Guild Wars 2

[Tish]

Links of interest:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/04/nornate-guild-wars-2-gdc-video-blowout/#more-53074

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/09/guild-wars-2-crafting-stuff-revealed/

http://www.arena.net/blog/andrew-mcleod-talks-crafting-in-gw2

http://www.arena.net/blog/pax-east-preview-izzy-on-attributes-and-iteration

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/10/preview-the-secret-world/

http://www.arena.net/blog/pax-east-countdown-a-glimpse-of-the-thief

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/thief/

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/guardian/

http://tap-repeatedly.com/2011/03/30/exclusive-interview-arenanets-daniel-dociu/#more-13917

http://www.arena.net/blog/those-sneaky-sneaky-skritt

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-14-guild-wars-2-how-to-make-mmos-better-interview

http://www.arena.net/blog/scott-mcgough-on-writing-the-charr

http://www.arena.net/blog/the-artistic-origin-of-the-charr

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/races/charr/

http://www.arena.net/blog/the-legions-of-the-charr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGrzNSWTXsk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXgm9zL-2ro&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnjvhPvREvA&feature=related

http://www.fohguild.org/forums/attachments/mmorpg-general-discussion/163399d1297345612-guild-wars-2-coming-gw1vsgw2.jpg

http://www.arena.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/medium_armor_mix.jpg

http://www.arena.net/blog/an-introduction-to-the-environment-art-of-guild-wars-2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFylw4LYjQ

http://www.arena.net/blog/shadows-in-the-water-the-krait

http://gw2.variance.hu/2011/05/04/variance-guild-wars-2-arenanet-interview/

http://tap-repeatedly.com/2011/05/07/exclusive-interview-arenanets-bobby-stein/

[Bijal]

New video of Lion's Arch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0MzZyZ-ty8&feature=player_embedded

[Tieg]

Oh my, that is one gorgeous city. Very diverse and unique. I love it.

You should share some of your RP thoughts with us in the other GW2 thread, Bij. : D

[Tish]

Wow, I so want to RP there.

Reminds me of Aion in style. I loved Aion's style.

[Tieg]

Aion was seriously the most graphically stunning MMO I've played. And the developers seem very committed to improving the game and making it a success no matter what. Really makes me want to go back to it.

[Tish]

Yea, Aion's outfits and architecture were seriously the best I've ever seen in a game. It was graphically stunning, without a doubt, and the customization was absolutely perfect.

[Bijal]

Aion had a great look to it, I really liked the appearance of the starting zones. A shame the story line didn't hook me.

[Tieg]

We RPed a pair of Devas who were ascended while still pre-pubescent teens. They were eternally stuck in the bodies of youths but were quite old. It was kind of funny.

Not that we got to RP them much/long. Would probably have got tiresome after a while.

[Tieg]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/05/18/guild-wars-2-quests/

New Guild Wars 2 interview, here's my favourite parts:


We have small events, which might cycle a little faster; we have really big challenging events… I don’t know the exact cycles, but it really isn’t like you hand in your quest and then you see a respawn of exactly the same thing. You defend the fort against Centaurs and you push them back, all of a sudden you will see the NPCs and the merchants come back, they bring in guards and you keep pushing the Centaurs further, maybe back to their stronghold. Then as long as you keep them confined, your village is safe. If the players then decide ‘ah, I don’t want to stay here anymore’ and go somewhere else, then all of a sudden the centaurs find there’s nobody there to keep them from taking over the village so they start pushing forwards.

The good thing is those events run even if there are no players involved – if there are no players, the enemy will take over and you’ll have to get it back before you can actually do anything. That’s why it feels more organic and breathing. If you log out in the evening and you know ‘ok, we had control of that stronghold over there’ but you look in the next day and it’s ‘holy crap, what happened? Where did all these monsters come from, where are the merchants, what happened to this town?’ It’s changing all of the time, not having the exact same guys standing in the exact same spots, always saying the same stuff.

I know some people are reluctant about dynamic worlds and how the loss of NPCs can affect them, however, keep in mind: GW2 wont have quest givers. Every little thing you do gives you experience. Clearing away the centaurs (in this case) to liberate the settlement would be just as productive as charging off to go fight for the settlement at the centaurs camp. They also say the events will scale for players from one to whatever.


So if you start out on your own, obviously you have less opponents, but if a bunch of other players come by – and that’s another good thing, all the people participating in those dynamic events, whether they’re grouped or not, get rewarded, so you’re always glad to see another player. It’s not like ‘hey, there’s another player, which means I’m going to level slower because he’s killed my mobs and I have to wait for a respawn.’ Instead it’s ‘hey, there’s another guy, so it will be more challenging and more fun, or we’ll do it faster’… So if other players come along it will scale up, and if they leave it will scale down. It’s all dynamic.

Not only is it dynamic, but all the spoils are shared equally, regardless of if you're in a group or not. You work cooperatively with people who are with you doing the same thing. This is how I've said "quests" should be for ages. The grouping mechanic is flawed and antithetical to MMOs.

Also, they stress, you wont be stuck in a situation where such a thing gives another member the loot from it and you get diddly squat.

[Azmo]

If their concept works, I'm totally looking forward to this.

I have a hard time with a lot of MMORPGs because they all have the same core pacing. A lot of games run on the same 'questing' mechanic, which I believe has overstayed its welcome. If they actually do break that mold with a better system, then that would be a good case for it over other the competition.

[Bijal]

So nice they're not going to make us repeat a boring introductory quest chain every time we create an alt. I got so sick of seeing that orc NPC standing there by the bonfire in the Valley of Trials, and you had no choice but to click on him and take the quest.

[Tieg]

I like the idea of it. It's what Rift did, but more so and done better, by the sounds of it.

And yeah, I got so sick of the starter zones. I love making new characters, but I HATED seeing those same exact places over and over again.

[Juntha]

Truly amazing. If this works it will be something that will be truly ground breaking. I can't wait.

[Tieg]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/05/19/the-guild-wars-2-rps-fanquisition/

A continuation of the interview I posted yesterday.

My favourite part:


I think ‘easy’ is always a subjective question. Obviously you will always have players who are super min/maxers, they always try to find the best way to handle every situation, they go to every Wiki, they have calculators to work out the best combination of skills and items to make max damage… For those people, at some point everything will be easy, because they’re so focused and they know what to do. For the vast majority of players, the difficulty level is still fine. So it’s always a perception thing – you will always have players who think the game is too easy and others who think it’s fine or too hard. I, for example, have heard a lot of players who say Guild Wars is way too hard in many places, and then other people on the same thread jump in and say ‘are you kidding, the game is too easy’. Then other people say ‘it’s completely fine, actually.’ So we just try to provide content for all the different types.

So we will have dynamic events which are rather challenging – we showed one at GDC which was a city that is taken over by pirates. At the demo we showed before people were saying ‘oh, those dynamic events are really easy’, but then they saw even our devs playing the pirate dynamic event with other people, and people were dying over and over. So that’s a very challenging. The dungeons we’ll have, they are meant to be really challenging – so if you think you’re the best player, the dungeons are where you can really challenge your skills. We try to provide content for all types of players, because in the end the vast majority of players want to enjoy themselves, they don’t wanna die over and over again because it’s too hard. You have to be careful how you make the difficulty of your game.

[Rekgar Steamroar]

It started out that way in the Rift beta, but they had to change it to a system where your reward was based on your actual participation, because it became this scenario:

I'm fighting a group of invaders by myself, then another person joins my public group to "help".

The difficulty of the invaders increase because there are more players now facing them.

Your new recruit however just stands there and lets you do all the fighting still, and they would get the same reward as you.

[Tieg]

New class introduced today! The Engineer!

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/engineer/

[Urnathok]

Aaaaand, there's my secondary character's class.

Btw, caption for the Rifle Turret video: "Buildin' a sentry here."

[Tish]

Martin Kerstein: I think ‘easy’ is always a subjective question.
Obviously you will always have players who are super min/maxers, they
always try to find the best way to handle every situation, they go to
every Wiki, they have calculators to work out the best combination of
skills and items to make max damage… For those people, at some point
everything will be easy, because they’re so focused and they know what to
do. For the vast majority of players, the difficulty level is still fine.
So it’s always a perception thing – you will always have players who think
the game is too easy and others who think it’s fine or too hard. I, for
example, have heard a lot of players who say Guild Wars is way too hard in
many places, and then other people on the same thread jump in and say ‘are
you kidding, the game is too easy’. Then other people say ‘it’s completely
fine, actually.’ So we just try to provide content for all the different
types.

