with better PvE, but also the 4 capital cities and classes that were removed.

I'm not going to say that I completely regret pre-ordering the Collector's Edition just yet. I'm going to see what happens. I'll definitely subscribe for a month of WAR, and in that period I will make a decision - whether I will continue to play, or wait six months and come back. I really want WAR to be a sucess. Giving up after the first month of the game's release is not an option for me.

I'm not sure if I'm going to log into the open beta when Mythic opens that up on September 7th. We'll see what happens.

P.S. - The above picture is my rank 2 Warrior Priest exploring the zone. :D

-Matt Graham

WAR's Mr. Scrooge - 8.20.2008

For those of you that may not know, Brent is an "internet famous" blogger and podcaster from over at VirginWorlds.Com. The blog is great and the podcast collective is amazing (hehehe mostly 'cause I used to be a part of it :p ).

Yesterday, he made a post-NDA WAR blog post that got some attention from places like Waaagh! and Ten Ton Hammer. The post wasn't in the most positive of attitudes. You could maybe even go as far as saying it was a "flame"! Yes, the "F word" of the internet.

For example, Brent says that WAR "might as well have been released 4 years ago as it offers us nothing aside from one standout evolutionary concept, the public quest".

Now see, I do agree with most of that statement. I do agree that WAR is far from revolutionary (being that's is basically an upgraded DAoC with a new skin). But, the "shoulda been released 4 years ago" thing seems a bit extreme to me.

Brent also can't agree more with Richard Bartle when he said, "I've played Warhammer Online before, it was called World of Warcraft".

Now, that's just wrong. :p

I'd advise that you read Brent's full article. He really does have good points. The curent MMOs that we see are not pushing the genre forward except for a few new features here and there. In my opinion, we aren't going to really see a new "generation" of MMOs until maybe 4 or 5 years from now, but even then, will the majority accept the new gameplay style? I don't know, I think Brent is the minority here.

Does this change my opinion on WAR at all? Nope. I got into this game knowing not to expect amazingly revolutionary gameplay - the mistake that I made with AoC. I still like WAR and my decision as to whether I will continue to watch it or not will probably be made this weekend during the CE Preview.

On a semi-related note, Brent had and SOEgasm this past week at the Fan Faire and it seems as though he really liked what he saw. I hope he's right.

P.S. - If you saw this post as disrespect towards Brent, you are mistaken.

-Matt Graham

Bye bye, NDA! - 8.19.2008

The NDA is now officially lifted!

Folks,

As of now, the Non Disclosure portions of our Beta Testing Agreement is now officially lifted. From this point on players may now freely talk about their experiences in the game as well as post screenshots, videos, etc. We will be sending an email out to all our current players with full details about the lift over the next 24 hours. Players with access to our forums can also see the letter there. Players may not talk about nor reprint posts from our forums and our Test Servers (currently Deathsword) are still fully covered by the confidentiality portions of our Beta Testing Agreement. So, other than that, free feel to talk about and share your experiences in WAR.

My thanks go out to everyone who has beta tested and continues to beta test WAR. It has been with your help and feedback that WAR is where it is today. We really appreciate your effort.

WAR is almost upon us!

Mark Jacobs
VP, GM Mythic Entertainment

-Matt Graham

And now, we wait... - 8.18.2008

Okay, so after the period of unlocking, I was prompted to open up the new folder that was created by clicking the "Play" button. I ran "setup" and I'm assuming that it installed, but it seemed like it didn't take long enough.


It then brought me to the "EA Mythic Patcher Login" where I put in the same information that I used at the Mythic Account Center. It quickly did something (pictured right) and just went back to the login screen.

So, I think that I'm as far as I can be for now. I guess I just sit and wait for now with a useless extra 9.x gigs on my machine until September 7th.

The wait is gunna be painful. I'm one of those Collector's Edition pre-orders that didn't get into closed beta because my machine is not up to par. I'm not running a bad machine by any means. I was probably just a tad bit under the bar that Mythic had set for what kind of machines they wanted to allow entrance into closed beta. I can wait, but it will be painful. >.>

-Matt Graham

WinPlanet is Win - 8.18.2008

Okay, so FilePlanet isn't complete fail - at least for me anyways. Many people over at Warhammer Alliance are still having problems with the downloader - some can't even load the FilePlanet web page!

After a few hours, my download completed. After that, I received an error. I clicked "retry" and it brought me to the screenshot you see in this post.

So, apparently the file is currently being "unlocked". The screenshot was taken about 10 minutes ago. Right now, the green bar is at about 70-75%. I'm excited to see what happens next. :D

-Matt Graham

FailPlanet is Fail - 8.18.2008

UPDATE: I waited the 50 minutes that it told me to wait for the next availability check and my download has started. It's downloading at about 1 MB/sec. The estimated time remaining is a little over 3 hours.

So, the WAR beta download client is now available - I use the word "available" loosely.

Supposedly, you are able to begin downloading the client today, but the FilePlanet download manager seems to say "Est. date available: Tue, Aug 19,2008". So, ya... Some people are saying that their download has started and that everything is cool, some claim that spamming "Check Now" will eventually start your download, and some even say that spamming "Check Now" screws you over.

