Live Stream:
Q: Will any future updates provide access to Crystal Desert or Elona?
"A: There is definitely a possibility. We haven't finalized whether we're putting that out via expansions or living story releases. . . Some of the story we do now may not tie into anything we do immediately. Everything we've done this year is tied together with a neat ribbon."
- More Content tied into GW1 content, Fall of Abbadon is set pre-GW1.
Some of this is paraphrased, trying to type this out as he speaks while listening... while Ash and Jira squeal like little girls.
"Sometimes a dungeon might be completely blown up and replaced."
"LFG tool is being worked on right now, it is coming along really well."
In regard to content being removed:
"We added too much in and then took it out again, it didn't create enough impact."
"More Personal Story; however we add new content whether it's living story or expansions. Think of the living story as the story of the world, with personal story telling your personal story and the characters you know."
"We were doing 1 month release, and we noticed a falloff in week 3 or 4, and we saw people saying "I want more, I want more" "If you missed it, you missed it. If we have those things running perpetually, the living story never moves forward" (in response to people bitching that content is coming too fast / can't see everything).
Future Races/Classes:
"Everything is on the table, nothing now"
"More likely we will do weapons than new professions"
"There are a few archetypes we didn't hit floating out there."
"A profession is the furthest thing out."
I think I'm going to vote Gnashblade for the Abbadon stuff, because I'm turning into a total lore junkie, but Colin's line about "you might discover a really interesting story there" KILLS ME.
What happened at that Reactor? It sure as hell wasn't AVALANCHE.
"No console plans."
"The things we want to do with our game, the regularity we want to update, that's extremely hard to do on a console"
"Second reason, if you look to the east, hardly anyone outside Japan plays on consoles"
"Guild Wars 2 is well over 3 million sold, and not even in Asia yet."
I think I'm going to vote Gnashblade for the Abbadon stuff, because I'm turning into a total lore junkie, but Colin's line about "you might discover a really interesting story there" KILLS ME.
Yeah that is brutal. The confirmation for the fall of abbadon moment is probably enough for me to vote Evon. But that was painful. I guess I won't be sad either way.
What happened at that Reactor? It sure as hell wasn't AVALANCHE.
Voting tokens drop throughout the world, you can vote with them as much as you want.
Q: Will the Living Story be tied into this election?
A: "We are putting a Councillor on the council in lion's arch, this could come back to play in the storyline for years to come."
Yeah that is brutal. The confirmation for the fall of abbadon moment is probably enough for me to vote Evon. But that was painful. I guess I won't be sad either way.
I reaaaaaally wanted to vote for Ellen but hnnnngh the Fall of Abbadon My productivity at work is going to be zero on Thursday as I'm waiting for that blog post they're talking about.
And FF7 was the game that made me really like games.
2014? Can I borrow your time machine? I want to see what another year of Living Story looks like... ooh, and find out when Starbound comes out so I can plan around that.
Maybe if the Molten Alliance was still a force to be reckoned with, but it seems like we sort of broke them up. It would have been interesting to have a "Molten Sanctuary" or something there, like their home base. I don't think it's gonna happen.
But I could see the revamp of CoF or SE referencing bits and pieces of the Alliance. Flame Legion groups trying to salvage alliance technology in a new path, and vice versa; Dredge trying to adapt magic without the aid of the Flame Legion.
Alan Wake, Sleeping Dogs, Serious Sam 3, Dust, Dishonored, Terraria, Castle Crashers, all on sale too. And they're much better games than The Secret World. =P
Listening to the recording now, I'm kinda disappointed they didn't address a possible DVR like feature for new people or people that missed old story. They did talk about old content from it returning (fractals, mini games) but the story summary itself wasn't talked about.
Alan Wake, Sleeping Dogs, Serious Sam 3, Dust, Dishonored, Terraria, Castle Crashers, all on sale too. And they're much better games than The Secret World. =P
From what I've played TSW has a very well done story, great acting, and some really interesting investigation missions. GW2 could learn a lot from those missions, IMO.
