Another Guild Wars Beta Weekend is over.

[Suicides-by-Steve]

Well, the game keeps impressing me the more I play it. Jeremy, just a note... If you enjoyed Morrowind, you'll like Guild Wars. The sheer size and exploration potential is nice. However, considering I played for only around 12 hours, I still managed to make a 7th level character by the end.

So, onto a description of the single-player gameplay/plot... Most likely the way the game will start... SO if you don't want any spoilers don't read on...

It all starts off, looking like this initially...

http://www.guildwars.com/images/JPG/gwscreens/gwscreen060-page.jpg

The premise is simple... People carelessly waste their last days of existance, doing frivolous things... which translate to menial tasks for you and your character... such as getting baskets of apples, or go spelunking for a group of artifact-hunting Monks.

Then the Charr attack, and all of it... everything you've experienced for the last 6 levels (about 9 hours of play), gone. Obliterated. Some things remain, but most is altered visibly.

http://www.guildwars.com/images/JPG/gwscreens/gwscreen038-page.jpg

These large meteors summoned by the Charr hit the countryside... splitting it wide open. I remember the last Beta event I was playing, I came across these cool looking pixel-shaded monstrosities wondering just what in hell they were... Now I knew... Pretty cool, yet simple premise.

So far the game isn't bad, but I think it was Friend_Bear who was saying he was worried about the level progression. I tend to agree now. I can't see it taking too long to reach level 20... I would dread being capped at 20th... especially at the current rate of advancement... Again however, I never really saw anyone higher than 8th level (one 20th near the end of the event. Tester? DM?) , so I believe the creatures may have been artificially capped with XP penalties, and enhanced with Damage Increases. Still, they need to balance it a bit better, or intend to remove the 20th level cap soon... either on release or with an expansion in the next 6 months.

One other thing... I hate the forced (rarely) co-op missions. It's hard as hell coordinating your attacks with a bunch of people that have no idea how YOU fight, not to mention you knowing what THEY are thinking. I suppose you could grab a bunch of NPC's... but they're just as dumb as posts (not as dumb as the Neverwinter Nights NPC's though).

Still, I'm looking forward to the final product... should be fun to explore that vast map.

[Hieremias]

That first screenshot is dope. This game looks better everytime I see it. The screenshots of battles don't really impress me, but that landscape is nice.

I'm still hesitant about the mechanics of the game itself. I won't be preordering it, I'll wait for reviews and recommendations.

[Renzatic Gear]

I'm still hesitant about the mechanics of the game itself. I won't be preordering it, I'll wait for reviews and recommendations.
If you like WoW then you'll probably like this. It plays about the same, cept the world is quite a bit larger (which is scary as hell, considering it takes almost an hour to run across one continent in WoW) and you dual class.

It's not surprising since alot of people that worked on WoW ended up working on this game. It reminds me alot of the aforementioned game set in a small multiplayer Diabolike setup...it's fun stuff and I recommend it.

[Friend_Bear]

I've played a bit of the beta, still looks like a lot of a grind, the big difference you don't have to pay for it :D i've not played that much since i'm kinder addicted to Anarchy Online at the moment lol

[Mochan]

The game should play like Diablo 3rd Person 3D from the first (and only) Beta I tried. Of course that doesn't give Hieremias a good idea since he hasn't played Diablo. :)

Those screens are WOW. They look nothing like what the game was back in the first Beta last year. I'm looking forward to playing this even more.

[Suicides-by-Steve]

Those screens are WOW. They look nothing like what the game was back in the first Beta last year. I'm looking forward to playing this even more.

Yeah, I remember the first screens of the game... they looked like ass! Now though... wow! Even on a upper low range comp (mine for example), the game looks wonderful. I can't wait till I get my new comp in a few days... heh. I'll be upgrading to a lower high end comp, so the game should run no problems with all settings maxed out!

As for 3D Diablo... I didn't really get that feel... but I know it's been compared to it quite a bit. A tad bit less clicking, and with customizable characters, replete with stats and skills. I haven't played Diablo too much, but I don't remember skills in that game. They really need to add a feature where when you finish with one combatant, the attack automatically targets the next opponent. Having to click on an new opponent, when he's getting mobbed by your friends... is HARD. Luckily there's no PvP!

Finally the maze-like terrain can get a little old, but as long as there's something new around the next corner to explore... then I should be able to stomach it... Something about artificial walls outdoors (no matter what form they come in- forcefields, steep hills, etc.) is bothersome.

The single-player game is great, since you can do things at your own pace if you wish (ala Morrowind), while the option to play with others on the 'net is neat as well. Crafting has great potential, and it's really easy to play this game for 20 minutes, or 2 hours... and still get something accomplished. 2 more Beta Weekends to go before release. I may skip the next one, and play the one in April just to see how far along the game is. After that, I'll only have just under two weeks to wait before I get the Gold copy!

I'm sure I'll run into a few of you there... Maybe we could party? Finally start that VGR Guild we keep talking about here? LOL

[Suicides-by-Steve]

One thing... anybody have an idea of how to create Macros in Guild Wars?