Coexisting in digital lands
Here’s something that occurred to me recently: Warhammer might be far more interesting than Warcraft — but only because it depicts war differently.
I’m not particularly interested in debating which setting is better overall, because aside from being fantasy properties, they have different aims. But I’ve been familiarizing myself with Warhammer lately via Warhammer Online and the Felix and Gotrek novel series, and I have to say: Warhammer is growing on me.
Warhammer Online (WAR) is a janky game.
Navigating its Gamebryo-powered world felt janky at release in 2008, and it certainly feels janky now, over a decade later. Even on the Return of Reckoning (RoR) private server, which ostensibly runs the game’s 2013 version, players often collide with environment objects, getting stuck in the process. Animations hitch and stagger without proper blending. And as a package, WAR generally feels sluggish, choppy, and unfinished.
So how is it that this decade-plus old MMO exhumed and reanimated by indie devs that’s riddled with instabilities, is so captivating?
I’ve been revisiting Warhammer Online (WAR) lately via the Return of Reckoning private server, and — lack of polish aside — it’s astounding how well the game holds up.
What’s equally astounding, though, is WAR‘s tragic life story. Despite robust development efforts, capitalizing on an untapped MMO niche, and taking place in a beloved fantasy setting, Warhammer Online stumbled out of release with the grace of a pub-crawling drunkard. Worse yet, the game never found its footing, despite being around for five years.
But this isn’t a post about why WAR failed. I’ll leave that to the historians. Rather, I’d like to reflect on what I wish we got from the game in a “best case scenario.”
Continue reading “How Warhammer Online Could’ve Saved Itself”
I recently made it to level 16 in Warhammer Online (Return of Reckoning), so it was time to celebrate with a new mount. My Dwarf Engineer had been trotting about on the complimentary Imperial Pack Mule for too long. Now, I could traverse WAR’s sundered fantasy lands in style.
Excited at the prospect of something new, I found the mount vendor and perused their inventory. I was saddened to discover that WAR’s mounts are race-restricted, so my choices were limited: I could choose from three “Dwarf Contraptions” of varying colours.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t actually looked into WAR’s mounts, and there was no way to preview them in-game. So when my character hopped aboard her new clanking, sputtering gyrocopter and made this face, I was mortified:
Continue reading “Warhammer Online: A Confounding Dwarf Contraption”
As someone with a mood disorder, my appetite for video games is often mercurial. A game will have me elated one day and disinterested the next. It’s frustrating, but I’ve found that if my mood is compromised, my game enjoyment will be, too. In other words, it’s not always the game’s fault, and patience is warranted.
As such, I figured I’d take some time to record my gaming goals for October 2022. This way, I can remind myself why I’m playing and push through sour moods.
Don’t get me wrong: Warhammer Online has great graphics. But sadly, WAR’s desaturated colours and muddy rendering make the game look worse than it should. The desaturated look may have been in vogue during 2007-2008 (Call of Duty 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 come to mind), but it hasn’t aged well, and WAR deserves better.
Thankfully, as a PC game, WAR isn’t beyond saving. You can use Reshade — a free post-processing tool — to tweak the game’s colours, sharpening, brightness, and more.
Continue reading “Make Warhammer Online Look Better with Reshade”
Although Star Wars: The Old Republic seems to be my home MMORPG, I recently wrapped up my character’s class story. And after dozens of hours spent lightsaber-swinging, I was craving something new.
The answer came to me after watching LazyPeon’s video on Warhammer Online (WAR) and the Return of Reckoning (RoR) private server. While I had briefly revisited WAR via RoR many years ago for nostalgia, the decade-plus old MMO never stuck with me. But now, the prospect of a player-vs-player focused-MMORPG was enticing — especially after spending countless hours slaying SWTOR’s brain-dead NPCs. Unlike those mindless imbeciles, WAR’s real-life opponents would test my tab-targeting combat skills.
Byte-Sized Worlds 