[Spotlight Concept #6] Expansion and Evolution of the PvE world

Howdy, it's time for #6.

Those of you who have known me for a long time in this forum may be aware that it is a favourite subject of mine. I have made threads about possible PvE expansion areas in the past, and about changes to the current lands (i.e. evolution).

The last Spotlight was on Improving and Expanding PvP, and before that we looked at improving the challenge of PvE; and before that we looked at god realms for Dwayna, Melandru and Lyssa.

The topic for this one is 'Expansion and evolution of the PvE world'... in other words, what can we add on to the current world (all three continents), and how can the current world evolve in time? In terms of expansion, think Sorrow's Furnace. There are many gaps in the map that could be filled in with explorable areas, missions and outposts. And an example for 'evolution' would be the rebuilding of Ascalon.

What's not up for debate is when and how ANet would add to or change the lands of old chapters, for I fear that may descend into an argument about ANet's business model and release schedule. We will simply discuss what they could add or change.

I know there have been quite a few threads in the past about new areas and changes to the game world (some made by myself). Please do not link to them here; let us start afresh and as a community build our ideas up through discussion.

Please take into account:

• Guild Wars lore
• Already existing game lands and their inhabitants
• The fundamental limits of Guild Wars that most probably will not be changed in the future (e.g. no Z axis)
• Storyline and spoilers: If your post is going to include something concerning the story at a point that some players may not have reached, please include a *SPOILERS* tag.
• The rules of this forum
• Other people's interests.

Now let's begin.

What might our ideas include?
Expansion

• The Charr homeland
• The land between Ascalon and the Crystal Desert
• The Tarnished Coast (south of the Maguuma Jungle)
• Orr (it is possible that not all of it fell beneath the water in the Cataclysm)
• North of Kryta
• Northwest of the Maguuma
• The coast that runs down the western side of the Shiverpeaks (next to Lornar's Pass and Snake Dance)
• The southern parts of Kaineng City
• Various islands around Shing Jea
• The south shores of the Jade Sea
• The mountains and river mouth north of the Jade Sea
• The large region east of Kourna
• The mountainous shore that runs west of Kourna and the Desolation, north of Istan and all the way up to Orr in Tyria

Evolution

• Rebuilding of Ascalon
• Rebellions against the White Mantle in Kryta and the restoration of the Monarchy
• Deldimor winning against the Stone Summit in the Shiverpeaks
• New invaders from the north and west
• Shining Blade established control over the Maguuma
• Defeat of the Charr
• Undead destroyed in Kryta
• A new war between the Luxons and Kurzicks
• Kourna returned to stability

Before I hand this over to you, I'd just like to explain something about evolution as I think it would work best if implemented:
Obviously, if the world were changed for everyone, the original storylines would make no sense. Therefore each player that receives evolutions would have the option of playing in the original world as it was first made, or the evolved world, at any time they liked. Not like warping through time whenever you feel like it, but choosing to play as the young'un who fought those level 4 Carrion Devourers off the edges of Ascalon City, or the old man who's been through it all and just saved Elona from Varesh and nightfall (or whatever happens in future chapters before any evolution takes place).

Now it's time for me to stop blabbering and the rest of you to post all your wonderful ideas . Feel free to put in as much detail as you like, and... happy posting!

Heres the story:

"After the defeat of the lich king life returned to normal in tyria, yet as it seems peace had finally won stories of a new curse fell upon the land.

The coast of lionsarch Swelled threating to take the stalls of the local merchants, the husbands of fishermans haven brought in a great diminished catch and the shany towns of the refugee's of ascalon were driven from their camps by terrible storms, driven into the capital of kryta itself.

Debates raged over where the refugee's should go, with not a single inch of land to space for there towns. The generals and statesmen refusing to give a single plot to their fellow tyrians.

As over crowding caused strife in the city, fights barly held back by the Lionguard, the riot growing, battles in the streets. As the choas continued a signle ranger broke from the ranks - running straigh for sergio he reported his news "Orr has risen"

Their differences forgotton the vast public of Lions arch ran to the coast and a soloution had shown itself

"There" the general cried "There my friends shall be build our new home, the new ascalon!""

