Guild Wars 2

I love finding and seeing new places in Guild Wars, and as the expansion seemed a little dry on maps for me, I came up with this idea. It’s completely open to discussion, of course; I’m hoping it’s something that gains momentum and catches developer attention, because – as someone pointed out to me – I’m something of an explorer gamer, and I know that other Guild Wars1 and 2 fans are as well.

Some of us love running around Guild Wars maps. We love exploring the land and the layout and encountering little villages and rivers and waterfalls. So I’d like to put it to you guys – what would you think about Anet putting out a long series of explorable “flat maps”?

The so-called “flat maps” are maps that most of us look upon fondly if we’ve followed Guild Wars all the way through from Prophecies to Heart of Thorns. They contain exploration, land layout, and (well, in Guild Wars 1) collectible skills. It’s fine that HoT maps were developed and contain countless events, but some of us would also like to journey and adventure through picturesque places. We’re invested in the world, the lore, and the land.

So although I don’t know exactly how often developers frequent the forums, here’s what I’d like to suggest: a release of exploration maps. They don’t need to contain many (or any, at first) events. They don’t have to contain skill points/hero challenges. They don’t need to be lined with waypoints (the more challenging the adventure, the more interesting it could be). They don’t even have to contain points of interest! (Although they would contribute to lore very nicely.) They just need to contain mobs, villages/towns, NPCs, and landscape. It would make the world bigger and more open!

To clarify: I don’t mean maps that are purely for exploration. I mean maps that we can explore now that Anet can always use later on if they need room for Living World events or updates. For instance, perhaps we would be able to explore a new map, say… tomorrow, and it was fresh and peaceful (uneventful in more than one sense of the word), and then in a living world update in a few months that same map temporarily accommodates a war zone meta chain. Or something like that. That actually adds a second layer of exploration. (Like pre-searing and post-searing maps in Guild Wars 1.)

I’m happy to expand on this as much as required. I, for one, have a very strong, unquenched wanderlust that was fueled by Guild Wars 1 and has not yet been quenched. In fact, I’d like to actually see at least some of the old Guild Wars 1 maps added for exploration. We already have part of the terrain, and some was locked away by lore (Cantha), but there’s still plenty of space we could revisit. Augury Rock, Eye of the North, Ruins of Surmia, Kessex Peak, Talus Chute, and more… so many beautiful maps that we could explore!

The true essence of exploration is taking in the sights of previously untraversed places – or revisiting ancient places in a new game. There doesn’t have to be a physical or tangible reward for exploration.

Do you love exploring in Guild Wars? Please, contribute and query to your heart’s content. =)

Swift

This is an interesting concept to allow players to return to previous maps from the past. If minimal coding to allow spawning of the map is done…that dropped all players into these maps in an “explorer” mode for interaction.

+1 for suggesting an idea to re-use old content.

Swift.1930:

So although I don’t know exactly how often developers frequent the forums, here’s what I’d like to suggest: a release of exploration maps. They don’t need to contain many (or any, at first) events. They don’t have to contain skill points/hero challenges. They don’t need to be lined with waypoints (the more challenging the adventure, the more interesting it could be). They don’t even have to contain points of interest! (Although they would contribute to lore very nicely.) They just need to contain mobs, villages/towns, NPCs, and landscape. It would make the world bigger and more open! And Anet can always use the maps later on if you need room for Living World events or updates.

This does sound like a really unique idea. The many and varied maps that launched with GW2 is one of the main reasons I chose to play the game in the first place. I’m big on map completion and exploration. I would explore any maps available, though I enjoy them more when they have map items for me to collect such as POIs, vistas, HCs, etc.

That said, I can see the appeal of a wide-open map with not much on it at first. Simply a place to go and run around in and explore. I’d want the mobs to be reasonably well-spaced so I can look around without having to focus overmuch on survival, though.

The idea of adding things as time goes on (in relation to future LS updates, for instance) is really intriguing. It would be fun to see events, vistas, POIs, waypoints, etc. added to open maps in a gradual fashion following a storyline. I liked the way they slowly added to the Dry Top maps with each story update, letting us play segments at a time and becoming familiar with the areas gradually.

I love that they’ve added some maps since launch. Southsun was the first, but I was disappointed that there was only a handful of POIs and not much else when it arrived. I’m glad they’ve since added the map completion legend and rewards to Southsun, Dry Top, and the Silverwastes. (I want them back in WvW, too, but that’s another discussion.)

I also would love more maps that allow for gliding, but ones that have less mob density and are less confusing than some of the HoT maps. lol

Celtic Lady.3729:

I love that they’ve added some maps since launch. Southsun was the first, but I was disappointed that there was only a handful of POIs and not much else when it arrived. I’m glad they’ve since added the map completion legend and rewards to Southsun, Dry Top, and the Silverwastes. (I want them back in WvW, too, but that’s another discussion.)

I also would love more maps that allow for gliding, but ones that have less mob density and are less confusing than some of the HoT maps. lol

Ah, Southsun. I was so excited when I saw a new map, and immediately (with my lvl 55 main at the time) jumped in there. Very cool to explore, but I did find myself somewhat overly juggled between events and very aggressive mobs that remained latched onto my face the whole time, hah. Still enjoyed it, because any new map becomes something to explore.

