Games Guild Wars 2

[Chosen]

I'll be playing, but not beta. I wonder if they're going to keep the beta server names or shuffle it so that it's a nightmare to coordinate which server to pick.

If they do, it will be a big raging community! Seeing that many communities have already bought domain names with the current server-name!(this included us www.farshiverpeaks.com )

 

[Docmandu]

I'll be playing, but not beta. I wonder if they're going to keep the beta server names or shuffle it so that it's a nightmare to coordinate which server to pick.

MMO Launch.. so it's going to be a nightmare, no matter what

Expecting heaps of QQ'ing about full WvWvW zones @ launch!

 

[Ctuchik]

If they do, it will be a big raging community! Seeing that many communities have already bought domain names with the current server-name!(this included us www.farshiverpeaks.com )

Not A-Nets fault ppl are.... what should we say..... shortsighted?

 

[Chosen]

Not A-Nets fault ppl are.... what should we say..... shortsighted?

People tend to organise themself pretty early on to make sure that their server is at the very top. To do this, it is necessary to form up a community even before the game is out.

We have already had our representative talking with ArenaNet, and it is confirmed that the server names will stay. (Not like we really doubtet that anyway).

 

[Ctuchik]

No, beta server names usually stay nowadays. But every once in a while you get a game where they just have to come up with brand new server names, like Rift did.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

We have already had our representative talking with ArenaNet, and it is confirmed that the server names will stay. (Not like we really doubtet that anyway).

Now thats interesting. I wasn't entirely convinced it would be the case.

 

[Chosen]

Now thats interesting. I wasn't entirely convinced it would be the case.

Well, I might've lied a little bit. As we only asked about Far Shiverpeaks, I don't know about the others really. But seeing that all the server names are places from the games, it would be wierd to change them into anything else.

 

[svartalf]

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/b/324689481
[..]
Legendary weapons sounds cool to

You're not kidding. I almost feel like choosing a species that's bigger than 1 pixel just in case I get around to acquiring legendary stuff.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Well, I might've lied a little bit. As we only asked about Far Shiverpeaks, I don't know about the others really. But seeing that all the server names are places from the games, it would be wierd to change them into anything else.

Well I'd prefer to land with Freddies and all the other people I've been talking to. You get a better class of abuse.

 

[Madmaxx]

You're not kidding. I almost feel like choosing a species that's bigger than 1 pixel just in case I get around to acquiring legendary stuff.

I must admit I wanted an asura, but like you say being able to see the items you raid for seems like a good idea

 

[Docmandu]

I must admit I wanted an asura, but like you say being able to see the items you raid for seems like a good idea

Go Tall Norn if you're really vain! Those mofo's are HUGE... even if you stand next to a human it looks gigantic.. can't imagine how it will be versus an asura.

 

[Madmaxx]

Run your patcher to d/l a new client and 38k files or so.

 

[Athan]

Re: the server names thing... possibly one reason other games changed between beta and live was need to juggle which servers were which type (Normal vs PvP, and RP vs not). AFAIK GW2 just has the same flat type of server across the board, although I guess they might have some marked as RP-friendly, so less reason to need to juggle things.

 

[svartalf]

As I don't know the game, I thought I'd post this here for the beta testers to assess, if they cba: http://gw2.luna-atra.fr/skills_tool/

 

[Athan]

Ugh, that one's flash. There are such tools around that are just HTML + JS. For instance: http://www.gw2tools.com/skills

For the unitiated this may prove useful: http://en.gw2codex.com/

 

[svartalf]

 

[Madmaxx]

some BWE3 keys here at IGN.

http://uk.ign.com/prime/promo/guild-wars-2

 

[Madmaxx]

What’s New in the Final Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Event


http://www.arena.net/blog/whats-new-in-the-final-guild-wars-2-beta-weekend-event

New PvP Map – Legacy of the Foefire and More World vs. World

Kind of glad im working as I wont spoil it ... but damm it I wanna make a sylvari / asura

 

[svartalf]

Here is the page. I really need to modify that HTML-to-BBCode converter.

