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http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/gw2-pvp-systems-information-summary-t19633.html
Player versus Player
PvP is a competitive game mode occuring between players. In Guild Wars 2™, it can be structured or unstructured.
Structured PvP provides an even playing field, where players are temporary given the maximum level (if not attained already) and unlocked all skills and traits. Certain skills and traits have changed functionalities and descriptions, and some are even disabled and can’t be used. Presumably, access to an equipment customization screen is granted.
Unstructured PvP is the exact opposite of structured PvP where players enter with their already developed characters, and their current levels and currently unlocked abilities and equipment, thus providing an imbalanced environment. No skills or traits are changed.
Some activities, otherwise known as mini-games, resolve around player combat that is different than the rest of the game with very specific rules.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PvP
Availability & Access
Structured PvP
Tournaments
Pick-up play
WvW
Maps, Control Points, Objectives, Accessibility, Server Participation, Character Progression and Personal Rewards, Global Rewards, Guilds in WvW, Parties
Activities
PvP Lore Summary
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Availability & Access
Utilitary
There are no level restrictions to PvP.
Despite having multiple worlds, GW2 has a global database; transferring between servers is available and simpler than in other games.
GW2 doesn’t have pure PvP characters. Players have only role-playing (RP) characters who can be taken anywhere and will still have everything unlocked in organized PvP.
Creating a new character is as simple as going through the character creation screen, completing the starting zone and switching to PvP mode through portals located in main cities.
A feature comparable to GW1's observer (spectator) mode is available in GW2. - GW2Guru
A lobby system where people can choose different match-ups is present. - GW2Guru
Mix-matching between PvP and PvE is not present in GW2, as it was in GW1. There is a strict separation between these two game modes. The personal story has no influence in PvP; it serves only for the characters to embody and enhance the knowledge of the player to Tyria. - wartower.de
There will be PvP armor which every player has instant access to. Players can earn different looks for their PvP armor afterwards. - GW2Guru
Combat Mechanics
PvP combat features visually intense fights and skills available to fulfill several functions. Skills are designed such so they can be easily recognized.
Ground effects for skills are the following:
Allied skills that have on benefit on allies or harm opponents are encircled with a white ring to the player individual.
Opponent skills that harm opponents are encircled with a red ring to the player individual.
Allied skills that provide positive benefits to the team are encircled in a blue ring. Opponents see such skills with a white ring. - IncGamers
Downed mode applies equally to both PvE and PvP. In PvP, players have the option to perform a “finishing move” on downed foes to dispatch them more rapidly. - GW2Guru
Body blocking is not present, and there are no plans of re-introducing it. There are howerver, a variety of systems that make up that lack (such as positioning and projectile hit detection). - GW2Italia
Dueling as a format is not available in the game, as PvP combat is balanced around groups of players fighting and not one-on-one engagements. Dueling is on the “wish list” of things to add, but is unlikely to be made into the game on release. - MyGW2
Underwater combat is planned for PvP but is currently unavailable. - GW2Guru
Energy potions have drop locations around the map in PvP; each player enters with a set amount of potions in combat. - Kill Ten Rats
There is less emphasis in GW2 on quick reactions, interrupts and shutdowns. The focus is more on strategic positioning and proactive skill usage. Interrupts are still in the game, but with the lowered emphasis on healing, it is much less important than what it was in GW1.
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Structured PvP
Structured, or organized PvP has preset rules where everyone is on an equal playing field. Players take their character to PvP and retain their name, race, and profession. There is no power progression unlocking, everyone has access to the same power level, equipment, skills and traits. Any unlocks are purely for cosmetic items and cosmetic achievements. - GameReactor
There are a number of shared goals the PvP formats have, and they are scaled to different team sizes. Similar to dynamic events, you may join them in the middle of play. Some of the objectives are: capture the flag or escort a golem. - RPS
Structured PvP is divided on tournaments and pick-up play.
Tournaments
Tournaments allow smaller, prearranged, organized teams, of even sizes, to face off in brackets that determine an eventual winner. Teams are composed of 5 players, resulting in slightly larger maps than 4v4 areas in GW1. The aim for GW2 is to be a true e-sport.
Tournaments and automated tournaments - both big and small - will be ran frequently to give ad-hoc teams a fighting chance.
Player statistics and rankings are tracked and generated, and players can compare each other. - IncGamers
Splitting, where certain teams members divide from the main team, is focused on maps with several objectives where the accent is on constant motion (comparable to League of Legends or Team Fortress 2). Quote: “You’re 5 at point A then you go 3/2 only to go 4/1 the moment after, then you switch to 3/1/1 etc.” - Mondes Persistants
Pick-up play
Pick-up play features variable (and larger) team sizes with public games that are hot-joinable. Players can leave or join a game already in progress, and the game modes and types are built in to support this. - GameSpy
Choosing a map is done via a server browser, similar to a first-person shooter. Players can filter the search through a variety of settings, such as different maps or available space. - IncGamers
Players can form a group or join a game on their own with this system. The group sizes can be adjusted as well. - GW2Guru
Quote: “Since games are hot-join, we want to add support for micro-communities to have some control over the type of play environment the want, while in turn letting all players seek out the experience they enjoy.” - GW2Guru
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World versus World versus World
WvW is an unstructured PvP type, taking part in the Mists. Three worlds (servers) are matched up in one massive on-going fight with hundreds of players, where the goals are acquiring resources are capturing territory. The battle lasts up to two weeks, after which the participating worlds are reshuffled. Players may come and go as they please, sometimes generating uneven numbers between the player factions.
Maps
There are four persistent maps (areas) in WvW. They are available at all times, and don't have player limits and occur in the same realm. Each server is given their own home starting area, and in between them is a huge, neutral area that is connected with the other three areas. Teams invade their opponents' home maps only by first going through the center map, as there is no other connection between the starting areas.
These four maps will always remain unchanged and unaltered in design, so players don't have to re-learn new maps. - GW2Guru
Control Points
Each area has access to vital locations such as castles, mercenary camps, mines, mills and villages. The ones belonging to the central area provide valuable resources for each player controlled camp.
Once players travel to the center map, each team begins at their own portal keep. - Variance
There are NPC guards that defend certain controllable objectives, such as keeps. Their purpose is more defensive than it is offensive, and they slow down the capturing process, allowing enough time for players to defend their controlled object. - IncGamers
Objectives
There are different objectives (conquest points) to keep players involved regardless of whether they prefer going solo or traveling in a group of a hundred. The objectives are various, and resolve either around defending or capturing points of interest, gathering resources (such as rocks) or simply defeating other players. The points of interest are including, but not limited to: supply caravans and trains, mines, siege weapons (e.g.: catapults, ballistas), lumber yards or mills, watch towers, fortresses (keeps).
Keeps are massive castles, for which are battles often resolved with siege weapons, breaching walls, and gates, and towers, capturing all these important points for the world in question.
The rotation and persistence of the objectives in WvW is similar to the event system where it encourages players to gather their forces and complete the goals at hand.
