Curse

samifly · Jun 25, 2006, 02:42 AM // 02:42

I would love areas without mobs for a change - just so I can explore. get so sick and tired of fighting mobs all the time. At least in Tyria you could usually avoid mobs if you wanted to.

BowLad21 · Jun 25, 2006, 03:45 AM // 03:45

I miss the prophecies feel of open fields. Factions seemed way too cramped. Every time I took a step, it was into a wall or into an enemy. Even the luxon side had large boudlers, making it feel like a maze.

jackie · Jun 25, 2006, 03:57 AM // 03:57

I had my first sense of freedom when coming out of the KC to Pongmei Valley, then another breeze was in Southern Jade Sea.

I'm not sure why devs are making areas quite linear but it might just be a technical issue, i.e engine is not capable of doing huge areas without some kind of narrow paths that you have to follow etc...

WasAGuest · Jun 25, 2006, 04:56 AM // 04:56

I agree with what beanerman_99 is saying, though keep in mind I've never played WoW. I'm luring a friend away from it (trying to anyway). I only referenced EQ's (as I had played that one) vastness. What's so great about them? Dunno, this is all about one's opinion anyway. I like em, I don't like being squished. heh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takkun

Well if you want to travel for 30 min without fighting anything, then go to WoW. If you want every step you take in the wilderness to be a challenge, then play Guild Wars. These games have two different philosophies with this sort of thing. Time for you to decide.

lol - decide what? I wasn't complaining, I was asking for others opinions as I was curious if others thought the same way. I will decide to go to bed now though, after a 12 hour GW day.

Nevin · Jun 25, 2006, 05:43 AM // 05:43

Anyone else notice the wave pattern in the jade sea doesn't make sense at all? They basically use the "cool" giant detailed waves was walls and thats it... Resulting in a closing in effect... And waves push outwards, not inwards.

-Loki- · Jun 25, 2006, 05:43 AM // 05:43

When they were making Sorrows Furnace, they said they got a better response form players if an area was small and densely packed. Expect more small areas with lots of enemies and things to do, with occasional huge, wide open areas.

Shanaeri Rynale · Jun 25, 2006, 07:43 AM // 07:43

I prefer the large sweeping landscapes of Ch1. Even in the 'hidden' areas such as the bonus areas of Dunes the dev put things to see. It's as tho every inch of terrain had love and attention to it. Secret Glint Statues, the view from Anvil rock, hidden temples and mighty bosses await in Ch1. For GW:F these are in very short supply.

It's strange but I still go to Ch1 for my screenshots..

Numa Pompilius · Jun 25, 2006, 08:34 AM // 08:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackie

I'm not sure why devs are making areas quite linear but it might just be a technical issue, i.e engine is not capable of doing huge areas without some kind of narrow paths that you have to follow etc...

No, the engine is quite obviously capable of it (since such areas exist), the corridor thing is to increase the amount of time needed to finish an area.

If the world was a big open space, it'd be possible to run from start to finish without fighting, and people would, then spend their time bitching about the lack of content.
WoW doesn't have this problem because it's partitioned by levels instead. Low-level players simply can't do high-level content, and there are 60 levels, sufficient to corral players to suitable areas. In Guild Wars you reach level 20 quickly, and you're anyway capable of killing enemies 8-10 levels above you, so it'd be possible to, say, do the Canthan end game mission immediately after leaving Shing Jea island.
Hence corridor maps and doors.

EDIT: That said, I completely agree with Shanaeri Rynale - Ch1 just seems to have been designed with more love. Of course, Ch1 was 3 years in development, ch2 less than one year, so that may be a factor.

Lets Get to Healing · Jun 25, 2006, 08:41 AM // 08:41

I'd like a mixture, if possible

Overnite · Jun 25, 2006, 09:24 AM // 09:24

Quote:

Do you think The Guild Wars graphic engine could pull off something like Elwynn forest in WOrld of Warcraft???

Probably not, not without increasing the system reqs. at least. And it certainly wouldn't handle stuff that WoW allows like swimming, jumping etc. Thats why I love people who say that WoW graphics "sucks" but have no idea what kind of computer it would take to run GW if they removed the infamous invisible barriers. I guess that if I bought WoW right now, I would spend my first day jumping off everything that can be climbed on...