I didn’t find the HoT maps very explorable due to the complexity coupled with the mastery padlocks. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the maps (that’s another discussion); I just have had so many mixed and confused attempts at everything on them that it’s a big, scrambled jumble.

I haven’t heard the term “explorer gamer” before but as soon as you said it, I knew I was one!

In the first months of my gw2 experience, most of what I did was explore. I loved walking across strange lands with snow-capped peaks or with fire falling from the sky. I explored every nook and cranny I could find – sometimes being disappointed by the odd invisible wall blocking what looked like a perfectly accessible spot (That needs to be said – invisible walls require thoughtful use). I spoke to npcs. I overheard some really funny bits of dialogue. Sometimes I walked, and walked, and walked. Sometimes I just sat and watched the scenery.

The new HOT maps, and to a lesser extent SW and DT, create an effective sense of urgency which is satisfying when you’re in an action mood. But at other times, it’s nice to just chill. And after the conclusion of HOT’s story, it seems – without giving too much away – like there might be a peaceful interlude in Tyria, however brief. This is an opportune moment to progress the exploratory side of the game and balance the action aspects with some laid-back roaming. War needs peace to give it contrast.

+1

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

I haven’t heard the term “explorer gamer” before but as soon as you said it, I knew I was one!

Yup, someone linked this to me a while ago and my gaming life suddenly became much, much clearer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartle_Test

(Maybe I missed something, but I couldn’t find the test itself; it’s more that the information was of interest to me.)

I agree on this idea as a whole, but I don’t think it need be exclusive of play content, especially in the long run.

One of my favorite Living world maps was Dry Top, as it was revealed bit by bit over months. Each new area added more to see, and some new events to do.

ANet has focused on ‘quality over quantity’ massively with this expansion, but I think it went too far. I want more of Tyria to explore now; the quality is already there.

dreadicon.5840:

I agree on this idea as a whole, but I don’t think it need be exclusive of play content, especially in the long run.

One of my favorite Living world maps was Dry Top, as it was revealed bit by bit over months. Each new area added more to see, and some new events to do.

ANet has focused on ‘quality over quantity’ massively with this expansion, but I think it went too far. I want more of Tyria to explore now; the quality is already there.

True, I wouldn’t wish it to be exclusively explorable – it would be really cool if we were able to explore one place, say… tomorrow, and it was fresh and peaceful (uneventful in more than one sense of the word), and then in a living world update in a few months that same map temporarily accommodates a war zone meta chain. Or something like that. That actually adds a second layer of exploration. (Just like pre-searing and post-searing maps in Guild Wars 1.)

“Exploration Maps Idea”

This words sound good for single RPG. But in MMORPG… sorry but it’s just bull s…

Why? It’ easy! Whats means exploration and why man likes it?

Exploration – it’s a serching for SOMETHIN SPECIAL. Usualy serching for treasures. Quest. BUT we cant create such things it MMORPG.
Because here we have 2 options:
1) We create REAL “special treasures” (just for you) – and ppl who found it will gain an advantage. Say bye-bye to balace=bad for MMORPG.
2) We create FAKE “special treasures” (Annet has done just that) – and ppl who found it didnt get any real “special” advantage. In this case all it looks like not “exploration” but like a… stupid farming (best) or just like a stupid joke… fake (worse).

I like this game cause it’s different from the other mmos,Now it’s becoming An"WOW or FF14 clone" I guess design a raid is easier than tell us some nice stories cause they have many game designers but few writers.LOL

demetry.9541:

“Exploration Maps Idea”

This words sound good for single RPG. But in MMORPG… sorry but it’s just bull s…

Why? It’ easy! Whats means exploration and why man likes it?

Exploration – it’s a serching for SOMETHIN SPECIAL. Usualy serching for treasures. Quest. BUT we cant create such things it MMORPG.
Because here we have 2 options:
1) We create REAL “special treasures” (just for you) – and ppl who found it will gain an advantage. Say bye-bye to balace=bad for MMORPG.
2) We create FAKE “special treasures” (Annet has done just that) – and ppl who found it didnt get any real “special” advantage. In this case all it looks like not “exploration” but like a… stupid farming (best) or just like a stupid joke… fake (worse).

[That’s what’s called a ‘false dichotomy’ where two choices are presented as the ONLY choices. It makes for poor arguments and should be avoided. Also, try to avoid strawmen, generalisations and just voicing an opinion as rock solid fact. These all make it difficult to continue the discussion.]

The word “exploration” is just a word. Don’t get hung up on it. We’re just using it to distinguish between the action-oriented maps of HOT and more leisurely maps where exploration, instead of large meta-events, is the focus. The game already has plenty of maps like these. We’re just asking for some new ones.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

demetry.9541:

“Exploration Maps Idea”

This words sound good for single RPG. But in MMORPG… sorry but it’s just bull s…

Why? It’ easy! Whats means exploration and why man likes it?

