Questions about GW2 ( never played gw1)

[Aurust]

Hey guys.... I have a couple of questions about gw2 that hopefully some of you can answer. I have watched quite a bit of videos and read a bunch about it ( Definately looking forward to playing it full time) but I just have a few questions I'd like answered.

1- From what you guys have seen...are the mechanics of gw2 similar to gw1 or is it radically different. Reason being is that i would like to get a "head start" on learning how to play with Gw1.

2- Concerning transition between zones/regions..... something ( dont recall exactly what) has led me to believe that transitions will occur via portals only. For example i wont be able to cross a river ( elywnn forest >duskwood) but instead i would have to find a portal that leads me to the next zone. This is not a loading screen complaint...the question merely being will I go over a hill for example ( at any point on that hill), hit a loading screen, and be on that same hill but in the next region.....or will i run into a wall of mountains and have to look for a portal.

If it is the portal case, i believe that will take away a great deal from an open world feel.

3- What will the view distance be compared to WOW..... if possible using WOW terms. Will i be able to see stormwinds towers from Darkshire for example?

4- is Q2 2012 the general estimated consensus release time?

Thnx in advance every1

[Fernling306]

1. very different, gameplay wise GW1 won't help you at all.

2. Yes, the game will herd you into an opening/passage that you will have to go through between zones, which are said to all have portals(they were this way in the demos, but haven't been confirmed if that is how it will be in the final version).

3.Not sure here.

4. Most speculation is putting it at Q1-Q2, but again that is just speculation.

[Slippin]

1. Basic mechanics will apply. I would recommend playing GW1 so you can unlock neat things for for your Hall of Monuments.

2. Yes, in GW1 there are instances. HOWEVER GW2 will not have instances and be an open world.

3. Idk

4. Sounds about right.

[Deleted]

Gw1 won't help you learn to play GW2, but you'll learn skills and lore.

GW2 has portals between the zones yes, you'll have to pass through them to get to the next zone. How they work isn't shown yet, you migh tbe able to port through a river etc.

That depends entirely on your computer and how well optimized GW2 is. From the demos and videos you can expect to see the cities etc from quite far away aslong as your computer can handle it.

[Malthurius]

1 2 and 4 have been answered fairly well, but I think I can answer 3 a bit better.

They're using a very special way of optimization when it comes to view distances from what I can recall. If you ever played Zelda - Wind Waker, it's kind of similar to that in a sense. From far away large prominent features become a different model, but you won't be able to tell because of the way the game is designed in this painterly style. Much like how WoW did things before you could fly in the old world. Not only will this make the game easier to run on weaker systems, but also create a larger possible view distance than otherwise. You should be able to see a lot from a single zone.

[Lusitan]

i thought GW2 was a seamless world, similar to WoW/LotRO, not that portals make a great difference while using a SSD, but still

[Fernling306]

i thought GW2 was a seamless world, similar to WoW/LotRO, not that portals make a great difference while using a SSD, but still

It is persistent, but not seamless.

[Deleted]

1- From what you guys have seen...are the mechanics of gw2 similar to gw1 or is it radically different. Reason being is that i would like to get a "head start" on learning how to play with Gw1.

It's closer to WoW than GW1, mostly because you travel solo rather than in a 8-player (NPC) group.

2- Concerning transition between zones/regions..... something ( dont recall exactly what) has led me to believe that transitions will occur via portals only. For example i wont be able to cross a river ( elywnn forest >duskwood) but instead i would have to find a portal that leads me to the next zone. This is not a loading screen complaint...the question merely being will I go over a hill for example ( at any point on that hill), hit a loading screen, and be on that same hill but in the next region.....or will i run into a wall of mountains and have to look for a portal.

If it is the portal case, i believe that will take away a great deal from an open world feel.

Yes, this sucks but it's too late for them to improve. Maybe for Guild Wars 3. Unfortunately you will have to look for portals, that's why GW2 zones are small, tight and pretty linear so that you won't get lost

3- What will the view distance be compared to WOW..... if possible using WOW terms. Will i be able to see stormwinds towers from Darkshire for example?

Check the vids. It's hard for me to say, the blue fog sometimes seems to be very close, sometimes it allows for some vistas.

4- is Q2 2012 the general estimated consensus release time?

Thnx in advance every1

Most likely, maybe Q1 2012, maybe Q3 2012, hard to say.

