Introduction

I have been a discontinuous WOW player for about five years. During these five years, I have experienced most version of WOW. This is the reason why I choose WOW for my canon report. In my personal opinion, I think canon game should be a game which is popular for a long time, and each idea from cannon game should be unique, think out of the box. In this report I will analysis WOW’s main features so as to prove that why I think World of Warcraft is future Canon game.

Industry and historical setting

World of Warcraft, abbreviate as WOW is the first online PC game released by Blizzard Entertainment in November 2004 which is set the plot of play of real-time strategy (RTS) game Warcraft as his game history. Beside the expansion packs of Warcraft and Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans which was cancelled, It is the fourth game of Warcraft series from Blizzard Entertainment. It has been six years since the game release and there are still more than ten million players in the world crazy about it. Six years for game industry means that players’ favorites have changed a lot. Players will like to have more interactive during the game. We can see consoles like Playstation3, X-box360 or wii all add internet connect function so as to make sure players can get interactive during the game. Different from other Warcraft series, World of Warcraft is a kind of game that players in the world can play together online in same game; they can choose play individually or in team and live as the character which they made in game. Finish missions, team work and adventure to discover places are the fun part of World of Warcraft and players will never feel boring during their practice for high levels. Every time when World of Warcraft update to a new version, some new stuffs will be added into game so as to make game dynamic. Now the 4.0 patch is opening for downloading and I think and I believe that this version is coming soon and also will be amazing.

Genre

Blizzard Entertainment always referred World of Warcraft as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. And during the game, players can find the reflection of these genres. When players play the individual model practicing for high level, WOW will be kind of RPG game for them. Because players need to get experience, grow skills and earn money during mission. When players’ levels are high, they will go to PVP or PVM in game for fun; at that time, the game will turn to kind of fighting game online.

Main features

Narrative and Game world

Background story is a part of game soul.WOW has a perfect World definition. As I mentioned before, the background story of WOW is based on Warcraf. Warcraf series have been going through about ten years in game industry; from Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft Ⅱ:Beyond the Dark portal to WarcraftⅢ:The frozen Throne. These ten years gradually form the game world and background history of WOW. In game, time that WOW start is after WarcraftⅢ; With the released of new patch of WOW, WOW now has a complete and epic background which will continually go on.

Compare to the really world, WOW has a complete unknown mysterious real world for all players in game world. The whole game has complete world map and geography structure.

Compare to other MMORPG. No matter which race or maps or boss in WOW, even the little stuff like Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood all of them have information for historical in game world for research.

All in all, the epic background setting of WOW is Insurmountable in game industry. I think that it will be a trend for future game.

Level System

When the game was first released, the top level rank of beta version is level 45, then the top level rank of official version is level 60.For the lasted version, the top level is level 80. And for the 4.0 patches, top level will be raised to level 85. We can easily find that WOW did not choose to set level on a stationary number when the game release and the top level number will increase with the new patches of the game. The reason why Blizzard Entertainment chooses this level system is that is they want the entire player to realize and satisfied with the new type of game play - - To be the master of the game, not the slave of it.

WOW adds amount of funny missions into the game. Missions help players to enjoy the game, know more about the game instead of focus on level. In WOW, players in each level have its own corresponding missions. Level up is a kind of bonus for player.

Compare to other MMORPG, WOW gets rid of old level system, level is no longer means that higher level stronger and players will not feel boring during the level up, they can research skills and talent for their own character so as to make them stronger when they reach the top level in game.

Maybe people who never play it will not understand, however, the players will feel that the real game starts when you reach the highest level in the game. Everything we did for highest level is a prepare for a real start, because different talent character player created is one of the main point of the game.

Games play mode-Dynamic

WOW’s server is divided into three modes to satisfied players’ need. There are PVP mode, PVE mode and RPG mode. In the game, there are ten races and ten jobs for players to choose when they create their own character and each character has 3 different type talents. These advantages give players much higher freedom to create their own unique character.

