World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe.
Why in the world is this game so popular when other big budget, highly anticipated, well conceived games are only seeing a fraction of the subscribers World of Warcraft (a.k.a. WoW) is? What is driving people to Blizzard’s offering in droves? The answer can be found in the game itself. While other developers have spent time introducing new features and retooling the formula that has worked in many other games, Blizzard has taken all the best features of the standard MMORPG and amplified them. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been offered before, but it’s the way in which WoW implements all the familiar trappings and integrates them into an engaging persistent world that gives the game its duende. It’s an addictive game which does just about everything right. In fact, the only thing that really looks to be a roadblock in WoW’s progress is Blizzard itself. Those who achieve success aren’t always the best equipped to handle it, and while Blizzard has done a great job handling success in the past, it appears that a refresher course is in order, given the developer’s track record since the game’s 2004 release.
The land of Azeroth is where one finds himself as he begins his adventure in World of Warcraft. The age-old feud between humans and orcs has raised its foul head and war is at hand. Each side has formed an alliance, and the new player must choose his allegiance before creating a character. The humans have teamed with the gnomes, the dwarves, and the night elves, collectively known as the Alliance. The orcish Horde has enlisted the aid of the undead, the trolls, and the Tauren, a tribal race of bull-like creatures. Multiple characters may be created, but characters on the same server must all be on the same side. No problem playing both Alliance and Horde characters, just not on the same server.
Once a race has been chosen, the player may select his character’s class. Not all classes are open to all races – some are even exclusive to Alliance or Horde characters – so choosing one’s race (and even alliance) becomes a factor. If the goal is to be a paladin, Horde is out, as are gnomes. Beyond these choices, there’s little else to do at character creation, save selecting a name and tailoring the character’s look. Although relatively simple, creating a character gives a player enough latitude to make the avatar his own.
Azeroth is made up of two main continents. Depending upon the character’s race, he will start either on the continent of Kalimdor or in the Eastern Kingdoms. Both factions have major cities on either continent, with the capitals split. Orgrimmar, the Horde capital, is in Kalimdor, while the Alliance capital of Ironforge is in the Eastern Kingdoms. The continents are split up into areas which are either controlled by a faction or contested. On balance, only a few areas are uncontested and they are fairly low level when it comes to adventuring, so players who wish to advance must venture into contested territory. On non-PvP servers, the difference is not nearly as important as on player vs. player servers.
A new character starts in a small settlement and is immediately thrust into the action. All around are NPCs offering quests that are level-appropriate for new players and that offer rewards a young character can use, such as low-level armor or weapons, as well as experience bonuses. Prominent exclamation points floating overhead designate quest givers, some of whom may offer general tasks to all players. Others are class specific and engage the player in a path toward a better understanding of his character’s abilities.
Rather than have the player begin in a large city, which can be overwhelming to those just starting out, World of Warcraft starts players in a much smaller location where options are plentiful, but not overabundant. The quests in these areas eventually direct the player to a nearby larger town, then to a city, in a cleverly designed progression that provides a great sense of discovery. There’s a feeling of wonder when the new player makes his first entrance into Orgrimmar or Ironforge or the Undercity and sees them in all their cartoonish glory.
The cities are fantastically represented and each boasts a unique style. The Undercity, home of the undead, is a crypt beneath an abandoned city which may be accessed by sewers coursing with green slime. Thunder Bluff, true to the tribal nature of the Tauren, is constructed of teepees and totem poles, high atop bluffs connected by swinging bridges. The dwarven city of Ironforge with its high stone arches is hewn into the side of a mountain. The other cities are equally impressive. Each is a zone unto itself, is heavily guarded by high-level NPCs, and is tucked away in uncontested territory. Raids are possible, but it will take a large, well-organized raid party just to journey to the opposing alliance’s capital, let alone to successfully assault it.
Out in the other zones are smaller towns where adventurers may congregate, sell, repair, quest and travel. None of these communities feels unused or isolated. Blizzard has placed the settlements of Azeroth with specific intent. Each little town serves a purpose and many are favorite targets for players from the opposing faction. In contested territory, it is common for towns from both factions to be in close proximity. This is not a neatly compartmentalized set of zones that opponents must spend a good deal of travel time reaching. It’s common ground, and the shared claim makes for some interesting turf battles.
Zones are big but not huge, so running is a viable means of getting about, but the preferred method is flight. All cities and many smaller towns have flight masters that offer flying beasts on predefined courses. The city must be reached on foot first and the wrangler must be visited before the flight path is open. Once the path is established, the player may travel to and from other towns on the same continent. The trick is that not all cities are directly connected, so getting from point A to point B may require a stopover in town C, therefore it pays to make a mental note of which cities connect. Travel between continents is accomplished through zeppelins or boats which run on regular schedules. Players wait at towers or docks until the ship arrives. Once the vehicle hits the zone boundary after debarking, the map pops up and shows a dotted flight path to the other zone, so transoceanic travel is fairly swift.
The graphics in World of Warcraft are fantastic. In creating the gameworld, Blizzard chose an amplified, almost caricature style. Rather than resemble a “real” goblin city or night-elf grove, the game looks more like a high quality animated film. The landscapes are imbued with generous amounts of color – even the snowy peaks around Ironforge and the dreary swamps in Dustwallow Marsh – so that it has a vibrant, almost surrealistic quality. But this does not mean that the effects aren’t of the highest quality. Lighting effects are fantastic, textures are very good, buildings and other structures exhibit a great amount of detail. There’s no denying that the graphics in World of Warcraft are as good as any MMO on the market.
These are important areas and they need to be fixed quickly, but they are not endemic to the actual game. In other words, it’s not a design flaw that will requires millions of dollars to reprogram. All it will take is a few more servers, an effective population management plan, and some more warm bodies on the Blizzard customer support team to make it all better. With 1.5 million people paying $50 for the game and $15 a month, that should be no problem. World of Warcraft is a fantastic game in almost every respect. It’s a shame to see it tarnished by things that are so easily remedied.