Why does GW2 need races?

I know I am probably the minority but I think the addition of non-human races to GW is totally lame. Obviously they are doing this as part of their program to destroy GW and make it just like every other MMORPG on the market, all of which are nothing more than glorified EQ mods by the way. So why are new races a bad idea? Well first of all they destroy one of the unique aspects of the game that set apart from the ocean of clones but there are some other reasons.

With the addition of new races they will need to make armor models for not just male and female of every class, but all that for every race as well. So we will end up with fewer armors.

With races come fewer character models for Humans.

With races come lame stat bonuses. This usually ends up forcing you to chose a race that is best for your class if you want to be competitive.

Finally races are just plain lame. Why does a game need dwarves? What is the difference between a dwarf and a short human with a beard. Why Elves? Elves are basically just slender nimble humans who love nature and magic. What is the point? Just give us more varied character models for Humans. And why do we need monster races like Tengu, Asura, Centaurs etc..? Most people don't want to play an ugly monster. I know I dont.

********Below is my response to the first 4 or so pages in this thread which I also posted on page 5 I think. I wanted to copy it to the first page because I thought it summed up my feelings better espically after hearing other peoples responses **************

Couple things that I would like to address. People have said that there is no point in whining, and that a lot of this is based on guesswork. I would beg to differ on both accounts.

First of all, if there is a time to whine, it's now. Before the game is goes gold and the damage is done. At that point no matter how hard you whine things wont change. Besides, I'm not whining I'm complaining.

Secondly although I do admit that I am making some guesses, they are educated guesses based on logic and past experience. Someone in this thread admitted that they could be a "Possible scenario" but I would argue that they are more along the lines of a "Quite likely scenario"

So anyway here are my issues.

Races with stat bonuses? This is something we see in pretty much every other MMORPG and RPG, so it's quite likely that ANET is considering it if they haven't just taken it for granted and put in already. This is something I really don't want to see becuase, I don't want to HAVE to play a Charr to make a competitive Warrior. Even amongst the people who disagree with me and want races, I don't recall anyone saying they like stat bonuses yet. If you agree/disagree lets talk about it now, and let them know how we feel before the game code is written and can't be changed.

Second. Races mean fewer options for Humans. The way I see it the Art team has X amount of time to work on armor and character models. You put in 6 races and it's pretty logical to assume 1/6 the time can be spent on humans. It's pretty realistic to assume they aren't going to spend 6 times as long making armors and character models. It's not like they have unlimited funds or no deadlines.This means that Humans will be much less diverse so that we can have a bunch of wierd/ugly races (Asura, Charr, Tengu? Centaur?). Now considering that Humans will probably be the most played race or close to it, just think how many more clones will be running around when you have 1/6 the armor, hair and face options.

Summary: I like to play Humans and I like the diverse number of appearance options I have in GW1. I feel like I'm going to lose a lot of that in GW2 when they add in 6 or more other races. Am I assuming the worst? It's possible. But I would rather have a discussion about it now when ANET can see how people feel about the issue and make a change. So if you like the diversity you have in Human character appearances in GW1 and want to see the same in GW2 speak now before it's too late. Or the next thing you know you will have to make an Asura if you want to look different.

Because people have been asking for them forever.

EoD.

I'd rather have races then new classes tbh.

I want races and if you dont like it, dont buy it, Goodnight.

People just don't want GW to be like every other MMO game out there. GW1 is unique. GW2 is doing nothing but making it another MMO clone.

Of course. Anet's addition of races to GW2 is a conspiracy to make it like ever other MMO! And the scary thing is they are just doing it to make YOU hate it! Anet's business model has always been to destroy GW, after all.

Thank you for speaking for everyone. You sure do know what we all want. I mean, WoW has races, and they only have what, 8 million subscribers? Psh. That obviously means no one wants new races.