So we will have dynamic events which are rather challenging – we showed
one at GDC which was a city that is taken over by pirates. At the demo we
showed before people were saying ‘oh, those dynamic events are really
easy’, but then they saw even our devs playing the pirate dynamic event
with other people, and people were dying over and over. So that’s a very
challenging. The dungeons we’ll have, they are meant to be really
challenging – so if you think you’re the best player, the dungeons are
where you can really challenge your skills. We try to provide content for
all types of players, because in the end the vast majority of players want
to enjoy themselves, they don’t wanna die over and over again because it’s
too hard. You have to be careful how you make the difficulty of your game.


I think most of us are familiar with the ‘TOO EASY!’ crowd, knowing full
well they’re likely the people dying over and over.


LinkofShadows: What’s the endgame looking like, what kind of raids
and dungeons are we looking at?

Martin Kerstein: Eric said it and I reiterated it over the weekend, but
our end game begins at level 1. What other MMOs do is basically get you to
level 80 or 90 or whatever the max is, and then you have to abandon the
game that you have played, because what’s the traditional endgame is a
completely separate game. So you play the whole time, level your character
up to a certain point, and then a new game begins. So we don’t want to
force people to play something that they might not even enjoy because it’s
not what they were doing before. So if you like our dynamic events, they
will be there all the time, and they will still be there when you reach
max level, with really challenging stuff. If you like the dungeons, great!
We have challenging dungeons at the end. If you like PvP, we have world vs
world PvP where you can even level the whole way up to 80 without even
touching PvE. So we want to provide people endgame content that is
actually catering to the style they like to play, and that’s why we say
our endgame begins at level 1.

I am so excited for this. No more ‘having’ to level in order to get to the
real game and play with your friends.


Martin Kerstein: Why do I feel that this is coming from a Team
Fortress player? I don’t know if we have particular hats, but I do know we
will have like town clothing and costumes and stuff, so I’m pretty sure
that some of them will definitely have hats.

Eee, vanity outfits!


We’re working on different formats; in this competitive PvP
everyone will be in an equal playground, so everybody will be max level,
have access to the same items, all skills. It’s really just about how good
you are as a player, and it will also be more shooter-style: we will have
hot-joinable matches as well. The other thing is World vs World vs World
PvP, where three servers are fighting against each other, and you bring
your normal character in. It’s this massive realm war where each server
has its own start map with resources on it, and then there’s a central map
and all sorts of things where everybody can participate. If you’re high
level you probably want to be at the vanguard or in the fortress siege; if
you’re lower level you might just want to disrupt supply lines for the
other team. These are the other two types of PvP that we have for the
game.

The fact that you can PVP with your friends, no matter the level, is amazing.


Martin Kerstein: No, the game is a persistent world, everything is
explorable, you can go into buildings, our cities are really massive.
Divinity’s Reach, for example, the human capital – I think it takes like
15 minutes running from one end to another, and even then you’d only just
have gone across. So all our environments are explorable, and it’s an open
world – it’s not like Guild Wars 1 where everything is instanced. We will
have instancing, but that’s mostly for the dungeons and you’re personal
story. Everything else is an open, persistent world, and yes the cities
are open and massive.

Yay for RP spots!


Martin Kerstein: So the traditional MMO trinity is tank, healer,
DPS – we don’t do that. We don’t have dedicated healers in the game, we
don’t have dedicated tanks in the game. Every profession we do is supposed
to be self-sufficient, and you should be able to play even the hardest
content with any combination of professions. So, for example, we’ve tested
it, played a dungeon just with warriors. The way the characters are
designed are that with your utility skills you can even spec a warrior to
be more supportive than he normally would be, by having shouts or
basically buffs and debuffs.

That’s the same design we have for every class; someone classes will be
better for support than others, obviously a warrior would never be as good
for support as, say, a guardian. But the concept is we don’t want you to
be waiting and saying ‘hey, we need a healer, or we can’t play this
content’ or ‘hey, we need a tank or we can’t do this.’ We want it to be
‘here’s your bunch of friends and you want to play this: go.’ Then it
comes down to player skill – and that’s where that tactical depth comes
into play. If you have two rangers, two warriors and one guardian, how do
you set it up so you will be awesome? Then you can talk to each other and
say ‘ok, you go a little bit more support, and I’ll go full damage’ – so
there’s still a lot of variety you can do.

No more ‘well if you’re friends aren’t playing this class, you don’t get
to play with them.’

This is probably the most exciting change, for me.

[Tieg]

Engineer so totally has to be my Charr's class. He NEEDS a flamethrower.

[Rekgar Steamroar]

I think I will have my sylvari be an engineer. Bright eyed and curious about the world around her, she sets out to study and learn as much as possible, diving head first into technology. There is something beautifully ironic about a plant person using machinery and gadgets.

[Juntha]

I don't even know what to say. This game looks to be so damn amazing on every front. They are hitting the nail on the head with every thing they are implementing. I just can't wait! We are really going to be having fun with this. I can't wait to be back with you guys, especially in a game like this.

[Bijal]

Damn, the engineer looks fun. Powder kegs ftw.

[Tieg]

Fits perfectly with what I wanted for my charr (well, it'd be MORE perfect if engineers could wear plate, but seems they use leather judging by the video).

I think he'll have to be a dual-wielding pistol engineer with a shield on hand. Oh, and he'll so be popping down the flamethrower. Oh yeah.

[Juntha]

Fits perfectly with what I wanted for my charr (well, it'd be MORE perfect if engineers could wear plate, but seems they use leather judging by the video).

I think he'll have to be a dual-wielding pistol engineer with a shield on hand. Oh, and he'll so be popping down the flamethrower. Oh yeah.

The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done. - George Carlin. Hehe.

[Tieg]

That's so my Charr Carlin was describing.

[Tieg]

http://www.guildwars2.com/global/includes/images/wallpapers/GuildWars2_EngineerWallpaper02_1680x1050.jpg

Most badass image ever? I think so.

Totally my new wallpaper. That's gonna be my charr some day.

[Tish]

More information about Engineers!

http://www.arena.net/blog/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-engineer

My two favourite answers:


Q: Given the engineer’s focus on technology, the profession doesn’t seem to fit within a traditional fantasy setting. Do you feel that the engineer’s mines and grenades and turrets seem out of place in a world of dragons, magic, and swordplay?

A: Since 250 years have passed since the original Guild Wars, technology has advanced a great deal, and we wanted the engineer to personify this progress. And frankly, we didn’t want to feel constrained by typical conventions as to what is or is not acceptable in a fantasy story. Still, the technological revolution represented by the engineer is relatively new and is not widely embraced by all cultures, so you’ll still see plenty of medieval weaponry. The new prominence of technology and hardware in Tyria is an important theme in Guild Wars 2, and the engineer allows us to explore that idea.

Q: It’s difficult for me to visualize a nature-oriented sylvari as a tech-heavy engineer. How does the engineer fit with concept of each of the playable races?

A: The first engineers came from the ranks of the charr Iron Legion, who were innovative weaponsmiths. Soon other races began to take notice of how effective this new technology was, engineers from all background began to appear all over Tyria. Players in general are exceptional and unusual figures, heroes who stand out among their people. Just as there are asura warriors and norn necromancers, it’s not unheard of for an inquisitive, mechanically-inclined sylvari to become an engineer.
Some people just lack all creativity, if they feel that engineering is out of place in a fantasy setting and if a certain race can't pick something up. I mean, not all Sylvari are even nature loving.


But not all sylvari are noble, and not all Dreams are pleasant. Some of the children of the Pale Tree walk a shadowed path, devoted to a Nightmare that boils beneath the surface and whispers of dark moons, wicked revels, and terrible secrets murmured at midnight. The Nightmare Court rejects the virtues of their brethren and seeks to draw all sylvari toward their sinister philosophy. If they are not stopped, they will taint the Dream with their evil deeds and corrupt the Pale Tree herself, condemning the noble race of sylvari to a future of vice and corruption. In the battle between Dream and Nightmare, the fate of the newest race in Tyria will be determined by heroes.

I hate when people try to say 'all members of *blank* are *blank*' because there will ALWAYS be exceptions. Could you imagine saying something like 'Why would an American want a health food store? It's hard for be to visualize a fat American shopping there.' To generalize in such a way is not only laughable, but just down right offensive.

[Tieg]

Right there with you on that. Glad to see they keep tackling that point head on, and stressing that player characters are exceptional and not constrained by their social norms. The novels go a long way towards that too.

