Guild Wars 2

I love how whenever someone complains about immersion, quaggan backpacks are always the first things mentioned.

Oh noes colors and fun nonsense introduced into my HERDCOER vidyo game!

Seriously. Everything else in gaming is catering to Dystopia Brown and Gunmetal Grey. Let the retro gamers and 30-somethings enjoy their SAB.

If you don’t like it, go dust off your Xbox and play Halo/Battlefield/CawwaDooty for a month.

jakakettu.9083:

panzer.6034:

jakakettu.9083:

“When you see art in our game – you say: Whoa that’s Visually stunning. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” – Colin Johanson – Game designer

This is exactly what everyone thought when they saw the SAB stuck into guild wars. It seemed radically different from what other games are doing.

You can’t speak for everyone, only few probably thought it was “stunning” If someone finds SAB visually stunning that’s their opinion but I think that this style is no where close to being stunning or anything special. The style is just pixels – pixels what the gaming community has been seeing since the beginning of gaming.

Obviously a lot of people thought it was stunning considering everyone posts nothing but hate on these boards and yet SAB has been the only thing to receive an overwhelmingly positive response. And it’s not that the pixel style is unique or innovative in a vacuum, it’s “stunning” in how it’s juxtaposed to the default style of the game. A pixelated GS isn’t particularly special in an 8 bit game but when you stick one in with unique effects into a modern game like GW, it becomes something a bit more special.

It just looks too weird for the game. that’s it. If any1 want s to play it, good for him/her. I will skip these 2 weeks.

I personally think that SAB should break out of the box. Bee Dogs should overrun Rata Sum, Bun-nadoes should sweep up the asura (who are surely related to bunnies) and a giant king toad shold stand in all trading posts licking all the TP traders to death.

Maybe some smiley clouds to roam about the world raining on peoples immersion since they’re going to complain anyways.

It would be awesome.

Agree with OP, SAB shouldn’t be made a part of the game, mostly not the lore…

Electro.4173:

The SAB stuff in the outside world is just holograms anyway. Special solid-state holograms. The Super skins say as much themselves. Its not like they’re actual video game enemies come through rifts to invade Tyria or whatever (which would be a bit silly and out of place), they’re just holograms created by Moto and placed around the world.

…here’s a nice idea for Scarlet.

Lisa.6102:

Lafiel.9372:

I have a sneaking suspicion that SAB is going to be a let down like every other sequel in existence.

Oh come on nothing could be as bad as Dirty Dancing 2 or Grease 2 …………… or could it?

It could be worse. It could be “Love Never Dies”.

I don’t like doing SAB myself (it reminds me why I hated those old games) but I don’t really mind seeing the SAB items out in the world. I would imagine that any world that had a race like the asura in it would have far weirder things popping up in lol.

I was actually relieved to see SAB return because I know I will spend zero time inside of it. After running around for all the events of the Jubilee and Clockwork invasions, it will be nice to ignore the main content focus and catch up on other things, like finish leveling crafting for my alts which connects nicely with the other updates occurring on the 3rd.

So far every living world’s open world content could be completely avoided if one didn’t like it. Boxes, holograms, and events you have to activate; single specific maps being raided, etc. If you don’t like it, don’t do it. So simple. Sure, they’ll put achievements to it, but with the current system of more than enough achievements (now including dailies), you’re only missing out on a few points for your next reward chest (which can easily be made up later).

Because having the constantly praised vistas and detailed, handcrafted zones polluted by 8bit mobs is totally kewl.
I personally enjoy the box itself, but seeing players running around with quaggan backpacks and holographic swords, taking on 8bit spiders is not exactly what a coherent, immersive fantasy world is supposed to be.
Oh and before the “it’s fantasy, what do you expect” crap kicks in, there is a fine line in fantasy between creativity and a bad joke. A line that you folks cross the very moment you equip quaggan backpacks, and kill 8bit spiders.

Yea, my child wearing a My Little Pony backpack totally ruins school and absolutely no learning could ever happen because of it. Oh and he has a pencil with an Mario eraser… Oh the humanity!

Pennry.9215:

Yea, my child wearing a My Little Pony backpack totally ruins school and absolutely no learning could ever happen because of it. Oh and he has a pencil with an Mario eraser… Oh the humanity!

This has absolutely nothing to do with what i said. And i’d personally spend my “Oh the humanity!” for clueless people who compare the coherence of a specific fantasy setting with a totally unrelated real life environment.