Exploration – it’s a serching for SOMETHIN SPECIAL. Usualy serching for treasures. Quest. BUT we cant create such things it MMORPG.
Because here we have 2 options:
1) We create REAL “special treasures” (just for you) – and ppl who found it will gain an advantage. Say bye-bye to balace=bad for MMORPG.
2) We create FAKE “special treasures” (Annet has done just that) – and ppl who found it didnt get any real “special” advantage. In this case all it looks like not “exploration” but like a… stupid farming (best) or just like a stupid joke… fake (worse).

[That’s what’s called a ‘false dichotomy’ where two choices are presented as the ONLY choices. It makes for poor arguments and should be avoided. Also, try to avoid strawmen, generalisations and just voicing an opinion as rock solid fact. These all make it difficult to continue the discussion.]

The word “exploration” is just a word. Don’t get hung up on it. We’re just using it to distinguish between the action-oriented maps of HOT and more leisurely maps where exploration, instead of large meta-events, is the focus. The game already has plenty of maps like these. We’re just asking for some new ones.

Further to Zoltar’s points, I’d like to clarify that you are confusing “exploration” with “quest”. They do not mean the same thing at all! There are thousands of players who play the game Elite: Dangerous and simply fly off into the stars. There is no limit to the distance they can fly (unless their ship can’t handle huge jumps later on). There is also no reward for flying out there. Players simply go out there to look at new and cool places in the chill atmosphere of their ship (and stream their findings on Twitch). And yet it’s still an MMO.

The main issue is that games try to promote exploration by adding so many points of interest and rewards that people tend to look to exploration chiefly for achievement/personal gain. The true essence of exploration is taking in the sights of previously untraversed places – or revisiting ancient places in a new game. There doesn’t have to be a physical or tangible reward for exploration.

One thing I’d like to see added for exploration is the old Guild Wars 1 maps. We already have part of the terrain, and some was locked away by lore (Cantha), but there’s still plenty of space we could revisit. Augury Rock, Eye of the North, Ruins of Surmia, Kessex Peak, Talus Chute, and more… so many beautiful maps that we could explore!

Did anyone else explore the ruins of old Lion’s Arch underwater? That was a nostalgia trip right there. So cool.

(Edited main post to include some of the info from replies.)

Sounds like a neat idea. What comes to mind for me is how in another game at one point there was this new map that was going to be coming out in the future, but no one was really supposed to be able to reach it yet. But a few people were able to reach it anyway.

It would be interesting if they did a thing where they added some in-progress maps early for exploration, before the maps are fully populated with NPCs and events and whatnot (but rather than the example from the other game I mentioned, you’re allowed to reach these maps). This could have two benefits: 1) Giving exploration-oriented folks more to look at and 2) Having guinea pigs to catch map bugs before the majority of players are using them.

Since there would be no rewards yet on these maps, it would be completely optional to visit them in the pre-fleshed-out stage – no pressure to do it. And if they wanted to encourage those into lore, I don’t think it’d be that hard to write up some exposition and slap it on some clickable items throughout the map.

Labjax.2465:

Sounds like a neat idea. What comes to mind for me is how in another game at one point there was this new map that was going to be coming out in the future, but no one was really supposed to be able to reach it yet. But a few people were able to reach it anyway.

It would be interesting if they did a thing where they added some in-progress maps early for exploration, before the maps are fully populated with NPCs and events and whatnot (but rather than the example from the other game I mentioned, you’re allowed to reach these maps). This could have two benefits: 1) Giving exploration-oriented folks more to look at and 2) Having guinea pigs to catch map bugs before the majority of players are using them.

Since there would be no rewards yet on these maps, it would be completely optional to visit them in the pre-fleshed-out stage – no pressure to do it. And if they wanted to encourage those into lore, I don’t think it’d be that hard to write up some exposition and slap it on some clickable items throughout the map.

You make a very good point that I hadn’t taken fully into account: bug-testing. Quite a good catch; I’d thought of (mostly) empty maps, but not the idea of actually testing the maps for Anet. That element would benefit both Anet and (exploration-focused) players. Cheers for the feedback! =)

Diku.2546:

This is an interesting concept to allow players to return to previous maps from the past. If minimal coding to allow spawning of the map is done…that dropped all players into these maps in an “explorer” mode for interaction.

+1 for suggesting an idea to re-use old content.

I would definitely go off on pretty long adventures revisiting old places if they added the Guild Wars 1 maps… that’d be a pretty long stretch of hours just reminiscing and wandering. That’s without considering the time spent engaged with mobs/lore items.

I’ve attached a map that shows the difference in span between GW1 and GW2 (and further, the amount of exploration we could do if given revamped GW1 maps). Note that this is only Tyria. If we have access to Elona and Cantha in the future… the exploration would be nearly endless!

I love the idea.

Discovering new areas and taking in the scenery is one of my favorite aspects of this sort of game. Anet’s art department has demonstrated time and again that they have what it takes to make finding a new bit of scenery a reward in itself.

Ashen.2907:

I love the idea.

Discovering new areas and taking in the scenery is one of my favorite aspects of this sort of game. Anet’s art department has demonstrated time and again that they have what it takes to make finding a new bit of scenery a reward in itself.

