Guild Wars 2

Several top Anet artists posted a lot of sci-fi artwork in the years leading up to their departure for Bungie to work on Destiny, which is sci-fi.

Maybe the artwork from those years has left a lingering affect on the company?

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Your fault for thinking this is a ‘fantasy’ game that is full of your typical MMO themes. Furthermore, what makes you decide what’s in a fantasy game?

Vol.5241:

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Your fault for thinking this is a ‘fantasy’ game that is full of your typical MMO themes. Furthermore, what makes you decide what’s in a fantasy game?

Somehow where there’s more tehcnology (terminators and megalasers mostly), and i still fight with a sword, I feel out of place.

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

Gandarel.5091:

Vol.5241:

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Your fault for thinking this is a ‘fantasy’ game that is full of your typical MMO themes. Furthermore, what makes you decide what’s in a fantasy game?

Somehow where there’s more tehcnology (terminators and megalasers mostly), and i still fight with a sword, I feel out of place.

You knew the moment you saw beta videos/pictures that stuff like this would be in game. You have an entire race based on technology and robots.

You would have to be blind to not expect stuff like this to happen.

I feel out of place in “fantasy” worlds where everyone can generate all sorts of energy and wild magic effects in a predictable manner, yet somehow no one has the basic human ingenuity to try and make any type of technology out of it. Guild Wars 2 comes off more believable than a lot of generic “medieval” type worlds where there is awesome power everywhere but everyone is apparently far more idiotic and uncreative than in real life.

Vol.5241:

Gandarel.5091:

Vol.5241:

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Your fault for thinking this is a ‘fantasy’ game that is full of your typical MMO themes. Furthermore, what makes you decide what’s in a fantasy game?

Somehow where there’s more tehcnology (terminators and megalasers mostly), and i still fight with a sword, I feel out of place.

You knew the moment you saw beta videos/pictures that stuff like this would be in game. You have an entire race based on technology and robots.

You would have to be blind to not expect stuff like this to happen.

Also, 250 years is a very long time.

lordkrall.7241:

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

This.

lordkrall.7241:

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

Gandarel.5091:

lordkrall.7241:

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

These 2 things, in the context of GW2, are not mutually exclusive. 100% of asura stuff is magic technology.

Lets pretend that magic and technology are artificially separate concepts, for the sake of argument.

- Sylvari capital is 100% not tech
- Norn capital is 100% not tech
- Lions arch is 90% not tech (sometimes holograms?)
- Divinity’s reach had robots removed and it 100% not tech
- Maguuma is 90% not tech
- Shiverpeaks is 100% not tech
- Orr is 90% not tech (excepting a sparse invasion force)
- Kryta is 100% not tech
- 80% of dungeons are not tech
- most races aren’t tech
- 90% of ascalon is not tech
- 99% of armor is not tech
- 99% of weapons aren’t tech

You see a tiny amount of tech in the game and then claim 80%? Classic confirmation bias.

There are the Steam creature events in Lornar’s Pass, those count as tech

maddoctor.2738:

There are the Steam creature events in Lornar’s Pass, those count as tech

Ok, so shiverpeaks is like 99% non tech then. Some events in one zone. lol

panzer.6034:

Gandarel.5091:

lordkrall.7241:

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

These 2 things, in the context of GW2, are not mutually exclusive. 100% of asura stuff is magic technology.

Lets pretend that magic and technology are artificially separate concepts, for the sake of argument.

- Sylvari capital is 100% not tech
- Norn capital is 100% not tech
- Lions arch is 90% not tech (sometimes holograms?)
- Divinity’s reach had robots removed and it 100% not tech
- Maguuma is 90% not tech
- Shiverpeaks is 100% not tech
- Orr is 90% not tech (excepting a sparse invasion force)
- Kryta is 100% not tech
- 80% of dungeons are not tech
- most races aren’t tech
- 90% of ascalon is not tech
- 99% of armor is not tech
- 99% of weapons aren’t tech

You see a tiny amount of tech in the game and then claim 80%? Classic confirmation bias.

I’m not really clear how you can claim your percentages. 40% of the races are tech. Every Ascalon and Maguuma zone has some tech in it. The closer you get to a Charr or Asura facility the amount of tech increases. The fact that Asura tech is magic in nature doesn’t remove that fact that it is also highly scifi. Charr tech is industrial which is almost a greater leap from fantasy than scifi is.

