Rob (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} robyrt) wrote,@ 2008-06-30 10:55:00 |
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World of Warcraft: Initial Thoughts
As part of my quest to break into game design, the two recurring pieces of advice are "Play all the best games" and "Make games/levels constantly." To that end, I signed up for the WOW week-long free trial, to see if I could "get" what an MMO had to offer. After about 8 hours of playtime (about how much I've spent on Grand Theft Auto!) here are my impressions.
Pluses:
As part of my quest to break into game design, the two recurring pieces of advice are "Play all the best games" and "Make games/levels constantly." To that end, I signed up for the WOW week-long free trial, to see if I could "get" what an MMO had to offer. After about 8 hours of playtime (about how much I've spent on Grand Theft Auto!) here are my impressions.
Pluses:
- The world is fully realized and awe-inspiring, if a bit depopulated. Entering a new place, there's a rush of excitement every time. Seeing other people around, passing them on the street, is also loads of fun, fueling both aspiration and envy.
- Overall design is very good, and very deep. There are lots of things to do, with clear goals on both storyline and mechanical fronts. Many are crucial distractions from the basic grind. I never got the sense that I was being forced into a boring path.
- Low system requirements mean I can play it at 1920x1200 to ease eyestrain, with nary a hiccup outside of towns. Blizzard's famed pixel artists really help in this regard.
- The interface is frustrating and badly explained. (Fortunately, I knew to rely on the number keys from watching others play.) Inventory management is a big chore, as is using non-combat abilities. And where's my auto-run button?
- It takes forever to get anywhere, especially after dying. (And I did a lot of dying.) After my fourth time walking back and forth along the same road for 90 seconds each way, facing the same random low-level enemies, I was ready to sign off and grab dinner.
- My free trial account can't join groups. Unfortunately, I didn't figure that out until I was several hours into my first priest, a budding healer who now had all the compelling usefulness of a Victoria's Secret in Riyadh. Silly me, I should have been a hunter or paladin like everyone else!
