guildwars.com website

mqstout

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

Pittsburgh

When is the site going to be updated with the Factions skill lists?
When will the "world" area mention more than just Tyria?
When will the guild emblems gallery be updated?
Will we ever see any new high-poly renderings? New concept art? Poster art? Maybe a nice high-res beastiary?

I really wish they'd take more pride in their game and keep the website up-to-date and useful. Honestly, if they'd put "game updates" in-game at the logon screen, I'd never load it.

Would it be so much to ask for them to make the site interesting and interactive? It wouldn't hurt in sales, either. Perhaps link to the guild rankings database for live guild rankings on the site? Maybe automatic postings of build lists between high-profile guilds? Show the Canthan borders, faction controls and records? Show who owns Hall of Heroes? List how many times Alesia has died in the last 24 hours? Show a list of those people who have achieved high values in meaningful titles? Official posts of our favorite Community Relations gal's chat logs?

At the far active end of the spectrum, they could make the GW engine play a "replay" file for downloadable, archivable observer mode replays -- for people without an account.

dargon

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: May 2005

The Seraphim Knights [TSK]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by mqstout
When is the site going to be updated with the Factions skill lists?
When will the "world" area mention more than just Tyria?
When will the guild emblems gallery be updated?
Will we ever see any new high-poly renderings? New concept art? Poster art? Maybe a nice high-res beastiary?

I really wish they'd take more pride in their game and keep the website up-to-date and useful. Honestly, if they'd put "game updates" in-game at the logon screen, I'd never load it.

Would it be so much to ask for them to make the site interesting and interactive? It wouldn't hurt in sales, either. Perhaps link to the guild rankings database for live guild rankings on the site? Maybe automatic postings of build lists between high-profile guilds? Show the Canthan borders, faction controls and records? Show who owns Hall of Heroes? List how many times Alesia has died in the last 24 hours? Show a list of those people who have achieved high values in meaningful titles? Official posts of our favorite Community Relations gal's chat logs?

At the far active end of the spectrum, they could make the GW engine play a "replay" file for downloadable, archivable observer mode replays -- for people without an account.
Heh, it took them about 6 months to do the skill listing thats there now. If memory serves it appeared right around the time Sorrows Furnace was released. As for the guild database, uhm, see the link to the ladder, it contains the top 1000 guilds.

Sientir

Sientir

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

At DigiPen.

Biscuit of Dewm [MEEP]

Agreed, the site needs updates. Some of the skill descriptions are way off even for the skills that exist. :/

Gaile Gray

Gaile Gray

ArenaNet

Join Date: Feb 2005

We just hired a person to focus exclusively on website content, as a writer/editor for the site. We have been too short staffed to set aside one of our other team members to do the job, and knowing that it needed to be done, we posted on our website, did several weeks of screening and interviewing, and now have a person to help with projects like the ones you describe.

I told the new person when he started that it in addition to his editing some of the articles that others write -- the Guild of the Week, State of the Game, Match Report, The Scribe, etc. -- it would be a major objective to see the generation of new content, the skill listing being one, a full professions section being another. I do think you'll see much more in the coming weeks, and I know by the time Nightfall releases, we'll be starting immediately on providing good website content for that game, too.

Thanks for the feedback -- as it turns out, we agree with you 100%.

XvArchonvX

XvArchonvX

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

R/

/signed

Quote:
Originally Posted by mqstout
Honestly, if they'd put "game updates" in-game at the logon screen, I'd never load it.
Same here. A list of updates at the Logon screen would be a really nice update tho. ~.^

mqstout

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

Pittsburgh

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaile Gray
Thanks for the feedback -- as it turns out, we agree with you 100%.
Thanks, Gaile.

Shyft the Pyro

Shyft the Pyro

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

NYC, USA

E/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaile Gray
We just hired a person to focus exclusively on website content, as a writer/editor for the site. We have been too short staffed to set aside one of our other team members to do the job, and knowing that it needed to be done, we posted on our website, did several weeks of screening and interviewing, and now have a person to help with projects like the ones you describe.