These should, however, be known factors. The Charr invented the flintlock. They’re all about technology. Asura invented fricken computers, they’re all about technology. If that detracts from your enjoyment that’s too bad, but it’s your problem for thinking you would be in your version of a fantasy world, rather than the lore rich world that ANet created.

Gandarel.5091:

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

So steampunk is not fantasy?

Kal Spiro.9745:

I’m not really clear how you can claim your percentages. 40% of the races are tech. Every Ascalon and Maguuma zone has some tech in it. The closer you get to a Charr or Asura facility the amount of tech increases. The fact that Asura tech is magic in nature doesn’t remove that fact that it is also highly scifi. Charr tech is industrial which is almost a greater leap from fantasy than scifi is.

The fact that the percentages are completely arbitrary was sort of the point. The OP claims that the game is 80% tech, which seems patently ridiculous. And to be pedantic, if asura stuff is magical in nature it is, by definition, not scifi, which requires a scientific or psuedo scientific basis.

These should, however, be known factors. The Charr invented the flintlock. They’re all about technology. Asura invented fricken computers, they’re all about technology. If that detracts from your enjoyment that’s too bad, but it’s your problem for thinking you would be in your version of a fantasy world, rather than the lore rich world that ANet created.

Are you responding to me? I think the game makes more sense with technology of some sort. “Everyone shoots out magic energy and has permanently flaming objects but everyone is too dumb to make technology out of it” is a lame and sophomoric fantasy cliche, IMO.

lordkrall.7241:

Gandarel.5091:

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

So steampunk is not fantasy?

I think the appropriate term is “Sword and Sorcery”, not fantasy.

Kal Spiro.9745:

I’m not really clear how you can claim your percentages. 40% of the races are tech. Every Ascalon and Maguuma zone has some tech in it. The closer you get to a Charr or Asura facility the amount of tech increases. The fact that Asura tech is magic in nature doesn’t remove that fact that it is also highly scifi. Charr tech is industrial which is almost a greater leap from fantasy than scifi is.

These should, however, be known factors. The Charr invented the flintlock. They’re all about technology. Asura invented fricken computers, they’re all about technology. If that detracts from your enjoyment that’s too bad, but it’s your problem for thinking you would be in your version of a fantasy world, rather than the lore rich world that ANet created.

I think the problem with Asura is the tone, look, and capability of their technology compared to everyone else.
It’s like shoving a bunch of Star Trek tech and aesthetics into an epilogue of Game of Thrones or something.

Lostwingman.5034:

I think the appropriate term is “Sword and Sorcery”, not fantasy.

No, the OP is claiming that it is not fantasy.

• Clothing and the means to craft them is technically ‘technology’, even if it is only a needle and thread being used to sew hunks of animal skin together.
• Purifying water through boiling it is ‘technology’.
• Even igniting wood logs to generate the fire to boil that water is ‘technology’.

However, I believe most are interpreting the use of the word ‘technology’, in reference to elements that have been introduced into the game world, as being primarily non-magical in nature and of being more akin to real-world mechanical, metal and electricity-based technology, which is out of place in this magic-filled fictional world with some alternate physics to our own reality.

I think the issue many have is that they feel there has been too much ‘real world’ injected into their ‘fantasy world’. This issue can also be seen by some to extend down to the in-game references to real world products and pop culture that permeate so many aspects of the game.
Among countless others is the entirety of SAB, as well as this humorous exchange:
“You got your moa jerky in my yak butter!”
“You got your yak butter on my moa jerky!”
:)

I like Technology.

When do Thieves get Bazookas, seriously? Give me one.

Let me steal a few TVs and turn them into weapons of destruction.

Gandarel.5091:

Vol.5241:

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Your fault for thinking this is a ‘fantasy’ game that is full of your typical MMO themes. Furthermore, what makes you decide what’s in a fantasy game?

Somehow where there’s more tehcnology (terminators and megalasers mostly), and i still fight with a sword, I feel out of place.

They usually describe that as a sub-genre of fantasy called “high fantasy”. Most Final Fantasy games fall into that classification, as do a lot of other classic JRPGs (i.e. Chrono Trigger).

In any case, in what sense do you feel “out of place”? Is it that you don’t find it to be realistic that someone would fight with a sword when a gun is readily available? If you’re looking for realism, I don’t think this is the best avenue for it.

Besides, these aren’t just plain, run-of-the-mill swords. Some of them are powerful magical artifacts that do not really equate to real life swords.

