I had about two great weeks playing WAR... Ultimately it got boring. It had some unique features, including the first well-executed public quests (I believe) but it ultimately got boring. I remember getting to about level 30 on my "main" and realizing that it already felt grindddddy.
It's a shame - I watched this game in development for years and it entertained me for less than the 30 days of included gametime!
Wait .. in one breath "it might have a monetary barrier" and in another "good for students"??
As a public high school teacher I can tell you that the unit cost for just a $500 console would be very hard to get funded - if there was an added fee on top of that to get access to dev tools, it's even less likely to get funded.
They should follow Apple's model - if you own a Mac you can download and use X-Tools for free, but you need a $99/year developer license to publish.
I once knew a pro-gamer. He was 17 and spent half of his life on the road, often in Europe, and the other half practicing. He made about $40k from winnings and sponsorships. Not a great gig, if you ask me.
For those of you who think maybe one day you could do what these guys do, the first thing you have to ask yourself is "Am I better than everyone else I ever play with?" If the answer is not a resounding YES then you are NEVER going to be a pro gamer. These guys are ridiculously good, blessed with reflexes that you either have or you don't.
1. The graphics don't matter. No game has ever achieved long-term success because of graphics. Gameplay is far more important.
2. ENOUGH F2P GARBAGE!!! Subscription models mean the game is balanced for everyone. There is nothing FREE about F2P - you have to PAY or the games are tedious. You can win with your wallet. It's a system for children with no credit card, failures with no credit card and people who want to pay to win.
3. Combat and leveling in WoW is FINE. The problem is solely that the game is over 8 years old. That's not even a fail. Its the nature of aging.
kingJord's comments