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Guild Wars 2 seeing 'slow but steady growth' in players
Buy-to-play games can be difficult to judge in terms of metrics. You can't point to the total number of people who have bought the game because there's no proof those people are still playing. Guild Wars 2 has sold plenty of boxes, and according to lead designer Isaiah Cartwright those boxes are translating to long-term players after all. In fact, Cartwright told Polygon that the game is experiencing growth in both overall and concurrent players after launch. While the game did experience a population drop after launch, Cartwright stressed that this was entirely normal and something that every designer should plan for. He declined to give hard numbers on player growth, but he did state that the game's current update plan came about as a result of looking at the game's metrics and determining what players were more likely to log in for. Guild Wars 1 is also apparently maintaining a solid number of players, and while the game is in maintenance mode, Cartwright states that it's in no risk of shutting down.
Guild Wars 2 makes dungeons more profitable
Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Isaiah Cartwright has a few (but just a few) words to say regarding the changes that ArenaNet is planning for its dungeons. Dungeon running should be more profitable, awarding additional currency for a successful run. The team is limiting full rewards for each dungeon path to a 24-hour timer in order to encourage players to try different paths. "Our goal is to make each and every dungeon path feel enticing and rewarding," Cartwright said. "We also want the rewards structure to encourage players to enjoy a variety of dungeon paths." ArenaNet is also giving champion mobs spiffy loot containers so that players can kill the creatures and pry the boxes from their clawed hands. These containers will be tailored to the type of mob they come from, giving players a strategic choice in choosing champions to slay.
Guild Wars 2 to focus on improving systems, aiding small guilds
Has Guild Wars 2 become overly complicated since its launch last year? This is the question that Forbes posed to ArenaNet Lead Designer Isaiah Cartwright, who admits that the team debates the question regularly. "Because we've been adding a lot of reward systems, we've seen an increase in the number of currencies out there," Cartwright explained. "But we're getting toward the tail end of the number of systems we feel that we can put in the game. We'll be really working on improving the current systems we have and making them more robust." Cartwright also addressed how the team is catering to guild content, saying that ArenaNet wants to give more of a boost to smaller guilds: "We know there was an initial influence cost that was very high that a lot of smaller guilds weren't able to get into it, so we're looking at ways that we can improve that, make smaller guilds more able to compete on the influence gathering area."
Guild Wars 2 adjusts dynamic leveling system
ArenaNet's Isaiah Cartwright, lead game designer on Guild Wars 2, has posted a new dev blog to address the recent changes to the game's dynamic leveling system. In the build of the game that went live on January 28th, the team made two major changes to the way dynamic leveling works. First, the devs "changed the formula for how attributes are calculated when the dynamic leveling adjustment system scales [players' levels] down." This is intended to make players' returns to low-level zones "more fun and better balanced." Secondly, the team "changed the formula for how rewards are calculated when scaled down to make it more rewarding for high-level players to visit lower-level areas." Cartwright claims that the goal of these changes is to "more accurately reflect the attributes [players] should have at that level for a similarly geared character" and adds that even though the changes will increase the difficulty of some lower-level zones, the team wants to ensure that "all areas of Guild Wars 2 [are] exciting and fun for players of any level." And last but certainly not least, Cartwright notes that "in 2013, one of [ArenaNet's] main goals is to add more content to map of all levels, as well as stronger reward structures for playing across all locations in the world."
Flameseeker Chronicles: The game at the end of Guild Wars 2, revisited
I tend to dislike the term "endgame" because I suspect most people have scribbled out their own definition of the word and that anyone who dares to use it in reference to anything outside of that definition is summarily dismissed and excommunicated. I'm never quite sure what it is I'm being excommunicated from, mind you, but there's definitely a feeling of being suddenly, inexplicably, apart. Alien. Other. Anyway, I hope we can agree that endgame is what happens at the, well, end of the game -- after the game has been, in some way, finished. We all know that this is ludicrous, right? As long as you're playing the game, the game is not ended, and expecting that it will change substantially enough to be classified in a new way is kind of silly. But people persist in using the term, and they persist in differing over when, precisely, the endgame starts. Does it start when you've hit the game's level cap, if there is one? How about when you've finished the game's storyline, if it has one? You might've noticed that I'm kind of endgame agnostic. Regardless, let's go ahead and talk about Guild Wars 2's.
