Guild Wars 2

Music instruments are fun and have a lot of potential. Some of my statements below were pointed out in a post about the Marriner’s Horn specifically, though now that a flute is also available I thought it’d be interesting to widen the discussion a bit.

There’s a time for killing stuff, definitely. There’s also a time for arranging orchestral gatherings with fellow musicians. I’d be thrilled to see some more work put into the music aspects of the game, particularly because for those who enjoy it, this art is an ongoing experience that just keeps on giving. The current system is, however, a bit limited. For one, there are no accidentals on the instruments, and this significantly limits the amount of music that can be played. Secondly, it is pretty much impossible to play along with other people, so multiple people have a difficult time jamming out together. These are two really great opportunities that would add immensely to instruments. They’re also something like $10 a piece, which means purchasing several of them quickly adds up to the cost of some music software.

Being able to hold a modifying key could be a great way to add accidentals. And wouldn’t it be awesome if you could play some music, and then have an option to sync up that performance with other players? I’ve seen people gather around so they could listen to individuals play; imagine having little trios and quartets or even orchestras if more instruments are ever added. I know it’s probably a lot of effort to add a music interface, but once implemented, this system would be something that could keep many people entertained for a very long time without extra effort.

Music is in itself a variable experience. Once you have access to the notes and sounds, the sky is the limit. You don’t need to add new bosses or provide new locales to keep this aspect interesting. The sheer combination of notes and instrumentation would preclude such a need, and new instruments would pay for themselves via the gem shop. The current system is just shy of achieving this flexibility.

What say you, musicians and composers of Tyria? With all the accidents happening at the various celebrations held in this world, surely some are bound to happen to our instruments as well. People could use some entertainment in these very difficult times, so let’s rally and bribe someone to upgrade the means of our expression.