ArenaNet
Latest
ArenaNet to host 2nd annual PAX afterparty
Once again, NCsoft and ArenaNet will be making an appearance at Seattle's Penny Arcade Expo this year. The NCsoft booth (#642) will be packed full goodies during the weekend of August 29th through the 31st, and they will be showing off some of their new and old favorites, including Exteel, Dungeon Runners, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Tabula Rasa and the brand new Aion.As they did last year, ArenaNet will be holding contests where participants can win valuable prizes. Developers will also be on hand to meet and greet with the players. Possibly the most exciting news is the fact that ArenaNet will hold another after-party at the Game Works across the street from the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, as they did last year. This is your chance to meet the folks at ArenaNet in a more casual setting and even challenge a few to an arcade game or two!
Guild Wars skill update: The nerfing of Shadow Form
The ups and downs of the Assassin skill Shadow Form has been quite the topic of debate lately in Guild Wars. Back in May, the skill had its duration increased which made it the perfect skill for ecto farming builds in the Underworld. The inevitable progression from there evolved into ecto and shard prices dropping dramatically from the over-farming of all the big farm spots. However, in the June 2nd skill update, Shadow Form had quite a change. Now, the caster does 50% less damage while Shadow Form is active on them. Not only that, but the Mindblade Spectres in the Underworld have received Hex Breaker to help combat the hex-based farming builds that have always been so popular in this area.Now the question is, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing? Of course, if you're one of the people who farmed ecto with your A/E Chaos Planes farmer, you might not be very excited by this update. We've found that generally, most players do welcome this change though. Not only for the projected rise in ecto prices (making them worth obtaining the old way, and selling on the market again), but also to give a bit of credibility back to the Assassins who enjoyed their class for what it was before they became easy money-makers.
One Shots: Not a warm summer screen
As many of us enjoy very warm weather for the upcoming holiday weekend, we thought we'd flash back to a cold holiday of yesteryear. Today's Guild Wars One Shots screen comes to us from Eugaet, who created this during the 2005 Guild Wars holiday event. Eugaet writes: I had planned on creating panoramas for every location in the game, including 'holiday' versions...but I ended up not having much time to devote to the project. Even so, they're still lovely panoramas to look at -- especially the full-size version!If you're heading out in your favorite virtual lands to enjoy the celebrations, snap some screenshots of what you and your friends are doing. We'd love to show off some of the things going on this weekend, but we need your help! So snag those screenshots and send them to us at oneshots AT massively.com along with a quick blurb as to what we're seeing. %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: The sky is on fire
Today we bring you the follow-up panorama to the last one that we got from eugaet. Today's Guild Wars One Shots is from a few years ago according to eugaet, who said that the above shows off a view of post-sear Ascalon City in Guild Wars. While we can't show it full-size in the column, we can offer it for anyone who wants to see this image in all its glory -- be sure to check out the full-sized panorama!Do you have any interesting screenshots from quite some time ago that show what your favorite game used to look like? Have there been lots of graphical changes since then? If so, we'd love to see what they look like. Just send those to us here at oneshots AT massively.com. We're looking for lots of screenshots from any MMOG out there, so don't be shy!%Gallery-9798%
Guild Wars 2 beta? Not in 2008
Following our Gearing up for Guild Wars 2 article from earlier this month, ArenaNet has released news of their Guild Wars 2 Frequently Asked Questions segment of their website. While hardly any of these questions or answers on this FAQ are new to those of us following along at home, we do get word that there will be no beta in 2008.Previously, it was mentioned that a 2008 GW2 beta was a possibility, or at least a hope of ArenaNet. This was something that kept players anxiously awaiting any tidbit of news as we reached the beginning, and now the middle of the year. Yet in this FAQ, it is stated, "Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it." Regardless of when the beta starts, you can bet we here at Massively will be all over that news.
Understanding Guild Wars gameplay
Some MMOs are fairly straightforward, and we have come to expect a certain formula. Create a character, gain levels as quickly as possible, cram as many skills as you possibly can on your modded interface and get that phat lewt before the next guy, right? Well, what happens if someone comes along and introduces a new type of game? is it difficult to acclimate to this new type of gameplay?A great example of this is with Guild Wars. The gameplay is based on strategy and working with what you have available to you at that time. This is a point that Shamus Young over at Twentysided has admittedly just realized. In his recent post about GW strategy gameplay, he explains that eureka moment he had when he realized that GW is not like the games he's used to, but it's more like a card game, where the skills you have in your 8-slot skillbar are the only ones you can use once you leave for a quest or mission. His new-found respect for the game is inspiring, as you can tell from the comments. If you find yourself confused on the purpose of GW gameplay, check out this post.