Accessibility
WvW has a more casual environment. It teaches the player core competencies that allow them to get involved in the high-end PvP if they wish, being the “bridge” between PvE and PvP.
Side-kicking is automatically applied to players in WvW. It brings everyone on a higher power level in order to sufficiently increase the degree of participation and contribution to the fight that everyone is able to manage.
Quote: "It's intended to equalize things a bit, but it's not meant to make you equal too. A level 1 who is kicked up to level 80 is not as good as “real” level 80 player. And there's some progression in side-kicking as well. Level 1 side-kicked up to level 80 is worse than level 20 side-kicked up to level 80, which is worse than level 40 side-kicked up to level 80." - CD-Action
Players are able to transfer between servers during a WvW match-up. As it would not be fair to allow people from other worlds to influence the balance of the battle by constantly moving between servers, there are some short-time restrictions for such players. - Univers Virtuels
Despite the large potential for unbalanced numbers between groups, a small group is still legible to defeat a larger group in combat.
Server Participation
Every server is permanently engaged in WvW. The total number of servers will naturally have to be dividable by three.
The are no means of direct communication between the servers in WvW. If one side dominates, the other two servers can co-operate with an “unspoken agreement”. - buffed.de
Servers have a server ranking, which functions similarly to guild rankings. It may mean that the most dominant and frequently winning servers will often play against each others.
Server matchup are done between worlds of similar timezones. - GW2Guru
Character Progression and Personal Rewards
As WvW is unstructured, your character progression plays a significant role. If you choose to do so, you can level your character to the max level solely through WvW. You can unlock abilities, gain skills, increase your power curve and obtain loot items from other players through random drops. - TenTonHammer
Higher level players may dominate lower level players in solo encounters. - IncGamers
Global Rewards
WvW can have a real impact on the server. By achieving victories in these battles there are benefits to the winning world, and the bonus will be unlocked to every player on the server, regardless if he participated or not.. These benefits are included, but not limited to: increased energy or health regeneration rate, enhanced loot drop rate or higher experience percentage gain. - NinjaLooter
People will only get bonuses in WvW during the contest, not after. There may be a time period where you are ineligible to receive the bonuses after switching servers. - GW2Guru
Guilds in WvW
Guilds have a more common purpose and are able to hold keeps for a placement in the world.
Members of one’s guilds are very visible in order to keep a track of them, whether they are on the map or are close to the player. - IncGamers
Parties
There are no formal mechanics for players making a party larger than 5. Players can co-ordinate the actions of multiple parties through the use of shared chat channels or other means of communication. - Guild-Hall.cz
Examples on participation:
Quote:
Jeff Strain: The idea is that it's this big open-structure PvP battlefield, and depending on your personal play style, you can choose to either be a tank and go up into the front lines and enter direct player-versus-player combat, or you can play more of a support role. Perhaps you want to protect a supply train that's bringing supplies to ballistas on the castle walls, or perhaps you want to man the ballistas and shoot the ballistas at the enemy. Or maybe you want to man a watchtower way out in the forest so that you can give your team early warning that the enemy is trying to flank around the side.
Quote:
Miller: The idea in this type of PvP is that it's very unstructured where there are a lot of different goals. For example, there's a castle that you want to take which is being held by an opposing world, but that takes a lot of players. But if you're in a smaller group or on your own, there may be a stone mine that is also held by that world and sends caravans of stone to that castle. So whilst you may not be able to take the castle, you could take the stone mine, which will provide you with stone for your catapults, or you could take the caravans so they don't get the stone and can't defend the other guys that are attacking them.
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Activities
Activities, or mini-games, are events that take part in the capital cities. They are very specific, each activity having different rules from the rest of the game.
Activities can either be solo - where the player competes for a higher score, team-based or a free-for-all. Some of the activities that have most PvP elements are including, but not limited to: bar brawl, snowball fight, keg brawl.
Players can participate in activities regardless of their level as activities are played on an equal footing.
Some activities are hot-joinable and can be entered while they’re in progress (such as the bar brawl).
Activities carry rewards. An example is given of a player knocking someobody out in a bar brawl and acquiring a Tooth (trophi item), which can be exchanged at a collector for various cosmetic items. - OnlineWelten
There are around 30 activities. - GameReactor
Examples on activities:
Quote:
John Stumme:The bar brawl is, quite literally, all about downing an ale and breaking the empty bottle over someone else’s head. Ales come in several different flavors, each conveying different effects when consumed-for example, Grenth’s Grog goes down easy but comes up rough, allowing the player to belch out a noxious gas cloud. As you might imagine, this burp cloud is unhealthy to anyone foolish enough to get close, as well as unattractive to prospective dates. Be careful when imbibing ale! As characters become increasingly more drunk, their chance to land a critical hit rises… as well as their chance to totally miss with attacks. In the bar brawl, players can choose to throw an ale bottle to stun someone, or use it as a makeshift bludgeoning object. Bottles have a chance to break on impact, but if that happens, the fun isn’t over yet-you can use your broken bottle to shank people!
[…] Kick someone into a table, splintering it into pieces, then send another opponent flying by swatting them with one of the boards from the broken table. Use your surroundings to your advantage! If you see someone else engaged in a fight,why not be the opportunist and chuck a keg at them from behind? There’s no teamwork here; you’re in it for yourself, and just like an actual brawl, you’re encouraged to fight dirty in order to win.
Quote:
John Stumme: For example, we’ve got an activity in Hoelbrak that’s basically a norn interpretation of basketball, so you’ve got passing, shooting, etc. The only difference is that the ball in this case is a heavy keg of ale.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1920x1080.
A keg brawl in progress.
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PvP Lore Summary
With the awakening of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the rise of the Orrian peninsula, many Tyrian areas were flooded or initially abandoned. One of such areas was the archipelago Battle Isles, located in the Clashing Sea. It served as home and main post of the Zaishen Order, the Isles’ largest guild organization, its protectors and practitioners of war. On the Isles, the human heroes from all three continents trained and tested their forces against each others on multiple battlements.
But due to the flooding which occurred approximately 100 years ago (circa 1219 AE), the Isles were no longer setteable, and the Zaishen Order were thus forced to colonize on mainland Tyria, losing contact with the Canthans - their largest supporters. The Zaishen still hold tournaments and serve to honor and protect the holy places, but now they honor more than the god Balthazar alone, resulting through their acceptance of members within all races in its lines, with all their philosophies and beliefs. They honor the Spirit of Bear, and the Eternal Alchemy’s place in chaos and strife; they revere the Charr heroes and Sylvari dreams of chivarly and courage.
The various affiliated groups and individuals are now bestowing the competition within The Mists, a nether region between many worlds, the building block of reality - a place where there is afterlife and the homes of gods and other powerful entities. The Mists are reachable through portals opened by the arcanist Lord Odran; one of such portals being near Lion’s Arch, the port town of Tyrian free nations, providing a direct link for all challengers seeking to prove their valor through massive world battles.
The influence of Elder Dragons on PvP is uncertain and unrevealed for now.
