Pre-release news/Archives/2011/July-Sept

September

That Old College Try

September 16

Rising up from their cities beneath the earth, the asura prove, time and time again, the old adage ”Difficulty is just another word for opportunity.“ From their humble beginnings among the ruins of the Tarnished Coast, the asura have risen to prominence. Their magical gates connect the major cities of Tyria, and their intelligence makes them an ally to be respected—or an enemy to be feared. Read more from Ree Soesbee about the asura and their lore at the official ArenaNet blog.

Introducing the New Asura Video

September 15

As part of Asura Week, the official asura page has been updated with new lore, screenshots, and wallpapers in addition to a video of Rata Sum. Take in what any asura would say is the best of the racial pages at the Guild Wars 2 website.

Heron Prior on Animating the Asura

September 15

Heron Prior, animation team lead for Guild Wars 2, talks a bit about the asura and explains some of the thinking and processes that went into bringing the characters to life. Although they posed some unique challenges, the asura ended up being one of the animation team’s favorite races to work on and they're excited for players to get a closer look. See how the team answered the balance between mechanics and presentation as well as a sample of asura animation at the new ArenaNet blogpost here.

Snarky Little Geniuses – Angel McCoy on Writing the Asura

September 14

Asura are diminutive, vibrant geniuses with chips on their shoulders. We first met them in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, but their history might surprise some people. Before 1078 AE (~250 years before GW2 present day), the asura lived underground, building their civilization in dark caverns. They rarely came out, and few other races encountered them. For sound clips of the asura and more from Angel McCoy check out the ArenaNet blog.

Hey Bookah! Smart Asura Answers to Stupid Questions

September 13

Asura week continues on the ArenaNet blog with a humorous take at an advice column run by an asura. Check it out.

Ambition on a Grand Scale – Matt Barrett Talks Asura Environment Art

September 13

When the asura make things, it’s not as much an exercise of craft or dexterity as it is an act of will—ambition made manifest in stone and metal. Every asuran artifact bears the imprint of their ancient masters of elemental energies. Blind adherents to ancient traditions, however, they are not: if something can be done better, they’re on it yesterday. Read more from Matt Barrett about the environment designs for the asura on the ArenaNet blog.

Mr. Sparkles, A Tale of the Asura

September 12

Jeff Grubb presents a concept story, written three years ago when ArenaNet were exploring what the Guild Wars 2 characters were like. Many concept stories are no longer applicable, but this one – about an asura artificer and his sylvari assistant – has hung on. Read the tale of Mr. Sparkles on the ArenaNet blog.

Matt Barrett on Asura Design

September 12

Asura, the little goblin-y, flappy-eared tinkerer creatures… They make magic machines, right? They’re tinkerers, yes, but also intuitively powerful masters of the elemental energies surrounding them in the caverns of their native sub-Tyrian world.

Read about the design of the asura from Matt Barrett on the ArenaNet blog.

Introducing the Guild Wars 2 Charr Plush!

September 8

This ferocious yet huggable 17-inch-long stuffed charr will stand guard in your home or office. Quantities are limited so recruit your Guild Wars 2 charr plush today at the Penny Arcade store in North America and the NCsoft Store in Europe.

Prepare Your Minds for Asura Week!

September 8

They may be small, but they think big. They're the asura, a race of diminutive geniuses whose inventions, experiments, and research make them a force to be reckoned with in Tyria. Next week ArenaNet are examining the asura with five days of blog posts, videos, stories, and more. Get ready for Asura Week, which runs Sep 12-16! Read more of ArenaNet's plans on the blog.

August

Video: Behind the Scenes of German Voice Acting

August 31

ArenaNet has posted a video giving a behind-the-scenes look at the German voice acting for Guild Wars 2. Head over to the blog to have a look.

Making the Battle of Kyhlo

August 18

Game development is team based, and everyone pitches in to help create an amazing final product. Collaboration and iteration are the keys to making good games, and working well with people from other disciplines is crucial if you want a job in the game industry. Let's take a look at how the various ArenaNet departments helped to bring the Battle of Kyhlo map to life! Check out the ArenaNet blog for Jonathan Sharp's words on how the first PvP map was made.

Player vs. Player - Jon Peters Talks PvP

August 18

ArenaNet have made PvP easy to learn and quick to join but with a depth of gameplay that will challenge casual gamers and hardcore PvPers alike. Learn more about PvP in designer Jon Peters' article right here!

The Battle of Kyhlo – Jonathan Sharp on PvP

August 17

Earlier this week Jon Peters talked about the core structure of PvP in Guild Wars 2. Today, Jonathan Sharp talks about the first map ArenaNet are revealing, the Battle of Kyhlo—a map you can play at the upcoming PAX and gamescom shows. Read the ArenaNet blog for a break down of the map, some general tactics and strategy, and how each class can help their team.

Jon Peters on the New Gamescom Demo

August 15

As ArenaNet roll into this next demo season, there are a few major changes that they thought we should know. The changes include dropping skill energy use and how skills are acquired. Head to the ArenaNet blog for Jon Peters' discussion on the changes ArenaNet have made to the latest demo.

Dream and Nightmare

August 12

The sylvari are the youngest race in Guild Wars 2, awakened with the rise of the new age in Tyria. They may be unfamiliar with the world, but they have dreamed of it, and they share a rich and compelling vision that guides their path. From the day of their awakening, each sylvari feels called to defend the land and fight the Elder Dragons. They are united in this purpose beneath their mother, the Pale Tree.

Find Ree Soesbee's full post on sylvari lore and history on the ArenaNet blog.

Introducing the New Sylvari Video

August 11

As part of Sylvari Week today ArenaNet has updated the official sylvari page with new lore, wallpapers, screenshots, and a brand new video focusing on the enigmatic plant race. Check it out right here!

