where it all began

About 2 months ago I installed WoW and had a play with it. I wasn't impressed. Here are my initial thoughts from another blog:

WoW is stupid

I finally caved to the pressure and installed World of Warcraft from a demo CD. I've got 14 days to decide if I want to pour money into this game. Well, it's not looking good, Blizzard.

Firstly, I'm admittedly a city boy but I'm still pretty sure wild boars don't roam around carrying 2 copper pieces and a battered shield. So why do they drop them when you kill one? I don't remember foxes dropping iPods when I used to go shooting in northern NSW.

Along the same lines - if a monster is carrying a +5 magical hammer of head-smiting, why do they attack you with a pointed stick and bad breath? Surely they'd attack you with the damn hammer. Oh, they don't have the skill for hammers? Well, I personally don't have any skills or training in whacking people in the neck with a broadsword, but I bet I could have a good aussie go at it if they were doing the same to me and my only other option was a bit off a tree.

Now of course I'm not a paying subscriber yet, but trying to log on to an oceanic server last night I was placed 206th in a queue. Presumably many of those people were paying subscribers. Call me stupid, but if I've paid sixty-odd bucks for a game, then a monthly subscription fee, I sure as hell don't want to be stuck in a 200-person queue to be able to log on and play. EvE doesn't have queues, Blizzard. For that matter, EvE doesn't have separate realms either - everyone is in the same realm. Sort it out.

No, I understand there is a need to train new players on easy monsters, but there certainly is a fertility boom for wolves, boars etc around cities. There's hundreds of them, thirty seconds' trot from the pub. And these aren't your typical slavering, starving, hunting-in-packs, sweet-jesus-get-it-off-me wild animals, no. These ones just kinda wander around in circles, apparently without any need for food, shelter or entertainment. They do get a bit narky when you inexpertly lob an arrow in their general direction, but of course the others around just keep plodding around in circles waiting for their turn to drop 2 copper pieces and a bit of wolf jerky. I mean, seriously. A troll cave? Are the trolls sitting around the campfire swapping tall stories, learning a trade, making little troll babies? No, they're standing still. Just... standing. "Oh, someone shot me! Grr! You will die soon! Come on Bruce! Bruce? Stop staring at the wall Bruce, someone just shot me! Bruce?"

So, it didn't start well. It had better get WAY less stupid.