By The Guild Wars 2 Team July 16th, 2012more on: asurabetadevelopmentsylvari

The final Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Event is nearly here. From Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 22, hundreds of thousands of players from Europe and North America will experience the beta version of Guild Wars 2 one last time before the game launches on August 28.

As you can imagine, this is an exciting time for everyone here at the studio. Guild Wars 2 launches in a matter of weeks, and with playable asura and sylvari characters and a lot of other cool content, this last Beta Weekend Event will be our biggest yet. Let’s take a look at what we’re all so excited about.
Create an Asura or Sylvari Character


Beta players will be able to create asura and sylvari characters for the first time this weekend, exploring each race’s fantastical home region, and experiencing the unique storyline options available to these races.



Lore and Continuity Writer Ree Soesbee, who was intimately involved with the creation of the sylvari, has high hopes for the debut of Tyria’s enigmatic race of humanoid plants.

“I hope players come away from this weekend with a better sense of the sylvari as a race—their personalities, quirks, interests, and setting,” Ree says. “I hope they’ll love the sylvari voices—the PC ones, in particular, are amazing!—and getting to see the Grove and soak in all its wonders. Personally, I look forward to hearing how players respond to the somewhat inhuman visual choices available for sylvari PCs—something that our artists worked very hard to create. It’s difficult to balance beautiful and not-quite-human!”

Players will also be able to create asuran characters for the first time this beta weekend.

Matt Barrett, the concept artist largely responsible for creating the asuran architecture, is confident that beta players will enjoy exploring Metrica Province and monolithic Rata Sum or matching wits with the treacherous Inquest. “Making the visually and culturally distinctive world of the asura was a huge, complex job, and I think players will be as intrigued by the asura as I was,” Matt says. “My challenge for beta players is to really explore the breadth and depth of their unique civilization and make the most of your chance to uncover the secrets of the asura.”


Brand-New Map – Brisban Wildlands


This brand-new map, recommended for players level 17-20, makes its debut this weekend.“Brisban Wildlands is a remote jungle adjacent to the lands of the asura, sylvari, and humans. For decades the only inhabitants have been a few asura labs too secretive or volatile to occupy space near Rata Sum, and an ever-multiplying population of skritt. Protected by the secluded jungle, the skritt built the city of Skrittsburgh, and have attained an order of civility little seen in other areas of Tyria.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before outlaws began taking advantage of Brisban’s isolated location. The Inquest, Nightmare Court, and human bandits now flood the area, preying on skritt and disrupting lab operations. Worse still, each of these groups seem to have their own dark intentions—plots that could be catastrophic if left unchecked.

“The need for heroes is so great that many sylvari have been led to the jungle on their wyld hunts. Recognizing their common goals, the Peacemakers, wyld hunt valiants, and Seraph have pooled their resources in an attempt to keep Brisban Wildlands from falling to criminals.”-Kim Kirsch, Game Designer


Get Ready to Keg Brawl!


Introducing the first minigame activity playable in a beta weekend—the wildly popular, incredibly macho norn pastime known as Keg Brawl!

Activities like Keg Brawl are fun minigames that are available in many Tyrian cities. In the great norn settlement of Hoelbrak, players can speak to the Brewer NPC in the northwest corner to begin the game.

In Keg Brawl, two teams attempt to score points by toting a full keg of ale across an icy lake and turning it in to the Ale Collector that belongs to their team. Participants are free to tackle, pummel, kick, and otherwise rough up competing players in order to seize control of the keg.

Keg Brawl—you’ll never look at a keg of ale the same way again!


Kick Back and Enjoy the Vista


There’s so much to see in Tyria that sometimes you just want to pull over to the side of the proverbial road and admire the view. For this Beta Weekend Event, we’re introducing vistas, a new feature for sightseers, explorers, and those who just enjoy drinking in the view.“Many of you have already spent some time exploring the world of Tyria battling through bandits, ghosts, and even other players. But how often did you get the chance to just sit back and look at the handcrafted beauty of the game? In the upcoming beta weekend, you’ll have the chance to do just that with our new vista feature.

