Guild Wars 2

Hang-Gliding looks like it could be fun, but from the glimpses we see in the trailer the gliders look pretty ugly to me. I hope we can skin ’em. (Hint, hint…).

I’m keen to see if there will be some sort of flying puzzle / course.

Obviously the gliders would make a jumping puzzle pointless, but I figure they could do some sort of guild rush through a ravine or something like that.

Possibly some racial overtones? Leaf-like wings for Sylvari, a techie-looking (Inspector Gadget) contraption for Asura, an industrial steam-punkish rig for Charr, big snow-owl wings for Norn, etc. Butterfly wings, iridescent dragonfly wings, bird (feathered) wings, draconic wings (leathery and/or scaled), wood and canvas wings, buffalo wings, Paul McCartney and Wings, fiery (elemental/djinn) wings, Red Baron tri-wings.

And FINALLY people will buy that Aviator’s cap that has been in the Gem Store since day one!

Archeage is the only MMO I’ve seen do gliders right. I hope anet takes a lesson from the developers of that game.

i think gem store skins is the obvious course of action here.

Gnat.9405:

i think gem store skins is the obvious course of action here.

And I would be MOSLTY happy with that.

Witch’s Broom glider skin? Magic Carpet glider skin? Those both seem a natural choice, considering they’re already in the game…

Could be that this is your training glider and that after mastering the gliding you get the good looking one.

Pic is the background of the masteries part on the official site.

Quarktastic.1027:

Archeage is the only MMO I’ve seen do gliders right. I hope anet takes a lesson from the developers of that game.

Seconded. It’s about the only thing I miss from AA, other than my horse (and I don’t think mounts are essential in GW2).

Chars should have problems with lift-off because their so big.. would be a cool animation when they use theirs

Except gliders don’t lift off, they drop Perhaps they could get flung?

/cues Monty Python voice
“Does your fluffy charr glide on her own?”
“No, I fling her.”

Something I’ve been wondering: how does one hang glide within the confines of a jungle? I can easily imagine hang gliding above a jungle, but I’m having trouble imagining hang gliding inside or through one.

When I think of a jungle, I don’t think of wide open spaces with convenient updrafts and breezes and lots of room to maneuver, I think of densely vegetated areas in which game trails and waterways offer the least troublesome means of getting around.

Anet has mentioned three levels:

• the canopy, that is, the top, which one would think would be very, well, leafy, immediately below which should be the trunks and branches of the trees providing all the leaves, which, in my estimation, could provide considerable challenge to anyone attempting to hang glide. Above the canopy, sure, have at it. Below? Uh… watch out for that tree?

• the floor — where the undergrowth would be running mostly rampant, serving as a most dire impediment to hang gliding, one would expect.

• the roots — underground areas are also not traditionally a good place for hang gliding.

So, why hang gliding? Why not giant dragonflies, as seen in the Green Star novels, Lin Carter’s reverent homage to the tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs? Seems to me giant dragonflies would make more sense…

(spoiler: in the novels, the dragonflies aren’t actually gigantic; the people are, ya know, tiny.)