(BTW you can still play a human if you want, you aren't forced to make another race)

I actually agree with one of your points. Shocked? I am. This is Anet we're talking about, and though I hate inherit racial skills that make one race better than another at this or that profession, I'm sure they will think of something. Hopefully it will just be something along the lines of 10 unique skills for races or something, not inherit traits (such as Norns have 20% armor penetration).

show me in game (GW2) where it's just like all the other MMO's...
o wait you cant.

YOU ALL JUST NEED SOME LUDES!

GW2 is going to be just what we want. I know because Anet reads what we want all the time, and Anet wants to be successful, and Anet knows that by selling games it will be successful. Anet sells more games if Anet gives people what they want.

I can't show you in game, but I can show you from what ANet has told us. Higher level cap and playable races are 2 additions which makes GW2 just like every other typical MMO, and I'm sure there will be more.

Races worry me, I see a whole new level of unbalanced play.

I'd rather our players look like clones then the game itself be a typical MMO clone.

Same.

OK this much I'll grant you however, my point is that what they say they are planning now... 2 YEARS before the game is even CLOSE to being on the shelves is a bit early to start complaining about something which may be completely different from how you are imagining them wouldn't you agree?

I do agree, and I'm not complaining. I don't like what changes GW2 is brining, but as you said, GW2 won't be out for a few years, so I'm not worrying.

They need to add new baseline character options with each expansion. Races do a better job of this than classes, since there's not a ton of class depth that you have to add immediately. In general I think races are a good idea.

Of course the problem is that they're going to give all the races special abilities that make some races simply better than others, at least at particular classes. I don't like certain race/class combinations being inferior, but what can you do?

Peace,
-CxE

I'm jazzed about the new races. I've been wanting new races since day 1 of playing GW Prophecies. The one thing I was relieved to see was that the Sylvari do NOT look like elves. Dryads possibly, but if it had pointy ears I would've cried.

I don't understand how new races is akin to being lame. Is the only reasoning behind that "because then it'll be like every other MMORPG online"? Because there's only so much "originality" you can have in a game. Everything borrows from everything else.

you say guild wars 2 will be a clone like every other MMO out there because its going to have playable races. tell me how the current guild wars is any different than every MMO right now? there are plenty of MMOs where you can only play humans or one race

I would prefer it if they disable racial abilities or stats in PvP. I'd hate to have to pick a profession based off of race. Other than that, I'm looking forward to it.

diversity = better

I like how your post is full of conjecture, speculation and assumptions. FTW

Single race RPGs are just as original as multi-race ones.

How do you know there will be fewer armors?
How do you know there will be fewer character models?
How do you know there are different stat bonuses?

Oh by the way, are you sure you speak for "most" people?

I think the best solution would be no inherent bonuses for any race at all; the differences should be purely aesthetic.

I think giving a racial attribute line and maybe 5-10 racial skills would be ok. As long as the racial attribute wasn't gain +5 dmg in melee or 5% faster (i.e. inherent). Instead the racial attribute would just make racial skills better. An example could be a Norn skills called "transform into a bear". For 30 seconds, you transform into a bear and gain 10% attack speed and +20 armor. Now this obviously benefits a warrior or ranger or assassin. But a Asura warrior could still run nearly the same build without this one skill, which could be replaced by a skill like frenzy or another attack booster. To limit it maybe each race can only have 1 or 2 racial skills, like elite skills now.

Overall it would give the option to enhance race/class combinations, but not limit them like inherent effects would.

simple: Anet is going for the big bucks by appealing more to the masses...

they have seen that their free MMO model works (with GW1), and are now trying to expand their market with this model.

all the new features of GW2 seem to point to this fact -- to me, it looks like GW2 will be a very dumbed down version of GW1 (of course making Anet tons of money).

What the hell is the big mystery? There are already different races established in the Guild Wars world, so making some of them playable isn't really a huge leap.

The bigger mystery is why people get so wrapped up around the axle about it.

And if you assume different races means unbalanced play then you don't have a clue about Anet's design philosophy. It's a pretty big assumption to think playable races means racial bonuses that impact competitive play.

