Topic: Guild Wars 2

[MysterD]

NEW -- 3-5-2015:
Guild Wars 2 goes F2P for all.
Guild Wars 2 Table - Restrictions for F2P users; Benefits for GW2 Core Owners; and Benefits for Heart of Thorns owners.

OLD:
Escapist -> GW2 probably won't have expansions; might not be a GW3
GamePro -> No GW2 retail stand-alone expansions planned.
Links, Stuff, Info, Etc.
Eurogamer -> Guardian class will replace the Monk class entirely.
Youtube -> Over 50 minutes of awesome gameplay footage -> thanks, Idol!
Shacknews -> History of ArenaNet.
Massively.com -> GW2 Community Manager debunks PCG saying that dungeons will be DLC - thanks, Idol!
PC Gamer -> Guild Wars II will have DLC and micro-transactions.
PC Gamer -> Hands on preview.
PC Gamer -> Dungeons.
GuildWars2.com -> Hall of Monuments Reward for GW1 players that will go into GW2 - thanks, Idol!
Arena.Net -> James Boer on creating Cinematics.
Arena.net -> Horia Dociu on creating Cinematics.
Arena.net -> Loot.
Arena.net -> Dye System.
Arena.Net - "Manifesto" Trailer - thanks, Idol!
Arena.Net - Leveling includes a no curve; it's flat and a straight-line - thanks, Idol!
GameSpot at Comic Con - Preview on GW2.
Arena.Net - Weapons, Professions, and Races Preview.
Gamespot - Preview.
MMORPG - Preview.
RPS - Preview.
Arena.Net - Preview.
Shacknews - The Voice-Actors Trailer.
Onlineweltern.com - Interview.
TenTomHammer.com - Preview.
Lots of Guild Wars 2 info.

[idolminds]

Interesting about the next expansion. I like that it'll be cheaper. I was wondering what, if anything, they were going to do with new classes. I mean, how many more can they honestly come up with that are unique? Especially since you get to mix classes any way you like, they've already covered everything.

GW2 I'll wait untill we learn more to comment.

[MysterD]

Interesting about the next expansion. I like that it'll be cheaper.

Me too.

Though, it should be cheaper, as if does REQUIRE one of the three GW chapters to actually run. So, GWEN is an actual true-blue expansion pack.

I was wondering what, if anything, they were going to do with new classes. I mean, how many more can they honestly come up with that are unique? Especially since you get to mix classes any way you like, they've already covered everything.

I guess they ran out of ideas.
Or are saving them for GW2.

GW2 I'll wait untill we learn more to comment.

Too early in development to worry about it, really...

Though, seems interesting they might allow for 100+ level characters and/or a way to hopefully try and have NO LEVEL CAP.

[Jedi]

Me too.

Though, it should be cheaper, as if does REQUIRE one of the three GW chapters to actually run. So, GWEN is an actual true-blue expansion pack.

Can I just point out that it'll still be free to play online and that they need to make money some how?

[Pugnate]

Yea I am pretty sure if you are buying the fourth expansion you own the game.

[MysterD]

This article here talks a little bit about GW2

Speaking about Guild Wars 2 is like dropping bits of golden honey out of a gilded pitcher for eager fans to lap up. When discussing the story in Guild Wars 2, Bobby [Stein of NCSoft] said that since it takes place 250 years after the first series, "it's a blank slate."

"We were able to keep the coolest things from the world while letting the rest remain in the annals of history," Bobby said. "Despite all that has changed, Tyria is very much in need of heroes."

"A lot can change in a few hundred years," Bobby continued. "New races have risen to prominence. New threats have surfaced. You’ll see threads of current Guild Wars history, along with some new stories."

[MysterD]

Guild Wars 2 has been delayed at least until 2010-2011.

[idolminds]

So awesome.

Arenanet has some of the best artists around.

Preview

[MysterD]

This reminds me, I need to go finish the GW1's four pieces.

Very nice trailer.
The artistry -- again -- looks fantastic.

[Quemaqua]

That's the most epic trailer I've ever seen in my entire life.  Seriously.  Trailers are usually fun and neat and whatever, but it's pretty rare that they do to me what that trailer did.  I'm fucking psyched for this game now.

Yes, ArenaNet has some of the best artists in the industry.  That's one of the biggest reasons I love the original game, and it looks like they're upping the ante by about a billion times with this new one.  I will seriously consider investing in a huge widescreen monitor and beefy video card for this game.

