WAR to be released...

[Kirth]

Maybe it is to control the flow of information. It is, IMO, more related to marketing and Hype and less about how done the game might be.

So you are saying there is some information that could be told to me by a beta tester that would make me not want to play the game, thus the NDA is there to keep that beta player from telling me said information so I will eventually play the game?

Because if that's what you are saying the NDA is for, that was kinda my point.  If they are using the NDA to hide information from me that would keep me from playing the game, as what is typically done, then it make it no different than any other NDA and it makes me want to avoid the game.

If the only information coming from beta testers would make us WANT to play the game, they'd lift it in a heartbeat.

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

[Nebu]

how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

Their point being: A good movie will still fill the seats even if the beans are spilled far in advance. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Everyone knew what "Batman: The dark night" was about.

[Kirth]

Everyone knew what "Batman: The dark night" was about.

In the same way you know that WAR is a fantasy based MMORPG, focusing on RvR combat between two factions from the game workshop IP. I saw the dark knight and I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the directions the story took.

[Nebu]

So you're saying that you went to every spoiler site before seeing the movie?  Of course you didn't.

Removal of an NDA means that information becomes available prior to release.  The quality and accuracy of that information is still suspect enough that most of us prefer to see for ourselves.

[Morfiend]

Is it just me or are Nebu and Kith arguing with each other and yet both taking the same side?

[cevik]

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

This wins the "worst analogy evar!" award.

The average movie lasts 2 hours tops.  I'm at 100 days PLAYED on my WoW account and I'm low compared to some people I know.  If reading about something 1 and a half months before WAR is released is totally going to "spoilz" it for me, then uhh, the game has nothing at all and it will die on the shelf.

If the game is totally depended on some gimmicky trick ending or some silly little trick detail that will spoil the game just reading about it, then there is no way it will ever compete.  What draws crowds to movies is so incredibly different from what draws crowds to video games, especially mmogs, that I can't even believe you made that analogy in good faith.

[Nebu]

Is it just me or are Nebu and Kith arguing with each other and yet both taking the same side?

I thought he was justifying having a late NDA.  Maybe I screwed up. 

[Morfiend]

After rereading I was wrong. Ignore me as usual. 

[Kirth]

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

This wins the "worst analogy evar!" award.

The average movie lasts 2 hours tops.  I'm at 100 days PLAYED on my WoW account and I'm low compared to some people I know.  If reading about something 1 and a half months before WAR is released is totally going to "spoilz" it for me, then uhh, the game has nothing at all and it will die on the shelf.

If the game is totally depended on some gimmicky trick ending or some silly little trick detail that will spoil the game just reading about it, then there is no way it will ever compete.  What draws crowds to movies is so incredibly different from what draws crowds to video games, especially mmogs, that I can't even believe you made that analogy in good faith.

No its more you winning "worst understanding of a point being made", but hey whatever. 

[Kirth]

Is it just me or are Nebu and Kith arguing with each other and yet both taking the same side?

I thought he was justifying having a late NDA.  Maybe I screwed up. 

I'm just providing a different viewpoint then "OMG still in NDA and release is in 2 months must mean it Sucks!!!!!"

[Nebu]

I'm just providing a different viewpoint then "OMG still in NDA and release is in 2 months must mean it Sucks!!!!!"

That's what I figured.  I'm just a huge fan of transparency, especially when it's too late in the game to worry about an IP ripoff.  The core of anything with an NDA was in place long ago and is certain to be the primary basis for judgement.  The small details, often problemmatic at release, are easily overcome by a good core. 

[Lakov_Sanite]

Maybe it is to control the flow of information. It is, IMO, more related to marketing and Hype and less about how done the game might be.

So you are saying there is some information that could be told to me by a beta tester that would make me not want to play the game, thus the NDA is there to keep that beta player from telling me said information so I will eventually play the game?

Because if that's what you are saying the NDA is for, that was kinda my point.  If they are using the NDA to hide information from me that would keep me from playing the game, as what is typically done, then it make it no different than any other NDA and it makes me want to avoid the game.

If the only information coming from beta testers would make us WANT to play the game, they'd lift it in a heartbeat.

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

Not only does this argument not make a bit of fucking sense but it flies in the face of every god damned piece of evidence in existence when it comes to games. Can you name me one good game...GAME, not a fucking movie that was spoiled or otherwise harmed by letting out details of said game prior to release?  Furthermore, what? seriously WHAT?! There's a lot of goddamned stupid on these boards lately but are you really mentally deficient enough to argue this point without green text?