One Shots: Pre-sear Panorama
While this looks like a very teeny tiny screenshot, we assure you it isn't! This is one of another series of lovely panoramic screenshots that was sent in, this time by Eugaet. This one comes from pre-sear Ascalon City in Guild Wars, standing lovely as we remember it. Eugaget sent some others that we'll be showing in the upcoming days, but for now, enjoy a flashback to simpler times when the land was lush and lovely and the sky was blue!Do you have a lovely panoramic you've created out of game screenshots? If so, we'd love to see it! Just send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Yours could be next!%Gallery-9798%
Don't expect World of Warcraft on the PS3 or Xbox 360 ever
Blizzard Entertainment's Rob Pardo is a bona fide Rockstar in the gaming industry. In his recent keynote speech at the Game Developer's Conference at the Paris GDC he continued to indirectly extinguish rumors that suggested World of Warcraft is coming to a Console, rumors that stretch back years. While not specifically talking about World of Warcraft, when Pardo was asked what kept MMOs from Consoles he responded: "Lack of hard drive space, and difficulty in certifying patches. Basically just that.... another problem is that they want a piece of the subscriptions (laughs)." That's a simplistic answer coming from the Executive VP of Design at Blizzard Entertainment, but there it is laid out in plain sight, a truth even if shared in a humorous fashion. Giving Microsoft or Sony residuals, most likely a big chunk is one thing keeping World of Warcraft off Consoles. Is that a bad thing? No, but Blizzard could be missing something here, and just maybe Rob Pardo is plain wrong about what's keeping MMOs away from Consoles. It's simple really...
Upcoming changes to GW's Hall of Monuments
According to a recent Guild Wars developer update, the Hall of Monuments is getting some much-needed love in preparation for the upcoming sequel: Guild Wars 2. While there is no definite date for these changes, they've been detailed in this update so players know what to expect.The Hall of Monuments accomplishments will be viewable by character or by account, but as far as how they will transfer from GW1 to GW2, that will be account-wide. This means all HoM accomplishments for any character on that account will be available to every GW2 character on that account. Plus, after plenty of concern from players, the Tormented weapons will finally be available in the HoM. This not only gives players the option to display these Tormented weapons, but also allows them to be unlocked in GW2. ArenaNet plans to provide more information regarding the exact rewards available to the Hall of Monuments once we get closer to a GW2 release date.
A glimpse into Guild Wars gameplay
In the continuing adventures of Shamus over at Twenty-Sided, his latest blog entry treats us to his further impressions of Guild Wars: Prophecies. This time he delves into the gameplay and how much he appreciates a real story in an online game. He also touches on leveling, skills, crafting, looting and a slight revisit to exploration.We find Shamus' recent discovery of Guild Wars interesting, as it seems so long since someone has truly discovered this game for the first time. His opinions, while not always positive towards the game, are truthful and thorough. During his final paragraph, he makes the very valid point that if there was a better trial period for this game (aside from buying a 10-hour trial disk at a store for $2), more people might realize that Guild Wars could possibly be the cure for those who dislike the traditional RPG/MMO formula.
Gearing up for Guild Wars 2
It's been a long time since we've heard any news about Guild Wars 2, so we thought it was about time to sit down and have a refresher course on what we can expect with the sequel to one of the most successful MMOs of all time. We are going to only give you the facts, and not follow any vicious rumors floating around, to give you a good idea of what to expect with Guild Wars 2, and fire up that old rusty enthusiasm for what could be a major contender in the MMO space when it releases.As we stand now, we know that the latest Guild Wars expansion pack entitled Eye of the North is to act as a liaison between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2. This is mainly done through the Hall of Monuments, which we will discuss in greater detail later in the article. EotN also introduces us to a few more playable races in the form of Heroes: Charr, Asura, Norn and (eventually, although not a Hero) Sylvari. Through these basic introductions, and the intricate storyline of EotN, we now venture into what we know is coming with Guild Wars 2.
The latest Guild Wars skill balance explained
In the most recent skill balance for Guild Wars, we're treated to something we don't normally get: a full explanation on the reasoning behind the changes to each skill set for the classes affected. In most skill balances (for any game) we get news of the changes to the skills, but that's about it.For example, the devs make it known that they're aware of the ongoing player concerns with Ursan Blessing, yet they still don't feel a need to make any changes to the skill. They also hope to bring a little sword-love back to PvP, as well as quite a few changes to the Mesmer's energy-draining skills. There's also a clear distinction between the PvE and the PvP skills they're changing, and the reasoning behind both. Be sure to check out the source link below for a complete run-down of all skills changed this time around.
Guild Wars named in Top 50 games list
Over at 411mania.com, the staff there are working on each of their own lists compiling the top 50 games of all time. In this most current edition, The Checkpoint's John Curry gives us his own list. To our delight, Guild Wars is on this list, although almost right smack dab in the middle. To be fair though, it is the only MMO listed among a mountain of single-player and console games. In fact, the honor for Guild Wars seems more prestigious once you see just how "of all time" this list actually gets. Oregon Trail ftw!Granted, this list is a personal opinion, put forth by one man, but we found it entertaining nonetheless. What may be even more entertaining though is the mountain of comments following his post. As with any opinion piece, those making comments love to not only tell him his opinion is wrong, but spread their own opinions everywhere. It makes for an interesting read.