Right past all that crap (dont know why i wrote it), this was inspired by the fun i had somewhat customising the sunspear sanctuary. In the lost land of Orr the city of "new ascalon" shall be build upon its ruins, heres an idea of how it could work

There could be a city known as the "Construction camp", this is a city that anybody can go to much like most of the other cities. It should lead to an explorable area as the "gates of ascalon" which would be a ruined gatehouse,
this would lead onto more explorable disticts like:
"The merchants district" - where the merchants would be
"the arena district" - which could be a challenge mission
"the scholars district" - A good source of quests
"Ascalon Square" - center of the city

the idea would be to rebuild the city by doing quests, but with multiple options. the first quest to rebuild the gatehouse could be to find a mason to organise the job, you could find one in LA or if you have the expansions say find someone in the jade quarry for a kurzick/luxon look, or the quarryman in Istan for an elonian look.

This may be hard to implememnt but i'd like to see it...

meh

I got my Honpan expansion idea somewhere, care to give that a read?

But do make me want to write another expansion idea... but not inspired yet...hmmmm

After the great flame seeker prophecie in Tyria, eveything was fairly peaceful, until the white mantle's thrist for power grew. They eventually stopped the worship of their living gods and overthrew them, mericlessly slaughtering them on a mission to the ring of fire islands.

Believing to be superior even to the gods they sought power in the arcane libraries of Orr, discovering many new magics, like the power to breath under water. Reading one of the lost scrolls, the same one the Orrian King's advisor had read on the Cataclysm, they found that true magical power could be harnessed from the celestial bodies.

On their march back to Lion's Arch, the White Mantle practice with these arcane magics, using the power of the stars and other celestial bodies to leave a path of scorched earth behind them. At the capitol the new leader of the white mantle, Judicator Salame ordered the immediate interpretation of the more cryptic parts of the Lost Scrolls. What they found out was soon to be their quick downfall and rise to power.

The rituals of the great moon were started. Preperations were made for the day of the full moon in which they would draw its power for an all out assault on the manguma jungle, to rid the shining blade from it.

On the day of the full moon, Judicator Salame walked up to the on the runed stone and called out his incantation. All watched as he seemed to grow in height laughing as he felt the power grow within him. But something had gone wrong, and by the time it was noticed that the ritual was failing, it was to late. The moon was coming down; it had lost its magical properities that held it to the sky and was collapsing onto Lion's Arch. In an explosion as great as that that rocked Orr, Krtya was burned the a black ash. Yet, the great moon still had another secret, within its shattered remains the radiating magic mutated the mantle soldiers, bringing them to life with great power at the price of their humanity.

Pretty much Lion's Arch is destroyed, Kryta is destroyed and a black wasteland. The Mantle is now a race of mutant soldiers, with moon shards embedded in their flesh and the job of the hero is to kill Judicator Salame and to negate the moons magical properties.

K.

Guild Wars: Chronicles

Special features:

• Reincarnation: Take a favorite character and restart them at level 1 with a new appearance. They retain any items, unlocked skills, skill points and titles.
  
• Guild Wars Chronicles features a series of short stories detailing the Guild Wars world:
  • Take the role of a novice soldier in the White Mantle, suffering a crisis of conscience.
  • A lot happened in the time between the Searing and the time the Charr were pushed back. Take the role of one of the survivors.
  • Become a Kurzick in the days when Shiro was first at war with Cantha, and see the Echovald forest become a forest of stone.
  • Become a filthy Luxon in the days when Shiro was first at war with Cantha, and see the transformation of the Jade Sea.
  • Take the role of a Kournan soldier fighting under General Morghan.

This would serve as a way for people to develop a different history for their characters, a way to introduce hairstyle/face changes, and give new options for armor skins. It would also give us stuff to accomplish in areas off the regular map, fill in gaps in the story and open up possible new plotlines.

That was unecessary.

You basicly limited this to whatever you think is acceptable, I find it shrewd to assume that Z-axis cannot be added or is actually difficult because it isn't already implemented, and unless you have any information from Anet saying it is too difficult for them to do, I don't think it is unreasonable.