Valde.6352:

Pennry.9215:

Yea, my child wearing a My Little Pony backpack totally ruins school and absolutely no learning could ever happen because of it. Oh and he has a pencil with an Mario eraser… Oh the humanity!

This has absolutely nothing to do with what i said. And i’d personally spend my “Oh the humanity!” for clueless people who compare the coherence of a specific fantasy setting with a totally unrelated real life environment.

First, I didn’t quote you, so of course it’s not directly to what you typed. Second, the point is that it’s up to ANet to dictate what they want their “specific fantasy setting” to be like, just as it’s up to parents and school officials to dictate what they want their learning setting to be like. They’re both related in the fact that you have no say in the matter and in that it has no direct effect on how the world, both real and virtual, works. The appearance of the backpack my character wears doesn’t effect how it kills things and what happens around it, just as the appearance of the backpack my child wears doesn’t effect how he learns and what happens in the greater world. Countries still go to war and dragons still corrupt.

Pennry.9215:

Yea, my child wearing a My Little Pony backpack totally ruins school and absolutely no learning could ever happen because of it. Oh and he has a pencil with an Mario eraser… Oh the humanity!

And there’s drug dealers and murder and war in Syria in the real world! It’s completely incompatible with My Little Pony backpacks! They can’t exist in the same reality!

Why’s everyone trashing the OP? He doesn’t like the SAB, other people (the majority, sure) do. Personally, I empathize with him, but I’m not on his ‘side’: if the game really was contained in a hardcore fantasy mythos then even I wouldn’t know what SAB was doing here. But since ANet has decided (and followed through VERY well with this decision) that Tyria is no longer a sword & sorcery era fantasy world, they might as well make a collusion of effects, eras, and styles that blend together in GW2’s unique style.

IMO it’s just a misunderstanding on the OP’s part. Tyria is no longer (one could argue it never has been in) contained within the fantasy genre, it’s pulling from much more than just magic and sword battles. If ANet wants to show that off using 8-bit, all the better for them (and even more so for us ).

jakakettu.9083:

I couldn’t agree more with the OP.

It is great that Anet creates these awesome content patches for us but somethings just clash so bad here!

It was enough that there was one of these already during April fools – which actually made the content seem actually like a prank and as a “Funny thing”… but now.. Why!?
Keep the SAB in SAB. Don’t corrupt the beatiful world you’ve created with this junk. It’s horrible.

The best thing about these recent patches is that I don’t need to take part in them if I don’t want to. Anet, please make sure that you do this again.

“Guild wars 2 is stylized, painterly illustrated, esthetic. Everything in our world feels handcrafted – artisanal.” -Daniel Dociu – Art Director (not copied from word to word)

“When you see art in our game – you say: Whoa that’s Visually stunning. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” – Colin Johanson – Game designer

What happened to these promises? The SAB doesn’t match either of those things said. I’ve always adored your art and style you created for this game but SAB is just a letdown.

And yes.. I played the Manifesto card! QQ

They decided to expand on SAB because the feedback from the playerbase was so overwhelmingly positive. Sure, a few people dislike it, but the vast majority of the players really enjoyed it, and so it was worth putting actual dev time towards it.

I dunno man, after being attacked by air pirates, twisted clockwork ladies, and molemen with jetpacks… I think it’s perfectly reasonable for the most advanced race who makes frequent use of holograms and long distance communicators to create a virtual world instead of the latest giant anti-dragon laser cannon.

Asuras blew up the concept of traditional sword and sorcery fantasy the moment GW2 started.

I just would really hate to see overworld SAB farming from holographs like Dragon Bash. For once, I’d enjoy a living story that isn’t plagued by farming beyond selling dropped skins to very lazy rich people.

Tawa.3180:

Asuras blew up the concept of traditional sword and sorcery fantasy the moment GW2 started.

You mean when they came to the surface with robots in GW1?

Well yes, but now they have even more than just golems! There’s dancing holograms with their own sick beat.

Treeline.3865:

I can understand that this does not matter to most people (Nor me to be honest), but from a roleplaying (Or just immersive) perspective, it does break it a bit. The 8-bit theme does not fit in.

This pretty much sums it up.
- I love SAB, I think it was amazing playing through it the first time, had a great time doing it, but I don’t hate anyone whose opinion differs from mine.
- I get that since the SAB isn’t actually a part of the lore but intended more as a neat looking gimmick it shouldn’t interfere with the open world.