I like the mix.

Would be something to see a big golem pummeling Tequatl. Heh, who knows, the day might come …

If not before, certainly after the asura announcement you should have none? Why do you hate techy stuff so much anyway. I’m not a fan of it at all but it doesn’t bother me much.

Lostwingman.5034:

It’s like shoving a bunch of Star Trek tech and aesthetics into an epilogue of Game of Thrones or something.

I’m sort of missing the part where any of the game is as low fantasy as Game of Thrones though. Queen Jenna is an epic powered superhero that can decimate a dragon or country and rules in a city crawling with hundreds of people with glowing magic weapons that can shoot fire out every 5 seconds. Surrounding her city are centaurs with leaders who summon tornadoes and 50 foot higher stone hands.

Captain Kirk shows up and super saiyan jenna destroys the whole ship with far-beyond-game-of-thrones magic powers.

StinVec.3621:

• Clothing and the means to craft them is technically ‘technology’, even if it is only a needle and thread being used to sew hunks of animal skin together.
• Purifying water through boiling it is ‘technology’.
• Even igniting wood logs to generate the fire to boil that water is ‘technology’.

To be precise, technology is simply the practical application of knowledge. All of the swords, armor, weapons, skills, etc, in the game are, by definition, technology. You really can’t have an sort of coherent story about human beings without any technology, per se.

I think the issue many have is that they feel there has been too much ‘real world’ injected into their ‘fantasy world’. This issue can also be seen by some to extend down to the in-game references to real world products and pop culture that permeate so many aspects of the game.
Among countless others is the entirety of SAB, as well as this humorous exchange:
“You got your moa jerky in my yak butter!”
“You got your yak butter on my moa jerky!”
:)

Real world references are a bit of different issue from the tech though. Magical robots and laser cannons are not something people object to because they’re too much like real life.

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

Mega Lasers, skyships, golems, terminators, alternate futures are fantasy based. This game has been a mix of different levels of fantasy technologies since release.

I like the different themes. It separates GW2 from all those WoW clones.

Medieval only becomes fantasy when you add magic and mythical creatures to it.

Tech is fantasy when you add mythical technologies to it (like alchemy, steampunk, cyberpunk).

Gandarel.5091:

Seriously, I thought I bought a fantasy game. But after seeing megalasers attached to skyships defended by golems, and repelling a terimantor invasion from an alternate future (after I destroyed a high-tech weapon facility), what about magic? Most of the classes are magic users. Only engineers and sometimes thieves fit this game nothing else (warrior is totally outdated). Others are outcasts.

Why aren’t we replaced with golems? It’s just a matter of time I guess.

TA was one of the few fantasy-only dungeons, but BAM it needs some technology for sure.

Will fantasy ever return?

I feel like this is obligatory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

I for one love that this isn’t some static world where all technological progress ceased thousands of years ago.

Shufflepants.9785:

I feel like this is obligatory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

I for one love that this isn’t some static world where all technological progress ceased thousands of years ago.

To be fair if our world had magic we wouldn’t had to invent stuff to make our life easier, which is the base of all invention. A combination of technology and magic would definitely still be viable.

When I saw the Twilight Assault trailer this was my very first reaction. I wasn’t excited to be going back to TA (my first and favourite dungeon), I was cringing at how much they had turned one of the parts of Tyria that best emphasises that nature and magic don’t need technology to be one of the most formidable threats. And then the Living Story decided to undermine that by adding engineer stuff to the dungeon because steampunk makes everything better and Sorrow’s Embrace and the Crucible of Eternity apparently aren’t enough to emphasise the power of technology, they have to undermine Twilight Arbor’s themes as well.

The Living Story has tunnel vision when it comes to Scarlet and her engineer prodigy status. Aetherblades, steam creatures, air ships, watchwork horrors… this isn’t a fantasy MMO any more.

What’s worse is that in the Wartower interview the writers said that Scarlet, as an engineer, can do anything any other profession can do. There are no limits to what she can do as an engineer, engineering is the perfect combination of magic and technology that bypasses the limitation placed on any other profession. Why bother having elementalists or mesmers when you’re going to say that engineering is so much better?