Guild Wars 2's data and design in detail
MMO player and writer Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats knows how to ask the hard questions. Questions that other journalists are afraid to ask. Questions like, "If you were omniscient with regard to all corollary Guild Wars 2 data (including player emotion, all chat including voice chat, current snacks eaten, etc.), what crazy thing would you most like to know?" Happily for the Guild Wars 2 fanbase, he also asks much more practical questions, and he directed some of those questions at ArenaNet's Izzy Cartwright. He even got some answers! Cartwright talked about how ArenaNet's ability to track players led to the implementation of certain dynamic events, meant to split up the player population in a map, which would trigger when there were too many players in an area. Another benefit of the team's data gathering is the ability to see where players are dying most often in order to adjust content difficulty as necessary. The economy is especially dependent on player activity, and Cartwright says that the team keeps a very close eye on item fluctuations to be sure that a relatively healthy stat is maintained. Read the full interview over at KTR. If data, design, and programming really get your gears turning, consider checking out ArenaNet programmer Cameron Dunn's GDC talk on that subject.
Guild Wars 2 video and dev blog explain legendary weapons
Want to get your hands on a legendary weapon in Guild Wars 2? Although the recipe itself is going to stay a mystery, a recent dev blog by ArenaNet lead designer Isaiah Cartwright goes through some of the steps in the process to give players an idea of what's involved. Hopeful wielders will need to obtain a rare exotic base weapon as well as scour the countryside and complete dungeons to get the materials needed to forge their weapons. Players also need to find gifts to present to the powerful djinn, Zommoros. Once created, players will have an impressive new weapon that blends art and effects to make a unique style. Check out some of the weapons and their effects in the video after the cut.
Guild Wars 2 developer talks combat attributes and iteration
Game development isn't just about flashy class reveals and unveiling new screenshots -- the fine-tuning behind the scenes is just as important, if not more so. Developer Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright addressed this process in Guild Wars 2 development today in the newest ArenaNet blog post about attributes and iteration. Balancing these two aspects of combat, even with Guild Wars 1 combat to build upon, is a long process of trial and error as well as planning. For example, a popular weapon choice for a Warrior character was a bow and sword combination -- a weapon set that the player could switch back and forth between as necessitated by combat. Unfortunately, the attribute system as originally created made this a hindrance, forcing the player to divide his attributes between strength and agility, creating a mediocre setup at best. This is one of several examples Izzy gave in the blog post. ArenaNet will reveal more information at PAX later this week, but this serves as a detailed preview for those eager to know more. You can read the full story at the ArenaNet blog.
An ArenaNet retrospective: "We're not a video game company, we're a community building company"
"I don't think I've seen a studio more passionate about its work." Massively contributing editor Larry Everett made this comment regarding ArenaNet in our recent Staff Choice Awards, and his timing couldn't have been better. ArenaNet has begun 2011 in a big way with the ArenaNet retrospective. The 15-minute video is a trip back in time to the earliest days of ArenaNet and Guild Wars, but it doesn't stop there. Over 20 ArenaNet team members give their perspectives on where the company has been, where it's going, the company's take on Guild Wars 2, and what makes it great. If you loved the Manifesto video, you're likely going to find this one an even bigger treat. Follow along after the jump to see the ArenaNet retrospective video and Massively's take on it.
ArenaNet team discusses elite skills and PvP in Guild Wars 2
Yesterday's interview with ArenaNet at Kill Ten Rats ended on a promising note: "to be continued." That promise was fulfilled today when Ravious posted part two of the interview. While much of yesterday's discussion revolved around energy usage and potions, today's focused more on skill usage -- particularly elite skills. Elites in Guild Wars 2 will be quite a bit different from what we're used to in Guild Wars. Ravious described them as "ace-up-your-sleeve" skills used to turn the tide of battle when they're most needed. Martin, Regina, Jon, and especially Isaiah had plenty to say about elites and how they work, including a few specific examples. The team also addressed weapon skills and PvP, two subjects of great interest to the community. Head over to Kill Ten Rats to check out the full interview!
ArenaNet talks energy and group dynamics in Guild Wars 2
After the recent Guild Wars 2 news drought, new information is certainly welcome. Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats provides just that today with a new interview with several members of the ArenaNet team. Ravious chatted with community managers Martin Kerstein and Regina Buenaobra as well as developers Jon Peters and Isaiah Cartwright for some fascinating discussion on part of the development process. The group discussed energy use in Guild Wars 2, and gave us some interesting news on how your gameplay style will affect it. They also covered some ground on group dynamics and how you can best work with your teammates in Guild Wars 2. The best part of this interview is that it ends with "to be continued." Head on over to Kill Ten Rats to see the interview for yourself, then join us in anxiously awaiting the next installment! If you are looking forward to GW2 but aren't a current Guild Wars player, you might want to check out the great deal on the Guild Wars Trilogy at Best Buy. What better way to pass the time while you wait for more GW2 news?