Ah, yes… did you kneel at Gwen’s grave for a while when you encountered it? I certainly did. Nostalgia and sentiment can be used so powerfully.

(If you didn’t play GW1, you can pretty much ignore the first two sentences.)

Swift.1930:

Ashen.2907:

I love the idea.

Discovering new areas and taking in the scenery is one of my favorite aspects of this sort of game. Anet’s art department has demonstrated time and again that they have what it takes to make finding a new bit of scenery a reward in itself.

Ah, yes… did you kneel at Gwen’s grave for a while when you encountered it? I certainly did. Nostalgia and sentiment can be used so powerfully.

(If you didn’t play GW1, you can pretty much ignore the first two sentences.)

I don’t want to ignore them. I now know there was a person called Gwen (Stacey?) and they have a grave and you can kneel at it. I am intrigued.

One of favor game is Shadow of the Colossus. Imagine a piece of uncharted land on Tyria occupied by different champions.

Doug Whisper.2465:

One of favor game is Shadow of the Colossus. Imagine a piece of uncharted land on Tyria occupied by different champions.

Not quite something that explorers could solo (generally), but that does sound very cool. Boy did that game have atmosphere. The whole thing was pretty much exploration.

I can see that being an awesome trip for little bands of explorers/adventurers. And adding a few champions in a map is much less involved than setting up mobs and events everywhere, so could be very quick and affordable from Anet’s point of view, too.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Ashen.2907:

I love the idea.

Discovering new areas and taking in the scenery is one of my favorite aspects of this sort of game. Anet’s art department has demonstrated time and again that they have what it takes to make finding a new bit of scenery a reward in itself.

Ah, yes… did you kneel at Gwen’s grave for a while when you encountered it? I certainly did. Nostalgia and sentiment can be used so powerfully.

(If you didn’t play GW1, you can pretty much ignore the first two sentences.)

I don’t want to ignore them. I now know there was a person called Gwen (Stacey?) and they have a grave and you can kneel at it. I am intrigued.

Well, there’s that grave as well, but elsewhere. I stopped there too.

I was actually referring to the grave of Captain Gwen Thackeray, a Guild Wars 1 character who you meet as a child at the start and then again in her early 20s in the Eye of the North expansion (she becomes a main story character). Her grave is on the south-east corner of the Stronghold of Ebonhawke; it’s the communed hero point there.

As an explorer, I’d love new players to explore. That’s always been true.

Personally what I would like to see for explorers is a jungle map (like tangled depths and auric basin) without such a huge mob population. That would mean people don’t have to be on their toes all the time.

I actually don’t think mastery lockouts are a bad thing, as long as they are in the first 3 tiers and don’t take millions upon millions of exp to get the final tier. I would also suggest mastery lockouts be for more hidden areas, like an oasis or grove vs big open areas (kind of thinking hidden areas like the areas that open up in Dragon’s Stand after he mouth of Mordy dies). On top of this I would make sure there are not a whole lot of these, just enough to effectively demonstrate what I mention below.

Basically the affect this would have on players is that every time they come back to the map with something else unlocked there are new areas to explore, and it gives another sense of satisfaction to see these new areas that not every average Joe can reach.

Why I would like to see a jungle map like Tangled Depths is because of the verticallity. You can have layers of explorable areas stacked on top of each other, and gliding way above in the canopy. I would like to see a few wide open areas, but I don’t really prefer the map just being a big wide open area. It’s very easy to blow through a wide open map in like twenty minutes, and then you’re finished. A jungle would provide you with multiple layers and hidden areas inaccesible to you at first, and you will have tons of reason to go back if you like to explore.

I would love all future explorable maps to have gliding. Even then, just have up drafts all around the sky. One of the most enjoyable thing for explorers has been just gliding up way above the map. It’s actually pretty dang cool.

I would also like the map to have some events, as you said. But more so, I love the idea of it (in the future- again, as you said) changing from a peaceful jungle area to a war zone between the first and second time you go to it (as a result of living story plot).

Overall I think the new jungle is pretty awesome to explore, and I would like to see something similar with just a few changes:

-Less mastery gates
-Less mobs (!)
-Probably no MAP-wide meta (there can be a small meta, but not enough to have people want to kick you from the map as a result of trying to beat it)
-Variey of open, vertical, and hidden areas (preferably an equal amount)
-A better underground layer with expansive cave systems

So yeah, those are just my thoughts

ZachAttack.3957:

Personally what I would like to see for explorers is a jungle map (like tangled depths and auric basin) without such a huge mob population. That would mean people don’t have to be on their toes all the time.

I actually don’t think mastery lockouts are a bad thing, as long as they are in the first 3 tiers and don’t take millions upon millions of exp to get the final tier. I would also suggest mastery lockouts be for more hidden areas, like an oasis or grove vs big open areas (kind of thinking hidden areas like the areas that open up in Dragon’s Stand after he mouth of Mordy dies). On top of this I would make sure there are not a whole lot of these, just enough to effectively demonstrate what I mention below.

