Of Towns and Cities in Guild Wars 2

[Flamefang of Arnor]

I have noticed in Guild Wars that almost every city and town in Guild Wars is little like a real city.

first Outposts/towns.
Well almost every outpost and town is comprised of several buildings... many without viable entrances and some even without living space.

Secondly cities (not including Cantha's massive city)

most of the larger inhabited areas tend to have large towns which im here classifying as cities. Ex. Kodash Bazzar, Ascalon city, LA and Kamadan.

Kamadan is described as "jewel of Istan" it has large block like buildings with tons of little windows... are these apartments?
how would one live in such a thing?

Kodash Bazaar. im not going to complain too much abut this one but it needs a little more room for people to live even though it is an economic center.

Ascalon City (not sure of the name currently)
This is one of the most well done cities except for the fact that little of it is explorable.....we are limited to the upper and lower Baileys of what appears to be a citadel... we have rich houses and small market stalls but where do the poor and middle class live?.... medieval Europe actually had the poor working on farms away from the city but some lived within the protection of a cities walls.... the Middle class lived in cities and in the country, their hosing was mediocre and they too should have been included into the cities.

LA is a military center so im not gonna complain too much.:wink:

Ok that ends most of my ranting but I'd just like to see in GW2:
1. larger cities
2. more explorable cities
3. the ability to go inside
4. second stories
5. maybe some more living space and town/city defenses.

~Flamefang of Arnor

P.S. id recommend you visit the Tech. advancement in Tyria GW2 thread.:cool:

[nudge]

GW2 cities must look better than the current 2D plywood movie sets we currently have.

[raspberry jam]

Ability to go indoors would be nice indeed.

[Akirai Annuvil]

If the size of the cities would reflect the actual amount of housing needed to house the thousands (/millions) of people living in Kryta/Kamadan/Kaineng, the game would be one large city.

Which could actually be an interesting graphical design for an MMO, but that MMO is not GW.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Interesting statement but don't forget that back in the Medieval era populations were much smaller than current ones the entire city of Rome contained only 20,000 in the early middle ages. Housing wasn't spaced out and most buildings could get up to three stories high. Even with populations that big, I'm not saying we need every person to be accounted for all I want is larger more explorable cities.

[Lamuness]

I think the lead artist on the team likes really large and packed buildings. I mean come on, look at the loading screen for Factions where you see Cantha. Of course it would be unreasonable to have those kinds of buildings, but you have to remember that they are trying to maintain an art style.

[Jair of the Forest]

I think the lead artist on the team likes really large and packed buildings. I mean come on, look at the loading screen for Factions where you see Cantha.

I disagree. The only cities in this game that actually look like real cities were Gandara (which is not even a town/outpost!), Pre-Searing Ascalon (very small in size but still looks at least a bit like a city) and Kaineng City (and than I mean the Region, not the Town Kaineng Center).

[Arkhan The Black]

The lack of believable settlements has always been the biggest disappointment with GW. At least Kaineng felt crowded and somewhat like a city even though it consists of cardboard props.

[Nikhera]

That was my gripe also...going around Tyria, you find that there's just no space for people to live.

I want cities...with streets. And buildings, NPCs in and around those buildings...I want castles, libraries, training grounds, shops, taverns. I want them to scale and I want them to feel like a city.

That is all. And ditto about Kaineng. XD

[Akirai Annuvil]

Interesting statement but don't forget that back in the Medieval era populations were much smaller than current ones the entire city of Rome contained only 20,000 in the early middle ages. Housing wasn't spaced out and most buildings could get up to three stories high. Even with populations that big, I'm not saying we need every person to be accounted for all I want is larger more explorable cities.
20.000/40 = 500 houses needed each for LA, Kaineng, Cavalon, Ascalon, Kamadan, Drok's, Shing Jea, House Zu Heltzer, Rata Sum, Gunnar's Hold, Kodash Bazaar and the Sunspear Sanctuary.

That's not counting the villages which used to dot the medieval landscape nor the extra facilities needed within the big cities (from inns to wells to bath houses).
Even if you'd only take 10% of that you'd be filling half the game with buildings which is just too much.