Alan Wake, Sleeping Dogs, Serious Sam 3, Dust, Dishonored, Terraria, Castle Crashers, all on sale too. And they're much better games than The Secret World. =P
The increase in the number of fractals will make it more difficult to do precisely that, which is how the dungeon is designed and exactly how it should be.
Exactly. I don't think people are getting that you're NOT supposed to get "the fractals you want" when playing this dungeon. They don't have a popup menu to select your fractal for a reason. Perhaps ArenaNet should make it so that you can't leave and reenter fractals and get a new fractal, at least for half an hour or whatever.
That's encouraging to see they're realizing that; that's pretty much the full extent of my complaints with the game right now. Well, that and the camera.
Not worth $15? Ouch. Well that's not a glowing review.
I kinda wish it was just an online adventure game with the story and investigations and stuff. Combat and skill mechanics don't look all that appealing to me.
Game Update:
Improved the visibility of the currently selected skin in the Achievement panel’s rewards screen.
Updated Zenith weapon skins to be account bound.
Fixed a bug that would prevent players from receiving their achievement chest if encumbered.
World: Rata Sum – The Arcane Council have relaxed their No Trespassing zone slightly, allowing access to the Idea Incubation Lab once again.
go for the secret world imo. the story and missions are great. most are actual puzzles. it's pretty much how i always wanted questing to be. combat is a bit meh and feels disjointed, but whatever. still kinda fun
For story and atmosphere TSW is definitely worth $15. If it hadn't been a total bomba and the major content updates more or less stopped I might still be playing it.
Do any of them catcher skins (or any other backpiece) give off light like the completed Mad Memories does (enough light to see the ground around yourself in a dark room)?
I think I'm going to vote Gnashblade for the Abbadon stuff, because I'm turning into a total lore junkie, but Colin's line about "you might discover a really interesting story there" KILLS ME.
What happened at that Reactor? It sure as hell wasn't AVALANCHE.
Alan Wake, Sleeping Dogs, Serious Sam 3, Dust, Dishonored, Terraria, Castle Crashers, all on sale too. And they're much better games than The Secret World. =P
Great games indeed, but TSW's lore is super duper on point and their investigation missions ALONE are untouchable outside of the top PnC games created. The combat and the animations in the game suck but it's worth pushing through that just to experience the Investigation missions.
I think I'm going to still vote for the reactor just b/c. Chars are too shifty for my taste. Also the BLTC isn't making me mad money so gnashblade stinks
Part of me is trying to grasp WHY Ellen Kiel and Evon Gnashblade would want to sponsor research into those particular things.
I dunno, maybe it's just a gimmick to entice players to vote by giving them a cool incentive and letting them pick the content they want, but there's some nagging thought in the back of my mind that Evon Gnashblade's motives for researching the fall of a God just aren't entirely good. Why, Evon? Why are you asking questions about that? Are you being a sneaky sneakerson?
What is Gaming Age Force?
NeoGAF is represented in-game by Gaming Age Force [GAF]. Though you can join the guild regardless of server or region, the majority of the guild plays
on the Stormbluff Isle server. Please be aware that Stormbluff Isle is a North American server, and those who play on a European server will not be
able to play there without a paid transfer, as guesting is region-specific. For those on other North American servers, you can guest to Stormbluff Isle by clicking
"World Selection" and choosing the "Guest" option.
How do I join?
Whisper or send an in-game mail to any of the Guild Leaders or Officers: Ashodin, Hawkian, Gojira, Katoki, Kos Luftar, Lucrezia Stone, Professor Retro, Roxie Hood, Ivogar, Vyrance, Zed Zebes or Sophrelia
Alternatively, you can post your username ("name.####") or a character name in the thread, but because the thread tends to move fast we cannot
guarantee we'll always see it.