Remember, this isnt Game of Thrones where thousands of years pass and apparently civilisation fails to move on. Tyria is meant to evolve and that means technology. The fantasy genre has become extremely stale in the last couple of decades, but an emergence of urban, punk fantasy has refreshened it more recently. Its very much in vogue right now across films and books

Its extremely one dimensional to think of fantasy as D&D or medieval. Fantasy is and can be so much more than that and aetherblades, steampunk, zeppelins all fit perfectly with a fantasy setting. The world is moving away from its Gods and technological revoultions naturally follow suit

Of all the criticisms I have with the living world concept, I find this aspect actually holds together reasonably well

If there’s such things as elves, orcs, goblins, humans, dwarves, magic (& might), medieval-like world (no technology, but castles, siege weapons, etc.) – it’s called ‘high fantasy’.
If the world resembles 18-19th century and with high technology, but it’s all made from metals and the power source is steam (steam aircraft, steam weapons, mechanized robots), also there can be some sort of magic – it’s called ‘steampunk’.
If the world has unique races, which were never described (but they may be similar to described ones) in standard fantasy, uses magic, mystic things, at the same time uses both steampunk and medieval-like architecture – maybe it can be called ‘mixed fantasy’.

tl;dr| No matter how you prefer to call it or categorize, it’s still Fantasy.

other than the obvious “this is still fantasy” I was also under the impression that this game is in an industrial phase of Tyria.

lordkrall.7241:

Gandarel.5091:

There’s a level I say ‘ok’. But the balance between magic and technology is 20-80% at best.

So steampunk is not fantasy?

Megalasers aren’t steampunk. Terminators aren’t steampunk. Golems aren’t steampunk.

I don’t mind a mix of this high tech stuff but I don’t want it to dominate the story. I would like a balance of crazy people using tech (which we have currently) or a mad necromancers using death and plagues or a powerful elementalist threatening to split the kingdom or drown it in floods, or the ettin, jotun and giants unite and colossal battles ensure.

a mix of threats.

Gandarel.5091:

Megalasers aren’t steampunk. Terminators aren’t steampunk. Golems aren’t steampunk.

I have never said it is (even though Golems technically could be steampunk).
I simply assumed that steampunk in your eyes is not fantasy due to the fact that it is mostly built around technology rather than magic.

Randulf.7614:

Its extremely one dimensional to think of fantasy as D&D or medieval.

Very true. And as i consistently point out on the D&D boards, the creators of D&D didn’t even intend for their game to be arbitrarily stuck in a “medieval + magic” straightjacket. Not only has core D&D been a melange of greek, oriental, south american, northern european, pulp and modern mythologies, but Gygax wasn’t afraid to transport his players to spaceships in outer space or the wild west. The inventors of D&D did things with fantasy that would cause some folks around here’s heads to explode.

The thing with most of the tech in GW2 is that it’s often intertwined with magic. Most of the asuran stuff uses some form of magic. The charr or human technology is much more “steampunk” whereas the asuran technology is much more “high fantasy”.

In any case, a lot of the stuff in game wouldn’t exist without magic, so magic is still the fundamental force in the world. It’s just expressed a bit differently than other games might express it.

Who said a world filled with technology can’t be fantasy? Fantasy is not the same as Medieval.

coughfinalfantasycough

Gandarel.5091:

lordkrall.7241:

So steampunk is not fantasy?

Megalasers aren’t steampunk. Terminators aren’t steampunk. Golems aren’t steampunk.

Yes, they are, yes, they are and yes, they are.

Steampunk is a style of presenting modern of high technology in an anachronistic manner. Typically it follows either an Edwardian or Victorian level of technology, incorporating clockworks, brass fittings, shiny buttons, glowing lights, and arcs of electricity and/or other types of energy.

So, using that as a base-line for “what is steampunk?”, Megalasers are Steampunk, Terminators (especially the clockworks we were fighting) are Steampunk, and Golems (particularly the way the Asuran Golems all glow and have bright shiny fittings) are most definitely Steampunk.

I feel it important at this point in the discussion to bring up Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”, and it corollary: “Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.”

The only reason we look at Megalasers (Laser Cannons), Terminators (Combat Robots) and Golems (Power Armor) as heratical pieces of “ubertech that has no place in fantasy” is because we’ve been introduced to them in a technological manner, and we keep going back to thinking of them in those terms. Instead, what we really have are Amplified Light Cannons, Clockwork Automatons and Magically Amplified Body Armor. ANet went for the easiest to understand terms they could when creating the Megalasers and that was the problem that sets this whole argument up. That they keep going back to the well indicates that they haven’t gotten it into their heads that while Steampunk is very fantasy and is alright and all, we want to see more sword and sorcery stuff, too.

