Massively's interview with Guild Wars CM Regina Buenaobra part 2
You have a much more segregated view of PvE and PVP content, do you think this makes the game more enjoyable for players? Will it influence gameplay in future titles, such as Guild Wars 2?
We have different forms of PvP for different player types. We have more easily accessible formats like Alliance Battles as well as more competitive formats like GvG. The various different PvP formats give players multiple options to play and enjoy the challenge of PvP.
This will have an influence in Guild Wars 2 in the sense that we want there to be a similar kind of accessible PvP format, like World PvP, that players can get into easily, as well as more competitive forms of PvP. We want to be able to give players different options, because we know that players will want to play and enjoy different forms of PvP.
What do you think you have learned from Guild Wars?
With the Guild Wars experience under our belts, we've learned that it's worth taking some risks to provide an innovative new gaming experience. We think we've succeeded in delivering a unique online RPG to players. We've learned that players enjoy deep PvE gameplay experiences, and this is shown in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, where we emphasized that deeper style of play rather than a more broad design emphasis where content is spread more thinly.
Of course, forging a new path and doing something different from everyone else wasn't totally smooth, and we've had learning experiences that are relevant for development on Guild Wars 2. One of the things we would have reconsidered in hindsight is the fact that adding a large number of skills to the game increases the complexity of the system, and increases the amount of information that a player feels she has to absorb. This is potentially overwhelming, especially for new players. One of the strongest design decisions the team made was the use of instancing, which gives players a personal experience and the feeling that they have an impact and a stake in the destiny of the world. In games where there's more persistence, players don't feel that same kind of power. Having said that, persistent worlds give players a stronger sense of a world that's alive with the excitement and activity of other players. Guild Wars is unique from other games in a similar genre, both in the design sense and in terms of its business model, and we continue to be successful, so the lesson there is that it was worth taking those risks.
Is there anything in particular you are looking to improve upon in terms of gameplay or storyline in future?
Our Guild Wars Live Team is continuing to work on improving the game through smaller monthly tweaks as well as more substantial content updates. We don't have specific details on what's in store for the immediate future.
In terms of Guild Wars 2, we've got a lot of great ideas, but you'll just have to wait and see when we're ready to start talking about them in more detail.
Guild Wars 2 is on the horizon, are you preparing players for the transition or do you hope both games will be played side-by-side?
We're really excited about Guild Wars 2, and we hope that our longstanding players will check out Guild Wars 2 when it comes out. In Guild Wars, we have the Hall of Monuments, which records and displays players' achievements. This will help transition players over to Guild Wars 2 by giving existing characters some unique rewards in Guild Wars 2. We'll continue to support Guild Wars for as long as players are playing it.
Over the last four years, has your method of delivering new content changed? Do you think players prefer mini updates or the WoW-style of three or four huge patches per year/expansion?
Yes. We went from releasing large content updates in the form of brand new games, such as Factions and Nightfall, and our expansion Eye of the North, to shifting our focus on Guild Wars 2 while continuing to support Guild Wars with smaller updates. We currently release both mini updates as well as larger patches. These come in the form of our monthly maintenance updates where we do skill balances and monthly tournament updates, and also our less frequent content updates, such as the Fourth Anniversary update, which are larger in scope. Less frequent, larger updates give the Live Team more time for planning and development for larger projects.
Do you think the player community has been an important part of the Guild Wars experience?
Absolutely. Our players have a strong voice at ArenaNet through our community managers, me and Martin Kerstein, as well as other members of the studio who take an interest in community matters. Some of the features being released in the Fourth Anniversary Update are very popular requests in the community-in particular, the expanded options for item storage and the Zaishen Menagerie. We have a few surprises up our collective sleeves, and the community has definitely asked for them.
Guild Wars wouldn't be what it is today without our player community. Our community is passionate and they continue to show their enthusiasm and excitement, whether it's through holding in-game community events, helping new players in and out of the game, showing up to support us at gaming conventions, or contributing articles on our Wiki.
Anything you can tell us about Guild Wars 2? How is development progressing?
Guild Wars 2 is going to be a much bigger game than the original Guild Wars. Our development team is twice as large as the dev team for Guild Wars, so we're putting a lot of development resources into it. We have regular company-wide play sessions in Guild Wars 2, and it's a blast to play with everyone. The development team also does regular playtesting every day. I can say that it's an absolutely gorgeous game and I'm always astounded at how great our artists are at bringing a world to life.
We're not ready to share more just now, but stay tuned for more information later this year. Keep in mind that unlike most development teams, we've been very open about our decision to start development on Guild Wars 2 right from the very beginning. We've also been building almost everything in Guild Wars 2 from the ground up. A lot of games start development in total secrecy before fans even hear a whisper about it. Our fans have been clamouring for news and updates, and we know it feels like a long time for them. When Guild Wars 2 is released, they'll see that it was worth the wait.
Do you think players will find it easy to move so far in to the game's future?
While we are going to have a fresh start with Guild Wars 2, we're also going to ensure that players still feel a close connection with the lore and mythology of the world. For existing player characters, they'll feel connected to the past of Tyria through the Hall of Monuments, which is where their current Guild Wars characters record their achievements.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Be sure to check out all the details of the Guild Wars Fourth Anniversary celebrations on our official website!
