Photics - issue #35 - Guild Wars Edition

Fall 2009
GUILD WARS 2
IS ON THE WAY
...but what to
do until then?
Cover artwork by Dona Vajgand
Still Waiting For GW2
Can you believe it? The last Photics magazine was released over two years and about five months ago. As the
old cliche goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” But
apparently, time can fly when you’re not having fun. It’s been tough keeping up my interest in Guild Wars because ArenaNet has been fairly silent
about their sequel. Only recently did we receive a hint of new information.
Guild Wars™ is a trademark
of NCsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.
...and as exciting as that was, it really isn’t that much to go on.
Oh sure, swimming... jumping... no monthly fees... great graphics... artwork... but umm... didn’t we know that from two years ago?
When’s the beta? When’s the release date? Where’s Gaile Gray? What
happened to Jeff Strain? ArenaNet started out as a fairly drama free company. but these days, there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes.
I suppose this is to be expected. There are millions of players, all across
the globe, now part of the Guild Wars community. And unlike traditional
MMORPG games, your Guild Wars avatars have an indefinite lifespan.
So despite the increased drama and increased waiting, I’m still excited
about the Guild Wars franchise. I can’t seem to quit. With games like
EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft, leaving was simple... just delete my characters and cancel my subscription. Guild Wars
doesn’t work that way. I’ve deleted “TANK” many times. Yet, I still find
myself starting up again.
One of the main reasons I’m still playing - Title Farming
ArenaNet®
©2009 ArenaNet, Inc. All
rights reserved. ArenaNet,
Arena.Net and the ArenaNet
logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and/
or other countries.
This publication was created
by Photics.com ©2009
I’ve been killing so many Dwarves in Kilroy’s Punchout Challenge that I’m beginning to wonder if
I’m the reason that there are no Dwarves in the sequel.
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I used to break chops. I remember
chatting with the ArenaNet developers. Where are the lofty goals? What
is the reason to keep playing the
game? If everyone can easily hit level
20, how do you distinguish between
the good players and the bad? What
would be the end-game content?
ArenaNet delivered with Titles. It’s
one of the most ambitious and timeconsuming endeavours that I’ve ever
seen in a video game. It spans four
different chapters and it takes years of
real-world gameplay to complete.
What is the reward for this quest? I don’t know. I feel like it’s something to keep the community busy
while ArenaNet creates the sequel. The titles are supposed to translate into Guild Wars 2 rewards. While
I’m busy beating up Dwarves in Kilroy Stonekin’s Punch-Out Extravaganza, I’m wondering if this is
worth my time. What if all this hard work only translates into an Asura Yo-Yo? “Oh look at me and my
Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather’s Yo-Yo of Orc Slaying +2.” How exactly are these titles translated into rewards?
I don’t know. ArenaNet is not the chatty company that they once were. What I do know is that they’re
still hiring employees and NCsoft stock has climbed high in 2009. While many of other MMORPGs
have failed in the last two years, ArenaNet is quietly chugging along.
ArenaNet / NCsoft is also quietly learning from their mistakes. NCsoft is actively using Guild Wars to
promote Aion. The new /aion emote will allow Guild Wars players to show off Aion-like wings. No, you
won’t be able to fly in Guild Wars. Also, the promotion seems to be for a limited time. Basically, NCsoft
is taking precautionary measures to ensure the health of their new game... and they’re using the popularity of Guild Wars to do it. Good for them! Other NCsoft MMORPGs, like Tabula Rasa and Auto Assault,
have performed poorly. Aion seemed to be off to a decent start.
There was also some mumbling about a Guild Wars “Live” beta test. For those that were lucky enough
to catch the “Test Krewe” form -- and for those who qualified -- it was available for applications. But
mysteriously, the form is down again. This is the complete opposite from the early days of Guild Wars
- like the E3 for Everyone event and all of those beta weekends. What is this live content going to be
about? I’m not a traditional fanboy. I say things with the aim of making the game even better. Guild
Wars has a cluttered feel to it. While I enjoyed the “Mox” quest. In the back of my mind, I didn’t think
that a giant robot belonged in the game. If ArenaNet wants to add Sci-Fi content, why not make a whole
new game? Guild Wars doesn’t have to be a World of Warcraft clone and the Asura don’t have to be like
Engineering Gnomes.