Who can join? Anyone; friends and family are more than welcome to join GAFGuild, but we ask that they be made aware of our guild policies, which can be
viewed here: GAFGuild Policies. Our policies are based heavily on GAF's
own terms of service. Be aware that guild chat is often PG-13 in tone.
What resources does GAFGuild have?
GAFGuild.com
To allow for more in-depth discussion, clearer event announcements and better organization, we currently have a separate site and forums
located at www.GAFGuild.com. The site has a wealth of features not available on GAF, such as an events calendar, and we'll
be adding more features in the future. Images can be quickly posted directly into the forums as well. Though we'll usually cross-post, the best way to keep track of what GAFGuild is doing is to visit our site.
Mumble
GAFGuild also maintains a private Mumble server for members.You can download Mumble here.
The server/port information can be found by quoting this post (it will appear at the top, embedded in the e-mail tags).
Please use your GAF name if possible, so we know who you are.
Twitter
We will often tweet upcoming events and retweet GW2-related news.
Follow us at @GAFGuild.
It's time for you to join the legion of Guild Wars 2 gamers playing the superior way, courtesy of Hawkian and Weltall Zero.
There are so many design decisions that make GW2 a joy to play with a controller that it- in all honesty- feels like it was made for it.
If you are at all intrigued by the idea, and especially if you have an X360 pad (though this solution works to varying degrees with any input device),
you owe it to yourself to try.
If that looks really complex to you, I promise that it's actually simpler in practice that it looks. If that doesn't look really complex to you, you will be
blown away by how absolutely natural GW2 feels playing with a controller.
Key Features:
Jump, dodge, target enemies, and access all your skills in one ergonomic configuration, requiring little to no wrist movement compared to a
keyboard and mouse.
Full analog stick camera control (like any third person action game)- in Windowed or Windowed Fullscreen mode, a crosshair can even be
turned on from the .ini file to help you learn
Fixed-aim cursor position makes aiming AOE skills simple and fast
Advanced mappings such as toggling walk, about face (180-degree turn), and taking screenshots
Back button serves as a reset (press) or activates mouse control for menus/dialog choices/etc (hold)
Simply right-click (on your mouse itself) to resume normal mouse control for Windows.
Known Issues:
During cutscenes, zone changes, and other occasions when the player loses camera control, GW2 takes over mouse control and you'll initially be
unable to move the camera. This is resolved by simply tapping the Back button once. This will quickly become second-nature (I don't even notice
myself doing it anymore).
At present, some users running Windows 8 may have issues with the cursor re-positioning feature.
Installation:
Follow INSTRUCTIONS.TXT. It looks like a lot of steps but it is just very broken up to be as simple as possible. The quick-and-dirty version is as follows:
Make the following keybinds in-game (you can just add them as alternates, not replace the existing ones.
These will not affect your M+K control, and are stored server-side so you can take your gamepad on the go!):
, (comma) to "Previous Target".
. (period) to "Swap Weapons".
Numpad 8 to "Camera" -> "Zoom In".
Numpad 2 to "Camera" -> "Zoom Out".
Z to "Stow/Draw Weapons".
X to "Swim Down". If there ever is a binding for "Crouch", bind it to X as well.
L to "Toggle Walk / Run".
U to "About Face".
F5 to "GUI -> Hide / Show"
F6 to "Screenshot -> Normal".
2. Download the Google Drive zip and unzip
to a folder (your GW2 folder works!)
Then either run START.BAT, or:
3. Set Xpadder.exe to run in Compatibility Mode (Windows XP) and open it up. If necessary, load the controller/game profiles
4. Open Guild Wars 2 Mouse Script.exe
5. Enjoy!
You can put either START.BAT or the xpadder.exe and script in your Windows startup so you never have to think about it again.
Warning: You may become so accustomed to how awesome this is that you will actually be at a disadvantage if you try to go back to
mouse and keyboard.
Hawkian and Weltall Zero, for the excellent Controller support.
