Closed Thread
Page 2 of 213 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 12 52 ... LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 4260
  1. #21
    Formerly BGTemp // TERA Fan
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    4,801
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    There are female charr, if you visit here: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/world/races/charr/ (look down to "screenshots, then left most one) it has been guessed/decided that the catlike figure on the right is a female.

    There are also male Norn, visit http://www.guildwars2.com/en/world/races/norn/ (go to same screenshot area, same pict even) and you will see a male next to a female.

  2. #22
    Sandpaper Demon
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    3,874
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Snowman Emperor
    FFXIV Server
    Exodus
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    ahh, just hadn't seen any female charr (or noticed maybe) in GW, and i knew they had male norn

    anyway, 'new' races look awesome, love the style of GW and hope they keep it but remove the rubberbanding

  3. #23
    Formerly BGTemp // TERA Fan
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    4,801
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    Ive actually just picked up GW for myself, my wife and a couple friends. Always wanted to play the game, so start of the New Year we're all going to play through the campaigns. GW2 looks to be more of the same good stuff with many improvements. Eager to watch its development.

  4. #24
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Quote Originally Posted by BGtemp View Post
    Ive actually just picked up GW for myself, my wife and a couple friends. Always wanted to play the game, so start of the New Year we're all going to play through the campaigns. GW2 looks to be more of the same good stuff with many improvements. Eager to watch its development.
    Pretty sure I mentioned this (and my GW character name) in the OP, but if you want to partner up for any of the more irritating missions, I'd be glad to help if I'm online. If I'm not online, you can send me a PM including your usual play times and I can try to be on when you are. I do this same thing in FFXI. At this late stage in either game, 75% of the fun is in helping others who are just starting out.

  5. #25
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph


    Guild Wars 2: Exclusive Interview

    by Garrett Fuller on December 08, 2009 Comments

    Recently, MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller Spoke with Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Eric Flannum, World Designer and Writer Ree Soesbee, and Environment Art Lead Dave Beetlestone about the highly anticipated follow-up to the successful Guild Wars franchise.

    --page 1/2--

    http://images.mmorpg.com/features/38...s/3812_1_t.jpg

    MMORPG.com: The biggest question on everyone's mind is how will Guild Wars 2 be different from Guild Wars?

    Eric Flannum: Almost too many things to mention! Most if not all of the same philosophies behind the design of Guild Wars 1 were maintained for Guild Wars 2. However, once you take into account the major differences between the two games and start applying those philosophies, things tend to diverge quite a bit. The biggest differences include a fully persistent world, fully 3D engine, a less complex combat system with fewer overall skills, multiple playable races, and separate world servers. Each of these differences has an enormous impact on every decision we make from there.

    One example of this was how the decision to have multiple playable races impacted the way we created armor for the game. In Guild Wars 1, every single profession had armor and animations that were specific to that profession. Multiplying the number of professions with the number of races in the game made it next to impossible for us to maintain the same armor system in Guild Wars 2. Because of this, we went to a much simpler armor system where professions use light, medium, or heavy armor. This has allowed us to provide each profession with a lot more diversity in what they can choose to wear. For example, in the past Rangers had to wear armor that tended to have a long coat and mask. They can still choose to wear an outfit that looks like that, but they now also have a much greater diversity of appearances to choose from.


    MMORPG.com: Give us a short history of the new races in the game. What will players be able to choose?

    Ree Soesbee: There are five races available to play in GW2--the humans, charr, norn, asura and sylvari. When a player creates a character in Guild Wars 2, they will be able to answer many questions about their personal character history. These answers will help determine your personal story in the game. As many fans have theorized, one of the first things you choose is a 'subdivision' of your race, which provides a more personal feel to your character's history. For the humans, that means their ancestry--Elonan, Krytan, Ascalonian and Canthan--and also their social status as gentry or commoners of the city of Divinity's Reach. For charr, it primarily means their legion, whether Blood, Ash, or Iron. The asura choose between the three most respected colleges of learning; Synergetics, Dynamics, and Statics. The sylvari follow the path of their seasonal cycle, or the time of day in which they awakened, being Dawn, Day, Twilight or Night. The norn choose their personal totem, and may choose to walk in the path of bear, snow leopard, raven or wolf. From these and other initial determinations, a wealth of personalized storylines develop, so that each player in the game experiences a story that is individually tailored to their character.

