anet
Latest
ArenaNet blog goes behind the scenes of Guild Wars 2 cinematics
Fans may not be 100% on board with everything they're hearing about Guild Wars 2 lately, but there's one thing nearly all of them can agree on: the game is gorgeous. One of the features that has gained attention is the cinematics. We saw a couple of them at the recent Gamescom and PAX demos, and now that we've had some time to enjoy the finished product, James Boer has some stories to tell about the creation of that product. James is the Audio and Cinematics Programmer at ArenaNet and the mind behind the latest blog post. His entry is all about the philosophy and technical work behind the creative process. While this entry is a bit heavier on the tech-speak than most of the ArenaNet blog, fans who are interested in the behind-the-scenes work of GW2 will find it a great read.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Of dungeons, stats, and transmutation
It's been quite a week for the Guild Wars 2 community. Kristen Perry told us about her amazing dye system; some made plans to head to the east coast to hang out with the ArenaNet staff; we learned more about the Guild Wars 2 Extended Experience; John Hargrove made a post on the ArenaNet blog about loot and armor; and PC Gamer in the UK scored an exclusive look at dungeons in GW2. Looking at all that, I hardly knew where to start for Flameseeker Chronicles this week! Undoubtedly, John Hargrove dropped the biggest bomb on the community with one little sentence in his blog post: "With the transmutation system, you'll be able to acquire new items known as Transmutation Stones through our in-game store that allow you to customize your appearance. With transmutation, you take two items of the same type, pick one that is the most visually appealing to you, one that is the most statistically appealing to you, and then you simply combine the two items into what will hopefully become your perfect piece of armor or weaponry." I was tempted to skip the whole mess, but it's been several days, and the debate is still raging. I want to have some fun too, and since Guild Wars 2 Guru forum member Lyssa got her awesome hands on the new PC Gamer and shared all the details, we'll talk about that too. Follow along after the jump!
ArenaNet designer gives new details on armor and loot in Guild Wars 2
Last night was an interesting one for Guild Wars 2 fans. A new ArenaNet blog post popped up, this one courtesy of designer John Hargrove, who had a lot to say about two of our favorite things in the game: loot and armor. Players have been wondering how loot is going to work in Guild Wars 2 in conjunction with the karma and dynamic event systems, so it was nice to have that cleared up. Unfortunately, much of the news got lost when players almost immediately focused on a single sentence: "With the transmutation system, you'll be able to acquire new items known as Transmutation Stones through our in-game store that allow you to customize your appearance." The player base as a whole is pretty vocal about this single sentence, but there was so much more that John had to tell us. Follow along after the jump to see what it is.
ArenaNet wants your thoughts on Guild Wars' War in Kryta
The War in Kryta has been over for a while and Guild Wars players have begun to look toward Cantha and Elona, wondering what's next. Not so fast there, because ArenaNet isn't quite finished. The developers have a few things surrounding WiK that they'd like your opinion on. Did you love the royal gifts and end weapons? Did you hate having to follow a flowchart to figure out what was going on? Did you find the Mantle too overpowered at the end? ArenaNet wants to know all of this and more, so there is a short survey regarding your feelings on various aspects of the War in Kryta. There is also a little surprise question at the end, asking how you as a player feel about a party composed of you and seven heroes. Mysterious! Check out both the blog post and the survey itself, and make your opinions known.