Quote:
MondesPersistants: Do Dragons have a role in PvP or are they involved only in PvE?
Chris Lye: Dragons play a huge role in the story of Guild Wars - they’re the ultimate enemy, primordial forces of nature. We can’t really discuss what role they will play in PvP right now, but the dragons cast their shadow over the entire Guild Wars universe.
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/...61&postcount=1
http://www.cdaction.pl/news-20880-4/guild-wars-2---wywiad-z-martinem-kersteinem-i-erikiem-flannumem.html
In English:
Last month, at the European press event, I had an opportunity to ask Martin Kerstein and Eric Flannum a few teeny tiny questions. The interview is kind of an online supplement to the Guild Wars 2 preview that will be published in the August issue of “CD-Action”, the largest Polish gaming magazine, in stores tomorrow, August 2nd, blah, blah, blah.
Sex-having Sylvari, undead breeding animals and yet another, THIS-TIME-123%-SUCCESSFUL-AMAGAWD, attempt to get Mesmer revealed - you'll find it all here! Please enjoy.
CDA: One of the lore questions that bother players the most is - do Sylvari have sex? Are they able to procreate on their own, or just keep sprouting out of the Pale Tree?
Martin Kerstein: I'm not exactly a lore person, but as far as I understand - yes, Sylvari can have sex and they will have sex with whoever they like, they are fully capable of doing so. But they don't do it to create to new Sylvaris. They actually grow from the tree.
CDA: We know one of the Elder Dragons, Zhaitan, commands an army of the undead. What kind of undead will we find in his ranks?
MK: He's based in Orr. The whole continent of Orr basically sunk and all the people died. So when Zhaitan brought Orr up back to the surface, he already had a lot of undead at his disposal. And he'll have whoever falls under his influence.
Eric Flannum: There's a huge variety in Zhaitan's army. Last few maps of the game are Orr, and we have to populate these maps. So you'll see things from undead giants to undead quaggan... and maybe undead chickens and cows! (laughs)
CDA: Are there any really big underwater cities in the game? Or places you will reach swimming down, and then you can walk normally again, some sort of Atlantis?
EF: You mean separate areas like Lion's Arch? No, there aren't any cities that are that large underwater now. And there are no places to swim down and walk normally.
CDA: Let's say I would like to play a Chaotic Evil Mesmer... as Mesmers will, obviously, make it to the final game...
MK: That's based only on your speculation!
CDA: Sure. So, what can I do to role-play an evil character?
MK: You will not be able to play a true evil character, as we want our players to be heroes. Though you can go for the vigilante-style, which means you'll be a good guy, but you can swagger, and intimidate people while talking to them.
CDA: Alright, so what are the differences between characters that are, for example, ferocious and heartful?
EF: When a character is ferocious you'll have a lot of different options. Occasionally, when you're doing your personal story, you'll have an option to do something you couldn't have done, if you weren't ferocious. You'll sometimes get different dialogue options, you'll sometimes see NPCs react differently to your actions.
CDA: These different actions I can perform - how different will they be? Will it be possible to kill an NPC, just through choice, because it's connected to my character's “alignment”? Something similar will be present in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
EF: It's usually not that extreme. We wanted to be appealing to role-playing players as much as possible. But we don't want people to concentrate on their possible gains, when choosing a particular personality. We want players to play the way they want to.
CDA: Will I be able to move my character, right after creation, to another race's starter area to level up right from the beginning with my friend playing another race?
MK: Well, almost from the beginning. Each area has one big city, like Divinity's Reach for the humans, and as soon as you reach these big cities, they'll have asura portals that allow you to travel to the other big cities, and these cities are connected to the starter areas of the others. So you can totally take a Norn to the Asura starter area. The only exception is for your personal story. You would have to go back to your instance, because they all start in your instance.
CDA: Will we see any DEs branching further than “either fail or win”? In which you are supposed to, say, either slay some boss or destroy an artifact?
EF: No, we tend not to do that within the same event. But there's a lot of events that require a few different objectives. Take a look at the pirate town you've seen - you need to both drive the pirates out and put down all of the fires there. But we usually don't have “do one thing or another”, because we don't want players to be arguing with each other about which way it should be done.
CDA: And will there be any system preventing DEs from having the same outcome all the time? For example, should players have been constantly successful in defending a particular village for a really long time, the attackers become stronger?
MK: You know, DEs are not like quests. If you don't do one branch, it's not like you're missing out. Our events happen even when there are no players around, and I doubt the players will be content with defending the village for months. Also, our events normally have a higher chance that players will win. There are some really challenging ones, but normally, apart from curiosity, nobody would try to fail at something. People like to achieve stuff.
CDA: The bridge we can see in ArenaNet's MMO Manifesto video - is it a part of a DE? If yes, how long would it take to get this bridge rebuilt?
MK: Yes, it's a part of a DE. And I think it depends on how many players participate in doing it. If you try to do it on your own, it will definitely take you way longer than as if there's a bunch of players gathering resources.
CDA: Have you included body-blocking in the game, either in PvE or PvP?
MK: No, neither in PvE nor PvP. But you can use terrain to your advantage, lure a creature into a bottleneck and so on.
CDA: Could you please clarify - how often will the WvWvW battles take place? We've heard about a few different time frames - once a week, a few times in a week...
EF: Well, yes, we're going through a lot of iteration right now. It's currently 2 weeks.
CDA: OMG, two freaking weeks?!
EF: I mean, WvWvW is always open, all the time. The only thing that changes is how long the match lasts - it's up to 2 weeks right now. If the match reaches that point, the winner is declared, whoever is ahead on points, and it will match up three new worlds. But two weeks... we don't know, what it's gonna be in the end.
CDA: Have you already decided what bonuses will victory in WvWvW earn the winning world?
MK: No, we're still toying around with it.
CDA: Could you please explain how does sidekicking up work [in WvWvW]?
EF: It's intended to equalize things a bit, but it's not meant to make you equal too. A level 1 who is kicked up to level 80 is not as good as [“real”] level 80 player. And there's some progression in sidekicking as well. Level 1 sidekicked up to level 80 is worse than level 20 sidekicked up to level 80, which is worse than level 40 sidekicked up to level 80.
CDA: It seems that, contrary to sidekicking down, sidekicking up doesn't happen automatically and we have to find some higher level player to help us. Is that correct?
EF: No, it happens automatically, too.
CDA: Dungeons in Explorable Mode were said to contain “puzzles”. Could you elaborate?
EF: There will be many different puzzles, like boss-monster puzzles, where you have to figure out a relationship to beat a boss, puzzles of disarming traps, and you guys had a simpler version of this there [in the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon], and there are riddles like these you had with the Raven. All kinds of puzzles, really.
CDA: Talking about the game's loot system you always mention armor as an example of getting loot in the dungeons or with karma. But what about the weapons, will it work the same way?
MK: That works the same as with the armor. We normally talk about the armors, because we use it to explain the system - the armors are sets, and you collect tokens for different parts. The weapon is just one piece.
