Mythic recently made a few announcements that are sure to be of interest to Warhammer Online players. Community Coordinator Andy Belford kicked things off over the weekend by revealing the revised 1.3.4 scenario structure. You can read all the details after the jump.

Whether you like the new structure or not, most players will be happy to hear that the Night of Murder live event has been extended until the morning of Feb. 23. Mythic decided this was necessary "due to various issues encountered by players."

Lastly, the next Mass Playtest Event will be held on the Warpstone Public Test Server on Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. EST. Players will get the chance to review the new 1.3.4 scenario structure and RvR earned weapons.

In Development - Revised 1.3.4 Scenario Structure

Last week we told the community that we were going “back to the whiteboard” on how we implemented the Scenario changes in 1.3.4. We took the feedback provided by you, the community, to heart and took a long look at what we wanted to accomplish with these changes compared to what the players are asking for.

In streamlining the Scenario structure we are looking to accomplish the following:

• Attaining “critical mass” for Scenarios to ensure that they are firing off as frequently as possible. If we put in too many Scenarios active at one time, we end up spreading out the active population to the point that there is a significant, and thereby not fun, wait for Scenarios.
• Making obsolete the need to queue for one or two specific Scenarios to “push” the campaign. 
• Providing you with the variety in Scenarios that you’re asking for by adding in the most asked for Scenarios from the community and re moving some of the less played ones. 
• Ensuring that the streamlined Scenario list is conducive to attaining the new RvR earned weapons. Some of the criteria we looked at was:
  
  
  • Ending scores, for both the winner and the losing realm (the higher the better for the losing realm)
  • Time to completion
  • Frequency Scenarios were actually queued for
  • Frequency of firing off
  • Frequency of ending due to imbalance
  • Fun of Gameplay, i.e.; does it feed into being an AoE meatgrinder or is it more strategic with lots of room to play in?

So the big question is, how are we going to accomplish this? Well, here’s what the new Always Active Scenario List will look like:

Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3	Tier 4
Gates of Ekrund	Mourkain Temple	Tor Anroc	Serpent's Passage
Nordenwatch	Nordenwatch	Nordenwatch	Nordenwatch
Weekend Warfront	Reikland Factory	Reikland Factory	Reikland Factory
	Weekend Warfront	Lost Temple of Isha	Lost Temple of Isha
		Weekend Warfront	Caledor Woods
			Battle For Praag
			Weekend Warfront

 

“But Andy, that’s still only 6 static Scenarios in tier 4!”

Yes, yes it is. This is where the aforementioned “critical mass” comes into play. We understand the desire for as much variety as possible, however we had to temper that with ensuring the most active Scenario environment possible for everyone. We went back and took a long hard look at the previous list and took to heart the feedback on what Scenarios you did and did not want. We saw the large outcry against the inclusion of Phoenix Gate, Mourkain Temple and Gates of Ekrund at the higher level tiers and the exclusion of some favorites such as Reikland Factory, Caledor Woods and Serpent’s Passage. While we still feel that some of these Scenarios are perfect for the lower Tiers, i.e.; Mourkain and Tor Anroc, we agreed that the mechanic and map layout doesn't necessarily lend themselves to the higher Tiers where it’s a completely different environment. As such, you will see a greater variety between the lower tiers and Tier 4.

One thing that we didn't emphasize strongly enough in previous communications is that these Tier 4 Scenarios will be available at all times, no matter what state the campaign is in (aside from stage one of a City Siege). This means that no matter if there are two pairings locked (One Order, One Destro) you will always have 6 or 7 Scenarios available rather than the possibility of having as few as 1 Scenario available. Keep in mind that we are accomplishing this by only reducing the possible Scenarios in Tier 4 from 12 down to a more manageable 7. Also, as was previously stated in the 1.3.4 PTS Patch notes, any Scenario you participate in will contribute towards the Victory Point tally of all the active zones within your tier.

Another linchpin of the new Scenario structure is the Weekend Warfront system (previously referred to as the Weekend Scenario Events). We are committed to featuring a different Scenario each single weekend, meaning that you will see the Scenarios in our arsenal returning on a somewhat regular basis. Additionally, these Weekend Warfronts will do something that weekend events have never done before: contribute to the campaign. No longer will you be forced to pick and choose which Scenarios to queue for; all of them contribute.

The planned line up for the Weekend Warfronts following the launch of 1.3.4 are:

• 1.3.4 Live + 1 week: Scurvy Dogs with the all new 6v6 Scenario “The Ironclad”.
• 1.3.4 Live + 2 weeks: High Pass Cemetery.
• 1.3.4 Live + 3 weeks: Howling Gorge.
• 1.3.4 Live + 4 weeks: Black Fire Basin.
• …and so on.

This new “Weekend Warfront” system also opens up the possibility of developing alternate rulesets for existing Scenarios…cluck cluck y’all .

So there you have it. We are extremely grateful to you, the community, for all of the feedback you’ve provided over the last few weeks regarding the Scenario changes. While we understand that everyone will react differently to this new system, we are steadfast in the belief that this is the best thing for the future of WAR. Thank you for being a part of what’s to come.

WAAAGH!