PC Gamer May 2007 Information - "Guild Wars Reborn"

I'd like to point out a slight flaw in this logic. There are many people that are advocating for higher levels true. However, how many would like the cap to stay low?

There might be 5000 people on the forums that are advocating for an increase on the level cap, but what if there are 15000 (numbers are completely random) that are in favour of them staying where they are? Is it known how many people are in favour for the higher limit and how many like it as it is? Has there been a poll or a survey of the players? If there has and 80% are in favour/don't mind the higher levels then by all means, go for it. If it's 80% like it as it is, then it'd probably be better for it to stay the same.

If there hasn't been one, perhaps a [Dev Poll] do you want higher class levels would be nice, or perhaps to get a better sampling, perhaps give an option as you load the game to participate in a survey with the different options, races, higher levels, etc. Hair stylist is all well and good, but then people aren't forced to use it if they don't like it. These options, well some of these...I guess people don't have to play the other races if they don't want to, are a little more direct and people are going to have to deal with them. I'm hoping that a sample will be taken from the entire audience and not just the squeaky wheels which only represent a minority of the community.

To counterbalance some of the naysayers, I wanted to say that I can't wait to see Guild Wars 2 and I have confidence that the people at ArenaNet will pull off an amazing game.

Just a couple of quick remarks:
-No more character specific titles! Make all titles account based!
-A classless system would be amazing, although I'll admit I don't know hard it'd be to pull off. The ultimate in character customization.
-An onscreen combat log would be extremely useful.
-Looking forward to a working Z axis (although I'll miss the floating corpses)
-Add more areas or small outposts that don't have any purpose other than giving something for us explorers to stumble across (Dragon's Gullet, Maguuma Stade, etc.)!
-Will a new game engine mean we can finally get more storage space or an auction house?

Keep up the good work and thanks for keeping us informed.

Well,i am willing to give GW2 a chance but its a long way off and we got almost 2 years.I would love to see more info!C'mon Gaile if you guys let this thing out of the battle,give us some more info!

Guildwars 2 for me is something that I'm excited about. I don't know why some people sounded so hysterical about it. I mean GW2 will be the much refined GW1. Most of the impurities of GW1 will be filtered into a more polished game. We all know that Anet's first product is GW1. GW1 is the guinea pig of Anet. GW2, if not the perfect version of GW1, will be the improved version. I'm sure Anet won't let the players down knowing they listen to us players. Two years are quite long to conclude about it since it is still under development and thanks to elite sites like GWGuru we can voice out our wants for the future of GW that we love so much

Gaile, can you tell us more about the movement system? and how it will affect PvP?

That they change the movement system to allow jump and swim look ok or even cool in PvE but not in PvP...Also, I really hope that they dun't ask us to actually aim with spells like in other MMO pvp system... if it does, this is going to be really bad IMO. GW should stay more tactical and skill based than anything else. And i think jump and swim should not really matter if not disable in pvp/gvg.

Watching OB mode, and seeing everyone jumping and kiting like in CS would make GvG seems like a joke i think, and this is really something that i am strongly against.

This is one of the my main concern tbh...

Gaile,

Will there be an Auction House / other trade improvements to GWEN / GW2?
really would like that, because the current trade system doesn't really work.

~Toilet

Lets try to be a bit realistic here.

I speak by personal experience after having played this game for 21 months and perhaps if seen the way I see it what anet are going to make may make sense.

Some of us may recall the creation of the 55hp monk and all its variants and mutations to the other classes.

Why did this come about?

The drops of high value like ectos.

Power leveling.

Some more which do not come to memory right now but in essence this was and in some instances are a way of amassing good fortunes of in-game money bla bla.

The minion master was way too powerful like for instance in sorrows furnace which was overkilled by conssitent farming.

Many skill balances, better known as nerfs have been made such as Shield of Judgement, Spiteful Spirit etc etc.

Then we also have to add the balancing of aoe skills as well and the AI increase to the monsters.

Many moans have been aired by many farmers as to all these many obstacles which have deterred farming even though alternatives have been found by resourceful players.