“Vistas are a new addition to our map completion progress. We’ve placed visual cues of these hidden locations throughout the world. Once you have located and navigated to the vista, simply interact with it to activate a sweeping panoramic cinematic of the area.

“But don’t take my word for it; check out this vista from Hoelbrak below. Enjoy!”-Crystal Reid, Level Designer



New PvP Map – Legacy of the Foefire


We’re introducing a brand-new player-versus-player map this weekend that we call “Legacy of the Foefire,” which draws some inspiration from the lore and design of the original Guild Wars. As with all PvP maps, players will battle over three capture points, but this new map includes NPC guards and team “guild lords,” powerful NPCs that are worth a lot of points… if you can manage to kill them.

“I think fans of Guild Wars will particularly appreciate the background of Foefire,” Game Designer Jonathan Sharp says. “And I think they’ll find the map layout reminiscent of some classic Guild Wars maps.”

More World vs. World


WvW isn’t just about spectacular sieges or brutal clashes between armies of players; there’s plenty for the small team or single player to do.

This beta weekend we’re introducing objectives for solo players called sentries. As you can imagine from the name, sentries are solitary NPC guards located on a capture point that are worth points if you can take them out. But be warned—sentries are no pushovers!
Reminder: Beta Info Will Be Deleted



Before this final Beta Weekend Event (and before Guild Wars 2 launches on August 28) we’ll delete all existing beta information.Every betacharacter and all information or items associated withthemwill bedeleted. However, we will be preserving your betaaccount’scontact list so you can easily connect with your fellow betagamersduring Headstart Access or after launch.
Gem Store is Open for Business!


Duringthe beta weekend, we’ll test our secure Gem Store billingsystem in alive environment, which means you can purchase gems withyour creditcard or through PayPal.

As we mentioned earlier, we’re wiping allour beta data beforelaunch—including items purchased this weekend—butwe’ll keep a recordof how many gems you’ve purchased during betaevents. When Guild Wars 2 launches on August 28, you’ll receive those gems back on your account.
Guild Wars 2 Beta Livestream on Twitch TV


Throughout the beta weekend, ArenaNet devs will be livestreaming GW2 gameplay on Twitch TV. From combat tips to PvP match commentary, our developers will give you a deeper insight into the game and will take your questions in the chat channel during each stream.

For more information, check out Twitch TV’s Guild Wars 2 channel.

 

[svartalf]

This is the news:
http://www.arena.net/blog/the-worlds-of-the-final-beta-weekend-event

By Mike Ferguson July 18th, 2012more on: betaserverserversworld vs worldworlds

Hello again, everyone! In this post, I’ve got a couple of world-versus-world tidbits for you, as well as the list of servers for our upcoming—and final—Beta Weekend Event! Let’s get right to it.
WvW Improvements


As many of you know, BWE2 was a rather difficult weekend for many people that wanted to experience WvW because of various issues and bugs in the matchmaking systems. Due to all the issues we encountered, we will not be releasing match results from BWE2. That said, over the last few weeks, we’ve been hard at work improving our matchmaking and fixing those issues.

In addition to the bug fixes, we’ve also updated our WvW matchmaking formula to use additional factors, like score differential to make even more accurate adjustments in future ranking calculations. Our tests indicate that the system is working much better now, and we’re really looking forward to seeing it in action during the event. Also, I’d like to give a special shout-out to the gamers at Reddit for their extremely detailed analysis—thank you for all the hard work and great suggestions!

WvW at Launch

We have seen quite a few questions and concerns about world-versus-world match length at launch. We’re expecting to see large population changes across all worlds in the first few weeks as more players get into the game and guilds start getting settled.