    Eric Flannum: One thing that's important to note: the choices made to determine a character's personal storyline do not affect the power of the character. For example, a norn choosing to walk the path of bear can still choose to use snow leopard form instead of bear form.


    MMORPG.com: The world design is expected to use less instancing than Guild Wars. Can you tell us what you have planned?

    Eric Flannum: We use a lot less instancing than we have in the past. The game is structured much more like other MMOs, with the world consisting almost entirely of fully persistent areas. That being said, we have a number of different ways in which we use instancing. Dungeons, for example, are instanced areas designed for group play. We also use instancing very heavily in the players' personal quest chain to reflect decisions that the player has made on those quests. For example, Logan Thackeray, captain of the Seraph, has an office located in Divinity's Reach; his office is instanced because we need to update his status based on choices the player has made.

    --page 2/2--

    MMORPG.com: The new game trailer gives some insight into the races. What storyline is your favorite of the group and why?

    Ree Soesbee: Favorite?! We love them all!

    Each of the races have their own challenges and their own story. In the end, however, they all share a common world--and therefore a common danger. Zhaitan, the dragon of Orr, plans to destroy all life on Tyria, and the other dragons are not far behind him in power. No matter where the individual races begin their story, all of them must come to see that their survival against these powerful foes is inextricably tied together.

    http://images.mmorpg.com/features/38...s/3812_2_t.jpg

    MMORPG.com: There is such a huge canvas for developers to work with. Can you talk about some of the environments in Guild Wars 2?

    Dave Beetlestone: If you've had a chance to look at some of the concept art, it's pretty clear that we're trying to stretch the canvas as far as we can while staying true to the environments that have helped define the Guild Wars world. By giving the player the ability to jump and swim, the amount of accessible locations has grown exponentially, creating an even greater challenge for both the art and design departments. We've worked together really closely to make sure that each new environment creates a memorable experience for the player, while ensuring that the different areas seam up and transition smoothly to help foster a sense of exploration and discovery. Trying to turn your typical swamp, snow, and forested areas into something that is unique to Guild Wars is a constant challenge, but it allows us to push our creativity on a daily basis.


    MMORPG.com: The game looks like it is truly taking on an epic feel. Can you tell us the scope of the world you are working with?

    Dave Beetlestone: With five playable races, we've worked to create distinct starting areas for each race that support the back story, while making sure that each area has its own unique feel. The amount of thought and creativity that goes into defining these cultures is epic in itself. For each race we've had to design and build the core assets for the main city, including all the services a player will need. We've also had to provide details for villages, houses, sheds, and tents that all need to be filled with smaller components to differentiate them from one another. Then there are the underwater areas to consider. Each starting area has some form of water, whether it's a lake, river, or ocean. All these aquatic areas have their own distinct topology, plant life, creatures, and destinations, which essentially makes all of the underwater places into their own sub-regions. Since the environment team ends up building everything from castles to candlesticks, the amount of different concepts that we have to generate just to begin the process is staggering.


    MMORPG.com: Can you talk about the relationships between the races?

    Ree Soesbee: Sure! As most fans know, the Charr and the Humans have a rocky relationship. Ascalon is ruled by the Charr, but the Human fortification of Ebonhawke still stands against them. Many Charr and Humans still dwell on old enmities and hatreds and are not willing to give up their feud even in the face of mutual destruction.

    On the other side of the world, the young race of Sylvari arose and began to explore the world--finding first the cunning Asura. Among the Asura, the Sylvari experienced an initial lesson in trust--or mistrust--which they will not easily forget. The Asura treated them like expendable helpers at best and experiments at worst, leading to a mistrust between the two races that is not easily overcome.

