So yeah, I deleted TANK again. I decided that going for the Defender of Ascalon title is just too insane. Death leveling just feels wrong. So instead, I turned him into a Ranger. I’m going for the Survivor title… again. It seems a lot harder as a Ranger. I’m having trouble getting over the Shiverpeak mountains, but this is a mission that I must complete. I’ve been cordially invited to attend the 2009 Wintersday festivities. With over two weeks of extra loot, this is a perfect opportunity to farm titles. Therefore, I want to get to Kilroy’s Punch-Out Extravaganza. That means I have to make it to Lion’s Arch, and then travel over to the Eye of the North expansion.
Continue reading “Getting Ready for the 2009 Wintersday Party”
So OK, I’ve been doing the mobile development thing for about a year now and I’m finally starting to see some money being generated by my apps. Throughout 2009, the coins would add up. Five cents here, 10 cents there… whoa… $2.09 from a book sale… the cash would accumulate in my account. I was holding off on redeeming my earnings because Google Checkout wanted my bank account number. Suddenly, it was no longer a fun game with arcade like scoring. No, once I cashed out the money, there would be real world consequences… like income tax forms and trips to the mall. Hey, wait a minute, I like buying stuff… so Google, where’s my money? Before I could get paid, there was the little matter of account verification.
When you launch the Guild Wars application, you can see important messages from ArenaNet. Typically, the weekend event is the main highlight. The message box can also includes a warning about proper game etiquette. The message is usually something minor, but today it was not. There appears to have been a major breach of security. An ominous warning, highlighted in red, informed me that I should change my password today. Upon further investigation, it seems that a fansite might have been compromised. I had a feeling that this would happen someday. By cracking the weaker security of a fansite, hackers could harvest user names and passwords from Guild Wars players. Since many players do not use unique passwords, their Guild Wars account is vulnerable.
With every bit of new information released by ArenaNet, some questions are answered – but even more arise. The latest video trailer about Guild Wars 2 might have you wondering about the future of Guild Wars. Fortunately, there’s a follow-up interview to better explain the differences between the sequel and the original. An interview at MMORPG.com briefly discusses combat, races, instancing, story telling, game design, armor and more! If you look carefully, a better picture of the future is painted. Here’s an excerpt, “The biggest differences include a fully persistent world, fully 3D engine, a less complex combat system with fewer overall skills, multiple playable races, and separate world servers.”
There’s something different about this website. While it is a Guild Wars fansite, it’s not about a community of rabid fanboys. Through the dialogue that occurs here, and behind the scenes, we acknowledge that Guild Wars is a great game… but it can always be better. It’s one of the many reasons why ArenaNet encourages fansites. Through respectful conversation, the game can be improved. That’s why I’ve comprised this list of issues that I see with the game. Historically, ArenaNet has listened to the community and improved their game. With Guild Wars 2 on the way, and years of gameplay still left in the original, discussion like this can forge a better future for the franchise.