I think judging by what this article is hinting, and at this stage is with limited information, is that perhaps anet are going to give us a possible farming oreientated game or if not exactly that something along those lines.

that we cannot migrate our present characters over is well and truly sad especially for those who have put in a lot of hours or have titles like myself a KOABD.

Albeit, we can be all discussing this issue here forever what we should all strive is to for the moderators to open upi a petition post for players to sign to request that we can migrate our characters over.

I am not bothere about whether the cap is raised to 100 or 1,000 for that matter.

One thing we have to think about too is that Ms Gray says that there will be no monthly fees ever.

I cannot see then this chapter 2 being a wise business move if they are not going to add expansions to it or else why do it?

Does not make any sense at this stage.

The point they put accross that preparation of new chapters must be tedious for them but conversely, it does not make sense what Ms Gray has apparently said no monthly fees ever. Its not commercially viable then.

Time will tell what they concieve.

All for now......

One thing that is critical for me is carrying over of names.

I think Gaile has already told us that your characters names will be reserved for you when you create new characters in GW2.

The other equally as important thing to me is that I get to keep my Guild name.
That name is a major part of my guilds' identity, and I have already had a few people offering me money to disband my guild so that they can use the name. Serious offers too.

I'm all for trying out GW2 and giving something new a go, but before I purchase that game, I would need to be assured that someone else hasn't come along and used my guild name before I have the chance.

A really good guild name of my invention is MY Intellectual Property - and very important to me.

Gaile - could you please respond to this post and clarify if Guild names will be held for those already using them in GW1 or if it is just character names.

I just saw a screenshot of the asura from the magazine. And i have to say...
IT LOOKS LIKE AN ALIEN FROM LILO AND STITCH

Not really, but the red/black armor he has reminds me of some of the necro armor from nightfall.

I think they said in the article or somewhere that GW2 will be no monthly fee but that they will add expansions to it with time. And by expansions, they mean no longer standalone game like Factions or NF. Expansions like what GW: EotN will be to GW1. In other words, the expansions will be aimed towards those that already have GW2 and not to try to appeal to new players as Factions and NF tried to do. Whether it will be good or not, only the future will tell.

All fair and good. It's part of everyone loves about GW, that there is this feedback sytem, that the company listens to the player's wants/needs and then tries to in some way implement and incorporate them into the game. We are not "crying" or "whining" or proclaiming an upcoming "apocalypse" on this forum, we are also simply making the point, that GW is also GW because it is different from the rest. GW was/is a fantastic game, because of the risks that have been taken along the way, one of those eliminating races etc etc from the game and making it different from the run of the mill games out there. I am sceptical about the fact that GW2 will live up to the GW-name. Despite the bumps in the road with GW1, all of the complaints and things that could be improved, we are obviously all still playing the game and loving it. Now there are two groups, the ones who are optimistic about the upcoming game and the other group that feels that Anet are selling out and becoming one of these run of the mill games. We, the "pessimists", are also just saying, there is a lot for GW2 to live up to and a lot of things we do not want to see. I never said I don't want to see races, by all means, it could add a new level of playing, however, the worrysome part is that the artwork does looking somewhat WoW-ish.

There are many voices in this forum that are also being overheard or overlooked, perhaps like the age-old discussion of 8v8 or 6v6 (yes, I'm aware that this is horribly off-topic). There truly is a majority that would like to see 8v8 back, that the 8v8 weekend was the first time there had been and ID5 and ID6 since 8v8 was still the norm; 8v8, despite it's popularity, has yet to come back, perhaps because there are many people who do not complain about 6v6, or remain neutral. Yes, races, high level caps, etc have been asked for again and again and again, yet, what about the people who remained silent about these things over the past two years? I know I did not mention such an addition because I did not miss it. I have played many games, with races and high level caps and I got bored very quickly. I do not wish to play with a green dwarf with wings and what not, I love GW for it's beautiful balance, between fantasy (charrs, magic, etc) and it's somewhat more real touch, that you are playing as a human. As many people have voiced their hopes for upcoming campaigns, or now GW2, we are voicing our fears, and not proclaiming an apocalypse. When we say we are going to quit, it is not to gain attention in this forum, but to make a point that we do not want to play a "War of Guildcraft" game, but a Guild Wars game. We would also like to make this clear to Anet, by saying that if it does end up a clone of the other games out there, then they will lose us as well. We may not be the "majority", but we are a substantial amount of players; our money will be missing with each game and expansion/campaign that Anet brings out.

