During Gamescom 2011 MyGaming had the opportunity to get an extended demonstration of upcoming MMORPG Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet’s Matthew Moore and Chris Lye took us through the demonstration.
Guild Wars 2 is shaping up to be one of the biggest titles of 2012. Previously we looked at 10 reasons to be excited about Guild Wars 2 and these obviously still hold, giving a good overview of the core features of the game. Lye indicated that closed beta testing will be taking place in late 2011, and the results of that phase will dictate further release info.
During Gamescom ArenaNet unveiled a new race, the Sylvari, which are described as botanical humanoids. They also revealed the player character creation system; this is where the game will begin its life for players. Through a series of sliders and colour choices, players can craft their own unique version of the core races and classes. Colour schemes for upper- and lower-body armour, helmet, and boots will carry across the game, so anything players equip won’t break their style decisions. These colours can of course be altered from within the game.
Lye explained that although the system provides in-depth options for those who wish to tweak every possible nuance of their character, it is also simple enough to get a great looking character set up within a few clicks for those who just want to dive right in.
Part of the character creation system requires players to make choices on their background story, and these will influence the opening cinematic and certain elements of the game. There are a number of combination choices to be made, and with each making a subtle change to the player’s story, even the most hardcore MMO player shouldn’t run out of story arcs to explore.
We got a good look at the opening cinematic sequences, which made creative use of the fantastic and evocative concept art. Lye said that ArenaNet believes they have some of the best artists in the industry. The cinematic dynamically diverged depending on character creation choices.
Having created a character, we were shown some gameplay. Core changes from the original Guild Wars include a new dodging mechanic and spells and abilities which unlock by sequencing spell casting. A new ‘fight to survive’ mode has been added, as there are no dedicated healers. Players that have been knocked down will have a timer and a handful of last-ditch-effort spells and attacks that they can use to try and fend off death. This also gives other players chance to revive their comrades.
Another core change is the use of persistent areas which will afford players the opportunity to meet and interact with others while exploring the massive world. Instances will still be used for driving major plot events and for some missions and dungeons.
The new dynamic events system means that things will unfold more organically in the world, unlike other MMO’s in which players essentially queue up or form party instances. These dynamic events also depend on the day/night cycle. They will of course re-occur periodically so no one misses out on the action. They will also scale in difficulty as more players become involved so that no one feels resentment for others joining in.
Gone are the days of quests, which ArenaNet seems particularly excited about. Lye explained that they don’t want players performing boring tasks such as fetching X number of items, and running across half of the map to hand in their quests. Players will likely wander into events as they explore, rather than being handed a goal. The dynamic events will mean that they could arrive half-way through battle and join in with others to complete the event. When an event is completed, rewards are immediate, and the player’s personal story arc is advanced, leaving them free to set their own next objective.
In the examples we were shown, one may be visiting a seaside town, when suddenly a ghost ship attacks, with undead warriors streaming ashore. The events usually have a few outcomes depending on players actions. Of course one can flee and leave the mess for others, or get stuck in trying to defend the town. Either the player will be successful and send the undead packing (until the next time they decide to attack) or the beachhead will fall, placing the town under greater peril. Through this system ArenaNet hopes to create a dynamic world which is under constant threat and in a state of to-and-fro battle upheaval.
A second example was an rather high level event, and one of the more tantalising. An undead dragon rises from the sea and besieges a city. Player’s rally to attack, and can use various machines of war mounted in defence. With a large number of players involed, each can adjust to fulfil a specific role in the battle. There are also mini-events within the main battle, such as undead minions trying to destroy siege weapons, which must be defended or rebuilt. This shows how Guild Wars 2 offers action on many levels, from the small personal battles that will take place around key emplacements, around which could be pivotal to the outcome of the large-scale undead dragon attack. In this way, each player should hopefully feel as if they were instrumental in an event. In the very least, everyone is going to be having a lot of fun.
We were also given a look at underwater combat, which is typically one of the poorly executed modes in many games. Lye explained that ArenaNet was fully aware of reducing the pains of water combat, and as such, all players will be equipped with a breathing apparatus to prevent drowning. Lye explained that they don’t want people constantly worrying about surfacing for air, and would rather have them enjoying the action. A whole new set of attacks opens up to the player when they are under water.
Guild Wars 2 PvP
One of the big reveals for Gamescom was the Player-vs-Player mode in Guild Wars 2. Lye explained that many of the ArenaNet team are staunch FPS fans, which they believe to be one of the best genres for competitive PvP. They took what they like about FPS games and brought it to Guild Wars 2.
Games can be found easily through a PvP game browser, much like a server browser, and the PvP instances are hot-joinable, so there will be no waiting in queues for battle to begin. 10 versus 10 is the current maximum. On display at Gamescom was a Conquest mode in which control points must be captured and held for points and victory.
Players will all be on a level playing field, with skills and items all equal. Lye explained that in Guild Wars 2 PvP, skill is going to be tantamount. Players will be using their character from the Player vs Environment mode, so they will have a familiar character when they jump into PvP, continuing the relationship they have built.
Maps will contain destructible elements and machines of war to aid in that destruction. This opens tactical considerations for experienced players, such as destroying the roof of a large building to remove enemy cover and provide a new entry point for team mates.
More PvP modes will be revealed at a later stage, including a tantalising server vs server mode.
Overall, Guild Wars 2 is a very exciting game. The characters and classes are looking very robust and interesting. It features classic RPG story-driven gameplay with numerous plots and details to explore in the massive game world. Players could well enjoy the game largely as a solo experience if they choose, but of course, joining with loads of other human players to battle a gigantic undead dragon is probably something most will not pass on. There will be competitive PvP modes for those who want a change of pace from the storyline . Graphically, the game looks great and has its own unique style, and the audio and music is of high quality.
Best of all, it does not use a subscription model. A once off purchase gets you permanent access to a highly regarded MMO. The only additional costs will be the inevitable expansion packs, but continuing support for the game with more content is hardly a gripe.
Could Guild Wars 2 be the only MMORPG you’ll need in 2012? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and on the MyGaming forum.
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