Now, there could be some valid reasons for not letting up the NDA

1.The game is in a poor state
2.They have systems in place they are afraid wow will copy.
3. Even though the game may be good, people will compare it to wow and the developers are afraid people may find it lacking.
4. Aliens
5. Mark Jacobs is getting the right color for his Ferrari picked out.

All of these are more acceptable than the thought that 'spoiling' a game and especially an MMO will keep people from playing it. In summation.....what?!

[Ingmar]

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

This wins the "worst analogy evar!" award.

The average movie lasts 2 hours tops.  I'm at 100 days PLAYED on my WoW account and I'm low compared to some people I know.  If reading about something 1 and a half months before WAR is released is totally going to "spoilz" it for me, then uhh, the game has nothing at all and it will die on the shelf.

If the game is totally depended on some gimmicky trick ending or some silly little trick detail that will spoil the game just reading about it, then there is no way it will ever compete.  What draws crowds to movies is so incredibly different from what draws crowds to video games, especially mmogs, that I can't even believe you made that analogy in good faith.

No its more you winning "worst understanding of a point being made", but hey whatever. 

I read it the same way, so you might want to clarify what you mean more.

[lamaros]

Remember everyone!

* If you are under NDA do not hint or imply anything using the NDA smiley or other means.

[Triforcer]

Remember everyone!

* If you are under NDA do not hint or imply anything using the NDA smiley or other means.

Then why does said smiley exist?

[Abelian75]

Then why does said smiley exist?

It exists so that

[UnSub]

Selling before WotLK isn't a terrible idea in terms of boxes sold.  There's nothing to play at the moment and the only other anticipated title is the WoW expansion.  Sell before WotLK and you'll hook a few waiting for WotLK.  Wait until after and you may miss many potential sales.

Now... if you're talking about subscription revenue, waiting may be a better option.  Tough call.

I actually think it could be a smart strategy (assuming WAR is more content complete than AoC at launch) to launch before WotLK because it will constrain demand initially.

Here's why - MMO launches are dangerous affairs that can make or break the reputation of a MMO for years. On launch day, your servers are going to get hammered. Launching before a major competitor will see some people hold off buying WAR in preparation for WotLK. This gives launch a better chance of not collapsing under the weight of an extreme number of players (instead, WAR will get just a lot of players). WotLK comes out, players flood back to check that out, Mythic has a few extra months to add in new content / fix launch bugs. There's some special Xmas promotion to get players to shift back / join after they've finished digesting the new WoW content or something.

So WAR could look to get the advantage of a lot of players buying it, but not getting too far into it before WotLK comes out. They get to launch, make a splash, then have some extra time as the hardcore head back to WoW to add in new things / fix bugs, then attract those players back (because they are bored of WoW and Death Knights weren't the uber).

It could be a very good strategy. It's a risk and you'd need to be very confident in the product's ability to bring players back from WoW, but it does extent the length of time to fix launch bugs by a few months.

[Trippy]

Remember everyone!

* If you are under NDA do not hint or imply anything using the NDA smiley or other means.

Then why does said smiley exist?

Cause I'm too lazy to take it out? Cause it can be used for other things?

[UnSub]

Cause it can be used for other things?

Such as: I've kidnapped your wife. Here is a picture: 

[Phred]

I can't quite get into much detail . But look at it this way, if the game was not under NDA then it would have already been picked apart by game mag's, reviewers etc... and when the eventual release came it would be met with a resounding meh because all the goodies were revealed months before. People go see movies on trailers alone, how successful do you think some films would be if they just gave the whole plot away in a trailer months before release.

Yes, that worked so badly for WoW.

[cevik]

No its more you winning "worst understanding of a point being made", but hey whatever. 

Sounds like I'm not the only one that missed your point.

At this point I'm going to take your message to mean that Warhammer has about a days worth of playability.  Then I'll either find in game or externally read about the secret cool twist that makes the game so ubar and it will be useless.  Not worth my $75.

[Trippy]

Is it just me or are Nebu and Kith arguing with each other and yet both taking the same side?

I thought he was justifying having a late NDA.  Maybe I screwed up. 

I'm just providing a different viewpoint then "OMG still in NDA and release is in 2 months must mean it Sucks!!!!!"

If you are under NDA you shouldn't even be talking about this stuff.