First of all I would like to clarify some distinctions. What you call evolution is actually called progression. Additional content developed around the exsisting content is progression of what we already have, it is not a change or revolution into something different, which is what evolution is.

And if this is really about Evolution, than it should revolve around changes to the game. That aside, this is what I think about expanding previous chapter content and actual evolution.

One way to include previous chapters in progressive content would be a chapter which repeats part or many of the locations in a previous chapter. Since we "can't" discuss the reasons why Anet will develope additional content for their new chapters and not old ones, I woln't bother explaining why it is unlikely that Anet will waste man power on a chapter which is already sold to most.

Because we cannot replace exsisting locations which provide an opportunity to return to previous missions, experiences and instances, the best option to provide progression on an exsisting area would be parrallels. With a new map of the same or part of previous chapters, previous locations can either all have alternatives, or they can just be left out and new ones nearby can be added.

As for actual ideas, I think progression is a step backwards. With progression of exsisting chapters you end up with less original creations, they are just building off of what already exsists. Progression, if considered at all, would best come in small chapter expansions (retail not free updates), which add a little more content, skills and maybe even a unique feature, like being able to play as another race. For instance, A Tengu expansion for Cantha which allows you to play additional missions which revolve around the Tengus interactions and allows you to create Tengu characters for all Cantha Professions. Perhaps Centaurs for Nightfall, perhaps even Char for Prophecies. With this your actually getting some lasting additions which will extend beyond use in that little expansion, and make the expansion valuable to those who may not even be interested in continuing previous chapters.

But better than that would be a new original chapter which simply included more influence from previous chapters, as well as shared some of the same locations. Primarily, a Sea Faring chapter which involves exploring the seas, as well as visiting ports in Tyria, Cantha, and Elona, as well as visiting notorious locations like Orr which is how under water.

As for evolution, which is all about the content you specifically excluded from this topic, I have and will discuss that where it is more welcome, perhaps in a real spotlight about the evolution of GW, and not just progression.

likely someone elsess idea from here.
Randomize mobs would be a huge step forward. The reason for this is if a player knows every mob by name they can farm it. if they build themselfs up to fight phsical damage dealers and theres one or two elements in there there going to be on the ground if they weren't epecting it.

Bring back the true Guild Wars. All to half of next expansions towns-cities be controllable much like Kurzick-Luxon towns in Factions. With the differences of control is based on guild rank and "Build" points can be purchased for 1k or won from a repeatable set of 3-4 "Master" quests. The "Build" points define what NPCs are in your town and how much area your town supposedly controls. All towns have access to the same elite mission area. Elite mission could possibly be an attack on the White Mantle leadership.

Contrary to the way people are thinking so far, I like the way ArenaNet is progressing with each chapter release. One can argue that adding a new continent each chapter detracts from the possibility of re-visiting worlds either in the past or in the near-future right after the crisis got averted. Consider the plotlines of the three continents so far. Prophecies and Factions had loose threads that Nightfall answered quite nicely, good all-encompassing ones like fallen gods, things in the Mists, and rematches against those bad guys you enjoyed to kill in the previous two chapters.

From here, I'd like to see it taken in one of a few directions.

1: Stick with the war on a higher plane idea. In previous manuals Balthazar was the guy who got you Faction for unlocks, Dwayna gave you a couple easy quests, Grenth got you to the Underworld, and all of the 5 True gods gave you some minor buffs in Cantha. Nightfall keeps away from the cheapness of gods that are there to help you with the tiniest things. In it, the 5 True ones are trying to keep 3 fallen ones from coming back to power. What people are trying to fight off in Nightfall is much higher than merely killing a Flameseeker or stopping a crazed bodyguard's revenge. Keep on tying in the fact that even the Mists aren't as peaceful as we'd like to believe.