Basically the affect this would have on players is that every time they come back to the map with something else unlocked there are new areas to explore, and it gives another sense of satisfaction to see these new areas that not every average Joe can reach.

Why I would like to see a jungle map like Tangled Depths is because of the verticallity. You can have layers of explorable areas stacked on top of each other, and gliding way above in the canopy. I would like to see a few wide open areas, but I don’t really prefer the map just being a big wide open area. It’s very easy to blow through a wide open map in like twenty minutes, and then you’re finished. A jungle would provide you with multiple layers and hidden areas inaccesible to you at first, and you will have tons of reason to go back if you like to explore.

I would love all future explorable maps to have gliding. Even then, just have up drafts all around the sky. One of the most enjoyable thing for explorers has been just gliding up way above the map. It’s actually pretty dang cool.

I would also like the map to have some events, as you said. But more so, I love the idea of it (in the future- again, as you said) changing from a peaceful jungle area to a war zone between the first and second time you go to it (as a result of living story plot).

Overall I think the new jungle is pretty awesome to explore, and I would like to see something similar with just a few changes:

-Less mastery gates
-Less mobs (!)
-Probably no MAP-wide meta (there can be a small meta, but not enough to have people want to kick you from the map as a result of trying to beat it)
-Variey of open, vertical, and hidden areas (preferably an equal amount)
-A better underground layer with expansive cave systems

So yeah, those are just my thoughts

Uhoh, more jungle? I see what you mean, though. From a development/time/resource side of things, I know that it takes a very very long time to make jungle maps work properly. But they make for some curious exploration, definitely.

You wouldn’t enjoy exploring other areas like northern Shiverpeaks/Crystal Desert/etc? (I mostly ask this because I was bored by jungles before HoT launched, so it’s legitimately curious to me as to why so many people prefer jungle terrain to other landscapes.)

Some good other ideas you mentioned, too.

…my secret wish is for some more mysterious, ancient ruins to explore. No mobs. Just traps, hidden chambers, traps, curious artifacts, and lots of traps. Clever traps, which require lateral thinking to get past. A mysterious pyramid or ziggurat or tomb for me and a couple of friends to explore.

Swift.1930:

Further to Zoltar’s points, I’d like to clarify that you are confusing “exploration” with “quest”. They do not mean the same thing at all! There are thousands of players who play the game Elite: Dangerous and simply fly off into the stars. There is no limit to the distance they can fly (unless their ship can’t handle huge jumps later on). There is also no reward for flying out there. Players simply go out there to look at new and cool places in the chill atmosphere of their ship (and stream their findings on Twitch). And yet it’s still an MMO..
…….

You means Columbus sailed in search of new land because he wanted to look at the stars?

Not for new territory, gold, trade, fame (which means real things)?

Sorry agane but… “exploration” realy means some sort of quest. Exploration without any good, real reason\reward – it’s just… walking (sleepwalking) but not “exploration”.

So.. i’m realy doubt whats “thousands of players” realy like walking around new (painfull) map just for “go out there to look at new and cool places”. First days – yep.. may be. but not now.

And if you want…. living map (not dead one) you better create it a bit more… comfortable for playing. Or maybe Annet prefer 5% (sleepwalkers) more than other 95% ppl….

demetry.9541:

Swift.1930:

Further to Zoltar’s points, I’d like to clarify that you are confusing “exploration” with “quest”. They do not mean the same thing at all! There are thousands of players who play the game Elite: Dangerous and simply fly off into the stars. There is no limit to the distance they can fly (unless their ship can’t handle huge jumps later on). There is also no reward for flying out there. Players simply go out there to look at new and cool places in the chill atmosphere of their ship (and stream their findings on Twitch). And yet it’s still an MMO..
…….

You means Columbus sailed in search of new land because he wanted to look at the stars?

Not for new territory, gold, trade, fame (which means real things)?

Sorry agane but… “exploration” realy means some sort of quest. Exploration without any good, real reason\reward – it’s just… walking (sleepwalking) but not “exploration”.

So.. i’m realy doubt whats “thousands of players” realy like walking around new (painfull) map just for “go out there to look at new and cool places”. First days – yep.. may be. but not now.

And if you want…. living map (not dead one) you better create it a bit more… comfortable for playing. Or maybe Annet prefer 5% (sleepwalkers) more than other 95% ppl….

Columbus just called. He said he was definitely on a “quest” to find a better route from Spain to China. Sure, he did some exploring to get there but it was definitely a quest. Are you calling Columbus a liar?

demetry.9541:

Swift.1930:

Further to Zoltar’s points, I’d like to clarify that you are confusing “exploration” with “quest”. They do not mean the same thing at all! There are thousands of players who play the game Elite: Dangerous and simply fly off into the stars. There is no limit to the distance they can fly (unless their ship can’t handle huge jumps later on). There is also no reward for flying out there. Players simply go out there to look at new and cool places in the chill atmosphere of their ship (and stream their findings on Twitch). And yet it’s still an MMO..
…….

You means Columbus sailed in search of new land because he wanted to look at the stars?

Not for new territory, gold, trade, fame (which means real things)?

