Curse

Dreamsmith · Mar 30, 2005, 07:42 PM // 19:42

It would be nice if the ArenaNet website had more solid information. That having been said, I'd be very, very disappointed to see the ArenaNet website transformed into something like the gaudy, flash-heavy site the Koreans are forced to suffer through. It looks like someone let a couple of 14 year olds loose on the site. "Let's put some awesome flash here!" "What purpose does it serve there? How does it make the website easier to use?" "Whadayamean? It looks cool!" Riiiight...

The ArenaNet site may be sparse on information, but it sure as hell looks a lot more professional. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier to navigate. Having a bit of flash and art is wonderful, but it shouldn't take up most of the screen, leaving the actual content to suffer in a small box like an afterthought.

What I'd rather see is something similar to the Arreat Summit for Guild Wars. Give me that over that gaudy flash site anyday...

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceD'Bear

With google or bablefish you can translate the whole page...the only trouble is, that most of the text are pictures or flash and can't be translated.

That's usually a good sign that your website was designed by 14 year-olds. Professional web designers understand the importance of text for translators, search engines, text-to-speech or font enlargement for visually impaired readers, etc. The ultimate torture test is to have at the site with Lynx (the text-only web browser). If your site is pretty, but is still every bit as usable under Lynx as from IE, just less pretty, you know you've got a real, professional web designer working on it.

Odd Sock · Mar 30, 2005, 09:15 PM // 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cain

Don't forget that almost all of Korea has broadband Internet while most of North America and Europe are still using dialup.

How on earth is that relevant to anything ? Cause they have better connection speeds they get more between betas and get more information from the same company? We all paid the same for the pre-order so we should all get the same service. And as a someone who lives in Ottawa talking to another, I'm quite disappointed you're not on broadband, what with all the telecom companies doing competition, I only know one person who's still on dial-up

Weezer_Blue · Mar 30, 2005, 09:26 PM // 21:26

doubtless, we're getting screwed over. but as long as the game comes out when it's supposed to, and hopefully with a world wide simultanious release instead of the (usual for all games) asia gets it first plan, then it's no big deal. it's the game that makes it good. not the site. as for that guild hall... sweeet necta (ATHF). I hope they have a hell of a lot more guild halls to choose from. those 6 they have now (well... 7 i guess... now) are great and all, but having tons of choices would kick ass.

Aria · Mar 30, 2005, 09:27 PM // 21:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Odd Sock

How on earth is that relevant to anything ? Cause they have better connection speeds they get more between betas and get more information from the same company? We all paid the same for the pre-order so we should all get the same service. And as a someone who lives in Ottawa talking to another, I'm quite disappointed you're not on broadband, what with all the telecom companies doing competition, I only know one person who's still on dial-up

I think Cain was referring more to the fact that the Korean site is filled with so much flash material.

The "service" guaranteed by the preorder is exactly what we're getting. Buying a preorder doesn't entitle you the right to dictate what ANet puts on their website, or what NCSoft puts on the Korean website. I think you're overstepping your boundaries in what your given "rights" are by simply preordering -- an act that doesn't give ANet any solid profit, by the way, except as a bit of a hype/advertisement for the final product, which *does* give ANet their profit.

As for broadband.. I'm sorry

The fact that you personally know only one person who is still on dial-up doesn't mean that the whole country and the entire North American region reflects your situation. You might live in a technologically advanced area. In the US, there are still many regions where dial-up is still hard to get. It's wonderful to hear that you don't have difficulty, but your area is a very specific example -- far from all-encompassing in any sense.

Ensign · Mar 30, 2005, 10:06 PM // 22:06

The big reason for the difference is simply the approach to community relations differing in Korea.

Arena.net has made the (excellent) decision to let the fan community handle the dispersal of in-depth information about the game. That's why this game has some of the best fansite support of any out there - sites like this one are supported so that they can give the community the same sorts of information listed on the Korean site, ultimately providing the community with an even more in depth resource than what you'd find on the official site.

