Yesterday's Q&A with Guild Wars 2 content designer Mike Zadorojny painted the development of next month's blockbuster MMO in broad strokes. Today ArenaNet releases a series of videos that break the game's design down to four core components: dynamic events, player versus player, personal story and combat.
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game is much more than players hitting monsters until they are dead, though that certainly plays an important part. If the combat was dull and lifeless it wouldn't matter how compelling the rest of Guild Wars 2 was. Of the four pillars it's probably the most traditionally important to existing MMO players.
PVP combat is important as well, especially in a game where war between player-made guilds is right there in the title. Guild Wars 2 helps lure in the less competitive players by leveling the playing field. When you go into PVP, you're the same level as everyone else. You've got access to the same skills and equipment. It all boils down to how you play.
Dynamic events is something that's new-ish to Guild Wars 2. Other games have had world events and local quests, but Guild Wars 2 does it a little differently. It helps that the game doesn't penalize one player for hitting on another player's enemies. Since there is no kill-stealing, everyone is free to pile into these dynamic events without fear of ticking anyone off.
And finally there's the personal story each individual player will experience What ArenaNet has done is forged a more intimate bond between player and world through a series of story-driven quests filled with memorable characters and dramatic events. It's like a single player game laced throughout the massively multiplayer one.
How do these four pillars come together? We'll find out next month, when Guild Wars 2 goes live.
Video: The Pillars of Guild Wars 2 Gameplay [ArenaNet]