[Simond]

On the other hand if we're not under NDA we're free to speculate, second-guess the designers, and ask awkward questions! I've changed my mind - Mythic should keep the NDA up because then people can flame away and nobody can defend it. 

[pants]

My memory sucks.  How long was WoW in NDA-less beta?  I'm sure it was quite a while, I remember at the time thinking "Wow, thats ballsy having a NDA-free beta for so long".  But it did a great job at generating a lot of good buzz and showed as people are saying here - that they're not afraid to show off their game...

[Falconeer]

So is this really coming out in September?
I don't believe it..

[Phred]

My memory sucks.  How long was WoW in NDA-less beta?  I'm sure it was quite a while, I remember at the time thinking "Wow, thats ballsy having a NDA-free beta for so long".  But it did a great job at generating a lot of good buzz and showed as people are saying here - that they're not afraid to show off their game...

I believe it was pretty much the whole last year of development.

[Trippy]

Blizzard dropped it Spring time 2004, maybe March or April? It was around the time when the large scale closed Beta started.

Edit: oh hey, look what Google found:

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=13743.msg479373#msg479373

[Bungee]

Isn't this just another case of "OMG Blizzard did it in another fashion- so WAR=FAAAAAIL!!!!!!" ??

Oh come on guys, this is getting old.
Besides, Mythic stated very early that they won't, at any time during Beta, will do a truly open FFA Beta and that's it's very possible they won't drop NDA until Release or shortly before it.

Yes yes, linky pls... I can't find it right now. But I was all over the game at that time, b/c I quit WoW back then, so my memory should be trustable on this.

[cevik]

Isn't this just another case of "OMG Blizzard did it in another fashion- so WAR=FAAAAAIL!!!!!!" ??

No, it's a case of "Every bad mmog ever released waited till the last minute to drop the NDA.  We all know, because we've gone through this a dozen times."

[Abelian75]

they won't, at any time during Beta, will do a truly open FFA Beta

I don't even think WoW had a completely open beta.  Did they?  I definitely wasn't in it, at least, but maybe I'm just a noob.

[cevik]

I don't even think WoW had a completely open beta.  Did they?  I definitely wasn't in it, at least, but maybe I'm just a noob.

I think the last two weeks of WoW beta were completely open?  Perhaps I'm not remembering correctly.

Either way, I'm not like Haemish is on the Open Beta part, I don't need them to let me try the game for free so much.  But the NDA not breaking has me more and more nervous.

[tazelbain]

We are at least 2 monthes away, hardly the last minute.

[cevik]

We are at least 2 monthes away, hardly the last minute.

Only 6 weeks if the gamestop news is to be believed.  It's getting damn close to last minute.

EDIT:  If 9/16 is the release date then we're 2-3 weeks from going gold.  That means that if something is glaringly broken we're getting very close to "last minute patch to remove debug code that fixes everything that's been internally tested for 2 years and works without a flaw" territory here.  Of course I don't know if anything is glaringly broken, because Mythic won't let anyone tell me.  That is what frightens me, since I have $200 worth of pre-orders on the line, and right now my mouse is hovering over the cancel button, to be quite honest.

[Triforcer]

Latest gamestop word: Open beta ONE MONTH away...

Standard Edition pre-order news is coming soon

You are eligible for the headstart if you have a headstart key, however, you won't get any of the benefits of having a Collectors Edition if you don't register a CE after launch.

Thanks guys 


Quote:
Reserve Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and receive:

Open Beta Access: Be one of the first players to experience the glory of battle and the thrill of WAR! Open Beta will run from September 3, 2008 at 10am EST until September 12, 2008 at 10am EST. The Open Beta will level capped and content restricted.

Live Game Head Start: Reserve customers will get a 3-day head start on the battlefields of WAR. The Live Game Head Start begins on September 15, 2008 at 10am EST.

Bonus In-Game Items: Equip your characters for the journey to the frontlines with Rittenbach’s Portable Camp and Sentinel’s Amber Band.

Universal Fighting System Battle Deck: The Emperor Karl Franz and Tchar’zanek, dread Champion of Tzeentch, go head-to-head in this exclusive collectible card game deck from Fantasy Flight Games.

ONLINE/IN-STORE PICKUP CUSTOMERS: You will receive a code for the bonus items. Please provide a valid email address at time of purchase.

STORE CUSTOMERS: All bonus items will be available in store at time of reservation. Items available in store week of August 4. Please call ahead to confirm availability.