2: Take us somewhere new. Tyria and Cantha, I've been all over, literally. They're boring after a point. I haven't been much in Elona, but I'm sure I'll get to that point there too. Bring something in that's fresh, perhaps a continent to the North of Tyria, or to the East of Cantha (places that the world maps allow). Don't go anywhere off of Elona yet, because Cantha has no geographic bearing relative to the other two, except somewhere to the West. Mix in varied cultures (my favorite Tyrian thing), vastly different areas to explore (plus on all 3 continents), and of course the obligatory 2 new professions. Start a new story, dropping in some lore-lover references from previous chapters, but make the continent its own.

3: Make us something new. Along the lines of the previously posted suggestion of allowing us to be different races, perhaps allow us to take on a different side of the story. Be a Charr immediately prior to the Searing, be Stone Summit just as Dagnar is getting revved up against Jalis, be Mantle searching for the Shining Blade. Granted this somewhat violates my first paragraph, but a game update (not a full retail product) with this aspect to it would be really cool, allowing ANet to fill in the blanks between key events in the existing plotlines.

4: Go Historical. The manuals have heavily detailed timelines. I'm sure that's to help us have an idea of where the continent has been and the like, but you could craft an entire other campaign around each existing chapter's timeline. Picture it: you're present during the chaos that was the gift of magic originally, staying around to see the Bloodstones dropped into Abaddon's Mouth. Or you're around at the time of the Jade Wind, or even earlier during the empire's founding (hectic time, I'm sure). Or chronicling Palawa Joko and Turai Ossa, and all that Scourge of Vabbi jazz. This could take the form of Historical Missions available to you after you finish the appropriate chapter's campaign. These could be accessed from a central location, say on an island of the Battles Isles at an outpost dealing with Arcane History. You could time travel and relive that period of already-happened history, typically as "the good guy." The Missions could be detailed, long, and difficult (think Elite), or a little simpler (Gates of Kryta, Arborstone), allowing for periodic updates with new Missions that can be visited.

Well, that's all I can think of for now, more than likely I'll figure some other things and need to repost.

Apologies. I had each blurb as a heavily detailed storyline, but decided short story ideas would be easier to read through. I apparently didn't cut out everything. Was supposed to be 'Filthy Luxon warrior in the blood spattered battlefields', etc. etc. IMHO, Luxons are supposed to be big ol' warriors, but playing through both campaigns, I just don't see them as proud warriors, just insensitive to the plight of Cantha (They don't hand over the spear, but make the PC's fight for it, which seems silly). I wanted that focus on that particular storyline: Luxons fighting as they should be.

Anyhow, to stay on topic...

I think that with the current trilogy at a close, and taking into account the fact that anet said every expansion wouldn't feature new classes: I think future expansions might include new races instead.

The Charr might well have a tale to tell. I detailed a storyline on GW Online, in which players would become young Charr warriors, defending the 'branded queen' - an amnesiac human girl found in the wastelands after the Searing, with a mark burned on her forehead that is the Charr rune for 'titans'.

They get kicked out the first story when you enter northern shiverpeaks...doubt their story would be worth buying

SPOILERS

Actually if you follow the Titan Quests through, they come in quite dramatically in The Last Day Dawns, where you protect Adelbern with a party of 4 from Frontier Gate. Level 24 Charr are something else.

The Kurzicks only agree to lend you the urn because they can't retrieve it themselves. The Luxons require the spear to defend their country. Luxon and Kurzick are ment to be extreme polarities of intellectual and instictive thinking, both leaving very much to be desired.

I like Tacktix perspective, it is generally what I suggest in my Sea Faring ideas. A chapter which revolves around exploring the seas and locations around the coasts of Cantha, Tyria and Elona, as well as new continents explored in future chapters and alot of islands, hailing from a large island or pennensula continient. With diverse ethnicities from different ends of the world, and a profession which are simular to the conquistadors and explorers of the Spanish, and either a Jamacan kind of professions or a Samurai profession from an opposite side of the world.

Chapters with related elements to previous ones are nice, but IMO, Elona is close to Tyria. Elona was mentioned beforehand and is relatively close as far as I know, if they make a chapter about the Char Homelands to the North, or exetentions or islands beyond the edge of Cantha, they should be Equally distant. A Land path between continents in different chapters would add to the feeling of continuity, but a Sea Chapter which covered all the seas between the previous chapters and reviels a single world map would be even better.