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guilds, grind, and Gamescom
Thursday evening was fairly eventful for me. Thursday is our regular Massively night in Guild Wars, so [MVOP] arrived in The Wilds and began setting up for our run through the mission. We found a few players waiting for us, extended guild invites, sorted out our grouping, and off we went. We made it through the mission with only one hitch -- which I'll address in a moment -- then headed over to the Eye of the North to begin tackling the Asura storyline. The plan was to make the full trek through Vloxen Excavations to the Asura Gate, but once we arrived at Umbral Grotto, certain party members (me) were falling asleep in their seats and had to bow out and get some rest. The plans for this week are all set, and everyone is welcome to join us. Now, about that little hitch. We were traipsing around the jungle in The Wilds when I got an IM telling me that the level cap had been set for Guild Wars 2. What? No way. A quick check confirmed it, and my wonderful group sent me off to a safe corner to leech and knock out a quick news story while they continued the mission. They even came back to find me after I returned and demonstrated my truly dismal navigational skills, because they are wonderful like that. The leveling and progression information was pretty big news, so there was no question that I'd look into it a bit more deeply for this week's Flameseeker Chronicles -- follow along after the jump.
Guild Wars 2 level cap confirmed at 80
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Guild_Wars_2_confirms_their_level_cap_Level_80'; It's been a huge question for months: What will be the level cap for Guild Wars 2? Eager fans have grabbed onto every piece of information looking for clues over time, and tonight Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright, Guild Wars 2 game designer, confirmed it: the level cap will be 80. No, hold on, there's still no grind. Grind in most games with a high level cap comes in because it takes longer to level the higher you go. In Guild Wars 2, this is not an issue, says Izzy: "Instead of taking longer and longer to reach each level, it takes about the same time to go through each level." In short, it's still all about the content and the journey, and you won't find yourself stuck at level 60, endlessly grinding the same mob to advance. Check out the newest ArenaNet blog post for all the information.
Guild Wars 2 devs talk crafting, PvP
The folks over at GuildWars2Guru.com have scored an impressive interview with ArenaNet Lead Developer Eric Flannum and Game Designers Ryan Scott and Isaiah Cartwright. The trio drop a few interesting nuggets about the highly anticipated Guild Wars 2. The piece touches on everything from World Versus World (WvW) PvP, to the game's unique take on healing classes, to crafting and gathering. "We're still designing many of the specifics but players should expect crafting to enhance their adventuring experience and not be a system that tries to replace it. What I mean when I say that is that crafting will not be something players can engage in as a career without ever going out and slaying monsters and being a hero. We think that systems that allow players to do that can be a lot of fun but just aren't right for what we're doing in GW2," said Flannum. Check out the full text over at GuildWars2Guru.com. Also be sure to look at The Flameseeker Chronicles this Monday as Rubi breaks down all of the Guild Wars 2 details flooding the net in recent days.
Massively's ArenaNet interview: The past, present and future of Guild Wars PvP
Since the game's launch in April of 2005, ArenaNet's Guild Wars has set the bar a bit higher for future MMOs in relation to gameplay, their unique business model and skill balance. Their constant attention to detail when balancing literally hundreds of game skills between PvP and PvE has been an ongoing progression for everyone on the ArenaNet team. Often seen by hardcore players as the name behind this constant balance is Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright, Game Designer at ArenaNet. We were able to catch up with Cartwright for a brief interview regarding the past, present and future state of PvP in Guild Wars. Follow along after the cut for the full interview and some exclusive PvP screenshots supplied to us by ArenaNet.
The PvP future of Guild Wars explored
Over at Massively's sister site Big Download, the PvE vs. PvP column is exploring the future of Guild Wars' Player vs. Player elements. Talking to game designer Isaiah Cartwright, the site offers up a bevy of questions on the current and future game's signature arena-style combat. The designer touches on the interesting question of game balance when it comes to balancing the needs of one type of player over the other. Cartwright as much as admits that the challenge of keeping skills balanced for both sides of the coin is a daunting challenge. In the future, they might even completely separate out the mechanics for these game components. A skill might do one thing in PvE, for example, and another in PvP. That would be for future projects, though: Arena.net's focus on Guild Wars is on maintaining the game's quality, not shaking things up. Other subjects of conversation include the impact of the skill unlock packs, the introduction of 'casual' PvP with Factions, and the possibility of tools for player-run tourneys in the future. Be sure to check it out for context on one of the most unique MMOs on the marketplace.
