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Flameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares release has been with us for the past week, transforming formerly beautiful (if centaur-populated) Kessex Hills into a toxic wasteland. The source of the devastation is a massive, thistle-topped structure in Viathan Lake, which was built and defended by the Krait and Nightmare Court. A whole lot of mystery is tied up in that thing, from Krait religion to Nightmare ambitions to the involvement of Scarlet Briar, but Marjory Delaqua and her partner Kasmeer Meade are on the case. The Pact has also gotten involved by aiding with research and demolishing the tower plant's offshoots, which are spreading on the wind like dandelions, only I wouldn't recommend adding them to salads, and they're not fluffy. The ArenaNet team responsible for this release has made some praiseworthy improvements over previous releases, which supports the idea that GW2's living world is still a work in progress with lots of room to grow. Combined with some interesting developer responses from the collaborative development initiative, I think it paints a promising picture of where the story is going in the upcoming months.
Guild Wars 2 previews upcoming structured PvP features
Guild Wars 2 is getting on top of its game -- its PvP game, to be precise. ArenaNet posted a preview of the improvements and features coming to structured PvP in the near future. PvPers who win in paid tournaments will soon be granted qualifying points (QPs), which not only allow players to measure themselves against the competition but will be used to seed the game's larger tournaments. ArenaNet said that it will also be adding more ways for QPs to matter down the road. The user interface for PvP is getting tweaked as well. The tournament browser will now show map rotations and rewards, and ArenaNet is adding a quick-launch button and a scoreboard as well. The team hinted that it's continuing work on custom arenas, although it's not ready to reveal the work on that project as of yet.
Guild Wars 2 interview touches on mobile app development and structured PvP
During a recent interview, ArenaNet discussed the topic of Guild Wars 2 mobile applications for players. The studio explained that although there won't be any mobile apps at the game's launch, shortly after it will be "launching a robust app development program in conjunction with [its] community that should allow for the development of some truly spectacular GW2 app and website development." The topic of structured PvP also received attention. ArenaNet states that the most important goals behind this feature are accessibility and support, and it was to make PvP "skill-based to keep players playing." Part of doing that is to focus on the structured PvP mode known as Conquest and do it well. However, the studio also posted that it would like to introduce more game types at some point. Other topics also touched on were lore, weapons, events, and the new player experience. You can read more details in the full interview. [Thanks to Steven for the tip!]
ArenaNet devs discuss PvP tournaments and e-sports
Guild Wars 2 is getting steadily closer to release, but players are as hungry as ever for every little detail about the game. ArenaNet devs Jonathan Sharp and John Corpening took some time to scratch the unrelenting itch of curiosity in an interview with Guild Wars 2 Guru. The game's normal structured PvP tournaments will be restricted, for technical reasons, by region. Worldwide tournaments will still be possible but will be dealt with "in a manner outside of the online tournament system." Before automated tournaments, players will be able to see the maps that will be used for each of the three rounds of the tournament but unable to see the composition of enemy teams. As things stand now, players will be able to change builds between rounds, but the devs are still looking for further feedback about that particular bucket of fish. Game formats other than the conquest that currently serves as the current primary PvP mechanic aren't out of the question for the future, but the team wants the game to start off with something that is easily approachable. ArenaNet hasn't really made a secret out of e-sports plans for Guild Wars 2. To that end, a spectator mode is high on the list of additions to the game, but the only timeframe devs are giving is "when it's ready." While the devs can't say much yet about plans for PvP publicity and ranking systems, they are hoping for Guild Wars 2 to prove itself as an e-sport and are committed to the original intention of letting players jump in and be competitive in PvP right off the bat. Check out the original interview for every breathtaking tease, hint, and detail.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 PvP primer
Welcome to the PvP primer, the post with a small taste of everything you didn't think you wanted to know about PvP content in Guild Wars 2. Some folks regard Guild Wars 2 as a PvP-centric game with PvE content tacked on as an occasional diversion. If that's you, this post is probably full of stuff you already know. Think of this as crib notes for the uninitiated. Are you unsure how to find your way around WvW? Are you trying to find your way into a PvP match? This primer is for you. Last week we took a look at world vs. world (WvW), which pits three servers against each other in grand-scale, pitched battles. Now it's time to give some love to structured PvP (some folks are getting sPvP started as a term for that), which is all about quicker battles with fewer people on smaller maps.
