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Flameseeker Chronicles: Why we don't have Cantha in Guild Wars 2
How about those predictions, huh? Last week I guessed that Guild Wars 2 would get a visit from the Zephyr Sanctum soon, and boom: Festival of the Four Winds exploding all over the place. Having used up my allotment of precognitive accuracy for the year, I plan to gorge myself on delicious sky candy and spend the next week or so literally bouncing off the walls. Before the festivities start, though, we've got just enough time to visit a topic near to my heart: Cantha. ArenaNet receives very frequent requests to revive the setting of Guild Wars: Factions in GW2, and between GW2's Chinese release, the level of mystery surrounding season two of the living world, and the return of the Zephyrites, it's natural that people would start talking about Cantha again. It might seem baffling that ArenaNet hasn't rushed to steer the living world story in such an obviously popular direction, but unfortunately it's not as simple as loading us on the next airship and flying away to Seitung Harbor -- at least not yet.
Celebrating Guild Wars' 8th anniversary
Today is Guild Wars' eighth anniversary. Depending on which tradition you follow, I should be getting the game either bronze, salt, linens, or lace as a gift. Since I don't happen to have any of those handy, I'd like to reflect upon the rich life that Guild Wars has led so far. The game didn't start out with all of the neato features that it has now, so I'd like to look a bit at its evolution over time. I can't hit every update ever, but I thought we'd take a stroll down memory lane and look at some of the key moments in the game's life.
Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars Factions' soundtrack
East Asian-themed music in MMOs is something that I generally welcome. Even if the title isn't an Asian MMO, chances are that sooner or later developers like to work an Eastern zone, class, or city into the game -- and with that comes a specific sound. I'm by no means educated on what instruments are used in these tunes, but the result is so distinctive that you can't help but think of the region. Guild Wars: Factions definitely drew upon the Orient for its theme, and composer Jeremy Soule returned to create a score that would paint a picture of Cantha. Unfortunately, I don't think he was up to the task. While technically sufficient, Factions' score is definitely lacking in the grandeur of Prophecies and the basic catchiness necessary to elevate a soundtrack out of the crowd. The best I can say is that none of the tracks is horrible to hear, but the album as a whole is actually a bit bland and forgettable. I'm by no means besmirching Soule here. His previous and subsequent Guild Wars projects are heads and shoulders above this one, and everyone has an off day. Perhaps Asian music just wasn't his forte. In any case, I sifted vigorously to discover six tracks that best represent Cantha and its people.
Leaderboard: Ninja vs. pirate
Theirs is a rivalry born not from historical conflict but from bored nerds eating cheap pizza and debating hypothetical grudge matches. Well done, nerds -- now the entire world thinks that you can have pirates and you can have ninjas, but you cannot have both without an epic beatdown. Everyone seems to take a side on which is cooler: the roguish pirate or the mysterious ninja. Practically all fantasy MMOs have both represented in some way, whether it be World of Warcraft's Bloodsail Buccaneers or Guild Wars Factions' Assassin. If developers really wanted to inject some life into PvP, they'd make it PvN -- Pirate vs. Ninja. In any case, these two pajama-clad murderers are inseparable from our games, and chances are you've come to a conclusion as to which adds more flavor, panache, and coolness to the setting. I'd like to say that we're going to settle this debate today, but whom am I kidding? It's never going to be settled because people are still bickering about Mike vs. Joel, Picard vs. Kirk, and Big Red vs. Doublemint. Let's just say our piece and then commence with a duel at dawn in the comments, m'kay?
The Game Archaeologist looks at Guild Wars Utopia
Aztecs. Chronomancers. Mounts. Halberds. Golems. Dual wielding. These are all but a hint of what a fourth Guild Wars campaign could have been, a campaign that was under development in the mid-2000s but was scrapped by 2007. Replacing it was the expansion Guild Wars Eye of the North and the workings of a super-secret sequel to the game (which you've probably never heard of). It was the forgotten campaign, swept under a rug while it was still under the rug. But what if, in some alternative timeline, ArenaNet had gone ahead with this campaign? What if it became an established part of the Guild Wars legacy, as familiar to us today as Nightfall and Factions? What if Guild Wars Utopia had lived?