CDA: Will it be possible to enhance our weapons by adding some specific visual effects to them, say putting flames onto a sword?
EF: Like adding flames? Yes, you'll see modifications that add such effects on the weapons. And if it's an upgrade, it always has beneficial game effect in addition to changing appearance.
CDA: I've seen people complaining that combat in Guild Wars 2 sometimes seems too flashy and thus chaotic, with all the explosions and spell effects rolling on the screen. Will you do anything about it?
EF: It's a thing we're actually working on. We recognize it's one of the problems the game has right now. And it probably won't even be a matter that you'll have to turn them off yourself. The game will be smart about it, trying to tone down things in areas where there's too many effects. So we'll have a system to take care of that.
CDA: Will the game support any /commands used to, say, target a particular, important enemy that's hidden somewhere in the group of foes?
MK: We don't have such /commands, but you can switch between enemies with TAB. And we have keyboard commands, like Ctrl+T, to call a target when you're in a group, just like in Guild Wars 1. And you can of course target enemies with your mouse.
EF: And there probably will be something like select nearest target.
CDA: What about highlighting the enemies? Because, you know, everything looks great... until you highlight an enemy.
EF: We tried many, many different ways of highlighting. With the way that our game works, how action-oriented it is, with all the effects, it was actually necessary to tell what you're targeting. It's not as if it's the first targeting we've ever put in the game. We went through many, many different targeting effects, and that's the one we think helps you play the game the most.
CDA: Will Guild Wars 2 Official Wiki be accessible through game, just like GWWiki is in GW1?
EF: Yes, it will be at least as accessible in Guild Wars 2.
CDA: To what extent will we be able to modify the UI? Dragging the minimap all around the screen in GW1 was great.
EF: It won't be as extensive as GW1, where you could resize everything. We will have some options, there will be some things you could resize, move around, and all that. We're not entirely sure how extensive that will be yet, but there will be some amount of it.
CDA: ArenaNet is known for the fact it listens to their fans. Do you have any examples of big changes you made just because of the fans' feedback?
EF: I don't think there are any big changes, we usually don't have different opinions than our fans. Let's take one example - we added walking to the game. It's not that we didn't want that feature in the game, just it would take us amount of time and we ended up re-prioritizing that. It's usually the case of “well, we want to prioritize this, and we'll do that at some point later”, and when we see fans, really, really value something, we'll try to get it in.
CDA: Recently, we've seen an increase in the number of online cyber attacks. Among affected services were online games - EVE Online, League of Legends, etc. Will there be any special security measures in Guild Wars 2 that will protect servers from such threats?
MK: I can't tell you any details, but I can assure you we take security very serious and we're taking these things into account.
CDA: Maybe you should convince NC Soft to introduce some sort of authenticators for PlayNC?
MK: I can't comment on NC soft global strategy, either.
CDA: I think one of you promised players who had played the Mesmer in GW1, that in GW2 they would find a profession to fill their expectations. I'll ask this way, then: have we already seen the profession that meets their expectations?
EF: That's... a very interesting question. We have certainly seen a few professions that can fit some of their expectations, but I don't think we have seen the character that would best fit their expectations. :)
Ring
Vanguard Scout
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Echovald
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian of the Light
There's still a ton of questions.
I mean the asari have a reason to have sex, they need to mix up their genes. In universe that explained everything.
Sylvari don't really have a reason to, at least not one that's explained, so I ask why do they have sex? Plus are they monogamous? Or polygamous? How do they view other species? I mean they are a curious race...
I could go on with this.
I think that's a good reason to. Or heck, why do many humans do it? It could be argued that we're so interested in it because we have a biological need to reproduce, but it serves more purposes than just that, and even those of us who don't ever want to have kids are often just as happy about it. I mean, here we have an activity that's supposed to be fun, helps build positive emotional bonds, can be done solo or in a group, is equally appealing to both hardcores and casuals, rewards all parties when challenges are overcome, has a lot of replay value through variation, and you don't even have to travel to the Ascalon Catacombs to do it (unless, of course, that's your thing ). Why not give it a try?
Chances are they have as much variation in their sexual expression as any other race, and possibly more so just because they're absorbing information from everywhere. When we get more info next week we'll probably know better how much of a defined culture they've managed to form in the short time they've been around, but they're going to be exposed as a group to everything from people who are too embarrassed to talk about "it" to pub crawls where everybody in the place is telling lewd stories and roaring with laughter at bawdy songs. They'll see both healthy and unhealthy sexual expression, and from what we've been told so far I think they're intelligent and far-seeing enough that they'd be able to sift cultural taboos from things that actually hurt people, for the most part. Stuff like monogamy or polygamy has no cultural root (har har) with them that we know of, so it may be that they'll decide that kind of thing based on their own individual preferences and situations.
I'm personally very happy with the fact that they don't need a reason to have sex beyond what would seem to be obvious: it's fun and it's there and they can, so why not? In my years as a sci-fi/fantasy fan, one thing I've noticed is that fandom, and even creators, tend to treat sex as something that needs species-wide biological permission. They breed like this, so they need to, and enjoying it is just a side effect of their brains telling them that they essentially have no choice--so it's okay! It's almost always assumed that races or characters with no need for sexual procreation would have no interest at all in it. Without the need, they don't have permission. That casts sexual behavior in a "naughty" light (oh woe is us, if only we were so sexually innocent, but lo, our hind brains are telling us to make babies~), and is sort of ridiculous when humans in fiction are generally trying any alien experience or technology that they can get their hands on and having their minds blown by it, even if their biology is totally incompatible.
Last edited by Ring; Yesterday at 11:49 AM.
Ring
Vanguard Scout
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Echovald
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajaxfetish
On the topic of Sylvari sex, I think the real question is why they would have sex organs at all. If they aren't used at all for reproduction, what purpose do they fulfill? If none, then the creature itself is unnecessarily inefficient.
Sylvari did not, to the best of our knowledge, undergo any kind of evolutionary process, and even if they had, there are any number of things in evolved species that are completely inefficient.
But if we really need a reason to do it beyond "yay funtimes," how's this: a huge part of sylvari species growth is based on interaction with and learning from other species. Sexual activity, being such a major part of most living beings' lives, facilitates bonding between individual sylvari and members of other races, giving them more opportunities to pass on information to forthcoming generations. This would also probably include the desire to have sexual/romantic relationships with each other, because biology generally isn't smart enough to distinguish little details like that. Sexual activity between non-reproducing humans has been shown to have a positive emotional/psychological/physical effect regardless, so there's no reason that the same wouldn't hold true for sylvari.
Originally Posted by Ghosts of Ascalon
The humanoid appearance, Dougal knew, was a lie. Killeen and the others of her race were born fully formed from the fruit of a great white-barked tree far to the south. There was no animal warmth to her flesh. The sylvari were a recent addition to the world, their entire race only a little older than Dougal himself, but they had already spread far and wide, like an invading weed. Killeen had all the traits attributed to her race: she was honest, direct, and focused. In many ways she was better than most humans he knew.