Exclusive: Massively's interview with Kristen Perry on the Guild Wars 2 dye system
Armor fanatics unite! Our relatively small preview of the Guild Wars 2 dye system earlier this month at PAX was quite a thrill to those of us who love our Guild Wars character armor to look just right. It was impressive to say the least -- physical vials of dye will be eliminated and the range of colors will number over 100 -- but it left us wanting to know more. Character Artist Kristen Perry is the mind behind this impressive new setup, and she's been having a ball designing it. The beauty of dye in Guild Wars 2 is that it will appeal equally to those who don't want to spend ages experimenting with dye combinations to get just the perfect look and to those who thrive on that sort of thing. Kristen has added a brand new post to the ArenaNet blog today with all the details of the Guild Wars 2 dye system. Most of the blog entry revolves around the fact that there will no longer be the ability to mix dyes, as is possible in Guild Wars 1. But don't fret! Kristen does a wonderful job of explaining how the new system will be much better. As an added bonus, we have a little something extra for you. Kristen was kind enough to give us an exclusive interview with even more information, as well as an exclusive screenshot to highlight the range of the new dye system. Follow along after the jump to see what Kristen had to say about dye in Guild Wars 2. %Gallery-92890%
New information revealed about Guild Wars 2 Extended Experience
The Guild Wars 2 Extended Experience Team has been a source of interest for fans since its introduction earlier this month at PAX. An entire team devoted to the development of outside applications for Guild Wars 2 hints at big things coming, and as always, fans want to know more. Tech Director Rick Ellis obliged them last night with a new post on the ArenaNet blog. He gathered some of the most frequently asked questions and gathered them into one handy spot, providing some new details at the same time. For example, the development of Guild Wars 2 iPhone apps does not mean Guild Wars 2 for the Mac. Check out the blog post for all the newest information about the Guild Wars 2 Extended Experience.
Flameseeker Chronicles: A year of hype
This was one of the quietest weeks on the Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2 front that I can remember in a long time. Even during convention weeks, the folks at ArenaNet have kept busy churning out new information. It might be something big like a class reveal, or it might be something tiny like a hint at a new hero, but there's always something. The team seems to have taken a well-deserved breather this week, which might mean nothing or might mean that the devs are about to spring something big on us. Either way, I thought it would be a good time to look back over the past months. It's been just over a year since ArenaNet pushed the start button on the hype machine, so follow along after the jump to see how far the team -- and we as fans -- has come in a year!
The Extended Experience of Guild Wars 2: Taking Tyria outside of your PC
A new profession may not have been revealed a few weeks ago at PAX, but ArenaNet had a different surprise up its sleeve: the Guild Wars 2 "Extended Experience." At our demo interview with Colin Johanson, he unveiled a few details about the Extended Experience Team at ArenaNet and told us that the members were working on Guild Wars 2 apps for smartphones and the iPad. Fans have been clamoring to know more since then, and today, our questions have been answered thanks to the newest ArenaNet blog entry. Follow along after the jump to see all the new details about "Gaming Outside the Game."
Flameseeker Chronicles: Tis the season to party in Guild Wars
Yarrr! Yesterday was Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day, and as always ArenaNet stepped up to the plate with a fun event. The Talk Like a Pirate event arrived last Friday, along with a mysterious poem that may or may not mean anything. At any rate, it's keeping a lot of fans busy trying to figure it out. This event heralds the start of what I call the Guild Wars party season. The pirate event is followed shortly thereafter by the Halloween event, then the Thanksgiving event, then Wintersday. In between are various community events as players and guilds throw parties to celebrate various holidays and milestones, and it's generally a few straight months of reveling. Each type of event -- both community-created and developer-created -- has its own ups, downs, and quirks. Follow along as I take a look at what they are.
Guild Wars 2 making an appearance at New York Comic Con
If Germany and Seattle were just too far away, you may be disappointed that you haven't gotten to experience the Guild Wars 2 demo yet. You can cheer up, because ArenaNet announced last night that it's taking its show on the road and heading for the east coast. ArenaNet will be at New York Comic Con, hosting a Guild Wars 2 panel titled Building a Better MMO. Even better, the developers will be hosting a meet-and-greet that includes a few GW2 demo stations. Massively will be there to bring you all the latest MMO news, and we're sure you are just as excited as we are for the next demo of Guild Wars 2. More details are still to come regarding the time and location of Friday night's meet-and-greet, so keep your eye on the ArenaNet blog for the next announcement.
Guild Wars 2 awarded Best of Show at PAX
ArenaNet has done it again. Less than one month after carrying off Best Online Game honors at Gamescom, Guild Wars 2 picked up one of two Best of Show awards from Machinima.com. It may seem a bit odd to be handing awards out to a game that doesn't even have a launch date, but the folks at Machinima.com were just as impressed as those who played it at PAX, declaring that the demo alone "plays better than most games on the market today." The award is included in the full 11-minute PAX wrapup video, beginning near the 9:30 mark. Follow along after the jump to take a look, and congratulations to the ArenaNet team!