...but hey, Humans will be teaming up with Charr in the sequel... so arguing about consistency seems
to be futile. It all goes back to the No Monthly Fees. I’ve quit other MMORPGs for lesser reasons than
what ArenaNet has done. Yet, it’s hard to argue with them. Take away the credit card requirement and
the game becomes so much more inviting... great graphics works too.
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The Moa
Illustration by Dona Vajgand
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Once upon a Guild Hall meeting, ponder emote, the thoughts so teasing,
Endless evenings lusting for loot became such a chore,
While I grinded, title farming, news feed went off alarming,
ArenaNet seemed so charming, with information of something in store.
“It’s a video,” I mumbled, mouse clicking to find out more —
Only fifty seconds, and the minutes four.
While the NPCs are aplenty, these walls are so empty,
An audience of one in a chamber that was made for more,
My feelings are so blue, chat channels with nothing to view,
“No one hears you.” those four words that I do abhor,
There used to be life here, I can remember the days before.
Yesterday is gone, those fine days of yore.
Ah, it was such a bummer to have such a dull summer,
Waiting many seasons to see the sequel on the showroom floor.
Eagerly wanting for the beta; — standing out in a sea of data,
With the surname name of Zeta — one in six million was the score.
For the rare and lucky testers a new world to explore,
And for me, there was nothing more.
My weakened mind was left waiting; a new game they were creating,
At that moment a bird came a squawking at my Guild Hall door.
The Black Moa would say little, only one phrase to belittle,
My spirit already so brittle, the two words impossible to ignore,
With it’s long beak that seemed to cackle, and voice to roar,
The bird screeched, “The Orr”
A new enemy to be fighting, and new challenges would be so exciting,
The words of the future, the Black Moa Bird did share with me,
But when I asked for more — he blinked and said nothing of the war.
Patiently I persisted, “Can I jump and swim to the ocean floor?”
“Are there treasures galore and is this a battle for the hardcore?”
But the only reply, “The Orr”
The bird seems a bit deranged, its brain had been rearranged.
By such visions of evils, the future brings dark and twisted upheavals.
This Moa must speak of more information, what of the Ascalonian nation?
The key to salvation, trapped in a fowl with a mind so poor.
Speak you beast, answer me, tell me about the coming war.
The Moa said nothing, only “The Orr”
And the Moa, ever squawking, ever stalking, never talking,
Except for the name of race hidden deep within Guild Wars lore,
And the Moa’s feathers as dark as night, ominous of such a fright
And the fate of my Ascalonian comrades only known heretofore,
And I’m left here waiting, grinding, searching, preparing for war,
Waiting to buy the sequel, in the NCsoft store.
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...a surprising suggestion!
I’ve been playing Guild Wars since February 2004. Now some diehard fans might be quick to call me a
liar. “No way Mike, Guild Wars was released in April 2005. It’s not possible to have been playing that
long.” Ah... but I was invited into the private Alpha. Those were amazing days. The game had a feeling
about it, something that I think was lost upon release. With Guild Wars 2 on the way, hopefully ArenaNet
can get that feeling back. It was a feeling of adventure and community.
That’s why this magazine is important. It helps get the community talking. ArenaNet reads this ezine and
then they monitor the community feedback. It’s great to watch ArenaNet adapt the game to better meet the
needs of the players. It’s an honor to help bring good changes to the game.
For those that know me personally, they might say I’ve changed too. A lot has happened to me since I first
started a Guild Wars fansite, way back in 2003. I remember being the guy who was obsessed about breasts.