Mission system

Mission system –Finding mission, accepting mission, doing mission, submit mission and get experience is a cycle during the practicing levels. There are over 7000 missions in WOW. If we just estimate that who get the largest number of the missions is the king, I think WOW has already been the number one in game industry. WOW is not only game who use the mission system, however, it’s dynamic mission system and the historical detail of WOW’s mission is much better than other MMORPG. Dynamic is a soul requirement for game design. In some MMORPG, players are required to kill different creature, keep killing is a boring thing for me. But in WOW, missions for players are not only killing monsters, players are sometimes required to send a message, fill some water or just talk to NPC. All the missions are not just set to help level up, they also help players know the history of Azeroth, know the setting of heroes and know more about WOW. As there are a lot of missions are have relate to the famous person and history of WOW, players who already get top level cannot help to keep doing mission for knowing more about WOW’s history. Huge mission system makes game never get boring, there are always good missions waiting for players.

Another special point of WOW’s mission system is that different races and job character did different missions during level up. In detail, horde and alliance has different mission system. Even in horde or alliance, different races has different mission before level 20.

Instance

Instance is another shinning point for WOW, and it is force on the players who enjoys PVE game in game. Although some other MMORPGs have instances as well, none of them has better rich contents than WOW has in game industry. Instance has three types: 5-person mode, 10-person mode and 25-person mode. Each instance has its own individual area. Players play in group and have adventure together there. Each level character has his own 5-person mode which means when players get tired of doing mission for level up, they can level up in a different way - - in group

On the other hand, Instance is a kind of example for the saying that the real game starts when you reach the highest level in the game. When players get to the level 60 or higher, they can play in 10-person mode and 25-person mode which are still big challenge for the top level players. But bigger challenge bigger reward, player can get epic equipments after they win a formidable boss.

Everyone can find an instance suitable for them and all the instances are different. Dynamic again!!This kind of design deeply raises the fun of the player who already has the top level. At the same time, it rises with force and spirit of player who is in lower level.

PVP System

Like mission systems and Instance system, other games also have PVP system. Why I mention PVP system here is that WOW did the best PVP system in game industry. Here are the points I listed:

1Dynamic PVP method

PVP in WOW can be classified into three systems. There are filed, Battle ground and Arena. PVP systems are the third playing way for player to choose in WOW. Dynamic playing choices! Cool! Players will never get bored during the WOW life, individual or group? Up to you!

Filed mode, there is no limitation to players who can kill players from other group; it was a fighting between Horde and Alliance in game

WOW has six different battlegrounds. Each has different conditions to win. For example, occupy all natural resources to get win, kill the other side leader to get win or attack and occupy the castle by using carriers. During the battle ground system, player will fight with other player.

Arena is another fighting type in PVP system. In Arena, Player works as groups and fighting. Win or not is depended on group work and control skills.

2PVP balance

There are ten jobs we can select in WOW, and each of them reins on to another job, for example, warlock can restrains mage and mage can restrain warrior. This kind of mutual restraint property makes balance extremely important. My opinion is that balance work is surprisingly hard to doing well, no one will be the most powerful and no one will be the most weakness. Every time when the new patch comes out, there are always some changes in balance settings in new patch, for example, patch 3.1.3 to patch 3.2.2, WOW reduce the damage of one of Paladin’s skill-- Crusader Strike, because this skill is kind of overpower in game before fixing. If Blizzard Entertainment did not notice that, it would be unfair to other players in game. What I can say is that Serious and responsible attitude which Blizzard Entertainment has is commendable.

Talent system

We can always find talent system in games, no matter they are MMORPG or RPG or others. In WOW’s talent system, there are three talent trees for each character. Talent system is a way to show unique character in WOW game, because players will add character’s talent as they want to develop their hero in game. We can say that even choose same job for two same race characters, they will also be different because of the difference of talent system setting. Of course, players can reset talent point in game to change a different personality for their characters. Talent system is totally giving all freedom to players.

On the other hand, WOW’s Talent system is much Flexible than other MMORPG. Each job can have three choices
for setting character’s talent. Other MMORPG that has talent system cannot have as much talent setting choices as
WOW has in game. WOW is the only one. For example, Paladin‘s talent in WOW, he has three different talents,
retribution, protection and holy. Full retribution points can help raising Paladin’s damage power; full protection
help Paladin works as a shield in group; full holy, Paladin will be changed to a curer in group and providing support
to members and himself. However, as the limits of talent point, players can only choose add point into on talent.
Balance system again! Cool setting. We all have our Blind spots. So do game characters!