Grog and drunken sailors arrive in Guild Wars for Talk Like a Pirate event
Ahoy there, Cap'n Tightpants! No, you haven't wandered into a Firefly revival, that's just one of the nonsensical phrases your Guild Wars character will spout while under the influence of pirate grog. If you're (un)lucky enough to have post-processing effects turned on, you'll get an eye-spraining visual effect too, as seen above. So where do you find this wonderful stuff? Luckily for you, ArenaNet is about to kick off its annual Talk Like a Pirate event and acquiring grog is as easy as killing a level two grawl. PvE enemies throughout the world will be dropping grog beginning at noon PDT Friday, and you'll find that the NPCs in Lion's Arch and Kamadan are joining the festivities as well. They've got a swashbuckling new look, and if you take a moment to chat with them, you'll find some interesting dialogue as well. If you need a place to store all the extra grog, ArenaNet's got you covered. A surprise update today introduced a sale in the NCsoft store, and extra Xunlai storage tabs are now half-price. The tabs are marked at $4.99 rather than their usual $9.99, and it's listed as a limited-time offer, so hurry and get your grog storage tab! The Talk Like a Pirate event lasts through Tuesday the 21st, and the storage pane sale ends the 19th.
ArenaNet releases images from Guild Wars 2 Designing Dynamic Events panel
New races, new lands, and talk of familiar places with a new look. The Guild Wars 2 Dynamic Events panel at PAX stirred up quite a bit of conversation and even more curiosity. What are these regions? What events are there? What is a krait obelisk for? What does The Great Oouo look like? Guild Wars 2 fans watched all the video taken by hand held cameras at the panel and viewed snapshots of the screen, trying to get a better look. If you've been dying for an up-close view of the Regrown Flame, orrian undead, and yes, even The Great Oouo, you're in luck. ArenaNet has generously provided Massively with the images used in the panel, so check out the gallery below for the newest look at Tyria of the future! %Gallery-102231%
Flameseeker Chronicles: Why ArenaNet stands out
I spent an awful lot of time last week doing two things: reveling in PAX memories and checking out the flurry of news stories and reports all over the place, all centered around Guild Wars 2. It's attracting an incredible amount of attention, even from people who have never heard of Guild Wars before. While we may laugh at funny mistakes made by those who are unfamiliar with the world of Tyria, it's exciting that these people who passed over the original game are interested in this one. The more people become interested, the better it is for all of us. But what's generating all this attention? What is ArenaNet doing that's so groundbreaking? Any fan of Guild Wars 2 could easily give you 20 reasons why the game is turning out to be so great, but almost all of them will focus on two things: the developers are intensely focused on making this game for the fans, and they don't show anything unless it's polished to a high gloss.
Quaggan sad: A look back at the Guild Wars 2 Dynamic Events panel
At the top of my to-do list for Saturday morning at PAX was Designing Dynamic Events, a Guild Wars 2 panel with designers Eric Flannum and Colin Johanson. Talk and video of the panel have been everywhere this week, and I wanted to take a little bit of time to give my thoughts on what they did and how it was received. The panel was billed as a discussion about "how Guild Wars 2 designers create events in the dynamic, living game world and the many factors to consider when designing any kind of MMO content." It sounded interesting, but it was a ticketed event with limited attendance, which seemed strange to me. I managed to get a ticket and was even more confused when I walked into the relatively tiny room. Why such a small place for something that would certainly have drawn a huge crowd? It all became clear very soon, so follow along after the cut to hear more about my take on the new things we learned in Designing Dynamic Events.
Flameseeker Chronicles: PAX 2010 travel diary
It's Sunday night and PAX is over. My iPhone and laptop are screaming for mercy. It's been a wild ride, I have the Con Crud, my feet hurt so much I keep checking to make sure they're not stumps, and all I want is to turn the clock back to last Friday so I can do it again. I had appointments and interviews with so many different game studios, and I was excited about every single one of them, but you guys know I was making Guild Wars 2 a top priority. I squeezed in time to indulge at every opportunity and have a lot to say. When I was spending time with Guild Wars 2 this weekend, something struck me over and over. Every employee whom ArenaNet could possibly spare from the office was there in force. I asked at one point and was told that every person wearing that white shirt was an ArenaNet employee. They were out there doing everything they could to spend time with the fans, and more than one developer told me that it was a huge thrill to finally be able to share all of this with people who love it as much as they do. The inability to share all of this exciting news has been as frustrating for them as it was for us, but it was for a good cause, and I think every fan at PAX this weekend agreed it was worth the wait. With that in mind, it was an easy decision to share my weekend experiences and photos with you guys for today's Flameseeker Chronicles. Follow along after the jump while I go find more Nyquil.
