Played Lately: Warhammer Online

• I like to pretend that I'm a smart guy, but it's just an act. If you were under any misconception that I know what I'm doing, I offer this story to dispel any delusions you might have.


• The folks at Mythic have been doing an amazing job of community outreach with Warhammer Online. From Keen and Graev's Dwarf Slayer and The Greenskins's Orc Choppa packages to the various Witch Elf valentines, they managed to interest me in the game in a way I haven't felt since the launch. Tuesday night, the hype machine got a hold of me and I resubscribed to the game. The patch process wasn't long, so I was in the game in less than ten minutes. Fifteen minutes after that, I logged off and cancelled my subscription again.


• It's not that the game bored me that fast. I was always able to enjoy my time in the game to some extent. The reason I cancelled was because even at the minimum settings, the game runs so slow on my computer as to be unplayable. Somehow, I'd forgotten that was a problem. WoW and LotRO, both of which I run at reduced graphic settings, have spoiled me. Of course, I've learned to be happy playing games at 15 FPS, a speed that would make most hardcore gamers ill. I didn't have the meter running, but WAR had to be in the 2-3 FPS range.


• I have to wonder how prevalent my circumstances are. Casual games have been extremely popular in the last few years. I wonder if that's because the baseline system can't handle a triple-A game anymore. The last time ran against the technical limitations of my computer, I abandoned my PC to become a console gamer. And with great looking games like Fallout 3, Fable 2, and Prince of Persia waiting to be played, I have plenty of reasons to cozy up to my much less expensive Xbox 360. If someone developed a good console MMO, I might not need my PC for much more than blogging.


• So until I get a better computer, I will be uninstalling WAR from my system, just to prevent further stupidity. I really want to like the game, but it does not like me. The question is will there still be a Warhammer Online by the time I finally upgrade?