Guild Wars 2: A Different Kind of MMO

[borowki]

I'm surprised that socialization/talking/chatting with other game players is something which is seen as a feature that should be encouraged by the game mechanics. Hell, in MMOs I'm happiest fishing. Alone.

Me either. I usually play as a female character and there are always people who don't understand that the fact my character is a hot chick doesn't mean I'm a hot chick. It's uncomfortable

GW2 sounds like something I need to check out - the ad hoc grouping suits me better than guilds, and way better than sitting around in "lounges" of some sort hoping to eventually build a group that allows you to actually play the game. Mandatory grouping to experience content is something I consider a hassle.

Ah hoc grouping was a blast in the first GW, then it got progressively more annoying, with the increasing prevalence of jerks with no life who insult you when you don't play the game "right." That was one thing that ArenaNet got right the first time. Separating Ascalon into a pre-searing and post-searing was a brilliant way to keep the experience fresh for people who're just starting out.

 

[NRP]

I've been watching the "Guild" on Netflix. It's hilarious!

Vork: "My interest in what you're saying is low-to-moderate."

Anyone know if this show is based on Guild Wars?

 

[homerdog]

It's based on WoW.

 

[aaronspink]

Me either. I usually play as a female character and there are always people who don't understand that the fact my character is a hot chick doesn't mean I'm a hot chick. It's uncomfortable

What? I always figure that the hot chicks are really 400+ lb fat guys trying to not get the keyboard all greasy from the butter they are eating. Everyone else I know is the same. Its quite shocking when someone playing an MMO as a girl is actually a girl.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Playing WoW was one of the loneliest experiences of my entire life.

People didn't want player characters to interact with, they wanted human bots to do dungeons with - human bots that already knew exactly how to do everything. Outside this there was nothing. I would have had more meaningful interactions with people by peeping out from behind my closed curtains at people on the street. Silently.

Oh, once, this player was walking past me on a road and he stopped to wave at me. I waved back. That was the best part of all of WoW. Ever.

Thank god I only stuck with it to level 66.

Hearing that I'm even more glad I never stuck around in WoW after trying one of their free trials.

I still remember in pretty much all the MMO's I listed veteran players taking time out to help new players. Whether through world/zone chat channels, crafting chat channels, in quest areas, spontaneous giving of used gear, etc. That doesn't mean there also wasn't a fair amount of snobby veteran players with the whole l337 attitude.

Hell, often as one of the top X class on the server I would spend hours a day sometimes just answering questions about the class and giving advice. I found that part just as enjoyable sometimes as the actual adventuring.

Regards,
SB

 

[Rodéric]

With the event system of GW2, grouping should be natural, which should make everyone happy.
(If you're here when something happens, participate, if you prefer to keep fishing, just do that )

Answers about the video FAQ:
http://www.arena.net/blog/mmo-manifesto-reactions

 

[Dresden]

Alright, it's high time this thread was resurrected.

I'm surprised this game hasn't made a bigger splash around these parts. The more I see for it, the more appealing it looks. Still doesn't look like there's a release date on it, though.

 

[swaaye]

I'm just waiting for it to be for sale.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Without a release date or new media there's not really anything to talk about.

Would certainly be nice if it released this year, however.

Regards,
SB

 

[Entropy]

Without a release date or new media there's not really anything to talk about.

Would certainly be nice if it released this year, however.

I'm starting to loose a bit of hope regarding that. They just revealed the Thief class, and said that this was the first of the revealed class to use guns. It was phrased in such a way so as to imply that there were more upcoming class reveals, and upon closer examination they will have 8 classes, which at the current pace of reveals will take a while. There are no recommended hardware specs either, which may or may not imply that they aren't finished with building environments or that the engine could still be in a state of flux. I hope it comes out before Diablo3 - they attract a similar RPG interested crowd that doesn't like monthly fees. (D3 obviously has a larger audience, so I guess you could say that D3 largely includes the GW2 player set.)

Definitely a game to keep tabs on, though.

 

[Rodéric]

There are 6 out of 8 professions revealed now.
I *want* a Mesmer, because it's unique to Guild Wars, even though, I'm not sure how it would work with the new system.

I would think one of the remaining profession is some kind of engineer, which would have guns.

