A trip in the time machine: GW in 2003!

WoW look perfectly fine now.

A bit of GW's history frozen in time:
http://guildwars.incgamers.com/forum.../t-235668.html

Step by step, the various things that changed, it does not look like the same game

Excerpts:

By the time i left the tutorial for the first time most of the changes were already done (especially the elite skill gems...)^^ i was really a causal player back then.

BTW I don't know but was there once a ring at your finger when you equipped a signet? I can't remember clearly anymore.

At first I was really happy with the idea of capping Elite skills while a foe was using them...then I read up on some and wondered just how on earth was a monk suposed to cap Word of Healing 3/4 cast time with a signet that took 1sec to cast...........

wow it looked liked WoW

I found the GW alpha/E3 trailer in much better resolution:
http://media.putfile.com/GW-Trailer

So funny to rewatch it, it has all the classic elements of GW without the style. It would be an incredible experience if Anet could get it back from their software treasure chest just for a week-end .

Any more alpha/E3 2003 players alive on GWG? Are there people who played in 2004?

The oldest news directly from the GW official website:
http://www.guildwars.com/events/newsarchive/2003-04.php

Most links are dead, but more than 4 years later the original Gamepost article still exists:
http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/guildw...96.html?page=2

(I'm thinking about the few lucky guys that are currently alpha-testing GW2 ... you are making history guys and there may be a thread like this about you in 3-4 years! )

ahh good times, i bought gw about 3 months after beta

i bought it in the summer of 2006, and it was so different back then

beat most of factions on a R/E with armour of earth and ward against melee

I stumbled upon this article on the e£ 2004 event (the website is full of oldies):
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

The article has quite interesting facts, such as computer config and performance, which of course are no longer relevant now. And this is very refreshing to imagine what these guys felt at that time.

Excerpts:

And check these videos too:
http://gw.stratics.com/content/multimedia/screenclips/

On the first "clip 3", the minion is huge (but not very strong)! And you can see a Moa pet in the "clip 1"!

lol PVP screen was cool. it was like the character selection screen when you made you char. you can make it from scratch or use an Anet buildto alter.
Then you chose the games. Random arena, King of the hill, team arena,, GVG...there were a few###


lol its quite an interesting read if you look at the game updates page

"Removed the "/roll” command from towns and outposts" May 25 2005. yes /roll got nerfed

"You can now store gold in your account storage vault! The vault can store up to 1000 platinum pieces, and individual characters can now hold a maximum of 100 platinum pieces" May 11 2005
Thats so great

"Entering The Underworld now costs 1 platinum piece, the same as entering The Fissure of Woe. Rewards in both maps have been significantly improved" Let me get this straight UW wasnt worth the same

"Shortened required delay between picking up an item and identifying/salvaging it"
i almost forgot that there was actually a wait. You couldn't salvage/identify during a fight

"Fixed misleading signpost in Lion's Arch" thats a classic
"Fixed XP exploit in Augury Rock" Wasnt that when they let you get multiple rewards for kling dopple. didnt have legendary surviver back then ...woulda been funny

Fixed price of Dwarven Ale.

Fixed price of Small Girl's Cape. LoL go Anet i remember when different districts had different trader prices

"Changed the XP reward for ascension. Previously, when a character ascended, he was automatically advanced to level 20, regardless of his current level. This meant that characters who had already advanced to level 20 prior to ascension received no reward for ascending. Now, ascension gives a fixed reward of 50,000 XP" Seems ascension had a few bugs when killing dopple if ou look into the file. doppleganger ..um i mean

"Renamed Mirror Self to Doppelganger" Ok thats a joke right?
"Added Lina, a level 17 protection healer henchman, to all Crystal Desert outposts" Lina where would we be without you

EDIT:

FAvourite update , they updated the chests:

The landscape of Tyria is now dotted with new, randomly positioned locked chests, which are guaranteed to contain uncommon or better items. These chests largely replace the old system of unlocked chests with predictable positions and common loot.

Whenever your party finds a new, locked chest, multiple party members can each use their own keys to unlock the chest and get their own loot.

Monsters randomly drop chest keys, and you can also buy chest keys from Merchants.

Added Superior Salvage Kits and Superior Identification Kits, which are the same as Expert Salvage Kits and Identification Kits except with 100 charges instead of 25.

Improved the quality of most Crafter and Collector Weapons.

Increased the drop rate of uncommon and rare items on large maps.

pdate - Thursday, January 19

Attention citizens.

