Comparing the expansion philosophies of World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online
by Michael Zenke 
Jul 1st 2008 at 2:30PM
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Warhammer Online
Snafzg over at the GREENskin blog followed up on Tobold's recent interview with Blizzard's J. Allen Brack. Blizzard has previously clarified their method of creating expansions for World of Warcraft, but his reiteration of the production process has prompted some thoughtful responses. Snaf notes that, as Mark Jacobs and the folks at EA Mythic have made a few of their thoughts on expansions for Warhammer Online clear, some useful comparisons can be made.His most interesting point, this blogger feels, is analysis of the strength of the two IPs.He characterizes the Warcraft IP as weaker than Warhammer, due to the relative brevity of its content. We've got several ideas about what future Warhammer expansions might include, but (as Snaf notes) Blizzard "currently has no idea of what will be in the expansion after WotLK". Couldn't that possibly be a strength? Northrend was a given, an almost inevitability in Warcraft's future, but now the company has a thousand different plot threads to explore and no "required" content to cover.
Interesting to think about, either way.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DigiM4x said on 3:20PM 7-01-2008
Warcrafts expansions are linear where Warhammers will not be.
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Nadril said on 2:38PM 7-01-2008
The problem blizzard is going to have in future expansions is just coming up with raid content that isn't fucking ridiculous. They've already killed off Kil'Jaden who can, from what i understand, destroy planets.
If they stick with the 10/25 man model in WoTLK we will have Arthas be able to be 10 manned. And, after that? All thats really left for good raid bosses are gods and demi-gods, and that just seems silly.
It will be interesting to see where they go with it.
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Misanthrope said on 3:16PM 7-01-2008
They have enough content for at least 2 more expansions in WoW, more even.
The emerald dream, the maelstrom, the elemental plane, the twisting nether, hey, they've probably got plans for post WotLK.
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Folsom said on 3:35PM 7-01-2008
But that's Blizz's problem, it all feels like they are just 'making it up' as they go along. This deprives alot of players from feeling like they are in a 'real' world and thus you see the lollore arguments.
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Prophetik said on 3:43PM 7-01-2008
Yeah...because the WAR universe seems more real?
Wouldn't a more lifelike world be one where people DON'T know what's happening in the future?
Colin Brennan said on 4:12PM 7-01-2008
World of Warcraft: The Journey Into the Emerald Dream
'Nuff said.
As for Warhammer... I WANT VAMPIRE COUNTS NOWZ.
Also, 'nuff said.
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Calarius said on 7:13PM 7-01-2008
You're reading my mind. I thinking that would make the next great expansion.
Leshrac said on 4:36PM 7-01-2008
Yes, lets compare expansions for a game that has been out for 4 years, has one expansion out and another about to enter closed beta with an MMO that is not even close to being released. Any a$$wipe that says WAR will blow away WoW in any shape or form hasn't played the WAR beta. Let alone comparing future expansions for both games. Its folly.
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So sorry said on 11:28PM 7-01-2008
@Leshrac
I'm in the war closed beta, and I can say that warhammer "blows wow away" in several aspects already in it's beta stage. I will admit that comparing expansions is quite ridiculous, but right now war eats wow alive at very least in pvp play alone. Game world pvp >>>> arena+bg play by a long shot. Not to mention the game caters to it's namesake by having both factions actually at... well.. war.
So, not Folly, anyone that has actually been in the 2nd phase of the beta these past couple months already knows war is the real deal.
Snafzg said on 9:32AM 7-02-2008
If you took a few brief moments to actually read my blog post, I am not comparing expansions, I am comparing the underlying philosophy behind future expansions based on quotes from WoW and WAR devs. :)
And that being said, I did state up front that this is not a factual comparison - it is a comparison of words, and therefore subject to change.
Pirate Penguin said on 5:17PM 7-01-2008
I think that Blizzard jumped the shark with spaceships, aliens, and players already farming 'threat to the universe' type bad guys for loot.
It does appear that, after WoLK, the ceiling is going to get a bit ridiculous. What will be after Arthas? Even now dragons can be duoed, and players can kill the very things that shaped the entire world (of warcraft). What's left?
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RogueJedi86 said on 7:04PM 7-01-2008
I'd actually say the real limiter is how formulaic the WoW Expansions are getting after only 1 1/2 expansions(WotLK being half-done). We already know exactly what to expect. Heroics, rival factions, kill quests, equal number of Horde and Alliance towns/hubs, a neutral city for all players to mingle in(without worry of Horde/Alliance skirmishes), obligatory portals to Azeroth in said neutral city. The list goes on and on. They're adding a few new bells and whistles(barbershop, siege weapons), but nothing drastically game altering.
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Diaz said on 7:13PM 7-01-2008
@Prophetik. To answer your question, No. Take Lord of the Rings for example, it's greatest strength comes from the fact that it has such a rich history (and yet everyone knows how it ends). It's not a... 'and then alien paladins crash landed' kind of world system.
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Neko Ali said on 11:24PM 7-01-2008
Kil'jaeden cannot destroy planets. You're thinking of Sargeras, the mad Titan. Who has not appeared in WoW yet. Kil'jaeden was the other Eredar lord who was tempted and corrupted by Sargeras, along with Archimonde. And he is not killed in the Sunwell raid. The entire raid fight is about keeping him from entering Azeroth fully and at the end, he is just driven back through the Sunwell, not destroyed.
There is a lot of content and storylines that haven't been covered yet. In the cosmic scale of things, Outland and Illidan rate a minor footnote, really. A broken world and an outcast corrupted elf. Raiders have already taken on an Elder God in C'thun.
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Kalain said on 2:45AM 7-02-2008
Oooh.. A Warhammer blog dissing WoW, how oringinal. OF course he's going to say that WAR will be better for expansions than WoW will.
When we can get someone who is neutral in the whole affair and post their comments, then a lot of people will probably listen.
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Snafzg said on 9:40AM 7-02-2008
Lol, troll comments from the peanut gallery? Please read my post and you'll find that I did not diss WoW at all. I merely compared a bullet point list of WoW and WAR's ideas, intentions, and aspirations for future expansions. Not once did I assert one was any better than the other.
That's for you to decide.
Do I think WAR has better expansion potential than WoW? Yes I do, but you won't find any evidence of that in the linked post.
Krister said on 2:45PM 7-02-2008
Blizzard has a long term plan with wow. Already 2-3 years ago it was leaked expansions going all the way up to lvl120.
Listed was correctly burning crusade and then northrend (now wrath of the lich king). I think after wrath it was maelstrom or something like that and the last one I can´t remember but the last expansion was at lvl120.
And they just confirmed today that they are working on a next generation mmo so to imply that blizzard doesn´t have a plan is just retarded.
As for it the games are good that is another matter but they certainly have plans going further than any other game company I know of.
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