One Shots: Amnoon Oasis
We've been getting some really tremendous panoramas lately from Shawn W who compiles them in Guild Wars. Today's One Shots is of Amnoon Oasis in Guild Wars Prophecies. Shawn writes: For travelers into the desert, this tiny harbor represents a last chance to rest and resupply. It also provides one last view of water, sight of which becomes increasingly rare as one ventures eastward. This image is nearly a 360º panorama. If you really want to be blown away, check out the full-size panorama!Do you have any screenshots you've compiled into panoramas? Perhaps you just have a lovely landscape? If so, we'd love to see them! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com. %Gallery-9798%
Guild Wars support just got a whole lot more comprehensive
Aside from the normal bug fixes in this most recent game update to Guild Wars, we get introduced to the new "Test My Computer" option. This feature appears on the login screen where you can click the link, launching a diagnostic test that measures a few helpful specifications of your machine including adapter settings, network connections, server connectivity and DirectX diagnostics. Completing this test will open a text file containing the results you'll need to help diagnose connection and playability problems you may be having with the game. This aids the support team in resolving your support problems more quickly.In addition, a few miscellaneous changes to the game with this update include some minor crafting tweaks. The sale value of the Tempered Glass Vials have now been adjusted to match their crafting cost of 20 gold. Also, the elusive Clay Bricks have been removed from all material crafter inventories. Previously, these items were impossible to craft, because of the fact that one of the crafting components, the Brick of Mud had no known source. Maybe we'll see their return in Guild Wars 2?
The top 20 most influential people in the MMO industry
If you've ever searched the web for a comprehensive list of the biggest and the best in the MMO industry, Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine has done it for you in a recent article entitled "Top 20 Influential People in Massively Multiplayer Video Games of 2007". The top half of this list should reveal no surprises for you, including such industry celebs as John Smedley, Scott Hartsman, Raph Koster and number one on the list: Rob Pardo. But the bottom half of the list may contain a few names you don't yet recognize. Interestingly enough, NCsoft makes an appearance four times on this list with James Phinney of ArenaNet, Richard Garriott and Starr Long of Destination Games and Jess LeBow of Carbine Studios.This list highlights the most talented people in the industry and how they've influenced the future of MMOs, as determined by Beckett. You can find more details on each of their stories in the printed issue itself (Issue #13 for July-August) which hit newsstands on May 28th.
One Shots: The frosty lands of Sifhalla
Despite the warm weather in many areas, in game some places remain cold and dark, creating a foreboding sense of gloom. Today's One Shots shows off one such area from Guild Wars' Eye of the North expansion. This screen comes to us from regular Guild Wars contributor Shawn W. who writes: Sif Shadowhunter refused to battle for an encampment held by other Norn; instead building her own hearthstead and defending it so fiercely that some call it "Bear Mother's Cave" in tribute to her strength and glory. Others of similar attitude have put up hides here, describing notorious foes they plan to hunt, or daring others to track them down.Do you have a spot in game important to the lore of the land you love to roam? If so, we'd love to see some screenshots of them! Just drop us an email here to oneshots AT massively.com including screenshot and a quick blurb as to what we're looking at. Yours could be one of the upcoming One Shots! %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Through the darkened wood
Dark and sinister places, while being the kinds of locales that one would normally tend to avoid in the real world, can be places of great adventure in MMOGs. Today's One Shots landscape comes from Shawn W. who sent in this spooky Guild Wars screenshot from near Doomlore Shrine in the Eye of the North expansion. If you look very closely, you can see a stream of what appears to be people down in the valley... or are they?Do you have a great screenshot of a landscape that you'd like to share with the world? If so, drop us a note at oneshots AT massively.com with your image, and a quick blurb about it. With weekend gaming coming up, we want to see what you're up to. So send those screenshots in!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Tribal lands
As mentioned the other day, we recieved several fantastic One Shots panoramas from Adrian (aka Asarja) from Guild Wars. Today's screenshot is from Nightfall, although we know very little else of this particular area. If you like looking at lovely scenic shots, you should definitely check out the full-size image. And if you can tell us anything about this area, please be sure to leave a comment!Do you like to combine lots of different screens into panoramas? Maybe you're a game or content designer who is particularly proud of a specific area that you designed and you'd like to give us back-story on it. (Hey, it could happen!) Whatever your story, we want your screens -- just email them to us at oneshots AT massively.com! %Gallery-9798%
MSNBC readers rate World of Warcraft as most addicting game
Kristen Kalning, the games editor of MSNBC, asked her readers, "What game hooked you and why?" After the flood of e-mails finished cascading through her inbox and she tallied the votes in each one, it wasn't surprising that World of Warcraft came up as the leader.While she does say that other games like City of Heroes, and other non MMO games like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and even Guitar Hero came up, her article took the time to mostly focus on the addicting properties of WoW. Readers added their own tales of addiction and the addiction of others, and Kalning relates some of the most woe-worthy stories she received in her inbox.However, the article isn't all doom and gloom. One reader took the time to talk about how Guild Wars helped her with her shyness while another reader explained the proud feeling his Halo 3 accomplishments give him. It's always nice to see that games aren't harming the social habits of every gamer who picks up a controller or keyboard and mouse.If you're fascinated by addiction, or just looking for a story to scare your WoW addicted spouse, be sure to drop by and check out her article, as well as the original. If it's the addicted spouse, however, may we interest you in a detox clinic?