That may have been what made Dougal most uncomfortable of all.
Player versus Player
PvP is a competitive game mode occuring between players. In Guild Wars 2™, it can be structured or unstructured.
Structured PvP provides an even playing field, where players are temporary given the maximum level (if not attained already) and unlocked all skills and traits. Certain skills and traits have changed functionalities and descriptions, and some are even disabled and can’t be used. Presumably, access to an equipment customization screen is granted.
Unstructured PvP is the exact opposite of structured PvP where players enter with their already developed characters, and their current levels and currently unlocked abilities and equipment, thus providing an imbalanced environment. No skills or traits are changed.
Some activities, otherwise known as mini-games, resolve around player combat that is different than the rest of the game with very specific rules.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PvP
Availability & Access
Structured PvP
Tournaments
Pick-up play
WvW
Maps, Control Points, Objectives, Accessibility, Server Participation, Character Progression and Personal Rewards, Global Rewards, Guilds in WvW, Parties
Activities
PvP Lore Summary
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Availability & Access
Utilitary
There are no level restrictions to PvP.
Despite having multiple worlds, GW2 has a global database; transferring between servers is available and simpler than in other games.
GW2 doesn’t have pure PvP characters. Players have only role-playing (RP) characters who can be taken anywhere and will still have everything unlocked in organized PvP.
Creating a new character is as simple as going through the character creation screen, completing the starting zone and switching to PvP mode through portals located in main cities.
A feature comparable to GW1's observer (spectator) mode is available in GW2. - GW2Guru
A lobby system where people can choose different match-ups is present. - GW2Guru
Mix-matching between PvP and PvE is not present in GW2, as it was in GW1. There is a strict separation between these two game modes. The personal story has no influence in PvP; it serves only for the characters to embody and enhance the knowledge of the player to Tyria. - wartower.de
There will be PvP armor which every player has instant access to. Players can earn different looks for their PvP armor afterwards. - GW2Guru
Combat Mechanics
PvP combat features visually intense fights and skills available to fulfill several functions. Skills are designed such so they can be easily recognized.
Ground effects for skills are the following:
Allied skills that have on benefit on allies or harm opponents are encircled with a white ring to the player individual.
Opponent skills that harm opponents are encircled with a red ring to the player individual.
Allied skills that provide positive benefits to the team are encircled in a blue ring. Opponents see such skills with a white ring. - IncGamers
Downed mode applies equally to both PvE and PvP. In PvP, players have the option to perform a “finishing move” on downed foes to dispatch them more rapidly. - GW2Guru
Body blocking is not present, and there are no plans of re-introducing it. There are howerver, a variety of systems that make up that lack (such as positioning and projectile hit detection). - GW2Italia
Dueling as a format is not available in the game, as PvP combat is balanced around groups of players fighting and not one-on-one engagements. Dueling is on the “wish list” of things to add, but is unlikely to be made into the game on release. - MyGW2
Underwater combat is planned for PvP but is currently unavailable. - GW2Guru
Energy potions have drop locations around the map in PvP; each player enters with a set amount of potions in combat. - Kill Ten Rats
There is less emphasis in GW2 on quick reactions, interrupts and shutdowns. The focus is more on strategic positioning and proactive skill usage. Interrupts are still in the game, but with the lowered emphasis on healing, it is much less important than what it was in GW1.
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Structured PvP
Structured, or organized PvP has preset rules where everyone is on an equal playing field. Players take their character to PvP and retain their name, race, and profession. There is no power progression unlocking, everyone has access to the same power level, equipment, skills and traits. Any unlocks are purely for cosmetic items and cosmetic achievements. - GameReactor
There are a number of shared goals the PvP formats have, and they are scaled to different team sizes. Similar to dynamic events, you may join them in the middle of play. Some of the objectives are: capture the flag or escort a golem. - RPS
Structured PvP is divided on tournaments and pick-up play.
Tournaments
Tournaments allow smaller, prearranged, organized teams, of even sizes, to face off in brackets that determine an eventual winner. Teams are composed of 5 players, resulting in slightly larger maps than 4v4 areas in GW1. The aim for GW2 is to be a true e-sport.
Tournaments and automated tournaments - both big and small - will be ran frequently to give ad-hoc teams a fighting chance.
Player statistics and rankings are tracked and generated, and players can compare each other. - IncGamers
Splitting, where certain teams members divide from the main team, is focused on maps with several objectives where the accent is on constant motion (comparable to League of Legends or Team Fortress 2). Quote: “You’re 5 at point A then you go 3/2 only to go 4/1 the moment after, then you switch to 3/1/1 etc.” - Mondes Persistants
Pick-up play
Pick-up play features variable (and larger) team sizes with public games that are hot-joinable. Players can leave or join a game already in progress, and the game modes and types are built in to support this. - GameSpy
Choosing a map is done via a server browser, similar to a first-person shooter. Players can filter the search through a variety of settings, such as different maps or available space. - IncGamers
Players can form a group or join a game on their own with this system. The group sizes can be adjusted as well. - GW2Guru
Quote: “Since games are hot-join, we want to add support for micro-communities to have some control over the type of play environment the want, while in turn letting all players seek out the experience they enjoy.” - GW2Guru
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World versus World versus World
WvW is an unstructured PvP type, taking part in the Mists. Three worlds (servers) are matched up in one massive on-going fight with hundreds of players, where the goals are acquiring resources are capturing territory. The battle lasts up to two weeks, after which the participating worlds are reshuffled. Players may come and go as they please, sometimes generating uneven numbers between the player factions.
Maps
There are four persistent maps (areas) in WvW. They are available at all times, and don't have player limits and occur in the same realm. Each server is given their own home starting area, and in between them is a huge, neutral area that is connected with the other three areas. Teams invade their opponents' home maps only by first going through the center map, as there is no other connection between the starting areas.
These four maps will always remain unchanged and unaltered in design, so players don't have to re-learn new maps. - GW2Guru
Control Points
Each area has access to vital locations such as castles, mercenary camps, mines, mills and villages. The ones belonging to the central area provide valuable resources for each player controlled camp.
Once players travel to the center map, each team begins at their own portal keep. - Variance
There are NPC guards that defend certain controllable objectives, such as keeps. Their purpose is more defensive than it is offensive, and they slow down the capturing process, allowing enough time for players to defend their controlled object. - IncGamers
Objectives
There are different objectives (conquest points) to keep players involved regardless of whether they prefer going solo or traveling in a group of a hundred. The objectives are various, and resolve either around defending or capturing points of interest, gathering resources (such as rocks) or simply defeating other players. The points of interest are including, but not limited to: supply caravans and trains, mines, siege weapons (e.g.: catapults, ballistas), lumber yards or mills, watch towers, fortresses (keeps).
Keeps are massive castles, for which are battles often resolved with siege weapons, breaching walls, and gates, and towers, capturing all these important points for the world in question.
The rotation and persistence of the objectives in WvW is similar to the event system where it encourages players to gather their forces and complete the goals at hand.
