E3 2007 Report: World of Warcraft

Blizzard shows off its fantasy online world to an eager industry audience
May 31, 2002 - A high point last year for the online world community was Blizzard''''s announcement that it is developing World of Warcraft, taking its hugely popular RTS property into a new realm. Even though the information made available at that time was not extensive, the screenshots were impressive and offered a glimpse into how the Warcraft juggernaut would translate within the persistent state space. When we checked it out this year at E3, what was really surprising was how polished the game looks, especially considering it was only announced last September.

As an initial visual impression, the graphics represent a solid, distinctive departure in style from other online games. Instead of taking the avenue of realism, the feeling is that of the Warcraft universe, with vibrant colors and very impressive spell effects. We were shown an example of a water texture that looked especially great, with small details like whitecaps easily visible. The interiors of the buildings are well done, and the exteriors closely resemble their counterparts in the RTS games, which should really give fans a feeling of familiarity. Transitions between areas are seamless. You can move from the outside of a building into the inside with only the slightest of delay. Whether this will be the same when many more people are playing is another question.

The interface is clean with a portrait of your character and a mini-map of the area you are in. Camera control appears to be easy to use and combat appears to be straightforward; as you approach an enemy, you click on it, and the ensuing battle unfolds. There is also the option for both melee and spellcasting. The amount of damage taken by a creature appears numerically and has almost a comic book-style look to it as it springs forth and then fades away.

We saw one combat scene where a developer playing a bull-like Tauren character was fighting scarecrow-like creatures in a farm field. What was really cool is that when defeated, they arched their backs and actually became scarecrows, although nothing was said about how long they stay there. Most of the outdoor environments that we were shown appeared to be from the fall season; there was no mention of whether other seasonal environments are planned.

While the game looks great and does feature some nice touches, there were quite a few topics the team was not yet ready to discuss. As a result, it''''s still early to judge whether World of Warcraft will bring anything revolutionary to the online category; one obvious possibility would be strategic elements borrowed from its namesake. However, with the massive community that Warcraft possesses, this may not be necessary. If Blizzard creates a solid games - and who would expect less? - countless players are certain to visit the online version of Azeroth. There is currently no official release date, but we''''ll be watching closely for that and any other new information as development moves forward.