Or it would give us a more diversified gameplay

I don't care if they add new races or not. New races mean a more diversified gameplay

Guild Wars is just a glorified Ragnarok Online, really. It has all the classes, it has "ascension", and even the items are similar in so many ways. Video games are like movies. They're running out of ideas because ideas are not infinite.

I, for one, have a feeling I'm going to like Guild Wars 2. It's going to be just as unique as Guild Wars is. The end.

More combinations is good: Instead of seeing the same crappy looking warriors everywhere, now we'll see Human Warriors, Charr warriors, Norn warriors, Centaur warriors, etc. (you get the idea)

I'm not sure if Races will get Attribute bonuses (that would be lame, IMO), or just Bonus skills (much better option).

Why are bonus skills better? Instead of reinvinting the wheel by having to design new classes all the time, Anet could just release new Races with an Expansion, and suddenly it gives players multiple new options, as each Profession will benefit differently from the new Racial Skill.


Plus, it's just cool to play different races. Anet has always talked about it, Guild Wars was never "just Human". Honestly, it was probably just cheaper for them to do it that way!

Hi im probably the minority beacause I'm more emo than op..Cold was my soul
Untold was the pain
I faced when you left me
A rose in the rain....
So I swore to the razor
That never, enchained
Would your dark nails of faith
Be pushed through my veins again

The anet team is definately racist proved by my Lions Arch study with screen shots with vulgar language I would like to post on gwg post mod approval showing an account banned for racial slurs which almost identical to another with the only differance being the n word being switched out for the c word(aka saltines)on the other with the one account racially slurring blacks, banned but the account offending towards whites remains unbanned. This world is corrupt all the way to the top as high in the chain as far as you care to take it. It's life and you have to deal with it. oh effing well lawl...who cares nymore...not i

'cuz!

end of story

We don't even know if anet has decided to give each race special stats and we wont for some time so stop complaining and just take it in stride.

Here we go again. You know, this is one of the main negative aspects of the GW community: many people bought the game as a cheap alternative to WoW. Over time this (along with the great success of WoW) has bred great opposition towards WoW amongst a lot of these people, often so much so that they squeal at the mention of aspects they feel are related to it, such as races, high level cap, un-instanced zones, etc. They are forced to launch insults, saying that WoW is boring, grind-based, imbalanced, addictive, a rip-off. They see GW as unique and unspoilt, and any aspect related to WoW should not come anywhere near it.

In fact, I was of that kind of opinion, until I started playing this WoW trial. But let's not get into that.

People see WoW as the leader of the real MMORPGs, followed by the likes of EverQuest, Lineage and others. Guild Wars is separated from these by its business model and its fully instanced explorable areas. Thus, WoW and its 'followers' merge into one big, ugly monster that is poised to destroy GW by holding ANet at gunpoint and telling them to do all these things in GW2. And so Guild Wars will become just another MMORPG on the ever-widening market, slowly fading until it disappears altogether.

[/their opinions]

[my opinion]

Guild Wars has just been born. It has been an extraordinarily successful birth - yes, it had its problems, but it also made many great achievements, among them its unprecedented attention to its fanbase and its regular updates as a result. WoW, in comparison, has a deep history (about 14 years or so IIRC) going back through Blizzard's previous games, which drew in a large fanbase for them to utilise in WoW. If we took WoW to be an adult, then GW is a child. GW has so much ahead of it; it has laid some unique foundations and now, with a reasonable-sized playerbase, it has only to break out of the mould cast by its business model (which we all knew would not last), and burst out into the wider market, where it will flourish. I'm looking forward to many things in GW2, because I have faith in ANet that the features they have told us about will be well-thought-out and properly implemented. Plus, you never know what surprises they will throw in.

