|
baizerker's World of Warcraft (PC)
|
| [February 9, 2008 01:21:20 AM]
|
Game Play
In the more advanced levels the gameplay remains fundamentally the same. Single player consists of repetitive quests and endless monster grinding (killing the same monsters over and over for experience).
Group combat is also the same; healers heal, damage dealers to damage, and tanks absorb enemy damage.
A feature available for players at the top level allows ranked PVP (player versus player) arena combat. Players can form teams and compete for rank, as well as accumulate points used for powerful gear. This new feature is enjoyable once again, based more on the social interactivity rather than the gameplay itself. The gameplay stays the same, but now I can play with a team of my friends against other people competitively.
Design
World of Warcraft designs its content to force players to interact socially, which makes the game fun. Players are forced to find groups to take down harder monsters, and each member must play an active role within the group for the group to function.
The fact that all the people on the screen are players also makes this game a more believable world, rather than a game. I went into a capital city, and it was filled with hundreds of players, talking, trading, repairing and socializing, just like a real city. Except full of trolls and orcs.
The artwork of the game is very stylized, more like a cartoon than realistic, and consistent. Orcs are stooped and exaggeratedly muscular. The people all look perfect, the men handsome and muscular and the women slim and beautiful. Orc cities are filled with spikes and yurts, while human cities have cottages and Though the art is certainly interesting, I would prefer a more detailed, realistic style. Many of the enemy characters also look the same, just with a different name and colored blue, or slightly larger.
The game is designed to be a social game. The cities have open forums for people to interact and trade on the auction houses. The instance dungeons require groups to complete. Arena combat requires teams of players. This social dynamic is what makes WoW so addicting. I've already made some friends by joining a guild (a player organization, complete with its own customizable tabard), and enjoy the feeling of comaradery when raiding or PVPing together with them. Despite the repetitiveness of the gameplay, and even the cartoony design, the social aspect of the game is keeping me hooked. The move to make WoW an open multiplayer world outshines the gameplay itself. Most of the time I log on now, I don't even "play" much, but help around the guild, chat, trade, or wander around. And I enjoy it!
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:23:49.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment 
|
| [February 8, 2008 05:45:36 AM]
|
Summary
World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer role playing game. The objectives are optional but involve completing quests and killing monsters to gain levels and items, and PVP (Player versus player) combat through battlegrounds.
Gameplay
The first step in game is character creation. Race and gender are only cosmetic, but class determines play experience. The classes each have their own flavors, but usually breakdown into three types: Damage dealers, tanks (damage absorbers), and healers.
The game's tasks are divided into quests, which award experience and items. Quests almost always involve killing monsters, retrieving items, or a combination of the two. Performing these tasks quickly grows tedious, especially since the length of time to gain levels seems to exponentially increase each level. But these tasks are part of the single player aspects of the game; it is in its multiplayer aspects that World of Warcraft becomes enjoyable.
Since its a massive online multiplayer, almost every character is another player. Players group together to complete quests, some quests even require a group to complete, so Warcraft forces social interaction on the players, which is fun. The fact that the opponents in the battlegrounds are actual players also adds a lot of enjoyment to the experience. The night elf hunter I just flattened is screaming in agony somewhere!
Sometimes the gameplay isn't even a factor when I play; I simply enjoy hanging out with my new found friends in the WoW universe. It is this social aspect that makes WoW so enjoyable and addictive.
add a comment
|
|
|
 |
baizerker's World of Warcraft (PC)
|
|
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Friday 8 February, 2008
|
|