One thing that got SO exceptionally tiresome in WoW was how if you deviated at all from the typical [insert race] the RP community got so up in arms about it. Usually while doing the same thing though, so y'know.

I liked the engineer FAQ, so the class for my charr!

Also: lol@Americans and health food store.

[Bijal]

Also: lol@Americans and health food store.

America: Where even the salads are bad for you.

[Azmo]

Yeah. WoW's RPers were super bitchy about that. If your character wasn't a copy of a template indicative of race, many fans would be ready to tell you it's because you don't know any better, and want your character to be a special snowflake. At some point, they decided that cultures are basically racial hive minds that no one has the mental wiring to disagree with.

[Tieg]

America: Where even the salads are bad for you.

I heard in the US they douse salads in corn syrup and then deep fry it.

[Fairtide]

They're called Freedom Salads, ok?

[Bijal]

Their next big demo is scheduled for August 17th.

http://www.arena.net/blog/arenanets-tradeshow-summer#more-5281

Hopefully we'll get either a Asura or Sylvari week before then.

[Juntha]

They're called Freedom Salads, ok?

I Laughed out loud. :D

[Tieg]

Hah! Freedom salads.

Is it true that Americans use Coke as the dressing for their Freedom Salads?


Their next big demo is scheduled for August 17th.

http://www.arena.net/blog/arenanets-tradeshow-summer#more-5281

Hopefully we'll get either a Asura or Sylvari week before then.

I've been hoping for Sylvari week. C'mon Sylvari week!

[Bijal]

Hah! Freedom salads.

Is it true that Americans use Coke as the dressing for their Freedom Salads?



Diet coke.

[Tieg]

Diet coke.

Ah right, gotta keep it healthy.

[Tish]

New information!

http://tap-repeatedly.com/2011/06/10/exclusive-interview-arenanets-jon-peters-and-jonathan-sharp/

http://www.gamerzines.com/mmo/previews/interview-guild-wars-2-pt1.html

http://www.arena.net/blog/guild-wars-and-play-team-up-for-gamers-concert

[Tish]

http://www.arena.net/blog/the-mostly-harmless-quaggan

Info on Quaggan!

[Tieg]

Dawwww!

They're so cuddly and awesome! They're ultra polite and wise, but will hulk-out if provoked. Though they get very embarrassed if they get upset.

I want one as a friend.

[Bijal]

I want to watch a bunch of them get pissed off.

[Urnathok]

I want to watch a bunch of them get pissed off.

I imagine it would be like a room full of portly English gentlemen (with mustaches) getting indignant.

[Juntha]

Nice. Now that is a pretty interesting race! So much win in GW2!

[Tieg]

Nooooo! Leave them be! They're peaceful, pleasant people! They're my friends!

[Fionna The Dame]

Do not make quaggan angry. You would not like quaggan when quaggan is angry

[Tish]

ArenaNet has released its media kit that contains a bunch of really nice concept art. There's also some documents and screenshots.

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/media/asset-kit/

[Bijal]

Here's a large group of in-game renders and screen-shots that you may have not seen yet:


Lions Arch -
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_LAShanty3.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/LAShanty3.jpg)

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_LAShanty.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/LAShanty.jpg)
This right here is the city's slums.


Scenery concept art -

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_043_max.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/043_max.jpg)

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_GW2_City.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/GW2_City.jpg)



Weapon/Item renders -

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_AA22.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/AA22.jpg)

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_Dragonblaster2.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/Dragonblaster2.jpg)
Charr cannon.

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_QuagganWeapons.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/QuagganWeapons.jpg)

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/th_bunnies.jpg (http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae170/Bij_burningtusk/bunnies.jpg)

[Urnathok]

Wow, that quiche looks fantastic!

[Tieg]

Oooh, thanks for the links, Bij!

And those quiche do look pretty good. I hope they render me up some ice cream.

I'm excited to actually see the cities for myself in game most, though. Pixel cream be damned.

[Tish]

http://us.ncsoft.com/en/events/comic-con-2011.html

Stop by the NCsoft booth (#5345) at Comic-Con International San Diego to meet artists and developers from City of Heroes FreedomTM and Guild Wars 2®. They'd love to chat with you and answer questions you have about their games. Check out the latest from City of Heroes Freedom, and try your hand at the Engineer profession in Guild Wars 2 on PCs provided by Alienware (http://www.alienware.com/) and with peripherals from Razer (http://www.facebook.com/razer).


Desdemona from City of Heroes Freedom will make appearances at the NCsoft booth during Comic-Con San Diego to meet fans. David "Noble Savage" Nakayama will also be creating free illustrations of selected City of Heroes Freedom players’ in-game characters. The artists from Guild Wars 2 will be signing limited edition postcard books, as well. Stop by the NCsoft booth to find out more.


Want to hang out with NCsoft on Friday night? Check the NCsoft schedule to find out how you could pick up a ticket to attend the NCsoft San Diego Meet & Greet (http://us.ncsoft.com/en/events/comic-con-2011.html#meet-greet). The NCsoft Fan Meet & Greet will be Friday, July 22, 2011. Ticket holders can meet fellow players of their favorite NCsoft games while chatting with City of Heroes Freedom and Guild Wars 2 developers and artists. Guests will be treated to refreshments and could take home some nifty game swag. Attendees can also get hands-on time to play City of Heroes Freedom, as well as Guild Wars 2.


Make sure to check out the City of Heroes Freedom (http://us.ncsoft.com/en/events/comic-con-2011.html#coh-speakers) and Guild Wars 2 (http://us.ncsoft.com/en/events/comic-con-2011.html#gw2-speakers) speaking sessions during Comic-Con. In them, you can find out the latest information from City of Heroes Freedom, the world’s most popular super-powered MMO, and learn how Guild Wars 2 will set a new standard for social play in online fantasy RPGs!
Check back for more details on NCsoft activities at Comic-Con San Diego 2011!

[Bijal]

Underwater combat article:

http://www.arena.net/blog/jonathan-sharp-talks-underwater-combat

Dungeon article:

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/dungeons/into-the-dungeons/

[Tieg]

Huh. I like how they're handling dungeons:


That tale is told and resolved in the story mode, but what of the explorable version of this dungeon? This content happens in the same area as the story mode, but it takes place after the events of the story. What happens in story mode directly affects the circumstances of the explorable mode.

Sounds like with the multiple versions of the dungeon (story vs. explorable) your first trip in will have significance, and every trip there after wont simply be repeating the mission in a RP sense, but engaging in a different task that makes more sense as a fast, repeatable thing.

[Bijal]

Now you can say that you actually defeated him instead of having to pretend the boss of a dungeon is a stand-in.

What's really nice though is that even with the unique dungeon armor sets you can still alter the colors.

[Tieg]

Too true.

I'm still not sold on the idea of water combat though. Blizzard and all its hordes of fans in beta made such a big deal about how awesome they had made water combat, and how they had undone all the crappiness of past water levels. But I still didn't enjoy it and just found it really unsatisfying and slow feeling.

[Tieg]

Found a video of some under water combat! (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/06/24/guild-wars-2s-underwater-worlds/)

[Azmo]

Vashj'ir was just as ass as every other water level.

[Bijal]

In Forsaken World there's no breathing to worry about, same with Allods I think. I always found it annoying how WoW implemented that.

I like the idea of having different skills and weapons to use just for underwater; makes me want to play each class just to see how they differ while submerged.

[Juntha]

Guild Wars 2 - Ghosts of Ascalon Dungeon Intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVWX7ctroTo&feature=related

Guild Wars 2 - Catacombs Dungeon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jtcAGYGXY&feature=player_embedded

[Tieg]

Awesome Jun!

I love the first opening video, with Rhytlock (I think that's the name, been a while since I read the novel). Makes me want to have my charr be a warrior again instead of an engineer. >_>

Badass plate armour is so hard to turn down.

[Tish]

Nnneeeat.

[Bijal]

Here's a in-game video of the Quaggan underwater.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYFH0NzxxaU

The guy reaches them at about four minutes in.

[Tish]

Your link links back to page 6?

Lots of new stuff today!

http://www.g4tv.com/games/pc/45299/guild-wars-2/articles/74861/guild-wars-2-hands-on-preview-dynamic-events-underwater-combat-and-development-status-report/

http://www.gamepro.com/article/previews/220745/nine-things-in-guild-wars-2-that-you-wont-see-in-other-mmos/

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/flameseeker-chronicles-why-you-need-to-play-guild-wars-right-no/

Best quote?


