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Ex-Blizzard lead men, Strain and O'Brian, Profiled
obchrisj writes "Wondering how Guild Wars came to be? FileFront profiles the conceptualizing, trials, and tribulations of ArenaNet's MMORPG, slated to be released sometime early this year, in an article titled, "F! True Game Story: Guild Wars". In case you're not in the know, Guild Wars was started by well-known ex-Blizzard employees, Jeff Strain and Mike O'Brian."
If they are so well known how come I have never heard of them? The only Blizzard Employees I would say are well known are: Kerrigan, Thrall.
- Your stupidity got you into this mess, why can't it get you out? -Will Rogers
I miss "Tagu." That is all!
:)
Honestly, the voices of the previous games were sorely missing from WarCraft III's lame "can the formalities" dialogue and phrasing. Most of the humans and Orcs were missing that vocal quality we loved from before.
Anyway, I don't think Blizzard has really been the same company for years. Not since StarCraft. There's a paraphrased story about one of the programmers for StarCraft whose wife went into labor. He checked out a laptop and headed to the hospital and continued working on the Campaign Editor in the lobby. When he was invited into the room with his wife who was giving birth, he continued working. His wife looked at him and said, "You're missing the birth of our daughter to work on that damn game?"
His response: "It's not some damn game! It's StarCraft!"
I don't think that passion is still there, especially with the influence of Vivendi.
I've been following this game for over a year now and it certainly has lots of potential.
Unlike Blizzards pay-to-play World Of Warcraft game, Guild Wars does not require a monthly subscription fee.
Guild Wars has streaming patches which makes the game up to date on a daily basis. No more having to wait weeks or months for a patch like other games on the market.
/"We took a game that only had 100 or 200 players at one time and had over 200,000 people play over a 24 hour period," he said. "Watching thousands and thousands of people play the game and join the world was emotionally crippling."/
Having 200,000 people play wasn't just emotionally crippling. I imagine it would be "server" crippling too.
True Game Story: Guild Wars by Andrew Serros on 01/03/2005 :
Overview: Wondering how Guild Wars came to be? We profile the conceptualizing, trials, and tribulations of ArenaNet's MMORPG, slated to be released sometime early this year.
When Blizzard Entertainment began development on World of Warcraft, a few of its employees had other things in mind.
"Blizzard is a phenomenal developing company," Jeff Strain, lead designer for Guild Wars, said. "But we decided to leave and form ArenaNet to pursue this unique game."
ArenaNet is the result of two men getting together with a certain discontent and a desire to see their own visions of an MMORPG come to life. The other man responsible for starting ArenaNet is Mike O'Brian, team lead for Warcraft III. Their meeting might have been more than a coincidence.
Back in 2000, Strain and O'Brian met through their respective work within Blizzard, and found that they had a lot in common. Strain was one of the original leads for World of Warcraft, but found that he did not quite want to design just another MMORPG based on the Warcraft series. And O'Brian's ideas for multiplayer were really motivational.
"The more we talked, the more we found that there was this great game in the middle," Strain said. "The original goal was [to] make an MMO that is truly unique and avoids the classic design elements that only makes it fun for hardcore players."
ArenaNet's list of key designers read like a who's who of classic Blizzard titles, including Starcraft, Warcraft III, and now Worlds of Warcraft. Along with Strain and O'Brian are James Phinney, who was the lead designer of Starcraft.
"We brought on James [Phinney] because he was the one that was responsible for balancing three different races in Starcraft," Strain said. "We had a great deal of confidence that he could take the game with thrity different professions and 450 unique skills and balance it so that it really puts together this concept that Guild Wars is a game of skill."
Another key component to the design team was Steve Hwang, who formerly worked at Lucas Arts as a level designer on titles such as Dark Forces and Jedi Knights. With all the experience on the team from many successful games and backgrounds, it was a hopeful start for ArenaNet. But what it did not have was a guarantee.
"As a new studio, we did not form a publishing relationship," Strain said. The usual route for game development is that publishing companies set up a line of funding for the development to get done, but sometimes this means creative control may end up in the hands of the publishers. "We decided to self-fund so that we could be completely independent for a few years," he said.
The article continues below..
