Fansite Friday/Guru

Fansite:  Guild Wars Guru

Date:  11 February 2005

Number:  32

url:  http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content/fansite-friday-32-id1107.php

Q&A
Question: Leveling up a character is only part of the story in determining just how powerful that character is. There's also the issue of the gear that character has. To be truly effective on a mission or in a match, they'll need the best equipment. How much better is a character loaded out with the best of such than a character with the basic lv20 armor and a decent, if unspectacular weapon? And how much time and effort does the development team see a player having to devote to acquiring that best equipment?

Answer: I have to say that I disagree with you, just a bit, about what is required to be truly effective in missions or PvP. What is required, more than anything else, is skill and wise gameplay choices. We have often shared our design philosophies – about characters, levels, and items – but it's great to be able to share one of them again: Victory in Guild Wars will seldom, if ever, be based on what you wear or what you wield. It has never been our intention to have "uber" items in Guild Wars; in fact we design with care to avoid such things. We will have rare and unique items, those tasty drops that make you cheer. We'll have items that give you bragging rights, that make you the envy of your friends, that become the focus of your aspirations because they're just that cool looking or they are so well-suited to your character. But while you will definitely find a huge variety of items as you explore the world and as your character levels up, you're not going to find things that make you an unbeatable gaming god or goddess, like the Holy Plate of the Walrus, or the Bountiful Bow of Blingage. ;)

When you play with skill, you will always be competitive. We don't set a marker for the amount of time and effort needed to acquire a full set of top-notch items, because such a pursuit really is optional. In a game involving players with equivalent items, if you have more skill and use a more creative strategy, naturally you will win. And in cases where you and your opponent have different inventories – say you are a good player with average items playing against someone who has invested a thousand hours in acquiring the best of everything – the chances still are great that you can win. For while there is no denying that wearing the best armour will give your opponent greater defense, and that wielding a mighty axe will furnish him greater attack power, neither of those things will tip the scales away from the likelihood that you will be victorious, when your gameplay is based on greater skill and a more clever strategy.

Question: Most missions in the game, both PvE and PvP, feature only two sides: them and us. Even in those maps where there are more than two teams it's nothing but a free for all where only one team can emerge victorious. What are the reasons for designing things this way? And, are there any plans to include more cooperative missions where teams need to work together in order to achieve goals?

Answer: We designed the Guild versus Guild system to appeal in the most meaningful way to those players for whom PvP is their favourite type of gameplay. We believe that cooperative gameplay is great, and we've designed our explorable areas and our missions and quests to encourage partnering and team play. By the way, two types of cooperative gameplay are supported, the established group who plays together often, and the informal pick-up group who comes together for a single mission and may disband immediately afterwards.

But for PvP battles, most people who choose this type of gameplay are highly competitive by nature, and few would be content to share a title. Because we feel that there is always the greatest motivation to do well in situations that crown a single winner group, most of our PvP combat, at least in this first chapter of Guild Wars, will have one victorious team.

Question: In regards to the in-game economy, is gold used as a sink to drain off wealth or as a viable trading material? In other words, does ArenaNet want a cash or barter economy?

Answer: Well, I've been dirt poor at the start of the game, so I'd say that gold is provably a viable economic standard! :) As to our game economy, we believe that Guild Wars supports both a viable cash economy and a lively trading market, as well. You may have heard that we're working on creating a trade interface and a system that will be enjoyable and easy to use. We believe that trading is a great way to build a community, and many of us will enjoy the opportunity to trade with others in order to acquire the items that we particularly want. This aspect, then, is an important part of both the social and the economic functions of the game.

The game is based on a gold economy, and none that I've played has ever been as good as maintaining the value of money over time. However, as with any game that has longevity, as time passes the Guild Wars currency will probably accumulate at a rate that is faster than that at which it is spent on everyday items like better armour, crafting supplies or weapon customization. Some games address this by building in money sinks like the purchase of healing potions or mana elixirs or the repair of weapons and armor.

But we continue to hold our core belief that we want you to spend your time having fun, not getting ready to have fun. Having to repair your weaponry isn't fun, nor is investing a fortune in consumables like elixirs and potions. What if you could purchase a charr-skin rug for your guild hall? How would you like to purchase naming rights for your pet? What if you could buy town clothes, to cast that special image while you're hanging out in Lion's Arch or Ascalon City? Now, I'm not saying that any or all of these things will be purchasable, because at this point, I'm not sure if they will be. But those of just three of a plethora of ideas about fun ways to spend gold while at the same time maintaining the important economic balance of the game.

Welcome to the Guild Wars fansite family to THX, Spooky Electric, Sausaletus Rex and the rest of the Guild Wars Guru team! We look forward to a long and happy relationship – and thanks for hosting this week's FFI!