2. Conversation options


Guild Wars 2 tracks your character’s most recent 100 interactions with NPCs according to whether you acted out of charisma, dignity, or ferocity. Whichever trait wins out determines your personality. The more you lean towards one trait, the more your personality advances, and the more you’ll unlock specific options for future interaction. A consistently ferocious character will progress from scoundrel, to broodish, to barbaric, until he can eventually just punch someone as a special dialogue option.

[Bijal]

Well, that's a strange error. It was the right link when I pasted it into the reply box. o.o

[Urnathok]

I really want to give the manatee people sea-monocles and sea-top hats.

[Tieg]

4. Freedom to party however you want

We ran through a high-level five-player instance with four engineers and a thief. Once we figured out our characters -- it's not easy jumping into a pre-leveled character! -- we didn't need a tank or a healer. We got our groove going pretty soon, working out positioning, environmental hazards, which enemy to tackle first, where to put the mines before pulling, and so forth. Aggro was certainly a factor, but it wasn’t the basis for our battles. Because it avoids traditional roles, and because characters can be flexible based on the weapons the equip, Guild Wars 2 is clearly built to let you party up however you like, without having to wait for someone to fill a specific role.Those articles were awesome. I'm all the more excited for GW2 now. It's overcome my mild disappointment at the water combat video.

[Bijal]

But the abilities on the left are determined entirely and only by the weapon you have equipped. A sword will play very differently from an axe, which will play very differently from twin pistols, which will play very differently from a magical staff. And different classes equipping the same weapon will have different abilities

I've never played a game that did this, so that will certainly be new for me. The only issue I see is needing more space in your bag to carry all the extra weapons.

[Tish]

http://www.arena.net/blog/william-fairfield-on-designing-the-dungeons

http://www.guildmag.com/guild-wars-winds-of-change-and-the-live-team


Without the “holy trinity” of tank, DPS, and healer in Guild Wars 2, we’ve definitely had an interesting time with dungeon design. Traditional MMO boss fights consist of one character running up to get aggro, another character healing them, and the rest of the team just slamming their heads against the boss. Instead, we have players making conscious decisions in combat about where to stand, what role to play, when to roll out, etc. Overall, our dungeons have a more team-oriented feel to them. One person does not dictate the flow of a dungeon; the entire team contributes to the direction. This could mean making decisions as a team on which path to take or splitting up to fight two pieces of a boss at the same time.

The worst part about being DPS/Heals - not controlling the flow. And it totally went to a lot of tank's heads - they'd make you wait just because they could. I'm really looking forward to this.

[Tieg]

Well that was the thing in vanilla WoW and then in Cataclysm: tanking was stressful, but it also meant you had an abundance of tanks who thought they were gods gift to the MMO and they'd be damned if you were going to get away with no recognizing it.

But that's just a minor thing, honestly there's too many reasons for me to list why the elimination of the old healer/tank/DPS trinity is the bees knees. I'm terribly excited to give it a go myself.

[Bijal]

Recently I've been running through the explorable dungeons in GW: Eye of the North and it's the same as WoW. One tank (or two depending on the mobs), two healers, and four or five DPS.
Then it's send the tank out first, keep the healers in back. Since I use the AI heroes I get to coordinate it all myself.
Also for each dungeon you need certain skills, which the supplied henchmen usually don't possess anyway. So it's either customize your heroes or don't bother attempting it at all.

Very happy they're allowing us more freedom as players to do what we want.

[Tieg]

Now I'm just hoping for variable dungeon sizes. I want to run a dungeon with however many friends I have, whether that's just the two of us, or five, ten or anything in between.

[Bijal]

Now I'm just hoping for variable dungeon sizes. I want to run a dungeon with however many friends I have, whether that's just the two of us, or five, ten or anything in between.

It shouldn't be too difficult to program that considering they managed to do it with the dynamic events. It's terrible when there's six people and five spots. Which will be made even more difficult a decision now that there wont be any specific class obligations to fill. The lowest cap should be three in my opinion, so you can run dungeons when hardly anyone is online.

[Tieg]

I desperately want two-person dungeon options, so Anj and I can go mess with dungeons if we feel like it.

One of our favourite things to do in WoW was run old world dungeons just the two of us.

[Bijal]

That's true. They are attempting to cater to both group and solo play styles, so I can't see a reason why you shouldn't be able to solo or two-man everything. If people want to group they're going to, no point in forcing all players to adhere to one sides' wishes.

[Tieg]

That's my thinking. I want to see flexibility and accommodation to all styles of play in MMOs. The ability to play with your friends even if you've been in the game for years and they just started is another big thing for me.

But on the issue of variable dungeoning. Anj and I, even though we're not big on struggling in a game or high difficulty ratings, would really challenge us, and face a lot of wipes duoing content we really shouldn't have probably done. It was because it just hit us in that way we really wanted to play the game we were willing to put up with a lot more than we normally would.

[Tish]

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/54023/the-mmo-report-guild-wars-2-preview-special/?quality=hd

Guild Wars 2 edition of The MMO Report. He calls it a game changer.

The landscapes are so beautiful.

[Tieg]

That guy looks a lot the first new Doctor Who.

But anyhow, was pretty neat. I'm glad to hear they are making the story dungeons casual friendly. Sweet fuck, thanks for that. My biggest worry is that I'll buy the game and head in, and discover that it's way too hard for me to comfortably enjoy.

[Bijal]

Yeah, the first Guild Wars is like that. The story-mode dungeons are much easier than the explorable versions. In Eye of the North anyway, the three campaigns don't have anything like that.

I like that they expanded on the dungeons they already had by giving players three separate versions instead of slopping together boring dungeons with horrible layouts just so players couldn't complain about lack of content.

[Tish]

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/473/feature/5365/More-Than-a-Theme-Park.html/page/1

I want to pet a shark.

[Tieg]

The Guild Wars series is all on sale today on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/sale/guild_wars_2011_franchise). Grab it up before it goes off sale at about noon tomorrow, if you want it!

[Tieg]

Well, here's a hands-on piece (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/07/06/guild-wars-2-preview/) about Guild Wars 2.

I must say, the fact they keep stressing how difficult the game is has killed much of my enthusiasm. Especially since this was supposedly the easy dungeon.

[Tish]

/whither.

Hopefully they'll re-tune it...

[Tieg]

Yeah, right there with you, Anjy pants.

The first Guild Wars was dauntingly tough. Twice now it's turned me off from playing it with its difficulty level.

[Fionna The Dame]

oh noes :( *also stupid blocked site will read withering details when I get home*

[Bijal]

I guess they have to attract the "hardcore" crowd somehow. Even if the game mechanics are close to being as difficult as the first GW I'll still play it for the story and the world exploration.

[Azmo]

I guess they have to attract the "hardcore" crowd somehow.

I don't know about 'have to'. Hardcore/challenge gamers are a vocal minority. The market will always be dominated by accessibility to casuals, who are the actual majority. It doesn't seem like they are, because a lot of casuals are either quiet about it or put up a macho face and pretend to be hardcore seeing as admitting to finding a video game difficult is treated as a humiliating defect in most gaming communities.

[Fionna The Dame]

I dunno, after reading it I didn't feel as scared. It sounds like a lot of group coordination is needed but then I think that's a good challenge.


We almost wipe immediately, after a ten-minute stalemate with three ghostly defenders of Ascalan. It takes us that long to realise that the ghosts are class-based just like us (indeed, they’re the classes from the first game!) and are better at playing together than us.

Plus afterwards he does mention


The reason it takes so long for us to succeed against these (admittedly veteran) ghosts is that each class in Guild Wars is actually pretty self-sufficient.

[Azmo]

I dunno, after reading it I didn't feel as scared. It sounds like a lot of group coordination is needed but then I think that's a good challenge.

I don't think of trial and error as a good feature for MMORPGs.

Not all groups are going to house players of equal skill or practice, and don't count on them being patient with eachother, either. Typically, the players will be held back by one another's failings, and neither the players on the giving or receiving end are going to enjoy that. As a rule of thumb, it gets tedious fast, and unlike in a single player game, giving up carries the baggage of ditching your group. In a multiplayer environment, enforcing trial and error gameplay leads to resentment between players when disparities in practice take place (let's say, a pug where two out of five players have never done the instance before, while the other three have been grinding it for months), or when accidents inevitably happen.

[Juntha]

Well, here's a hands-on piece (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/07/06/guild-wars-2-preview/) about Guild Wars 2.

I must say, the fact they keep stressing how difficult the game is has killed much of my enthusiasm. Especially since this was supposedly the easy dungeon.