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ArenaNet started development on Guild Wars in the summer of 2000, and Strain said that while it was not a great time to be a developing company, they managed to stay on track with their development as they had planned. However, there was always pressure to stay on track because, as he said, they did not have a safety net of a "big fluffy developing contract from day one."
However, it was not long before they found financial backing. Well, actually, they did not find a company to publish their game, a company found them because they had been tracking their progress since they left Blizzard.
NC Soft was anxious to see exactly what ArenaNet was up to, but the developing team held off until two years after they started development because they wanted to be able to show NC Soft exactly what type of game they were going to be publishing. During the summer of 2002, ArenaNet agreed to begin talking to NC Soft and by the fall of that year they agreed to publish Guild Wars. Strain said the company saw the originality of the game, and appreciated the fact that it was "not just another MMO."
"We were really excited working with NC Soft," Strain said. "They share a lot of the same goals and vision that we do. We've never heard
a desire to see their own visions of an MMORPG come to life.
I guess they're implying that blizzard was holding them back and they wanted to see a change in management. No wonder Starcraft: Ghost took 10 years to develope
Well, I guess that could be said for a lot of MMORPGs out there...
.. I once saw a wealthy game-company exec (nameless) wet his pants, urologically crippling-like, over the fact that one player/household had played his game straight, multiplayer on the newly installed net-hub, for over 72 hours.
That was when I decided I needed to get the fuck out, and stay the fuck out, of the gaming industry.
Video Games really are mind programming, folks. Think about it.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
I've played Guild Wars during the World Preview Event and two of the Beta Weekends. All told, it's a great game, and combines the cooperation of MMORPGs with what I enjoyed about games like Neverwinter Nights and Diablo II.
Since the last Beta Weekend though, I've been playing World of Warcraft. Certainly WoW is more of an MMORPG in the traditional sense than Guild Wars, but it makes the same effort to ensure casual players get as much enjoyment out of it as hardcore players.
I'll still probably buy Guild Wars when it's released, but I think I'll skip the next Beta Weekend. I don't think I can split my interest between two RPGs just yet.
is a blast, but so is City of Heros which is a NC Soft game. We know that on the service/sever sice NC Soft has their act together. This could be an interesting game, it seems like the going of into the frontier to make your game dream is still alive.
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
In 10 years no one will remember any but the best video game, and even then only with nostalgia. But in 10 years you'll still have a young daughter who may or may not have her head screwed on right
First the story sounds apocryphal so there is not much to say there. However I will point out that Starcraft is not only going to be remembered at its ten year anniversary but it is on track to still being **played** at that time. It has gone far beyond the nostalgic rememberance point. You point is good in general but misapplied to Starcraft, again, I'm only commenting on the game part. The importance of a child is a given and shouldn't even need to be pointed out.
But it is an entirely different beast than a full-on MMORPG like WoW, which are geared to having groups of 40 players fight dragons and such at the same time. Or huge PVP battles with hundreds of people in the same location just battling it out. You simply cannot compare Guild Wars to games like WoW, EQ 1/2, etc .. Totally different games entirely.
The next beta weekend is this weekend (8th - 9th). You can grab the client from http://guildwars.com/ and a beta weekend key http://www.fileplanet.com/betacenter/guildwars/ (reqs email + dob)
Real programmers don't comment their code. It was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.
I am currently playing WoW and enjoying it. I think they have done a nice job of creating a range of options for character choices that are well balanaced and fun. I am still exploring them. At the same time I understand alot of their work has gone into making the experienced player happy at the high levels, so I am looking forward to what that is like.
Still, I can see alot of things that could make it better, and I have my own visions of what a good MMORPG would include, including more dynamic environment (I do hate the idea that you complete a quest to rescue something or kill something and it is the same quest for every new fighter etc...)
I also would really like to see more potential for creating culture within the game, including some ranking. I know it is alot to ask, but in alot of ways this is everquest with Warcraft style... Not really what I expected in some ways, since part of what made people play Warcraft was the strategy and management of resources and troops. This game discards most of that culture for a pure RPG.
So I think there is alot of room for improvement in the MMORPG. I understand Guildwars will try to challenge some of the ways they are playing and I think that is great. I would love to see WoW develop a little more. I hope it doesnt' remain so static, or it will lose people as folks don't want to replay the same bunch of quests over and over.