J3mo · Jun 25, 2006, 10:38 AM // 10:38

The only nice areas in Factions are in The Jade Sea imo, the city sucks and the Kurzick area is so so

lexandro of Albion · Jun 25, 2006, 11:09 AM // 11:09

i have to agree with the general sentiment here. Factions is overly cramped and a very small world. When i first started playing gw it was just before the halloween special and if i wanted to see it i had to go from ascalon to lions arch in 12 hours. (not really hard to a hardcore player but tough enough for a newb).
The traveling to lions arch over the shiverpeeks was for me an epic adventure as i didnt know at the time that co-op missions placed you in towns after completion. So i travelled the whole way in the normal area's, and the feeling of wide open spaces and snowy paths was a good one.
When i first started factions (on release day) i had a horrible time even finding my way from kianeng city to vizunah square, the city itself is a maze that is extermely annoying. The use of gates that need the primary quest was an interesting one but i myself find it rediculous that adventurers in cantha have to do the co-op missions to progress through the map. The whole of cantha seems tiny by comparison to prophecies, and this is what really annoy's me. Sure factions was only a year in development but they already had a game engine and characters developed from prophecies, so its not THAT hard to make a game world in a year ( indeed other companies seem to manage fine once they have a game engine to add things to).
As for chapter 3 i probably will buy it when it comes out but if its like like factions with every monster team set up as a pvp based , then i simply wont play gw anymore as i dont want to PvP / GvG or even AvA but simply explore and and find my own way in the world. This is the essence of adventuring , exploration and and battleling againts VARIED creatures (not the same bloody teams over and over eg jade brotherhood) Cmon Anet stop pandering to the pvp and gvg people who screem WE NEED MORE! because this is alianating a massive part of the gaming community who enjoy the monster bashing.

cmon anet buck your ideas up , if ure stuck for content ASK US THE GAMERS!

jackie · Jun 25, 2006, 11:11 AM // 11:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius

No, the engine is quite obviously capable of it (since such areas exist), the corridor thing is to increase the amount of time needed to finish an area.

If the world was a big open space, it'd be possible to run from start to finish without fighting, and people would, then spend their time bitching about the lack of content.
WoW doesn't have this problem because it's partitioned by levels instead. Low-level players simply can't do high-level content, and there are 60 levels, sufficient to corral players to suitable areas. In Guild Wars you reach level 20 quickly, and you're anyway capable of killing enemies 8-10 levels above you, so it'd be possible to, say, do the Canthan end game mission immediately after leaving Shing Jea island.
Hence corridor maps and doors.

EDIT: That said, I completely agree with Shanaeri Rynale - Ch1 just seems to have been designed with more love. Of course, Ch1 was 3 years in development, ch2 less than one year, so that may be a factor.

Yeah I agree, but for that narrow path I'm implying also those 'invisible walls' everywhere. Near some small ledge you can't go down even if it's physically safe and normal and then end up taking another route which might take 5min more and has two-three mobs waiting for you. It's sometimes little bit frustrating.

CyberNigma · Jun 25, 2006, 12:23 PM // 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifly

I would love areas without mobs for a change - just so I can explore. get so sick and tired of fighting mobs all the time. At least in Tyria you could usually avoid mobs if you wanted to.

After you finish the second 15pt attribute quest with a Canthan, Zen Daijun (explorable) is completely bare of enemy mobs. You can't experience this with a Tyrian, though.

CyberNigma · Jun 25, 2006, 01:02 PM // 13:02

One thing people do have a point on though is that creatively (play-wise), the Factions team is definitely inferior to the Prophecies team. Their idea of increasing difficulty is not through complexity, but rather throwing in random mobs of oni capable of wiping out a party of henchies. The 'not wanting uber-henchies' doesn't apply for making the game difficulty. They definitely know how to make uber random spawn mobs to wipe out non-player teams.

WasAGuest · Jun 25, 2006, 02:31 PM // 14:31

One thing I noted as posted about Sorrows Furnace, is that people liked it cramped. I think the reason for that was that it was a cave. Caves, crypts, dungeons and the like should be cramped and clausterphobic. Not the open areas of the out doors. The inner city of Factions doesn't "feel" like a city, as many others here have agreed, it feels like a maze, not a city.
I will also agree that the Factions team was far inferior to the Chap 1 team. It almost feels the entire team spent all their game time in GvG or something and it showed through the squished, gotta get into the action fast and non-stop fighting maps. This is good for caves and such (as I stated above); but the outdoors should allow for and have a great deal of exporation - even for no other reason than just to have. My opinion of course.

Keep the thoughts coming. Good stuff.

jackie · Jun 25, 2006, 03:39 PM // 15:39

Personaly I don't find the city to be too difficult with henchies, on the other hand it feels like playing GW with those annoying random encounters ala Final Fantasy style RPGs. Meaning that when you go out to the city, you have to fight for almost every inch ^_^...
That makes exploration in the city a little bit tedious sometimes.

Cjlr · Jun 25, 2006, 04:03 PM // 16:03

Oh, but the city is brilliant! It's not the nicest place, but it is definately inspired game design. Plus, every so often, you can come across an open plaza, or some of the original beautiful architecture standing out from the ramshackle towers of what looks like cardboard and mud.

But Factions doesn't have the wide open range of some of Prophecies did. If you ever went from Temple of Ages to Druid's Overlook you'll know what I'm talking about. Not to mention the zones that did nothing. There's all sorts of great, out of the way places. Like Tears of the Fallen. That's probably my favorite place in the entire game. Is there any reason to go there? None at all.

Also, doesn't the Jade Sea seem a little small and have way too many islands to be much of a sea?