Hunter's Insight – A Guild Wars 2 Blog

I Podcasteded

I appeared on the 50th episode of Relics of Orr. It’s my first time on a podcast and I had some technical difficulties throughout the beginning of the show but it turned out well. I don’t really like the sound of my voice, but does anyone?

The Guild Wars 2 Launch Trailer

First of all, if you don’t like spoilers, don’t watch it. Arenanet has made the same mistake that a thousand movie trailers have made and kind of spoiled the ending. Even after they did such a good job teasing it.

I’m kind of a zealot when it comes to spoilers. Maybe not compared to some, but I don’t think if you should go around telling people about Luke’s father in Star Wars if they haven’t seen it. Sure it’s been out a while, what does that matter? If you expect people to enjoy something on the same level you did, try not to ruin the surprise for them.

But that isn’t even the big controversy with this trailer for most people. The big controversy is the seemingly non-sensical live action content of the trailer.

It starts with a man caked in mud watching television. I guess this is supposed to be someone set in their ways, living a sedentary life. Possibly representative of how gamers are sick of MMOs being so cookie cutter, possibly representative of our frustration with the mundane aspects of real life. The riots on television are suggestive of something quite possibly political.

But beneath the surface of that caked on mud is something trying to break free. Something fiery, hot, burning through. Guild Wars 2 or perhaps just our own desires and motivations to break free.

This is all re-enforced by the voice over. A shadow grips the land but we’re too scared to try something new, but now is the time to seize the day.

Overall it comes off a little broad and ham-fisted if you ask me. Going for some kind of artistic merit is fine but this is a video game commercial, let’s keep it simple guys. We’re evoking a lot of things here already and very little of it has anything to do with video games.

Then we see one rioter running down a back alley with a gas mask on. Perhaps they’re trying to evoke something of the Occupy movement here. A certain amount of rebelliousness. And oh look he jumps a fence in one leap! He’s superman! “Parkour is so cool!” said the hipster. “We can exploit that in our next project.” said the film studies student.

Then the rioter spray paints “Our Time is Now” on a wall, only to reveal that she’s not actually a rioter but a model with a fake nose ring! Wow!

So far the trailer is just playing on very tired themes such as opression and youthful rebellion. Fine.

Then a crowd forms and they’re all going to walk on hot coals in some back alley. So, guy covered with mud in his living room, Riot Alice parkouring before she graffitis a wall, and now hot coals in a back alley. All things we do every day right?

I don’t get the coals metaphor. Are we supposed to believe that trying Guild Wars 2 is some form of bravery? That playing video games is a really difficult and painful decision? Video games are like walking on hot coals everybody!

Then comes the only part of the trailer I like.

A woman swims through her submerged living room in a flowing red gown, swimming to the surface. She emerges and transforms into her avatar.

This is what MMOs are about. Sometimes we feel inundated by our normal inane lives. Perhaps we sometimes even feel like we’re drowning in it. Water is typically used as a metaphor for transformation and a barrier between worlds, so when she breaks through the surface of the water she’s entering Tyria. She transforms from her old boring life to a life as an adventurer. It’s just too bad she’s insanely (and I mean insanely) gorgeous. Then again I don’t think anyone but models could live up to the in game character designs Arenanet comes up with.

I just kind of wish they had gone with this theme throughout. A fat bearded man sitting in his living room chair, breaks through to Tyria and transforms into a beautiful norn woman. Real life, you know? It would have been more representative of what we’re doing in Guild Wars 2. Suspending our disbelief, escaping to another world, socializing in that world.

Instead we have messages about seizing the day, overcoming hardship and suffering, taking action to fight for a better tomorrow. It’s practically an ad for Obama, lets face it.

The funny thing is I don’t hate this trailer, not as much as Syp does, or various people on twitter and forums. I think it’s okay. It just could have been so much better.

Eye See What You Did There

The eye as presented on facebook.

Arenanet is known to play a bit with hinting at upcoming events and I guess they’re at it again.

Fans have noticed a number of recurring images in well placed positions in videos and on facebook. The following images were found in this album uploaded on the 15th.

I believe this photo came from facebook as well.

Very subtle guys, every monitor turned off, except these guys.

Jeff Grubb also likes to conspire against fans.

And at gamescom Martin Kerstein, community manager, recorded a quick video where the eye and above images come up on a monitor behind him.

Now in the video, the image of the eye transitions to a figure seemingly swimming upwards towards the light. Following that another quick image that many claim is of burning coals.

This was later posted on facebook.

Not exactly a clear image.

And I guess that’s pretty much where we stand. These were all posted during gamescom and gamescom is now over with nothing really having come of it.

Obviously the game launches in a few days so most people are predicting a launch trailer, which is a pretty good hunch really. The question is what kind of trailer? Arenanet are known to be pretty anti-CGI since the Factions trailer saying they’d rather spend money on the game and not 500k on a trailer.

Have things changed?

The eye itself looks to be real, with grey paint. Some form of live action trailer? A commercial? Will they go the same route as their concept art animations as in the original trailer? Have a mix of animations, live action, and gameplay?

A lot of people are connecting the swimming figure to Eir, one of the 5 archetype heroes of Guild Wars 2. There are definite signs of red and Eir has red hair. There definitely seems like some similarities between that image and the concept art below.

An underwater discovery by Eir.

Whatever it ends up being, it’s going to come soon. Perhaps within hours of this post but at least by the 25th.

Fan Song Ruins of Orr

Set to the tune of Scarborough Fair, Twitter superstar and TalkTyria contributor @Loremasterkaae recorded herself singing Ruins of Orr. She devised the lyrics and uploaded the song to youtube.

I really like fan songs. Remember that Skyrim cover of an in-game song? I hope someone covers some of the songs I’ve heard in Guild Wars 2. Like that one pirate song in Gendarran Fields or that quaggan in Lion’s Arch that sings at least 3 different songs. My favourite? Swimming, swimming, swimming, all summer long. Swimming, swimming, swimming, makes your flippers strong! Somebody cover that.

Useful Tips Video

Just happened by this video from Equinox that has 10 useful tips on playing Guild Wars 2. I thought it was decent and as it happens I’m thinking about doing something similar closer to launch but he seemed to have a few tips I hadn’t thought of. Anyway, enjoy.