Also, to clarify, Kryta has Catapults in every zones where we have Centaur (all of them, so…) which makes it 100% tech. Also, modern plumbing (more advanced than Roman aquaducts), fortified walls, modern building techniques. All very technological as opposed to magical.

Magumaa is 100% tech, as well, because of the Asura. Magitech, but tech nonetheless. The Sylvari use the most advanced technology of all: bio-organics. They grow their technology as plant life. They’re even more advanced than the Asura, even if they want to act like they don’t understand “technology”. They don’t understand inorganic technology is all. Bio-organics has a very sword and sorcery feel. It’s all very DnD druid.

Ascalon is 100% tech because of the Charr, thought he Charr are the only race that can be said to be 100% normal tech. Diesel engines, flamethrowers, rifles, pistols, etc. Modern-ish tech.

Of all the zones, Shiverpeaks is the only one where the technology level is very minimal. The Norn live in a world of magic and fantastic beasts, where dragons ravage their towns and threaten their very way of life, and horribly altered beasts, warped by dark magic and foul spells are an actual threat. This is the most “fantasy” zone of all. If you’re looking for traditional fantasy, this is your stop.

Every other zone is a mix of traditional high fantasy, medieval fantasy, steampunk and hypertech. Even Orr.

I think Aetherblades/Asura are more magitek.

Steam creatures are steampunk

Watchwork creatures are clockwork/clockpunk

Charr are dieselpunk

These are 4 distinct motiffs.

Lucky.9421:

Several top Anet artists posted a lot of sci-fi artwork in the years leading up to their departure for Bungie to work on Destiny, which is sci-fi.

Maybe the artwork from those years has left a lingering affect on the company?

Any proof of the wild accusations you’re asserting here? I’ve yet to year of any artists leaving for Bungie, let alone “several top artists”.

I know for certain that the lady behind the Sylvari art is still with A.Net; proof is the Live Stream she did just a few weeks ago showing the art design for new long-hair models she’s been working on.

Any specifics that you’re referring to? Or is this another stretched lie/speculation to try to make this game look bad?

Rouven.7409:

I like the mix.

Would be something to see a big golem pummeling Tequatl. Heh, who knows, the day might come …

Pacific Rim style fight against Tequatl would be the height of enjoyment within this game.

Next step all races of Tyria competing to make the best Jaeger to fight the Elder Dragons. Asura and Charr have a bit of an advantage there though, sorry Norn… there comes a point when a sword just doesn’t cut it. Pun intended.

The problem with GW2’s world, in my opinion, is the lack of consistency. DR is presented as a LoTR-style of fantasy, and then we have charr’s steampunk, and then we have asura’s cyberbunk(?), etc. But what makes it truly unbelievable, is the sharp contrast between those zones. It’s hard to believe that they are all from the same game, in the same world.

If we want to look at a “more consistent version of Tyria”, we can look at Final fantasy XII’s Ivalice. It has its own asuras (moogles), it has its own mix of cyberpunk and steampunk with medieval fantasy, but everything feels well integrated. You see the “outdated” technology in abandoned placed and prisons while the “updated” technology is taking over. You see moogle’s tech all over the world, but the technology for architecture is also mostly consistent, with very few exceptions.

When you teleport from Rabanastre to Archades, you can tell that Archades is more advanced, but they still feel like they’re from the same world. When you leave any of them and visit abandoned steampunk ruins, it still feels within the same world.

But when you teleport from Divinity’s Reach to the asura’s town, and then to charr’s deathstar, it feels like you’re going to a completely new game, with a new world.

Drakkon.4782:

100% tech

To drive the point home, in the context of your post, lord of the rings is 100% tech too. Those beautiful underground hobbit holes are pretty advanced engineering tech, as is the fantastically scaled Helm’s Deep and the enormous dwarven cities. All the swords, daggers, and such, involve a strong technical knowledge of metallurgy. Pretty much all of the artifice in the story (as clearly shown in the movies) displays incredibly advanced engineering technology.

This is still fantasy and I happen to enjoy this mix of tech and magic.
Then again I also love games like Shadowrun where a magic using troll could zap lightning at a guy who is trying to hack into a computer using a wireless connection while his elf cybernetic pal is fighting a human packing uzis.

lordkrall.7241:

Fantasy != Medieval.

