Let us move beyond the back-and-forth of whether WAR can actually overcome the WoW juggernaut and dissect a really great interview Tobold did with WoW Lead Producter, J. Allen Brack, where a big topic was Wrath of the Lich King and future expansions.

Obviously, there are some unknowns with WAR because the game has not even released yet, but we have heard whispers in the community of “planned content” and “already working on the first expansion” and we can hope they carry over the best parts of their expansions from DAOC.

This is by no means a fact-proven comparison because each of these producers might say one thing and do something else entirely, but it is based on what has been said in the public forum

WoW’s expansion philosophy

• Goal is to release one expansion per year (in practice, they’re on track to release one every two years if WotLK launches Q1 2009)
• Don’t plan more than one or two expansions ahead (work on one, brainstorm the next). Their IP is weaker than GW’s, so it’s hard to predict whether or not they’ll run out of ideas soon (they currently have no idea of what will be in the expansion after WotLK)
• Want to give users the best experience possible, regardless of how long it takes
• New classes are strategically implemented (there’s a general lack of tanks in WoW, so they made the new hero class a tank - that also fit really well with the lore of Northrend)
• Looking for ways to speed up the level 1-60 game for players tho start a new character or install the game for the first time (ideas include enhanced XP rate gain, mounts at earlier levels, and even starting a new character at XX rather than level 1)

WAR’s expansion philosophy

• Have not stated goals for expansion:year ratio, however, they are already working on the first two major content patches and the first expansion. I predict an intention of one expansion per year but it may prove differently in practice.
• Hard to say whether or not EA Mythic has a roadmap for future expansions, but the Warhammer IP is firmly established, so they’ll have a very rich history to work with
• Quality over quantity - same as Blizzard
• Based on their model of archetypes and class mirrors, new classes will easily fit within the established design and since the IP for WAR is established, and they work so closely with GW on all things, lore will likely support the new classes
• Want to avoid speeding up the early game because of vertical expansion (e.g., If they were to add a level cap increase, they would eventually be forced to speed up the earlier levels to avoid one massive grind from 1-XX. They want to avoid this entirely, which makes me think they will focus more on horizontal expansion, rather than vertical - but again, you never know)

Mark Jacobs has stated that he realizes the mistakes Mythic made with the expansions of Dark Age of Camelot, specifically Trials of Atlantis. He really wants to avoid these same mistakes in WAR, which is good news for everyone interested in this game.

Based on Tobold’s interview and what we know about WAR, what do you think about all this? One thing Syp mentioned really rings true to me. Based on Mr. Brack’s responses to Tobold, WotLK may not be as near to release as we previously thought. It’s currently in alpha and he says he’s not happy with where they’re at. This is good news for all of us fearing the potential of a head-to-head release.

Let’s hope EA Mythic can stay on track and release in fall 2008 (even late fall is okay).