If you dont care, dont post, read a different site, post somewhere else. Why do you feel the need to bug everyone else with your complaining?
"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Don't miss the next Beta Weekend Event for a weekend of Guild Wars gaming. It's THIS weekend (starting January 7th) and you can get free beta keys at FilePlanet for an entire weekend of fun. Or not. Regardless, it's a good way to make up your mind, and I suppose the only "cost" is a disposable e-mail address for the sign-up! :-)
Personally, I have ordered the pre-order package for a key that will be good for all BWE's and it's a good tip if you end up liking the game, since it's not certain they'll give away keys for free next time.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Don't worry, WoW, EQ2, etc. will still be there when you get back.
I've played every beta since the WPE, and it has always been an enjoyable experience. Even though the game is in Beta, it is thoroughly playable and remarkably stable. Most developers would have been satisfied and launched already- ANet wants to be sure the final game is satisfactory AT LAUNCH, despite the fact that they can fix bugs almost immediately and stream patches to the clients.
I hate MMORGPs. I really do. But a few things that drew me to Guild Wars were:
1) No Monthly Fees. EVER
2) No grinding.
3) No 1337 uber-skills and items.
4) extremely balanced, EVERYTHING literally has a counter and no one player is overly powerful.
5) extremely intuitive and clean interface.
6) elimination of PKing and KSing.
Straight from their ads:
An open Promise to gamers from the Guild Wars team-
- Guild Wars will not require a subscription fee.
- Guild Wars will reward playing SKILL, not hours played
- Guild Wars is an Online RPG to be ENJOYED, not endured
Guild Wars is an important step in gaming for me, because I don't have the time to dedicate to a subscription-based service. I don't have the time to play for hours on end- with Guild Wars I can jump in for 15 minutes or 5 hours. It doesn't matter, I always have fun.
Come on, we don't need every Filefront article to be on Slashdot. People like me who care check Filefront and people who don't care obviously don't want to see it. On the other hand, nice article. The more we know about game developers, the better. And not just the 5 people who get recognition.
Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.
I don't know anyone that tried and liked it during its short preview. I was bored to tears. Even free I won't consider playing it.
Yah, this is all nice, but let's ask the REAL question on the minds of most people these days:
"ARE YOU GOING TO DO STARCRAFT 2?!"
What makes Guild Wars fun? How is it something to be enjoyed and not endured? Start out as a level 1 noob, and waste time levelling until you hit the cap, then waste time getting uber gear, then you can finally "enjoy" the simplistic and boring PvP. This sounds alot like shadowbane, only without a persistant world.
Its diablo 2. Everything about it is exactly the same as diablo 2, only the battle.net chat has a city for your character to look like they are in.
Well if you bothered to look at the FAQ you'd see
Will the game be released on a different OS (Macintosh, Linux, etc.), or on other video game consoles?Guild Wars is being developed on and will initially be released for the PC. We are aware that there is an interest in having the game available on other operating systems or other platforms, and we will continue to evaluate these possibilities as we get closer to release.
But of course you didn't bother."I may be full of crap about this game, and I may be wrong, and that's fine." -Jack Thompson
Yeah, WAKE ME when Linux and Mac actually become primary and lucrative gaming platform. Linux and Mac drew their lines long ago where they wanted to be. Linux has a massive server foothold. Mac has a massive multimedia/graphics/education foothold. Windows has massive bugs/exploit/viral foothold... oh, and a MASSIVE gaming foothold. You can't have it all. Quit pretending.
I have played the game, I'm not asking should I play, I have, and it sucked. I found the quests boring and uninteresting, and the combat consisted of pressing 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 until I fell asleep.
What was fun about being a level 1 noob? Doing boring quests that don't impact anything? Trying to find a few other people who aren't retarded so you can actually get through the quest? Quite frankly, the most fun I had was logging off.
I don't even know what it is that makes this game so boring and dumb. Its certainly not the game format that is a problem for me, I really liked diablo 2, and this is the exact same game. It just seems boring and slow this time around.
You forgot the keyword available . Available does not mean "we'll consider it", it means I can use it right now. WoW has a Mac version, so I'll play that instead.