    The Norn have a sense of independence that keeps them somewhat apart from such matters, but also makes them distant and less informed about the larger movements in the world. They admire the charr for their boldness and find the human queen weak because she is compassionate, but they do not interfere in Ascalon. They feel the other races must stand alone--even as the Norn do.


    MMORPG.com: Will there be deeper story lines for players to follow leading up to the game?

    Eric Flannum: One of the things that has made developing Guild Wars 2 so much fun is that we get to take past events in our world and extrapolate their consequences into the era of Guild Wars 2. The 250 year period between the two games is rich with major events, interesting characters, and important plot lines. One way we plan to explore some of this is through the Guild Wars novels, and we've already seen some things in Guild Wars 1 that lead into the second game. As we get closer to launch, I think we'll definitely see more things both in Guild Wars 1 and outside of it that hint at things to come.

  6. #26
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    The ArenaNet Wish

    We have come across a great story about a girl named Emily. She has heart failure and through the Make-A-Wish Foundation was allowed to tour the ArenaNet offices and play Guild Wars 2. Make-A-Wish Foundation is a children’s organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Emily’s Mom has up a great blog post about her tour of the ArenaNet offices and her experience there. You don’t want to miss this!

    After lunch, they let her play Guild Wars 2, with a bunch of people in the office. It was a blast to play with the developers; at one point she said, “I wish there were some sticks on this beach.” One of the developers rewrote the game to put sticks there. There were lots of laughs, and the team really enjoyed watching her play and seeing what she focused on.

    Read all about Emily’s story here: Emily’s Heart Updates.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bQg7POfq_3...0/DSCN2124.JPG


  7. #27
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Go Behind the Scenes with the Voices of Tyria
    Dec 17 2009 at 12:43pm

    http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/Te4FK_6JLwE/default.jpg
    http://www.youtube.com/arenanetofficial
    http://www.facebook.com/GuildWars2

    We've posted a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the voice acting behind Guild Wars 2, featuring top-tier talents like Felicia Day and Steve Blum! Check it out on our Facebook page or YouTube channel.

  8. #28
    Sandpaper Demon
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    3,874
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Snowman Emperor
    FFXIV Server
    Exodus
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    ha yeah steve blum, he's in fucking everything

  9. #29
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    A Letter to Our Fans

    To our fans,

    There have been some published rumors over the past few days about Guild Wars 2 delays, and I'm writing you today to set the record straight.

    You've all seen announcements about restructuring at NCsoft West, and it's natural to wonder whether that restructuring impacts ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 development. In fact, the reason NCsoft West is restructuring itself is so that the company can put all of its focus into its top-tier games like Guild Wars 2. Our team continues to grow, and has the strong support and financial backing we need to achieve our goal of making Guild Wars 2 the best online role-playing game ever created.

    On Friday, NCsoft released investor materials that showed a very broad release window for Guild Wars 2, with the explanation that release timing is still "to be announced." ArenaNet has never given a release date for Guild Wars 2 other than "when it's done." NCsoft's investor materials are a reflection of that philosophy.

    I know some fans had hoped for a smaller gap between the launch of Guild Wars: Eye of the North and the start of beta testing for Guild Wars 2, but we communicated last summer that it would be some time before we could commit to any beta or launch dates. Guild Wars 2 is a large and ambitious game, and we're going to take the time to do it right.

    I'm immensely proud of what our team has accomplished and continues to accomplish with the development of Guild Wars 2. We'll have a lot more to say when we're closer to release. Until then, we thank you for your continued interest and ask you to stay tuned.

    Mike O'Brien

  10. #30
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Most Anticipated Original IP; ZAM Best of 2009

    FIRST PLACE: GUILD WARS 2

    http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/154076.jpg

    Announced in 2007, Guild Wars 2 is the upcoming sequel to ArenaNet's successful Guild Wars series, originally released in 2005. During a time when the subscription-based revenue model was flourishing, Guild Wars was the industry-bucking maverick that helped pave the way for Western free-to-play MMOs (illustrating that quality wasn't only synonymous with subscription-based MMOs).