They revealed one profession in January and one in March, at that trend we'll have the missing two quickly...
I wish we'll get open beta week ends to test the game out, that'd be nice

I fear we won't teleport in two clicks though, and that is really a change I won't like, I have better things to do than waste time walking to meet up with friends, I want to pop up right next to them and go on an adventure !

 

[Dresden]

What bothered me about the original GW was instanced zones, which made the game world seem tiny, and the social aspect feel confined to small areas. Plus, I seem to remember there being a series of invisible walls and no ability to swim. Then again, it's a free MMORPG, so asking for a seamless game world isn't worth getting your hopes up for. Regardless, I've been keeping tabs on it.

 

[Scott_Arm]

There are 6 out of 8 professions revealed now.
I *want* a Mesmer, because it's unique to Guild Wars, even though, I'm not sure how it would work with the new system....

Oh, the amazing Mesmer. When I played the alpha, and they were still balancing things out, I made a mesmer that was pretty much hilariously deadly and invincible. They may have toned things down because of me for retail

We got matched up against the devs in one of the multiplayer all-calls. I was using a mesmer primary, warrior secondary. I think I had Fragility, one mesmer skill that steals health, and a bunch of warrior skills to cause effects like bleed, cripple, and one defensive ability, either dodge or parry or something. I kept my sword skill really low, so the base damage from sword was not worth talking about, but I'd get piles of Fragility damage, because my effects would wear off before Fragility, if I'm explaining that well. I could pretty much go head to head with any melee type and win, except for warrior monks where we'd fight to an infinite stalemate.

 

[Entropy]

What bothered me about the original GW was instanced zones, which made the game world seem tiny, and the social aspect feel confined to small areas. Plus, I seem to remember there being a series of invisible walls and no ability to swim. Then again, it's a free MMORPG, so asking for a seamless game world isn't worth getting your hopes up for. Regardless, I've been keeping tabs on it.

Free of monthly fees. They'll happily take your money at purchase, just like any other game.

 

[The549]

Free of monthly fees, consistent world, 80 levels, adequate graphics....this should be good. Hopefully the whole game will be fun and not have too quick an end to replayability, not including pvp.

Also, does anyone remember GW shortly after release the complete absence of tanned hides squares? Must be interesting to have the numbers inside mmo economies.

 

[Dresden]

Well, this answers one of my questions regarding a crafting system:

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

In Guild Wars 2, there are eight crafting disciplines players can choose from.

* Weaponsmith – Weaponsmiths craft melee weapons, such as swords, axes and hammers.
* Huntsman – Huntsmen craft ranged weapons like bows and pistol, as well as torches and warhorns.
* Artificer– Artificers craft magical weapons such as staves and scepters
* Armorsmith – Armorsmiths craft heavy armor pieces.
* Leatherworker – Leatherworkers craft medium armor pieces.
* Tailor – Tailors craft light armor pieces.
* Jewelcrafter – Jewelcrafters craft jewelry, such as rings and necklaces.
* Cook – Cooks can prepare food which characters can eat for temporary combat buffs.

And here's an interesting tidbit:

"In addition, most crafters can create upgrades for their gear. For instance, a weaponsmith can craft a handle which can be attached to melee weapons to give them a chance to poison enemies."

By the way, GW2 will be at PAX East, this weekend, along with Battlefield 3. Unfortunately, I missed my window of opportunity to buy tickets, this year.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Gameplay looks fast and arcadey for an MMO-type game.

 

[Dresden]

I was totally going to resurrect this thread with all the Gamescom news. GW2 is looking hot.

It wasn't since the Aion beta did I ever see such a nice character customization in an MMO. I'm totally looking forward to playing a Norn Warrior. For a F2P MMO, I couldn't ask for more. And if NC Soft plans on delivering even half it's promised, this may be the reason I push WoW into a shallow grave.

There's a 40 minute game play video from Gamescom that, immediately after watching, I emailed to a bunch of similar minded coworkers of mine. The video talks about the dynamic events that GW2 has to offer. It's pretty neat stuff:

 

[Scott_Arm]

Underwater combat? Looks like they're doing some pretty cool stuff. I liked the original. If for some reason I got a new PC, I could see myself thinking about getting this.

 

[homerdog]

I can give you a few good reasons to get a new PC. Witcher 2, BF3, GW2, and if you like console shooters they are only better at 1080p with a m/kb.