Shortly after releasing details for the Collector's Edition of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, EA Mythic announced that the much anticipated MMO would be delayed again (until Fall of 2008) while the company continued applying polish, balance and fun to the game. General Manager, Mark Jacobs, spoke with several news sources regarding the delay admitting that though he feels the "test process has validated the game's core design", "many areas need work" and "everything is taking a bit longer than [they] had hoped".
Source: WarCry [ more info ]

I'd like to start with multi-pronged apology. First and foremost, Mark Jacobs and Mythic know PvP and thus know what "rock, paper, scissors" is in the context of the comic. Second, I apologise to Mark specifically for the terrible caricature. It just didn't come out as expected. It's likely that I will continue to work on it until I'm happy. That said, let's move on to the news item.

I was in the Mythic booth at E3 when they announced for the first time that they'd acquired the rights to make a Warhammer MMO. So, I've been waiting on the game since day one. I've toured their studio and seen the work in progress. I've played the game at subsequent E3's. I was even commissioned to do full page comics about game's backstory before Games Workshop put the kibosh on it. But, even with all of that personal build-up, I'm perfectly content to allow EA Mythic more time to polish the game, improve balance, etc. The cited article goes deeper into EA Mythic's reasons for the delay so I recommend giving it a read.

As for my own beliefs on class balance, well...
That's a different writeup entirely.

HEHE, isnt class balance a myth.

Seriously, I hope that the game totally rocks.

"Balance" is a relative term.

Just look on ANY MMO Forum for many user there, balance is equal to their class being able to kill all other classes.

It gets interesting when you have two determined posters in the same thread who use different classes.

From my experience, class balance only becomes a problem if they don't have it set how they would like at release. WoW being the main example of horrible class balance complaints, they nerfed too harshly every time they put in balance changes. I recall being able to three shot any caster within five levels of me as a rogue in one patch then barely being able to scratch them the next. I hope Warhammer gets it right at launch and doesn't have to tinker with balance too badly, I don't want to go through relearning my class every other patch if I end up playing it.

Until then, Age of Conan will be my next game, and it had best not be delayed any further! *Shakes a fist menacingly*

rock, paper, warlock

"Paper is fine, nerf rock." -- Scissors

I actually interpreted Mark's line as, "Nothing beats rock!" and not, "What's RPS?"... I can't decide which is funnier.

lets just face it though, no matter what the game, some classes will always be more efficiant at PvP. while others are designed with other goals, such as support classes aka healers..

That is what i am starting to hate about new mmorpgs coming out. To many people be leaving that pvp should be the be all end all of mmorpgs. that is why eq1 and wow are the top played mmorpg. pvp is something fun to do, but it is not something you have to do.

There is never really going to be a balance with all classes in any MMO. SOE has been trying to disprove that for the longest with SWG. With each "balance" they wind up making one class a little better than the rest. First it was Creature Handler, then it was Bounty Hunter, then it was Jedi, then it was melee defensive stackers, then the NGE hit and they got close, with just having 9 classes, but still one class is always a little bit better than the rest in PvP and PvE.

I'm just on the firm opinion, that if you enjoy the game, play it. If your content with what is handed to you, then there shouldn't be a problem. Do the best you can and just have fun. My 2 creds worth.

Oh and on the opinion of nerfing Rock....We're tanks dang it, not some slasher that snips at defenseless covert operators, like paper, all willy nilly...geez. :-)

Class Balance
Pshah.

I always hated the idea and philosphy of it.
DPS should be amazing at burst damage and suck at defense
Healers should be great healers, but do little damage output.
Tanks should be amazing defensively and aggro management, but suck at DPS
Buff / Utility classes should basically be a balance of the above 3.

I loved the early inceptions of EQ as well as Vanguard (with the exception of warriors being broken early on in VG and EQ....why always the warriors with verant and sigil?)

Class balancing is garbage, and was just a way for the people who were not fond of grouping to level up at the same rate (or faster, depending on class...hello necros) as a full group.

Just my opinion. I hated, hate, and will always hate the idea of class balancing.