The Tomb of the Primeval Kings has been overrun by the enemies of Balthazar. The Zaishen Order recognizes that many of you may wish to help conquer this foe. While this is admirable, only those truly devoted to the teachings of Balthazar should attempt to enter the Tombs.

Those wishing to become as great as we, the Zaishen, should take heart. Members of our order await your arrival at the Great Temple of Balthazar. We will train you in the ways of war, so you may continue the personal squabbles that seem to consume so much of your daily routine.

If you truly wish to better yourself, take the ship to the Great Temple, and hone your skills with the Zaishen.

May the blessings of Balthazar follow you on your journey.

-Commander Kuro of the Zaishen Order

Attribute Points (anyone remember these stupid things)

The concept of Attribute Refund Points has been removed from the game. You can now refund and reassign your attribute points as much as you like, whenever you are in a town or outpost.

ok one last funny one to finish off the wall of text.
"Improved AI so that monsters will eventually stop chasing fleeing players" hahaha

sounds cool O.o..weapons in towns...decorations on weapons omg i want this!!

You used to get a rod as a reward for fame(beta weekends)

I remember when monsters chased you all over the map ^^

wat were the proffesions in the alpha testing times, were they the same??

The core six I would think. In the alpha movie you only see warrio/rangers though.

oh god... i remember when i was a R/Mo ascalon to lions arch runner.... that was on hell of a 3 hours of running. thank god for this update.

That is bang on the money...no question.

I remember when a lot of things were "wow" moments that now mean nothing to anyone, or are no longer even possible.

Remember the first time you got a non-max gold drop?

Remember the first time you ascended?

Remember your first elite skill?

Remember the first time you saw an Aatxe, and it killed you instantly?

Remember the first time you explored an area of the map you'd never heard of before?

Remember the first time you won halls?

Remember trying to win favor?

Remember the first time you won a GvG?

Remember when losing didn't really matter so much because the game was challenging and fun?

I do...

Remember when you had to use skill cap on just after the boss used his elite skill to cap it,or you would end up with some non elite crap?damn that was a pain in the ass.

grats to Fril for finding all this amazing stuff, hard to belive they changed the player interface so many times

The game today isn't perfect, but I think we can all appreciate the work and the amount of effort that was put in to make Guild Wars what it is today.

Yes. Those were good days.

Wiping my account has bought back some of those times. I have to do everything the hard way now, as back when I had cash I'd simpily buy my way through the game.

Got my first gold on the weekend non-max longbow with 15% enchant lol

My first Aatxe wipe was hilarious. I got hit for 400hp, second hit killed me. I refused to go back for a few months. Enjoyed FoW more anyway.

remember when purple items would cause a "wow"?

Good 'ol days.

I seem to remember wasting away all of my gold in a Lion's Arch "casino". Ah, the good old days.

Ah old days bought came when it was released and still playing and having fun

I remember my first gold. It was a piercing axe of pruning. Ahh... memories

When I could sell purples for a few k, those were the days...*sigh*

It's the same with all MMO's, they're best in beta, second best shortly after release, then grow continuosly more imbalanced and the population continuously more jaded the longer they run.

My first gold was a tall shield from one of the free chests in Kryta. I can still point out the exact spot. lol But I also remember when getting a gold armor didn't really mean that it was a sup rune as major runes could be lurking under a gold texted unidentified. That was the MOST annoying thing EVER! Majors were also, what -60 health? i think it was 60.

I believe the vets (like me april05) will always say the game was better back then. Honestly I think its due to the fact that most of the game was a hunt for ever better equipment and mods. Trying to get that one elusive gold that would make us a huge chunk of gold. Things are just so much different now. But I like it now too. Most ways, I like it more.

Who can forget, WE HAVE A WINNNNAAA!!! in Ascalon. lol, do miss those idiots that actually played it and then screamed HE SCAMMED ME! Like they were actually surprised?! LOL

pff..
Golden oldies
Gw looked like ANY asian RPG back then
I like the days when i just started, everywhere i came in prop, I was like wauw! look at that.. Especially when I joined my first guild, and went to my GH... And Kryta.. I love it.

Remember when you have to spent pts to change your attributes down in one category? Eep glad that is gone.

When you got your 1st Superior Vigor (and it was actually an amazing drop that you could sell and buy sets of armor.)

When you got your 1st Superior Absorpsion (and it was actually an amazing drop that you could sell and buy sets of armor.)

When you got your 1st green drop (and it was actually an amazing drop that you could sell and buy sets of armor.)

When titles werent the main reason people played?

When 90% of gwg werent whining about ursan?