To help account for the rapidly fluctuating populations at launch, we’ll initially use the 24-hour match format until world populations settle down a bit and we are able to get some data that will help avoid having two-week-long extreme mismatches. Once most worlds are reliably matching up against worlds of similar strength, we will switch over to playing the two-week-duration match cycles.
The BWE3 World List


Now for the most important part of this post: the list of worlds that will be available at the start of BWE3! (Edit: see original post for nicely formatted, 2-column version: http://www.arena.net/blog/the-worlds-of-the-final-beta-weekend-event)
NA Servers EU Servers
Anvil Rock Abaddon’s Mouth[DE]
Blackgate Augury Rock [FR]
Borlis Pass Aurora Glade
Crystal Desert Blacktide
Darkhaven Boreal Station
Ehmry Bay Desolation
Fort Aspenwood Elona Reach [DE]
Gate of Madness Far Shiverpeaks
Henge of Denravi Fissure of Woe
Isle of Janthir Fort Ranik [FR]
Jade Quarry Gandara
Maguuma Gunnar’s Hold
Sanctum of Rall Jade Sea [FR]
Sea of Sorrows Kodash [DE]
Sorrow’s Furnace Lakeside County
Stormbluff Isle Piken Square
Tarnished Coast Ring of Fire
Yak’s Bend Riverside [DE]
Ruins of Surmia
Seafarer’s Rest
Umbral Grotto
Underworld
Vabbi
Whiteside Ridge
Fewer Worlds, More Fun


As you’ll see, there will be fewer worlds available initially than we had during BWE2. Why do we have fewer worlds for a much larger beta event? There are a few different reasons for this, ranging from being able to have a larger player limit on all worlds, to a shift in focus for how we utilize our server power.

Many of you may remember our blog post prior to BWE2 that mentioned how we had acquired a ton of new servers in order to support the number of players we expected.

As our esteemed Lead Server Programmer Dr.Stephen Clarke-Willson put it recently, “Quite frankly, we made too many worlds for BWE2 just because we could and not because we should, and thus we had a lot of low population worlds.This time around we’re focusing our new CPU horsepower into fewer, more populated worlds.”



It’s no secret that worlds with low populations just aren’t as much fun to play on (or against), so we’re focused on getting higher populations on each of our worlds to improve the experience for all beta players.As I mentioned, we’ve been able to greatly increase the maximum player capacity for each server. We’ve been able to do this partially because we’ve opened up a number of new playable areas with the addition of the sylvari and asura as playable characters.We expect that we will increase our capacity again when we launch and the rest of the game areas will be available. There have also been several general technical improvements made by our incredibly talented programming team that have positively impacted the entire game and let us raise our world population limit even higher.Don’t worry, we’ll be closely monitoring our world populations this weekend and can quickly launch new worlds as needed should problems arise with our new population limits. Our server tech is now able to raise or lower population caps with some very simple changes that don’t require us to take the game down. This lets us adjust world populations based on how the servers react and you won’t even have to leave the game!



While you may not notice it due to our ability to change certain settings with no downtime, we will definitely be working diligently behind the scenes doing whatever we can to ensure you can enjoy the Beta Weekend Event as much as possible…before we go away for another month to get ready for launch.

“Get ready for launch.” How awesome does that sound?

See you on the battlefields! Read this post in French, German, or Spanish.

 

[Madmaxx]

WvW at Launch

We have seen quite a few questions and concerns about world-versus-world match length at launch. We’re expecting to see large population changes across all worlds in the first few weeks as more players get into the game and guilds start getting settled.
To help account for the rapidly fluctuating populations at launch, we’ll initially use the 24-hour match format until world populations settle down a bit and we are able to get some data that will help avoid having two-week-long extreme mismatches. Once most worlds are reliably matching up against worlds of similar strength, we will switch over to playing the two-week-duration match cycles.

sounds good.

 

[Himse]

Can't wait to give this a whirl!

 

[svartalf]

Asura race intro race cinematic (not on youtube yet):
http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed...lers.com:eab91a19-01f9-41d0-ab3c-47e811be1a88

 

[Cirventhor]

When does it start tomorrow?

 

[Athan]

The start time of past BWEs has been mid-day US Pacific Time (with DST applied). So should be 8pm UK (with DST applied).

Indeed the email I got about it says:

This Beta Weekend Event begins Friday, July 20, at noon PDT (GMT -7) and ends Sunday, July 22, at 11:59 p.m. PDT (GMT -7).

