New MMORPG/Action-RPG from ex-Blizzard employees:
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/guildwars/index.html
Apparently there will be a free 3-day open beta during E3. After reading the preview this game seems to have a greater emphasis on strategy (and skill?) than collecting items/leveling up. And I think I remember reading somewhere that the pricing strategy will be a bit different; there will be no monthly fee, instead there will be many, many expansions that they'll sell for like $10-$15 each and release one every month or so, so essentially it's like a monthly fee, but only if you want the expansions.
Of course, people who get the expansions will likely have an advantage over those who don't. But at least you have the option of playing without paying.
Guild Wars
http://forums.gamespot.com/gamespot/sho ... c=13731762
A FAQ for the game:
A FAQ for the game:
This board is going to expand so much in the next few weeks, that I am anticipating a flood of newcomers asking the same questions over and over again (especially after E3 for everyone). To try and prevent that, I'm writing this FAQ with the answers to all of the questions i see getting asked all of the time. Fell free to add on if you actually know what you’re talking about, or make any corrections (though i will try my best to make that unnecessary). The following are the most frequently asked questions about Guild Wars, and their answers. Please read this (or at least the questions so you know yours isn’t answered) and visit the sites at the bottom of the page before posting your (probably already answered) question.
Will there be a monthly fee to play this game?
No. There will never be a monthly fee to play Guild Wars. Every 6 to 9 months expansion packs will be released, but they will not be required to continue playing. You can play with other people who have different, more, or less expansion packs than you.
Does the game have a single player mode?
Yes. It does have a single player mode, but you still need an internet connection to use it. All of the character information is stored on ArenaNet’s servers, so you will always need an internet connection to play the game.
What’s all this about E3 for everyone?
Between the dates of May 12 through May 14, the alpha version of Guild Wars will be open to anyone who wants to try it out. All you have to do is download a small client file (from Gamespot or the Guild Wars web site or the cover CD on the June edition of PC gamer)
Isn’t that a huge risk for the game? What if the huge amount of people crash their servers at E3?
Many people would say that it is too much of a risk, but the people at ArenaNet (the developers) are very confident in their servers.
I don’t really like what I see in the E3 event. Why doesn’t it look better?
You have to remember that this is only the alpha stage of the game, and usually only privileged people get to see it this early in the development process. The game will be much better looking, have more features, and just be more polished in general when it is released.
Is there a way to keep playing after the three days of E3?
No. The game is completely dependent on ArenaNet’s servers, because it is all online. If they don’t want you to play, you won’t play unless you can hack their servers. Good luck.
When will the game be released?
Second half of 2004. That is all ArenaNet has said. Probably not before September though.
When will the game’s beta start?
The beta will probably start 3 to 4 months before the release. The release is scheduled for the second half of 2004.
How will the beta work?
There will first be private beta (only a few people) and then a public beta ( a whole lot of people). When ArenaNet starts asking for people, send them your system specs any maybe you will get lucky.
Where else can I go for information (such as character classes or game play modes?
You can go to the official guild wars site at
http://www.guildwars.com
Or the Guild Hall (an unofficial but very informative site) at
http://theguildhall.itwasgg.com
Other FAQ’s that are more game play oriented and less news oriented may be found at
http://www.guildwars.com/faq/default.html
http://theguildhall.itwasgg.com/hallfaq.php
Please go to the aforementioned sites and see if they answer your question. They have lots of good information about game play, character classes, the game in general, ArenaNet, and just about anything else you could ask about this game. If this still doesn't answer your question, then fell free to ask either here or at Ghost Raptor's topic which is also on this board.
Guild Wars seems to have a greater emphasis on team PvP than other games. There's 3 modes I think:
Arena: 4v4 randomly assigned teams
Drascir's Tomb: Choose an 8 person team, every few minutes a new team enters the area.
Siege Wall (or something): One team has to kill a target, the other team defends it.
There's also a coop mode of course, you go out and do "missions" in some area, very linear.
You pick 8 skills to use before you go out on a mission or a pvp thing, so you have to be selective.
This is an alpha version and has very few bugs, the lag isn't too bad; it looks like this will be a killer game when it's released. All in all my impression is that it's basically what Diablo 2 should have been.
Arena: 4v4 randomly assigned teams
Drascir's Tomb: Choose an 8 person team, every few minutes a new team enters the area.
Siege Wall (or something): One team has to kill a target, the other team defends it.
There's also a coop mode of course, you go out and do "missions" in some area, very linear.
You pick 8 skills to use before you go out on a mission or a pvp thing, so you have to be selective.
This is an alpha version and has very few bugs, the lag isn't too bad; it looks like this will be a killer game when it's released. All in all my impression is that it's basically what Diablo 2 should have been.