New Guild Wars 2 info

[SilentScreams]

Originally Posted by Deadend

The RPS preview read like everything was just Public Quests from Warhammer.. EVERYWHERE.

I can neither confirm nor deny that that's exactly how the game is.

[StarGypsy]

I believe a few of the previews talk about how the personal story of your character works.
It's not public though you can bring other people if you want.
Some of the bullshit in other games like ks'ing, node stealing, and travel just to waste time while still giving you the option to explore are taken care of. According to previews anyway.

[Wasson_]

Anyone else notice that the game looks like complete shit in some of the preview videos that seem to be made by people in the beta? I cringe when I see them sometimes...I think it's mostly them and having the game set for performance. that is the case, right?

and what the fuck is with the running animation? Everyone looks like they're walking on the moon or something.

[StarGypsy]

I'm assuming like a lot of beta's the high res is nonfunctional. Most ppl are running at medium and lower. I also read on some other site the running animation is due to a problem with shadows not working right. I guess anyway.

[SilentScreams]

I could turn the resolution right up. The game is pretty, don't worry. It'd have been prettier without my account name stamped all over the background. They really didn't want people sharing screenshots.

[Reverant]

Originally Posted by SilentScreams

I could turn the resolution right up. The game is pretty, don't worry. It'd have been prettier without my account name stamped all over the background. They really didn't want people sharing screenshots.

That is pretty clever.

If you hunt around on Youtube, you can find some older videos that are absolutely gorgeous. Many of the players in the press beta remark in their coverage that they were defaulted to low and unable to change settings. I haven't noticed any odd running animations in any of the videos I've seen... possibly because 90% of players are Charr

[Ondo]

Massively has an article comparing the starting story for each of the three Charr legions.

Guild Wars Insider has a nice video showing off the Thief's steal ability:

[Reverant]

I read a couple of GW2 articles at Massively this morning and subsequently drooled over the competitive PvP videos. I'm afraid that I'll have to once again force myself to go on a blackout. I'm super excited for this game, but it sounds more and more like we won't be seeing release until at least June/July.

I judge that based on the fact that the pre-purchase, which opens in April, is confirmed to give you access to "all beta events" which will happen "once a month." Sounds like they're planning on at least 2-3 months more of beta testing come April. Such a long wait

[Ondo]

They have to announce a release date by April 10th, when the pre-purchase goes on sale, right?

I figure one thing that will help me with the wait is playing the original Guild Wars - they've had some really neat content updates as part of Guild Wars Beyond, advancing the timeline of the game a bit to see some of the changes that lead into Guild Wars 2, and they still have more to go. I assume they'll finish before Guild Wars 2 comes out...

I also want to work more on my Hall of Monuments.

[DiBiddilyBop]

I'd actually be very surprised if they announced a release date before April 10. I kind of think they'll leave that open so they have flexibility to work on things based on feedback from the ENORMOUS influx of pre-purchase beta people.

[Ondo]

Originally Posted by DiBiddilyBop

I'd actually be very surprised if they announced a release date before April 10. I kind of think they'll leave that open so they have flexibility to work on things based on feedback from the ENORMOUS influx of pre-purchase beta people.

Apparently you're right - from reddit:

Originally Posted by Mike O'Brien

It's not like we have a secret release date and we're not telling you. We meant what we said: we'll release the game when it's ready. And beta testing is where we find out if it's ready.

That fits with what they've been saying all along; still, asking people to pay in full without a release date, or anything more than this year, doesn't sit right with me. It seems rude. They clearly have plans, and know far more than they're telling us. Yes, if they say they are hoping for June, say, and then it gets postponed people will be upset, even if they admit the possibility ahead of time. But people will also be upset if they push pre-purchasing without a release date.

In other news, the ArenaNet blog has a new post on squads in WvW, WarTower has an interview about the new official forums and such, and PC Gamer has a preview talking about dungeons and such - the most interesting bit being talking about jumping puzzles and riddles at the end. (The latest Yogscast covers the riddle dungeon he talks about.)

(Also, I wrote a post on my blog about a feature I'd like to see in ever game's character creator.)

[Ondo]

A new interview is up at GuildWars2Hub, with nice info on changes to the Necromancer.

[Reverant]

For those of us who drank the GW2 Flavor Aid, pre-purchase begins tonight at midnight... somewhere!

I've decided to go with the standard edition, seeing as all but two of the digital deluxe version's bonus items are one-time use.

[bryan]

I can get where you're coming from, but if paying without a release date is a problem for you why not just wait? Unless I'm mistaken you don't get a bonus for getting it before a release date.

This seems to me you're a tad over-invested in the game, no offense.

[Ondo]

Originally Posted by bryan

I can get where you're coming from, but if paying without a release date is a problem for you why not just wait? Unless I'm mistaken you don't get a bonus for getting it before a release date.

You do get a bonus for getting it before the release date, hence the issue. People who pay in full beforehand get access to all the beta events, a 3 day head start, and an minor in-game item. People who pre-order but don't pay in full just get a 1 day head start.

[bryan]

Aside from the beta events, I'm assuming you can get the rest easily enough as I'm sure they are gonna announce a release date at least a week in advance.

I wasn't very clear, it's not that I entirely disagree with you. I look at it more of a situation that sucks rather than them being rude. I would love to to jump into the beta events myself. I also look at it as a bit like a kickstarter, except they have an almost complete game to show you before you plonk down your money. Also, pre-purchasing now gives you access to the beta events, so in effect you are getting something by putting your money down.

But yeah after all the waiting, it would have been cooler to get a firm date, like how D3 did it. I rather suspect they need the money to keep them going so they can finish up the game as much as possible before release. They built up a lot of hype, but if the launch is bad it will be utterly disastrous for them.

[Reverant]

I don't see anything bad about how they're going about with the pre-purchase program, and I can be very cynical about the motives of devs and publishers.

I'm fine with paying now without a firm release date. I'm sure they have a general idea of when they expect the game to launch, but announcing a timeframe and then delaying it (if that needs to happen) has the double effect of aggravating the massive talking asshole known as the gaming community and shaking confidence in the title itself. I know that I like what they're selling (beta with pre-purchase), so I'll bite. If I get burned, I know to stay away from this company.

[Farsight]

The pre-purchase is only for hardcore addicts anyway.

I'm perfectly happy waiting until beta is over and I can make a character that's not going to get wiped.

[Squidbot]

Purchased.

[Reverant]

Man ham. (Persian for "me too!" )