Good point. ^^

PS- I have remained calm in all of my posts, including this one.

Thanks boko for the info

makes total sense.

You're welcome ..Glad to help

As far as i know we will not be able to transfer our characters between gw1 and gw2 but our name and titles wont be lost because of the hall of monuments that will grant our titles and name to our new characters its like grandparents that give their grandsons money or houses.

SO if i make a charr or a norn or a character from another race will still i be able too take the titles from my grandparents who where humans?

All people do here is complain, there is no better demotivation for Anet than to complain at a product they're still discussing and designing. Anet has not let us down before, have they? And don't start mentioning the October 2006 update, as this clearly is to protect the GW Economy. Why does everyone here think so negative about GW2? You haven't seen one single screenshot, not one pure fact about the level cap, as GW2 is still being designed, yet all the people here do is whine...

One little hint for Anet though, if you intend to give the player a small number of character slots, as is the case for GW, it might be an idea to actually design some sort of character slots expansion packs, as not all players who would love to expand their amount of character slots have a credit card... (Maybe this is present in other countries, but it defenitely isn't in holland.) It would be similar to the retail WoW game card activation pack thingy but then just for GW/GW2 character slots.

Meh...these "players" that Anet is listening to are just the annoying squeeky wheel that always seems to get the oil. What about the masses of players who are PLAYING Guild Wars, rather than whining about what's "wrong" with it.

Everyone I play with couldn't care less about playing other races, loves the level 20 cap (it is the major reason that GW feels so "free", as once you hit 20 with full attributes you can pretty much make your own path)...and as for "persistence", well isn't having small team-based instances one of the main ways to stop griefers and grind and tailor the game as a story for the individual?

<ramble> If you just do the old open-world thing, like every other MMO, then to me it's not GW anymore, as much as I think an open-world would make the game feel more real, it also wouldn't be GW unfortunately. I'd love to see this conundrum resolved, as I think being able to affect the world and world-events is a great hook in MMOs; funny thing is I think GW1, the way it's designed, allows this to happen MORE than any other MMO, I hope that's not going to be thrown away...eg. How (in an open/persistent world) do you tell a story to a player where the "world" changes, without making the world-change wreck the game for everyone else who hasn't done that quest/mission/event yet? (I have read the full article, and I'm hoping I understood correctly that the story missions won't be done away with. I do have confidence in Anet's intuition, and am hoping that GW2 will revolutionize the story-telling ability of open-MMOs, which is currently sadly lacking, IMHO) :crosses fingers: </ramble>

@CuriousCarrie - Thanks for stating the "Pessimist" case without any drama. It's easier to see valid concerns that way.

As an "Optimist" here's how I would respond. Guildwars could not keep going on its current track. The expansions were stretching the user base creating ghost towns. Further expansions of the same type would continue that trend because not enough new players were buying the game. The level cap, while loved by many - especially people who love the game enough to post on these forums - was a turn off to many other players. The don't have much of a voice here, because they're off playing those other MMO's.

In order for Anet to make a sustainable long-term franchise, they have to do two critical things: Retain the true essense of GuildWars and add those tried and true features from other MMO's fans have been begging for.

So what did Anet work out? The stopped the stretch of the current would by creating a 4th chapter that connects the existing world with underground dungeons. If you read GWGuru, you know this was suggested by many, many times by fans concerned about the stretched player base.

Then they rolled the dice be proposing a new GW that would keep the features that make GW unique while adding features fans have been begging for. ADDED: Races, raised levels, persistant worlds, a z-axis. Although not mentioned in the article, tradecrafts, auction houses, and mounts are likely, too. Yes, these are features in many other MMO's, but they're also really fun! KEPT: Limited skill selection, flexible creative build options, perfectly balanced competitive PVP.

