Curse

Sirius-NZ · Jan 31, 2008, 12:35 PM // 12:35

OK, so stuff I expect to see in GW2:

- Persistent overworld with instanced dungeons, missions and high-level areas (from what I understand); I doubt anything worth farming will be in the shared area, so it will be a little like an extended town I suppose
- Soloable PvE with some incentive to group up - what it'll be I couldn't guess but some reasonable possibilities are increased drop rates, easier battles and/or some areas that can only be taken in a group (think Urgoz/Deep). Actually the last of those is quite likely, remembering a reference to "alliance raids" or something to that effect, that might take your entire guild to complete. Which sounds a little like certain things I've heard from WoW, but eh, if your guild wants a big fight, why not...
- Possibly simplified PvP, but likely more to the point. Alliance battles will be out in favour of world PvP, which will probably be like the PvE overworld with opposing factions or something, maybe with some objectives as well. Hero battles will be obsolete. I expect to still see staple RA/TA-style PvP, as well as GvG, but possibly no HA.
- Reinvented combat system. Where GW1 was the RTS (or CCG really!) of RPGs, GW2 will be the fighting game (think Street Fighter etc); there will be fewer actions, but technique will play a role alongside (or possibly instead of) builds.
- Substantially revised class system. Professions will probably still exist; there may even be more of them since they're less likely to be so interchangeable with the reduced skillset. Don't know about secondary professions though. The professions in the game may encompass all the GW1 professions, but I'm not necessarily expecting them to. Especially not the Cantha- and Elona-specific professions, at least initially.
- How races affect anything remains to be seen; it could be a purely cosmetic and/or cultural issue, but I doubt it; each race will probably give you advantages in certain areas. These advantages may gear races toward specific professions, but they also might not if ArenaNet is sneaky enough (and so chooses).
- A rethink of the trade system. What we have is inefficient; a system that allows you to trade items with other people regardless of timezone or availability would be preferable, and will likely show up in some form or other. Encouraging people to camp and spam LA just isn't a solution...
- I'm not sure how they'll do it, but I expect GW2 will find a way to show off more of the artwork. Some enemies I face every day I couldn't recognise with much certainty, because GW encourages you to view things from a mile off to get a better picture of the field. It also doesn't encourage you to look up from the ground much, when some of the prettiest scenery can be seen there. I'm not 100% sure ArenaNet will deal with this, but I expect they'll at least try; after all, chances are they'll have much more detailed creatures to show off, and it'd be a shame to waste that on a wide-angle lens.
- Less cramming of more stuff into the game, Factions and Nightfall-style. I would almost bank on them revisiting Elona and Cantha, but not immediately; I fully expect some kind of expansions going back there, as the storyline hooks are just obvious. More content will be added, but maybe less extra features. The GW2 business model will be an interesting thing to see because I can't at all be sure what approach one could take to keep players interested.
- Wouldn't be surprised if people could buy "vanity" items from the in-game store. Sure, it wouldn't do wonders for the high-end economy, but it wouldn't do wonders for the gold vendors' patronage either, and it'd probably net some extra cash along the way.
- Items will, regardless, still not be an important part of the game. Guild Wars has always been about how you play more than what equipment you play with; I don't see a reason for that to change.

A few things I'm hoping for but wouldn't count too much on happening:
- Levels will have a tangible effect on your character's strength without overpowering things. I expect ArenaNet to err on the side of caution here, and seeing little benefit from levels past a certain point wouldn't surprise me, but there's still a chance they'll get it right. Obviously, PvP (with the possible exception of world PvP) will still equalise players; this will probably happen by capping levels to the same point across the board, although what that point will be is completely up in the air.
- Many ways to play the same class. This would allow people to find their own little niche in how to play their character, which might allow them to develop their own styles. Who knows, but it would be nice to see a combat system that rich.
- (I really doubt this one, but hey...) Hack and slash. Yes, I know some look askance at the hyperactive chipmunk style of Diablo 2, but hey, having a hundred zombies rushing you and it not really mattering because you could hack them all apart in a matter of seconds was actually kind of fun. Sometimes I have wished that GW could replicate the raw carnage of a strafeazon, or a hurricane druid, or a firesorc, or a fury werewolf, or a frenzybarb ...

jackie · Jan 31, 2008, 12:40 PM // 12:40

To offer open world with possibilities to practice large scale World PvP. You know those that will be scheduled via forums, IRC, between guilds/alliances. Full scale raids.

For PvE, to get rid off the Diablo style world with thousands of monsters between your party and next quest hub. Instead offer a world that is fun to explore, different regions with many landmarks/cities/towns/lakes/forests/etc. Anet has artistic talent, now it's time to use it.

For trading: good, complex & balanced economy with possibilities to actually play a role of a merchant.

Muspellsheimr · Jan 31, 2008, 01:36 PM // 13:36

At this point, I am expecting nothing.

What I am hoping to see (but will likely not for most):

Improved UI/HUD
Improved Combat System
- There should be a way to dodge attacks entirely, not based on skills used, but rather a contested mechanic based on attackers 'ability' vs. defenders 'ability'
- Improved targeting system
- Greater variety in combat options & skills
- Improved tactical layout & use of terrain
- Improved PvP balance, expanded PvP options, types, & maps
- Improved PvE AI (no more we are tougher, stronger, faster, but stupid bullshit - make it we are as powerful/slightly more powerful, but intelligent & have tactical advantage)
Level-less advancement system
Class-less character system (Possibly point-based/priority point-based, similar to that used by Shadowrun & World of Darkness tabletop) - Also an effective way to balance races - more powerful races cost more of your points to play, limiting your other abilities
Enhanced graphics & physics engine
Enhanced character customization (appearance, equipment, ect)
Expanded role-playing options (ability to choose your character's own path & actions - not simply follow a preset 'hero' archtype) [I really hate being a 'good-guy']

Add on that if they really want to stand out from the crowd, they should add in full Linux OS support. Now that would be badass.

Although it would increase system & bandwidth requirements considerably, it would be awesome if they created everything with Digital Molecular Matter technology - so you could interact with your environment in a whole new & destructive way.