How to tame your Guild Wars Dragon Festival
Summertime is usually a quiet period when it comes to MMO festivals; however, Guild Wars likes to use these slower days as an excuse to throw its annual Dragon Festival. The event, which started today in the game, features a number of special quests in Guild Wars' Asian-themed zones. Of course, the biggest attraction of the Dragon Festival is the limited-edition mask that players can earn at the end of the event. Each year features a different mask model, which is highly desirable by Guild Warsians -- and it can only be attained during this weekend. Just follow the sound of players shouting "WHERE IS HAT?" If you haven't sent your characters to the party zone in Factions' Cantha yet, you shouldn't fret as it's a fairly painless process. Those looking for a quick-and-dirty guide to the Dragon Festival would do well to check out our suggestions from last year!
One Shots: The non-elder dragon
We end foe week on One Shots the same way we began it: in Guild Wars. Massively reader Kirana gives us this screenshot from Factions: Kuunavang is the first dragon you fight in the Guild Wars games. She's corrupted in the the Unwaking Waters mission, but after you free her (defeat her), she's an ally for the rest of the game, offering special skills in certain missions to help you out. Next week on One Shots is guild week. It's time to show off your best group shot of you and your guildmates. Whether you're hanging out, enjoying guild housing, taking out a huge enemy, or throwing a party, grab a screenshot, send it to oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the name of the game, and tell us about your guild! %Gallery-112285%
The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis
As a long-time movie buff, I've always been fascinated by sequels. I know, they have a terrible reputation and everyone gets this face like he's digesting a porcupine when discussing them, but there's something fun about them as well. I think we always want a good story to continue, to see what happens next, and to answer the question, "What would the first film be like if it were put in the hands of a complete boob?" It would be an entertaining trainwreck, that's what. Even though the MMORPG genre is in its toddler stage, it's seen a number of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, just the same as other types of entertainment. Video game sequels for hit titles are safer financial investments than striking out into new territory, so it makes sense that MMO studios would follow this pattern as well. Right now there are loads of MMO sequels and spin-offs in the works -- including EverQuest Next, PlanetSide Next, Guild Wars 2, Mabinogi 2, MapleStory 2, Phantasy Star Online 2, Dust 514, and even a possible Ultima Online sequel -- so it's safe to say that the trend won't be dying down anytime soon. However, today I want to look at 10 sequels that already made it to release and briefly examine how they stacked up to their predecessors. Oh yes, there will be blood after the jump -- and I will drink your milkshake!
One Shots: Light as a feather
MMO bugs and glitches can be funny in most cases and inconvenient in others. Some can even provide a unique perspective here and there. Today's One Shots comes to us from Mawgleah, who took an unintentional step onto, well, nothing while playing some Guild Wars: Walking on air at Harvest Temple in Factions. Must be Kuunavang magic. We've got room for more bugs, so send a screenshot of the funniest bug, glitch, or blooper you've come across to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and then give you the thanks! %Gallery-112285%
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO box art?
Digital downloads are all the rage these days, but surely I'm not the only one on a foolish quest to continue cluttering the shelves of my game room with cardboard -- or in some cases, metal -- boxes. Prior to Steam, D2D, and the anti-retail revolution, you probably had a favorite game box or two, ostensibly due to how good (or spectacularly bad) the artwork happened to be. Whether it's the lion-emblazed Age of Conan collector's edition or the sexy Guild Wars Factions box, there's no shortage of spiffy art, graphic design, and high-quality packaging on display in the MMO space. Today's Daily Grind might require you to think back to a time before you threw out all your boxes, or it may call for nothing more than a glance at your gaming shelf. What's your favorite MMO box art? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Best Buy offers Guild Wars Trilogy for $14.99 -- why you need to buy it
In case you haven't heard, Best Buy is offering the Guild Wars Trilogy at a serious discount this week. $14.99 for Guild Wars: Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. Since the game is free-to-play, a one-time price of $15 for all three games is a powerful incentive to check out the game as a new player. But what if you're a longtime player who loves a bargain? Are you staring at the offer, thinking "Oh man, $14.99. I really don't NEED another account, but..." Never fear, for we are here to help justify your purchase with our "ten things to do with an extra Guild Wars account." 1. PvP against yourself. 2. Hide all your stuff until the hacking issue is sorted out. 3. Pick up more presents from Nicholas the Traveler. 4. More Xunlai tournament points...wait, never mind. 5. Lots of extra storage at a fraction of the price. 6. Got friends in two different guilds and torn on which one to stick with? Put an account in both! 7. Lend yourself three more heroes if you're feeling particularly antisocial. 8. Run your alts places. 9. Use up all of those great character names that you thought up but didn't have the character slots for. 10. Do Tihark Orchard and Chahbek Village on even MORE characters. We're sure you can think up even more reasons to make the purchase -- if it helps, they even offer a "Great Financing Offer" if you need to spread your payments over 18 months. So pick up a little Christmas gift for yourself. Enjoy!
