Summer Escapism

It’s hot up here in New York City — the headquarters of Photics — and I’ve been pretty busy with other projects too. But in all the heat and busyness, Guild Wars caught my attention. Ah… it’s the annual “Wintersday in July” event. That seemed like the perfect reason to bring my Ranger out of pre-searing territory. Just a quick run through the “Ascalon Academy” and I’d be in snowy territory. I don’t like to see the human homelands in ruins. It’s depressing, but Wintersday helps to ease the transition.

Here’s the official message about the weekend event…

Wintersday in July

This weekend, Wintersday Priests will open access to the Snowball Arena from Lion’s Arch, Droknar’s Forge, Ascalon City, Kamadan, and the Great Temple of Balthazar. For those who choose to stay out adventuring instead, there will also be special Wintersday-themed item drops from monsters acroos the land. Wintersday in July will begin at Noon Pacific (-7 GMT) this Friday and last until 11:59 PM Pacific on Sunday, July 18.

So OK, I was all psyched up, ready to port into a frosty city. I imagined that Ascalon City would be covered in snow and fun. When I got to the other side, there was nothing but scored earth. Where is the snow?! There would be no reprieve from the burning temperatures.

Eh, I suppose I could run to the Shiverpeaks. There’s plenty of snow over there. Unfortunately, I’m a little too busy for that right now. However, I have been watching the latest announcements ArenaNet. Ah, so the Ranger is a Guild Wars 2 profession. That looks pretty cool.

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/ranger/

I like some of the recent announcements. While I think 5-man teams are too small, getting rid of Monks is an awesome idea. That should make combat a lot more fun. Ranger was my first profession in Guild Wars. It is also my favorite. I’m planning to level up TANK in the original Guild Wars. (I’m trying for the Survivor title again.) It might take a while, but it seems that the sequel is still far away.

Will I be playing the sequel? I don’t know. My two conditions have not been met.

  • I don’t want to group with Charr, or they should be worthy of forgiveness. (If they’re going to keep calling me “mouse” or “meat”, are they really my allies?)
  • I don’t like Guild Wars mythology, so I don’t want my characters following any Guild Wars gods.

Some people think I’m making too big of an issue about this, but if you’ve seen “Groundhog’s Day” you might understand. Bill Murray’s character was originally supposed to be under a voodoo spell. Yet, that scene was cut and it made the movie stronger. The writers and the directors didn’t need to explain the unexplainable. And in not trying, all of the world’s religions could suddenly relate to the movie. Can you relate to Guild Wars?

I’m still waiting to see “What’s your story” is supposed to mean exactly.