what underlying theme do you want to see in the first expansion?

[Deleted]

I was thinking about possible underlying themes for coming expansions as I followed a discussion about cantha on the official Forums and came up with some pretty standard ideas, and I'm interested in seeing which of them may be more popular then others. I do know that some people on a single website are in no way representative, but it is interesting nonetheless.

If you want me to elaborate on anything, feel free to ask.
If a thread like this existed already, I'm sorry, I didn't see it.

Also, I forgot to include a Caribbean theme, but I'm not sure how/if I can edit the poll.

[Deleted]

I think the general masterplan is to have us fight each of the Elder Dragons throughout each expansion. Assuming Jormag is next, because he's the most present danger after the fall of Zhaitan, a Nothern/Snowy theme seems most appropriate.

That said, I don't really agree that expansion have to be "themed". WoW has done it with the introduction of new continents as has Guild Wars 1, but I don't think it has to be a general rule. I guess it make sense to theme and expansion if you're introducing a whole new continent but I don't think Guild Wars 2 will follow that suit. It could just as freely introduce a number of different zones. In fact if you look at the current map, there are plenty of holes waiting to be filled.

[Deleted]

You're right, GW2 don't have to follow the theme rule. I should have included an 'if'.

But I should also have made more clear that I don't mean this in a restricting way, hence the 'underlying'. You can always branch out from a core theme.

In general, I think an underlying theme helps you in the marketing part quite a bit. It helps to distinguish from what you already have and often gives a form of stringent narration.

[Deleted]

I want some kind of pink/purple world, think about netherstorm of whatev it was called in wow, the most beautiful place in that game. Never seen many places in mmos that compare to that, even though they overall outperform wow in graphics.

[nevermore]

Anything but undeads, I'm sick of them :/

Love the Wayfarer Foothills type of zones in the game so I'd like to see more of them ;p

[Valeron]

Cantha

But from some of the developer posts, it sounds like that is something far into the future if at all.

I would like to see something involving the crystal desert.

[Deleted]

The enviroment is so beautiful in gw2 I want more jungles with fun terrain in many levels paths up trees etc, I also wish a climbing feature would be implemented in certain places like in Tera that would rock.

But whatever it will be please no more undead in depressing undead zones.

[Lane]

Well, I picked Middle Eastern/African since that is the least used theme I've personally seen in MMOs (or most any game really). Everything else I glanced over I just thought, "Been there, done that." I'm not interested in seeing anything that remotely reminds me of WoW or Rift, which a lot of those options do.

[Deleted]

I chose more 'mundane' themes on purpose, as they're more probable to be the underpinning. I expect innovative design be integrated through diversity within a theme, for example you had the jungle theme, but mixed with the more unique Asura-style or the caledon forest mixing standard-jungle with the flowergarden look in the southern parts.
I think the underdark theme wasn't used that much in recent MMO history, but I could be wrong. This could also be due to technical reasons as I assume a cave ceiling could be more problematic than simple skyboxes.

I would perhaps tend to underdark at the moment. You could do a lot with it, having fungus woods, gigantic chasms where the side of the chasm is the actual area, dwarven ruins, Destroyer stuff and in the end...primordius. As a vivid FR Fan i can't help but think of locations like menzoberranzan, Illithid and beholder strongholds, Deep Imaskar or Skullport.

[Lane]

Underdark reminds me of the Falmer areas in Skyrim, though that's not an MMO, or Deepholm in WoW.

Personally, I really love open expanses, typically deserts for some reason (which is weird because I can't stand them in real life). Plains work too. My favorite zones in WoW were Tanaris, The Barrens, Shimmering Flats, etc. Droughtlands and Shimmersand in Rift. You get the idea.

Something I wish I'd see more of are temple ruin areas that are actually pretty and funtional. WoW had a lot of that with Highborne civilization remains, but nearly all of them served no purpose other than aesthetic. I really wish they'd had some lore-related quests or something. I do love the look of time worn temples surrounded by overgrown plant life though.

[Valeron]

You would like the Crystal Desert then Lane. Or even Elona when that comes out.

[grandpab]

I tend to like snow zones, so Kodans as a new playable race and Jormag as the new dragon enemy would be pretty sweet.

[Zilong]

Underdark seems pretty sweet (I originally was thinking it meant more like Demonic Forces kind of deal) but out of the choices Underdark as it's explained also seems good and the best of the alternatives.

But I would still like a more heavenly/demonic expansion.

[sacrypheyes]

how bout some xpac in some asian setup with a new humanoid race with animal traits...


oh wait, i think someone may already have done that

[Deleted]

Underdark themed would be quite something. With the fanastic ways ArenaNet managed to make the world look, they could make some amazing underground world with elaborate systems of caves and a sort of "under-world".

My second choice would be a Middle East/Africa themed expansion, though I'd prefer they don't take anything more then landscapes from the actual real world.

[Lane]

Now I remember what else reminded me of underdark, Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom in WoW.



And Blackreach in Skyrim was what I was thinking of earlier. (Although, it seems much bluer in people's screenshots than it did on my PC. :P)

My second choice would be a Middle East/Africa themed expansion, though I'd prefer they don't take anything more then landscapes from the actual real world.

Architectural elements aren't always bad. Since most people haven't played the Quest for Glory series (*le sigh*) here's a picture of the main city in QFG3, which was obviously Egyptian-themed. (I'd forgotten how much of Uldum seemed "borrowed" from this game.)



Here's a picture of a map from QFG2, the Middle East themed of the series. Too big to link, so you'll just have to click on it. :P http://www.oldgames.sk/images/oldgam.../qfg2-map2.jpg

[Deleted]

Definitely Shiverpeaks. Snowy landscapes, Norn, mountains, Jotun, Sons of Svanir, Jormag, Kodan, yeah.. I'd like that.

Or Crystal Desert. That was awesome in GW1.

[Deleted]

Jungle... without Flying mounts

[Deleted]

Architectural elements aren't always bad. Since most people haven't played the Quest for Glory series (*le sigh*) here's a picture of the main city in QFG3, which was obviously Egyptian-themed. (I'd forgotten how much of Uldum seemed "borrowed" from this game.)



Here's a picture of a map from QFG2, the Middle East themed of the series. Too big to link, so you'll just have to click on it. :P http://www.oldgames.sk/images/oldgam.../qfg2-map2.jpg

Sorry, I expressed myself wrong. I don't mind architecture being similar in games. What I do mind is when a game takes either the direct stories/myths of a region and adapts those alone to an expansion or when they take stereotypes of a region and adapt them over an expansion. When they blend both together it comes horrible in my view. I admit, I didn't like MoP for example because of this, I felt it was a joke, and not because of pandaren but because of the full picture, taking asian themes and stereotypes and meshing them together like a cabbage. Then you got the pandaren farmers fighting evil rabbits with kung fu over their brew and crops while trying to keep the balance and having their language as "om nom nom"... and that simply put me off.

That said, this is not the topic to comment that. I don't hate WoW, I wish it good luck, I just didn't like this direction on making an expansion like this. And as such I don't want a similar GW2 expansion.

[Deleted]

Hmm...I'd quite like to see a more Middle Eastern/African themed content -

Due to it being the most unique/least used out of anything that I have seen in games etc

Although saying that a North American theme I'd enjoy (As long as there are no centaur). There are a few themes I would rather not see, such as more Shiverpeaks..idk why I just can't get into them right now in terms of playing however everything is aesthetically stunning imo.