Also... FUCKING AQUA ZOMBIES.  BEST GAME EVER.

[idolminds]

Who wants some of the most epic wallpapers ever? And these are just stills from the trailer.

[MysterD]

From GW2 Official Page -- check out all kinds of wallpapers and art-work.

[Quemaqua]

WHAT WHAT?  They show beautiful Guild Wars 2 art book and there's no way for me to buy it right now?!  Fucking madness, I tell you!  MADNESS.

[MysterD]

I knew Que would like that GW2 will have an art book....

[MysterD]

GW2 interview with Game Designer Jeff Grubb and Art Director Daniel Dociu of ArenaNet from GTTV.
Run time: a little over 4 minutes.

[idolminds]

Too bad you aren't going to PAX, Que. They are simply giving the art books away.

[W7RE]

The game looks really interesting, but I'm not sure I could get into it. I really enjoyed GW in it's preview weekends, but then I got the game when it came out and just didnt' feel it. I couldn't get more than an hour or so in without getting bored. I've since gone back to it once or twice with the same result.

It felt like they wanted to make an MMO, but they castrated the game to keep from going a pay-to-play. Town was a glorified chat room from battle.net, complete with numbered iterations of it. The leveling zones were instanced, cutting you off from the rest of the player base. You could take a friend, but only if he was there from the beginning. There was no, "hey man what you doing?" "Doing this quest to kill some guy, run out here and help me if you're bored." The PvP was ripped from a FPS instead of open world and unpredictable.



Also BLOOM

[Quemaqua]

I could get into why I prefer GW to most MMOs, but I won't.  But really, what most people love about MMOs is the stuff I've come to hate about them, and GW drops a lot of those conventions, thus it's far and away the game I'd rather play.  Plus I only play with idol usually in any MMO, which makes it less MMO and more... futari.

Also... DAMN IT WHY THE HELL AM NOT IN SEATTLE?!

[Dragonlor]

So what's the level cap of GW2...5?  From what little I played from GW made me think they took as much out of it that makes mmos.  Mmos are supposed to be spacious and with as little instance as possible say for dungeons.  From what I understand of GW2 that's what they are going to do.  LOTRO is a great example of open environment.  It takes alot of time even whith a horse to explore on of the zones in that game.

[Quemaqua]

That's kind of the point.  Some of us think it's stupid to slog through a billion hours of gameplay in order to be all elite just because you stuck with it long enough to hit level 126 or whatever.  GW capped at 20 and you then had to rely on actually building a skill set that would be useful and tailoring it to specific situations.  And personally, my least favorite thing about MMOs is all the other people.  I like playing online with people I know and like, but the others tend to do little more than clog shit up.  GW2 will be a bit different.  Hopefully it'll be a slightly better compromise between the very divergent path of the original and the more usual path of traditional MMOs (though I'm hoping it continues to veer in favor of the former).

[Xessive]

That's kind of the point.  Some of us think it's stupid to slog through a billion hours of gameplay in order to be all elite just because you stuck with it long enough to hit level 126 or whatever.  GW capped at 20 and you then had to rely on actually building a skill set that would be useful and tailoring it to specific situations.  And personally, my least favorite thing about MMOs is all the other people.  I like playing online with people I know and like, but the others tend to do little more than clog shit up.  GW2 will be a bit different.  Hopefully it'll be a slightly better compromise between the very divergent path of the original and the more usual path of traditional MMOs (though I'm hoping it continues to veer in favor of the former).

Que just summarized the things I hate about MMOs in general. I'm guessing I would have really enjoyed GW.

[Dragonlor]

Then you should try DDO que.  A much smaller community then most mmos.

[Quemaqua]

My biggest problem with MMOs is actually time.  There are a number of them I really wouldn't mind trying, but I just can't dedicate that kind of time to gaming.  I just can't.

[idolminds]

Well the art book is finally for sale.

[MysterD]

Well the art book is finally for sale.

That'll make Que happy.

[Quemaqua]

It isn't signed, but it's still good enough for Que.  GO GO GADGET CREDIT CARD.

[idolminds]

Also note that the official GW2 twitter feed mentioned that this art book will NOT be part of the collectors edition of the game.

[MysterD]

Guild Wars 2 interview.

[MysterD]

GW2 Beta planned for 2010.
GW2 will likely launch in 2011.

[idolminds]

The GW2 site was updated to show off the races. Bunch of screens and two wallpapers per race! And to top it off, a new trailer detailing the races! You can download it at a bunch of resolutions, up to 1080p!

