ArenaNet has released their first blog entry regarding upcoming MMORPG Guild Wars 2. Titled "Guild Wars 2 Design Manifesto", the entry touches on what the developer has set out and done with the game so far that mostly seem to focus heavily on one thing, cooperation amongst all players in each world.
"We think of GW2 as the first MMO that actually has a cooperative PvE experience," wrote ArenaNet studio head Mike O’Brien in the post. "When I’m out hunting and suddenly there’s a huge explosion over the next hill – the ground is shaking and smoke is pouring into the sky – I’m going to want to investigate, and most other players in the area will too."
O’Brien then touched on how based on the way the game world will interact with players, they will essentially be encouraged to work together rather than worry about kill and loot stealing.
"I personally spend a big chunk of my time in traditional MMOs soloing, but when I play GW2 I always find myself naturally working with everyone around me to accomplish world objectives, and before long we find ourselves saying, ‘Hey, there’s a bunch of us here; let’s see if we can take down the swamp boss together,’ without ever having bothered to form a party," he wrote.
"When someone kills a monster, not just that player’s party but everyone who was seriously involved in the fight gets 100% of the XP and loot for the kill," O’Brien continued. "When an event is happening in the world – when the bandits are terrorizing a village – everyone in the area has the same motivation, and when the event ends, everyone gets rewarded."
Guild Wars 2 will also be upgrading the combat system from the original Guild Wars. O’Brien discussed how there will be much more variety with spells and players will be able to combine abilities even more so than they had done in the original. As an example, he cited an Elementalist creating a Fire Wall spell followed by a fellow player firing arrows through the wall for a combined effect.
The effects that environments can have on players are also getting a massive upgrade from Guild Wars. Where as you could interact with catapults and trebuchets in the original, now it will vary from explosive barrels to stones and even branches.
"If a Stone Elemental throws a boulder at you, pick it up and throw it back," wrote O’Brien. "Or as an Elementalist, use that boulder to create a meteor storm. If you’re fighting an Oakheart with an axe and you manage to hack off a branch, pick up the branch and try using it as a weapon. If you meet a beekeeper outside town, buy a jar of bees from him and see what happens when you lob it at nearby enemies. If you come across a stash of powder kegs, don’t just blow them up in place, but try moving them to where they can do the most damage. If a centaur wheels a siege machine up to the outskirts of a village, don’t just destroy it; take it over and use it to turn the tide of battle."
For the full details regarding the design of Guild Wars 2, be sure to check out the full blog entry at the link below.
[ArenaNet]
