I'm thinking about getting WoW

[Mat Linnett]

Pop along to Fender's Forums Jackal.
There's a bunch of us over there that play GW extensively and are more than willing to help others out.

[bitWISE]

Dont, the games not nearly as big as you'd think. It only takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the east to west coast of a continent. The size of the game compared to real life is a couple cities at most. Its mostly grind, and endgame is the same(you do the same instance over and over to prepare for the next instance gear wise, and so on in one big cycle). As far as PvP, it sucks nuts, unless you've had the character for at least half a year, you can't be anything special, too gear dependant, and gear has inflated so much that now your life spikes up and down, its all about who can 2 hit you the fastest. Trust me, its repetitive, mindless, garbage. I wish I hadnt wasted half a year on it.

Utter cobblers i'm afraid

As for repetetive, what the fuck do expect any game to be after playing it for umpteen hours. I love CS Source, but all that shooting people on the same map gets repetitive :icon27:
Any game relys on repetition of the same mechanics throughout it's playtime lifespan. The whole of WoW hinges entirely on whether you get hooked improving and building on your character. The repetition in bareable as your are ALWAYS inching something towards making your character a little bit better, which is where games with a single skillset or play mechanic (ie: an FPS) gets boring. If you don't care about getting your character up the ranks and into phat loot territory, you won't care for the grinding, and therefore, the game at all.
I can't see how any of it was 'a waste of time' compared to spending hours and hours playing ANY other game. In most other games of any genre, you don't even progress and choose developement of your character, let alone where you go and what you do next.


PvP can be gear dependant, especially if your gear is shit. But all you need is one high main character and you can the twink your low character with gear for PvP. Still, it can still be enjoyable as long as you're on the higher end of the level scale for that particular battleground.

Well said man. I wanted to say something like that but it just didn't come out right so I scrapped it. I'm hooked on wow for the same reasons I was hooked on D2. First and foremost I'm a loot whore. I love being able to noticably upgrade my performance with new items and I love showing them off after finding them. Secondly, I have played every character class in both games. I haven't had wow long enough to really build each class but given that this feels like D2 all over again I'm sure I will have a max level character for every class. (Given that I played D2 for 5 years and there are 8 classes in wow, that gives me 7.5 months each to hit max level which is enough time even gear them out during end-game.)

Why? Because I kindof become my characters when I'm playing. No I don't walk around saying shit like "bow down alliance and face your doom at the wrath of my hands!" but I take the development seriously. I enjoy finding out what each classes strengths are and then exploiting them as much as possible. And just as I'm materialistic in the real world, I'm obsessed with expensive new items in the game. It's like an escape from my dull, boring life into a world where I'm a badass with ~100 friends on voice chat.

[bitWISE]

The graphics are sub-par. The storyline is shit.

I think the graphics look just fine. Sure, it's not photo-realistic but it would take an SLI box running 7800s to walk through Iron Forge at around 8pm with the graphics all the way up and not notice any drop in performance. Hell, I'd like to see a machine able to run from the main-tank's perspective during a fight like Chromaggus. My computer is on the high-end of average and I'm always struggling for a decent framerate even on low settings.

[Jackal]

The graphics are sub-par. The storyline is shit.

I think the graphics look just fine. Sure, it's not photo-realistic but it would take an SLI box running 7800s to walk through Iron Forge at around 8pm with the graphics all the way up and not notice any drop in performance. Hell, I'd like to see a machine able to run from the main-tank's perspective during a fight like Chromaggus. My computer is on the high-end of average and I'm always struggling for a decent framerate even on low settings.

FFXI does it.

[bitWISE]

I thought FFXI looked worse than wow when I played it. It had that late 90s "trying to be realistic but doesn't have good texture filtering so everything is gritty" feel to it.

[Jackal]

I thought FFXI looked worse than wow when I played it. It had that late 90s "trying to be realistic but doesn't have good texture filtering so everything is gritty" feel to it.

? huh ?
You must have been smoking crack.

[losCHUNK]

Dont, the games not nearly as big as you'd think. It only takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the east to west coast of a continent. The size of the game compared to real life is a couple cities at most. Its mostly grind, and endgame is the same(you do the same instance over and over to prepare for the next instance gear wise, and so on in one big cycle). As far as PvP, it sucks nuts, unless you've had the character for at least half a year, you can't be anything special, too gear dependant, and gear has inflated so much that now your life spikes up and down, its all about who can 2 hit you the fastest. Trust me, its repetitive, mindless, garbage. I wish I hadnt wasted half a year on it.

Utter cobblers i'm afraid

As for repetetive, what the fuck do expect any game to be after playing it for umpteen hours. I love CS Source, but all that shooting people on the same map gets repetitive :icon27:
Any game relys on repetition of the same mechanics throughout it's playtime lifespan. The whole of WoW hinges entirely on whether you get hooked improving and building on your character. The repetition in bareable as your are ALWAYS inching something towards making your character a little bit better, which is where games with a single skillset or play mechanic (ie: an FPS) gets boring. If you don't care about getting your character up the ranks and into phat loot territory, you won't care for the grinding, and therefore, the game at all.
I can't see how any of it was 'a waste of time' compared to spending hours and hours playing ANY other game. In most other games of any genre, you don't even progress and choose developement of your character, let alone where you go and what you do next.


PvP can be gear dependant, especially if your gear is shit. But all you need is one high main character and you can the twink your low character with gear for PvP. Still, it can still be enjoyable as long as you're on the higher end of the level scale for that particular battleground.

"pokemon" =p

[Mat Linnett]

Oh, and in WoW for me, the repetition wasn't bearable, and I had the distinct feeling that my character was less of an individual and more of a clothes-horse.
And the cost to rebuild your character was far too prohibitive.
Gear > Skill = Fun Void.