    In the midst of their success, the developers of ArenaNet realized the original Guild Wars had a finite shelf-life; players might stick around for years to come, but they needed more incentive to keep buying expansion packs and new campaigns. Almost three years ago, ArenaNet announced it would begin focusing most of the company's time and resources on Guild Wars 2, rather than material for the original game.

    Fans were ecstatic; but as time went on, the developers barely had anything to show their community. "We announced it before we even started working on it," ArenaNet's founder and president Mike O'Brien told ZAM last summer at PAX. "It killed us to have to be developing in the dark, because obviously we're making cool stuff and we want people to see what we're working on. But we wanted to get the game to the point where it really shows what it is."

    And that's exactly why Guild Wars 2 was met with such renewed anticipation in 2009, when ArenaNet was finally able to share the first details and media of the upcoming MMO with the public. The official video trailer displayed an exciting new rendition of the IP; the new graphics engine paints the familiar world of Tyria a strikingly-fresh and unique light, featuring amazing detail in everything from landscapes to architecture.

    In the past six months, we've also learned a lot about the gameplay in Guild Wars 2. Unlike the original, the sequel allows players to roam a fully-persistent world. Revamped gameplay mechanics and simplified combat systems promise an entirely new game, with five playable races and a much richer storyline than the original.

    In October, we heard rumors that the sequel's PvP might incorporate appealing real-time strategy genre elements, and earlier this month, ArenaNet released another video offering a closer look at the MMO's races and environments. We still don't know exactly how close the developers are to post-production, but after almost two years of being left in the dark, fans were grateful for every little detail announced in 2009, and they can't wait to see more in 2010.




    SECOND PLACE: THE SECRET WORLD

    http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/153744.jpg

    The Secret World has proved to be one of the most aptly-named MMOs in history; everything about the game's development has been shrouded in secrecy since the idea was hatched by Funcom (developers of Age of Conan, Anarchy Online) in 2005. It wasn't until 2009 that Ragnar Tørnquist, creative director and the original creator of The Secret World IP, finally began to loosen his grip and shed substantial light on the uniquely-styled MMO.

    Set in a time and place similar to our own world, the story draws heavily from "New World Order" themes and revolves around three factions; the Templars, the Illuminati and the Dragon. Each faction represents a secret society of characters, all fighting for their own cause and enlightenment in a mysterious world; on the surface, it might look just like ours—but beyond the veil is a darker place, filled with monsters and demons.

    Many fans consider it the most-promising "urban fantasy"-themed MMO to date, a genre similar to the Shadowrun or World of Darkness RPGs. The IP was first imagined by Tørnquist as far back as 1997; he later pitched it around under the title "Cabal" until FunCom picked it up years later.

    "[…] there really is a world within ours, a secret world, where magic exists, monsters roam and ancient forces are fighting for the dominance of earth," Tørnquist wrote in a press release, explaining his vision for TSW. "It is a world of legendary stories, ageless conflicts and powerful cabals. In this world, even modern cities hide secrets. In this world, players can take part in the greatest conspiracies of our age, and battle the forces of darkness across the world and throughout time."

    With the exception of a few survival-horror and martial arts titles, we haven't had the chance to really sink our teeth into a contemporary, urban-fantasy-styled MMO at the same level of TSW, backed with a company like Funcom's resources. It's a new and exciting genre for the MMO community to explore, making TSW one of the brightest-shining stars of 2009.




    THIRD PLACE: FINAL FANTASY XIV

    http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/153745.jpg

    There aren't many RPG video game series as widely-successful and beloved as the Final Fantasy IP, so it came as no surprise that despite its quirks—rooting from the series' history as a console game—the franchise was well-received by the MMO community. The cross-platform Final Fantasy XI hit the North American MMO market like a storm, published by Square Enix for the PC in 2003, and eventually the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 by 2006. Since then, the MMO hasn't fared as well as many fans had hoped—and by 2009, subscriber numbers were a fraction of what they once were.