It’s a traditional marketing technique - sex sells. From car insurance to exercise equipment, it seems required that a half naked woman be used to promote products. MMORPGs are notorious for having a busty
woman on the box. Much to my surprise, ArenaNet is no different. I recently went back and looked at the
covers of all four Guild Wars chapters. Each one has a woman on the box.
I remember the debates that I used to have with ArenaNet. I believed that they were losing awards, simply
because they didn’t use booth babes to help peddle their wares. I’ve matured since then, so has the industry. The E3 went through a strange metamorphosis. More importantly, so has the player base.
When I first started playing Guild Wars, a lot of players seemed to be late teens and early 20’s. Imagine
the difference of five years for them. They’ve gone from not being able to drink, drive or vote, to adulthood. Think about your life. How has it
changed in the last five years?
Now think about this, is a picture of a
half-naked Necromancer going to motivate you to play Guild Wars? The Internet is loaded with all types of graphic
imagery. Sex is still very much a factor
in today’s advertising world, but I don’t
know if it matters for the world of Guild
Wars. Yes, there should be beauty in the
world of Guild Wars, but the game has
to be presented as something more than
male fantasy.
Imagine how many players have gotten
married and raised children during the
last five years. Those players might still
be interested in playing an MMORPG,
but they might not be able to make the
Who’s a grumpy bear?
Are you mad because you’re not on the cover?
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time commitment. There’s a gamer term to better
describe what I’m saying - wife faction. If you’re
married with children, the cost of the game is not
the main deterrent. $50 is not a lot of money for
the entertainment value of Guild Wars. It’s actually
perfect for this type of economy. No, the real deterrent is time and perception. That once die-hard Guild
Wars gamer might have to quit the guild because his
wife doesn’t approve of such violent games. Where
does that leave the rest of the guild? Does that make
you a loser for still playing Guild Wars? Why is it
more acceptable to watch Monday night football,
but Monday night Guild Wars is sneered as childish
behavior? If the game does not adapt with its growing community and changing world, that perception
will likely continue to fester.
Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if Guild Wars was
a game that everyone liked to play? People like to
feel included. That’s something very important to
remember with game balance and game promotion. For those that don’t play, video games have a negative connotation. Gaming is too often viewed as time-wasting anti-social behavior.
But something else happened in the last five years - Nintendo released the Wii. The console market was
revolutionized by the dominance of casual gaming. Young and old, all types of people were buzzing
about the Wii. By expanding the gaming market, it became a huge success. ArenaNet needs to do the
same for online fantasy games. It starts with turning down the volume on sexism and increasing the
things to do for all types of players. The community has matured, will Guild Wars mature with it?
It’s great that your guild can fight with other guilds, but what about crafting? What about socializing?
What if a player would rather decorate their Guild Hall, rather than wage war with it? The hardcore
players must cringe at such a notion. The game is obviously about fighting... but if that’s all there is and
ever will be, then the world of Tyria is limited. Fighting to be the best in the world is an exhilarating
feeling. But when victory is achieved, who do you share your stories with?
What about all the women in the world who enjoy PvP, but don’t want to be harassed by a hostile community? What about the women who enjoy fantasy games? Oh yes, they’re out there. I was amazed by
reading the comments from my sci-fi / fantasy novel. The stereotypes told me that women weren’t supposed to be into sci-fi and guy stuff. Reality has proven to be otherwise. Good entertainment should be
enjoyed by all. Does ArenaNet make toys for boys or is this entertainment for everyone?
Don’t get me wrong. ArenaNet should not take out sexy from the game. Any fantasy world requires elements of sex and romance. Besides, I think it’s adorable that you can run around in your underwear...
and Eye of the North would be lacking without Jora’s large... appendages. My point about promotion.
Nintendo made a smart decision with their franchise. Shouldn’t ArenaNet do the same thing? That’s
why I’m suggesting that ArenaNet take the lead in this market. Create an MMORPG that appeals to all
types of gamers. It starts by rethinking your box art... and for me to suggest that, it’s truly something to
consider.
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