I didn't play Guild Wars the original. There, I said it. Somehow that particular title slipped through my fingers. I can't say what it was that kept me from investigating it, but I knew it existed. It somehow just never spoke to me. So no, I am not a Guild Wars expert. I am also not a Guild Wars 2 expert (though I have played more GW2 than GW1), and in actuality, no one is*. So, why write about GW2, and what makes me think I can?
Well first, I'm writing about GW2 because I need to write. I need to hone my skills. I'm writing about GW2 because I'm absolutely in love with it. I love almost everything about it. I love it. Not only do I love it, but it's a relatively new scene. There are 3.2 million blogs about WoW out there. I counted. Not so many for GW2. It's easier to get my foot in the door.
So what makes me think I can write about GW2, when I know next to nothing about its predecessor, its company, its lore, or its community? Well, I know about games, I know about MMOs, and I know about game design.
The easy one: I've been playing video games for my entire life. I'm 31. I've played on my Commodore 64, Atari, 386 PC in a wooden case, original Nintendo, on and on. I've been doing it for a long time now. I know both in my gut and in my brain (more on this in a sec) what makes a good game. A lot of people can say the same thing.
I've played a lot of MMOs. I started with text MUDs, my favorite being Simutronics' Dragonrealms. Then came the EverQuest beta, and I've been a graphical junky ever since. At first the MMO landscape was a mystery to me, the mechanics, the economy (both in game and out), and the community were all behind a thick veil of fog. Since then, I've played in many more universes**, and the mystery has lifted. It's unfortunate in a way: not knowing everything that's going on can create for some extremely fun times. Playing WoW without raiding, without using Wowhead, and without artificial rules covering etiquette, efficient grinding, and min/maxed specs and gear removes a lot of the restrictions on gameplay. Well, that's gone. All the information you can possibly stand is at your fingertips for every conceivable MMO out there, and there's no longer an excuse to not know something about a game. Though this kind of accessable information has removed an element of fun for me, it has opened a new avenue for fun: becoming a go-to expert on both the mundane and detailed aspects of an MMO. Many people can make this claim as well.
I also design games. Not professionally yet, but I'm working on that. I have a degree in game design. I actually went to school specifically for game design. I didn't get a computer science with a minor in game design degree; no. I have a BS in game design. I've made games. I know what makes good games, and what makes bad games. At least, I know the theory. There are games popping up all the time that surprise you, but I at least know the ideas and concepts behind solid game design. So when I say I make and analyze games, I mean it. When I say I can play GW2 with a critical eye, and make commentary regarding gameplay, I mean it. Not a tremendous amount of people can say that, and I think only a relatively few can say all three.
So, that's why I'm writing about GW2. I love the game, I need to write, and I feel that I'm qualified to do so. During the course of this blog, I will learn about writing critically, and hopefully become skilled at it. I'll also learn about GW2 and warrior gameplay, and I hope my few readers will also.
*Well, maybe some folks at ArenaNet. But I'll wager, even they aren't "experts" yet. No one knows what kind of emergent gameplay the player base will have created a year from now.
** EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Dungeons and Dragons Online, City of Heroes, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Rift, Lord of the Rings Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer Online, Earth and Beyond, Tabula Rasa, and World of Warcraft.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
A Note About the Blog Banner
I suck at art. I do. The banner image is one of ArenaNet's awesome downloadable wallpapers, cropped, and filled to match the background of the blog. The name, "Ascalonian Spirits" was an attempt at word play involving the main plot line of Guild Wars 2 (the ghosts of Ascalon), and the fact that Norns love to drink. With my favorite race/profession combo being the Norn warrior, and that being what I've chosen to write about primarily (at least at first), I figured it would be fairly witty.
It sounded good in my head.
It sounded good in my head.
Beta Impressions
I had the opportunity to participate in the GW2 beta test this last weekend, and I can say my overall impression is that the game is a tremendous amount of fun.
Peering through the rose colored glasses firmly planted upon the nose of my MMO memory, I frequently say that DAoC is the best MMO I've ever played. I've never been a huge fan of PvP, but I absolutely loved DAoC's RvR gameplay (see an upcoming post about why I don't compare PvP and RvR or WvWvW). The World vs World vs World (WvWvW) gameplay in Guild Wars 2 was an absolute blast, and extremely reminiscent of DAoC's RvR. All the trappings were there: siege equipment purchased by players and built by players; castle walls, gates, and doors; keep lords; small, medium, and large capture points; team vs team vs team battles; front lines that shift back and forth, and the panicked fleeing of an army routed.
The landscape and setting was different, the combat system incredibly different, but it felt like DAoC.
On the flip side, still comparing to DAoC, the PvE in GW2 is HARD. The learning curve is steep, and there's not much help from the game (though ArenaNet has said they intend to fix that). It is not for the faint of heart, and I don't think any amount of in-game tutorials will help with that. There's just too much different in Guild Wars than the preceding half-dozen MMOs. If you're used to WoW, or SW:TOR, or Rift and you play Guild Wars in a similar manner, you're going to die. You'll need to unlearn everything you've learned about planting your feet and running your rotation and learn to move.
I've recently come hesitant to rain praise upon a title and a developer based on first impressions, media, and hype. I went crazy for SW:TOR, but tired of it very quickly after release. It was the same for Rift. I've learned my lesson, and approach Guild Wars with that in mind. What I played of Guild Wars was incredibly fun. I loved the art. The combat felt new and fluid and satisfying. The profession design was innovative. The world was rich and vibrant. The quest system, though not a huge departure from the norm, was different enough to make it stand out. I liked it, and am really looking forward to release.
Peering through the rose colored glasses firmly planted upon the nose of my MMO memory, I frequently say that DAoC is the best MMO I've ever played. I've never been a huge fan of PvP, but I absolutely loved DAoC's RvR gameplay (see an upcoming post about why I don't compare PvP and RvR or WvWvW). The World vs World vs World (WvWvW) gameplay in Guild Wars 2 was an absolute blast, and extremely reminiscent of DAoC's RvR. All the trappings were there: siege equipment purchased by players and built by players; castle walls, gates, and doors; keep lords; small, medium, and large capture points; team vs team vs team battles; front lines that shift back and forth, and the panicked fleeing of an army routed.
The landscape and setting was different, the combat system incredibly different, but it felt like DAoC.
On the flip side, still comparing to DAoC, the PvE in GW2 is HARD. The learning curve is steep, and there's not much help from the game (though ArenaNet has said they intend to fix that). It is not for the faint of heart, and I don't think any amount of in-game tutorials will help with that. There's just too much different in Guild Wars than the preceding half-dozen MMOs. If you're used to WoW, or SW:TOR, or Rift and you play Guild Wars in a similar manner, you're going to die. You'll need to unlearn everything you've learned about planting your feet and running your rotation and learn to move.
I've recently come hesitant to rain praise upon a title and a developer based on first impressions, media, and hype. I went crazy for SW:TOR, but tired of it very quickly after release. It was the same for Rift. I've learned my lesson, and approach Guild Wars with that in mind. What I played of Guild Wars was incredibly fun. I loved the art. The combat felt new and fluid and satisfying. The profession design was innovative. The world was rich and vibrant. The quest system, though not a huge departure from the norm, was different enough to make it stand out. I liked it, and am really looking forward to release.
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