I'd guess that this isn't going as smoothly as Mythic anticipated - especially considering the delay for allowing people to start downloading the client was so that they would find a better way than their previous means (torrent).

I'm just gunna sit back and watch the QQ's fall from the sky as I spam "Check Now".

-Matt Graham

My Little Greenskin #3: Greenskin in Beta - 8.15.2008

As like always, you can click on the comic to get a slightly bigger version of it if you'd like.

Maybe some of you out there can relate to this edition of "My Little Greenskin" just as Spencer and I do. :p

Enjoy!

-Matt Graham

Monday Movies - 8.13.2008

VIDEOS REMOVED

i brakded teh nda :(

P.S. - I've now actually written "My Little Greenskin" #3. I sent it to Spencer and he said that he will begin (and probably finish) drawing tonight!

-Matt Graham

Help Build My WAR Machine, Please! - 8.9.2008

I'm just gunna come right out and say it - I am computer retarded. When it comes to computer parts and accessories, I have close to no knowledge of anything. I understand the basics, but I don't know enough to be able to build my own machine that will last me the next 3, maybe 4, years and be cost efficient. In the past, I've gotten generic pre-built computers at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. and maybe only added some memory and a simple graphics card.

So, this is where you guys come in. I would like you wonderful readers out there to build me a good machine, online and figuratively of course, and leave links in the comments section. The best bet is to link me to a service that won't make ME put the computer parts together - oh, that would be a frustrating day or two - and where I can ship it to my house here in the USA.

I look forward to the different custom machines that people suggest!

-Matt Graham

IGN Interview's Paul and Jeff - 8.8.2008

I was going to post this for the next "Monday Movies", but I thought that I should get it up as soon as possible. It's a few days old and there isn't really any new information, but the main reason that I'm showing you this video is to build up more hype for WAR - not because of the game itself, but because of the people working on it.

Paul and Jeff have amazing chemistry. While getting quality WAR information, at the same time, I am always entertained when watching a Paul and Jeff interview. The two are able to feed off each other's energy so well and it always looks like they are having so much fun - even when they are stating something for the 793095th time. Paul and Jeff have such a passion for WAR that whenever I see them, I am completely reassured that WAR will rock the MMO world.



-Matt Graham

Back! - 8.7.2008

I'm back! Well, actually I got back last night, but I didn't feel like blogging. So, quite a lot happened while I was gone - of course. I could never go AFK without some big news coming out, that'd just be absurd!

First, I'd like to give some props to Regis from Wizard Sandwenches, errr, Wizards and Wenches for opening up a forum for the WAR blogging community called Blog Warhammer.

Second, I'd like to point out the awesomeness of the fact that Warhammer Online now has an official release date - September 18th.

Next, I'd like to point out even more awesomeness because anyone that pre-ordered the Collector's Edition will be able to get into closed beta as soon as next week. That's me! W00t!

And last, I'd like to let everyone know that "My Little Greenskin" is DEFINITELY not dead. It's just that I've either been busy or not around lately. The third issue will hopefully come soon.

I might post some opinion stuff later tonight. If not, I'll get something up tomorrow.

-Matt Graham

Monday Movies - 7.29.2008

Just one movie today. It's a fifteen and a half minute video of Josh Drescher talking WAR at Comic-Con. I couldn't find a way to embed it, so just CLICK HERE to see it. Enjoy!

-Matt Graham

WAR Will NOT Release On September 23rd - 7.28.2008

I had to. But, I also had to do something a little different.

I don't care what the Singapore one-celled life form from the fiery pits of Mars' volcano's EA website says. WAR's release date is NOT September 23. My first, and probably strongest, reason is that September 23rd is the first Tuesday in the fall season - the season of this year in which WAR is supposed to release. It's simply a placeholder date.

My second reason is that, well, the NDA hasn't dropped yet. Apparently, we'll be getting the NDA drop before open beta begins. That being said, I expect open beta to go for at least a month, unlike the few weeks that most people think. After open beta, there will be the headstart, which I assume will be 5-7 days before release. So, here is my predicted timeline outlining why WAR will NOT release on September 23rd.

NDA Drop - August 4th
Open Beta Start - August 8th
Open Beta End - September 12th
Head Start Begining - September 15th
Head Start "End" - September 22nd
Official Release - September 23rd

Oh... Wait... Eh... Hmm... Maybe it will release on September 23rd after all... Damn...

Being completely honest, I actually did go into the post trying to prove why WAR wouldn't release on September 23rd, but a little over halfway through my timeline I had a change of heart.

P.S. - Busiest day of my life. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but whatever. "Monday Movies" tomorrow. Maybe. >.>

-Matt Graham

zzzZZZzzz - 7.27.2008

As you can see, I haven't been posting regularly. I'm pretty much hibernating while I wait for open beta or an NDA drop. I am not in closed beta, but I wish I was. If I were in the closed beta I'd be able to create awesome write-ups for you guys and release them the day the NDA drops - but I can't. *wink wink at Mythic*

I'll be posting more than I did the past few weeks, but it'll still be slow until the next big phase of testing hits. Expect Monday Movies tomorrow, "My Little Greenskin" #3, and some other posts during this week!

-Matt Graham