So as of 6am PST, the embargo on this past weekends press beta will be up and impressions and footage will come pouring in. Use this thread here to post anything new you find and I'll compile it in the OP.
A link to the previous thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440171
Also, until I make the OT, this is the most up to date version of my thread:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1058358-Guild-Wars-2-Mass-info-for-the-uninitiated.-READ-ME!
Note that if you see footage of the game looking like crap, it's not cause the game is maxed out or anything, it's because generally the press had problems with recording and running at the highest settings. With Fraps or whatever turned off, the game ran perfectly fine at the maximum settings allowed in beta, you can see footage around that clearly looks better than others, but even then due to recording it is taking some forms of FPS hit.
1 MILLION BETA SIGN UPS IN 48 HOURS!
Articles/Impressions
Bunch of articles from killtenrats:
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/20/gw2-closed-beta-bookends-and-quick-impressions/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/21/gw2-closed-beta-war-stories/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/22/gw2-sunrise-on-the-plains-of-ashford/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/22/gw2-press-beta-the-richest-pve-experience-part-1/
Tap-repeatedly impressions:
http://tap-repeatedly.com/2012/02/impressions-guild-wars-2-beta/
Game Informer
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/g...that-star-wars-the-old-republic-promised.aspx
MMORPG.com
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/473/feature/6108/The-Closed-Beta-Preview.html/page/1
Massively
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/flameseeker-chronicles-extra-guild-wars-t28552.html
WvW:
Map: (note that the 3 maps you see are only identical for the time being and will be different for launch)
Info:
Beta Development Update - http://www.arena.net/blog/beta-development-update
Downed state changes:
Long term attrition mechanic:
Compass changes:
A solution to server queues:
Meta-events:
Hidden Treasure:
Boons & Conditions changes:
Screenshots:
More here
Videos:
THIS VIDEO MUST BE SEEN BY ALL! It is without a doubt the greatest example of someone who doesn't suck playing the game. 3rd video on the page:
http://www.jeuxonline.info/actualite/34488/guild-wars-2-exploration-evenements-dynamiques
Playlist will continue to be added to:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL399396AAD32FE6DA
A link to the previous thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440171
Also, until I make the OT, this is the most up to date version of my thread:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1058358-Guild-Wars-2-Mass-info-for-the-uninitiated.-READ-ME!
Note that if you see footage of the game looking like crap, it's not cause the game is maxed out or anything, it's because generally the press had problems with recording and running at the highest settings. With Fraps or whatever turned off, the game ran perfectly fine at the maximum settings allowed in beta, you can see footage around that clearly looks better than others, but even then due to recording it is taking some forms of FPS hit.
1 MILLION BETA SIGN UPS IN 48 HOURS!
Articles/Impressions
Bunch of articles from killtenrats:
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/20/gw2-closed-beta-bookends-and-quick-impressions/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/21/gw2-closed-beta-war-stories/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/22/gw2-sunrise-on-the-plains-of-ashford/
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/22/gw2-press-beta-the-richest-pve-experience-part-1/
Tap-repeatedly impressions:
http://tap-repeatedly.com/2012/02/impressions-guild-wars-2-beta/
Game Informer
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/g...that-star-wars-the-old-republic-promised.aspx
MMORPG.com
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/473/feature/6108/The-Closed-Beta-Preview.html/page/1
Massively
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/flameseeker-chronicles-extra-guild-wars-t28552.html
WvW:
Map: (note that the 3 maps you see are only identical for the time being and will be different for launch)
Info:
Beta Development Update - http://www.arena.net/blog/beta-development-update
Downed state changes:
The first three skills that a player gets while downed are determined by their profession while the fourth skill is shared by all professions. This fourth skill is used to call for help and make you invulnerable for a short period of time. While playing, we found that it was possible to get into a situation where you were down, but there were no enemies around to either finish you or that you could use to rally. This left you watching yourself slowly slip into unconsciousness while there was nothing you could do to stop it. Needless to say, this was not a particularly fun experience. To fix this problem, we turned this fourth skill into a channeled heal that is interrupted by damage. This means that as long as there are no enemies around to damage you, you’ll be able to revive yourself.