One reason there is pressure to grind in other MMO's, is that in order to remain competitive, you have to keep getting the best equipment. If that was the case in the proposed GW2, I would share your concern. In GW2, PVP players have immediate access to Max Level, Max gear, All-Skills-Unlocked characters! If competition is your thing, THERE IS ZERO GRIND.

If competition isn't your bag, but developing a cast of characters racking up achievements in a fun world is, the new GuildWars sounds even more fun than the original.

I guess it ultimately gets down to if you trust Anet to pull it off. I think their track record of listening to the fans has been terrific. I think they know what makes their games wickedly addictive and fun. I think they will read these forums to make the best game possible. I think they will surprise us all with how good it is.

Keep making suggestions and expressing concerns, but have a little faith, too.

This is what I worry about, too. To think that I've put in as much as time as I have to build a strong guild and for the guild to summarily be lost in the new game bothers me. Of course, a wait of 2 years will likely spell death to guilds anyway, GW:EN or not. It's obsurd to think that consistent players will remain consistent with a wait of that duration. So, I see not only the death of my characters with the new game, but also the death of the guild I've worked hard to create. Does ANET realize just how hard it is to maintain a guild? To keep interest high? Apparently not, if this is the move they make. I will now have to see the inevitable "shutting off of the machines" as people explore other games. Add insult to injury...if I so manage to keep people interested (yea rrright), I'd have to create an entirely new guild and reinvite them (yea, from scratch even though I already spent plat upon plat inviting people to the guild only to find the gemlike few who actually made the guild what it is today).

The story lines of these games are wholely arbitrary...200 years in the future may allow an easy reason to make it impossible to transfer everything from one game to the next, but what I want to know is, does ANET care about it's consistent players? Or guild leaders for that matter?? The lapse in time between games, and the non-carryover seems to bespeak a resounding no.

All of this is highly disappointing to me, as someone who has been playing the game since May 2005...my first character, my warrior monk, will be left behind at a monument, when all is said and done. Her ending does not fit all that she's done in GW. That she can transfer her titles to a future generation...as well as her pets (wouldn't they have died after 200 years, if we are to follow the absurd reasoning)...doesn't mean much to me. Actually, I don't give two hoots about titles, armor, gold, weapons, or such nonsense. I do care about that she, herself, won't be able to set foot in the new world as well as the people she has come to consider her compatriots...her guildmates. Call me sentimental, but that's how I see it.~~Maia

Why I think ANet should have focused GW2 into a "bigger" expansion. Also, for what it's worth, I guess if you have a guild forum it might keep together while everyone gets the game (of course some don't get GW2 = guild breaks down - this goes for your favourite GvG guilds too; don't think everybody has the patience to be screwed around over and over) Other than a forum (and the hope that most people buy the game), I guess you can just manually record their emails/character names? Hmm, gl anyway : )

Thanks,
~Rhanoct

Yep Gaile is right.. there has always been people wanting those things as metioned before. Finally it'll be more for the hardcore gamers. Sure it wasn't orginally intended to be that way, but I'm glad they're changing so there will be more exciting things to do.

There is an easy solution for those who love the easy to reach level 20 cap. Play Guild Wars 1... leave Guild Wars 2 for the hardcore gamers. Between the two of them everyone should be happy... any fan of Guild Wars should be able to find the one that suits them best. I for example will be on Guild Wars 2. That's all.

there are tons of games out there that have come both before and after guild wars that cater perfectly to the hardcore-minded gamers. why can't you people just play those and leave the guild wars saga to those who like guild wars how it is as we play it today? then arena-net can just update guild wars to next generation graphics and such, and still cater to the fans of GUILD WARS.

you see, guild wars is a unique experience. there are a lot of games out there like what you people are asking for, but there is only one guild wars. so many of us like guild wars how it is, and would just like to see a new graphics engine upgrade, and more content added. but now we won't get that, because guild wars will be completely changing to be more like those tons of other games out there...