Reference from http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc.xml?c=Paladin

Financial System

Beside the fighting system, I think an advanced financial system is a distinguishing feature. The whole financial system works with the social activities between players and players. As living in the really world, financial system is an indispensable part if players need to live well in WOW world. Buying mounts, buying medicines which can supplement HP or MP when players are fighting, buying equipments in game is simulate to buying cars, buying vitamins or buying fashion clothes in real world. Money, we need money, no matter which world we are living. However, killing monsters and selling good equipments which get from the dying monster is no longer be the only way to earn money in game like other MMORPG. Blizzard Entertainment planed and made a complete supply and demand cycle like the cycle in our daily life. Except for learning the fight skills, players also can choose learning business skills for earning money. WOW provides players eleven business skills in game(Herbalism, Mining, Skinning, Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Inscription, Jewelcrafting , Leatherworking and Tailoring) and every player can only choose maximum 2 of them at one time. These business skills are the elements of WOW’s supply and demand cycle. Here is the example: there are two business skills called blacksmithing and mining. Miner can get any kind of ores in game and forging workers need to consume ores for forge good stuff. The result is Miner can sell ores to forging workers for money and forging workers can buy ores forging and sell stuff to others who need the stuffs in game for money. Of course, other business skills work roughly the same way in game. Stuffs exchange leads currency in circulation, this kind of situation never happened in MMORPG before WOW comes.

Furthermore, Auction Hall is a place in WOW which providing a trading place to player for financial system. This trading place totally changes the old business interactive in old MMORPG which player send advertisements on public channel. Players’ trading getting much more convenient and I think it was a bigger improvement for MMORPG in game industry.

In addition, advanced financial system derived some special players in WOW. Those players who might not like fighting and killing will enjoy the social mode and business systems. They act as businessman in WOW world. In a certain sense, financial system not only enriches the game content but also widens the WOW’s game market.

Update and Improved

MMORPGs all need to update and improve, and most of them just fix some bugs and improve a little. However WOW’s update is always a big project. Expect for fix bugs, Blizzard Entertainment will also put some new stuff into game, such like new instances, new jobs, new races, new talent and new equipments. Blizzard Entertainment tries to make players feel that they have new feeling of the new updates and improvements and I think this is the secretes why WOW has always been the most popular MMORPG since it released. Six years is a really long time in game industry, but players like dynamic game, Blizzard Entertainment always caters for players’ needs exactly.

Equipments Binding System

It has been about 13 years since first MMORPG - Ultima Online (UO) release. During these years, we can easily find
that all rare equipments in different games become a kind of treasure for big fan players. Most big fans are willing
to buy these equipments by using huge really money. This saturation might leads some players become"superman”
in game by just paying for equipments instead of looting. In a certain sense, the activity that players pay for
equipments is unfair to person who follows the game rules. The worse thing for paying activity is that it will lead
crime. People hacked game account and selling equipments which are not belong to them for money. A lot of
players gave up the game by these reasons I mentioned above.

In WOW, Blizzard Entertainment gave all equipments two attributes, Bind on Pickup (BOP) and Bind on Equip (BOE).
BOP means that equipments with this attribute will be banded to players when they are picked up; BOE means
equipments with this attribute will be banded to players after they are equipped. All the banded stuff cannot be
traded any more unless the trade target is NPC. These attributes setting can protect person who is hacked his game
account from good equipments being stolen. Furthermore, these attributes setting can reduce the affect of real
money in game and try to keep the balance of the game and make game fair relatively.

Conclusion:

As the analysis above, It is easy to see that WOW’s design is really follow the game on key principle—Dynamic. For new and cool stuffs which WOW made like financial system, control mode and Equipments Binding System, I think that all these stuffs will be quote into the future MMORPG Gradually. As for its epic background story, I think that it would not be surpass for a long time.

All in all WOW is absolutely a canon game. No matter its dynamic contents design or its advanced parts are all going to be a guide which helps develop the MMORPG in the future. The contribution WOW made to game industry is immeasurable.