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Flameseeker Chronicles: Looking forward to Guild Wars 2's feature pack
The dust has barely settled on the Battle for Lion's Arch: Aftermath release, but ArenaNet is already releasing blog posts to discuss Guild Wars 2's April 15th feature pack. What's a feature pack? Well, it's exactly what it says on the tin: We'll be getting a big chunk of gameplay updates, quality-of-life improvements, and balance tweaks that don't fit into the living world or have story components. I usually refer to this stuff as "stuff," but "feature pack" definitely sounds more classy. As I write this, we've gotten posts on three of the topics locked up in the official feature pack site's nifty little sidebar doodad: one covering updates to the trait system; another to outline balance changes for runes, sigils and professions; and another to talk about swapping critical damage percentage for a new attribute called Ferocity. I have a lot to say about traits, but I'm also going to spend some time speculating on the next two blog posts in the lineup. There's nothing I love more than making half-baked predictions.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Ain't no party like a Guild Wars 2 party 'cause a GW2 party don't stop
There's something in the water, and it's rising. Word travels along the shore of Sparkfly Fen in terrified whispers, and the names of the beast that stalks the Splintered Coast are on every tongue: Tequila the Sunrise. Taco the Soft Shell. Loot Piñata. At the very least, poor Tequatl the Sunless will hopefully be shedding the last nickname with the upcoming Tequatl Rising content patch for Guild Wars 2. That one's kind of mean; the others are just affectionate. You know, as affectionate as we can be toward an undead servant of Zhaitan bent on subjugating all life. ArenaNet previewed the new and improved Tequatl fight mechanics at PAX Prime, but apart from that (and the new LFG tool and the new World vs. World mechanics), this latest GW2 release seems a little bit...quiet. I'm OK with that. In fact, it may be exactly what we need.
Guild Wars 2 video talks Sylvari background and design
"Trust me, you have not seen every story that a fantasy world can tell. The Sylvari are new." Guild Wars 2 game designer Ree Soesbee emphasizes how different this new race is in today's new Sylvari Week addition. In the three-minute video, Ree talks about the origins of the Sylvari from a story viewpoint, explaining the history of the tree that bore their race, and how that forms the basis for who they are. ArenaNet artist Kristen Perry provides a counterpoint from a design perspective. She talks in depth about her desire to design a creature in keeping with the Sylvari race's unusual origins and background as described by Ree: "I didn't want to just make a painted human with pointy ears." Jump past the break to take a look at the full video for Sylvari Week.
Make like a tree and check out ArenaNet's Sylvari Week
Forget Shark Week -- it's Sylvari Week! Today on the ArenaNet blog and the Guild Wars 2 official site, ArenaNet announced that in honor of the Sylvari race's being playable at Gamescom later this month, next week (beginning Monday, August 8th) will be Sylvari week. So what's the schedule looking like for Sylvari week? Well, things will kick off on Monday with ArenaNet artist Kristen Perry discussing the aesthetic of the Sylvari and explaining how it has evolved over time. Tuesday we get writer Angel McCoy talking about how the writing team intends to bring the race to life through its dialogue. Wednesday, Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee swings by -- with returning guest Kristen Perry -- the ANet blog to to discuss the roots (Ha Ha! Sylvari are trees.) and development of the Sylvari race. Thursday sees the Sylvari page on the official Guild Wars 2 site updated with buckets of new content, and things finally wrap up on Friday as Ree Soesbee returns with a narrative blog post that expands on the lore of the Sylvari even further.
ArenaNet on designing the Charr: "A fire-worshipping race of hell cats"
Guild Wars 2's Charr week continues today with a look at Designing the Charr. Artists Katy Hargrove, Kristen Perry, and Kekai Kotaki sat down for this round of information to talk all about the past, present, and future of the Charr race and the process of designing it over a period of years. We won't keep you waiting: Follow along after the jump for all the latest on Charr week!
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.
Costume design and hints of what's to come: Massively's interview with the Guild Wars team
Halloween may be over, but it lingers on in Guild Wars. The new costumes and the new Halloween masks can still be seen all over Tyria as players show off their latest dye mixes and combine the masks with various armor sets and costumes. The event resonates in another way too. We got so many hints and details on new and old characters in Tyria: we were introduced to the Lunatic Court, we met Mad King Thorn's ex-wife, and even Palawa Joko made an appearance. All of this seemed to hint at more to come, and fans were left wondering: is this the last we've seen of all this? We at Massively were anxious to know too, so we went straight to the source. Live Team Lead John Stumme, along with artists Susan Jessup and Kristen Perry, spent some time answering our questions about the thoughts and ideas behind the creation of the new costumes and masks. In between their answers, they managed to drop all sorts of exciting tidbits about what's coming in Guild Wars. Read on past the break to see for yourself!
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%
Guild Wars 2 character artist talks costume design
One of the most prominent features of Guild Wars has always been its beautiful art style. That reputation carried over seamlessly as information about Guild Wars 2 began surfacing last year -- it was clear that the Tyria of the future would be just as gorgeous as the one we know today. One of the members of the talented team of artists at ArenaNet is Kristen Perry, the Guild Wars 2 character artist. Even if you don't know it, you're familiar with her work which she began for ArenaNet with Factions armor design, creating the majority of the Kurzick NPC clothing as well as some Ritualist and Assassin armor. In Nightfall, she designed all of the Elementalist armor as well as the most of the armor for the other professions. She's also responsible for all of Gwen's armor -- even the outfit in the Bonus Mission Pack, and her handiwork can even be seen throughout the game in the character models themselves. Kristen's no stranger to Tyria, and designing for Guild Wars 2 opened the door for a brand new series of challenges and opportunities to design something completely new. In the latest entry in the ArenaNet blog, she tells all about her latest project. Follow along after the jump to see what she had to say.