    But also in 2009, at E3, Final Fantasy XIV was officially announced for the PC and Playstation 3 (although it was rumored to be in-development much earlier). Since then, Square Enix has released a whirlwind of updates and progress announcements about the upcoming, 14th member of the Final Fantasy legacy. For an MMO that was only officially announced six months ago, the amount of speculation and rumors that fans typically deal with has been uncharacteristically low.

    A mere three days after its announcement at E3, ZAM was dissecting a boatload of information from the expo. Legions of Final Fantasy loyalists finally saw a bright spark under the shadow of FFXI's marred past, reinvigorated by the notion that Square Enix would "get it right" this time around. The community will have to wait a bit longer to see if its support pays off, but 2009 hasn't given us reason to hope again.

  11. #31
    CoP Dynamis
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    276
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Asura

    quick q on guild wars, never played it, but seems interesting: can you solo all the missions? or is team play with real life peeps necessary eventually?

  12. #32
    BG Staff
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    27,374
    BG Level
    10
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Quote Originally Posted by Altanass View Post
    quick q on guild wars, never played it, but seems interesting: can you solo all the missions? or is team play with real life peeps necessary eventually?
    Technically you can do "solo" quests with AI teammates or get someone to help you. There are some party quests that require actual people and not AI partners.

  13. #33
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Guild Wars 2 Preview
    January 7th, 2010 by joar @ MMOCRUNCH.com


    When it was released, the first Guild Wars was different, to say the least. To a professional video game developer or hardcore MMORPG gamer the concept of ArenaNet’s debut game may have sounded more like an experiment. Guild Wars combined classical hack and slash gameplay in a brand new shell, while rewriting the laws of instance based gameplay and featuring a merciless PvP system where everything comes down to your skills. It was proudly branded “MMORPG with no monthly fees”. Then out of nowhere – it turned into a hit. But not because it was original, but because it was flawless on almost every aspect, other than the lack of content of course. This was later on fixed with the release of two stand alone campaigns – Factions and Nightfall and one true expansion – Eye of the North. Now it is time for me to present to you the true sequel to Guild Wars – Guild Wars 2. This Guild Wars 2 preview will inform you of almost every bit of information that was released since the announcement of the game.

    A New World
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-1-300x168.jpg
    Guild Wars 2 is set about 250 years after the events in the first game. The world has shifted to a point where even the bravest of skill hunters that stormed the servers of Guild Wars will not be able to recognize it. The cause of these changes, other than time, is the brand new and much more serious threat – the Dragons. These massive beasts have awakened after a millennia of sleep. So far we were introduced to three dragons – Primordus, Zhaitan and Jormag. The awakening of the dragons has caused havoc and despair throughout the land. The only hope left is for the races to unite. Old conflicts must be forgotten for the greater good of the land. As you may have already noticed, you will now be able to choose between one of the five playable races: Asura, Charr, Human, Norn and Sylvari. Each race promises a completely different look on things and each will have its advantages or disadvantages. The asura, for example, will be able to summon golems to help in battle. Not much is known about the race-driven gameplay yet, but more information is to come. The companions system of the first game will be reworked so that we’ll once again be able to bring henchman for aid, but they will not take a party slot but instead serve as an extension to the the character. As for the presentation of the world – it will now be open and containing all the players at once.

    Character Migration
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-2-300x168.jpg
    Guild Wars 2 will offer a sort of migration feature from the first game to the second. No, you won’t be able to transfer your pumped fire elementalist with that awesome AoE build, but instead you will be rewarded for spending so much time to build it. As some of you may remember, Eye of the North introduced a hall of monuments feature. This is the key that will allow you to transfer some of your titles/items from the first game to the second. It will not be a direct transfer, though. You can also reserve your names through that same system.

    Questing
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-3-300x168.jpg
    Guild Wars 2 will utilize a brand new quest system different that anything we’ve seen. The game will feature the so-called “Event system”. Different events will occur through the world of Guild Wars 2 and if you happen to be present at one of those – you can participate. One of the examples demonstrates a dragon attacking the bridge of a small village. The players will then have a choice whether to fight the beast or not. If they succeed in this, the dragon will flee and they will be rewarded. Should they fail then the dragon destroys the bridge of the village and a new series of quests is unlocked to fix the bridge.

