cameron-dunn
Latest
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.
ArenaNet programmers field Guild Wars 2 questions on Reddit
If you're an aspiring game programmer or a Guild Wars 2 fan, you might want to check out the transcript of a recent Reddit session that features most of ArenaNet's programming team. Technical Director Cameron Dunn, Engine Programming Team Lead Chad Taylor, and Gameplay Programming Team Lead Braeden Shosa are just a few of the folks on hand answering in Reddit's signature ask-me-anything format. "It's worth pointing out upfront that we're programmers, not designers," ArenaNet's intro says. "So if you want to know why your favorite skill was changed or when you should sell all of your hoarded butter to maximize gold return, we probably won't be able to help." [Thanks to pcgneurotic for the tip!]
GDC Online 2012: ArenaNet's Cameron Dunn on programming the next generation online world
You might know every last detail about Tyria and the Asura, but at GDC this week, ArenaNet's Technical Director Cameron Dunn gave a sneak peek behind the curtain and showed how the nuts and bolts of Guild Wars 2 are constructed to bring the best gameplay and performance to players on launch day and beyond. He revealed some of the ways in which his team uses metrics and tools to streamline gameplay, test bugs, and pinpoint problem areas as efficiently as possible. For a look at what goes on behind the game, read on for panel highlights!
