Sometimes the events just seem to blur together. It didn’t feel all that long ago when I suggested to ArenaNet that they should have an RSS feed. Today, I’m monitoring six different Guild Wars related RSS feeds from NCsoft / ArenaNet. From the ArenaNet blog an interesting message hit my computer. It was from David Campbell. It stated, “Make sure to check back with us next week when we explain what we mean when we say Guild Wars 2 is YOUR story!” This is rather interesting to me, as I have one rather large gripe with the sequel – CHOICE! From what I’m reading of the lore, it doesn’t seem like you have a whole lot of freedom. Is ArenaNet actually going to address this issue and restore my enthusiasm in the sequel?
I’ve been debating this at length at the Massively.com comment section. Here’s a quote…
The religious issue that I have with the game is the inclusion of the Guild Wars gods. I think it’s a bit creepy to have players kneel at status for bonuses. If players don’t mind… hey, made in America – we have freedom of religion here. Yet, for players that do have religious objections to this, why force players to follow that path? It only leads to lost customers.
Ever been to Costco? It’s amazing… lots of great stuff there… tasty food in bulk! Although, some of the food there is not for me. I’m not Jewish, so the Kosher section really isn’t that important to me. Yet, I’m cool with it being there. I think, “Hey, cool! They can be happy too!”
Ah, I do love Costco. They got great muffins there. Anyway, something seemingly insignificant to one player can be a huge turnoff for another. That’s why it’s important to let players have the freedom to role-play. You know, role-playing?! It’s what the R&P stand for in MMORPG. If ArenaNet is serious about building a more traditional MMORPG, then players are going to need more freedom to customize their characters… and to tell their story. It’s an interesting balance, as ArenaNet has their own story to tell. I’ll be watching ArenaNet. I don’t like being unoptimistic about the sequel. But unfortunately, that how I feel about it right now.
Meanwhile, the original is still up and running. Here’s another message from ArenaNet.
Double Luxon and Kurzick title points
Starting at Noon Pacific (-7 GMT) this Friday, you will receive double points for exchanging 5,000 faction for Jadeite or Amber, for exchanging 3,000 faction for an alliance skill, and for transferring 5,000 faction to raise your alliance’s reputation. This bonus will last through 11:59 PM Pacific (-7 GMT) on Sunday.
I was waiting for this, as I was in the process of using a great faction farming trick. I don’t play Guild Wars as much as I used to. So, when I do, I like to maximize my gaming. During a previous event, I was getting double faction points for alliance battles. I didn’t spend those points though. I simply left them on my account… until today. I then turned in those points for another bonus. Essentially, it’s quadruple faction points. Rough estimates, I turned about 15,000 faction points into 60,000 faction points. I also had a lot of fun in PvP while doing it.
Things seem to be picking up with Guild Wars 2 information. ArenaNet is obviously up to something. It’s a bit of a warning flag for title farming. I haven’t really been trying, but perhaps next week’s information might inspire me. If I can still find enjoyment in the original, maybe I’ll find the sequel entertaining too.