That said, I'd like GW2 to feature more urban areas. However, because of their relative rarity not because of any wish for increased realism.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

20.000/40 = 500 houses needed each for LA, Kaineng, Cavalon, Ascalon, Kamadan, Drok's, Shing Jea, House Zu Heltzer, Rata Sum, Gunnar's Hold, Kodash Bazaar and the Sunspear Sanctuary.

That's not counting the villages which used to dot the medieval landscape nor the extra facilities needed within the big cities (from inns to wells to bath houses).
Even if you'd only take 10% of that you'd be filling half the game with buildings which is just too much.

That said, I'd like GW2 to feature more urban areas. However, because of their relative rarity not because of any wish for increased realism.

don't forget not every city would have that many people and what i have been saying the whole time is that id just like to see larger, more deatailed and explorable urban areas not massive cities also the Guildwars World is large and a city doesnt neccecarily take up that much room compared to the whole map scince each of the cities you mentioned above are spaced out with almost hundreds of miles between some. Kodash Bazzar is pretty good already.. it needs a little more activity and backstreets but that all im looking for...
of course i'd like big cities(not massive) just because i like the european urban feel. when i went to europe (England, France, Italy, Spain, Chech Republic and Holland) i found i really liked the countryside and the cities/towns. in America(where i live) most cities consist of solid concrete and glass.... there are nice towns too but no really nice little villages or wooden/ stone houses. so i'd love to get some of that feel into Guild Wars at some point. especially the ability to go inside.

[JasonLa]

With a persistent world it is easier to give cities more of a city feel to them. When you go out the gate of ascalon into old ascalon you get a small impression of the remnent of the city. But where you really get a feel for ascalon as a city is in presearing. Remember the villiage area outside of the walls of ascalon. Thats kind of like where one of the middle class would live while the upper class lived within the walls of ascalon. The upper class being small it was believable as living space.

Now lets branch this idea to the persistent world of GW2. Imagine: expand the world not in adding new areas we've not seen alone but the areas we have seen are bigger. GW1 was optimized for minimal time spent in the game but took away from designing a truly amazing world's landscape and populating that landscape with civilization.


Continue to imagine presearing ascalon but move that into the future where the people of ascalon have restored the land and civilzation to its former glory prior to the charr's destruction. There is ascalon within the walls: the castle where the upper class live and surrounding that is merchant bazaars, and about a dozen small middle class houses near the outer edge within the wall. Its size in game is about 3-5 times the size it was in presearing ascalon. We then head out the gate to the south/south west. Outside not too far but not to close to the wall are scattered houses some even close together almost like duplexes but not attacked. There are more than a dozen maybe as many as 30-40 as you walk 100% of the way around the wall surrounding ascalon. This extends total size of ascalon area to about twice the size of the area within the walls. According to the text below your radar when inside the walls you are in ascalon castle (the inner part of ascalon city) and when in the middle class area outside of the wall you are in ascalon village (a middle ring part of ascalon city). There are small cobblestone like roads and paths leading through ascalon villiage like streets and walkways of old. Beyond the villiage is some farm land and open prairies. There are perhaps 6 or so farms houses with 2 or 3 fields each. They make up an outer ring of ascalon city and the text below your radar indicates is as ascalon fields.

Not far to the south west of a farm on the west south west side of ascalon city is a place knows as Ashford Abby a suberb if you will of ascalon city. Here you find a more geometic formation of housing not quite square or rectangle but perhaps there are 5 distinct edges to the district area of houses. The arrangement is more organized in rows than seen outside the walls of ascalon castle. There are perhaps 15-20 houses here and 2 or 3 farms around the north to west to south area around it. The farms and fields surrounding Ashford Abby is indicated as Ashford Fields.

The distance from the west south west gate of Ascalon Castle to Ashford Abby is about the distance of the circumference of Ascalon City as described so far. To the west and slightly to the north of Ashford Abby is the Barradin Estate. Or could be another village like Ashford Abby in fact names of places may very well be different from the passing of time and as royal families grow or die. This location is about 1.5 times the distance from Ashford Abby as is Ashford Abby is from Ascalon Castles west south west gate. From here you can get an idea of how far The area currently know as piken square, nolani acadamy, sermia, fort ranik, foibles fair, and parts of the region not even shown in the game but exist in the world would be from the locations I described. In total the virtual square footage of the region of area of post searing we call ascalon would be at least 20 times larger.

