Interview with the World of Warcraft Development Team

BI: In what ways is World of Warcraft different from the other MMORPGs out there?

The Insider sat down with Producer Shane Dabiri and the World of Warcraft design team to get an inside look at how Blizzard's ambitious massively multiplayer game is coming along.

SD: First and foremost, World of Warcraft will immerse players at ground level in the unique fantasy setting and rich history of the Warcraft universe. Many of the things that players have come to love about the previous Warcraft games have gone into making up this living, breathing world. Furthermore, we're putting a lot of work into making World of Warcraft accessible to an extremely wide audience of players. Many of the MMORPGs ("Massively-Multiplayer-Online-RPGs") currently on the market target hardcore game players and are characterized by complicated game mechanics and somewhat monotonous "level grinding." Our goal from the start has been to create a streamlined interface that allows players to delve into the world quickly, and we're also working hard to give players a multitude of things to do within that world.

In addition to "leveling," World of Warcraft strives to flesh out other forms of gameplay in order to provide players of varying skill levels with many things that they can enjoy doing. We're accomplishing this by creating solid game mechanics around such things as a rich trade-skill experience, a system of politics based on the Warcraft races, player-to-player social interaction, player-vs.-player combat, and even player transportation. All of this bundled into an intuitive, customizable interface will give players a universe to adventure in and enjoy for years to come.

BI: What's it been like to translate a top-down, real-time-strategy setting into a 3D, first- and third-person world? SD: It's something that we've been wanting to do for a long time. Although controlling your heroes and units from the top down has proven to be an exciting experience, I don't know anyone in the company who hasn't thought about what it would be like to actually be on a Warcraft battlefield and play as one of those heroes leading a group of other players to victory - that's the kind of experience we want to bring to the world. Because the series has developed such a strong and unique artistic feel, it's been extremely fun to take those colorful little units and create high-poly-count, high-res-textured, fully animated versions for World of Warcraft. The first time we saw an Orc onscreen in full glory, we couldn't help but say "Zug Zug!" :)

BI: What are some of the things you're doing to make World of Warcraft appealing and accessible both to new/casual gamers and to longtime MMORPG players?

SD: We've taken considerable time designing our user interface because it is the gateway to the game. You can rarely make a game too easy to use. The real trick is making it easy to learn, but difficult to master - that's a mantra you hear a lot around Blizzard. Because the barrier to entry is minimized, anyone can get in and start playing immediately, regardless of skill level or experience with MMORPGs.

We believe the best way to captivate players of differing skill, however, is to give them varying activities to do in the game. Some players will want to delve into the gritty aspects of player-vs.-player combat and master the tactics necessary for defeating other players, others will want to explore how to build weapons and armor in the game, and there are those who might want to manage and facilitate the activities of a growing guild that they're in charge of.

Making each of these elements unique and different enough while maintaining some crossover to bring players together makes for a more compelling game experience. Bolstering one gameplay element over another will only draw players interested in that particular element - which could ultimately mean the difference between your game appealing to everyone or only proving entertainment to hardcore players.

We have a lot in store for people regardless of their preferred style of play. While we can't get into a lot of detailed specifics just yet, our approach involves building depth into whatever gameplay path the player chooses. For example, the layers of options that we're building into World of Warcraft for players whose primary goal is to be an item crafter are centered around developing new recipes or discovering rituals to create ancient and powerful items. These players could spend their entire play experience either questing for components to complete their master creations, or trading for those components, or even constructing the components themselves. Additionally, they could be involved in cultivating player economies in order to sell their creations. This is just a quick and generalized example, but it highlights the basic fact that we are working hard to create multiple and equally engaging ways for players to enjoy themselves in the game.

BI: Is there any new information you can give Insider readers about the game?
SD: Well, we've already announced several classes of playable characters for World of Warcraft, but we haven't really talked much about the abilities these classes will possess. You need to keep in mind that we are constantly adding to the scope of the game and changing things to keep the world balanced for all the various combinations of class, race, and playing style, but here are a few abilities that are currently in the game:

The Warrior
Warriors are the melee-centered class. These characters are tough as nails and masters of weaponry and tactics. The special abilities of the warrior are naturally combat-oriented. The Shield Bash is a skill that allows a warrior to strike enemies with a shield, stunning them for a short period of time. The Defensive Stance is a technique for warding off enemy attacks. When used, this skill increases the character's armor rating for a little while. The Whirlwind ability is an attack spell that sends the caster into a berserk fury, creating a destructive force that damages nearby enemies within a small area of effect.

The Mage
The Mages of Warcraft once centered their powers within the mageocracy of Dalaran. After that kingdom's destruction by the Burning Legion, however, the arcane arts spread to the far corners of the world. Mages can cast Fire Shield - a spell that surrounds a friendly target with a fiery barrier that deals out retaliatory damage to attacking enemies. Another defensive power in the mage's mystic arsenal is Frost Armor - an enchantment the caster uses to increase armor protection for a time. Mages can attack as well as defend, of course, and the Fireball is an offensive weapon that hurls a fiery magic missile at a single target.

The Shaman
Shamans are the spiritual leaders of their tribes and clans. They communicate with spirits, have visions of the future, and guide their people through the darkest of times. Many mistake their wisdom and serenity for a pacifist nature. When challenged, though, shamans have a range of powers available for dealing with threats to the natural order. The Lightning Bolt channels the energies of nature into a fearsome electrical charge that strikes a single enemy. The Lightning Shield is the reverse of the offensive bolt, generating an electrical barrier around a friendly character - damaging any that dare to attack. Questing in World of Warcraft is bound to be dangerous, and player characters won't always be on the right side of a sharpened edge. The shaman can prove a valuable ally during these times by calling on the aid of friendly spirits to heal wounds through the Restoration spell.

For future updates on the progress of World of Warcraft, visit the World of Warcraft page.