PAX 2010: Guild Wars 2 hands-on
I finally found time to check out Guild Wars 2 firsthand this morning, and the experience will easily be counted as the highlight of PAX so far in my book. The demo booth was my first stop this morning, and I was excited to go through the character creation process and save Shaemoor. I've seen a dozen videos of just that, but there's nothing like playing through it firsthand. As I was playing, several ArenaNet staffers passed by, said hello, and chatted a bit. I spent much of my demo time exploring all the character options, learning the controls, and looking around Shaemoor, growing a little anxious all the while. The clock was ticking and I hadn't seen nearly everything I wanted to. With about 10 minutes left, a few ArenaNet devs surprised me by stepping in and offering to show off some more content -- particularly legacy sites, something that was at the top of my wish list for the demo. While there are no earth-shattering new revelations (sorry, no class reveal), it was exciting to check out some features in more detail. Follow along after the jump for screenshots, pictures, descriptions and video recorded in genuine shakycam!%Gallery-101397%
PAX 2010: ArenaNet announces Guild Wars 2 app for smartphones and iPad
The latest news on Guild Wars 2 comes from a direction that most of us were not considering. Part of Guild Wars 2's development is being done by the Extended Experience Team, a group working on game experience that's not strictly limited to your computer. Today the Guild Wars 2 developers unveiled that team's current project: Guild Wars 2 for smartphones and the iPad. The project isn't completed, but it's already very extensive. Players will have the ability to check their friends lists, follow their friends on the map, message their friends, and move around the world on their characters. Game Designer Colin Johanson says that the Extended Experience Team doesn't plan to stop with that, however. The team is planning to take the application much further before release, so expect to see even more in the way of Guild Wars 2-on-the-go.
ArenaNet plans "PAX to the MAX"
PAX Prime is nearly upon us -- attendees (and Massively staffers) from all over are packing their suitcases and confirming hotel reservations, and a large part of them have Guild Wars 2 at the top of their must-see list. The newest entry on the ArenaNet blog is what those fans have been waiting for: the PAX schedule. The list shows three busy days for ANet staffers, and plenty to do for those attending. A book signing, panel, and party at the Hard Rock Cafe combine with a series of demos and prize giveaways to fill the schedule. An important note here is that both the panel and the party require passes which can be acquired at the ArenaNet booth or through quiz show giveaways. Check out the entire list and we'll see you at PAX!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Back to (the other) basics
I had originally planned this week's Flameseeker Chronicles to be a detailed overview of Gamescom and the necromancer. By Friday afternoon, I decided that the subject had been done to death and that more words on it would just be repetitive clutter. There's enough of that on the net already, thanks. Instead, I took my thoughts in another direction: the extreme hype of Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2-interest is at an all-time high, thanks in large part to Gamescom and PAX, and more people are beginning to take notice every day. The majority of those people are unfamiliar with Guild Wars and ArenaNet, and they've got a lot of questions. Most of them are the same questions that veteran fans feel like they've answered a hundred times, and since I covered the basics of Guild Wars a few weeks ago, it seemed only fair to give the same kind of attention to Guild Wars 2. I love my fellow crazed-fans, and I promise that next week's column will contain all sorts of treats from PAX, but this week is for the newbies. If you are new to ArenaNet's world and wondering what the deal is with Guild Wars 2, welcome -- I'm so glad you're checking this game out. If you've been around for a while, pass this on the next time you see someone asking what the deal is. There are several good -- and very detailed -- informational sites for the game in existence, and I'll wrap up with a bit of info on those. This one is intended as a starting point to cover the basics, complete with links for proof where needed, because the really extensive ones can get a bit overwhelming. Follow along after the jump and let's get you started.