Areas of civilization would have town guards patrolling to protect the citizens that you see going about business during the day (and not seen when it turns night). Out in the fields you would see wildlife like rabbits, mice, deer, pigs, sheep, etc scurry wander, graze etc. There would be hostile creatures and such as well such as the carrion or whiptail devourers, wolves, grawl, skale, and maybe even new kinds of critters or sentient enemies. Or perhaps new factions have risen from old races such as the charr or perhaps some band of humans like bandits or something will be encountered when away from civilization. The more dangerous area that are more remote than the traveled areas between towns may require a group to go into if you want to survive being there. But anyways I hope everyone enjoyed reading my post. I really wanted to try and give a sense of what the world can be like in a persistent world.

[Gmr Leon]

You know, your post almost made me feel sad that Ascalon is completely occupied by Charr with the exception of the ghosts of Ascalon City and the Ebonhawke fighters.

[katherinetheblood]

You know, if they are going to add in homes and such for NPCs, people are going to want their OWN little places in towns. Sure, Guild Halls and the like could be saved for the Guild's base of operations but people might want to have their own space within their favorite town (especially for the anti social "I dont want a guild!" types).

I know I have always been in love with Lion's Arch because it was the first town I saw in the world preview event and I would love to have a home at the beautiful port city. Which brings along money sinks like furniture and things like that so people who have done it all and got the armor still have something to spend their hard earned gold on. I would love to watch the fireworks during events from the roof of my apartment or house in LA with a group of friends...that would be so sweet.

[Arkhan The Black]

I don't really want hyper realistic cities but most of the towns in GW1 is laughably small or shouldn't even qualify as town because of lack of buildings. As for housing for players that could be solved with adding something that resembles an apartment complex or something even though I don't see the point behind it all.

[Tom Nook]

snip

Don't forget the Catacombs. :smiley:

[Fuzzy Monkey]

well LA is suppose to be under water, from what i read in the movement of the world, but i cant help but think how large the GW2 map will be, will it only be part of Tyria, like one of the 3 campaigns, or will you be able to access the entire continent of Tyria, from the Far Shiverpeaks, to Istan to Cantha?

[Nemeon Lion]

well LA is suppose to be under water, from what i read in the movement of the world, but i cant help but think how large the GW2 map will be, will it only be part of Tyria, like one of the 3 campaigns, or will you be able to access the entire continent of Tyria, from the Far Shiverpeaks, to Istan to Cantha?


The movement of the worlds said that Cantha has cut off relations with the rest of the world, while it's impossible to access Elona from Tyria thanks to the Undead and Corsair Pirate ships roaming around the continent of Orr under the control of the Undead Dragon.

My guess is that it will be the same as GW1. You'll be able to access them through an expansion.

[Balan Makki]

Well if they do provide some sort of player housing, I'm going to live in a mud hut, on a dirt farm, and sick my raptors on any revenuers that come near it.

but on topic, I'd love to see far more interaction in metro areas, even if it is just instancing portals, via storm drains or ruins ect to a creepy wine cellar, or endless sewers system, or large subplot quest chain that leads through a maze of traps and adventures.

[Odinius]

There must be a pub or inn of some kind where you can sit and order drinks/food, chit chat, tell jokes and things like that.

[JasonLa]

You know, if they are going to add in homes and such for NPCs, people are going to want their OWN little places in towns. Sure, Guild Halls and the like could be saved for the Guild's base of operations but people might want to have their own space within their favorite town (especially for the anti social "I dont want a guild!" types).


Guild Halls and if people want player housing can be handled with instances. If people want houses in, for example, Ascalon City this can be done through the use of instances. There would be an access point of sorts for players to enter the player housing instances of Ascalon City. This way there is the Ascalon City in the persistent world. And then there is the housing instances of Ascalon City.