Accessibility
WvW has a more casual environment. It teaches the player core competencies that allow them to get involved in the high-end PvP if they wish, being the “bridge” between PvE and PvP.
Side-kicking is automatically applied to players in WvW. It brings everyone on a higher power level in order to sufficiently increase the degree of participation and contribution to the fight that everyone is able to manage.
Quote: "It's intended to equalize things a bit, but it's not meant to make you equal too. A level 1 who is kicked up to level 80 is not as good as “real” level 80 player. And there's some progression in side-kicking as well. Level 1 side-kicked up to level 80 is worse than level 20 side-kicked up to level 80, which is worse than level 40 side-kicked up to level 80." - CD-Action
Players are able to transfer between servers during a WvW match-up. As it would not be fair to allow people from other worlds to influence the balance of the battle by constantly moving between servers, there are some short-time restrictions for such players. - Univers Virtuels
Despite the large potential for unbalanced numbers between groups, a small group is still legible to defeat a larger group in combat.
Server Participation
Every server is permanently engaged in WvW. The total number of servers will naturally have to be dividable by three.
The are no means of direct communication between the servers in WvW. If one side dominates, the other two servers can co-operate with an “unspoken agreement”. - buffed.de
Servers have a server ranking, which functions similarly to guild rankings. It may mean that the most dominant and frequently winning servers will often play against each others.
Server matchup are done between worlds of similar timezones. - GW2Guru
Character Progression and Personal Rewards
As WvW is unstructured, your character progression plays a significant role. If you choose to do so, you can level your character to the max level solely through WvW. You can unlock abilities, gain skills, increase your power curve and obtain loot items from other players through random drops. - TenTonHammer
Higher level players may dominate lower level players in solo encounters. - IncGamers
Global Rewards
WvW can have a real impact on the server. By achieving victories in these battles there are benefits to the winning world, and the bonus will be unlocked to every player on the server, regardless if he participated or not.. These benefits are included, but not limited to: increased energy or health regeneration rate, enhanced loot drop rate or higher experience percentage gain. - NinjaLooter
People will only get bonuses in WvW during the contest, not after. There may be a time period where you are ineligible to receive the bonuses after switching servers. - GW2Guru
Guilds in WvW
Guilds have a more common purpose and are able to hold keeps for a placement in the world.
Members of one’s guilds are very visible in order to keep a track of them, whether they are on the map or are close to the player. - IncGamers
Parties
There are no formal mechanics for players making a party larger than 5. Players can co-ordinate the actions of multiple parties through the use of shared chat channels or other means of communication. - Guild-Hall.cz
Examples on participation:
Quote:
Jeff Strain: The idea is that it's this big open-structure PvP battlefield, and depending on your personal play style, you can choose to either be a tank and go up into the front lines and enter direct player-versus-player combat, or you can play more of a support role. Perhaps you want to protect a supply train that's bringing supplies to ballistas on the castle walls, or perhaps you want to man the ballistas and shoot the ballistas at the enemy. Or maybe you want to man a watchtower way out in the forest so that you can give your team early warning that the enemy is trying to flank around the side.
Quote:
Miller: The idea in this type of PvP is that it's very unstructured where there are a lot of different goals. For example, there's a castle that you want to take which is being held by an opposing world, but that takes a lot of players. But if you're in a smaller group or on your own, there may be a stone mine that is also held by that world and sends caravans of stone to that castle. So whilst you may not be able to take the castle, you could take the stone mine, which will provide you with stone for your catapults, or you could take the caravans so they don't get the stone and can't defend the other guys that are attacking them.
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Activities
Activities, or mini-games, are events that take part in the capital cities. They are very specific, each activity having different rules from the rest of the game.
Activities can either be solo - where the player competes for a higher score, team-based or a free-for-all. Some of the activities that have most PvP elements are including, but not limited to: bar brawl, snowball fight, keg brawl.
Players can participate in activities regardless of their level as activities are played on an equal footing.
Some activities are hot-joinable and can be entered while they’re in progress (such as the bar brawl).
Activities carry rewards. An example is given of a player knocking someobody out in a bar brawl and acquiring a Tooth (trophi item), which can be exchanged at a collector for various cosmetic items. - OnlineWelten
There are around 30 activities. - GameReactor
Examples on activities:
Quote:
John Stumme:The bar brawl is, quite literally, all about downing an ale and breaking the empty bottle over someone else’s head. Ales come in several different flavors, each conveying different effects when consumed-for example, Grenth’s Grog goes down easy but comes up rough, allowing the player to belch out a noxious gas cloud. As you might imagine, this burp cloud is unhealthy to anyone foolish enough to get close, as well as unattractive to prospective dates. Be careful when imbibing ale! As characters become increasingly more drunk, their chance to land a critical hit rises… as well as their chance to totally miss with attacks. In the bar brawl, players can choose to throw an ale bottle to stun someone, or use it as a makeshift bludgeoning object. Bottles have a chance to break on impact, but if that happens, the fun isn’t over yet-you can use your broken bottle to shank people!
[…] Kick someone into a table, splintering it into pieces, then send another opponent flying by swatting them with one of the boards from the broken table. Use your surroundings to your advantage! If you see someone else engaged in a fight,why not be the opportunist and chuck a keg at them from behind? There’s no teamwork here; you’re in it for yourself, and just like an actual brawl, you’re encouraged to fight dirty in order to win.
Quote:
John Stumme: For example, we’ve got an activity in Hoelbrak that’s basically a norn interpretation of basketball, so you’ve got passing, shooting, etc. The only difference is that the ball in this case is a heavy keg of ale.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1920x1080.
A keg brawl in progress.
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PvP Lore Summary
With the awakening of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the rise of the Orrian peninsula, many Tyrian areas were flooded or initially abandoned. One of such areas was the archipelago Battle Isles, located in the Clashing Sea. It served as home and main post of the Zaishen Order, the Isles’ largest guild organization, its protectors and practitioners of war. On the Isles, the human heroes from all three continents trained and tested their forces against each others on multiple battlements.
But due to the flooding which occurred approximately 100 years ago (circa 1219 AE), the Isles were no longer setteable, and the Zaishen Order were thus forced to colonize on mainland Tyria, losing contact with the Canthans - their largest supporters. The Zaishen still hold tournaments and serve to honor and protect the holy places, but now they honor more than the god Balthazar alone, resulting through their acceptance of members within all races in its lines, with all their philosophies and beliefs. They honor the Spirit of Bear, and the Eternal Alchemy’s place in chaos and strife; they revere the Charr heroes and Sylvari dreams of chivarly and courage.
The various affiliated groups and individuals are now bestowing the competition within The Mists, a nether region between many worlds, the building block of reality - a place where there is afterlife and the homes of gods and other powerful entities. The Mists are reachable through portals opened by the arcanist Lord Odran; one of such portals being near Lion’s Arch, the port town of Tyrian free nations, providing a direct link for all challengers seeking to prove their valor through massive world battles.
The influence of Elder Dragons on PvP is uncertain and unrevealed for now.