I told the new person when he started that it in addition to his editing some of the articles that others write -- the Guild of the Week, State of the Game, Match Report, The Scribe, etc. -- it would be a major objective to see the generation of new content, the skill listing being one, a full professions section being another. I do think you'll see much more in the coming weeks, and I know by the time Nightfall releases, we'll be starting immediately on providing good website content for that game, too.

Thanks for the feedback -- as it turns out, we agree with you 100%.
Thank you very much for taking player concern into account. Hopefully this person can go over past issues of the articles on the website to eliminate editing errors there as well.

Mr_T_bot

Mr_T_bot

Banned

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaile Gray
We just hired a person to focus exclusively on website content, as a writer/editor for the site. We have been too short staffed to set aside one of our other team members to do the job, and knowing that it needed to be done, we posted on our website, did several weeks of screening and interviewing, and now have a person to help with projects like the ones you describe.

I told the new person when he started that it in addition to his editing some of the articles that others write -- the Guild of the Week, State of the Game, Match Report, The Scribe, etc. -- it would be a major objective to see the generation of new content, the skill listing being one, a full professions section being another. I do think you'll see much more in the coming weeks, and I know by the time Nightfall releases, we'll be starting immediately on providing good website content for that game, too.

Thanks for the feedback -- as it turns out, we agree with you 100%.
1 whole person to edit all submitted articles and update the entire website - which has no Factions information and the skills are excessively backdated. Seems like you are still really frickin' short staffed. I don't think you guys are getting enough of the cash from the sales of this game seeing as it is the best selling game under NCSoft after the Lineage series. I guess they are paying the people running the Asian sites the real money.

Aera Lure

Aera Lure

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

In Baltar's head

Bring Out Your Dead [BOYD], former officer [LBS]

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_T_bot
1 whole person to edit all submitted articles and update the entire website - which has no Factions information and the skills are excessively backdated. Seems like you are still really frickin' short staffed.
QFT. Wow. Best of luck to this new person. One is better than none at least, but I wouldnt want it to be me.

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aera Lure
QFT. Wow. Best of luck to this new person. One is better than none at least, but I wouldnt want it to be me.
dont forget it is a hired position not a part time volunteer so they may accomplish more than you expect.

with the backlog they have i hope certain individuals wait at least 2/3 days before going i thought you were going to fix that mess (got to find real smilies)

Lord Aro

Lord Aro

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

/wiki user:aro

DBU

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaile Gray
...and knowing that it needed to be done, we posted on our website, did several weeks of screening and interviewing...
Gah, I should pay attention to the hiring sections more often.

Anyway, good to know there will be more activity/info on the GW site now.

Shyft the Pyro

Shyft the Pyro

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2005

NYC, USA

E/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_T_bot
1 whole person to edit all submitted articles and update the entire website - which has no Factions information and the skills are excessively backdated. Seems like you are still really frickin' short staffed. I don't think you guys are getting enough of the cash from the sales of this game seeing as it is the best selling game under NCSoft after the Lineage series. I guess they are paying the people running the Asian sites the real money.
With the release of certain Nightfall preview screenshots to the asian sites and not the main one, it does seem like NCSoft is pandering more to the oriental crowd, but you have to remember that Guild Wars has to compete against a pretty packed market there, and that ANet seeks to broaden its player base by releasing Guild Wars in more asian countries (as it has already done).

That said, I don't believe that the main GW site is being neglected. Gaile has previously stated (on my first thread about editing errors in The Scribe) that there were two editors responsible for site content who looked everything over before it was released. From her comments in this thread, it seems those two editors weren't looking over the website content exclusively, so I am glad that now ANet has someone to do just that. With a bigger staff, I believe all articles on the main GW site can have the same editing quality as the press releases - which, incidentally, never have any editing errors in them

I do hope that the two editors who were previously responsible for website content don't suddenly dump everything on the new guy and go off to their respective development teams (assuming each editor is attached to a team working on a chapter) as that might indeed be a bit much to put on one person.