Long term attrition mechanic:
With the removal of potions from the game, we also found ourselves lacking a long-term attrition mechanic. An attrition mechanic does some of the same things that a death penalty does, particularly in reinforcing to players that they shouldn’t be playing in an area they’re not ready for. One of the most important things an attrition mechanic does, however, is provide players with a way to maximize their efficiency through skillful play. Since both attrition mechanics and death-penalty mechanics tend to have a lot of things in common, we started looking at how we might accomplish both things with one system.
Very early in the game’s development we had played around with the concept of armor durability as an attrition mechanic but we didn’t like how it felt. We revisited this idea when looking for our new system and combined our old durability concept with some new ideas to get our current system.
When a player is defeated, and not just downed, a random piece of their armor will be damaged. When a piece of armor is damaged, it imparts no penalty but serves as a warning. If a player is defeated while all of their armor is damaged, then a random piece of armor will break. When armor breaks, it ceases to provide any benefit to the player and must be repaired by visiting an armor-repair NPC in town. This NPC will charge a small sum of coins to repair any broken pieces of armor, and will repair any damaged armor as well. Having thus transferred the coin cost to the armor-repair NPC, we removed the multiplier on the cost of traveling to a waypoint when defeated.
We like this system for several reasons. Unlike most other armor durability systems, it doesn’t start becoming a factor just through normal play but only kicks in when a player is defeated. This means that it’s not a tax on playing and can be avoided through skillful or careful play. With every piece of armor needing to be damaged before any of them are broken, it also provides ample warning for the player before any real penalty is incurred.
Compass changes:
The compass now provides different zoom levels that let you get a better view of your surroundings. Just scroll the mouse wheel in and out to zoom. There’s also a nice little set of buttons to show you which zoom level you’re using. If you need a better look at the world just beyond the compass’s edge, you can also pan the map by right-clicking and dragging. The map will snap back to your character’s position once you start moving again.
Don’t forget: if you want to coordinate tactics with your party, you can use the left mouse button to draw lines and create circular pings they will see on their own compasses. Enjoy!
A solution to server queues:
Let me explain what an overflow server is and what it does. It is a technology we also use as our version of a queuing system. When a map or a world you want to log into is at capacity limit, the game will ask you if you want to play on an overflow server - so you can actually play while you are in a queue. Once space opens on your world, the game will ask you if you want to join your friends on your world. And you keep all the progress you made while you were playing on the overflow server.
Meta-events:
As we’ve been working on the dynamic-event system and building out the content for Guild Wars 2, we’ve come to the realization that the only thing cooler than a series of dynamic events is a series of dynamic events that come together to tell the story of an area. It was through brainstorming that we gave birth to this concept of meta-events. Meta-events are all about immersing the player in the story of an area in a way that incorporates standard events and helps to make the world feel even more alive.
A meta-event might tell you the story of a norn area in danger of being corrupted by the Sons of Svanir, or maybe a human region constantly threatened by centaur armies. When the area is peaceful, you’ll know that the centaurs are being held in check, but when the invasion begins, you’ll see information pointing you where to go to help the people of the world stay safe from centaurs. Driving the centaurs back might require a herculean effort with groups of players destroying several catapults and killing centaur captains. A meta-event can cover a much larger region than a standard event might; you could as much as a quarter of the map thrown into turmoil by a meta-event!
Meta-events provide us yet another tool in our tool kit to create a world that reacts to player actions. Once you run across your first meta-event, we’re sure you’ll come back for more. And keep your eyes open in areas that seem relatively calm. The bandits might be just over the ridge, ready to put the torch to the village!
Hidden Treasure:
Another recent development for Guild Wars 2 has been the implementation of hidden areas with interesting challenges. Our amazing environment artists have carved out a variety of caves, cliffs, and structures in the world. We’ve been stretching our imaginations to fill these spaces with content that should provide an exciting change of pace. Some areas will test your platforming abilities, requiring you to make a series of difficult jumps before you find your treasure at the end, while others contain dangerous foes that will stop at nothing to see you dead.