    Player Versus Player
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-4-300x168.jpg
    There will be two types of PvP in Guild Wars 2 – World PvP and Structured PvP. World PvP will allow large numbers of players to participate in massive battles in the world of Guild Wars 2. It was noted that this PvP mode will have different objectives to complete. There will also be a Lineage-ish castle system where players join each other to take control of a selected castle. The other side of the coin – the structured PvP – will be similar to GvG’s in the first game.

    Technical Details
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-5-300x168.jpg
    Guild Wars 2 is powered by an updated version of the engine from the first game. Actually “updated” is not the right word, “complete makeover” is more like it. The engine will offer more detailed models, better lighting and shadows, new animation and effects systems, plus new audio and cinematics engines and a more flexible combat and skill-casting system. There have been rumors [edit: not just rumors; it's true] about the game supporting Dx10, too. As for the physics system – it’s Havok. To sum this up – the game will look astonishing. The music will be recorded by Jeremy Soule, who did the music of the first Guild Wars.

    Closing Comments
    http://www.mmocrunch.com/wp-content/...-6-300x168.jpg
    Guild Wars 2 is shaping up like a great MMO. A revolutionary one, even. ArenaNet have tweaked the right places and are offering us a more massive and epic adventure. No release dates have been announced as of yet but the game is nearing it’s completion. Which reminds me that ArenaNet have said the game will have no monthly fees. One thing is for sure – I will be getting Guild Wars 2. And it looks like I’m not the only one.

  14. #34
    Nidhogg
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    3,585
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Lakshmi

    Quote Originally Posted by Altanass View Post
    quick q on guild wars, never played it, but seems interesting: can you solo all the missions? or is team play with real life peeps necessary eventually?
    Quote Originally Posted by Insanecyclone View Post
    Technically you can do "solo" quests with AI teammates or get someone to help you. There are some party quests that require actual people and not AI partners.
    Depending on your class/skills/henchmen/expansion to be exact. Last I played there were so many PVP based updates that PVE AI suffered. Mobs will blow by Warriors and go straight for healers or ignore healers if they have mending or I've even seen situations where mobs from all around a zone would just try to zerg rush the player with the lowest HP to death. It's pretty unbalanced just relying on your henchmen AI especially when you have mages that are so inefficient with energy that they still run out with a "The Power is Yours" Paragon.

  15. #35
    Formerly BGTemp // TERA Fan
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    4,801
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    Sorry, this is a GW question for those that have played (dont want to muck up the GW2 stuff) I'm about to start this game up with 3 other people (as soon as they get their copies). I noticed briefly that some missions say a party of 6 or 8 is allowed. Is this party size a 'must' or can 4 of us manage providing we are prepared/skilled etc?

  16. #36
    Resident Moogle
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    12,832
    BG Level
    9
    FFXI Server
    Asura

    Can manage with 4 iirc.

  17. #37
    Sandpaper Demon
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    3,874
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Snowman Emperor
    FFXIV Server
    Exodus
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    4 should be no problem, assuming you aren't all warriors in which case you're fucked.

    Probably one healer class, at least one nuker and a frontliner of some sort in your group until you learn all of the cheese-builds that basically allow you to bypass the tank/healer/nuker party setup

  18. #38
    i'm awesome.
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    9,581
    BG Level
    8

    I avoided GW1 entirely because when I heard about it being a level 25(?) cap and F2P, I thought, "Wow, that sounds like a terribad game." However recently a friend of mine mentioned he played it hardcore when it first came out, he was in a 'top 100' guild which he mentioned had like spectator privileges or something and the game was like really well done PvP. However, he also mentioned it suffered because of casuals (what game doesn't, fucking casuals ruining every game) and they put too much focus on PvE and as a result the PvP suffered. So much so in fact, that it caused a majority of the top PvP players to leave the game entirely.

