Guild Wars 2

Topic Length is maximum 5000 characters, so this will be a 2 Part series!

Let me just say that I DO enjoy the living world content, it just started out slow-burning and un-interesting, but lessons are being learned and things are picking up smoothly. BUT…the content is not being done in a way that aids players participation.

In reality we are faced with events we cannot participate in, and it leads to disappointment, this is true for games as well, but the main difference is we have the control to re-live these events.

So my first suggestion towards having a seamless world is the re-introduction of past events in a somewhat “random” but still plausible manner:

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Subject 1: Meta-Stories + Rewards:

Similar to current Living Story events that appear on your event log for the duration of the event, these would be past (and maybe new ones created every so often for spice) events that have occurred that are 1-day occurrences that happen 1 or 2 times a week that last for 24-hours from its start.

Example: Flame and Frost dungeon – While exploring the world, this may trigger at 2pm Tuesday and last until 2pm Wednesday, and appear in your event log (globally) as “Remnants of the Molten Alliance have been spotted in Diessa Plateau and Wayfarer Foothills attempted to re-activate their facilities!”

This allows players to re-live the Flame and Frost dungeon arc while still not intruding on the world as if it doesn’t belong.

Along with the re-addition of this content, new randomized (but not crappy) rewards would be added to completing the dungeon allowing players to have a reason to re-live it.

Example: Flame and Frost Dungeon – Completing the dungeon will reward 25 silver + Karma + Exp + 1 Azurite Orb…..but may have a rare chance reward of one of the following: 1g -or- 5 Jugs of Karma -or- 1 Molten Ticket -or- Exotic Sentinels recipe or crafting material (insignia)

Adding these and various other new and old content additions that are sudden and scarce all around the world WILL get people to travel, it will get people to zones you normally don’t go to, it will get people together and moving.

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Subject 2: Content/Patch Information

We all like to have this information, but one thing that can TRUELY take away from a seamless world feeling is that the events that are about to occur…are TOLD TO US BEFOREHAND!

We look at the GW2 website, we look at our achievement page, we know EVERYTHING that is going to happen before it happens! This is BAD (CAPS LOCK)

The way for something to have a proper impact on a player is for it to feel sudden, and feel organic when it is supposed to. Things like holiday events etc, we can be told this, this is fine.

But when in the middle of the event we find out someone gets assassinated, we know the target, and we know the group behind it….before it all happens, is awful! This does not feel organic, it does not feel alive, it feels fully and forcibly scripted and fake.

When we are attacked by some unknown force, we need to be attacked by an unknown force, NOT be told a day/week before that it will happen…that is how the emotion is created that drives the story forward, it is sudden, and it adds suspense.

the best example of this in GW would be back in GW1, when the War In Kryta began…we had no idea, we were in the dark, posters started appearing, shady figures started to appear….we were curious, and we were in suspense when it began, and most importantly we wanted to know (not be told), and GUESS, what would happen next!

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Subject 3: Zone based events, and added mechanics

This is a tricky one, but I can think of an example to explain what I mean by this.

A zone where multiple “factions” or “races” exist that allow players to pick a side and participate in PvE/PvP hybrid events.

Example: Caeldon Forest – Event: The Nightmare Court has awakened a colossal Husk to terrorize the local populace!

When this event appears, players have the option to approach 2 NPCs that allow them to make a choice on who they aid. When a player chooses a faction they become PvP hostile towards those who choose the opposing faction (and only the ones who chose)

Nightmare Choice: A Husk has been summoned in Briarthorn Den, make sure it survives and aid it in destroying 3 nearby outposts!

Dreamer Choice: A Husk has been spotted leaving Briarthorn Den! Destroy it and defend any nearby outposts it assaults!

The reward for Success and Failure would be the same as any Group Event currently but both sides (whether you succeed or fail) will receive a special reward that is the same regardless. (this allows players to freely choose a side to play and still be rewarded the same to prevent team stacking/rolling) but still keep it challenging enough for the players even if they ALL decide to help one faction.

PART 2 INCOMING

Subject 4: Personal Story, world interaction.

This is a touchy subject, but I believe alongside a players personal story, there should be situations where the story actually takes place in the seamless world, allowing other players and themselves to interact and alter the world while it is in progress.

This can be a difficult one to work out, but I will try an example to clarify:

A player reaches a part in their personal story where they need to find a relic located in some old ruins guarded by pirates, with some jumping puzzles and trap scattered around. A dynamic event would kick off that cause the pirates to locate themselves around the ruins while the player with the story needs to get in, and get the relic.

Other players who happen to be in the area may come and aid them, as well as other dynamic events may cross-over and effect the players experience of their story, making for a more living and interesting situation as it happens. Perhaps a krait invasion occurs as the player is approaching and suddenly the pirates and krait are in conflict allowing the player to slip in, but may overwhelm the pirates and take the ruins as their own.

