Fansite Friday/RPGStars

Fansite:  RPGStars

Date:  11 June 2004

Number:  1

url:  http://www.rpgstars.com/articles/guildwars-interview.php (moved from original link)

Not too long ago, there was a rock and roll band named "On a Friday" that went on (under a different name) to become a massive success. There is, in my opinion, a comparision [sic] between the band, and Guild Wars which goes beyond just the use of the word "Friday". However, this introduction is not meant to be an essay, and so I will cut to the chase: the songs recorded under the name "On a Friday" are considered a rarity. They are both special, and unique. They capture a moment, a snapshot if you will, of the evolution of the band. So it is with Guild Wars, and this mini interview.'''

Gaile Gray, the manager of Community Relations for ArenaNet, developers or [sic] Guild Wars, recently notified RPG Stars that we were permitted to ask three questions which she would answer. So, between her work at the main office and her work at the main office, Gaile took a substantial amount of time to provide us with some meaningful answers to the three questions we felt mattered most. To arrive at only three questions, I must thank the staff of RPG Stars. For the answers, we should all thank Gaile. ;)

Q&A
Question: ArenaNet have mentioned that players who do not have a particular expansion can be invited to play with friends in the new areas. Whilst this is an amazing idea and venture, what are the downsides for players without the expansion? What are they missing out on?

Answer: This is a great question, because it gives us a chance to clear up a misunderstanding that took place in an interview a month or so ago. Our focus has always been on allowing you to play with your friends in shared areas of the world. When you purchase the next chapter of Guild Wars, you will have access to new areas; those who don't will not be able to go to those new areas, it's that simple.

So, aside from not traveling to new areas, what else is a downside to not purchasing the next chapter? Well, you would be missing a ton of cool new content! You would be missing new regions, new professions, new skills, new items, new quests... maybe even new player races. When you stop and consider that the each new chapter will be comparable in size and depth to the first chapter, that's a whole lot of new game to experience.

We know that some players will choose not to purchase a chapter, or may purchase some chapters and not others. It's very important to state that such a choice will not place you at a gameplay disadvantage. You won't lose your ability to compete, and the playing field will remain level. But when you purchase the next chapter, you will be able to develop a larger number of strategic choices by drawing from an arsenal that contains more skills, spells, attributes and abilities. You will not be strictly more powerful, but will have a greater range of combat options. In a nutshell, by purchasing the chapters, you will enjoy a richer story and deeper gameplay and combat experiences.

Question: How will the game be released? Is a worldwide release date planned, or will the game be released across the world at various times? Will the game be available online in the sense that you can immediately start to play?

Answer: Guild Wars will enjoy a worldwide release. We will have a simultaneous release in North America and Korea, and will release in other areas of the world shortly thereafter. You can purchase the game from your favorite retailer and hop right into Guild Wars. We will also work with retailers to make sure that people who don't have access to the retail distribution channel can purchase online. And of course there will be pre-order options offered from the retailers. In fact, there may even be a special benefit to those who preorder, but I'd better not talk about that quite yet. ;)

Question: It appears that Guild Wars PvP combat revolves around small teams of 8 people. Are there any plans to allow larger sized PvP battles such as 32 vs. 32 or 50 vs. 50?

Answer: The Guild Wars engine can certainly support large groups for PvP; there is no technical reason why we could not do so. So far, we have found that 8 players is a very effective group size. The question then is about the number of groups that could form a single team. For that decision, we will weigh feedback from the E3 for Everyone event, and will rely on our alpha testers to share their perspective of combat in Guild Wars.