Surveys, the Silent Truth

The fall-out from the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning class cuts continues, but Mythic is not sitting idly by. They are staunchly defending their decisions, unlike so many companies that make decisions and tell the community to shut up. The part that amazes me about all of this, is that so much of the change was directed by Mythic's stellar beta feedback systems.

One of the tools being used is surveys, which allow beta testers to provide feedback immediately from inside the beta test, right after an event occurs. A system I hope will make it into launch. I've argued in the past that the feedback mechanisms in beta tests are often lackluster and generic. Most games just put up a forum, e-mail address, and a standard feedback form. All of which are susceptible to the loud minority taking over.

Not so with surveys, and this quote from Mark Jacobs, WAR's top dog, really highlights the power of a good feedback:

I am really disappointed in losing the Choppa. Choppas are great. The Choppa rocks. However, in certain terms, the class wasn’t rocking. It’s so funny, because even on our Beta boards people are saying, "I cannot believe you’re taking it out. I know the feedback wasn’t great on it, I know that it wasn’t exciting, but why are you taking it out?" Well, that’s the whole point! We’re taking it out because we have gotten this kind of feedback, because we know that people aren’t playing them.

This happens all the time on boards. You get a small percentage of the population acting like they speak for the entire population. However, this time, we’ve got the data. We know just how many people were playing the Choppa or the Hammerer. We know just how long they took to level. We have the surveys. We have all this data going in. There was one post on the forums that said, "I know I have provided a lot of hard feedback on the class…" Well, that's the whole point!

Anyone arguing that Mythic is haphazardly, at the last minute, changing key game mechanics is wrong. Mythic is measured and consistent with their changes; with copious amounts of data to back up their decisions publicly. The only lacking aspect has been the rather slow release of information, which should pretty much be done now that Guild Beta is in full swing.

I truly love WAR that much more every time I read interviews from the development team. It is refreshing to see a development team that has been around a while, actually using the knowledge that has been gained through a dozen failed projects, along with the data gained from great in-house feedback mechanisms.

Knights Of The Online Republic

One simple quote has brought the Internet to its collective knees:

“We’ve got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development,” said Riccitiello. The first title, based on the Warhammer property, will launch soon. “And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about — in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it.”

Does Riccitiello mean the oft rumored Knights of the Old Republic Online? “Yes,” he said.

MMO gaming has NEVER looked better. Anyone that thought that the industry died with World of Warcraft was dead, dead wrong.

Busted Punk

It never fails. Every time I talk up a piece of software, such as Punkbuster becoming part of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR), it comes back and kicks me in the balls. Since Mark Jacobs announced that WAR would be using Punkbuster, I've been out on the message boards giving my side of the argument. Punkbuster has never really given me problems, aside from an issue with Quake Wars: Enemy Territory's second demo and a brief stint with a Call of Duty 4 patch. I've dealt with Punkbuster on both the client and server side.

My argument all fell apart when I went to play Call of Duty 4 yesterday.

Punkbuster Failed to Initialize.
Punkbuster Failed to Initialize.
Punkbuster Failed to Initialize.
Punkbuster Failed to Initialize.
You were kicked for PB INIT FAILURE.

No amount of firewall finagling or anti-virus witchery did the trick. All the changes and tweaks suggested by the official Punkbuster support team didn't help. In the end, I was left doing what I always do with computer problems that befuddle me: Google.

A few clicks through Google in search of PB INIT FAILURE fixes and I came across a posting including a download for a new, and supposedly working, PB folder. I downloaded the folder, deleted my old PB folder, and replaced it with the new one. Problem solved. No re-installs, no updating, no nothing. Just a working Punkbuster.

Now I'm curious what Punkbuster support will say about my fix.

Happiness Doesn't Last Forever

When I was a child, I remember watching "The Majik Hour", a local Wisconsin TV show featuring Don Majkowski, the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers at the time. I was a bit sad, as Don Majkowski had been injured in a game, and the show was going off the air. Some young quarterback, named Brett Favre, was going to take over as the starter. Seventeen years later, I'm the biggest Brett Favre fan most people will ever meet.

Brett Favre has given the Packers and their fans sixteen great years. Last year, against most predictions, the Packers came within inches of the Super Bowl. So, it was a big surprise that Favre called it quits and retired. However, I don't think many believed that he was actually retiring. The Packers needed an answer from him, and Brett gave them the one that fit the moment: retirement.

The Packers are in a transition period and moves have been made for years to ensure the club could stay a float when Favre did retire. Those moves came to fruition after Favre announced retirement. Up until that point, the Packers team belonged to Brett Favre. Sadly, it is clear that is no longer the case. Favre didn't just retire from the Packers, he retired any claim to leadership within the organization that he had gained over the past two decades.

In the entirety of the Favre retirement saga, Favre NEVER lost the fans. However, as more revelations come to light and Brett fleshes out more of the troubles he has had with the Ted Thompson Packers, Brett is losing ground. Favre is going to be gone at some point no matter what, so it is natural for fans to stick with the team. Too many fans are Packers' fans first, Favre fans second.

Favre has handled his career with grace and tact. He has been a role model, not just for NFL quarterbacks, but for sports stars of all games. But not being happy, and facing the possibility of not playing the game he loves, Brett's hand has been forced. He is going to throw his weight around and try to get what he wants. I don't blame him, but it is not going to look good in the eyes of those that have supported him for so long. They want Favre's legacy to end as honorably as possible, and the current saga is anything but.

I caution Brett Favre. The fans booed you on the way in, they can and will boo you on the way out.

Without the Packers organization and fans, he is going to find the landscape far colder to him than last year's NFC championship game at Lambeau Field. History is a great teacher, and it has taught us that Favre's comeback is going to fail. However, if there is one guy that can make history, it is Favre.

Go Mythic, Go!

Not resting on their laurels, Mythic is firing back against the naysayers claiming that 2/3 of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning's (WAR) content has been cut. They went even as far as putting it all into an Official Capital Cities FAQ.

So you cut 4 of the 6 cities, does this mean I will be enjoying WAR with only 1/3 of its original content?

We did not cut 2/3 of our content; far from it. Before, when our goal was to do six of them, WAR cities were the typical places to go for player services and to just hang out. By focusing all of our energy and effort into two capitals, we have managed to add so much more content than we would have if we had continued pushing to launch all six. Our capital cities are now packed with content and places to explore including: Guild taverns, dungeons, quests, PQs, King encounters, player services, and the most exciting thing of all--now they act as battlegrounds to fight over and protect when under attack. Beyond this, the list goes on and on. WAR now has more content than ever before, and by focusing our efforts we have been able to create a unique experience far beyond our plans when we first set out to make a great game.

Grab a drink and some snacks, this is not a short read.

Also, a great quote out of the FAQ about the platform for future content that Mythic is building.

Do you think you’ll ever revisit the other four capital cities?

Of course! One of the most exciting things about WAR is that while creating a great game for launch, we have also built a solid foundation to expand on for years to come. This foundation has provided us with a perfect canvas for future live content and expansions just as we did for Dark Age of Camelot. We want to see how players handle our first two capital cities worth of content and iterate on that feedback for future cities.