We have a new video with Community Manager Rick “Sapience” Heaton and Senior Producer Aaron “Rowan” Campbell discussing Warbands.
This time around they have a very large monitor set behind the pair to take care of the comments from last video that we could only see the speakers or the game footage but not very effectively seeing both.
Not a whole lot of gameplay seen this video but they’re were mostly discussing this new type of structured mob group and it’s components. There were looks at what they could look like out on the plains cut in during the discussion.
Discussed in this video:
- What are Warbands?
- How will open tapping will operate? (i.e. Helping folks not in your group and still get rewards. See Assist Experience Penalty article for information on how this penalty currently works.)
- How do the new AI types function in a warband?
For more information you can check out Massively and Ten Ton Hammer’s hands on articles where they talk about these features.
I think that the explained it well. I’m actually excited (and maybe nervous to try it) to see this in action in Rohan.
The open tapping is something I am in favor of. I never really did like that I wasn’t allowed to help heal folks for fear of being snarked at for jumping in to save them and hurting their experience. Whatever, dude. I saved you! /grump. The open tapping will allow me to save the world without fear! Be on the lookout in Rohan for Goldenstar the minstrel with the mission to keep everyone alive. Whee!
July 17, 2012 at 3:18 pm
I always think people who get mad about you helping them are really the ones just being rude. I always just assume that the person who “helps” me is doing it from good intentions.
July 17, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Yeah, I think those people are just looking for a reason to complain or assert themselves to a “noob”. I mean, a few experience points lost, that’s going to set you back for a while….
July 17, 2012 at 11:59 pm
…then again, it does sometimes get annoying when someone aids you when you didn’t need it, when you had things under control and they thought you were in trouble. I never complain though.
July 17, 2012 at 4:22 pm
I think it may depend on the help thats given.
One shotting a mob thats barely been tickled by a low level player isnt really helpful, whereas saving someone from the brink of death is.
Open tapping might be beneficial to roll out across the game given that a lot of the slayer deeds are for things in fairly specific areas that overlap questing. Nothing worse that trying to get your quest kills done but being prevented by that arrogant higher level who feels that they own the death rights to anything that moves in that area.
July 17, 2012 at 5:37 pm
I wonder if they are going to balanced warband numbers with region pop. Otherwise you risk everyone piling in when one appears at busy times (negating the challenge) while potentially being overwhelmed when it is quieter.
July 17, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Well, there’s always the tried and true tradition of “Run Like Hell” if too many mobs get after you.
Also… Coolness, they got a bigger screen for the video. Which they used to show off the logo for the expansion the entire time.
…
/headdesk
July 18, 2012 at 12:02 am
… 6 minutes, two old guys with beards, unending gesticulations, saying stuff in front of a static logo on a 50″ plasma.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
July 18, 2012 at 1:20 am
They should hire Kate Upton for their dev diairies.
July 18, 2012 at 4:07 am
I love that he mentions how he got a big monitor cause people were complaining about the other one and then never uses it. That its strange.
July 18, 2012 at 9:13 am
GREAT BIG MONITOR… with nothing on it. Whut?