Steampunk is still considered fantasy, even if they use robots and other somewhat “modern” weapons.

No it doesnt

Fantasy-
~the faculty or activity of imagining things, esp. things that are impossible or improbable.
~The creative imagination; unrestrained fancy
~An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need*

There is no meaning of that word being place to only mean Medieval, Im sorry but that is your lack of knowledge in thinking it means that.

Fantasy can mean Past, Present or Future.

Gruvel.7059:

Rouven.7409:

I like the mix.

Would be something to see a big golem pummeling Tequatl. Heh, who knows, the day might come …

Pacific Rim style fight against Tequatl would be the height of enjoyment within this game.

Next step all races of Tyria competing to make the best Jaeger to fight the Elder Dragons. Asura and Charr have a bit of an advantage there though, sorry Norn… there comes a point when a sword just doesn’t cut it. Pun intended.

Haha, well maybe Norn can develop a potion to transform into a huge gorilla! (King Kong meets Godzilla).

And we get to vote which race wins and which “super weapon” will be used to fight the next “boss” – revamped or new.

Siphaed.9235:

Any proof of the wild accusations you’re asserting here? I’ve yet to year of any artists leaving for Bungie, let alone “several top artists”.

Whoa whoa, easy there tiger. OK, it is time for an Anet history lesson. Maybe some newer players would be interested. Some of this can be helpful in understanding some of the design choices of today and thus be pertinent to the topic.
__________________________________________________________________
I was speaking of people such as Kekai Kotaki and Jaimie Jones. Kotaki was responsible for most loading screens that you see in the game and Jamie Jones did a lot of creature art and some settings. Both at Bungie now.

A smaller number of loadscreens were created by artists such as Levi Hopkins, Richard Anderson and Daniel Dociu. None of which are still employed at Arenanet. In fact even several post-release load screens were old art from these artists(Dragon Bash=Hopkins; Pavilion=Dociu). They did hire several promising new concept artists in post release(TQ load screen is by Jia Ruan) but none of the original lead artists remain. Several others, whom I have not listed, have left too. The woman you are referring to is Kristen Perry who is not a concept artist but a character artist, clothing designer and modeler. That is a completely different job description which I will not get into(unless you ask).

Anyway, the previous post was based on following their art blogs around the time they all started one up circa 2007. By that time, I had played all 4 of Arenanet’s previous titles and was eagerly awaiting GW2’s release. I saw their blogs as a way to get a glimpse of what the game might be like(Anet showed no official videos until 2009). I noticed in the last couple of years leading up to release, they were all posting sci-fi themed art as personal work. All of this is fact and most of their blogs are still up for your perusal, if you have doubts.

But if you want wild speculation, how about this:
I have a theory that, during this formative time period of 2007-2008, there was a lot of discussion within Anet about pursuing a second IP. I think sci-fi was the main candidate. Ultimately, I think they dropped it in favor of focusing everything on Guild Wars 2, but a lot of the design ideas still made it into the dieselpunk/magitek/clockwork motiffs which we see now.

Another thing that happened around this time is that one of the 3 company founders, Jeff Strain, left to create a studio called Undead Labs with the ultimate goal of making a zombie MMO. He took with him, among others, Doug Williams. Williams had been releasing some Americana-themed zombie artwork prior to leaving with Strain. They recently released State of Decay. Which is what? An Americana themed zombie game. o__O That game was very successful and I believe they now have the support to start on that Zombie MMO.

I guess Jeff just really liked zombies(actually, he said he really liked zombies in his goodbye). Weird dude. But I think that is probably why zombies/undead are so prominent in both GW1 and GW2.

As a final note, I am not sure how what I wrote can be construed as “trying to make this game look bad”. Time goes on and studios evolve. It is what it is. I think in order to have an understanding of where a studio is today, you have to know where they came from and their history. I hope this bit of gaming history has been elucidating to some of the newer GW players.

Tom Gore.4035:

Shufflepants.9785:

I feel like this is obligatory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

I for one love that this isn’t some static world where all technological progress ceased thousands of years ago.

To be fair if our world had magic we wouldn’t had to invent stuff to make our life easier, which is the base of all invention. A combination of technology and magic would definitely still be viable.

To be fair, if our world had magic, it would be called “science”.

It would get studied and researched like any other current aspect of science. And this seems to be the way that the asura approach magic, scientifically.