They're using a very special way of optimization when it comes to view distances from what I can recall. If you ever played Zelda - Wind Waker, it's kind of similar to that in a sense. From far away large prominent features become a different model, but you won't be able to tell because of the way the game is designed in this painterly style. Much like how WoW did things before you could fly in the old world. Not only will this make the game easier to run on weaker systems, but also create a larger possible view distance than otherwise. You should be able to see a lot from a single zone.

I hope they fix Level of Detail in GW2, because the popping was terrible in GW1.

[rhandric]

i thought GW2 was a seamless world, similar to WoW/LotRO, not that portals make a great difference while using a SSD, but still

It's an open, persistent world like WoW/LotRO/Rift/etc, but is not seamless. In fact, WoW isn't as seamless as it seems at first glance, but they hide the server handoffs in a way that most users don't notice most of the time. If you've ever noticed a lag spike or characters/creatures shifting or sticking slightly as you cross zones, that's the hand-off between servers you're noticing. WoW just obfuscates the procedure, while GW2 will make it obvious (which will likely enable them to do something similar to what they did in GW1 where appropriate updates could be passed off on loading screens rather than being needed before logging into the game world and having to restart to get them).

[Fernling306]

It's an open, persistent world like WoW/LotRO/Rift/etc, but is not seamless. In fact, WoW isn't as seamless as it seems at first glance, but they hide the server handoffs in a way that most users don't notice most of the time. If you've ever noticed a lag spike or characters/creatures shifting or sticking slightly as you cross zones, that's the hand-off between servers you're noticing. WoW just obfuscates the procedure, while GW2 will make it obvious (which will likely enable them to do something similar to what they did in GW1 where appropriate updates could be passed off on loading screens rather than being needed before logging into the game world and having to restart to get them).

Saying that it is an open world is very misleading, there will be loading screen(portals) between zones. The game is persistent, open it is not.

[Mif]

Saying that it is an open world is very misleading, there will be loading screen(portals) between zones. The game is persistent, open it is not.

Open = everyone shares the same world
Seemless = no portals

[Fernling306]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

Which basically means separated by loading screens. I think seamless and open are basically the same thing.

The persistent world part is more equal to everybody sharing the same world imo.

If I am wrong please correct me.

[rhandric]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

Which basically means separated by loading screens. I think seamless and open are basically the same thing.

The persistent world part is more equal to everybody sharing the same world imo.

If I am wrong please correct me.

Even the link you used shows you're wrong. Open world = nonlinear.

[Fernling306]

"The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "sandbox" and "free-roaming";[2][3] however, the terms open world and free-roaming describe the game environment itself and allude more to the absence of artificial barriers,[4] in contrast to the invisible walls and loading screens that are common in linear level designs"

And what makes you think GW2 is nonlinear? It is most definitely not a sandbox, but at the same time it isn't a full on linear game, it is a bit of both.
Loading screens scattered between zones makes it the exact opposite of an open world. If you are going to tell me i'm wrong proof would be appreciated.

[rhandric]

I'm curious. If the environment was identical and the loading screens weren't there but instead the game lagged/"stumbled" for a moment as you crossed the current loading screens, would you claim it was open vs not now? Because the only difference (gameplay wise) is how the game presents the transition between zones, which still is necessary due to server limitations.

[Fernling306]

I'm curious. If the environment was identical and the loading screens weren't there but instead the game lagged/"stumbled" for a moment as you crossed the current loading screens, would you claim it was open vs not now? Because the only difference (gameplay wise) is how the game presents the transition between zones, which still is necessary due to server limitations.

If the game didn't herd you through certain passes to go between zones, then yes. Not being able to cross zones because of invisible walls everywhere definitely takes away the open world thing.

[rhandric]

If the game didn't herd you through certain passes to go between zones, then yes. Not being able to cross zones because of invisible walls everywhere definitely takes away the open world thing.

Ah but there's the rub. Does, for example, mountainous terrain with only one viable pass take away from the open world? That's (mostly) how GW1 presented portals, and it's likely they will do the same in GW2.

[Mif]

If the game didn't herd you through certain passes to go between zones

Wow does that in most zones, yet you consider that "open world".

[rhandric]

Wow does that in most zones, yet you consider that "open world".

Technically, Mif, to be fair, WoW did that in most zones, not does

[Mif]

Technically, Mif, to be fair, WoW did that in most zones, not does

This is true. I realised the inevitable flying mount retort after I posted.