[mjrpes]

Even today, I still think WoW graphics are quite nice. There are still moments when I'll explore some new area and just be over-awed by some massive wall, bridge, etc. Like the other day, I was exploring the north country and, making my way over some mountain region, came upon that massive, glowing red dome way below in the valley. I just stood back and said, that's some heavy shit.

[plained]

really ey well i guess i'll get 2 then

[bitWISE]

Even today, I still think WoW graphics are quite nice. There are still moments when I'll explore some new area and just be over-awed by some massive wall, bridge, etc. Like the other day, I was exploring the north country and, making my way over some mountain region, came upon that massive, glowing red dome way below in the valley. I just stood back and said, that's some heavy shit.

Definitely. Have you been to hyjal? The trees and mountains and stuff are just plain beautiful.

Jackal, perhaps my settings weren't turned up very high. After doing a google image search FFXI does appear to have better graphics but I enjoy the almost cartoonish feel of wow.

[bitWISE]

I've been playing for 7 months and still haven't played in more than a handful of pvp games

I'll probably wait until I get each class played out a bit more and then run one as high as I can in rank. Right now I think my warrior will the best fun in pvp.

[Mat Linnett]

Try it with the gear though

My 28 Rogue is mopping up in WSG :icon32:

Surely that must feel somewhat hollow though?
Knowing that the only REAL reason you're winning is to do with the fact that you have better kit than the other players rather than your personal ability?

Come on man, you come from a Quake background; level playing field and all that.
You can't have fair competition under such conditions.

[SOAPboy]

I thought FFXI looked worse than wow when I played it. It had that late 90s "trying to be realistic but doesn't have good texture filtering so everything is gritty" feel to it.

It does look like cock..

Ex-FFXI player, yeah, it looks like cock.. Silkroad online looks nicer, and its FREE

[Jackal]

LOL all the WoW fanboys saying FFXI doesn't look nice.
Sure thing guys.
lol

[Mat Linnett]

Nothing wrong with WoW's graphics in a "must run on every configuration possible to maximise profits" kind of way.
It's a very well rounded artistic style, and very practical. Just a bit generic is all.

[Jackal]

LOL all the WoW fanboys saying FFXI doesn't look nice.
Sure thing guys.
lol

Looking good in a screenshot and looking good in motion are two entirely different things. You're comparing Streetfighter 2 with Rise of the Robots I'm afriad.

FFXI looks the same in motion that it does static.
Listen, you can fan the flames out of your panties. I don't think WoW looks like shit. It looks good for what it is, which as Matt put it is stylized and generic.
FFXI actually has far better looking characters and landscapes.
They're both nice. FFXI is just better.

[SOAPboy]

LOL all the WoW fanboys saying FFXI doesn't look nice.
Sure thing guys.
lol

Its dated

In its day, sure, it looked fantastic.. now tho? its no better than the freebie MMOs..

[losCHUNK]

warcraft looks like cock mind

[DiscoDave]

Cheers for the comments everyone, seem to be quite a lot of info to digest. I'll see how the trial is.

[SOAPboy]

I thought FFXI looked worse than wow when I played it. It had that late 90s "trying to be realistic but doesn't have good texture filtering so everything is gritty" feel to it.

? huh ?
You must have been smoking crack.

I've seen FF running and I gotta say, it looks toss. And it is gritty.

Where WoW may not have all the graphical whizzbangery of other recent games, what it does have is character. Even out of proportion, in rainbow colours and whether 1 inch or 40 feet tall, there's nothing in the game that doesn't look like it belongs there, like it's part of the world. Everything in the game just looks 'right'.

I agree it runs like shit though. And if GW can run Lion's Arch at 60fps FULL of people, there's no excuse for Warcraft to kick my PC in the knackers, wrap a belt round it's neck and force it to throat fuck lag, for 3 mins until everything calms down, every time I fly into Org. Which reminds me, I gotta get some more RAM.

2gigs = sweet spot..

GF runs 1 gig.. Kick the draw distance and graphics way down, runs lag free

[SOAPboy]

Cheers for the comments everyone, seem to be quite a lot of info to digest. I'll see how the trial is.

If you roll on a pvp server, ive got a toon on illdian alliance side..

PvE, im on whisperwind and a-n.. Bitwise is also on whisperwind

[bitWISE]

? huh ?
You must have been smoking crack.

I've seen FF running and I gotta say, it looks toss. And it is gritty.

Where WoW may not have all the graphical whizzbangery of other recent games, what it does have is character. Even out of proportion, in rainbow colours and whether 1 inch or 40 feet tall, there's nothing in the game that doesn't look like it belongs there, like it's part of the world. Everything in the game just looks 'right'.

I agree it runs like shit though. And if GW can run Lion's Arch at 60fps FULL of people, there's no excuse for Warcraft to kick my PC in the knackers, wrap a belt round it's neck and force it to throat fuck lag, for 3 mins until everything calms down, every time I fly into Org. Which reminds me, I gotta get some more RAM.

2gigs = sweet spot..

GF runs 1 gig.. Kick the draw distance and graphics way down, runs lag free

Yeah I'm running 1280x1024 and had to bump everything but spell detail down to deal with raids. My roommate has an x800 (versus my x700) and he can handle max settings at 1024

[bitWISE]

I couldn't stand low drawing distance so im at like 60%. I always run at 1280 because on a 19 it looks best plus I can still pull 85Hz and my eyes havent been spoiled by anything higher.

[Pauly]

Weren't WoW graphics altered recently? I came back after a few months away and there appears to be a nice spanky tick box in the options that adds a nice lighting effect.

If it was there before I never noticed it, and it looks really nice now, anyway.