Warhammer

The German fansite and forum Waaagh.de had the chance to ask James Casey, Producer of Warhammer Online, several detailed questions about various aspects of the game.

During the second Q&A with Werit you talked about the new Grovod Caverns where you fight as a Skaven. Will we see changes to the current “Play as a Monster” system, so that buffs from pets and potions don’t get removed or return after exiting monster stage?

In the return of Grovod Caverns, the Play as Monster mechanic will operate similarly to existing offerings. We’ve made strides to ensure that some buffs that cannot be easily reapplied have exemptions, but the mechanics are the same as the current Skaven implementation. In both cases, players can make the choice to join the battle as Skaven (either by taking the form at a keep or joining the scenario) knowing that it will having a draining effect on them. We are looking at ways to expand this system in the future in a number of ways.

Follow the link to read the complete interview.

See you on the battlefields!

With Warhammer Online well-established in the MMOniverse, we felt now would be a great opportunity to talk with the team about all things WAR and what players can look forward to in the coming months. Check out our exclusive interview with Producer James Casey before heading to the comments section to add your thoughts.

What is it like working with the community? Do the players have an active voice in the game?

One of the best aspects of an online game is a great community that springs up. I love getting to meet players, engage with them in different venues, and even just passively absorb their feedback via the forums or blogs. We’ve actively taken to getting as much feedback as we can in our patch process and put more time and effort in allowing people to try and report on patches before they go out the door. We can’t please everyone but we like to know what they are thinking and more importantly, why they think that.

Read more of Garrett Fuller's Warhammer Online: The All Things WAR Interview.

The holiday break is closing in and 2011 is coming to an end. There are a few more things to enjoy before the end of the year:

• Tomorrow, December 21, we’ll add a holiday bonus for xp and rp that will run additionally to the live event ‘Keg’s End’.
• We’ll post a dev discussion with the bulk of the Relic/Fortress information from the patch notes in a digest format for you guys to give some feedback over our break so we can respond to it immediately when we get back.
• We’ll be pushing up our scenario changes (minus Grovod Caverns) for the next patch early, as in tomorrow, too!  That means you’ll get fresh new scenarios as well as the much anticipated 6v6 Gates of Ekrund and Caledor Woods.

We wish you a pleasant holiday break and a fresh start into 2012 when we’ll be ready to test version 1.4.5 and the relic system with you.

See you on the battlefields.

The wheel of the seasons has turned, ushering out the sun’s last warmth with bitter blasts of northern winds. As snow creeps down to block mountain passes and lock the Warhammer world in the icy talons of winter, the citizens of the Old World raise their mugs high; the time of Keg End is at hand. In an epic celebration fraught with boasting, toasting, and epic fireworks, the Dwarfs clear out their stores of ales, beers and other intoxicating beverages in order to bring luck in the New Year and make way for a stock of better, stronger brews.

Cheers, Beers and Jeers in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Get into the holiday spirit with WAR’s latest in game event – the Dwarf New Year’s festival of Keg End.

Running from the 14th of December through to the 4th of January Keg End is a festive extravaganza packed with great new items, monsters, events and challenges for players to master. Keg End is filled with the things Dwarfs like best – Beer, Boasting and things that explode.

Whether you’re letting off fireworks as you charge into RvR or searching for beers on a pub crawl, there’s plenty to do for Order and Destruction alike. More >

Shortly after the interview with WAR Stratics published last week, James Casey also answered several questions for Werit’s Blog.

Q: In the last Q&A, it was mentioned that Guilds and Alliances may be able to claim Fortresses.  High level, how will this work and what’s in it for the claimer? 

A: Correct, similar to the old system, an alliance can claim a fortress and bring more defense to bear for their realm.  Other guilds in the alliance can also spot fortify the fortress with a new mechanic being introduced.

In addition to adding physical defenses to the Fortress, claiming these spots will reward Alliance members with various buffs to help them in their defense of the Fortress. These buffs are localized to the Fortress area where they are gained, and are not the same as any buffs or bonuses gained by controlling relics.

Follow the link to read the complete interview.