Quote:
MondesPersistants: Do Dragons have a role in PvP or are they involved only in PvE?
Chris Lye: Dragons play a huge role in the story of Guild Wars - they’re the ultimate enemy, primordial forces of nature. We can’t really discuss what role they will play in PvP right now, but the dragons cast their shadow over the entire Guild Wars universe.
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/...61&postcount=1
http://www.cdaction.pl/news-20880-4/guild-wars-2---wywiad-z-martinem-kersteinem-i-erikiem-flannumem.html
In English:
Last month, at the European press event, I had an opportunity to ask Martin Kerstein and Eric Flannum a few teeny tiny questions. The interview is kind of an online supplement to the Guild Wars 2 preview that will be published in the August issue of “CD-Action”, the largest Polish gaming magazine, in stores tomorrow, August 2nd, blah, blah, blah.
Sex-having Sylvari, undead breeding animals and yet another, THIS-TIME-123%-SUCCESSFUL-AMAGAWD, attempt to get Mesmer revealed - you'll find it all here! Please enjoy.
CDA: One of the lore questions that bother players the most is - do Sylvari have sex? Are they able to procreate on their own, or just keep sprouting out of the Pale Tree?
Martin Kerstein: I'm not exactly a lore person, but as far as I understand - yes, Sylvari can have sex and they will have sex with whoever they like, they are fully capable of doing so. But they don't do it to create to new Sylvaris. They actually grow from the tree.
CDA: We know one of the Elder Dragons, Zhaitan, commands an army of the undead. What kind of undead will we find in his ranks?
MK: He's based in Orr. The whole continent of Orr basically sunk and all the people died. So when Zhaitan brought Orr up back to the surface, he already had a lot of undead at his disposal. And he'll have whoever falls under his influence.
Eric Flannum: There's a huge variety in Zhaitan's army. Last few maps of the game are Orr, and we have to populate these maps. So you'll see things from undead giants to undead quaggan... and maybe undead chickens and cows! (laughs)
CDA: Are there any really big underwater cities in the game? Or places you will reach swimming down, and then you can walk normally again, some sort of Atlantis?
EF: You mean separate areas like Lion's Arch? No, there aren't any cities that are that large underwater now. And there are no places to swim down and walk normally.
CDA: Let's say I would like to play a Chaotic Evil Mesmer... as Mesmers will, obviously, make it to the final game...
MK: That's based only on your speculation!
CDA: Sure. So, what can I do to role-play an evil character?
MK: You will not be able to play a true evil character, as we want our players to be heroes. Though you can go for the vigilante-style, which means you'll be a good guy, but you can swagger, and intimidate people while talking to them.
CDA: Alright, so what are the differences between characters that are, for example, ferocious and heartful?
EF: When a character is ferocious you'll have a lot of different options. Occasionally, when you're doing your personal story, you'll have an option to do something you couldn't have done, if you weren't ferocious. You'll sometimes get different dialogue options, you'll sometimes see NPCs react differently to your actions.
CDA: These different actions I can perform - how different will they be? Will it be possible to kill an NPC, just through choice, because it's connected to my character's “alignment”? Something similar will be present in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
EF: It's usually not that extreme. We wanted to be appealing to role-playing players as much as possible. But we don't want people to concentrate on their possible gains, when choosing a particular personality. We want players to play the way they want to.
CDA: Will I be able to move my character, right after creation, to another race's starter area to level up right from the beginning with my friend playing another race?
MK: Well, almost from the beginning. Each area has one big city, like Divinity's Reach for the humans, and as soon as you reach these big cities, they'll have asura portals that allow you to travel to the other big cities, and these cities are connected to the starter areas of the others. So you can totally take a Norn to the Asura starter area. The only exception is for your personal story. You would have to go back to your instance, because they all start in your instance.
CDA: Will we see any DEs branching further than “either fail or win”? In which you are supposed to, say, either slay some boss or destroy an artifact?
EF: No, we tend not to do that within the same event. But there's a lot of events that require a few different objectives. Take a look at the pirate town you've seen - you need to both drive the pirates out and put down all of the fires there. But we usually don't have “do one thing or another”, because we don't want players to be arguing with each other about which way it should be done.
CDA: And will there be any system preventing DEs from having the same outcome all the time? For example, should players have been constantly successful in defending a particular village for a really long time, the attackers become stronger?
MK: You know, DEs are not like quests. If you don't do one branch, it's not like you're missing out. Our events happen even when there are no players around, and I doubt the players will be content with defending the village for months. Also, our events normally have a higher chance that players will win. There are some really challenging ones, but normally, apart from curiosity, nobody would try to fail at something. People like to achieve stuff.
CDA: The bridge we can see in ArenaNet's MMO Manifesto video - is it a part of a DE? If yes, how long would it take to get this bridge rebuilt?
MK: Yes, it's a part of a DE. And I think it depends on how many players participate in doing it. If you try to do it on your own, it will definitely take you way longer than as if there's a bunch of players gathering resources.
CDA: Have you included body-blocking in the game, either in PvE or PvP?
MK: No, neither in PvE nor PvP. But you can use terrain to your advantage, lure a creature into a bottleneck and so on.
CDA: Could you please clarify - how often will the WvWvW battles take place? We've heard about a few different time frames - once a week, a few times in a week...
EF: Well, yes, we're going through a lot of iteration right now. It's currently 2 weeks.
CDA: OMG, two freaking weeks?!
EF: I mean, WvWvW is always open, all the time. The only thing that changes is how long the match lasts - it's up to 2 weeks right now. If the match reaches that point, the winner is declared, whoever is ahead on points, and it will match up three new worlds. But two weeks... we don't know, what it's gonna be in the end.
CDA: Have you already decided what bonuses will victory in WvWvW earn the winning world?
MK: No, we're still toying around with it.
CDA: Could you please explain how does sidekicking up work [in WvWvW]?
EF: It's intended to equalize things a bit, but it's not meant to make you equal too. A level 1 who is kicked up to level 80 is not as good as [“real”] level 80 player. And there's some progression in sidekicking as well. Level 1 sidekicked up to level 80 is worse than level 20 sidekicked up to level 80, which is worse than level 40 sidekicked up to level 80.
CDA: It seems that, contrary to sidekicking down, sidekicking up doesn't happen automatically and we have to find some higher level player to help us. Is that correct?
EF: No, it happens automatically, too.
CDA: Dungeons in Explorable Mode were said to contain “puzzles”. Could you elaborate?
EF: There will be many different puzzles, like boss-monster puzzles, where you have to figure out a relationship to beat a boss, puzzles of disarming traps, and you guys had a simpler version of this there [in the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon], and there are riddles like these you had with the Raven. All kinds of puzzles, really.
CDA: Talking about the game's loot system you always mention armor as an example of getting loot in the dungeons or with karma. But what about the weapons, will it work the same way?
MK: That works the same as with the armor. We normally talk about the armors, because we use it to explain the system - the armors are sets, and you collect tokens for different parts. The weapon is just one piece.
CDA: Will it be possible to enhance our weapons by adding some specific visual effects to them, say putting flames onto a sword?
