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2 months ago
Feature: Beasts of burden
Every MMO has to have a mount. Mounts are a reward, a step in the endgame that helps you feel like you’ve finally mastered an MMO’s world. Finally you can get around quickly. No more of that plebeian walking. And with the game feeling like it’s in your grasp at last, you even get to show off your achievement with the flamboyance of your steed.…
ArenaNet president Mike O’Brien departs to make small games at a smaller studio
After nearly 20 years working at Guild Wars 2 developers ArenaNet, president and co-founder Mike O'Brien has packed his bags. It's been a good run, carving out a stable niche in the fiercely contested MMORPG arena, but earlier this week O'Brien gave his fond farewells to the studio he helped found. It's time to aim smaller and make less demanding games with friends.
4 months ago
Allegations of abuse have been made against multiple games industry figures in the past 24 hours. On Monday afternoon Nathalie Lawhead, developer of the IGF-winning Tetrageddon Games, wrote a post on her website alleging that Jeremy Soule, the composer of Skyrim, raped her while she was working for an unnamed Vancouver-based games studio. Seven hours later, comics writer and indie developer Zoë Quinn posted tweets…
Devs from Failbetter, Red Hook and ArenaNet to face the impossible at PAX West
It’s often said that the more restrictions you’re working against, the more creative you’ll become. We’re planning to test that theory to its limits next Friday at PAX West, where our Nate will be inviting a team of developers to puzzle their way around some real thinkabouters in Rock Paper Shotgun’s Game Design Hotseat. How could you make a grand strategy game with only six…
7 months ago
Feature: Cat cameos
The pets immortalised in videogames by their developer owners
Matthew Holland never planned to add his dogs to Divinity: Original Sin 2. It happened on a lark, but turned into a wholesome story about his two canine companions. Holland worked as a scripter at Larian, the studio behind the fantasy RPG. While they were designing Fort Joy, an introductory island prison, the team came up with a quest about two separated dogs who wanted…
9 months ago
Guild Wars 2 players hold gatherings in gratitude to laid-off ArenaNet staff
With MMO developer ArenaNet recently becoming the latest in a long string of studios laying off developers, Guild Wars 2 players have been gathering in the game to show their appreciation for those who find themselves without jobs. Multiple events saw people from all over the world meeting up under the Lion’s Arch, toasting with body-changing tonics, and setting off fireworks in commemoration of the…
10 months ago
It's another day in the games industry, which means another bunch of talented people have lost their jobs. Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet have confirmed that "staff reductions" are being made "due to the cancellation of unannounced projects". They claim that "the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 game services will not be affected, nor is any upcoming game content cancelled." Game: (supposedly) fine. Lives:…
11 months ago
Guild Wars 2’s fourth season peaks with a Crystal Dragon hunt
Guild Wars 2 got a little off track with Path Of Fire's god-hunting story arc, but tomorrow those with their sights on the deadliest game of all (Elder Dragons, duh) should be pleased. Season four, episode five of the MMORPG's 'living world' updates goes live tomorrow adding a new mountain zone to explore, a chunk of new story, and what sounds like a nigh-suicidal plan…
1 year ago
Guild Wars 2’s premium currency unavailable in Belgium as legal pressure builds
Loot boxes are retreating across the Belgian front as Guild Wars 2 apparently becomes the latest game to axe sales of premium currency in the country, as reported by Gamasutra. While subscription-free (and free-to-play in general, if you don't mind missing out on expansions), Arenanet's successful MMORPG has always had loot boxes. The in-game premium shop offers keys to unlock randomly dropped boxes, as well…
ArenaNet have fired two Guild Wars 2 writers for tweets they made this past week. In doing so, they've thrown their lot in with players and harassers who make unreasonable demands of game developers. Good work, ArenaNet. Let's start at the beginning. On July 3rd, Jessica Price wrote an interesting Twitter thread about the challenges of writing compelling player characters in MMORPGs. In response to…
The star of Guild Wars 2's latest expansion - Path of Fire - was undoubtedly its mounts. The best I've seen in an MMO, with a real sense of weight and inertia and with reason to exist beyond getting you quickly from point A to B. On top of the now-standard new zone and story quests, next week's big update (Season 4, Episode 3: Long…
2 years ago
Guild Wars 2’s next Living World episode features a heist, and a spooky magi-technological lab
Guild Wars 2 fans, it's time to mark up your calendar again. As has become the standard format for the successful MMORPG, a second episode of Living World content - this one titled A Bug In The System - is on its way, bringing new sights to see, new monsters to bop and new loot to hoard. It's been three months since the release of…
Guild Wars 2 might not be the talk of the town anymore, but the fast-paced MMO is still chugging along nicely, with a major new desert-themed expansion - Path of Fire - released just this September. It's really rather good, bringing some satisfyingly weighty-feeling mounts to the game, making exploring feel fresh and fun again. For those who bought Path of Fire and have already hammered…
Arenanet's MMORPG Guild Wars 2 [official site] has begun its adventure to new (old) lands with the launch of its second expansion. Path of Fire returns to the Crystal Desert and kingdom Elona, from the first game, on a mission to give the god of war a good kicking. To help boot his molten teeth clean out, players will get new mounts, new elite specialisations,…
With Guild Wars 2 [official site] venturing off to new lands (well, old - from the first game) in its Path of Fire expansion next month, developers ArenaNet are inviting all and sundry in for a cheeky peek this weekend. All and sundry are invited to visit the Crystal Desert in a "preview weekend" starting on Friday, no pre-order or purchase necessary. The Crystal Desert…
The second paid expansion for free-to-play fantasy MMORPG Guild Wars 2 [official site] will launch on September 22nd, developers ArenaNet announced today. Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire will return to the Crystal Desert from the first game along with Elona from its Nightfall expansion. Continuing to follow and fight the return of the god of war, Path of Fire will also introduce mounts and…
Almost five years since Guild Wars 2 [official site] launched and two years since the MMORPG's first expansion kicked off, developers Arenanet are winding up a second. They've announced plans to announce the second GW2 expansion on August 1st. Yes, this is one of those irksome announcements of announcements but we have our own local Guild Wars mob in Rock, Paper, Signet so this is,…
3 years ago
Feature: Family gaming
State of the Art: Guild Wars 2’s art passes from father to son
Recently I had the chance to talk to ArenaNet (and thus Guild Wars 2) art director Horia Dociu about his work at the studio. One of the interesting things about his promotion to the role is that he succeeds his father, Daniel. As a result there's a lot in our Q&A; which is actually just a touching account of a partnership/mentor/mentee relationship across two generations…
Adventure with the RPS community in Guild Wars 2 on Saturday
A group of RPS readers are embarking upon a merry tour of Guild Wars 2 this weekend, and you're all invited - no purchase necessary. The folks of Rock, Paper, Signet are visiting the American servers for the first time for a whistlestop 'Fresh Start' tour of each race's starting zone. Expect adventure, action, and plenty of larking about. Focusing on the starting zones means…
Feature: And why developers should do more
For three years, many of my evenings and weekends have been spent online with the Rock, Paper, Shotgun community – posting announcements, managing servers, and hosting events. By doing this I’ve met hundreds of people and have developed some great friendships. I've enhanced the experience of playing games for myself and others, and in the process I've gained skills to progress my career in ‘real…
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