Massively's interview with Guild Wars CM Regina Buenaobra part 2
You have a much more segregated view of PvE and PVP content, do you think this makes the game more enjoyable for players? Will it influence gameplay in future titles, such as Guild Wars 2?We have different forms of PvP for different player types. We have more easily accessible formats like Alliance Battles as well as more competitive formats like GvG. The various different PvP formats give players multiple options to play and enjoy the challenge of PvP. This will have an influence in Guild Wars 2 in the sense that we want there to be a similar kind of accessible PvP format, like World PvP, that players can get into easily, as well as more competitive forms of PvP. We want to be able to give players different options, because we know that players will want to play and enjoy different forms of PvP. What do you think you have learned from Guild Wars? With the Guild Wars experience under our belts, we've learned that it's worth taking some risks to provide an innovative new gaming experience. We think we've succeeded in delivering a unique online RPG to players. We've learned that players enjoy deep PvE gameplay experiences, and this is shown in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, where we emphasized that deeper style of play rather than a more broad design emphasis where content is spread more thinly. Of course, forging a new path and doing something different from everyone else wasn't totally smooth, and we've had learning experiences that are relevant for development on Guild Wars 2. One of the things we would have reconsidered in hindsight is the fact that adding a large number of skills to the game increases the complexity of the system, and increases the amount of information that a player feels she has to absorb. This is potentially overwhelming, especially for new players. One of the strongest design decisions the team made was the use of instancing, which gives players a personal experience and the feeling that they have an impact and a stake in the destiny of the world. In games where there's more persistence, players don't feel that same kind of power. Having said that, persistent worlds give players a stronger sense of a world that's alive with the excitement and activity of other players. Guild Wars is unique from other games in a similar genre, both in the design sense and in terms of its business model, and we continue to be successful, so the lesson there is that it was worth taking those risks. Is there anything in particular you are looking to improve upon in terms of gameplay or storyline in future? Our Guild Wars Live Team is continuing to work on improving the game through smaller monthly tweaks as well as more substantial content updates. We don't have specific details on what's in store for the immediate future. In terms of Guild Wars 2, we've got a lot of great ideas, but you'll just have to wait and see when we're ready to start talking about them in more detail. Guild Wars 2 is on the horizon, are you preparing players for the transition or do you hope both games will be played side-by-side? We're really excited about Guild Wars 2, and we hope that our longstanding players will check out Guild Wars 2 when it comes out. In Guild Wars, we have the Hall of Monuments, which records and displays players' achievements. This will help transition players over to Guild Wars 2 by giving existing characters some unique rewards in Guild Wars 2. We'll continue to support Guild Wars for as long as players are playing it. Over the last four years, has your method of delivering new content changed? Do you think players prefer mini updates or the WoW-style of three or four huge patches per year/expansion? Yes. We went from releasing large content updates in the form of brand new games, such as Factions and Nightfall, and our expansion Eye of the North, to shifting our focus on Guild Wars 2 while continuing to support Guild Wars with smaller updates. We currently release both mini updates as well as larger patches. These come in the form of our monthly maintenance updates where we do skill balances and monthly tournament updates, and also our less frequent content updates, such as the Fourth Anniversary update, which are larger in scope. Less frequent, larger updates give the Live Team more time for planning and development for larger projects. Do you think the player community has been an important part of the Guild Wars experience? Absolutely. Our players have a strong voice at ArenaNet through our community managers, me and Martin Kerstein, as well as other members of the studio who take an interest in community matters. Some of the features being released