Well, my thoughts on the game (been playing since WPE) One of the things this game has been compared to often is Magic: the Gathering, which is a nice indicator of what to expect from the game, as GW does share some pros and cons. 1) Superficial similarities: The classes correspond roughly to the colors in Magic. Monk = White, Elementalist = Red, Ranger = Green, Mesmer = Blue, Necromancers = Black, and Warriors are something else. Someone suggested Artifacts. 2) Similarities 2: Half the skill comes from building your character, just like being able to build a good deck. So what prevents people from using winning builds? Nothing. Except simply having a good build and being able to use it effectively are two different things. Regardless, Warrior/Monks are probably the most popular class at the moment because of ease of use, and also because Warriors are the only option if you want to play a Melee class at the moment. Also, the developers are continually tweaking the skills for better balance during the beta period. 3) Team builds are also an important factor when doing Guild or Tomb battles, and the effectiveness of the skills will depend on what you are doing. 4) It's not strictly true that there's no "grind" in the game. Instead, it's more like you have a time penalty when you want to "retrain" your character, much like real life. Used up all your skills? Fill up your exp bar (even at maxed level) to get another skill point. Need to tweak your attribute selection? Go complete a mission again. Want a new color scheme for your armor? Go find some dye. Basically, there's still a grind (or downtime), but it's not going to take you out of PvP for an extended period of time. 5) The PvP in the game is quite varied, and reminds people more of FPS games. There's straight Team Deathmatch, but also Capture the Flag and King of the Hill, and some maps also have respawn points and "turrets" in the form of Lightning Obelisks. Guild battles are sort of a two-way Assault game type. You need to bring the NPC Thief to unlock their doors, kill the NPC bodyguards on the way, and finally kill the enemy Guild Lord, all the while probably fighting the enemy team. 6) The actual missions are also a tad more dynamic than other games. One mission involves playing what is basically Domination versus the an enemy team (first team to control 3 pillars by placing a respawning seed on their pedestals wins). The Delivery missions also usually involve unique items that actually have a gameplay effect. e.g., the Eye knocks down enemies close to it, one of the Staffs can give a bonus to energy regen/capacity. 7) Similarities 3: In regards to the game's market scheme, the game, and the expansions are akin to the basic sets and expansions in M:tG. You don't have to buy it. But you'll probably want to so you will have new skills/cards to play around with (although it's more like adding new colors instead of new cards to a specific color). 8) The heavy use of instancing does get rid of PKs and SKs, but it also removes a great deal of the social aspect outside of the towns in the game. 9) Personally, if WoW had been free, I probably would have picked WoW instead. However, an estimated $300 saving over the course of 3 years means this game wins out for me.
Most likely the passion left the programmer about the same time his wife did.
It also has something to say about his respect for his significant other. It's not just about watching a baby "squirt" out, it's about watching the grand opening of what should be a new chapter in your life - and sharing that with your significant other.
I've tried out Guildwars, and it isnt that bad, but its just a more stable and more interesting version of Shadowbane.
I looked at the web site, but couldn't figure out how to get one in time to play this weekend. Got any tips?
I'll have to tell the poor sap he got ignored again tommarow.
Guild Wars is being developed on and will initially be released for the PC
Now is that PC 2000 or PC XP?
From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc
I 've played in the public beta week-ends. I thought Guild Wars was cool until I tried WoW for the first time. Despite all the claimed advantages of balance and no fees, GW just feels like Dungeon Siege/not quite MMORPG. WoW just sucks you in and the graphics are better to boot. Immersiveness is fantastic. The fact that GW doesn't have you running around the world map actually detracts from the feeling that you're there...seems more like stages which isn't really different from many many other games.
You're probably going to like this, then. The Battlegrounds. A battleground will basically be a special region of the map where each side must cooperate to upgrade their bases and take resources, while battling npcs and other players as well. It'll really introduce the whole Warcraft feel to the game, I think.
The Zeitgeist Movement
He's a fanboy because he has common sense? There is nothing massively multiplayer about 6 people. Counter-strike is just as much a MMORPG as guildwars. And the Guild Wars creators and website clearly state it is not a MMORPG.
Game companies choose to use DirectX because they are stupid. That's not the fault of linux, or any people or companies involved with linux. Quit being a fucktard.