Video: Growing the Sylvari

August 10

Four years ago, the Guild Wars 2 writers and designers came to the artists with a crazy direction for a new race. They are a brand new species to Tyria—less than 25 years old—innocent to the world, they nevertheless possess a collective wisdom. They have a certain noble quality, incorporating Arthurian chivalry as well as all the secrets that the darker places may reveal. They are mysterious. They are unusual. They are unique. They are the sylvari.

Watch Ree and Kristen talk about the sylvari on the ArenaNet blog.

The Sylvari Soul – Angel McCoy on Writing the Sylvari

August 9

My name is Angel Leigh McCoy, and I’m one of several writers on the Guild Wars 2 design team. We've been molding Tyria into a living, breathing world, and I’m here to share some audio clips of in-game dialogue and give you some insight into the sylvari, Tyria's newest race.

Read on in the blog for the second installment of sylvari week.

Kristen Perry on Designing and Redesigning the Sylvari

August 8

Every race in Guild Wars 2 started with a simplified description—a way to describe the essence of the people in a sentence or less. The sylvari description was pared down to just three words: noble, beautiful, plant. In the past, ArenaNet's design iterations would always lean towards one or two of these descriptors, but in the end we really wanted to have a race that would represent all three characteristics clearly.

Read more from Kristen Perry on the design of the sylvari on the ArenaNet blog.

Prepare for Guild Wars 2 at PAX Prime!

August 5

Europe can't have all the fun, so the week after gamescom ArenaNet are bringing the brand new Guild Wars 2 demo to the Penny Arcade Expo, North America's premier video game fan convention! It's all happening from August 26-28 in Seattle, WA.

Read what ArenaNet have planned for PAX on the blog.

Next Week is Sylvari Week

August 5

Gamers in Europe will get a chance to play the sylvari for the first time at gamescom this year. To properly unveil the new look for Guild Wars 2's enigmatic, inquisitive plant race, ArenaNet have declared next week Sylvari Week on the ArenaNet Blog and on GuildWars2.com. ArenaNet have a lot to show and so much to talk about, so are packing Sylvari Week full of plant-y goodness – read on in the blog for details!

James Boer Talks GW2 Audio Design

August 4

Hi everyone! This is Jim Boer again. In a previous blog post, I discussed the tools we use to create our in-game cinematics. This time, I’d like to talk about my other area of responsibility in the game: audio. My job is to design and create not only the runtime engine components, but also the tools required to support both cinematics and audio teams. I'm really excited about what we’ll be doing with sound and music in Guild Wars 2. Being an amateur musician and composer myself, game audio has always been a topic of interest to me.

Read more from James on the ArenaNet blog.

The Hidden Complexity of Sound Design

August 4

I'm Drew Cady, Lead Sound Designer for Guild Wars 2. Together with my colleague Sound Engineer Robert Gay, we've put together a blog post that looks a little deeper into the voice pipeline for our game. A great deal of thought and work goes into the simplest audio asset in Guild Wars 2, whether it's a footstep on snow, the day and night cycle of ambient sounds, or a snarling charr voice.

Today we're going to pull back the proverbial curtain and look at how we do our work.

Video: Guild Wars 2 Sound Design

August 3

Today ArenaNet continue their look at the Guild Wars 2 Audio Team with a video trip inside ArenaNet's sound booths. These guys are not only masters of their craft, but they get to play with the coolest toys.

Take a look at the video.

Video: Guild Wars 2 Field Recording

August 2

At ArenaNet they're serious about audio. This week on the blog ArenaNet are going to take a look behind the scenes at the Audio Team that has been working so hard to create a compelling soundscape for Guild Wars 2. Today they're taking a look at the involved process of field recording for Guild Wars 2 in a behind-the-scenes Audio Team video.

See the video on the ArenaNet blog.

July

Get Ready for Gamescom!

July 29

With San Diego Comic Con now behind them, ArenaNet shift their focus across the Atlantic to gamescom, Europe's largest game expo. This annual celebration of games and entertainment takes over Cologne once again from August 17-21, and ArenaNet are going to be there in full force – and they're bringing a shiny new GW2 demo with them!

Read about the new demo on the ArenaNet blog.

ArenaNet is Heading to Comic-Con!

July 18

It's almost time for San Diego Comic-Con, that annual celebration of all the good things in life. ArenaNet love Comic-Con, so this year they're packing their bags and heading south to the San Diego sunshine – and ArenaNet are bringing some Guild Wars 2 action with them!

Read the blog for a break down of ArenaNet's plans for this year's Comic-Con!

Daniel Dociu Wins Expose Grand Master Award

July 15

Congratulations to ArenaNet Art Director Daniel Dociu, who was recently selected for the Grand Master Award in Exposé 9, Ballistic Publishing's 2011 digital art annual. Daniel Dociu joins the ranks of former Grand Master winners such as H.R. Giger, Syd Mead, John Berkey, and original Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie – pretty impressive company to keep!

Read more on the ArenaNet blog.

Video: ArenaNet Community Open House 2011

July 13

A few weeks ago ArenaNet hosted members of the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 community, including the winners of our "Become a Guild Wars 2 Ambassador" video contest, in their new offices in Bellevue, Washington for a day-long "open house" event. ArenaNet's guests tackled the formidable Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon, hung out with devs, got a grand studio tour, and much, much more. Check out ArenaNet's new video for a look inside the first ever Community Open House!

Guild Wars & Guild Wars 2 Costume Competition – and an Additional EU Show!

July 12

As it is tradition, ArenaNet will have a Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 Costume Competition at gamescom on Sunday, August 21st. ArenaNet will also be attending the Eurogamer EXPO 2011 from September 22-25 in London.

Check out the details on the ArenaNet blog.