My only experience with player housing is LotRO so I will use that to explain how it could be done here. Each instance of Ascalon City would look exactly like the Ascalon City in the persistent world however each house can be owned by players. There would be say 20 or 30 houses, or however many I used in my previous post describing potential appearance of the persistent world of GW, in each instance of Ascalon City. The difference is that these instances are not private and anyone can come and go at any time in them. They are persistent instances to sum the concept in a couple words.


I know I have always been in love with Lion's Arch because it was the first town I saw in the world preview event and I would love to have a home at the beautiful port city. Which brings along money sinks like furniture and things like that so people who have done it all and got the armor still have something to spend their hard earned gold on. I would love to watch the fireworks during events from the roof of my apartment or house in LA with a group of friends...that would be so sweet.

Decorating a house and meeting up with friends at your house or theirs along with your firework example would be some of the fun of having a house. There is so much that can be done with housing that it offers another thing for us to enjoy especially if we like spending our in game currency on all sorts of things.

Don't forget the Catacombs. :smiley:

While I didn't mention them they would definitely have to be there though they may be bigger and/or in a bunch of smaller segments as time has gone by nature and the people will have altered them.

well LA is suppose to be under water, from what i read in the movement of the world, but i cant help but think how large the GW2 map will be, will it only be part of Tyria, like one of the 3 campaigns, or will you be able to access the entire continent of Tyria, from the Far Shiverpeaks, to Istan to Cantha?

The very nature of a persistent world means the entire world is seamlessly traversable. The lands in Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall would not be separated in the way they were in GW1 where they appear to be separate worlds. Speculation is that the land seen in Nightfall are attached to the lands seen in Prophecies in the desert region. The land in Cantha we know to be accross an unknow size of body of water but rather than "mapping" to that land we would take a boat that literally travels to and from there so we experience it as a part of one world and feel where it exists in that world. Traveling doesn't have to take a long time either. They can still keep the concept of "mapping" so that we don't have to travel from one end of the world to the other if we need to go to a town that is a long ways away from us.

In LotRO the idea of "mapping" is handled in a variety of ways that fit Middle Earth so that when you need to travel greater distances you can do so without it taking a long time. There are stables where you can get horses that are really fast to auto take you to towns and places you have already been to. Shorter routes you watch as you ride the horse and really far places have options that jump you right to the destination. There is also an item that you carry that sets a waypoint as a "home" that you can instantly jump to once per hour at no cost. There are also summoning horns that one can use to bring others to the summoning horns location. So there are plenty of ways to creatively carry over the idea of mapping from GW1 to GW2 and keep the persistence experience.

There must be a pub or inn of some kind where you can sit and order drinks/food, chit chat, tell jokes and things like that.

Yes things like this in towns will make towns social centers. While its not as convenient restriction of, for example, xunlai storage to major cities rather than ever little place you stop is one thing that helps creates social centers in the game. Auction hall access, crafting center, specific vender selection, etc will form social centers in the game. Places where activity questing and other centralize at will become the social centers of the game.

One advantage in addition to that over the 100% instancing of GW1 is that you will see more people more often in and around towns even if they are not social centers. Chat channels will span farther so that you are not just chatting with a limited amount of people like when chatting in a single district of people. Because the world is persistent you will in essence be chatting with all districts and the people in the surrounding area outside of town.

To extend from my description of Ascalon City and its surrounding area in my previous post. We could label the greater area as Ascalon Region. So all the towns and outposts and area in between them would all be part of one chat instead of just the people inside of ascalon city. This creates socializing while playing since you can chat with everyone in the area and not a small portion down to only your group. Plus on top of that you will be bumping into people as you go about to providing all sorts of interactions and opens the door wide open for role play too if you into that.

[Sefk]

Juste my 2 cents:

It's great, however, large cities and many npcs=huge loading time.

[Wonderboy Jack]

WAR has pushed cities into the next level, let Anet push cities even further. I like em big, can go indoors, npc dialog etc, weeeooooooo!!!

[Gmr Leon]

Speculation is that the land seen in Nightfall are attached to the lands seen in Prophecies in the desert region.

Technically speaking, that's not speculation, it's fact. The uncertainty lies in how much wasn't shown in between the Crystal Desert and Elona.