Sorry agane but… “exploration” realy means some sort of quest. Exploration without any good, real reason\reward – it’s just… walking (sleepwalking) but not “exploration”.

So.. i’m realy doubt whats “thousands of players” realy like walking around new (painfull) map just for “go out there to look at new and cool places”. First days – yep.. may be. but not now.

And if you want…. living map (not dead one) you better create it a bit more… comfortable for playing. Or maybe Annet prefer 5% (sleepwalkers) more than other 95% ppl….

I think you’re kind of missing the point. First of all, you wouldn’t have to go to these maps yourself (so why oppose it?). Second of all, they wouldn’t remain empty forever – they would be developed over time to include all those things you think need to be in maps. From the way you define “exploration”, you’re probably an achiever gamer. Glad for you, but you don’t have to oppose other gamers.

@Zoltar – I’d be running around looking for old Ascalonian forts and forests myself. A bit like the ones that currently exist in Charr territory, but more of them and older ones. =)

Doesn’t necessarily need to be jungle, but maps that focus a lot on verticality. The reason I chose jungle is because deserts and snow terrain are extremely barren in comparison. Hardly any trees/Flora, less of a variety of mobs, and just the same terrain (the terrain would not vary a lot like the jungle would). That is why I would prefer jungle.

Swift.1930:

I love finding and seeing new places in Guild Wars, and as the expansion seemed a little dry on maps for me, I came up with this idea. It’s completely open to discussion, of course; I’m hoping it’s something that gains momentum and catches developer attention, because – as someone pointed out to me – I’m something of an explorer gamer, and I know that other Guild Wars1 and 2 fans are as well.

The expansion might have few maps but the amount of things you can find in them is rather huge. What’s the point of making huge maps with nothing to do there? HoT maps are packed full with things to find and explore, an explorer’s paradise, creating new maps just for the sake does’t seem like a good idea for Anet. Instead of creating 10 maps with nothing to do, then can create 1 with tons of content and stuff to explore/find. As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

Swift.1930:

I love finding and seeing new places in Guild Wars, and as the expansion seemed a little dry on maps for me, I came up with this idea. It’s completely open to discussion, of course; I’m hoping it’s something that gains momentum and catches developer attention, because – as someone pointed out to me – I’m something of an explorer gamer, and I know that other Guild Wars1 and 2 fans are as well.

Some of us love running around Guild Wars maps. We love exploring the land and the layout and encountering little villages and rivers and waterfalls. So I’d like to put it to you guys – what would you think about Anet putting out a long series of explorable “flat maps”?

The so-called “flat maps” are maps that most of us look upon fondly if we’ve followed Guild Wars all the way through from Prophecies to Heart of Thorns. They contain exploration, land layout, and (well, in Guild Wars 1) collectible skills. It’s fine that HoT maps were developed and contain countless events, but some of us would also like to journey and adventure through picturesque places. We’re invested in the world, the lore, and the land.

So although I don’t know exactly how often developers frequent the forums, here’s what I’d like to suggest: a release of exploration maps. They don’t need to contain many (or any, at first) events. They don’t have to contain skill points/hero challenges. They don’t need to be lined with waypoints (the more challenging the adventure, the more interesting it could be). They don’t even have to contain points of interest! (Although they would contribute to lore very nicely.) They just need to contain mobs, villages/towns, NPCs, and landscape. It would make the world bigger and more open!

To clarify: I don’t mean maps that are purely for exploration. I mean maps that we can explore now that Anet can always use later on if they need room for Living World events or updates. For instance, perhaps we would be able to explore a new map, say… tomorrow, and it was fresh and peaceful (uneventful in more than one sense of the word), and then in a living world update in a few months that same map temporarily accommodates a war zone meta chain. Or something like that. That actually adds a second layer of exploration. (Like pre-searing and post-searing maps in Guild Wars 1.)

I’m happy to expand on this as much as required. I, for one, have a very strong, unquenched wanderlust that was fueled by Guild Wars 1 and has not yet been quenched. In fact, I’d like to actually see at least some of the old Guild Wars 1 maps added for exploration. We already have part of the terrain, and some was locked away by lore (Cantha), but there’s still plenty of space we could revisit. Augury Rock, Eye of the North, Ruins of Surmia, Kessex Peak, Talus Chute, and more… so many beautiful maps that we could explore!

The true essence of exploration is taking in the sights of previously untraversed places – or revisiting ancient places in a new game. There doesn’t have to be a physical or tangible reward for exploration.

Do you love exploring in Guild Wars? Please, contribute and query to your heart’s content. =)

Swift

Hi Swift

I love your idea! My favourite maps are the Sylvari starter map and the Timberline falls map, so beautiful them both. I just love roaming and gathering materials and doing the little hearts.

I also love getting a wee reward for map completion (I mean its like a present, and I love presents!)

I was not so keen on the new maps, they are so dangerous and unpleasant to move around in, they could be wonderful to explore too if they were calmer.

I really really hope a developer reads your post. Thanks for suggesting it. I think I must be a bit of an explorer gamer and I know my husband is too.