I actually see it more like this, the high level PvP of GW1 won't be continued in GW2, simply because of the new game mechs they are introducing, namely the new movement thingo. GW PvP was meant to be simple, 8 skills, move to walk.. I've said it before. It was a game of the minds, I liked to compare it to chess. In short, it will be too hard to upkeep that level of play come GW2, simply because the game just isn'y being marketed that way. Putting my ramblings aside, ANet is catering for PvE players, not by introducing a few new missions, etc. but by changing the entire game. I just find it unfair. Change PvE, make it identical to WoW. As long as you keep higher level PvP the way it is I'm, aswell as A LOT of people, are happy. Is it too much to ask?

Or better yet, leave pve how it is in gw1, and change pvp to be identical to how it is in diablo2. hows them bananas?

Um..No.

Diablo 2 pvp was based mostly on stat and skill building,to the point where if you misclicked a point,you were pretty much boned.Not to mention how the PvP in that game is influenced by "uber lewts".

You aren't getting where I'm comming from. Almost everybody posting here in favour of GW2 loves the new PvE stuff, and don't care too much about how it affects PvP. Which is why I'm saying why don't they change their PvE to be happy, and leave PvP so everyone is happy? If GW2 was focuses FULLY on PvP but noone here liked that then obviously they should change it to cater more for PvE? See what I mean?

High level PvP now is fantastic (putting fotms, etc. aside). All it needs is new maps every now and then, balances, maybe some new game functions. I'm sure 9/10 others would agree. If ANet cares so much about the PvE players then do whatever it is they will enjoy. Even if it's making the game "like" WoW -.- Please stop asking pointless questions, because I just keep repeating myself and others.

heh ya i know. i dont really want it like that. its just a counterpoint to the "leave pvp alone and make pve just like wow" my point is, WoW pve to fans of guild wars pve is the equivalent of Diablo2 pvp to fans of guild wars pvp.

my real suggestion, and request, is to just leave everything as it is in gw1, both pve and pvp, and just upgrade the graphics and add more story content.

I'm sorry... are you new here? did you miss the whole big fiasco of world of guildcraft, level caps, grinding, etc? NOT EVERYONE WANTS WoW STYLE PVE. ONLY A SELECT FEW DO. MAINLY THE FEW WHO BITCHED TO GAILE TO GET IT CHANGED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

you see, the problem here is you and I both want something similar, and that is for the game we love to stay the same. the problem is, you are adding one more voice against keeping pve the same, just to further your own goal of keeping pvp the same. that was the point of the previous post.

And I for one like all these changes and am looking forward to them. I just hope an auction house will be included too, especially considering it is perhaps the single-most asked for feature dating back to before Guild Wars' release. And a barber/hairdresser NPC (ok that one's a personal want ).

auction house and appearance changrer would be nice... but then, those are things that could just be added onto guild wars 1, along with a graphics upgrade, instead of moving to a whole new game format...

you are forgetting many things.

at the very start there were several MAJOR shakeouts of lost hardcore players.

1 the PVP give us UAS or we leave..........they didnt get it and left
2 the level grind monkeys said raise the cap or we go.......a lot of people left over that
3 the must have ever more important item people were the next group to go.

replaced by others i admit but mostly because of the no monthly fee

every site/thread/poll that asks if you would stay with GW if they charged even a SMALL monthly fee of 5 dollars (or less) has overwhelmingly if i have to pay i wont play it.

the one theme going through those threads is *NO PAY TO PLAY*

everything you and others love including the level cap are burried under the most important reason for getting it which is no monthly fee.