While I didn't mention them they would definitely have to be there though they may be bigger and/or in a bunch of smaller segments as time has gone by nature and the people will have altered them.

Assuming you're talking about the Catacombs of Ascalon, they're pretty much gone. If you look at maps of the Catacombs and put them on the map of Ascalon after the Searing you can see where many parts of it would be collapsed and impassable.

[Tom Nook]

Assuming you're talking about the Catacombs of Ascalon, they're pretty much gone. If you look at maps of the Catacombs and put them on the map of Ascalon after the Searing you can see where many parts of it would be collapsed and impassable.

My hopes...you've shattered them. :sad:

[Gmr Leon]

My hopes...you've shattered them. :sad:

I shattered them for myself too, when I did the comparisons.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Thanks for all of the posts! they're great and i really have to agree with most of the stuff posted here.:cool: keep it up i'll be interested to see what else develops! a dont really have anything to say since you've all taken the words out of my mouth. :wink:

~Flamefang of Arnor

[nudge]

The main issue with cities in GW1 is that they do not convey the feeling of a city. They seem like plywood movie set props. Ironforge in WoW however, does convey the feeling of a city.

Player housing could be done in terms of "apartments". That is, they enter a shared front door, but end up in their apartment. Reputation (relative to other players?) would allow the movement into more better digs.

Of course apartments could be more up-scale. Say a street of townhouses with guards to keep the riff-raff out.

[JasonLa]

Juste my 2 cents:

It's great, however, large cities and many npcs=huge loading time.

From experience long load times only occur in systems at or near minimum requirements. As long as you are not pushing your PC at its limits with the game this will not happen. I play LotRO and the two biggest cities I have been to, Rivendell and Bree, there is no delay when crossing the zone threshold on my Athlon X2 6400+ - 4GB ram - 8800GTOC 515MB system with max settings and on my Athlon 1800+ - 1GB - 5700LE 256MB system running medium minus a couple settings. Anything less than my older system unless you were at minimal video settings you will experience load delays. As long as you are not almost at minimum system requirements or running settings higher than your system can handle you will experience seamlessness even when zoning into big towns.

Technically speaking, that's not speculation, it's fact. The uncertainty lies in how much wasn't shown in between the Crystal Desert and Elona.


Indeed. We will find out in GW2 how much land there really is. They have the ability to really give us a magnificent world. Lets hope they really work at it and make GW2 make GW1's environments look like a game made 10 years ago.


Assuming you're talking about the Catacombs of Ascalon, they're pretty much gone. If you look at maps of the Catacombs and put them on the map of Ascalon after the Searing you can see where many parts of it would be collapsed and impassable.

Yup some parts are gone but its quite possible that the people could have dug mines or unburied sections where entrances caved in. Obviously there had to be some of it left after all in presearing some parts were quite deep and it was a bummer to have had none of the catecombs at all post searing. Plus as we know from EotN there are all sorts of catecombs around the world so we could have all sorts of underground areas to explore and such.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

The main issue with cities in GW1 is that they do not convey the feeling of a city. They seem like plywood movie set props. Ironforge in WoW however, does convey the feeling of a city.

Player housing could be done in terms of "apartments". That is, they enter a shared front door, but end up in their apartment. Reputation (relative to other players?) would allow the movement into more better digs.

Of course apartments could be more up-scale. Say a street of townhouses with guards to keep the riff-raff out.

I really agree with what you're saying and this is pretty much what i was trying to get across from the beginning.... the currents GW cities really dont appeal to me much.. the ones in Prophs. look like movie sets... Factions is alright since it has a massive city... Nightfall has some nice cities like Kodash Bazzar but for a major center of commerce its kinda small..... EotN... has no cities whatsoever..

~Flamefang of Arnor

[sorudo]

they where talking about an apartment in COX, might be a good idea for GW2.
maybe a house build program, where you can create your own house and invite your friends to hang out, talk some RL things or discus builds.

[Apple Tox]

20.000/40 = 500 houses needed each for LA, Kaineng, Cavalon, Ascalon, Kamadan, Drok's, Shing Jea, House Zu Heltzer, Rata Sum, Gunnar's Hold, Kodash Bazaar and the Sunspear Sanctuary.