P.S. No offense, but I believe the world your searching for is Subtracts, not Detracts.

- New PvP modes like Fort Aspenwood style but other side players are made to look like Shiro'ken. Fight from Kaineng City areas control against Shiro'ken or something simillar what includes Shiro'ken as playable someway during PvP like mode.
- Fill cantha with elite areas what you can only access after finishing Factions campaign mode.
- Add difficult setting to all chapters missions what are not tutorials (Party vote difficult setting).
- Rework/polish first and second chapter cutscenes.
- Interactive in-game manual.

Not sure if this post belongs here or not... but I was dissapointed not to be able to enlist the advice of the sage old Glint, or the aid of Kunnavang. I loved having those two in both of the previous campaigns, and I think any story that features them in a more substantial role would be fun.
Maybe, along the lines of the 'historical' missions that have been brought up, we get to play a role in the writing/fortelling of the flameseeker prophpecies by Glint. Or assist the two Dragons in rooting out some last vestige of Abbadon's influence....
Ok, no more thinking out loud for me.

I'd love to see the 3 maps fused together, perhaps with unreacheable land between (since cantha doesnt seem to fit in). and then you gain access as you buy new campains.. cant be to hard to make.. plus, if ANet reads this, the possibility to see the maps of the other campaigns could make more people want to buy those campains..

This would be for prophecies first of all. Ill see what I can come up with later for the other campaigns.

The Kingdom of Arah: Beyond the watery grave.

In the nearly dark reaches beyond the sea of sorrows, they’re something reminiscent bellow on the sea floor. A kingdom that once was fallen shall arise again, and a new epic quest begins to re-submerge the once forgotten Kingdom of Orr: Arah; or as a different choice to leave its dark past berried forever. However there are others, like an unruly cult who wishes to provide help, as long as you give them what they want. Furthermore a dark sedition is going on with the former living Orr, who is fighting with a tarnished evil who want total control of the seas. See what lies bellow in the depths of long forgotten Orrian Kingdom, and see another alien world to guild wars you’ve never seen before.

*In this world would be an actual way to get a clear look at some interesting views of the once great kingdom of Arah, and what power really lies at the bottom of the GW watery lore.

*Two new power’s (PvE skills) the first would be granted to player allowing them to walk (or run) across vast less sea plains, without losing their breath and dying at the same time. The other power is a time elapse system that takes players in brief instances, to the past to see the kingdom of Arah in its glorious day’s. Also to unravel some of the dark secrets and treacheries that brought the former kingdom too it’s knees.

*There will be certain non-linear morale quest that will be given to players to examine; whether they help the cult of De’lisware, the power hungry entity of the dark lord of the GW realm’s deep waters, the ghostly increment of the Orrian Kingdom, or to leave the world berried forever.

That is basically my all my ideas of updating our current chapters (for a fee of course) summed up. I'd really like mini-chapters that don't cost as much as the original, but add things. And the biggest parts of these mini-chapters would be that you are able to make new characters that are tengu (for the canthan one), centaurs (for the nightfall one), and maybe dwarves or charr (for the prophecies one)? And hopefully these mini-chapters would also have a way to change existing character's race too? It could even be a gold sink. It could like the 15k armors(so it's just for looks, but gives no in-game benifit), except that it changes you to a tengu or something. And then these mini-chapters would also have a few more areas for you to explore and a few new towns or something. Maybe even a few misisons. Of course, I'm sure ArenaNet could make this into a chapter somehow, that way they can stay on their 6 month release plan thing.

That could be a way how the mini-expansions become whole chapters instead of just mini-expansions. Now, of course, if they are chapters, then they probably wouldn't be in the maps for our current chapters, but they could be nearby. Maybe somewhere north of ascalon for the one with the charr, and north of kainenge for the one with the tengu or something?

That could be part the mini-chapter for playing as the charr! And then we will know what happened to Gwen!

one thing that would be very good is not a new class but a new race and sometin with bringing happy ascalon back would be good