    While his stories of the unrivaled PvP intrigued me, I hope they learned from GW1 and keep the focus on PvP because that's what sounds like it made the game shine. I'll certainly be playing GW2 if PvP is a main focus and they don't abandon it in favor of carebear PvE bullshit. If I want PvE I'll play WoW or FFXIV.

  19. #39
    Nidhogg
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    3,585
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Lakshmi

    Quote Originally Posted by Ramor View Post
    4 should be no problem, assuming you aren't all warriors in which case you're fucked.

    Probably one healer class, at least one nuker and a frontliner of some sort in your group until you learn all of the cheese-builds that basically allow you to bypass the tank/healer/nuker party setup
    Get one guy to be a Paragon and you should be set for life. Ranged Attacks, impossible to interrupt, impossible to kite, and almost unlimited energy. If they had a knock down skill it'd be the most broken class in the game. (even more than Dervish)

    Quote Originally Posted by Maguspk View Post
    I avoided GW1 entirely because when I heard about it being a level 25(?) cap and F2P, I thought, "Wow, that sounds like a terribad game." However recently a friend of mine mentioned he played it hardcore when it first came out, he was in a 'top 100' guild which he mentioned had like spectator privileges or something and the game was like really well done PvP. However, he also mentioned it suffered because of casuals (what game doesn't, fucking casuals ruining every game) and they put too much focus on PvE and as a result the PvP suffered. So much so in fact, that it caused a majority of the top PvP players to leave the game entirely.

    While his stories of the unrivaled PvP intrigued me, I hope they learned from GW1 and keep the focus on PvP because that's what sounds like it made the game shine. I'll certainly be playing GW2 if PvP is a main focus and they don't abandon it in favor of carebear PvE bullshit. If I want PvE I'll play WoW or FFXIV.
    Basically, PVE and PVP were separate to some degree. PVE was done on a different map from PVE areas so there was no PK or anything but the skills and classes behaved almost identical to both gameplay elements. This was kind of good but once the nerf bat started swinging around everything got fucked up. Warriors had insane amounts of physical resistance which made them nearly impossible to melee in PVP. Once this got nerfed in PVP/PVE the PVP field was more balanced, but it made the class suffer in PVE because you actually needed that insane physical resistance.

    The biggest issue I could remember was how broken Mending Touch was. The whole PVP element had to be revamped because you could have this on your bar with 0 healing skill points invested and remove 2 statuses.
    This made half of everyone elses skills practically useless in PVP and everyone was focusing on cover statuses (stacking negative statuses to mending touch would only remove the first 2 recent) at least until a few skills were updated to give 2 status effects to compensate. It took almost a year until Arena Net realized that "hey why don't we just nerf Mending Touch so you have to invest points into healing to remove multiple status effects."
    Later on A-Net decided to have skills specifically for PVE around the time GWEN came out. This was also around the time GW2 was being announced so it seems like GWEN was a test run on this concept which should be perfected in GW2.

    If the programmers kept the way certain skills and class bonuses behaved separate from PVE and PVP, things would have turned out a lot better. PVE players had full right to bitch about being nerfed unnecessarily and since you needed to go through PVE to have an actually successful character in PVP, this killed the learning curve.

  20. #40
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    348
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    "Footsteps and Sounds"

    Posted by Regina Buenaobra of ArenaNet at the GuildWars2Guru forums 1-22-2010.

    Massively:
    The members of the Guild Wars 2 Guru forums, just like all of us, are making the wait more bearable with loads of speculation and discussion about Guild Wars 2.

    A recent discussion has been going on regarding sound effects and ambient sounds, with everyone generally agreeing that those details are a wonderful addition to a game environment -- the more the better. Guild Wars is a game that already does this well, with details such as a change in the sound of footsteps depending on the surface one is walking on. Fans have the expectation and hope that things will be even better in Guild Wars 2.

    As it turns out, ArenaNet's Audio Director James Ackley was keeping an eye on the conversation, and jumped in via Community Manager Regina Buenaobra to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at what the foley team has been up to for GW2.