Trying to balance GW is difficult, and I applaud ANet for being fairly successful in this; the mix of diversity (in the range of skills and professions) and <insert whatever the opposite of that is here> (no other differences e.g. racial differences, and many skills are very alike) is a confusing mix indeed. What I hope is that these unique racial abilities, along with a cut-down on boring and over-used skill types, as well as anything else ANet can throw in, will make for a whole new style of gameplay that they can shape to meet the majority's wants and needs easily.

Don't look at GW2 as corrupt and a betrayal of what once was, for that's not what it will be. ANet has absolutely no desire to un-uniquify Guild Wars, nor spoil what its fanbase enjoys. Races are just a part of making Guild Wars 2 a whole lot better than its predecessor.

I agree ... races is a waste of time and energy ... its just for looks nothing more, from what i gather it will only make u look different, it wont make your skills more powerful or better in anyway, shape or form.

Personly i have never seen another player that is EXALTY the same as anyone of my charactors yet, and i have 10 different charactors all level 20 and have all 3 games.

I would much rather they spend time on the GAME and make it MORE enjoyable
(not that its not enjoyable as it is now). My motto "IF it anit broken, DONT FIX IT".

Make your mind up

I don't mind new races as long as there racial abilitys are something simple like an unique attribute with there own skill set.

You haven't? I have. On both of my favorite characters (Female Monk and Male Ranger).

In fact, in both occasions, the "twin" had the same armor AND nearly the same height. For my Ranger, the only thing that separated us was that I had a Sword and he had a Bow.

I'll be glad to see the added Races, and I'd like to know what makes each of them special. Because I'm sure they will do that.

I don't know about fewer armor choices for every class. Maybe it'll be like some MMO's where a cloth chest armor could fit any race with a class that requires cloth chest armor. It'll scale to the character model. Anet already admitted that our current armor can never be as detailed as NPC armor because the chest and leggings pieces had to blend on the same spot even with another set, causing some designs to be dropped or degraded. Sure, the scaling thing will make it like other MMO's, but in addition to race almost everyone will look unique for fashion.

Might I ask...how do you know ANY of this applies to Guild Wars 2? You're just looking at all the other MMORPGs with races and automatically applying their "rules" to GW2.

The edition of races gives the game more flavour. It's also much more realistic in a fantasy setting. Plus, the Dwarves and Charr we've already seen, just not played.

Also...when you say "most people don't want to play an ugly monster," again you are assuming. When I told my m8 about GW2 and that you could play Charr, it immediately sparked his interest.

Oh, and in closing, if you think an Asura is ugly you must have a very negative life!

I completely agree and personnaly I think races will be for cosmetics purposes only. Now we will have to wait and see.

ya man without races what would we have other than a bunch of clones? boooringg..racism is fun and my many friends of multiple nationalities would say the same im sure...love you all

It adds another depth to the game. By the sounds of it A net is going all out for this and I doubt the lack for armour will be any sort of problem.

If you read up you would know that each race has special abilities to go along side their profession. In a sense its like have three professions and a new skin. So allot more depth.

Looking around at Guild wars one, one race to be honest, looks a little bland. GW is creating their own unique races aswell which adds to the fun of it.

Don't like the changes, don't buy it. But I know I will.

I cant believe someone actually got so hot and bothered to make a thread complaining about races and how they didnt want to "play an ugly character"

If you dont want to play a different race then DONT. It's called options. Others want to play different races, so who are you to say what's a waste of time and energy?

The only legitimate concern that you listed in your post was about racial attributes/skills. It could be a problem or it might not be. Who knows at this point? But come on. Complaining more character options? Sheesh.

Yes, please do not add races. In fact, please remove all classes, and all differences in character models. We need no weapons, no armor, 1 skill or skillset, and for pete's sake, make it turn-based (ya know, so everyone no matter the lag is on the same page). This way, everyone will be equal, period. We will be playing checkers. Yay, we all happy now!

/sarcasm

Personally, I love options and customization. Screw the balance, that's what updates are for.

I can't believe I came on here to complain about someone complaining about someone complaining tehehehheehehhe.