GW2 gives them a chance to keep most of what they have now and grab a chunk of those 8?/9?/10? million WOW people who will jump ship for something similar with better graphics and NO MONTHLY FEE.

the people who state leave it like it is or i quit are simply another hardcore group that will be leaving just like the above hardcore groups and replaced by 10 for each leaver

you are hardcore just in a different flavor

there is a major different there, though. UAS, grinding, uber items.. those were never a part of guild wars. those are things that made guild wars different, and in many players views, better. The fact that arenanet kept guild wars as is, kept its integrity, is commendable. But now, what are they doing? They are going back on everything they have worked for. They are changing the game, just to appease those who left. And in the meantime losing loyal customers, those true fans that love guild wars just the way it is, and commend arenanet's work at every turn thus far, and buy every chapter the moment it is released. instead, they are going back to the people who disliked guild wars, dislike the whole concept of guild wars, and instead prefer games like WoW. So you add a few things, call some of those people back. Then those people will realize they miss tauren, so they will say add playable minotaurs or we leave. then they will miss the warlock class, so they'll say add demon summoners or we leave. You catch my drift here? The people who are leaving now, they aren't asking for anything. All they want is to be left with what they have, and be able to BUY new content which they can continue to play in how they play now. But, that is not how things are going. Leaving behind your loyal followers, paying customers, in favor of appeasing the true whiners that don't even have interest in guild wars anymore? yeah, something is wrong there.

1. How much do you know about the new movement thingo? Really? It has 2 years of development to go. While your concern that it may be too complicated is valid (although I would think high level PvP'ers would like this as it's more "leet"), isn't it just a tad bit too soon to write it off simply because it's different -- especially when you haven't had a chance to test out the final product because it's 2 years from release?

2. I can't read every single post in this thread, but has one person said "please make PvE exactly like WoW"? I know I haven't.


I totally agree with you, and I'm disappointed that those things haven't been added to GW1, especially since they've been so highly requested. But GW2 is coming, and I think those features would fit even better there -- and what better time to push for them than while ideas are being discussed for development?

[QUOTE]actually they are going by their logs which show what the people actually want by how they actually play the game.

there was an interview with JEFF STRAIN (anybody who can find that link please post it) in which he flatly stated *the entire team was surprised at the number of players who kept playing their characters PVE instead of switching to the PVP as we expected them to do*

that is a significant statement.

also stated was
*there are many things we would have done differently if we were starting fresh*

this is the fresh start and not to appease the leavers but to make a game that will be open to a hugely greater number of players who have shown by their pocketbooke that they not only like WOW/EQ/EQ2/ETC type games but are willing to pay to play on top of the pay to buy the game.

this will be a similar style but with a unique flavor of its own and NO MONTHLY FEE

SERIOUS QUESTION FOR YOU

the article states that it is being designed to be *SOLO FRIENDLY*.

if it is not a *rat basher* grind game but has a ton of small quick quests along with medium/large quests along with the missions allowing you to jump in for a half hour/hour and make progress without having to kill 10,000 rats would that help things?

it also stated in the article that instances would be kept in important areas to prevent ganking/loot stealing/quest lines/etc.

would that help as well?

Listening to you (some of you, obviously), one would think that it's completely impossible for a game ta cater to both the hardcore and the casual player. If the "anet people" are smart - and I believe they are, they made an excelent game already, right? - they'll try to make both sides happy and I'm very sure that's possible. Maybe not on the "I play one hour a month" VS "I spend 20 out of 24 hours in front of my computer" front (exaggeration, don't use those very numbers against my argument, please), but with pretty much everything in between. They'll figure something out.

What I still don't get is why so many people are sure that a higher level cap (even if the higher levels turn out to be more than cosmetic and of course we don't know anything about it yet) can man nothing else but that there will be (excessive amounts of) grinding.
Excuse me, but - what? Did you grind your levels in Prophecies, or even in one of the other campains? No, you reached level 20 playing the game normally (I'm not talking about "rushing" and stuff). Couldn't it be the same way in GW2? It would take longer, perhaps, but hey, will you really complain about more conten? ^.~

Just something to keep in mind/think about. ^.^

I'm not too happy about the changes being made for Guildwars 2. However, to the other people who are equally disappointed or unhappy with the direction GW2 seems to be going, I have some advice. Rather than say you're going to stop supporting the original Guildwars and not going to buy the expansion since it'll all just die after that, reconsider. Buy the expansion and continue to play the hell out of the original game. Just think about it, if a large majority Anet's customer base continues to use Guildwars, even after GW2 comes out, it's going to send a message to Anet that their users want more of the original style game.