Also an odd note. The Asura in the vid is voiced by Felicia Day.

[MysterD]

GW2 is going to be structured like other MMO's.
There'll be a lot less instancing, this time around.

Here's what Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Eric Flannum thinks:

"We use a lot less instancing than we have in the past. The game is structured much more like other MMOs, with the world consisting almost entirely of fully persistent areas. That being said, we have a number of different ways in which we use instancing. Dungeons, for example, are instanced areas designed for group play. We also use instancing very heavily in the players' personal quest chain to reflect decisions that the player has made on those quests. For example, Logan Thackeray, captain of the Seraph, has an office located in Divinity's Reach; his office is instanced because we need to update his status based on choices the player has made."

[MysterD]

GW2 - The Voice-Actors Trailer.

[idolminds]

So awesome.

MMOs are social games. So why do they sometimes seem to work so hard to punish you for playing with other players? If I’m out hunting and another player walks by, shouldn’t I welcome his help, rather than worrying that he’s going to steal my kills or consume all the mobs I wanted to kill? Or if I want to play with someone, shouldn’t we naturally have the same goals and objectives, rather than discovering that we’re in the same area but working on a different set of quests?

We think of GW2 as the first MMO that actually has a cooperative PvE experience. When I’m out hunting and suddenly there’s a huge explosion over the next hill – the ground is shaking and smoke is pouring into the sky – I’m going to want to investigate, and most other players in the area will too. Or if the sky darkens on a sunny day, and I look up and see a dragon circling overhead preparing to attack, I know I’d better fight or flee, and everyone around me knows that too.

With traditional MMOs you can choose to solo or you can find a good guild or party to play with. With GW2 there’s a third option too: you can just naturally play with all the people around you. I personally spend a big chunk of my time in traditional MMOs soloing, but when I play GW2 I always find myself naturally working with everyone around me to accomplish world objectives, and before long we find ourselves saying, “Hey, there’s a bunch of us here; let’s see if we can take down the swamp boss together,” without ever having bothered to form a party.

Of course GW2 has great support for parties, but they just don’t feel as necessary as they do in other MMOs, because your interests are always aligned with all other nearby players anyway. When someone kills a monster, not just that player’s party but everyone who was seriously involved in the fight gets 100% of the XP and loot for the kill. When an event is happening in the world – when the bandits are terrorizing a village – everyone in the area has the same motivation, and when the event ends, everyone gets rewarded.

Hit the blog there to read about the combat itself. Sounds so great.

[idolminds]

Oh my god this blog is AWESOME. Two new articles up today: Part One: Skills and Elementalist. They have screens! And an elementalist wallpaper! SQUEEL!

The skill bar is now 10 slots (GW1 its eight), but it all behaves differently:

The first five skills on the skill bar are not slotted directly by the player; instead they are determined by the player's choice of weapon and profession. Because of this, we can ensure that each weapon is balanced with a fun combination of skills. For example, a warrior wielding a mace and shield would get access to strong but slow damage skills like Obliterate, as well as powerful defensive skills such as Block and Shield Bash. A warrior wielding a greatsword would have access to a lot of movement-oriented skills like Rush, and area-of-effect skills like 100 Blades. In each case, the warrior's first five skills are determined by what he's holding in his hands. Weapon skills also take profession into account, so a warrior wielding a sword will have different skills than a different sword-wielding profession.

Really interesting. In GW1 for the most part you take a weapon for its stats. Well, maybe thats just spellcasters. I guess for warriors its already kind of like this. No reason to take sword skills when you're sporting a hammer. But maybe now when a spellcaster picks up a sword it will have some useful skills to go with it.

We've talked about the first five skills being determined by weapon and profession. What about the second five? These skills are all chosen by the player from a pool of skills determined by both profession and race. To slot a skill, a player simply clicks on a skill slot and it will bring up a list of skills that can be put into that slot. One of these slots is dedicated to healing skills that replenish the health of the character and his allies, while another slot is dedicated to elite skills that trigger visually spectacular and powerful effects. No matter what type of skill is involved, it's important that we give the player a diverse set of tools to choose from so that he can create a build that he'll enjoy playing.

Will have to see how this works out. Since forming a real dedicated party is now not really a requirement I guess making sure people have the ability to heal themselves is a good thing. But it almost sounds like out or 10 slots you only get to freely choose 3 skills.