GAFGuild Members, Past, Present and Future, for making an already incredible game even better. You're the reason we're one of if not the largest
MMO guilds on GAF, and certainly the longest lived.
1. Pick the class you think looks interesting and fun, not which you think will be most useful.
If one doesn't click with you, you can always try another. Whatever choice you make, you won't be penalized further down the road (i.e. you can get into a
group no matter which class you pick now). Every class can contribute, even breaking MMO-tropes; Guardians (the Paladin-like class) have access to
ranged attacks, Rangers are good in melee, etc.
- That said, most people say the Guardian, Warrior and Ranger are good classes to start with, while Mesmers, Elementalists and Engineers have a
bit of a learning curve. Seriously though, try what sounds cool to you, as all of the professions are pretty approachable and you can always ask
for help here or in-game.
- If you do decide to start a different character, any crafting materials, karma and gold you've earned are account bound and can be used by your new
character quite easily.
2. Race has no statistical advantage, it will only give you a few race-specific utility and elite skills (none of which stand out over the others). Otherwise
it is entirely cosmetic. Be aware that the "Tauren Effect" is in play here; the two large races, Norn and Charr, feel like they move slower than the others even
though run speed is normalized. Likewise, Asura feel like they're flying. Some people (myself included) find it detracts from the game, your millage may vary.
- For what it's worth, Norn look insanely cool in full armor (especially plate) and Charr have an awesome four-legged run animation, so there's silver
lining everywhere.
3. Buy a copper Mining Pick, Harvesting Sickle and Logging axe as soon as you have the money. There aren't any gathering 'professions', so everyone
can gather everything so long, but only so long as they have the tools. Resource nodes show up on your mini-map (Grey rock, green leaves, brown log pile)
and are instanced for everyone. You don't need to rush to mine a Copper node just because someone is running towards it, you will have your own copy
waiting just for you.
4. Likewise, buy a basic Salvage Kit. You use these to destroy unwanted items, turning them into crafting materials. This is the primary method for getting
cloth and leather, actually. You will also get items from enemies that serve no purpose other than to be salvaged, and will be labelled as such.
5. You don't need to be at a waypoint to travel; you can open your map and travel to any waypoint you've previously visited at any time.
6. If you want more inventory space right away, check the trading post; the prices are usually very low for 8 and 10 slot backs. The shortcut is "o".
Alternatively, you can take up any of the armor crafting professions (Armorsmith, Leatherworker, Tailor) as all three can produce bags right away.
7. You get weapon swapping at level 7 (unless you're an Elementalist or Engineer), and unlock utility slots at 5, 10 and 20. Elite skills unlock at
level 30.
8. For a quick level or two, explore your race's starting city.
When you open your map there will be a checklist of the waypoints (Diamonds), Points of Interest (Small squares), and Vistas (Two Red Triangles), all of
which give you XP just for visiting them. It also nets you some money and goodies (most notably, Transmutation Charges) for fully completing the map.
9. Learn to dodge early! Most enemies have a 'wind up' animation just before they deliver a large attack. The default dodge key is V.
- Red Circles on the ground are enemy AOE attacks; dodge out of those too.
Seriously, this cannot be emphasized enough. Dodging completely mitigates damage so long as you're in the dodge animation, and can be
used to avoid even the most powerful blows. It is essential you make dodging a reflex as soon as possible.
10. When your health reaches zero, you aren't automatically killed; instead you enter a 'downed' state where you can defeat an enemy (or heal
yourself if none are around) to rally back at half health. Keep an eye open for a blue "V" symbol over other players, or on your mini-map; this indicates
another played who has been downed, and you can revive them (default key: f). You'll even get some experience for helping out.
11. Wander around and do stuff. One of the biggest complaints people new to the game have is that there isn't any direction it shoos you towards.
There are traditional quests (marked with hearts on your map), but the real meat of GW2 are events which can happen anywhere at any time.
