The experience of a consistent, persistent online world has been the ambition of many games designers since the modem made Internet communities possible. Historical formats such as MOOs and MUDs allowed users to interact with a text based environment, where they could socialise with each other while pursuing various quest type objectives. Popular with many players, these games tended to alienate casual gamers with their arcane protocols and D&D style statistics. With the rise of home broadband and the power of modern graphics cards these once text based worlds can now be fleshed out with textured polygons. It could be assumed that this more immediate visualisation would encourage new players and remove some of the arcane jargon from the genre. While the move to 3D rendering has indeed encouraged more people to experience these worlds the arcane jargon seems to have remained, and is in fact perhaps one of the most beguiling aspects of the genre.
World of Warcraft attempts to take a format proven by Everquest and introduce the sort of immediacy and fluidity that previous Blizzard games were acclaimed for. Traditionally MMORPGs are often unwieldy, stat heavy places, with varying degrees of elitism and pretension. Now the audience for such games is broad enough to include not just those technical enough to set up the software and Internet connections, companies are looking for a way to entice more casual less 'geeky' players. WoW is perhaps the first example of a major software company succeeding with this approach. The game is immediate, both in its visuals and its gameplay. Characters are easily created and guidance given in-game to help new players master the relatively simple interface and controls. The game then leads the player to follow a range of simple quests (deliver this to there, find 12 of these, kill 2 of that etc). That could itself be the end of many peoples experience with the game and in itself can be an enjoyable experience, with the prospect of improving skills and exploring new zones. However behind this layer are a myriad of other systems right back down the arcane levels of old-school modem MUDs.
The world itself is massive, split into 2 continents and into multiple zones (covering different levels of difficulty), to walk from one side of the world to the other would take several hours in itself (just holding down the run key). Luckily design of most zones is so well executed that being able to enter a new area is often reward enough in itself. Using a complex LOD system and disk-data-streaming
there are virtually no loading times between landscapes, giving the world a sense of completeness and fluidity. Traditional game themes apply (snow,lava,jungle etc) but other areas show a greater sense of creativity (canyons with needle rocks, shimmering deserts, cliff strewn coasts). Mob placements are predictable but effective and even the respawn of creatures doesn't seem to break the illusion of a breathing world.
Of course this living environment is driven by player interaction. The players themselves are drawn from standard fantasy literature, paladins, shamans and druids but their cartoon style design remains vibrant and enticing. The list of animations and emotes makes for a reasonably expressive depiction of character. The sense of bustle in a crowded city or the sight of another lone player on a desolate plain reinforce the shared nature of the world.
Rarely do you feel alone and when you do it is often a pleasant surprise or respite (especially on a PvP server). It is this player community that fuels the deeper levels of complexity in the game. Chance encounters lead to helpful groups of players pooling resources to complete tricky tasks. This leads to regular meetings, which leads to permanent relationships crystallised in guild groups. Here the social aspects of the game multiply. Player exchange items to help each other develop skills or complete tasks, more experienced members will guide and aid newer players, infighting may result in individuals being ostracised or permanently 'kicked'. And the arcane dialogue returns; lol,lmao,mob,buff,add,aoe,pull,mt etc. Although it isn't necessary to involve yourself in this chattering ham radio buzz it becomes intriguing, then entertaining and then addictive. Players will log in to the world with no intention of doing any actual gaming, but simply to chat and catch up with friends or check out the latest offers in the auction house, or to pick up their in-game mail, make a hat and send/sell it to another player. Players are even rewarded for spending time offline, each day of non play grants a boost to the players points gain when they next return to their character.
Inevitably gameplay still drives most people to gain levels and compete for experience, items or fame. The world is split into two opposing factions (traditional baddies and goodies) you can team up with fellow faction members to attack the opposition (or sneak around solo, dispatching unwary players). This creates another ongoing social structure of competition and a further sense of community, where players who excel in faction attacks are rewarded with special items. On PVP servers players from opposing factions are at rick from attack when entering any contested or opposing zone, whereas on PVE servers the opportunity for inter-player combat is dampened to allow a less aggressive style of play.
It is possible for any class of character to play to the top level cap (currently 60) without interacting with anyone else (and some players do exactly this). However this is perhaps missing the point, as grouping with other players brings not just a game based reward but also a social one.
The usual gender issues apply to the game (women playing men playing women etc) but unusually the social grouping system seems to collect real life families of players as well as real life remote friends. A strange addiction to communication develops as the many chat streams of the game interweave. It can be mesmerising just to follow the strands of others conversations or try to work out exactly what a group of players is doing over in the distance.
One of the troubles of any online persistent space is that of maintenance and update. Admittedly Blizzard have failed to provide the most fluid service in this respect. However they are adding significant new content and bug-fixes in each additional patch. Dedicated players will always exhaust the material available, but these people are rare in the 1-2 million player pool and due to its accessibility WoW will probably keep a steady flow of casual users interested for a few months each.
The world itself is not perfect, suffering from tedious quest objectives, repeating tasks or the occasional need to grind for experience, items or money. But these elements are kept to a minimum and a system this large and ambitious is bound to contain flaws. Boredom can set in at higher levels when progression seems more of a chore than a pleasure and even travelling across the detailed scenery can become tiresome. But these are all hallmarks of a developing system and minor irritations when compared to the richness of the rest of the world. There is no doubt that WoW will be bettered as an MMORPG, but its graphic world, immediacy and busy community will have opened the doors to a new generation of players.