The Korean site takes the opposite approach - they don't have a fansite program, instead putting everything in place on the site itself.

Due to the NDA crackdown, there's a discrepency in the kinds of information available on the two sites. There's likely a good amount listed there that would be considered a NDA breach in this part of the world. Chalk that up to one hand not knowing what the other is doing.

Just realize that this is a temporary thing, caused not by us 'getting the shaft' but a lack of communication and coordination. In retail, you can bet that fansites like this one will smoke the official Korean site. Instead of walkthroughs on the official site, we have Gaile and Alex going over the community boards answering questions. Which would you prefer?

Peace,
-CxE

Dave III · Mar 30, 2005, 10:17 PM // 22:17

I'm with Ensign on this, as well. Besides, it's always been my experience that Corperate sites are the worst place to get useful information from, it's always so heavily laced with "Buy Our Product!" that you never get any hard data, the bad and the good.

Fan sites are better. Plus, as has been said before, if they're not spending money and effort on the web site, then they're spending money and effort on the game. Yay Game! ^_^

Dave III

Weezer_Blue · Mar 30, 2005, 10:25 PM // 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ensign

Just realize that this is a temporary thing, caused not by us 'getting the shaft' but a lack of communication and coordination. In retail, you can bet that fansites like this one will smoke the official Korean site. Instead of walkthroughs on the official site, we have Gaile and Alex going over the community boards answering questions. Which would you prefer?

Peace,
-CxE

.... it depends... is Gaile wearing a rabbit suit?

Nudge · Mar 30, 2005, 10:31 PM // 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrapnel_Magnet

They already get their 30k tourney, over in Korea. If you open your GW Client, you'll see that the UI has also changed... away from it's previous Western look to a more Korean friendly and colourful look.

I highly doubt the UI was switched to a more "Western" look. I like the way it is now, and in no way reminds me of some Western way forced upon me.

Conspiracy Theorists=Bad

Halfy · Mar 30, 2005, 10:33 PM // 22:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwi

Not likely, if so it would be only very minor tweaks and such. No one will be getting some special area or mission.

I believe that the World at War will allow different countries access to all kinds of extra stuff, so in a way, there will be things you could get which would be not typically available.

On that note, as far as the top guilds go (lets say top 20), how many are North American?

Nudge · Mar 30, 2005, 10:36 PM // 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Odd Sock

How on earth is that relevant to anything ? Cause they have better connection speeds they get more between betas and get more information from the same company? We all paid the same for the pre-order so we should all get the same service. And as a someone who lives in Ottawa talking to another, I'm quite disappointed you're not on broadband, what with all the telecom companies doing competition, I only know one person who's still on dial-up

Whoah... calm down Socky.

Imagine the mass majority of DSL/Dialup users attempting to load a flash website every time they wanted to learn something about Guild Wars. We don't need all that crazyness over on the Korean website.

And as for all the constant update... look at your calendar. There's a month left until the game comes out, and everything is equal. If you're fighting for justice now, you're really just waging a pointless war. So what if they get a bit more info than us? I can't physically explore that part of the map yet, so what's the point in whining about it's existance?

Agent Dark Bootie · Mar 30, 2005, 11:33 PM // 23:33

ive been looking for those new renders of necromancer and elementalist and all the others but i cant seem to find it
i saw some small versions of them wt that site
did AN only release those to certain places?
can someone give me a link for where to find all the new pics? pls

EDIT
y can noone ever answer this question?!?!?
ive asked it at least 3 times and no one replies EVER

Shrapnel_Magnet · Mar 31, 2005, 03:28 AM // 03:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nudge

I highly doubt the UI was switched to a more "Western" look.

I meant that it is shifting AWAY from the western style... I can't say much, however, as I haven't seen all the changes.

Also, I do agree with Ensign as well, I prefer the way that we have it.

Weezer_Blue · Mar 31, 2005, 03:49 AM // 03:49

There is some stuff that just can't be left up to fansites though. I don't see any renders around here. Or contest information. And of course all information from any existing fansite could be wrong. It's best to hear it from the Horse's mouth in a lot of cases.

