Guildwars Factions....

[Daremo]

The pre-release package for Factions comes out today in the US. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still online almost every evening.

There's a special Factions Weekend on March 24th as well. You will be allowed to play 4 missions from Factions with characters created at a fairly high level. Characters created during that weekend will be reverted to low-level, beginner characters at the end of the weekend. However they will persist and be available when Factions releases live. (rumors say late April)

[Rikku]

Awesome...I have started playing again, but everytime I log on I have just missed you by a couple hours...

[Rikku]

Ok thats it...not playing anymore...whats the point if they are gonna keep the level cap at 20? EVERYONE IS A LEVEL 20! Whats the point in playing? All you ever do is the same missions over and over and not actually get anywhere because everyone is stuck at level 20! Lets face it, finishing all the missions is so easy and takes at least the best part of a week to do...then what? You just run around doing the same missions over and over again...for what? Ok, you can spend your entire life saving up for fissure armor...why? It has exactley the same stats as armor that costs like a tenth of the price!

Right so if they put the level cap at 100, and even if you catassed every day for a year you still couldnt get to 100...then it would be worth playing! Even if there were some crazy kinds of mini-games, like fishing or something...then it would be worth playing! But once you have finished the game, a week later, then what do you do? Theres nothing to do apart from guild battles...which are allways the same!! And theres no real competition as everyone is the same level! How fucking gay!

Im going back to Final Fantasy XI!

[SyntaxHeir]

I thought after level 20, it was all about warring. You know, like between guilds.

[Rikku]

But its allways the same! Its pointless...you dont even achieve anything!

Im just looking at new games like Lineage II and RF Online

[Daremo]

Rikku is caught in the trap of thinking that leveling up is the game. In reality it's just the beginning of the game. If everyone who sticks it out becomes a level 20, then it boils down to skill. And that's just what the developers wanted.

There is the aspect of doing the missions and the video-game concept. After that, however, is pitting yourself against other players. The build you use, the skill you have in using that build. Which weapons you use to achieve certain goals. All these are points of seperation.

In the first chapter, that you have now, that is brought forth in GvG and PvP battles. Fighting a living human is ever so much more challenging that fighting an AI. Group battles are even more challanging as teams use tools like teamspeak or ventrillo to better communicate and map strategy. Also there is the interaction with other players.

I have amassed significant game wealth by buying and selling weapons. There is also the concept of the Underworld, Fissure of Woe, the old Hall of Heroes and the Sorrow's Furnace. These allow one to get green weapons and are more challanging than the regular missions. The builds used in those areas differ significantly from bulds used for missions or GvG or PvP. Again - skill is an issue.

Now let's talk about factions....In the next chapter there are, of course, more missions. There are also 2 AI factions in the game that one's guild can align with. This will change features of the game play. Additionally guilds can now ally and go on cooperative missions together. These allow guilds and guild alliances to actually control certain areas of the game geography. This also results in altered game play, not just for those guilds, but everyone who enters that controlled areas. As a final note, if you own the first part of the game you can travel with your old characters to the new lands freely. You can also bring items back and forth as well. So the map has expanded.

Beyond factions?....Areananet has, in November of last year started coding the 3rd chapter of GuildWars to be released this fall/winter timeframe. What goodies they put in that has yet to be leaked to the media. However, I see a commitment from them to continually expand and upgrade the game in response to user needs as well as their own storyline. They seem to want to provide a long-term experience in an ever-expanding world. Folks who buy all chapters will have a huge area to play in. They also say that they will not stop selling any previous chapters, so that people who join in 'mid-stream' can also start from the beginning and have it all. This means that previous sections of the map will not wither nad die from disuse as new players will want to get the entire game experience instead of being confined to one tiny corner of the world.

This 6-month expansion or release of new content allows a revenue stream for the company while being cheaper than the monthly cost of other pay-to-play mmorpg's. I think it's a winner.

Unlike Rikku I see an ever expanding set of possibilities and opportunities in this game. If one wishes only to play missions - well you get new ones each 6 months or so. If one enjoys PvP or GvG that also expands. Factions as sort of melded those two areas of interest by allowing guild alliances during mission play. What new ideas they will evolve I can't say. But I think I'll stay to find out.

[GrowMoreWeed]

There's a special Factions Weekend on March 24th
There's a special "get very mullered" weekend then as well, my birthday!

I'll be seeing the Scratch Perverts supporting the Freestylers that weekend. That's if I ever manage to drag myself away from my PC (though not through playing GW, sorry for the hijack!).

[Daremo]

Factions starts at Midnight Pacific time tonight. While Pixie and I are hard at work tomorrow Mrs Mo will be busily investigating the new game preview. <sigh> I won't get to do that till I get off work that night.

Well at least I know where I'll be this weekend. Got my supplies -- Vodka, chips, Vodka, peanuts, Vodka and Vodka.

Should be an entertaining weekend.

[Rikku]

Bah...I know where I will be...though I might pop in and say hi