Guild Wars 2

When we use a waypoint, what is the character actually doing?

Waypoints clearly exist in universe, they aren’t just a contrivance of gaming.

Do we use some unmentioned device? Do we just think of a location and the waypoints pick up on it? In universe, is it simply a waypoint to waypoint transportation, and us using it from any location just a contrivance for the sake of gameplay?

An unidentified device does make sense. If you link your GW1 and GW2 accounts, you get a device that teleports you to the Eye of the North. Presumably, everyone’s got a similar device that attunes to waypoints and allows for easy teleportation. This device also works as a phone for the purposes of messaging, both from NPC’s and other players. The teleportation feature is used in reverse when you buy something from the Gem Store.

The few times we see an NPC waypoint, they do clearly walk up to the things before disappearing, so I would think that our ability to use them anywhere is just a gameplay quirk.

Waypoints work the exact same way as the magic map does in Guild Wars 1, except you need to pay a nominal fee to the asura instead of free transportation to certain outposts.

Rognik.2579:

Waypoints work the exact same way as the magic map does in Guild Wars 1, except you need to pay a nominal fee to the asura instead of free transportation to certain outposts.

Not quite. Map travel in Guild Wars 1 suggests you really do travel the whole way, but they don’t show it. Way points are explicitly recognized in universe as teleportation.

Alkonium.9164:

This device also works as a phone for the purposes of messaging, both from NPC’s and other players. The teleportation feature is used in reverse when you buy something from the Gem Store.

What? You haven’t seen the pidgeons flying around delivering messages, taking your gold when you buy something at the trading post and bringing you items you have bought?

Not quite. Map travel in Guild Wars 1 suggests you really do travel the whole way, but they don’t show it. Way points are explicitly recognized in universe as teleportation.

Not true: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Map-Travel_Inventor

Diovid.9506:

Alkonium.9164:

Not quite. Map travel in Guild Wars 1 suggests you really do travel the whole way, but they don’t show it. Way points are explicitly recognized in universe as teleportation.

Not true: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Map-Travel_Inventor

Perhaps you do things differently, but I tend to consider any dialogue that explicitly mentions clicking or pressing keys as a gameplay element outside the lore.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

The few times we see an NPC waypoint, they do clearly walk up to the things before disappearing, so I would think that our ability to use them anywhere is just a gameplay quirk.

Aaron beat me to it.

When we see NPCs using the waypoints, they have to go to the waypoint personally. Our ability to use it anywhere appears by all indications to be mechanical. So likely, there’s some direct interaction with the devices.

Alkonium.9164:

Rognik.2579:

Waypoints work the exact same way as the magic map does in Guild Wars 1, except you need to pay a nominal fee to the asura instead of free transportation to certain outposts.

Not quite. Map travel in Guild Wars 1 suggests you really do travel the whole way, but they don’t show it. Way points are explicitly recognized in universe as teleportation.

Actually, map travel in GW1 was explained to be instantaneous travel – though this only ever came up during the tutorials which on occasion broke the 4th wall. The presentation was that it was possible to travel to a place on a map via certain magics (or maybe a special map), but only if you’ve been there before. Again, it only ever was brought up in the tutorials on how to use map travel, and never ever showed up in plot, unlike waypoints.

So I would argue that map travel was purely mechanical.

Though there are indications that originally map travel was to have lore, in that you create portals between specific locations. In many Prophecies towns/outposts, you’d see “rose compass” floor designs, which were also at a variety of resurrection shrines (particularly Krytan ones). Said designs were akin to what could be found on the floor beneath the portal that Prince Rurik summoned that connected Drascir’s acadamy to Nolani Acadamy (same design in Drascir is found in Nolani outpost). But that’s all just stipulation. But this was never really implemented, and shouldn’t be considered canon even if this was the original intent – similar to skill gems and skill rings.

Diovid.9506:

What? You haven’t seen the pidgeons flying around delivering messages, taking your gold when you buy something at the trading post and bringing you items you have bought?

Ah, that’s why I suddenly seemed to be attacked by birds recently… ^^

Ishmael.6740:

Diovid.9506:

What? You haven’t seen the pidgeons flying around delivering messages, taking your gold when you buy something at the trading post and bringing you items you have bought?

Ah, that’s why I suddenly seemed to be attacked by birds recently… ^^

That, or a ranger just used their warhorn attack on you. ;p

Might well be, I just stepped into my first PvP (Well, EotM boils down to not much PvP, but in this case I guess it counts ^^) experience last week xD

I’ve seen the waypoint situation roleplayed in a few different ways.

Some RPers will have their character visualize a location in their mind, and the waypoint knows exactly where the PC wants to go. In one RP session, my group was told, “Now concentrate.” Then all of the PCs suddenly materialized at the chosen waypoint.

Other RPers imagine that their characters have a handheld device similar to a tablet or iPhone. Sometimes the device uses holo technology. The PC clicks on the location they want to go, and they instantly materialize at the chosen locale. I’ve seen Asura RPers do this.

I love to think of waypoints as a type of floating Asuran golem that receives voice commands from the PCs (kinda like Star Trek). When I’m leaving an RP event, I’ll often have my character walk to the waypoint, stand underneath it, and then I’ll have my character say where they’re going (Example: “Reckoner’s waypoint please.”). Then the waypoint takes the character to his / her chosen location.

Basicly, there are different roleplayers and RP guilds that handle this situation in unique ways.

As always, if you’re part of an RP guild and you aren’t sure how to roleplay this situation, ask your guildies. Some guilds have their own lore regarding the waypoints and other mechanical devices in the game.

I walk to a nearby waypoint before porting most of the time, they´re placed pretty much everywhere anyways. From there i can access the global port network and can choose where to travel. The only exception to this are world bosses, because sometimes it would take to long
I think of a similar system when my character is dying. The asura implemented some kind of device that automatically recognizes when my character is in a critical condition to port me to a nearby waypoint. The reason he is completely healed up afterwards is because the waypoint save my phisical status everytime i pass one of them and they reconstruct every differences they find while porting me. Similar to the Borderlands (the game, not the wvw-thingy) version, but without the your just a clone version ^^