Very depressing. I refuse to get into another game that turns into a second job that brings about frustration and anger... Hoping this is something that gets fixed in beta.

[Juntha]

I don't think of trial and error as a good feature for MMORPGs.

Not all groups are going to house players of equal skill or practice, and don't count on them being patient with eachother, either. Typically, the players will be held back by one another's failings, and neither the players on the giving or receiving end are going to enjoy that. As a rule of thumb, it gets tedious fast, and unlike in a single player game, giving up carries the baggage of ditching your group. In a multiplayer environment, enforcing trial and error gameplay leads to resentment between players when disparities in practice take place (let's say, a pug where two out of five players have never done the instance before, while the other three have been grinding it for months), or when accidents inevitably happen.

Couldn't agree more. If this turns into nothing but an exercise in frustration I can honestly say that I'll be done with MMO's.

[Tieg]

Upon further thought, I'm not SO worried anymore.

This was a group of people who hadn't had time to play the game hardly before, except a brief stint at level 1, thrust into a high level dungeon all of a sudden. So they hadn't had time to grow accustomed to their abilities and such.

I'll wait and see anyhow.

[Azmo]

That does sound less daunting.

[Tish]

Yea, even if it does turn out to be super fucking hard, well, I'm not forced to pay a monthly fee, so I'm not that worried. A monthly fee makes me want to get the MOST out of the game. And I'll want cool outfits for my characters, but GW had a lot of amazing outfits even for starter level stuff, so that doesn't worry me.

Even if it becomes a game I only play for the roleplay, I'm still psyched.

Though I still hope it won't be super hard.

[Bijal]

The third part of the Guild Wars Beyond storyline, Winds of Change, has started in the Factions campaign. Next is the storyline in Nightfall then plot-wise it will be caught up to GW2. Winds of Change will continue until the end of the year.

http://www.guildwars.com/windsofchange/

[Tieg]

Oh man, the costumes they have linked there in the tab are awesome.

[Tish]

I can already picture my hard earned cash funnelling towards those costumes, drawn to them.

[Bijal]

ArenaNet open house video.

http://www.arena.net/blog/video-arenanet-community-open-house-2011

[Bijal]

Ree Soesbee, one of the lore writers for Guild Wars 2, is going to be writing the third book in the story line, Sea of Sorrows.

[Tieg]

Any word on when that's due? I enjoyed the first two novels.

[Tish]

http://us.ncsoft.com/en/events/comic-con-2011.html#schedule

Their Comic-Con schedule.

Saturday:

Speaking Session
Guild Wars 2: Rethinking the Online RPG: How Guild Wars 2 Explores New Dimensions in Social Gaming
Are you tired of grind, repetitive combat, and no community in your fantasy RPG? Learn how Guild Wars 2 will set a new standard for social play in online fantasy RPGs! Accompanied by stunning concept art, key creators will examine how the lore, design, and gameplay of Guild Wars 2 offer a fresh, social-driven approach to cooperative online fantasy RPGs.

[Fionna The Dame]

squee! *fingers crossed for big reveals at comic con!*

[Tieg]

Comicon is supposed to be one of their two big presentations this year, because they don't do E3, as it's industry people only.

[Bijal]

Some Comic-con footage from Gamespot. Not really anything new, unfortunately, but the game footage they show is different at least.

http://comic-con.gamespot.com/live-cam-tour/live-cam-day-2/

[Bijal]

A new demo is going to be shown during gamescom, August 17-21.
Sylvari and Asura will be available to play. *cheers*

http://www.arena.net/blog/get-ready-for-gamescom

[Tieg]

OoooOOOooohh! Playable Sylvari, nice! Can't wait to see some footage of that. I love those little plant-people.

[Fionna The Dame]

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/01/flameseeker-chronicles-and-this-is-a-big-deal-why/#continued

Another about what to expect from gamescom and what we've already seen :)

[Tish]

The Guild Wars 2 character creation system uses AION's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion_%28video_game%29) technology as its basis.

Makes me excite!

[Tieg]

Aion had the best character customization of any game, ever. I absolutely adored it.

[Bijal]

My favorite character customization in a game so far has been Sims 3. The only thing it was lacking was a height slider.

[Juntha]

Yes!!! This is some of the best news yet! Aion has the one of the most amazing character customizations out there!!

[Bijal]

Sylvari are coming on Monday, Aug 8th. :O

http://www.arena.net/blog/next-week-is-sylvari-week

[Tieg]

\o/

Awesome!

Quite excited to see how they've turned out.

I for one liked the original look, but I can only imagine they're making it even better. Just hope they don't lose that cool leaf-look they've got going on with their hair and such.

[Bijal]

Some of the customization options had them looking too similar to humans, so they tweaked them a little and made them more plant-like.
So more leaf-hair, rather than less.

[Tish]

omgomgomg. I've never looked forward to a Monday before!

[Juntha]

I can't wait to see the new look!

[Tish]

For those of you wanting a more rugged character, fear not—I’ve cultivated designs for you, too! There has been much debate about tying the seasons into the sylvari character’s storyline. We decided we didn’t want to force an aesthetic on anyone, so we’re leaving the choice open. Currently I’m making sure everyone has summer and winter body skins. The summer skin, as you’ve seen, is very lush and leafy with a lot of different types of plant details making up the anatomy. But what about bark textures and shard edges? For this effect we will have a winter skin available which shows more bramble tendons, dried leaves, bark trunks, and gnarled roots woven throughout the body.

Sylvari Week!

http://www.arena.net/blog/kristen-perry-on-designing-and-redesigning-the-sylvari

[Fionna The Dame]

We decided we didn’t want to force an aesthetic on anyone, so we’re leaving the choice open.

I love this person.

[Tieg]

Blown away. The revamp turned out to be way better than I ever imagined it could be.

I'm dying to roll a Sylvari now more than ever.

[Bijal]

This takes care of any humans I was going to roll. Now I have to wait for Asura week to see if I like them enough to not replace that character slot too.

[Fionna The Dame]

I love how she freaking describes the anatomy. Like each body is a blooming flower


The figure was not formed from a human with leaves on top of it, but rather a human shape made from grown plant parts. This originates from specific growth sockets. The primary growth socket starts at the small of the back, where a tail might grow. Like many fruits and vegetables, there are two ends: the main stem and the opposing divot (which makes a really good belly button). Graceful leaves sprout from the growth socket, curving around and through the body to simulate the desired musculature. I used stems and broad leaves to articulate the carpal tendons and the flesh of the lower arms. Hosta leaves spiral out at the shoulders in a teardrop shape to form the deltoid “muscles,” while branches spring from the clavicles. Scientific anatomy turned out to be creepy, but garden-variety fantasy anatomy was just what was needed.

[dragongit]

Any comments about me comparing the Sylvari to elves are now completely and utterly gone. I'm still going Charr, but damn do these look awesome!

[Rekgar Steamroar]

I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the design of a race of people for a game. It is clear that a lot of thought went behind them and I am glad to see that they aren't just hippy-elves.

[Tish]

Yea, she seems so into the design, she obviously put a lot of thought and consideration and some serious botanical research into their creation.

[Tieg]

I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the design of a race of people for a game.

Sums up my thoughts right there.

[Juntha]

All I can say is, is WOW!! So, so, so much better than what they were showing early on!

[Bijal]

When I read they were making them more plant-like, I didn't think it'd be to that degree.
If Asura turn out as nice as them, it'll be the first game where I have absolutely no complaints with the race designs.

[Tish]

Asura have been my favourite little race in any game, so far, I think.

[Tieg]

I'm definitely not a fan of tiny-people races. Never have been. But the Asura are interesting, and if they ahve those big mech-suit things, then I will definitely have to give them a try. I wont be able to resist!

[Bijal]

The golems are a huge part of their race, much like the Norn's shapeshifting. Wouldn't surprise me if they got them as a special ability.

[Tieg]

Yeah, they seem a huge part of the race judging by the books, and I have a hard time imagining them filling certain class roles without the suits. Though that never stopped certain other games.

[Bijal]

More on the Sylvari.

http://www.arena.net/blog/the-sylvari-soul

The most interesting tidbit in that article was that they get to choose their family.

[Tish]

Wow, that's a lot of really cool background information. Definitely got my head reeling in regards to my Sylvari & Jumwa's Charr :o

Definite RP fodder there.

