With the World of Warcraft beta running strong and tons of information pouring out about it, it was tough to figure out what to write about the game at E3. I was even more dissapointed when I got to the booth only to find that all that was running on the displays was the beta that I could just as easily have played on my desk back at the office. Fortunately, I was able to corner Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan, the nice guy who shepherded me through my excursion into the World of Warcraft Alpha and talked with him about the areas and game systems that are still in development.
"The feedback we've been getting from the beta has been remarkable." Kaplan said. "and it's been pretty gratifying to watch people treat the game like's it's already a complete product." Kaplan revealed that the next phase of the beta will be rolling out in a couple of weeks and will open up much more of the game for the legions of testers. The first new aspect of the beta will be the level cap - enough of the high level content has been completed that the team is now comfortable raising the level to 55.
Another new aspect that should be in the game soon will be a brand new in-game e-mail client. Kaplan was more than willing to acknowledge the inadequacy of the in-game tradechat system and believe that the new mail system will dramatically enhance the way people communicate and buy and sell items from each other. Key to this is the ability to "attach" items to e-mails the way oridnary e-mail attach files. Players will be able to send items to each other via e-mail COD - don't pay and the item simply doesn't open up. The system even works if the other player is off-line.
When asked about areas of the game that were currently off limits, Kaplan revealed that 5 new zones are getting ready to roll out, Ajami, the Burning Steppes, the Hinterlands, Tamaris and Feralas. Kaplan also used that question to once again praise the quality of the feedback that the beta testers have been giving. One of Kaplan's responsibilities is to dig through the stacks of e-mail the company receives every week and sort through bug reports and complaints. Apparently the most consistent complaint from users was in the general quality of one particular region of the world called The Barrens. As a result of that feedback, the team just recently concluded a massive redesign of the region and will be re-doing the entire area - revamping everything from the quest structure to level design.
PvP players will be thrilled to learn that the team is currently working on a number of battlefield ideas. One idea currently kicking around is to have players take a bat or griffin ride to an instanced zone where players will have to attain a variety of tactical objectives within a limited period of time. Another is to designate certain areas within the "war zone" between the Alliance and the Horde as free fire zones where anyone who enters is a legitimate target. Although PvP in World of Warcraft will always be consensual, the team does recognize that it's a big part of the MMO world and is striving to make those players happy.
One of the biggest weaknesses of the current beta is that it has minimal provisions for more social players - especially guilds. While the team was reluctant to talk about guild play until they were sure that they'd be able to get it in, it seems that that time has passed because the team is almost ready to roll out a "Guild Management Tool." The Guild management tool will be attached to the character sheet and will allow guild masters to designate and re-name up to 10 different ranks, contact all members, and set a number of permissions for various guild ranks that allow players to be rewarded and punished for various contributions. The tool also sports a timer that shows the last time a player logged on - perfect for kicking guild members who haven't played in a while.
Player customization options are also on the agenda. The Talent system is making a comeback. The revamped talent system is divided up into general talents that allow players of any class to improve various characteristics like run speed, stamina and health. Others allow players to enhance their preferred style of combat. Players can follow specific paths that enhance the abilities of their current class along certain lines. Spellcasters, for example, can specialize in fire or cold spells which will not only give them bonuses, but, at higher levels, allow them access to specific path spells. Warriors will get customizations as well such as the ability to dual-wield swords.
The talent system will also serve as a precursor to ultra-high level prestige or specialty classes. Two of the classes mentioned include Demon Hunters and Archmage who can summon devastating Water Elementals. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that specialty classes will be in the game at release, but Kaplan did say that if they weren't they're definitely planned for the first major upgrade after launch.
Near the end of my demonstration, though, Kaplan let slip a few more things. The first was that the game's combat will be undergoing changes as new dungeons get pushed out. The dungeon team is working to vary the style of combat that players will face - many of the new dungeons will be filled with low-level creatures that attack in swarms and can't be crowd controlled. They've also been testing a level 35-45 instanced dungeon that has as its end boss a stone titan that continually brings other statues in the room to life. Then he looked around to see if anyone was watching and teleported to a new area.
"This is an ultra-high level raid zone." He said. "In fact, this is pretty much end-game content." He was running through an area that players will find filled with demons and dragons battling each other. "Warcraft III players will recognize this mountain." He said, "And the challenge here is to re-purify the Well of Eternity. In fact, as you travel through this area, you might even find a very familiar skeleton chained to a rock." And with that cryptic remark, my demonstration was done.