in the Fourth Anniversary Update are very popular requests in the community-in particular, the expanded options for item storage and the Zaishen Menagerie. We have a few surprises up our collective sleeves, and the community has definitely asked for them. Guild Wars wouldn't be what it is today without our player community. Our community is passionate and they continue to show their enthusiasm and excitement, whether it's through holding in-game community events, helping new players in and out of the game, showing up to support us at gaming conventions, or contributing articles on our Wiki. Anything you can tell us about Guild Wars 2? How is development progressing? Guild Wars 2 is going to be a much bigger game than the original Guild Wars. Our development team is twice as large as the dev team for Guild Wars, so we're putting a lot of development resources into it. We have regular company-wide play sessions in Guild Wars 2, and it's a blast to play with everyone. The development team also does regular playtesting every day. I can say that it's an absolutely gorgeous game and I'm always astounded at how great our artists are at bringing a world to life. We're not ready to share more just now, but stay tuned for more information later this year. Keep in mind that unlike most development teams, we've been very open about our decision to start development on Guild Wars 2 right from the very beginning. We've also been building almost everything in Guild Wars 2 from the ground up. A lot of games start development in total secrecy before fans even hear a whisper about it. Our fans have been clamouring for news and updates, and we know it feels like a long time for them. When Guild Wars 2 is released, they'll see that it was worth the wait. Do you think players will find it easy to move so far in to the game's future?While we are going to have a fresh start with Guild Wars 2, we're also going to ensure that players still feel a close connection with the lore and mythology of the world. For existing player characters, they'll feel connected to the past of Tyria through the Hall of Monuments, which is where their current Guild Wars characters record their achievements.Anything else you'd like to add? Be sure to check out all the details of the Guild Wars Fourth Anniversary celebrations on our official website! << Regina Buenaobra interview part one
Massively's interview with Guild Wars CM Regina Buenaobra
ArenaNet and NCSoft are celebrating the fourth anniversary of free-to-play MMO Guild Wars this month so we decided to sit down an chat with Community Manager Regina Buenaobra about the games success and it's beginnings.How did Guild Wars come about?When the ArenaNet founders (Jeff Strain, Mike O'Brien, and Pat Wyatt) were still working at Blizzard, they had a lot of discussions about the design underpinnings of World of Warcraft, which Jeff Strain was working on, and Warcraft III, which Mike O'Brien was working on. They thought that it might be cool to mix the two genres, since there was already a lot of overlap between them. Strategy games are more fun when you've got an emotional connection to not just your character but also the game world, and when roleplaying games are infused with a bit of a competitive dimension, that's exciting for players. What were you looking to achieve when you first launched the game?Even before Guild Wars was launched, the team aimed to do something different from what other online roleplaying games were doing. This uniqueness is at the very core of many of the design decisions-for example, the focus on player skill rather than time spent playing. The team wanted Guild Wars to deliver something different from what was already out there on the market, and have it be a success. At the time, it was a risk to diverge from the route that other online games were taking, both in terms of game design and business model. And of course, the goal was to give players a really fun and enjoyable game.Why do you think gamers have been so attracted to the game?I think there are a lot of reasons for the enduring draw of Guild Wars. Guild Wars provides a skill-based gameplay experience that includes a brilliant solo campaign. Here, a player feels immersed in a game world through fantastic storytelling and questing. The player feels powerful, in control of their destiny and their ability to influence events. Guild Wars also includes a deep profession and skill system which is really compelling from a strategic sense. The business model-buy the box and play online without subscription fees-presents great value for the money, especially in the current economic climate. These are all reasons for why Guild Wars is still really popular.
