ree-soesbee
Latest
Guild Wars 2 Norn week continues with new video and developer interview
In what might well be the highlight of Norn week, ArenaNet has released a wealth of information to Guild Wars 2 fans this morning. A new video, screenshots and art, and an interview with the developers combine to tell players all about what they can expect if they choose to play a Norn character. Where and how will you live? What are your surroundings like? Jeff Grubb, Ree Soesbee, Eric Flannum, and Bobby Stein gathered to deliver some insight on the Norn and gave us some exciting new details in the bargain. For example, the Norn trait of being in sympathy with nature isn't limited to the animal forms we're familiar with so far. For example, Eric Flannum explained that Norn players can use that affinity to call upon the wurm spirit and summon a temporary wurm pet to assist in battle. While we're not sure you'd want one sticking around and following you home, they make for handy companions to call on in a pinch. The new video, set to Jeremy Soule's instantly recognizable background score, offers sweeping views of some of the Norn home areas. The video, which is a combination of familiar and new footage, deserves at least two viewings to allow you to take it all in -- thanks both to the sheer size of it all and the intricate detail. From the shields mounted high above to the weapons on the fences below, there's more to see than can be parsed in one viewing. The screenshots are a combination of new and old too, but even the familiar ones have new bits of information here and there. The Norn female we saw way back when is now clearly identified as a Ranger in the image title, for example. Follow along after the jump for the video, a gallery of the new images, and the developer interview!
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.
This game will care that you're there: Our look at the Guild Wars 2 manifesto
Earlier this week, ArenaNet promised a new Guild Wars 2 video. That announcement came with a warning: no, it's not a new class reveal, and many fans were pretty disappointed. What could possibly serve as an adequate substitute for a class reveal? It's safe to say that the disappointment was blown out of the water yesterday with the unveiling of the MMO Manifesto and the Walking the Walk blog post. Merriam-Webster defines the word manifesto as a "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer," but when the word is used in context, there are usually strong feelings behind those intentions. Revolutionary, groundbreaking, and change are words associated with such a thing, and it was a word well-chosen by ArenaNet with this newest reveal. Follow along after the jump as we take a closer look at what ArenaNet showed us yesterday.
Guild Wars 2 video features developers and new gameplay footage
You know all those quotes and images ArenaNet has been teasing us with the past few days? Well, we finally found out what that was all about -- the promised Guild Wars 2 video was finally released. We've known for a long time that the design goals for Guild Wars 2 were to make something bigger and better than what we've come to expect from an MMO. A truly immersive story in which the world around you isn't made up of blocks of quest text, oblivious NPCs, and enemies who loiter in a field waiting for you to come attack. In the new video from ArenaNet, we hear more on this plan straight from the developers: Mike O'Brien, Daniel Dociu, Colin Johanson, and Ree Soesbee. Follow along after the jump to hear what they have to say, and check out the beautiful new gameplay footage in the video.
Personality in Guild Wars 2: NPCs will give you pie
Do you like pie? Do you want game NPCs to give you free pie? How about a free jar of bees? (Don't look so surprised, it's an excellent weapon.) It may sound funny, but free goodies from NPCs are all part of the personality system in Guild Wars 2. Way back in May, ArenaNet's Ree Soesbee gave us an exciting overview of how your personal story will work in Guild Wars 2. The whole point of personal story, and dynamic events for that matter, is to make you feel that you're truly in the world and making an impact. However, it's a bit immersion-breaking if you've been tearing around building a reputation as a centaur-slaying hero, and then you enter town to be greeted by blank stares and static dialogue from every NPC. ArenaNet thought of this too. Follow along after the jump to see how the developers have addressed this issue in the latest blog entry: Personality in Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 2 personal story: Massively's interview with Ree Soesbee
Guild Wars 2 Lore & Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee gave the Guild Wars community some very welcome information earlier this week. The concept of a personal storyline in Guild Wars 2 is something that's been hinted at for a while now, and Ree's blog post filled out the details of this idea nicely. As always, it left the fans wanting to know much more, so ArenaNet spent some quality time on different forums finding out what some of the most frequently-asked questions were. Ree then followed up on her previous post by answering those questions. We at Massively had plenty of our own questions too, so Ree was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule and chat with us. Follow along after the jump to see what else she had to say about personal story in Guild Wars 2.
Massively's interview with the Guild Wars 2 design team
There has been so much new information about Guild Wars 2 lately that it can be a little hard to keep up. While things have mostly focused around dynamic events and personal story, the scope of those two concepts is so large that every new piece of news seemed to trigger another list of questions. We at Massively have been following the developments closely, so we are as curious as anyone else. We asked the Guild Wars 2 team about several various points -- everything from crafting to the creation timeline. Lead Designer Eric Flannum, Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee, and Game Designer John Hargrove were kind enough to satisfy our curiosity on some of these points. Follow along after the jump and see what they had to say.
ArenaNet's Ree Soesbee gives new details on personal story in Guild Wars 2
One of the biggest problems in any given MMO is creating a good individual storyline -- feeling that you, your character, truly progressed and made an impact on your game world. It's always been seen as a general impossibility, because it's just not realistic. Guild Wars is an exceptional game, but it's always suffered from the same problem because there was no way around it. What would happen if Sacnoth Valley could only be vanquished once? What if the first guy to kill Lian, Dragon's Petal was the only guy who was able to do so? Sure, that's great for him, and it would be perfect in a single-player game, but what about the thousands of other players who kind of wanted Lian's Lantern? Making a lasting impact on the world that is truly felt by the rest of the inhabitants of that world just wasn't done, until now. The introduction of dynamic events in Guild Wars 2 has opened up an exciting new door for Guild Wars fans, giving us a chance to truly do something that affects the big picture in Tyria. What does this mean for your character, though? Ree Soesbee is a Lore & Continuity Designer for Guild Wars 2, so she naturally has a lot to say about personal story. Follow along after the jump for all the latest details on this system.
Massively's interview with ArenaNet: Let's talk Guild Wars 2
While the internet collectively recovers from the new Guild Wars 2 trailer, released during GamesCom earlier this month, we jumped at the chance to interview the creative geniuses behind the upcoming title. ArenaNet's Eric Flannum, Lead Designer, Ree Soesbee, World Designer/Writer and Will McDermott, Writer all answered our barrage of questions.Follow along after the jump to learn more about the GW2 business model, evil Sylvari, plans to have multiple servers and much more!