[Bijal]

New video:

http://www.arena.net/blog/video-growing-the-sylvari

[Juntha]

It's weird, to me, that how a design change has made the race I was probably least interested in, into the one of the races I'm most interested in. Truly I was kinda meh about them because it was like 'eh Elves that came from trees, big deal hippie elves again. Now with how they look, and knowing why they look the way they do has made them so damn interesting to me.

[Tish]

I gotta say, this is one of the reasons why I love seeing women in the gaming industry - so many of them are obsessed with pushing boundaries and bringing fresh, new, interesting ideas to the table. I understand that many men do this as well, but women do have a different perspective and a different way of looking at things than most men, or any homogeneous group for that matter. Add someone different to the mix with different ideas and expectations and we get fantastic, fresh ideas.

They look fabulous and there was a lot of care and interest put into them, for sure.

[Tieg]

There are male and female sylvari, but none has ever produced a child as other races do.

Implies they can try to do so. I take that as official confirmation they can have sexin's.

Which, unjokingly, I suppose fits with how they mimic all other aspects of the human form and function so closely.

[Fionna The Dame]

"Ooh Jumwa, your anther is getting pollen all over me!"

[Tish]

Hussey.

[Fairtide]

I just question why plant people have breasts.

[Tish]

The charr female don't, though :o

[Bijal]

Going in drag must be easy then. All they have to do is shave their tail.

[Bijal]

The Sylvari page was updated.

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/races/sylvari/

[Tieg]

The firstborn are the closest thing the sylvari have to rulers, yet the respect they command comes solely from their wisdom and time spent in the world. Each cycle is advised by one of the firstborn who serves as a luminary, as a guide and tutor, to the newly awakened.

The sylvari are divided into houses or cycles, and feel that an individual's personality is determined by time of day when they awaken. The sylvari born in the Cycle of Dawn tend to be loquacious and diplomatic. Those of the Cycle of Day are often problem-solvers, meeting challenges head-on. The sylvari of the Cycle of Dusk tend to be intelligent and reflective. And those of the Cycle of Night are quiet, secretive, and keep their own counsel.

Makes them sound like Cylons.

Also, they have golden sap for blood! Neat.

Edit to add: the video was awesome. Their zone looks amazingly beautiful.

[Bijal]

Some information on the Nightmare and the Pale Tree.

http://www.arena.net/blog/dream-and-nightmare

[Fairtide]

I was SO sure of my main being a Norn or a Human or a Charr. But dammit if the Sylvari aren't looking cooler and cooler.

[Tish]

The males look awesome, too. It seems like it's pretty easy to make a nice looking, 'pretty' female character, but a lot harder to make a good looking male character that isn't beastly.

Definitely loving the male look.

[Bijal]

Yeah, with most games you have the choice of big, bigger, or roid-monster when it comes to the males. Nice to be able to choose the more average looking body type for once.

[Fairtide]

I hope the customization is cool too, because they describe a lot of bark as well as leaves and vines, but you don't see a lot of "hard" edges on the Sylvari thus far.

[Bijal]

I'm hoping for a Venus Flytrap look.

[Tieg]

Yeah, with most games you have the choice of big, bigger, or roid-monster when it comes to the males. Nice to be able to choose the more average looking body type for once.

It is nice to have that choice. I'm glad to see another big MMO soon to come out will also give more options on that scale.

The new information was very informative. I like the explanation of the Nightmare Court, really helps to understand their reasoning.

[Bijal]

New info on some game-play changes. And a screen-shot of character customization.

http://www.arena.net/blog/jon-peters-on-the-new-gamescom-demo

Did I read incorrectly or did they just get rid of energy management entirely? All we have to worry about now are cooldowns. Nice.

[Tieg]

Very nice, indeed.

I really don't care for resource management in my MMOs. I find the mana/energy bar thing to just be a tedious drag on the fun. A reasonable cooldown system that keeps you with things to do and never leaves you powerless is much preferable.

[Juntha]

Very nice, indeed.

I really don't care for resource management in my MMOs. I find the mana/energy bar thing to just be a tedious drag on the fun. A reasonable cooldown system that keeps you with things to do and never leaves you powerless is much preferable.

Couldn't agree more. The holy power crap they gave Paladins before I left just took the tedium to a whole new level. Mana, energy and all that crap is definitely not going to be missed by me.

[Fairtide]

I like the idea of not having trainers, as well. You learn how to do something by doing it.

[Tieg]

Trainers are annoying, I dislike having to go to them. They add nothing really. It's not about immersion, because going and visiting some person who teachers you a whole new skill or ability in a split second for a few coins is not really consistent with the world around you. It's just an annoying task to go bother with every time you level up in those games that use it.

[Tish]

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/pvp/pvp-overview/

Information about Pee Vee Pee.

[Tish]

Oh, new video too:

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/media/videos/

[Juntha]

The only thing that worries me about the new video is the fact that every scene with the Asura had them fighting with out being in their machine suits.

[Tish]

Yea, Jumwa noted on that too.

[Bijal]

They might not be implemented yet. Wouldn't surprise me if they did an overhaul of the ability.
I did not see one instance of the human racial used in any of the fighting clips I've seen so far. I don't even know what it is.

[Bijal]

I'll post all the Gamescom vidoes I find here.



Sylvari Gameplay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkYWEawiTa0


Charr boss fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na7FZM6HRdo


Charr customization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkH0GUFCCfg


Aura customization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtN3ncmDIjk

Charr cinematic/ Sylvari customization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ryn_E-ug4

[Tish]

The Sylvari one is private now :(

[Tieg]

Charr are looking spiffy, damn. Can't wait to roll mine. Though I'm still terribly torn on whether I want to do warrior or engineer.

Perhaps it's about time I made a big, buff, plate wearer my main.

[Bijal]

I found another link to the same video, should be able to watch it now.

[Bijal]

Apparently the Asura overhaul isn't complete yet for Gamescom, the model shown in the video I linked with the others is the first version.

[Tish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-nAFS-K3BA&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtN3ncmDIjk&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTnP6IZr-Ok&feature=player_embedded

[Bijal]

Hah, someone was already complaining that the human males looked too attractive.

[Tieg]

The guy certainly did pick a pretty-boy face for his Big McLargehuge body, but hey, that was his choice in customization.

[Bijal]

PvP video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apPGDC54ZEQ

Players can jump through closed windows. :O

[Fairtide]

I know customization isn't done yet, as there were at least a couple categories not available, but I'm still hoping to see a lot more bark/vines in the Sylvari customization. It all looked rather soft -edged.

[Tieg]

There was at least one screenshot of a very good male and another female sylvari with rough bark edges. Even their face seemed to be split bark.

Here's one! (http://www.arena.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/WhintSeries.jpg)

[Fairtide]

That's pretty good. I'll have to wait and see what the finalized version looks like.

[Tish]

Yea, Sylvari is still missing a lot of options.

I'm fucking psyched to roll a human male. Hotties.

[Tish]

http://www.arena.net/blog/making-the-battle-of-kyhlo

[Bijal]

Some PvP game footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuhfBVRtZJc


Music is loud, just to warn.

[Bijal]

Charr starting zone video from TotalBiscut. Best one I've watched so far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ttfOuxB6Gc&feature=feedu [part 1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVGEYGE8hs [part 2]

[Tieg]

Wow, TotalBiscuit gave a rave review of the game.

But why'd he keep calling his Charr a cow?

[Urnathok]

Hehe, I think he saw the horns and bulky figure and thought 'tauren'.

[Bijal]

Their lion tails look similar to a cow tail too.

I think I'm never going to get tired of those starting zones. They really outdid themselves.

[Juntha]

Damn. With all the info I've read and seen, and now with the those TB videos that Bijal posted it has become official! I can't take it anymore!! I feel like an 8 year old waiting for Christmas during the last week!! I want this game so bad!

[Bijal]

I don't even need a beta, just let me mess with the character creator. *sob*

[Bijal]

A short video with some Asura emotes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw8BE6XEQ4k

[Juntha]

A short video with some Asura emotes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw8BE6XEQ4k

Okay, that was cute. The song made it funny.

[Tish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPMysnqFwc&feature=player_embedded

All the races character customizations :o

[Tish]

Oh my GOD. This is a-mazing! There hasn't been a race/sex selection I've been unimpressed with.

Norn women look amazing. I'm going to have a tought time making a selection because so many of the options are so cool.

[Juntha]

Great. I'll be spending the first couple hours the game is out just in character creation. :D

And I agree, Norn women do look totally amazing!

[Tieg]

Yeah, Norn women are just amazing looking. Strong and tough appearing, but not lacking in femininity.

[Tish]

Definitely. I'm so excited! I saw a few options for human female I'm really into.