That's not counting the villages which used to dot the medieval landscape nor the extra facilities needed within the big cities (from inns to wells to bath houses).
Even if you'd only take 10% of that you'd be filling half the game with buildings which is just too much.

That said, I'd like GW2 to feature more urban areas. However, because of their relative rarity not because of any wish for increased realism.

Ummm...wow...I dont think the OP was asking for a demographical census.

Not every person in the game has to be accounted for. More people come into the game every day, so obvioulsy that wouldnt work.

Try to be positive for a change. Look at the glass half full. You always seem to be looking at it half empty.

I like the OP's idea.

~Apple

[DarkWasp]

I really hope ArenaNet reads this thread, its pretty thoughtfull.

It might also be cool to have like a resort that is run and lived in by only 2 families, but there could be like a massive Resort Inn.

Would be a good place to sell exclusive "15k" (not saying the prices will be the same) town clothes.

This way they can have an area without many houses, just nice lil hotsprings, trails, and signs


ANYWAY (got a lil carried away)

I think one of the problems with GW houses is the complete lack of yards and sometimes balconies. If you go exploring around Pre-sear or Kryta, you see a lot of random buildings that might be houses, but none of them planted a garden or grew a tree in front of the house. Wheres the stone sidewalk to the front door?

[Apple Tox]

I really hope ArenaNet reads this thread, its pretty thoughtfull.

It might also be cool to have like a resort that is run and lived in by only 2 families, but there could be like a massive Resort Inn.

Would be a good place to sell exclusive "15k" (not saying the prices will be the same) town clothes.

This way they can have an area without many houses, just nice lil hotsprings, trails, and signs.

This is GuildWars.

Not The Sims Family Vacation.

~Apple

[sorudo]

This is GuildWars.

Not The Sims Family Vacation.

~Apple
didn't know you could kill monsters and use spells in the sims....:huh:

[Apple Tox]

It might also be cool to have like a resort that is run and lived in by only 2 families, but there could be like a massive Resort Inn.

Would be a good place to sell exclusive "15k" (not saying the prices will be the same) town clothes.

This way they can have an area without many houses, just nice lil hotsprings, trails, and signs

I'd Like to see were you fished out anything about killing monsters or casting spells in the Quote.

This is why people qote things:shocked: I was referring to the quote I made, not the game in general.



Yet another failed misread.........

~Apple

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Look its alright to want resorts lol.. it'd add some more realism in the game and a bit of time to relax..... fighting monsters and saving the world like 5 times takes allot of work! Thanks for all of the nice and thoughtful replys so far and i hope they continue.... It'd be GREAT if Anet. reads and replys to this... Keep the Ideas and comments coming!

~Flamefang of Arnor

[sorudo]

I'd Like to see were you fished out anything about killing monsters or casting spells in the Quote.

This is why people qote things:shocked: I was referring to the quote I made, not the game in general.



Yet another failed misread.........

~Apple
well said, in your part...you misread what i said....:rolleyes:

[DarkWasp]

This is GuildWars.

Not The Sims Family Vacation.

~Apple

Theres a lot of random places in GW, thats what makes it so great. Now that it'll be a more MMORPG'ish game, they can chill out a lil and not have half a billion tengu at every corner. However, a resort would be a good bandit raid area.

My general idea was to have a hang-out town/resort/estate.

[Warmarshal]

Making loads of houses is unreasonables but things i WOULD like to see in guild wars 2.
1) Going into buildings I would love :)
2) Taverns! We could sit down, get drunk and have a chat with our mates it would be pure awesomeness.
3) How about banks we go into instead of random vaults and merchants have their own shops instead of standing out in the cold trying to sell their wares :)
4) I also like the above posters idea of a chillout resort. Maybe a beach or something like that, and we can get into swimming costumes and take a dip and chat hehe. Hot springs would be even more awesome than that... I'd get in and chill out with some sylvari babes :D Maybe it could open for certain factions e.t.c as rewards.

[Egal]

If Merchants and traders were inside their own shop buildings and I had to load in and out everytime I wanted to use their services I would be less than pleased.