[idolminds]

RPS: I suspect one of the initially controversial decisions will be the loss of Secondary Careers, allowing you to choose from two sets of skills. However, it seems to be that the new ability to give your character a race – and opening up skills from that choice – seems to be somewhat functionally analogous to what the secondary skills did.

Eric Flannum: That’s totally true. The other reason we lost the secondary careers – and we actually did have them in the game for a while, and they were just causing us some issues. And the fact that the races kind of act like secondary careers did help us make the decision, and that maybe they aren’t necessary in GW2. The secondary careers… we tried them out. It was a pretty tough decision, as they were such a big part of GW1 – but we’re getting so much mileage from the races. We’re really pushing how unique each of the professions are. The elementalist has a mechanic where he atunes to different elements – we had a hard time reconciling this with the warrior, who’s another one of our professions, who uses an adrenaline mechanic in order to build up damage during the fight. It was hard for us to combine how the two worked – but it was pretty easy to make the races and the professions work together.

No second professions! ZOMG! Though I guess that makes sense if the races each have a bunch of skills.

More Q&A at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, MMORPG.com, and Gamespot.

[Xessive]

I just started playing Guild Wars last week. Great game, really wish I had started it much sooner! hehe

I'm not well-experienced in it yet but I'm building up my Ranger.

I'm kinda glad they're getting rid of the second profession, it's a little confusing at first, and it's just a bare-essentials version of its full profession form anyway.

My Ranger's second prof. is Warrior, so I can deal damage more quickly in case enemies wander too close.

I'm really looking forward to GW2 now!

[idolminds]

Dude from ANet seems to be posting on QuarterToThree, and he clarified the skill bar:

You've got 10 skills.

1-5 these are determined by what you're holding in your hands. A two handed weapon will give you five skills. A one handed weapon will give you three but whatever you're holding in your off hand gives the remaining two. You can mix and match between main and offhand items to get different combinations. The skills you get are determined by weapon type and profession.

6 - Healing skill. You can choose between several different healing skills. These always have some sort of self heal component to them but can vary wildly other than that. The pool you can choose from is determined by your profession and race.

7-9 - Utility skills. These can cover a wide range of different effects from being purely offensive to support. You get dozens of skills to choose from here, once again determined by your profession and race.

10 - Elite skill. This is a big badass infrequently used skill that has a dramatic impact on a fight. Again you can choose between several of these from a pool determined by your race and profession.

So think of it this way. You've got 5 slots that you can slot freely with the caveat that you have to bring one heal and one elite skill. Then you have a package of five skills that is determined by the weapon set you bring. Most professions can equip two weapon sets and switch freely between them in combat even stringing together combinations of attacks between them. That means you have access to 15 skills at any given time and you make a minimum of 7 choices (max of 9) to determine what those skills are. Yes, we restrict some of your choices to particular categories but there is still choice there. If you use the CCG paradigm to explain our skill system we went from a system with almost no deck building restrictions to one that has (what seem to us) some pretty necessary and sane deck building restrictions. The new system is much friendlier to new players and to those who either aren't interested in the deck building aspect or are simply not good at it. It will also allow us to more easily balance the game and maintain that balance. It still allows advanced players to come up with literally hundreds of combinations to trash their opponents with.

That doesnt sound so bad. Earlier posts he was saying that while it was great that players had free reign to choose any and all skills, it made it difficult for new players or more casual players since figuring out skill combos is tricky. This way they are guaranteed to have certain skills and always be viable.

[Xessive]

Sweet, that's right up my alley since I'm more of a casual MMO player.

So far I like the direction they're going with GW2.

[idolminds]

Part 2: Weapons, Professions, and Races

Not a lot of new info if you read my previous posts, but still good stuff. The loss of secondary professions is a bit of a bummer but the way skill across professions can interact now sounds awesome. That and using the first 5 slots of the skill bar to change not only on what you are carrying, but interacting with environmental stuff sounds really cool. So the catapult isn't just an ON/OFF switch to fire, but can now have its own "skills" you can use.

[MysterD]

Comic-Con 2010 - GW2 preview from GameSpot.

Player Choice And Consequences in GW2

Against this backdrop, Grubb emphasized the personal story that Guild Wars 2 hopes to tell, one that is dominated by player interaction and social dynamics within the game. He emphasized that player choice will play a more pronounced role in Guild Wars 2, where decisions will impact a player's characters and the options that are open to them throughout the game.