[Bijal]

Oh good, I'd been searching for a video that displayed all the sliders. That's not even all the choices they're giving us either. A height slider is great, but even in Guild Wars it looked like a bunch of clones running around when you weren't standing still. So happy they made different physiques, from the back it doesn't matter how unique the face is.

I already have an idea what I want them all to look like too.

Interesting observation from the first Guild Wars... since white and black dye were the most expensive to get, a large percentage of the player base had either all white or all black armor. Since dye color isn't going to be used as an in-game status symbol in GW2 I wonder if we'll still see the white or black armor majority.

[Tish]

I imagine white and black is going to be popular regardless, just because they're such classic clothing colours, where as more vibrant colours are a bit more of a personal taste thing.

I think vibrant colours will be a big thing with Sylvari (FLOWERS!) and Asura (I'M A LITTLE CHARACTER!)

[Tish]

Information about the Hall of Monuments, and what rewards you can get after achieving certain things in GW1 for GW2.

http://hom.guildwars2.com/en/#page=welcome

Two guides to getting to all 50 achievements:

http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/the-road-to-50
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/comprehensive-hall-monuments-guide-t10454341.html

[Bijal]

I've got fourteen out of fifty so far. Fourteen points for the 680 hours of game-play I've put into my main character in the span of a year.
Most of the achievements are huge gold-sinks, rather than time-sinks. My prestige gear achievements cost me some 300k gold, and I still need one more set.

[Fionna The Dame]

Total biscuit reviews - Freaking awesome. Ditto Juntha I cannot wait to try out this game! I love the self heal, the swing hitting multiple targets, and being able to "swing at nothing" I think could definitely be useful in conflict RP, if a lot of abilities are available outside of combat like that.

One thing I noticed was like during the chats with the NPC charrs, there's very little body movement or expression besides the lower jaw moving up and down. Or maybe I'm just too used to WOW over-exaggerated movements.

[Fionna The Dame]

total biscuit video 2 - I LOVE THE AREA EVENT STUFF! I FREAKING LOVE GETTING TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANT TO DO TO HELP!!! I swear that is ...it sounds minor but omfg I love that I can use a turret or collect items if I feel like instead of grind killing and still benefit / finish the accomplishment!!! Holy freaking hell I love this....

[Rekgar Steamroar]

Hnnnng... I want this game NOW.

[Bijal]

Q&A with Ree Soesbee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvbRgWIUneE

[Bijal]

A Video about crafting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE8FxHdgKvo&feature=player_embedded

[Fionna The Dame]

interesting. looks pretty basic but it will be interesting to find out what all the professions are. I hope they go more in depth about crafting and show that they've put as much thought into how to revamp it as they have other parts of the MMO style of play. I do like the idea of being able to keep the same level of profession skill even if you switch. sometimes the urge I had to make an alt was based around wanting to try out a new craft without giving up the old one...

[Bijal]

Some more Gamescom footage. Exploring Divinity's Reach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxx_sDlFuQw [part 1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc_HPphDjjI [part 2]

[Bijal]

http://www.arena.net/blog/arenanets-pax-prime-plans
http://www.arena.net/blog/prepare-for-guild-wars-2-at-pax-prime

Their Schedule for PAX. We'll get to see the undead Orr armies in action, plus a new boss. No eighth profession yet. No mention of Asura week either.

[Tish]

Human, Nobility - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJlbiKOkpnA
Human, Street Rat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbjn5...ailpage#t=255s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbjn5Xxk42U&feature=player_detailpage#t=255s)
Human, Commoner - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1kN4Bccx2M#t=8m10s
Charr, Ash Legion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whIN0uD8ycY
Charr, Iron Legion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ttfOuxB6Gc#t=4m40s
Charr, Blood Legion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpGu5ienf2k
Norn, Cunning - female - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csmXxNybkXk#t=4m15s
male - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnUVarx08xs
Norn, Instinct - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWxMLMqNAN8

Haven't viewed these all, but some are pretty bad quality. Still, it's exciting for me to have MULTIPLE intros based on your options! So excite!

[Tieg]

Shame I couldn't see the street rat one for humans. Couldn't hear anything at all except the din of the hall.

Still undecided on what Charr background I'll go with.

[Urnathok]

Looks very nice! The whole "this is my story" catchphrase is getting repetitive, but everything looks nice and divergent.

[Tieg]

It does a bit, doesn't it? Sounds too much like a commercial slogan.

[Bijal]

I don't mind the catchphrase. I'm surprised they put that much effort into it since most players skip the intro after they watch it the first time anyway.


Also, my Charr is going Blood Legion; fits her character more than the other two.

[Tieg]

I wasn't sure if I wanted to go for a Legion that really fit my charr's personality, or one that was really quite opposing, so that way it kind of justified his being more of a misfit who preferred the company of others. Unsure still.

[Bijal]

I mean "fits" in the sense that since Blood Legion is the one that would prize hack-and-slash, in-your-face fighting ability the most, it's the legion that Rulleth would most likely be pushed to the side in. Iron and Ash would have seen her as a hindrance too, but they'd have other things war-related for her to do because of how they operate.

[Tieg]

Ahhh, I got'cha.

I was thinking Blood or Ash for mine. And probably warrior. Let him have an appreciation for magic, deception and industry, but he was sort of pushed into just being a big metal-clad soldier type due to circumstances.

[Bijal]

So far most of the videos I've found for PAX are PvP, which isn't interesting to watch as it's the same battlefield over and over. I did find some skill videos though, they're zoomed in so you can read the game text.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl0nNTXC2Ls [Elementalist]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPRYdw49Jek&NR=1 [Necromancer]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLmu_1XdlaY&feature=related [Engineer]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKhliYyYxZY&feature=related [Guardian]

[Fionna The Dame]

Engie looks fucking awesome! Like a mix of talents from every TF2 class *lol*.

[Tieg]

Interesting new development! (http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/21717/Players-to-Create-Their-Own-PVP-Server-) Guild Wars 2 will allow you to set up private PvP servers and create your own rules for play. Quite a fascinating development. When Blizzard brought in their system to allow people to do "test battles" in arenas/battlegrounds, they didn't allow you to bend the rules in the slightest, even having strict level and numbers requirements. But then, that's also the company that doesn't let you play a single player game offline.

Could make for some fun and interesting RP situations, no? You could set up not only private RP battles on your own servers, but (potentially) little RP areas with sort of PvP free for alls, where the RP is able to spill over into PvP as you see fit. Just a thought, we'll see how it goes!

[Fionna The Dame]

That sounds freaking awesome. I wonder if that's something to pay extra for though.

I mean how do they make enough money to keep the game going with just the one time buying of the game and then buying xpacs?

Do xpacs come out every few months or something?

[Tieg]

No, expansion packs come out about as often as WoW's. And they do sell a few things through their microtransaction store, like vanity outfits, extra character slots and re-customizations of your character.

So, in other words, they are very profitable doing the same things Blizzard does, except without even needing to charge a monthly fee. There was a thing I posted a while back where some researchers were allowed to study WoW's finances, and the amount of profit they make from that game was truly staggering. They are gouging players in every end.

[Bijal]

Plus, Arenanet doesn't charge you 25-35 bucks for something as simple as a character makeover.
They charge 9.99 for five makeover credits that don't include a sex-change, or 9.99 for one that includes a sex-change. The only reason they charge more for the sex-change is that it means all your character's armor has to switch "gender" too.

[Fionna The Dame]

Plus, Arenanet doesn't charge you 25-35 bucks for something as simple as a character makeover.
They charge 9.99 for five makeover credits that don't include a sex-change, or 9.99 for one that includes a sex-change. The only reason they charge more for the sex-change is that it means all your character's armor has to switch "gender" too.

holy freaking hell :o 2.50 a change vs. 25.00. God I hate blizz more now....

[Tieg]

When ArenaNet makes a profit--and a HUGE profit too, mind you, there's a reason why their publisher is giving them tons of cash to repeat the game, but even bigger this time--charging so little for a game so much like WoW, really makes you realize why so many other developers rushed to cash in on the MMO craze. The profits on these games are immense.

[Tish]

Well, I mean... L4D2 and stuff is still earning money. We're getting free updates, free servers, free everything after the one time initial cost.

I really don't think most games are expensive to produce and update as we're led to believe because other companies are doing it just fine.

[Azmo]

Well, I mean... L4D2 and stuff is still earning money. We're getting free updates, free servers, free everything after the one time initial cost.

I really don't think most games are expensive to produce and update as we're led to believe because other companies are doing it just fine.