Terra Xin

Terra Xin

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Mar 2006

New Zealand

Me/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loviatar
dont forget it is a hired position not a part time volunteer so they may accomplish more than you expect.

with the backlog they have i hope certain individuals wait at least 2/3 days before going i thought you were going to fix that mess (got to find real smilies)
^^, though that may be true, there will always be more people doing voluntary work than the "1" person that is being paid, and those voluntary people will always get it done faster.

The Great Al

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

ALOA

E/Me

most of the skill stuff he can just copy and paste from guildwiki

Gaile Gray

Gaile Gray

ArenaNet

Join Date: Feb 2005

Do keep in mind that we won't be generating new content "out of the air." We have The Manuscripts for Prophecies and Factions, we have existing lore, and most importantly, we have a couple of years of design documents an the entire in-game text database. Putting together the Factions section will be a compliation of those resources and not a completely new project. Therefore, I believe it will come together relatively quickly and in time to start preparing website content for Nightfall.

Mr_T_bot

Mr_T_bot

Banned

Join Date: Apr 2006

Pulling together one thing from dozens of different disjointed sources is neither easy nor quick.

KurtTheBehemoth

Banned

Join Date: Dec 2005

tubbyville

Kurt's Royal Guardians

Mo/E

Gaile is so well spoken.

Beauty + Brains

<<< Marry me Gaile. hehe

Gaile Gray

Gaile Gray

ArenaNet

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_T_bot
Pulling together one thing from dozens of different disjointed sources is neither easy nor quick.
Nor did anyone claim it was. (Nor cite "dozens" or resources. Goodness!) This project should be readily accomplished in a reasonable timeline. It will not take a "team of top-notch professionals" to pull it off. Relax -- it's going to be just fine.

Curse You

Curse You

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

South Pole

The Magus Order

N/Mo

When you first go to the site now, you see a fancy new player thingy, and some cool looking formating. But when you start going into the site you notice the formating gets older looking.
Like really, why are all the side-figures from the first campaign? I don't want to stare at a White Mantle when I go to the Support section, it seems like a bit of a joke, seeing how the white mantle aren't very supportive, and are very homicidal.

The whole "Gameplay" section seems old, really old.

I hope this one person can handle updating all this, because they should probably get some new side-figures (like a Siege Turtle) and make the "deeper" parts of the site look more like the front page.

Edit: Lol, I just looked at the European version of the site. It looks really odd compared to the North American one.

Gaile Gray

Gaile Gray

ArenaNet

Join Date: Feb 2005

Let me explain: We have a lot of people working on the website. Two graphic designers worked on the initial core design. A daily HTML/Coder/Designer does the uploads of content and designs our splendid banners. Several contribute, such as our organized player coordinator, our PR manager, and our freelance writers. A Website Content Coordinator (me) writes news posts and some content and channels all incoming and self-generated content to the Web Team (and to our global partners), usually several times a day. And now we have a writer/editor to help with the generation of a good amount of that content.

I think we've been doing a fairly good job, and I believe you'll see us able to provide more, and better, content in the future. I'll check on the "side figures" though, and see if we can update a few of those.

KurtTheBehemoth

Banned

Join Date: Dec 2005

tubbyville

Kurt's Royal Guardians

Mo/E

Awww, Gaile saw my post but didn't reply. Mabye she is playing hard-to-get.

<<< bats his blue eyes at Gaile

KurtTheBehemoth

Banned

Join Date: Dec 2005

tubbyville

Kurt's Royal Guardians

Mo/E

I didn't realize my silly ways were so good at stopping threads. Hey Guru if you want to hire me as a moderator my IGN is Kurt The Quick. lol