I do like the idea of a pub/tavern/inn.

[DarkWasp]

If Merchants and traders were inside their own shop buildings and I had to load in and out everytime I wanted to use their services I would be less than pleased.


I'm thinking window stalls, much like a drive-thru, could fix that.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Yeah a sort of "drive/walk in" would be nice...although seperate shops wouldn't bother me personally.... A tavern or inn is (To me) one of the things thats almost completely necessary to me liking Guild Wars two since i REALLY WANT TO GO INSIDE!!!! that was one of the things that really annoyed me all of the time in GW.... and of course thats why i made this thread... DarkWasp i like your comments so far! (along with those of everyone else)

~Flamefang of Arnor

P.S. Anet Please read this thread!!

[raspberry jam]

If Merchants and traders were inside their own shop buildings and I had to load in and out everytime I wanted to use their services I would be less than pleased.They don't need to be an instance of their own, they could be contiguous with the rest of the town. Or they could be pre-loaded when you enter the town, or even load in the background if you approach the area where the store is.

[JasonLa]

There are two typical ways of handling vender NPCs. One is have them out in the town as part of the seemless world or put all of the venders or many of the venders into one building you enter. The building can be instances so balance loads in heavy populated areas. But seeing as MMOs are getting quite advanced it appears that you don't need to have a seam to enter a building and still balance the load. So walking inside a building through a door would be seamless but you would still have server balance so that the town doesn't lag due to population.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Thanks for clearing that up for us all JasonLa i can't say much besides this but keep the comments coming.. the more the more likely Anet will notice if they haven't already.... despite the fact that enter able buildings will most likely be in GW 2 anyway... but as i mentioned before the more the merrier! :wink:

[Snowfoxx]

About the most accurate city I have found has to be the Asuran city of Rata Sum. The Asura where based on Aztec/Mayan based legend, and Rata Sum looks very much like the cities of Tikal and Chichen Itza. And the polymock arenas are pretty accurate, too. I think Anet was really going in the right direction with those little chupacabras. GW2? My first critter will definitely be Asuran.

[raspberry jam]

About the most accurate city I have found has to be the Asuran city of Rata Sum. The Asura where based on Aztec/Mayan based legend, and Rata Sum looks very much like the cities of Tikal and Chichen Itza.But those cities looked nothing like that back when they actually were cities. Also, the Asura already has a certain amount of Aztec/Maya (as you put it) iconography etc., yet in the quest "O Brave New World" where you help the Asura find a new living place, you find a place not constructed by them which also has such iconography.

I find Rata Sum as well as almost everything else about the asuras to be very immersion breaking.

[sorudo]

If Merchants and traders were inside their own shop buildings and I had to load in and out everytime I wanted to use their services I would be less than pleased.

I do like the idea of a pub/tavern/inn.
have a final fantasy like system and you're done :wink:

[Red Raven]

i have to agree that the abillity to indoors instead of always outside, would be a great add to the game and make it seem more interactive

[Shinryu]

I like the Final Fantasy system like they had in the GBA games, it balanced everything out pretty well.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

How does the FF system work? could someone explain it to me?

~Flamefang of Arnor

[Shinryu]

When you walk into a store, it is separate from the outside. It is a different zone, to make things faster (stores load instantly)

[Flamefang of Arnor]

Yeah that could work well.....

~Flamefang of Arnor

[Shinryu]

It could work. I also like the idea of the stores bieng seamless like the rest of the world, if it goes fast.

[Flamefang of Arnor]

It could work. I also like the idea of the stores bieng seamless like the rest of the world, if it goes fast.

Yeah of course that would be better!

[JasonLa]

When Turbine releases Mine of Moria expansion many of the short load screens we currently see in the game are supposed to be removed i'm assuming these are going to be the load screens we see going into buildings. Granted they only show up for say 5 seconds but none the less it is a seam. Entering a building seamlessly would have you walk through the door under your control just like moving about the rest of the world. and accross the threshold you then are looking at the interior of the building instead of the outside. The cool thing is once inside the building the load from that building could be handled by another server and the player wouldn't even know it.