A World of Warcraft player's guide to Guild Wars
Guild Wars and World of Warcraft have been peacefully co-existing for several years now. Considering the fact that the Guild Wars development team over at ArenaNet is made up of ex-Blizzard folks, you're bound to see some similarities between the games. Or, as is more accurately the case, you'll see some vast differences between the games, as ArenaNet's Jeff Strain and Mike O'Brien set out to make an experience that is unlike any they've worked on at Blizzard.So in this guide, we're going to break down several gameplay elements between the two games, and compare them for those who may only be familiar with World of Warcraft. We'll go through the differences and similarities between questing, combat, graphics and much more.Follow along to the comparison of Questing in an instanced world>>
Guild Wars Wintersday in July event
If you've ever experienced the joy of Wintersday in Guild Wars throughout the years, you may be excited by the news that ArenaNet is bringing Wintersday back for a brief time this coming weekend. It's part of their Wintersday in July event beginning at noon PDT on Friday, July 18th and running until 11:59 PM PDT on Sunday, July 20th.This event will not be the full Wintersday festivities, but there will still be access the the Snowball Arena in Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, Ascalon City, Kamadan and the Great Temple of Balthazar. There will also be Wintersday-themed drops from all monsters throughout Tyria. You could probably consider this Wintersday-lite, since there will be no battle between Grenth and Dwayna, and no special headgear given away.
Guild Wars: A guide to Heroes
Guild Wars has been an innovator in so many different aspects of the MMO genre, but none more than the introduction of ally NPCs to fill out a party and make soloing easier.This was nothing new to online gaming though. Diablo did it way before Guild Wars, but GW refined the process with Henchmen. They made it simple to hire a few NPCs standing around near the city gate and get them to join your party for their share of the loot. It started out simple enough, but it eventually evolved into something much more advanced (and exciting) with Heroes.%Gallery-22452%
It's never too late to start playing Guild Wars
Haven't had a chance to play Guild Wars yet? You're thinking maybe three years after launch is a bit late? Nah, you're just in time! Guild Wars has so many enticements for people who are just getting into this new-fangled MMO scene, but also for people looking for a change from their regular game. We're here now to explain a bit about ArenaNet's masterpiece, targeted at someone who has only heard of Guild Wars, but never actually played it.Guild Wars is different from many of the larger, more popular MMOs we have to choose from today. The main reasons include the fact that it has no monthly fee, it centers around instanced worlds and it is one of the few games that successfully combines PvE with PvP.So let's start from the beginning and explain a bit about the history of the game and why it came into existence. No, this will not be on the test later, but it is an important piece of back story when considering why it is the game that it is.
Guild Wars goings-on
The Europeans are currently dominating the rest of the field, while the Americans struggle to hold ground, and the Japanese and Korean teams scarcely put up a fight. World Cup headlines? Nah, we still have another week to go for that. How about a Guild Wars Factions Championship update?Europe's undefeated Esoteric Warriors won the latest qualifying round, and the European teams hold seven of the top ten spots. South Korea's The Last Pride, winners of the first Guild Wars World Championship, currently sit in fourth place hoping to add another US$50K to their earnings. Americans must be too busy playing World of Warcraft.See also: Guild Wars China to be operated by The9 Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
Guild Wars Factions Championship details revealed
It's only been a few months since the first Guild Wars World Champions were declared, but NCsoft and ArenaNet are already preparing the next global event for the game's sequel, Factions. This second tournament will take place August 24-27 at the Games Convention in Leipzig, where rival guilds will again compete for over $100,000 in prizes.The first of three qualifying seasons begins today, and the winners of this opening round will win a trip to E3, courtesy of ArenaNet. Follow the link for more details.
3 million hours spent on Guild Wars Factions preview weekend
For most of us, the weekend is just 48 hours — plus the fleeting time before midnight Friday night. But somehow, Guild Wars fanatics squeezed 3 million hours into the end of week celebration. Some 500,000 players logged into the invite-only Guild Wars Factions preview opportunity this past weekend, eager to get an early look at the upcoming PvP title.Factions will be a stand-alone game, featuring the same great "no monthly fee" policy as its predecessor. Expect the 3 million hour tally to be trumped soon after Factions' release at the end of the month.
