Yesterday, the much anticipated 1.3.2 patch was released on the live servers. Along with the patch, we also got another Producer's Letter which outlines the current and future plans for the game. What does Mythic have in store?
The first part of the letter goes over what the development team accomplished in the 1.3.2 patch. Included were the: New User Experience, Apprenticeship System, bypassing fortresses and performance enhancements. These are all well and good, but we want to know what's next! Jeff, the producer, did not disappoint.
Next up for WAR is 1.3.3, which Jeff describes as focusing on 'Bugs and Polish.' While that isn't the most exciting concept, I believe it is a great idea. Now that performance is where it should be, it is time to take a look at the rest of the game and bring it up to spec. Some specific examples were given in the letter.
Walk and sit animations. I never realized that WAR lacked these. While they don't do much for me, they should add some overall flavor to the game. You can never go wrong with more immersion.
UI Fixes. WAR's UI is pretty good, but there are some nagging issues likes timers not syncing up. It would be nice to get those out of the way.
Graphics enhancements. At first I didn't think this was necessary. Performance is much improved now, wouldn't upgrading the graphics be a step back? However, these videos changed my mind: WAR with HDR, WAR with Bloom.
Pet and monster pathing. This will probably be most appreciated by the pet classes. For me, it probably means more effective Squigs.
Underdog system. Details about their proposed underdog system were revealed. I will save my thoughts for a separate post.
Hunter's Vale. The Live Event dungeon is back and here to stay. Entrances can be found in Tier 1, so low level players can experience it. A lot of people liked this instance, so it is a great idea to make it permanent.
Overall, it was a good letter. A bug fixing and polishing patch is just what WAR needs. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to release the fixes once a week rather than at the and of the patch cycle. It would keep players much happier to see a steady stream of bug fixes.
Friday, October 16, 2009
WAR Producer's Letter
