Fansite Friday/Mesmerize

Fansite: Guild Wars Mesmerize

Date: 10 June 2005

Number: 46

Q&A

Question: What steps are being taken to provide a deeper PvE experience that goes beyond the typical MMORPG model of "get a group, do a mission, rinse, repeat?"

Answer: Well, let's talk about just one way in which Guild Wars differs from many other games: The dynamic quest system. This system makes your progress through the game a very personal experience. When players undertake a mission, their actions and decisions affect the future of their character. Let me spin an example: Say there is an early quest where you are asked to deliver a message from one NPC to another. What if you found that this NPC reappears later in the game? By virtue of your previous acquaintance, you may be greeted warmly and given a special quest based upon your past. However, there could be a second player who didn't undertake the early quest. This player may need to introduce himself to the NPC later in the game, and he may find that the new quest isn't available to him, based on his prior actions.

In another example, you may go on a quest where you are tasked with saving the lives of a group of NPCs. Later on, that group could reappear in order to assist you in another quest. The outcome of a dynamic quest system could mean that the number of lives that you saved earlier would be the precise number of "helpers" that you have on your team when you take part in the later quest.

Another way that Guild Wars differs from typical games is that there is a real and well-designed "end game reward" in Guild Wars. In an MMORPG, the high point of a week's playing might be moving from Level 111 to Level 112. In Guild Wars, there is great gameplay along the way while you are striving to reach a solid objective for your characters: To reach Ascension. And once you have ascended, you are given access to the Tombs of the Primeval Kings, where you can take part in the high-level competitive global tournament. This seems a pretty significant reward over just another number. :)

Question: I'm looking forward to observer mode, and I was wondering if a replay feature would be part of that? Is there anything more you can tell us about how observer mode will work?

Answer: Observer Mode and Replay are two very separate features. Once we have Observer Mode, replays will be a done deal, for pretty much anyone will be able to make one. So it's on Observer Mode that we're focusing, and here are some details of how that will work:

• You will be able to observe any PvP battle – tournament or guild – in which the Top 10 guilds on the Guild Wars Ladder take part.
• Any other noteworthy PvP battles such as regional or tournament championships will also be made available for observation. You can also view the battles taking place in the Hall of Heroes.
• We think that someday down the road, it would be a super innovation to also make it so that you can witness any battle in which your guild is taking part. This is a highly-requested feature and we'll look at the opportunities to offer that, too.

The way Observer Mode will work will be to offer a menu which you use to select the match you want to observe. One thing that surprised me is that there will be no limit on the number of people who can observe any particular match; the entire Guild Wars community could conceivably watch any individual match. When we have our first global tournament, which is coming in the not too distant future, we look forward to hosting many tens of thousands of viewers as they witness history being made.

Question: There have been quite a few updates since the initial release of the game. Do you feel the ability to tweak things like balance and gameplay in such a timely fashion gives you a clear advantage over your competition? Have the updates been well received?

Answer: Wow, good timing. This week's update was one to which I was looking forward eagerly, because I had a sneak peek at the contents and the design team had decided on a great list of changes, updates, fixes and tweaks to the game. The reception has been remarkably positive – more so then any other update, I would say.

What you so often see with game development is that the fans enjoy making suggestions, and they enjoy having discussions and debates about various elements of the game, but they've been accustomed to doing so in pretty much their own space – operating in a vacuum with no real assurance that anything that was reported or suggested was actually noted. Along comes the Guild Wars Dev Team, and our members are daily reading the comments, considering the suggestions, and acting on reports of bugs, exploits, or cheats. Coupled with our streaming technology, we are then able to incorporate the good suggestions and to affect the necessary changes to the game on a really fast timetable.

Maybe underneath it all, it's not just how quickly we can act, but the fact that we're doing so that is a bit of a surprise to certain players. You've probably seen how some players wondered whether, in a "no monthly fee" game, there would be follow-up from its dev team. But you can see, and will continue to see, we didn't release the game and move on. We're spending lots of time and effort on tracking player satisfaction and tending to this baby like it's our first born child. Which, in fact, it is. :) We're working incrementally and with careful judgment on making improvements, and all while maintaining a real grasp on the original and ideal vision of the game.

This isn't to say that every single update is going to delight each and every player. With any given update there is going to be a certain percentage of players who are not happy with the changes. For instance, some players were really into the whole process of farming for loot, and today they're concerned about the recent changes that made farming less profitable. But the game is undergoing an evolutionary process, and some of the concerns being expressed in the short-term will be addressed with planned alterations in the longer term. It may not be apparent where things are moving, but positive and satisfactory changes are in the works and will be incorporated into the game with the same care that we have shown with all the other updates. On the other hand, players who had expressed concerns about having difficulties in capturing skills are delighted with the new Signet of Capture system, and there seems to be universal approval for that change.

Our ability to make updates in a fast and timely manner is incredibly valuable. Does this give us an advantage over our competition? Of course!

Bonus Question: Will expansion packs offer new features and functionality or are expansions limited to fresh content and more options?

Answer: I asked Mike O'Brien about this, and he explained that our philosophy is that new features will be free and new content will usually have a cost. So features will be rolled out in our free Game Updates and content will be offered in our upcoming chapters. Mike said that features are things that improve or expand functionality. Examples of features would be account storage, chat or trade improvements, or such features as Observer Mode. And as mentioned, features will be included in a Live Update between chapters because they are part of the engine, and we are constantly improving that.

Chapters, on the other hand, will offer new content. This will include a new storyline, new regions, new skills, new possible strategies, new PvP options, and a whole bunch of other great things. Chapter 2 is going to be so exciting that we are not going to hold engine improvements in order to encourage you to buy Chapter 2. We will give you the new engine improvements for free, as they are developed, with confidence that you will buy Chapter 2 for the great new content that it will offer.

Thanks very much to Guild Wars Mesmerize for the chat!