Agent Dark Bootie · Mar 31, 2005, 04:13 AM // 04:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weezer_Blue

There is some stuff that just can't be left up to fansites though. I don't see any renders around here. Or contest information. And of course all information from any existing fansite could be wrong. It's best to hear it from the Horse's mouth in a lot of cases.

but what about that one pic or the necro lady with her hand up close and it looks like she's flicking you off lol
and that korean site has a full body shot of her whilst wwe only get her upper body in a wallpaper
seems truly unfair to me

Beelzebubba · Mar 31, 2005, 04:31 PM // 16:31

I honestly think, if anything, the Koreans are getting the shaft. I don't want to know where everything is before the game even gets off to a real start. That ruins the fun of exploring and finding new stuff. And, like a lot of people, if the information were available I'd be tempted to check it out in more detail because I like this game so much. The maps I've seen, currently have a large amount of area I still haven't been to, and I personally prefer that they remain a mystery.

Arcala · Mar 31, 2005, 05:22 PM // 17:22

I don't mind this situation all that much. The Korean's will do their thing, and we'll do ours. And about that new world map.. Arenanet already said that the world extends beyond the borders we can see now - didn't you expect them to fill the map before release? I haven't seen released games where half of the map was uninhabbited. I don't see why three small dots can make a difference.

-Arc

EDIT: Ah, there was a thread about the new GUI.. /me copypastes

Zarconis · Apr 01, 2005, 11:14 AM // 11:14

Take a moment to think about giving more information to the Koreans vs Us or at least English Speakers.

Ok, times up.

Korea is the biggest Gaming economy on the planet. The eat, sleep and breathe video games. Anet knows this with all of their Blizzard and Bnet ties (never noticed the whole anet:bnet thing till now). In addtion, Koreans have more choices for MMORPGS than one could every hope to imagine. Hell, many people are playing beta versions in the u.s. of games they've had full versions of for years. Ragnarok comes to mind.

It's only natural that you might focus a large majority of your resources on Korean buyers, err gamers.

Agent Dark Bootie · Apr 01, 2005, 11:54 AM // 11:54

well one thing i still dont understand is how they get some things like character renders
all we got is the necromancer/ele/monk/ranger/warrior/mesmer in one of two walpapers
they got like full renders of their bodies along with different stances and such like the ele and the monks stance are totally different
i like photoshop and REALLY want these renders to be on the GW.com site
you would think they would have it on their site!
but i have been misfortuned to not know how to get my hands on one of these beuties
also whats to stop lots of people from buying a preorder from one of those stores online from america?

spiritofcat · Apr 01, 2005, 01:31 PM // 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Dark Bootie

y can noone ever answer this question?!?!?
ive asked it at least 3 times and no one replies EVER

It's spelt "why", not "y", and it should be "I've", not "ive".
They probably get offended by your lack of spelling and punctuation.
Or maybe they just don't know the answer.

semantic · Apr 01, 2005, 01:44 PM // 13:44

I'm glad NCSoft is blitzing the Korean market hard. Good for them. I hope they sell a million copies the first month in Korea alone. Even if one of their main buzz generators over there is that they're holding events and showing content that only Korean gamers have access to, I say ROCK ON.

As far as that map goes, I only count around 18 missions. In any case, only 4 more than we've seen in BWEs so far. Still 7 or so to speculate as to their whereabouts.

I'm thinking:

- southern Shiverpeaks (2 or 3)
- the large peninsula west of the desert (another 2 or 3 maybe)
- south of Riverside (room for a couple there)
- and of course, the volcano (I wanna call that Rodgort's Eyrie or something)

The comment from the DN interview about this map not being the 'whole' map has me curious, but not optimistic that there will be more map at release. Mostly because I can imagine the 25 missions fitting easily in the map we see, and because that comment could have been referring to expansions. But hey, the famous 30% number might be more accurate than I imagined. If the world map suddenly grows on the 27th, I'll have a pretty stupid grin.