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Subject 5: WvW (guild claiming….not exactly living story)

Yep, I am going there, this is just something that is becoming a stigma for alot of players. “Is it PvE? Is it PvP? Why are there NPCs? thats lame”

The seamless and constant battles of WvW are a wondrous addition to GW2, but there always seems to be something missing, and it suddenly becomes a monotonous feeling of zerg v zerg, or empty servers being spawn locked.

There are many ways that WvW is amazing, but there could be more. more customization, more confusion, more everything.

The maps are bland, so when nothing is going on, all you see is air, and open space. This will probably never change regardless of how much I would love there to be gank routes, proper canyons, caves, tunnels, dense forest and hills to promote ambushes and small group roaming….but alas.

Something that COULD fill up that space, is player chosen additions.

From various control areas (Garrison, keep, SM, camps, etc.) there would be a variety of options a GUILD could choose to change the battlefield. Examples:

From a camp: A guild can choose to set up guard towers and small walls to “fortify” a camp location, rather than simply pumping guard levels up, or adding a few patrols. Purchasing them as upgrades from the appropriate NPC, they would provide you with an item similar to a siege weapon, you can place on the ground (restricted to the camp, and nearby area, as well as restricted by the amount placed)

From a Keep/Garrison: A guild can purchase a “1/2 way point” that replaces a nearby Sentry with a guard post, providing walls, and multiple guards and patrols to a Dolyak’s route 1/2 way to the camp for added defense, and causing the route to become more treacherous for enemies.

From a Tower: A guild can purchase assault groups to locations that will send a wave of NPCs to an area for an attack for a fee (similar to mercenary groups)

From Stonemist: A commander can purchase 2 things: A.) An NPC army of roughly 20 (8 veterans, 11 regular mobs, 1 champion) who charge a selected keep until killed.

B.) A large mobile airship, that acts as a low flying destroyable waypoint when it reaches its destination and comes to a stop/hover. Players can wreak havok on enemies below with cannon and mortar fire, or simply ranged weapons.

Players will need to defend the airship until it reaches its resting point (just outside the outer gate of an enemy keep). Once it arrives, it stops and becomes a waypoint (contestable when being attacked, as well as destroyable) for allied players to get to the battlefield quickly if the front gate is secured by your server and the airship is not under fire.
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So those are my ramblings for the day….have a good day everyone!

Interesting read to say the least.

For a while now LS updates have kept me boggled. In my eyes its not a living story, its static and scripted. For a 2 week period you have to kill x of y, eat x of y and so on. But nothing actually changes in the world. If Tyria was actually a “living” world it would change and evolve.

For example..

Queensdale – one day the Western Divinitys Reach dam collapses flooding the nearby villages. New events trigger as survivors struggle to find temporary shelter from nearby settlements. Then theres the process of disaster control and after that refugees can migrate back to their native settlement and start rebuilding. This should have a relatively long timespan, say 6 months with weekly updates with minor changes each week.

What this gives us is a real “living” world that would be fun to rediscover as time passes. You take a break for a month log back in to good old Queensdale and what do you see? The flood is gone and people are rebuilding their homes and farmlands.

I know that this is insane how much development time something like this would take but by all means this COULD be the new level of MMO’s out there.

Same principle could be added to one time events like flame and frost. Once the event is over the world would still have the impact from it visible. Like Personel carrier wreckages that skritt would tear appart over time or some that get covered in ice and rediscovered later etc.

Microtransactions would still be welcome, i’d pay 10€ for a skin or service that i like. Would i pay 10€ to RNG for some ticket that i might get? Unlikely.

So You, reading this, tell me what what you think .. do i sound crazy? Or is this something that you would like to see?

It is a good point about the event consequences, I like to think the current events are more of an “on-the-surface” type of deal, where it looks likes things are changing, but in reality nothing actually does.

It is like a freshly waxed car, our current events are more like water, it just rolls over and has no effect, but you see it happen. What we need are pebbles, unpredictable movement, some scratches and dents that we need to re-wax to get back to normal, something with some impact.

Good ideas. I find the main mistake with the big meta events is the speed at which they run from start to conclusion.

In your queensdale example, given the way meta events are currently implemented, the dam breaking up, the flooding and rebuilding of the village would take about 3 hours and repeat afterwards. Thats just no good.

So I like the idea of making more semi-lasting event chains, and also making current zone-wide metas take a week to complete which each step lasting a day and providing different smaller events to hold off the enemy and drive the push forward ( for zones like Orr camp control and Harathi, not for small metas like Mark II).

They definitely need to add some “weekly” and “monthly” events, things that are beyond epicness in terms of actual impact and awe taken upon the player and the world.

Similar to my “Meta story” idea, but more focused on open-world encounters and interactions, where the meta story is more about instances and telling a short story.