Fansite Friday/Vault

Fansite: Guild Wars Vault

Date: 09 July 2004

Number: 5

url: http://gwvault.ign.com/static.php?page=ff5

Here we are, another Fansite Friday, and this time Guild Wars Vault was given a chance to ask some questions. We gave the people on our forums a chance to come up with some ideas for questions, to see what they'd like to have answered, plus had some of our own questions. Note that we actually got a 4th question answered due to the fact that some of the questions we sent couldn't be answered in depth. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see for some things :) Anyways, enough of our rambling, here are the questions.

Q&A

Question: Will players be able to jump, climb, swim, or fly during the course of the game?

Answer: At this point in development, characters move in a normal walk or run mode, just as they did during our E3 for Everyone event. Currently, Guild Wars characters do not have the other movement or action capabilities that you mention. Whether they will do so later in the development of the first chapter of Guild Wars, or in subsequent chapters, remains to be determined.

Question: Will there be any player/guild housing in the initial release, or will we need to wait for an expansion? How do you plan on handling this?

Answer: As the name implies, Guild Wars is very guild oriented, so you can count on guild halls being an integral part of the game. There will be no need to wait for an expansion pack in order to have a hearth and home for your gaming group – guild halls are being designed right now and they will have a place in the initial release of Guild Wars. How they will function, what they will cost, and how they will be earned and maintained are all still being discussed.

Now, if you are asking about individual player housing, separate residences for each character are not in the plans at this time. Each chapter will have new features, and I suppose it’s possible that in a subsequent chapter of Guild Wars we may offer the opportunity for players to acquire individual housing. Our focus in the area of housing, however, remains the guild hall.

Question: Will the game have Line of Sight rules for arrows and other ranged attacks?

Answer: Yes, there will be line of sight rules for arrows and for other projectiles, including those with magical properties. Therefore, you will not be able to shoot or cast through walls, closed doors, or significant props such as large trees or rocks. Both shooting and spell casting involving terrain, such as steep cliffs, will be in keeping with true line of sight as well. Interestingly, though, the system will be robust enough that solid objects will have variable degrees of impenetrability. Attacks with armor penetration will be able to go through more materials than those without. For example, the ranger skill Penetrating Shot, or any arrow shot from a horn bow, will be able to pass through light cover, where a normal arrow will not be able to do so. As you can imagine, such variability will enhance gameplay because making choices about where to position your character, what projectile and weapon to use, and when to shoot will become part of your strategy.

Question: During the E3 Event we earned Fame in the PvP Arenas, which at that time was just show and didn't offer any benefits or ability to further differentiate your character from others. Does it serve a purpose or is it merely just for show? Will there be rewards for guilds and/or individual rewards?

Answer: You can be sure that fame does matter, and that points earned in this area in PvP arenas will bring substantial rewards. Unfortunately, that’s all we’re able to say about this subject at the current time. We’ll have more information about this as we more forward, and may roll out a sample of the fame system in our beta test.

Thanks, Guild Wars Vault, for the chance to answer a few more questions about Guild Wars!