Yeah. I remember once Blizzard posted how much it costs them to maintain the servers every day. It was a pretty hefty number by itself, but it was penny candy when compared to how much they make off of subscriptions in the same amount of time.

The big issue is that some game developers are more eager to milk the players than others. That's why WoW is now talking about 'premium accounts' for future features when they already run a subscription fee.

[Tieg]

Yeah, it's not a matter of making money or not, it's just a matter of how much they feel they can profit from customers without driving them away. WoW, being by far the most popular MMO, felt they could get away with more than other MMOs, and they have for quite some time.

[Rekgar Steamroar]

The production cost of a video game widely varies from company to company. It depends on a number of different factors just as making a movie does. On average though, making a run of the mill video game costs about 5 times as much as it does to produce a major motion picture. This is why video game companies are hesitant to try anything groundbreaking, for fear that the money won't find a return investment or flop.

[Fionna The Dame]

Arena Net sounds so nice now compared to the others...I feel the urge to invest and to give them more money.....

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD.

[Tieg]

I don't really attribute niceness to companies, really. >_>

I figure they do it, because it was a success for them. It worked, it made them a lot of money and fans, and unlike Blizzard, they just don't think the risk is worth it to try and extract more cash from their fans but potentially drive them away.

[Bijal]

Not sure how many know of this info yet, might be news to some.
I found out recently that you can be a member of more than one guild at a time. I'm not certain if there's going to a limit, or what the limit will be, but you can manually switch between which guild chat you want to be active.
Also, guild halls will not be available upon release of the game, they will add them in later.

[Fionna The Dame]

That is interesting and cool! Are GW guilds similar to wow or like a totally different system? How does not having an enemy faction affect the game and/or pvp ?

[Tish]

Yea, it'd be interesting to see in action.

[Bijal]

Are GW guilds similar to wow or like a totally different system?

In the first guild wars when you joined a guild all of your characters would automatically default to it whether you wanted them to or not. I'm not sure if they're keeping it the same, but if they did being able to join more than one guild would make sense.

[Tish]

http://www.arena.net/blog/prepare-your-minds-for-asura-week Asura week is coming up.

[dragongit]

Here is hoping for the final class to be announced, and then Beta!

[Tieg]

I believe official word is that there will be no open beta. They're one of the last few game companies who still employ professional game testers to do it for them.

[Bijal]

I don't remember there being a beta for the first GW either.

Also, here's a GW2 census website I found the link to:

http://gw2census.com/charts.php

You can add your character race/profession to the stats.

[Tish]

Neat! It's a small sampling, but it's interesting to see over 25% intend to roleplay.

[Smart Ass Dave]

I believe official word is that there will be no open beta. They're one of the last few game companies who still employ professional game testers to do it for them.

To do or not to do an open Beta has nothing to do with having professional testers. You just CAN'T know how your game will preform with a million people using it at once until you get a millions people to use it at once. I did 60 hour work weeks testing on Halo: Reach along with 50 other guys and we DEFINATELY learned things with our closed and open betas.

[Fairtide]

I think that comment about professional testers was more to the point of PTRs like WoW uses. In essence, the patch is already beaten by the time the patch goes live because they use such a large number of "regular folk" to "test" their patches. So the instant the patch (or game if its a BETA) goes live, the content is already thoroughly explored, exploited, and completed by a large number of players, shortening the time frame at which they need to release new content before peoples' interest stagnates. And those who don't participate are offered a wide variety of videos on youtube to "spoil" content or avoid having to muscle through/learn the nuances of things that should take a while. That's not to say you won't have people speed through content anyway and say that they are bored, because that happens in every game where there is a competitive factor.

I see it as them taking steps to prolong their content's freshness and I think that's awesome. I personally don't like having everything figured out for me when I start a game.

[Tieg]

After playing some Old Republic beta, I was reminded how refreshing it is to play a MMO style game where I don't know all the answers, and they aren't all available to me with a quick search.

When I didn't know the answer to something, I just had to "fuckin' figure it out!" It was a curious feeling I hadn't had since Vanilla WoW. Ever since everything had been so picked over by players, myself or beta testers, taking away any sense of discovery.

[Smart Ass Dave]

When I didn't know the answer to something, I just had to "fuckin' figure it out!" It was a curious feeling I hadn't had since Vanilla WoW. Ever since everything had been so picked over by players, myself or beta testers, taking away any sense of discovery.

I will completely agree with this. WotLK was only fun for me because I tried a paladin as a group healer and enjoyed doing something everyone else said I should be bad at. It was hard, sure, but definately not impossible like everyone claimed.

[Tieg]

In MMOs people have a way of exaggerating every slight difference in classes/specs as absolutes. If something is not the absolute best in any particular role, than it must be absolutely useless at it.

[Smart Ass Dave]

That's ALSO one of the things that endears me to Guild Wars 2. There's a concerted effort to prevent that from occurring by removing class roles and making broadly useful characters better than specialists.

[Tish]

Was definitely easier healing on my druid than on my pally in Wrath, but it wasn't impossible by a long shot.

[Azmo]

After playing some Old Republic beta, I was reminded how refreshing it is to play a MMO style game where I don't know all the answers, and they aren't all available to me with a quick search.

When I didn't know the answer to something, I just had to "fuckin' figure it out!" It was a curious feeling I hadn't had since Vanilla WoW. Ever since everything had been so picked over by players, myself or beta testers, taking away any sense of discovery.

haha, yeah, I know that feel, bro

Back when I started playing FFXI shortly after the US release there was a lot of mystery in the game world. Not everything was fully understood. There were places that none of the English-speaking players really knew about, which led to the genuine feeling of discovery when I explored the game world. There was also a less thorough understanding of stat weights or minmaxing for some classes, like no one was really sure whether summoners wanted INT, MND, or CHM.

Reminded me of those bittersweet times prior to GameFAQs.

[Tieg]

Yeah, it's a blessing and a curse. When you really can't figure out something at all, and it's frustrating you, it's lame not having any resources to turn to. But there's a lot to be said for that feeling of discovery and unknowing.

And yeah, when I started with vanilla-WoW, nobody really had a clue what they were doing. It was too early, all the stats were too confusing in regards to the complicated class makeups.

[Fionna The Dame]

It's interesting on those charts how close to even all the class choices are.

[Fionna The Dame]

Looking through that video that went over the button/skill names for each class, I'm wondering if the last class will be a Light-Power or plant/beast power based caster.

So far none of the classes have screamed "If we were still a tank-healer-dps game, this would be the healer class".

But the necromancer obviously reminds of shadow priest / warlock.

The elementalist seems a combo of shaman / mage

And the other 4 appear to be Rogue, Hunter, Paladin and Warrior with different names (except warrior).

The Engineer is the only truly unique never seen before class, like they took the profession from wow, made it fucking awesome, blended it with the powers of a TF2 team, and made it its own class.

So I'm just thinking if they do stick with other fantasy MMO archetypes, the last class will end up being either a priesty-type caster, or a Druid/shapeshifting sort.

Any thoughts?

[Bijal]

Mesmer. They were an anti-caster with some moderate damage skills.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Mesmer


The Norn racial ability is shapeshifting, so they wont have a profession that does this too. There will be nothing equivalent to a monk/priest in the game. They completely scrapped the monk from GW and added in the Engineer.

[Tieg]

Mesmer also come with a great sense of fashion.

[Tieg]

Charr plush! (http://www.guildwars2.com/en/shop/guildwars-2-charr-plush/) I kinda want one...

[Azmo]

Aww, cute

[Rekgar Steamroar]

I would get one if it was cheaper than it was... Though 17 inches long is pretty big for a plush.

[Bijal]

And, here's the last race:

http://www.arena.net/blog/matt-barrett-on-asura-design

Very interesting to watch the guy draw him.

[Tish]

http://www.arena.net/blog/mr-sparkles-a-tale-of-the-asura

[Fionna The Dame]

I love that story. I kept reading parts to Tap. The way it described the Asura's condescension but also that "I always do the right thing" (meaning either the most intelligent thing or the morally right, I'm not sure...) , and the interaction between him and the sylvari vs the humans. I love how you got the idea that no one could tell just how experienced a sylvari really is except that individual themselves. Really lets each one be unique.

[Bijal]

Learned an interesting bit of information.
The composer who's responsible for the entire Guild Wars soundtrack, Jeremy Soule, also did Morrowind and Oblivion.

Some damn nice music too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_28batKjMxY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LzTwnfmI9w&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP7oumSoAqU&feature=related