computer game evaluation: world of warcraft
DESCRIPTION
Computer Game Evaluation: World of Warcraft. Dustin Kelley CIS 487 Fall 2005. Basic Information. Game Title:. Company & Author:. Type of Game: MMORPG Price: $49.99 purchase, $15/month subscription Launch Date: 11/22/04 ESRB Rating: Teen (13+) Platforms: PC & Mac. Minimum Requirements: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Computer Game Evaluation:World of Warcraft
Dustin Kelley
CIS 487
Fall 2005
Basic Information
Type of Game: MMORPG Price: $49.99 purchase, $15/month subscription Launch Date: 11/22/04 ESRB Rating: Teen (13+) Platforms: PC & Mac
Game Title: Company & Author:
Minimum Requirements:• 800 MHz CPU• 256 MB RAM• 32 MB 3D Graphics Card• 5 GB hard drive space• DirectX 9.0c• 56k modem w/ internet
Recommended:• 1.6 GHz CPU • 512 MB RAM• 64 MB 3D Graphics Card• Cable/DSL internet
Installation
4 CDs Easy installation, automated and prompts
when to insert next CD Patches and upgrades are automatically
downloaded and installed when game is started
May take a few hours total Writes nearly 5 GB to your hard drive CD not required while playing
Quick Overview
Game must be played online only Standard RPG elements (leveling, experience, etc.)
Real-time, action-oriented rather than turn-based Many different options when creating your character, each giving
the player a new experience Two factions: Alliance & Horde Choose male or female Eight races to choose from
Alliance: Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans, Night Elves Horde: Orcs, Undead, Tauren, Trolls
Nine classes total, with eight in each faction, Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin (Alliance only), Priest, Rogue, Shaman
(Horde only), Warlock, Warrior Well-balanced; each have their own advantages/disadvantages
Each faction has 3 different starting locations
Storyline
Alliance vs. Horde ceasefire Still warfare through in-game run-ins
Each race is fighting for their place in the world of Azeroth
Each race has an introduction video describing its role in the world
Storyline is driven at will by the player through quests
Player’s Role
Immerse yourself into the fantasy world of Azeroth to take on the role and live the life of your chosen race & class
When grouping with other players, each class has it’s own role(s), such as tanking (keeping mobs from attacking other members), healing group members, etc.
User Interface
Simple and easy to learn Actions, attacks, and other items are accessed through buttons
on the action bar located at the bottom of the screen Top row of keys, 1 through =, may be assigned to actions for
quick access “Smart mouse” cursor changes as different object types are
hovered over, and mouse-click actions are changed as well By default, character movement controlled by mouse, ASDW
keys, or arrow keys All keys and actions are fully customizable
Custom UI mods are available for download, or may be created by the user
User Interface
Game Play Player can choose different styles of play at any time
Questing Accept and complete a quest for an NPC for rewards (money, items,
experience) Leads player to new areas
Grinding Kill mobs just to gain experience
Farming Gathering materials or items needed for various reasons Killing certain mobs hoping for a particular dropped item
Instances Dungeons usually attempted with a group Individually spawned for your own group only (no other players
encountered inside) Rare item drops
Battlegrounds Groups of each faction compete in Player-vs-Player (PvP) instances
Game Play (cont’d)
Non-linear progression Gain experience by questing or fighting Level up your character to learn new skills, get
better items, become more powerful Level 60 is the cap
Make friends by grouping with others, or joining a guild Many later battles require groups Guild members can be very helpful when learning the game
Learn professions to make useful items for yourself, or to sell/trade to other players
Scoring
Experience points Leveling your character, skills, talents, etc. PvP rankings
Honor points Guild rankings Territory reputation
Artwork
Landscapes Beautifully designed Wide variety of vast areas to explore
Characters Easily distinguishable races Each new piece of armor or weapon equipped
changes the look of your character accordingly
Sound & Music
Background music Changes accordingly with new locations Not always on, but kicks in at just the right times
Realistic nature sounds Birds chirping, crickets at night, etc.
Unique sounds for the many different actions/events keep you more aware of what’s going on
Different enemy types have distinguishable sounds/voices
Never seem overly repetitive
Special Features
Game is always growing as patches and updates are released New instances & battlegrounds New items
Choose server (PvP or not) Multiple race/class combinations Auction House (in-game eBay)
Manual
Over 200 pages Well-organized Very helpful to new players
Explains quite a bit about the game’s many different features
Not completely necessary to read, as there is an optional in-game alert system to tell you about new situations
Bugs
Not currently aware of any New patches are occasionally released by
Blizzard to fix bugs found, add new features, etc.
Game Review
The Good Countless hours of play Always find new milestones
to work toward Always something to do,
even after you reach 60 Extremely high replayability
due to the many character options
Encourages grouping with other players
Open-ended: you decide what you want to do next
The Bad Very addicting Game doesn’t end Some quests get repetitive
Kill [blah], bring me [blah] Could consume your life if
you’re not careful Subscription cost ends up
being ~ $180/year
Game Review (cont’d)
Comparison First MMORPG I’ve played Therefore, no other games I can compare it to
Audience The Teen rating seems suitable
Competence Ability to handle complex situations
Design Mistakes? I think not
Summary
Overall strengths Funativity: very high Player choices affect how game is played Enormous world to discover Huge amount of information to learn
Overall weaknesses Subscription costs Game has no “ending” or “final boss”
No ultimate goal Hinders the feeling of completeness you get from beating a
game
Summary (cont’d)
Is the game worth purchasing? Yes, very much so The subscription cost is not too bad
Always being updated Very high fun/cost ratio
How could it be improved? Add a balance system that doesn’t cause over-
crowding of one faction on a server Overall game is improved with every patch
release