We hope that these experiences bring a new level of challenge for the best Guild Wars 2 players and provide everyone with a chance to test their mettle against a different type of content. Whether you are fighting off bandits or using the broken remnants of the Great Northern Wall to climb to a hidden chest, we think you’ll find these areas to be both fun and formidable. Just remember that not every leap is what it seems, and occasionally, you have to have a little faith.
Boons & Conditions changes:
Old Conditions
Bleed: Inflicts X damage per second. (Stacks intensity.)
Poison: Inflicts X damage per second. (Stacks intensity.)
Burning: Inflicts X damage per second. (Stacks intensity.)
Cripple: 50% movement-speed reduction.
Chill: 66% movement-speed reduction. 66% skill cooldown increase.
Immobilize: 100% movement-speed reduction.
Weakness: 20% damage reduction.
Vulnerable: X armor reduction.
Blind: Your next attack misses.
Fear: You flee from your opponent.
Some of these felt good, but some felt, for lack of a better term, “mathy.” What I mean is they were effective, but you would never notice it. Math has a lot of great uses, but generally speaking, making you feel awesome isn’t one of them. We tried to put a twist on a number of these conditions to make them feel cooler.
Updated Conditions
Bleed: Inflicts X damage per second. (Stacks intensity.)
Poison: Inflicts X damage per second. Reduces outgoing heals by 33%. (Stacks duration now.)
Burning: Inflicts X damage per second. (Stacks duration now.)
Cripple: 50% movement-speed reduction.
Chill: 66% movement-speed reduction. 66% skill cooldown increase.
Immobilize: 100% movement-speed reduction.
Weakness: Attacks result in a glancing blow 50% of the time and endurance regeneration is slowed.
Vulnerable: Lowered the amount of armor it reduces, but allowed it to stack so that it creates moments of super-high vulnerability for damage spiking.
Blind: Your next hit misses.
Fear: You flee from your opponent.
Confusion: Inflicts X damage each time a foe attacks. (New condition; stacks intensity.)
Some of the damage conditions went from stacking intensity to stacking duration, so we had to change how much damage a single stack did, as well as the skills that could apply them. Ultimately, this makes condition damage more pressure based instead of spike based, which is good because we wanted our damage over time to fulfill this role. It’s also good for creating variation in condition removal. It makes some conditions, such as poison and burning, ones that you can react to and remove, while making other conditions, like bleeding and confusion, ones that you only want to deal with when the stack becomes overwhelming.
Old Boons
Aegis: Blocks the next attack.
Protection: X armor increase.
Regeneration: Regenerates X health per second.
Fury: 20% Critical Chance increase.
Might: X damage per attack increase.
Vigor: X maximum health increase.
Swiftness: 25% movement speed increase.
Many of these already did what we wanted them to do, but again, they were very “mathy” and lacked impact. We tried to bump up their effectiveness while also clarifying what they do. For example, protection increases armor, but most people don’t want to do the math to figure out what that means. Instead, a 33% reduction in damage is easier to understand. With that in mind, we made the following changes:
Updated Boons
Aegis: Block the next attack
Protection: 33% damage reduction.
Regeneration: Regenerates X health per second.
Fury: 20% Critical Chance increase.
Might: X damage per attack increase. (Stacks intensity now.)
Vigor: Faster endurance regeneration.
Swiftness: 33% movement speed increase.
Retaliation: Does X damage to an opponent each time they hit you. (New boon.)
In addition to updating the functionality of boons and conditions, we’re also working on improving their visibility. For instance, since vigor and weakness manipulate endurance, the endurance bar UI should reflect this. And because poison affects heals, your healing skill should look different when you are poisoned.
Finally, we’re also working to make each boon and condition display a noticeable effect on your character; this way, you’ll be able to devote more time to watching the combat and less time looking at the UI.
Screenshots:
More here
Videos:
THIS VIDEO MUST BE SEEN BY ALL! It is without a doubt the greatest example of someone who doesn't suck playing the game. 3rd video on the page:
http://www.jeuxonline.info/actualite/34488/guild-wars-2-exploration-evenements-dynamiques
Playlist will continue to be added to:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL399396AAD32FE6DA