Hail, Gaile!

I'd like to ask you one question about Guild Wars 2.

Are you in ANet going to do something with character names system? I mean, with naming possibilities.

I'm fed up with all these "names" like Xx X Christopher X Xx, Zvirko Cz, S T E P H E N, etc.. Current naming restrictions aren't severe enough, IMHO.

Guild Wars is online RPG-not IRC.

I know, there are many GW players that do not know the true meaning of "RPG" and it makes me sad. Anyway, I believe that they cannot be allowed to use such stupid names!

Thanks for a reply (and listening to RPers' cries, hopefully )!



PS Another thing is meaning of the name-what about Dark Bunny Of Death, Cyborg From Space and so on...?

PPS And names in players' own languages. For instance: when the name in german is used mainly on districts dedicated for players from Germany-it's ok. But on English ones?! It doesn't mean anything for players that don't speak german, it's like "hgasds" for them, don't you think?


_____
*Used names are only examples (that I have never seen) to illustrate what I am talking about.
**Some of you might find my post hardcore . But I really like GW and I'd love to see it as a real RPG.

Id just like to know how buying the expansion will affect Factions and Nightfall.

i'm still very uneasy about new races... to me, one of the aspects that really made guild wars shine was the delicate balance of an imaginative fantasy universe while fighting as a human.

to illustrate my dismay, i nabbed this screenshot of an asura in-game yesterday, and i must say (as someone else posted earlier) that there is an uncanny resemblance to disney's stitch toon from 5 years ago.



so here's the list, a direct side-by-side comparison:
1. black, beady eyes? check
2. oversized, tapering ears? check
3. stumpy feet with 3 toeclaws? yes 3, no more, no less. check
4. facial features: especially the wide, raised eyebrows? check!
5. body proportions? check
6. steven tyler ear-to-ear mouth? double check
7. teeth? hmm, this very well may be the ultimate mystery of the asura race! maybe they're a denture-wearing tribe of subterranean evil genius... /ponder

but really, everything about this character screams "GENERIC" and "OLD HAT". i've read the magazine article, and the other races sound equally unappealing and cliche, based on their "words to live by" descriptions on pg 30.

for example, the asura personality: intelligent, mischievous, rule the world, etc... gremlins, anyone?? (check out the actual movie Tagline here at IMDB and notice the blinding similarities. and that was from '84!) pinky and the brain? cmon....

norns: giant bear shapeshifters. reminds me of viking berserkers and a series of kid books called animorphs. /yawn. dervs morphing into avatars of GODS is far more interesting IMO, something we already have...

and don't get me started on magical, supernatural, spirit sylvari fairies? that fits the stereotype for every elf character i've ever seen/played. i think i've made my point here that anet's creative juices have ground to a halt...

Hmm part of me would love to play GW2 beta and actually see whats it all about... I'm more of a person that tries out before to judge...

On the other hand... I'd hate to see all my 'achievements' in GW1 go to a loss or something. Then again I haven't fully read the mag... *lack of time* but I like the sound of a new sort of game. I just hope Anet doesn't let GW1 bleed to death, like so many other MMOs did before it. Then again, I think theres enough community built in a couple years... And since this GW2 is 'miles' away we can all enjoy ourselves first with some 'stand-alones'. And a games gotta move on somehow, can't all hang-out in pre searing forever (even though I love staring at the rabbit)

A lot of things can happen in game world, NCsoft has great games, Anet is a big contributor to NCsofts success. Success comes by the people who play the game, so I doubt they wouldn't listen to the gamers.

Lil awkward about a non level limit or a superb high lvl limit with a crapload of grinding as wow, but then again, if Anet can keep its word and stays pay once, play 'forever' *a MMO can die, thats been known* I wouldn't mind at all to fire it up xD

Hmm I like the current name system and I don't see so many weird chars around... even though a Monk called... I Cant Heal (or something) makes you wonder xD

/edit ROFL @ post IMG before me xD