With the current map cap, the high content density map design in HoT creates conflicts among players who run the meta events with those doing something else. The later ones might also scaling up the events as they share the same spots with those committed to the event chains. The time gated and time sink aspects of new design make the matter even more worse. Even I enjoy the difficulty in HoT maps, I hope ANet learn their lesson that one size fit all is not a good design at all.

@tracysilva – thanks for the support! Timberline Falls really is such an awesome map. Definitely one of my favorites. I’d personally take an Ascalon map as my favorite… the scenery and the ruins of old Ascalon and the history really interest me. I want to travel all the starting-area GW1 Prophecies maps on my GW2 characters! But any exploration is awesome. I actually spoke yesterday with a dev in-game who also loves exploration, so who knows? =)

@Doug Whisper – yeah… I see that a lot. Explorers have to do a lot of logging/relogging – until they want to explore DS, and then they have to join a 2-hour meta to access half the map for 15 minutes.

@maddoctor – as per my post, the maps would not remain solely for exploration. Anet would even have the advantage of using explorers as bug-testers. But even if the maps remained purely for exploration, such maps would be quick/inexpensive to put together. As per tracysilva and Doug Whisper’s replies, traveling the new maps (while they are kind of pretty) is a difficulty both due to mob/landscape/latency (hitting the ground after the glider should have kicked in) and player friction. Also, while they’re neat maps, in the time it took the team to design, bug-test, jump-test, glide-test, event-test, balance-test, animation-test, visibility-test, exploit-test, etc, etc, etc, the team could have drawn up 10-20 maps with less content density but still containing plenty of exploration, events, champions, and lore content. I’m not talking light-content exploration maps, I’m talking Brisban Wildlands maps. But yes, Verdant Brink is pretty. I’m almost convinced I’ve already seen everything interesting there, though – the event trains rammed me through the content super-quick, and wanderlust took me to the last remaining corners very early on.

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

I raise you Timberline Falls + Field of Ruin + Diessa Plateau, but I still have to admit to the irreplaceability of your Iron Marches and Frostgorge Sound. Brisban Wildlands runs close behind. Good picks!

I love the Orrian maps.

Exploring the scarred ruins of an almost forgotten civilization while gazing upon the cyclopean remnants of fallen greatness….

Desolation can be a beautiful thing.

(loves deserts and badlands in real life)

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

I raise you Timberline Falls + Field of Ruin + Diessa Plateau, but I still have to admit to the irreplaceability of your Iron Marches and Frostgorge Sound. Brisban Wildlands runs close behind. Good picks!

Wait… what region is Timberline in? I can’t tell if that’s a pair or three-of-a-kind!

Ashen.2907:

I love the Orrian maps.

Exploring the scarred ruins of an almost forgotten civilization while gazing upon the cyclopean remnants of fallen greatness….

Desolation can be a beautiful thing.

(loves deserts and badlands in real life)

Ah… eyes glistening

Yes, this is why I delved through the shattered halls of Dungeon Siege. This is why I survived the tunnels of Metro. This is why I roamed the streets of Crysis 3 so serenely. And this is why Prophecies and Eye of the North will remain my favorite Guild Wars 1 titles.

Is there actually any (decent) lore behind the GW2 guild halls? They certainly deserve some – they’re abandoned cities.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

I raise you Timberline Falls + Field of Ruin + Diessa Plateau, but I still have to admit to the irreplaceability of your Iron Marches and Frostgorge Sound. Brisban Wildlands runs close behind. Good picks!

Wait… what region is Timberline in? I can’t tell if that’s a pair or three-of-a-kind!

Timberline Falls is in the Shiverpeak Mountains region, so only a pair this time, haha. I’d add Fields of Ruin if half of it wasn’t dark purple and covered in crystals, but such is life. But Timberline Falls is such an awesome map!

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Timberline_Falls

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

I raise you Timberline Falls + Field of Ruin + Diessa Plateau, but I still have to admit to the irreplaceability of your Iron Marches and Frostgorge Sound. Brisban Wildlands runs close behind. Good picks!

Wait… what region is Timberline in? I can’t tell if that’s a pair or three-of-a-kind!

Timberline Falls is in the Shiverpeak Mountains region. Such an awesome map.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Timberline_Falls

So, you have a pair (Timber+Frost) and a three-of-a-kind (Fields+Diessa+Iron)?

Darn. If I’d included a Kryta map I could have beaten you with a full house.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

maddoctor.2738:

As an explorer, I’d take 1 Verdant Brink over 5 Brisban Wildlands any day.

I see your Verdant Brink and I raise you 1 Brisban Wildlands + 1 Malchor’s Leap + 1 Silverwastes + 1 Iron Marches + 1 Frostgorge Sound.

I raise you Timberline Falls + Field of Ruin + Diessa Plateau, but I still have to admit to the irreplaceability of your Iron Marches and Frostgorge Sound. Brisban Wildlands runs close behind. Good picks!

Wait… what region is Timberline in? I can’t tell if that’s a pair or three-of-a-kind!

Timberline Falls is in the Shiverpeak Mountains region. Such an awesome map.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Timberline_Falls

So, you have a pair (Timber+Frost) and a three-of-a-kind (Fields+Diessa+Iron)?

