Games like Everquest and Asheron’s call each have their own “world”. But they lack immersion for Role Players. Sure they have quests and a backstory, but I never knew just how much they were lacking until a few days with WoW. Maybe its that the Warcraft universe has had me running around in it for years already, but that is too simplistic. Star Wars has too and I can safely say I did not feel as I do about WoW about it. So when I say “Immersion” what do I mean and how exactly does it relate to Roleplayers? Let me tell you.

Aside from a couple splash screens, my first bite of WoW was the character creation screen. Some have scoffed at a lack of choices. However, as a role player I was cheering. There is definitely fewer customization features and this does mean that many characters will look the same. However as a role player this is a GREAT thing. The reason is due to their quality. How many times in EQ, AC, AO, DAoC or any other MMORPG did you cycle through a dozen crappy faces to spend your time debating between two or three decent ones. Then you get in the game and find 100 people with that same “cool” face. These faces are hands down the best I have seen in a game like this (star wars included). The reason is that instead of a blank stare, each face has some emotion. A playful look, a mean stare or even a crooked smile. There was actual emotion in the eyes of the characters. Not to mention that the eyes were moving. Sure it sounds like a small thing, but seeing the eyes dart around gives them so much more soul than the deer in headlights stare of the countless heads I’ve clicked through in other games.

Another small touch was the backgrounds behind the characters. The clouds were drifting behind my character created moving artwork. Now this may not seem like a RP issue but it is. This was just the first of a series of little flourishes that draw you into the world visually. Other games have great graphics, but I have never truly felt like I was in “another world”. EQ still is too blocky and just plain blah. Star Wars looks great but with an effort to look realistic, it still looks “video gamey”. WoW on the other hand is like playing a cartoon, but in a good way. There’s a greater degree of immersion within it than I have felt with other games. The icons look like they belong in the world. The buildings still are big blocky monstrosities with repeated tiles making them up, but the flourishes on the walls and the floor just grab your mind and keep it firmly rooted in the game. I’d like to give a virtual pat on the back to everyone on the art team. They should be IMMENSELY proud of what they have done so far.

Sound is another area where WoW excels. Until now, I had Anarchy Online on the top of my list for immersion with sound. However, so far I have to nod at WoW. The easiest thing to point at is the music. It is actually something that many will play with, instead of the insta-mute you get with EQ. But the ambient sound and those of the characters and mobs also deserve a nod. From the echo in a mine, to the howl of wolves as night breaks, the world exists audibly as well as visually.

With as much as I have written so far, I have to admit that I haven’t said anything that I didn’t already expect from the screenshots we’ve all digested for months. We all knew it was pretty and had a good license to pull from. The test of course is how would it play. Stay tuned tomorrow for a Roleplayer’s take on gameplay, quests and other oddities.

By Scott Patten

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