I am actually for keeping the SAB inside the SAB. People enjoying it can do it when it’s available and people who don’t care for it won’t have to deal with the 8bit stuff outside of the SAB (but mind you, the bauble bubbles can be used to craft Legendaries… and they’re easy to get)
- As Moto puts it: Think inside the box

Manuelito.6081:

It just looks too weird for the game. that’s it. If any1 want s to play it, good for him/her. I will skip these 2 weeks.

4 weeks, there, better now

Aenaos.8160:

What the tittle says.
To me SAB is the worst thing that ever happened
to fantasy MMOs.
Other players dig it.
So let them have fun inside the box,and please
keep the 8 bit stuff out of the game zones.
We already have balloons,and fluffy quaggan packs,
and kites,and all the kindergarten paraphernalia of the TP,
and I’m pretty sure the SAB fun boxes and minis
will add enough to the hello kittiness of the game.
Please,leave the world maps out of this.

This sounds like you are the kind of person that plays a game as if it was work and not enjoyment.

Which is what SAB is meant to be, Enjoyed. It’s what all that content you mentioned is for. You sound like the kind of person that would ask, “What’s the point in having kites?”

Enjoy the game while you are working in it, otherwise, whats the point?

I agree with OP, I didn’t start playing GW2 for Mini-games or archaic block graphics, not to mention Mario brother game play, where victory or death isn’t decided by combat, but by who bumps who first; if I wanted that I would be playing an arcade game, or a first generation consul. I’m here for the art like graphics, skill based combat system, cut scenes, and -at times- intriguing story line. (at the very least, its more intricate than an arcade game) If people like Adventure box, that’s fine, but keep it out of PvE.

Mia Lunarfang.5826:

I agree with OP, I didn’t start playing GW2 for Mini-games or archaic block graphics, not to mention Mario brother game play, where victory or death isn’t decided by combat, but by who bumps who first; if I wanted that I would be playing an arcade game, or a first generation consul. I’m here for the art like graphics, skill based combat system, cut scenes, and -at times- intriguing story line. (at the very least, its more intricate than an arcade game) If people like Adventure box, that’s fine, but keep it out of PvE.

There is a reason they make the content optional. You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to. Other people, like you said, enjoy it and it wouldn’t fit anywhere else other than in PvE. There was a time where who hit who first involved some skill.

As for the ‘archaic block graphics’ comment, SAB doesn’t exactly run in another engine outside of the one that Guild Wars 2 uses. Yes the visuals look similar to that of the old styled video games of the past, but they the graphics themselves are not at all archaic.

Also, Guild Wars 2 is a theme-park game. It’s been a year and this has been the direction they(Anet) have been going in since the Shadow of the Mad King patch. It’s almost been a year since then, get used to that idea.

ArtemusHunter.9521:

There is a reason they make the content optional. You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to. Other people, like you said, enjoy it and it wouldn’t fit anywhere else other than in PvE. There was a time where who hit who first involved some skill.

SAB is NOT in PvE, its in a mini-game that is accessible through a portal in a PvE map. What I’m saying is that the content within SAB -graphics, weapons, whatnot- should stay in SAB for the people who like them, and not cross into PvE, as they do not match the atmosphere, scenery, graphics, timeline, story-line, and technology that is present in the core of PvE. How the hell does a virtual weapon manifest itself outside of the computer to begin with? You cant forge graphics and data into a physical tool, that would be like sticking your hand inside a computer screen and pulling out a living, breathing npc; impossible.

As for the ‘archaic block graphics’ comment, SAB doesn’t exactly run in another engine outside of the one that Guild Wars 2 uses. Yes the visuals look similar to that of the old styled video games of the past, but they the graphics themselves are not at all archaic.

Let me clarify, the graphics may be new, but the style in which they are presented is archaic. Moreover, no one who started off playing GW2 did so because they wanted to play an old-school arcade game, if that’s what they wanted, they would have never touched GW2. We’re here to play an MMORPG, do you know what that means?

Also, Guild Wars 2 is a theme-park game. It’s been a year and this has been the direction they(Anet) have been going in since the Shadow of the Mad King patch. It’s almost been a year since then, get used to that idea.

That was long before SAB…

It’s cool, SAB weapons are items created using Asuran technology.