Darn. If I’d included a Kryta map I could have beaten you with a full house.

Haha, too bad. =P

@Swift – I just had an idea in the “That’s Enough” thread. Here it is: I’d like a map that is one huge desert with several lost tombs or ruins in it, but spaced so far apart that you can’t see one from the other. A person could spend days just wandering the desert, feeling like they’re the only one on the planet. Imagine the surprise when you come across another player or a tomb. You could wander about on your lonesome, or organise some kind of strategic line of players combing the desert. Shouldn’t be very hard to design, right? A whole lotta sand.

It could also include a mechanic where every day, at roll-over, there’s a sandstorm and the locations of the tombs change.

Oh, the serenity. Just a man and his thoughts. ….and possibly his mini.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

@Swift – I just had an idea in the “That’s Enough” thread. Here it is: I’d like a map that is one huge desert with several lost tombs or ruins in it, but spaced so far apart that you can’t see one from the other. A person could spend days just wandering the desert, feeling like they’re the only one on the planet. Imagine the surprise when you come across another player or a tomb. You could wander about on your lonesome, or organise some kind of strategic line of players combing the desert. Shouldn’t be very hard to design, right? A whole lotta sand.

It could also include a mechanic where every day, at roll-over, there’s a sandstorm and the locations of the tombs change.

Oh, the serenity. Just a man and his thoughts. ….and possibly his mini.

Ooh, very nice. Sounds awesome. Could even have foes that spring up from under the sand (GW1-devourer-style), and some are champions – so if you hear a map-shout for help, you may or may not reach the player in time… (ant-lion traps?)

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

@Swift – I just had an idea in the “That’s Enough” thread. Here it is: I’d like a map that is one huge desert with several lost tombs or ruins in it, but spaced so far apart that you can’t see one from the other. A person could spend days just wandering the desert, feeling like they’re the only one on the planet. Imagine the surprise when you come across another player or a tomb. You could wander about on your lonesome, or organise some kind of strategic line of players combing the desert. Shouldn’t be very hard to design, right? A whole lotta sand.

It could also include a mechanic where every day, at roll-over, there’s a sandstorm and the locations of the tombs change.

Oh, the serenity. Just a man and his thoughts. ….and possibly his mini.

Ooh, very nice. Sounds awesome. Could even have foes that spring up from under the sand (GW1-devourer-style), and some are champions – so if you hear a map-shout for help, you may or may not reach the player in time… (ant-lion traps?)

Yes!! They could reuse the mouths from the SW breach to create unexpected pits where an unwary boba fe—-uh, player could stumble into.

And mirages…. heck, imagine if they could put that in.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

@Swift – I just had an idea in the “That’s Enough” thread. Here it is: I’d like a map that is one huge desert with several lost tombs or ruins in it, but spaced so far apart that you can’t see one from the other. A person could spend days just wandering the desert, feeling like they’re the only one on the planet. Imagine the surprise when you come across another player or a tomb. You could wander about on your lonesome, or organise some kind of strategic line of players combing the desert. Shouldn’t be very hard to design, right? A whole lotta sand.

It could also include a mechanic where every day, at roll-over, there’s a sandstorm and the locations of the tombs change.

Oh, the serenity. Just a man and his thoughts. ….and possibly his mini.

Ooh, very nice. Sounds awesome. Could even have foes that spring up from under the sand (GW1-devourer-style), and some are champions – so if you hear a map-shout for help, you may or may not reach the player in time… (ant-lion traps?)

Yes!! They could reuse the mouths from the SW breach to create unexpected pits where an unwary boba fe—-uh, player could stumble into.

And mirages…. heck, imagine if they could put that in.

And if games like Runescape can incorporate desert thirst/water gourds/shade/clothing, Guild Wars 2 can too! Buy a white-robe outfit and survive the desert for longer while the outfit is equipped!

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Swift.1930:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

@Swift – I just had an idea in the “That’s Enough” thread. Here it is: I’d like a map that is one huge desert with several lost tombs or ruins in it, but spaced so far apart that you can’t see one from the other. A person could spend days just wandering the desert, feeling like they’re the only one on the planet. Imagine the surprise when you come across another player or a tomb. You could wander about on your lonesome, or organise some kind of strategic line of players combing the desert. Shouldn’t be very hard to design, right? A whole lotta sand.

It could also include a mechanic where every day, at roll-over, there’s a sandstorm and the locations of the tombs change.

Oh, the serenity. Just a man and his thoughts. ….and possibly his mini.

Ooh, very nice. Sounds awesome. Could even have foes that spring up from under the sand (GW1-devourer-style), and some are champions – so if you hear a map-shout for help, you may or may not reach the player in time… (ant-lion traps?)

Yes!! They could reuse the mouths from the SW breach to create unexpected pits where an unwary boba fe—-uh, player could stumble into.

And mirages…. heck, imagine if they could put that in.

And if games like Runescape can incorporate desert thirst/water gourds/shade/clothing, Guild Wars 2 can too! Buy a white-robe outfit and survive the desert for longer while the outfit is equipped!

That sounds like what some mastery in the crystal desert will do :X