We'll see you at 4!
FULL DEV CHAT BELOW:
First of all, let me introduce who we have chatting with us today.
We have a room full of devs for you to visit with.
Great to hear!
Without further ado please welcome:
Mike O'Brien -- Co-founder of ArenaNet
Jeff Strain -- Co-founder of ArenaNet
James Phinney -- Guild Wars Lead Designer
Eric Flannum -- Guild Wars Designer
Ben Miller -- Guild Wars Designer
Michael Gills -- Marketing Manager
*wave*
and finally Gaile Gray -- Community Relations Manager
Who admits to having typo syndrome
So she will fit in well with the rest of us.
Here's a good one: How will Eye of the North be a revolution to the guildwars franchise?
Eye of the North is our first expansion so it’s all about bringing new content to existing characters. It will provide content for high-end characters, PvE only skills, and will form a bridge to Guild Wars 2.
Eye of the North will introduce players to several of the playable races in Guild Wars 2, and will let you transfer Guild Wars achievements to GW2 through the Hall of Monuments.
If you look at the fan forums, it's clear that a strong majority of players would prefer soul reaping be returned to it's original state, but with 0 energy for summoned creatures that you don't control. It's been suggested hundred of times. What's wrong with this alternative?
James answers, "That is one of serveral strong alternatives that we are looking at.
Will there be more skills in GW:EN like the "Light of Deldrimor" which have non-combat, exploration purposes? Might GW2 also have those kinds of tools?
Ben replies, "Yes, we are, and having a large number of PvE-only skills has given us the freedom to create skills and abilities interesting things in and out of combat.
Eric expands, "In GW2, we are planning to have a lot of different activities for players that are not combat-related."
Will the difficulty of EOTN be comparable to playing Hard Mode in other campaigns?
No, unless you're playing in Hard Mode.
Ben adds, "There will be a range of content for players of different skill levels."I'd like to know with regards to game lore, will the Mursaat have a role in GW:EN? the lack of info about them has been disturbing...
What, you missed Fluffy and Friends a few weekends ago?
Oh, that was Gaile.
With new armor that might be found in GW:EN.... will they be incribeable? And will armors from previous champaigns (Proph and Fact) become inscribeable as well?
James says, "Yes, for the GW:EN armor, and we are currently working on implementing the inscription system for armor from Prophecies and Factions.
How long will Eye of the North's storyline be compared to that of other campaigns?
Ben responds, "It is going to be a lot more open-ended and ployer driven. People can expect fully-voiced cinematics and a compelling character-driven narrative.
Can we expect rare materials such as: Onxy Gemstones, Diamonds, Bricks of Mud and Clay bricks to finally make an appearance in the game?
Gaile says, "Don't tell me I've been toting that stuff for years for no reason!"
James adds, "We can't answer that at this time because it will cause a financial crisis at the material trader."
Eric whispers, "Buy mud bricks now!!!"
*Ben smacks Eric*
If we go and transfer stuff in HoM... will we still be able to use it in GW... and will we be able to earn more for HoM after our GW2 characters inherite it?
Mike says, "Yes, and yes. Building a monument to an accomplishment does not take that accomplishment away from you. And even after you link a character in GW2 to your Hall of Monuments...
... you can continue to build monuments in Guild Wars and they will benefit you in GW2.
Do you need Prophicies to access the material in Eye of the North
You can access GW:EN if you own any of the previous campaigns.
After Eye of the North, we know that all campaigns and expansions are canceled. But will there be any more content through the free updates, or will content production totally cease? Thanks!
James says, "We know that keeping player playing Guild Wars and keeping them excited about Guild Wars is the best way to assure that they will want to play GW2.
The primary concern among players for Guild Wars 2 is that it's going to be a WoW clone with frills. How won't it be?
Mike says, "Our goal with GW2 is to build the ultimate game for GW players. We are taking the best elements of GW and highlighting and expanding them for GW2, such as the storytelling nature of the game, balanced competitive PvP, use of instancing, making the player the hero...
...the philosophy of hassle-free gaming, and no monthly fee!"
Will all Professions Have upgrades and new armor in GWEN or just core?
Ben says, "Will the expansion for all existing characters have new skills and new armor sets for every existing Guild Wars character?
ABSOLUTELY!
TELL US SOMETHING NEW
anything. (about GW:EN)Eric says, "Two words: Asura Chess."
If I have explored 100% of tyria in prophecies, do I have to explore new places in eye of the north to regain my title?
No, you don't.
Is GW2 going to have outposts and private maps like in the first guildwars or is everyone going to run around the map together? If so, how will you make the enemy respawns?
Guild Wars 2 is going to have both persistent (common) areas and instanced (private) areas.
The persistent areas are going to use zone-wide events, as we've mentioned in several magazine articles.
(Enemies respawn on their own, and they also come in as a part of the zone-wide events.
what's it take to be a member of the Arena Net Design team?
Ben: Does it take a passion for making great games? ABSOLUTELY!
Isaiah: I started in retail and made my way to the industry through sheer brute force of playing the games and being actively involved in the community.
Mike Gills: My parents said playing games all the time would amount to nothing. Who's laughing now, Mom?"
(Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. Gills.
)Any new Titles we can salivate for?
James says, "The most exciting new titles for GW:EN are related to groups, like the Asura, Norn, and others. You will earn these titles in engaging in quests and other activiites, for example, you can impress the mighty Norn by hunting bosses.
Each of these titles will be associated with a number of PvE-only skills.
What kind of snacks do you guys have there?
A virtual plethora of goodies.
It has been said previous chapter's armors will be inscriptable in GWEN; will this be true with weapons as well?
We're definitely looking into it, but it would not affect existing items. (This from James)
Are all the PvE-only skills going to be useable for any proffession, or are they profession based?
None of the new skills are profession specific.
can Armour from GW be inherited by GW2 characters?
We will recognize players for having difficult to acquire armor in Guild Wars. However, because of a lot of advancements we are making to character customization and how characters work in GW2...
...we cannot let people directly transfer armor from GW to GW2.
Do the developers have a strict agenda for Gw2? How open are they to player input? What's the best way to get our ideas to you?
We have a lot of definitive goals that we are trying to achieve with Guild Wars 2. That being said, we are always very open to player input.
Everyone in the room reads the major fan forums every day. So post on your favorite forum, and you'll know that you've reached the dev team!
Any last advice or tips that you'd like to share with the fans? or are we all finished?
Remember Mom: Give her a copy of Guild Wars for Mother's Day.
Forget Mom - ME!! get me one1
A HUGE thanks to the Guild Wars crew for dropping by. It was great to have you!
We all thank you so much for coming to the chat. This was a lot of fun and we'll see you on the forums!
Another BIG thanks goes out to everyone who came by to participate. Great questions, folks.
*wave*
Edit: Mod edit to add chat transcript