    Ackley went through the thread, and addressed each individual wish and suggestion that had come up, and then provided a handful of photos as a bonus. Take a look a the photos in the gallery below, and you can read the full Q & A here.

    We at Massively join the fans in thanking Ackley for taking the time to give a behind the scenes look at some of the production process! Read on:
    __

    Regina Beunaobra: Hey everyone! James Ackley, our audio director, was super interested in the conversation here, so we wanted to post a few responses and insights into what our Audio Team has in store for audio in Guild Wars 2. I think many people might be excited about this behind-the-scenes look into what the team does, so without further ado:

    “I, for one, love footsteps in games and listening to my character run and such. I'd like this to stay in GW2.”
    We’ll not only be keeping footsteps in Guild Wars 2, we’re putting an amazing amount of time and energy into them! The footsteps were one of the first things we tackled. Here’s how we did it.

    From very early on, sound designer Drew Cady and I knew that an MMO the size of Guild Wars 2 was going to need a ton of sounds. We didn’t want to take the brute force approach and just make a new sound for everything - that requires an extraordinary amount of assets and it just kills memory both on disk and to be loaded in RAM. So we started talking about how to create sounds procedurally. Drew came up with an amazing system that is fully working now. It sounds amazing and has taken a lot less time and assets to create.

    Every footstep in Guild Wars 2 is made up of three sounds: heel, toe and spray (spray is the kick of your toe, mostly only made with loose surfaces and running). With this set-up, each of those three sounds gets its own random parameters, so you never feel like you are hearing the same footsteps over and over. Using Drew’s system, we get these incredible results but keep the total memory footprint in check.

    “I also would like something like DA:O in that when you are running, you can hear your armor clanging and making it not sound as if the character can't tell if he's wearing a robe or 90 lb armor. (My opinion btw) “
    Just as with footsteps, we’re doing a lot of procedural creation with the foley/movement sounds in Guild Wars 2. Not only will you hear the sound of your armor, but as you add or subtract armor you’ll hear that, and depending on the type and size of your armor, you’ll also hear differences. Our audio implementer Ron Perry has done a wonderful job working his creative magic, connecting all the sound scripting systems and animations to make Drew’s crazy ideas actually work.

    “More ambient sounds and environmental sounds as well, as when you're at the beach, there are seagulls and waves going through the tides. “
    Don’t worry about this! If we’re going to as much trouble with the footsteps as we are, I’m sure you can assume the level of detail we’ll have in the ambiance.

    “Basically more sounds and effects in GW2 and character sounds. Thanks”
    Drew and I agreed that we wanted Guild Wars 2 to be as full of sounds as possible, never leaving you wondering where the “world” went. Just because you aren’t in the middle of a huge battle doesn’t mean the world around you has gone away, from a sound perspective. On the other hand, we definitely didn’t want to create a world so full of sounds that once you do end up in a town or battle, the cacophony just makes you want to turn the sounds off. So we’re working on a very complex mixing system that we hope will not only solve this problem, but will help you focus on the important sounds and make you a better player.

    I’ve included some pictures of our team out collecting sounds so you can see how important the sound in Guild Wars 2 is to us.

    · Getting ocean and wind sounds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4290640301/
    · Recording animal sounds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4290640321/
    · Winter sounds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4290640335/
    · Handmade shoes for footstep sounds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4290640349/
    · Electrical sounds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4291380008/
    · "Braveheart" sword: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4290640383/
    · Control room at foley stage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/4291380060/


    Hope you enjoyed that behind-the-scenes peek into the sounds development for Guild Wars 2.

Closed Thread
Page 2 of 213 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 12 52 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Guild Wars 2 : Random Question Thread
    By vrumpt in forum MMORPGs
    Replies: 1072
    Last Post: 2015-12-15, 22:29
  2. Guild Wars 1: Gotta HoM em' all
    By Eanae in forum MMORPGs
    Replies: 181
    Last Post: 2013-02-20, 22:04
  3. Guild Wars
    By Insanecyclone in forum MMORPGs
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 2007-10-22, 20:34