Melkor said:
I have been wondering whether to purchase this game, but it would likely mean upgrading my computer, I have:
Athlon 1.66, 128 RAM, Geforce 4 MX, an Internet Connection -ADSL 512/128
I would likely have to upgrade my RAM to 512, possibly 1 GB, though it would be financial stretch for me. Would this game run smoothly with more Ram on this configuration?
Does it provide such a great gaming experience? I can buy KOTOR 2 for a much lesser price, love RPG`s but I have never played this kind of online game.
Also, isn`t Everquest 2 better?
I agree with what others said. Id get more RAM. The rest of your settings will be adequete, WoW seems rather scalable and its art, while pretty isnt as polygon heavy as EQ2. Youll probably have to run the game at lower resolutions and with some of the graphical detail off or turned down, but itll be playable.
The pixelshaders make the game look prettier, Im unsure if youve have any graphical problems..prolly not a problem.
As for the experience, I really like Wow. I have in my time played EQ, Asherons Call 1 and 2, City of Heroes, Final Fantasy XI, Dark Age of Camelot, Anarchy Online, and Star Wars Galaxies.
In all those games my max uninterrupted time with a game was maybe 9 months (with EQ), the shortest a month (Star Wars). Ivenever had a character over 35 in any game. After an initial honeymoon period, Ive gotten burned out or bored.
Ive now played WoW since December 6th. My current character which I started right before Xmas is a 52 Druid, arguably one of the "weakest" classses in game. I can still solo. Crafting is simplistic, but far less esoteric than in many games, and quite useful. The quest system is alot of fun and disguises in a rather entertainign way the fact that you are basically grinding for levels.
The game just has with a sense of whimsy and humor about it. It doesnt take itself to seriously. It doesnt punish you if you fail, and die. Theres no xp penalty, no corpse run if you wish. The rest system allows you to gain xp quickly after a long day in the Real World. In short, the designers have taken steps for it to be just a game. WoW has things you can do in small amounts without having to devote hours and hours to accomplish something, although the more time you invest, the greater your return. And if youve ever played a Warcraft game, its geeky fun to see people and places from those games up close.
Also, I have been lucky enough to land with a great guild. Your experience in these games really depends on the people you find surrounding you. In that WoW benefits ( and suffers a little ) from the fact that it has attracted, like other Blizz titles a large audience. Many of these are "mainstream" or casual players who arent hardcore. This accesibility and the fact there are ppl playing who are more like regular people with lives and not L33T d00ds is one of WoW's assts IMHO. Dont get me wrong, there are jerks and griefers and d00ds, but not every other avatar is one.
In my opinion, if youve never played a Massivley Multiplayer RPG, this is a good one to start with. Its most definately user friendly.
Im not a Blizzard fanboy (despite my glowing description). The games does have technical issues on some servers. Some classes have balance issues. Some quests are bugged or broken. Your experience may vary, but if you like online gaming and can find like minded individuals this game will suck your life away.
And itll proly make you upgrade your machine to see all the eye candy.