EF: Like adding flames? Yes, you'll see modifications that add such effects on the weapons. And if it's an upgrade, it always has beneficial game effect in addition to changing appearance.
CDA: I've seen people complaining that combat in Guild Wars 2 sometimes seems too flashy and thus chaotic, with all the explosions and spell effects rolling on the screen. Will you do anything about it?
EF: It's a thing we're actually working on. We recognize it's one of the problems the game has right now. And it probably won't even be a matter that you'll have to turn them off yourself. The game will be smart about it, trying to tone down things in areas where there's too many effects. So we'll have a system to take care of that.
CDA: Will the game support any /commands used to, say, target a particular, important enemy that's hidden somewhere in the group of foes?
MK: We don't have such /commands, but you can switch between enemies with TAB. And we have keyboard commands, like Ctrl+T, to call a target when you're in a group, just like in Guild Wars 1. And you can of course target enemies with your mouse.
EF: And there probably will be something like select nearest target.
CDA: What about highlighting the enemies? Because, you know, everything looks great... until you highlight an enemy.
EF: We tried many, many different ways of highlighting. With the way that our game works, how action-oriented it is, with all the effects, it was actually necessary to tell what you're targeting. It's not as if it's the first targeting we've ever put in the game. We went through many, many different targeting effects, and that's the one we think helps you play the game the most.
CDA: Will Guild Wars 2 Official Wiki be accessible through game, just like GWWiki is in GW1?
EF: Yes, it will be at least as accessible in Guild Wars 2.
CDA: To what extent will we be able to modify the UI? Dragging the minimap all around the screen in GW1 was great.
EF: It won't be as extensive as GW1, where you could resize everything. We will have some options, there will be some things you could resize, move around, and all that. We're not entirely sure how extensive that will be yet, but there will be some amount of it.
CDA: ArenaNet is known for the fact it listens to their fans. Do you have any examples of big changes you made just because of the fans' feedback?
EF: I don't think there are any big changes, we usually don't have different opinions than our fans. Let's take one example - we added walking to the game. It's not that we didn't want that feature in the game, just it would take us amount of time and we ended up re-prioritizing that. It's usually the case of “well, we want to prioritize this, and we'll do that at some point later”, and when we see fans, really, really value something, we'll try to get it in.
CDA: Recently, we've seen an increase in the number of online cyber attacks. Among affected services were online games - EVE Online, League of Legends, etc. Will there be any special security measures in Guild Wars 2 that will protect servers from such threats?
MK: I can't tell you any details, but I can assure you we take security very serious and we're taking these things into account.
CDA: Maybe you should convince NC Soft to introduce some sort of authenticators for PlayNC?
MK: I can't comment on NC soft global strategy, either.
CDA: I think one of you promised players who had played the Mesmer in GW1, that in GW2 they would find a profession to fill their expectations. I'll ask this way, then: have we already seen the profession that meets their expectations?
EF: That's... a very interesting question. We have certainly seen a few professions that can fit some of their expectations, but I don't think we have seen the character that would best fit their expectations. :)
Ring
Vanguard Scout
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Echovald
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian of the Light
There's still a ton of questions.
I mean the asari have a reason to have sex, they need to mix up their genes. In universe that explained everything.
Sylvari don't really have a reason to, at least not one that's explained, so I ask why do they have sex? Plus are they monogamous? Or polygamous? How do they view other species? I mean they are a curious race...
I could go on with this.
I think that's a good reason to. Or heck, why do many humans do it? It could be argued that we're so interested in it because we have a biological need to reproduce, but it serves more purposes than just that, and even those of us who don't ever want to have kids are often just as happy about it. I mean, here we have an activity that's supposed to be fun, helps build positive emotional bonds, can be done solo or in a group, is equally appealing to both hardcores and casuals, rewards all parties when challenges are overcome, has a lot of replay value through variation, and you don't even have to travel to the Ascalon Catacombs to do it (unless, of course, that's your thing ). Why not give it a try?
Chances are they have as much variation in their sexual expression as any other race, and possibly more so just because they're absorbing information from everywhere. When we get more info next week we'll probably know better how much of a defined culture they've managed to form in the short time they've been around, but they're going to be exposed as a group to everything from people who are too embarrassed to talk about "it" to pub crawls where everybody in the place is telling lewd stories and roaring with laughter at bawdy songs. They'll see both healthy and unhealthy sexual expression, and from what we've been told so far I think they're intelligent and far-seeing enough that they'd be able to sift cultural taboos from things that actually hurt people, for the most part. Stuff like monogamy or polygamy has no cultural root (har har) with them that we know of, so it may be that they'll decide that kind of thing based on their own individual preferences and situations.
I'm personally very happy with the fact that they don't need a reason to have sex beyond what would seem to be obvious: it's fun and it's there and they can, so why not? In my years as a sci-fi/fantasy fan, one thing I've noticed is that fandom, and even creators, tend to treat sex as something that needs species-wide biological permission. They breed like this, so they need to, and enjoying it is just a side effect of their brains telling them that they essentially have no choice--so it's okay! It's almost always assumed that races or characters with no need for sexual procreation would have no interest at all in it. Without the need, they don't have permission. That casts sexual behavior in a "naughty" light (oh woe is us, if only we were so sexually innocent, but lo, our hind brains are telling us to make babies~), and is sort of ridiculous when humans in fiction are generally trying any alien experience or technology that they can get their hands on and having their minds blown by it, even if their biology is totally incompatible.
Last edited by Ring; Yesterday at 11:49 AM.
Ring
Vanguard Scout
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Echovald
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajaxfetish
On the topic of Sylvari sex, I think the real question is why they would have sex organs at all. If they aren't used at all for reproduction, what purpose do they fulfill? If none, then the creature itself is unnecessarily inefficient.
Sylvari did not, to the best of our knowledge, undergo any kind of evolutionary process, and even if they had, there are any number of things in evolved species that are completely inefficient.
But if we really need a reason to do it beyond "yay funtimes," how's this: a huge part of sylvari species growth is based on interaction with and learning from other species. Sexual activity, being such a major part of most living beings' lives, facilitates bonding between individual sylvari and members of other races, giving them more opportunities to pass on information to forthcoming generations. This would also probably include the desire to have sexual/romantic relationships with each other, because biology generally isn't smart enough to distinguish little details like that. Sexual activity between non-reproducing humans has been shown to have a positive emotional/psychological/physical effect regardless, so there's no reason that the same wouldn't hold true for sylvari.
Originally Posted by Ghosts of Ascalon
The humanoid appearance, Dougal knew, was a lie. Killeen and the others of her race were born fully formed from the fruit of a great white-barked tree far to the south. There was no animal warmth to her flesh. The sylvari were a recent addition to the world, their entire race only a little older than Dougal himself, but they had already spread far and wide, like an invading weed. Killeen had all the traits attributed to her race: she was honest, direct, and focused. In many ways she was better than most humans he knew.
That may have been what made Dougal most uncomfortable of all.