 

[Madmaxx]

From the Official Beta forums

Since our last Beta Weekend Event we’ve made quite a few changes and improvements to both the trading post and our world transfer system. We’ll also have special daily sales going on in the Gem Store throughout the Beta Weekend Event. Read on for more information!
Remember: You will be charged for all gem purchases made during the Beta Weekend Event, but any gems you purchase will be credited to your account when GW2 launches. You’ll find all the details right here in our Gem Store FAQ.
World Transfer
World transfer will be free and unlimited from Noon July 20 to 6:00 PM Pacific on July 21. After this period, you’ll need to spend gems for a transfer. Transfers will still be unlimited. The gem costs for a world transfer after 6:00 PM Pacific on July 21:

•1800 gems to transfer to a high population world
•1000 gems to transfer to a medium population world
•500 gems to transfer to a low population world
Trading Post

•Dyes are now tradable in the Black Lion Trading Post.
•All items for sale must be posted for a unit price that is above the vendor value of the item (if the item has a vendor value).
Daily Gem Store – 20% Off
Each day during the Beta Weekend Event we’ll offer a different item on sale for 20% off in the Gem Store. All sales begin and end at midnight of each day.

=======================================================================================================


Purchasing Gems during Beta Weekend Event 3
This upcoming Beta Weekend Event—July 20 to July 22—we will test our Gem Store billing system in a live environment. While we won’t give away any free gems for the beta, you can purchase gems via the Gem Store that will carry over to your account when Guild Wars 2 launches.
Here are a couple of points to keep in mind:

•Any gems you purchase are bound to the account you bought them on.
•If you play on a promotional account, such as those created with press- or BWE3-specific keys, you will need to add a retail key to that account to be able to access the gems when the game launches.
•To add a retail key to your account, please follow these steps:
•Go to https://register.guildwars2.com.
•Enter your key in the field and click “Yes” when asked if you have a Guild Warsaccount. (The account you created with your promotional key is your Guild Wars account.)
•Enter the e-mail address and password you used when you registered your promotional key and created your initial account and click “Next.”
FAQ
Q: How do I get gems during the Beta Weekend Event?
A: You will be able to purchase gems from our secure in-game Gem Store with your credit card or through PayPal.

Q: Is it safe to enter my credit card information into the Gem Store?
A: Yes. Your credit card information is securely transferred to our servers with the same protections used by the most secure online retailers.

Q: What happens to the gems that I purchase during BWE3? Do I get to keep them?
A: All beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the gems purchased during beta events. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account onceGuild Wars 2 launches.

Q: Will I keep the items that I purchased with the gems?
A: No, all beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the items you purchased during beta events. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.

Q: Will I get to keep gems I got from the currency exchange after the beta?
A: No, all beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the items you purchased or exchanged during beta events. We only maintain a record of the amount of gems you purchase during Beta Weekend Event 3 via credit card or PayPal, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.

Q: I bought something with my gems, but I don’t want it anymore. Can I get my gems back?
A: No. Once you spend your gems on something in the Gem Store, you cannot get a refund for the transaction. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account onceGuild Wars 2
launches.

Q: I decided that I do not want the gems I have purchased. Is there a way to get my money back?
A: Please contact Customer Support.

 

[Himse]

todayyyyyyy!

going to test a number of classes over the next couple of days, primarily thief but want to give elementalist, guardian, necro all a go too

 

[~Latency~]

Does this work for anyone? The activation code part's empty :<

Alternatively does anyone have a spare key or know where I can try and get a key from?? Really want to give this a go :|

some BWE3 keys here at IGN.

http://uk.ign.com/prime/promo/guild-wars-2

 

[Athan]

Does this work for anyone? The activation code part's empty :<

Alternatively does anyone have a spare key or know where I can try and get a key from?? Really want to give this a go :|

Nope, not working here either. Even checking page source that bit is blank. I'd wonder if it just means they ran out of keys and didn't code something to say so....

 

[~Latency~]

Nope, not working here either. Even checking page source that bit is blank. I'd wonder if it just means they ran out of keys and didn't code something to say so....

I checked a couple of days ago and it was blank then so you'd think that they would take it down or something =p