Welcome to the Warhammer Online Grab Bag, where your friendly neighborhood community manager will answer the most popular, and most interesting, questions in a new regular feature. Many things aren't yet certain, so try to be patient with us. Trust me - we're as eager as you are to see the features finalized, so that we can hear what you've got to say.
The game will launch with six playable armies – Greenskins, Dwarfs, Dark Elves, High Elves, the Empire and Chaos. The Greenskins army is comprised of two separate races, Orcs and Goblins, while both the Empire and Chaos armies are human. However, the Empire and Chaos are designed separately and completely unique. As Greg Grimsby, WAR's Art Director puts it, "Their equipment will look different, they will have different customization options, and their physiques will be different." So we think of it as six armies, and seven races.
You'll find many of the other Warhammer races in the game as NPC's. As for other playable races, let's get WAR out the door before we start talking about expansions… ;)
A: Short answer: we are launching with two realms, six armies, and three battlefronts. Each realm is comprised of a loose alliance of armies that have formed out of circumstance (see the game's backstory for more details) – the Alliance of Order (Dwarfs, High Elves, and the Empire) and the Armies of Destruction (Greenskins, Dark Elves, and Chaos). Everything you do in WAR furthers the cause of your army and thus your realm.
Realm vs. Realm™ combat in WAR centers around the above armies and takes place on one of three fronts where ancient foes battle one another – Dwarfs vs. Greenskins, High Elf vs. Dark Elf, and Empire vs. Chaos humans. Players begin the game fighting their racial enemy, but are later free to journey to other battlefronts to help their allies in the larger struggle.
A particular dark elf, for example, can work with allies to invade the capital cities of the Empire, high elves, or the dwarfs. That same dark elf can choose instead to defend his own lands or those belonging to his Greenskin or Chaos "allies." Assuming his own interests don't incline him towards betrayal, of course.
A: We won't. Ever try to stop the sun from rising? The minute someone finishes a quest, he is capable of posting how he solved it and what the reward was. It is up to each person to choose whether or not he will use a spoiler.
I do hope that we will be able to make the community webpage the best possible resource for information.
A: This will not be a cheerful world where unicorns shoot rainbows at grumpy bears. It will be true to Games Workshop's vision of the world. At the same time, the game will have a "teen" rating, as I said in the last edition of this column. Check out http://www.esrb.org/esrbratings_guide.asp for more information about what this rating means.
We also know from experience that *too* much dark and dank atmospheric misery doesn't make for the best playing experience. No one should finish a playing session feeling depressed, but they should still have a sense of having been in the true Warhammer world. Whether or not we succeed at that balancing act remains to be seen in the beta process (starting towards the end of the year). You'd better play it and let us know what you think.
A: There will be contests, sign up forms, guild betas, and more. Starting (for the most part) this summer. Watch the newsletter and the websites for more information.
Yes, I said guild beta. I'll be putting that together and taking applications late this summer. Guilds will be judged based on how active your members are in your current game or forum (NOT number of members), the length of time you've been together, your website, and more. We'll want a mix of guild types, of course, so my best advice for potential guilds is to be who you are with as much style as possible.
A: In-game maps, with your location blinking and marked points of interest.
People who haven't played the tabletop game might not understand this question, so if you have lots of miniature armies, please be patient with those who don't!
From our lead content boy wonder, Destin: "He's referring to the tabletop battle game in which there are two separate armies delineated by Games Workshop. Beasts of Chaos and Hordes of Chaos are made up of separate creatures and humanoids that are all pulled from the overall lore that makes up Chaos as a whole. (Sort of like how in Middle Earth "Elves" are different in that some are Wood Elves and others are more High Elf like.)"
In WAR, we are pulling from the entirety of GW's lore to represent Chaos so you'll find elements of both Beasts and Hordes in the game in one form or another. As a playable race, Chaos refers to the barbaric human (or once human) champions, marauders and warriors of the Hordes.
In case you missed it, we recently hosted an event for members of the online press here at Mythic. We had a great time with the different reporters, but we had an even better time reading your reactions online afterwards. Keep visiting the forums and letting us know what you think! If you've got a fansite or a forum, won't you email me and let me know? It's rjcox AT ea dot com - be sure to put WARHAMMER FANSITE in your subject line. If you've got any other sort of question or feedback, please be sure to use the forms we've set up.
I assume most of you have seen this comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/10
If you have not, and you're looking for a comeback to someone who doesn't know who inspired whom, well, there's your link. And for the record, if you ever need to pick me out of a crowd at a game convention (and surrounded by people who don't know their gaming history), I'll be the one muttering "...my dark work will begin. I will open one of my six mouths, and I will sing the song that ends the Earth." Join me! We'll wear matching shirts!
See you soon, y'all.