Pay attention to your surroundings; people will often run up to you and ask for help, or you'll see signs that something is amiss (people are sick and the
well water is green? Follow the pipes to investigate the water supply.)
12. Whisper any of the officers (listed in the OT) to get an invite to GAF guild where your questions will be quickly answered.
You can be part of GAF Guild regardless of which server you are on (we play on Stormbluff Isle though), and you can join multiple guilds as well. Friends and family are welcome!
Be aware that your server choice really only affects World vs. World. You are able to temporarily transfer to any server in your region
(North America / Europe), which is called "guesting". Because World vs. World is basically server vs. server, you'll only be able to represent your
home server in that mode, however.
13. We use Mumble, and have a GAF server just for our guild; talking is optional but being able to listen helps, especially for missions.
We also tend to hang out and get overly excited about new features. The address/port information for Mumble can be found by quoting the OT; it will appear
at the top inside the e-mail tags. Please use your GAF Name as your username to avoid confusion.
14. You can also register at GAFGuild.com. We post all sorts of events and discuss things a little more indepth than we do here, to keep this
thread open for general discussion without getting bogged down.
QUICK TIPS
- There are no mailboxes anywhere, because you can send and receive mail anywhere via messenger pigeons.
- Likewise, you can buy and sell on the trading post from anywhere. However, any items you buy, or any money you make from selling, can only be
picked up at a Trader NPC (marked as a golden scale icon on your map).
- You can click the small gear in the upper right corner of your inventory and select "Deposit all Collectables" to automatically send any crafting materials to
your bank. These items appear on the "Collectables" tab at your bank, a special space that holds all of that stuff for you instead of forcing you to hoard it in
your regular storage space.
- Your bank space, wallet and wardrobe is shared between all of your characters.
- There is no mob tagging in the traditional sense; as long as you do above a certain threshold of damage, you will get credit and looting rights regardless of
who attacked first.
The Living Story:
Here's what you've missed, story-wise. Spoilers for the Living Story: Season One:
A Sylvari named Scarlet Briar unintentionally unlocked a suppressed part of her mind, allowing an Elder Dragon to manipulate her into doing its bidding.
Towards this end, she united several racial factions together in an effort to combine their technology and magic. Her efforts culminated in a series of probes
used to determine the path of ley lines, streams of magical energy that run through the world. Finding the ideal location in the ruins of old Lion's Arch, she
unleashed her army upon the city, burning it to the ground. Using a massive drill, she attempted to disrupt the magical energy and redirect it towards a
slumbering Elder Dragon. Though the players killed her, they were unable to stop the drill and the dragon, Mordremoth, was seen stirring in its lair. The
destruction of Scarlet's Drill destroyed what was left of Lion's Arch.
A more detailed explanation of the first season can be found here.
Features:
Here's a very quick list of the major features added to the game since launch. It is by no means exhaustive!
Costume Brawl.
Southsun Cove (map).
Fractals of the Mist.
Laurels (daily reward currency).
Guesting.
Guild Missions.
Revamped Ascalonian Catacombs (AC)
WvW XP and Upgrades.
Removal of Culling.
Custom Arenas and Spectator mode (PVP).
Achievement Rewards and UI.
Account Wallet for all currencies.
Champion and daily dungeon rewards.
Account-wide Magic Find.
Ascended Weapons, Armor and Accessories.
Revamped Tequatl the Sunless fight.
Looking for Group (LFG) tool.
New "Aetherblade" path in Twilight Arbor.
Permanent changes to Kessex Hills after the temporary "Tower of Nightmares" event.
New Healing skills for each profession.
Triple-headed Wurm fight.
Edge of the Mists WvW map.
Lion's Arch invaded and destroyed (all services moved to Vigil Keep in Gendarran Fields).
Trait redesign, 40 new Grandmaster Traits.
Account-wide Dyes.
Account Wardrobe.
PVP Reward Tracks
Megaservers.
A full list of all updates, with descriptions of what they added to the game, can be found here.