Guild Wars 2 is constantly adding features that many other MMORPGs have had for a long time. However, some things are still missing. Jürgen asked the developers from ArenaNet about housing, fishing, and the new story at Gamescom 2018.
ArenaNet’s unusual online role-playing game has always been known for doing many things differently. For example, there were no mounts, no fishing, no pure healer class, and no housing in the game.
Interview with ArenaNet at Gamescom 2018
By now, at least the mounts are in the game, but as we pointed out in another article, there are still a few features missing in Guild Wars 2 that many fans are eagerly wishing for. Therefore, I asked Game Director Mike Zadorojny about it at Gamescom 2018.
Housing and Fishing
Mein-MMO: “Will there be housing in Guild Wars 2?”
Mike: “Currently, there are no plans for housing. We are looking at the forums and know what players want, but we have to see that it fits optimally into our game.”
Mein-MMO: “What about the next addon? It sounds like you’re saving housing for that.”
Mike: “We won’t necessarily wait until the next addon to introduce a new feature. Season 4 will follow directly after Season 5. If we find a cool new feature for an episode, we will just introduce it at that time. Like the roller beetle last time.”
Mein-MMO: “Another feature that many MMOs have and that many players appreciate is fishing. While you can shoot fish directly in the water with a harpoon in Guild Wars 2, what about classic fishing? Will that come?”
Mike: “Many people at ArenaNet also want that. But it’s like housing; we’re looking at it, but we can’t say anything specific about it right now. However, we won’t just copy other games; we want to try to do something uniquely Guild Wars-style.”
We don’t want to add something to the game just because everyone else has it. We want a new feature [like housing or fishing] to have a meaningful place in our game and to be done in our own style.”
ArenaNet on “Convenience Features”
Mein-MMO: “Will there be a better system to save builds in PvE and PvP?”
Mike: “There is currently nothing new on this, but we will implement it when it fits into our concept.”
Mein-MMO: “When do you decide something fits into your concept?”
Mike: “We spent 18 months just on the mounts. When we build something new, we do it right, so that it feels like it’s part of our game.”
Mein-MMO: “Many players also wish for queues when they want to switch instances. Is there anything new on that?”
Mike: “That is related to our server architecture. It will still take time before we can change that.”
More Mounts and Storytelling
Mein-MMO: “What about new mounts? Is it over after the roller beetle?”
Mike: “Each mount must meet a different need and fulfill a different function. Where is the puzzle that this mount solves? It has to feel alive. The mounts have each filled a specific gap in gameplay that only they could fill.”
So we have to ensure that each new mount represents a new form of horizontal progression.”
Mein-MMO: “Will there be more personality for our hero, the Commander?”
Mike: “The story is constantly evolving. We don’t want players to miss parts of the story because there are branching narratives. In Episode 1 of Season 4, there were consequences depending on whether you allied with Joko or the Sun Spear, or remained neutral. The following battle had different participants.”
When will Cantha finally come?
Mein-MMO: “What about Cantha? Will the story eventually go there?”
Mike: “When we have a cool story, we will bring in certain regions. It’s always a balance between the places we already had back then and new, unused regions, like the Charr homelands or the lands east of Ebonhawke. We never say never [to Cantha], but it has to make sense in the story.”
Jürgen’s Conclusion from the Interview:
It seems that Guild Wars 2 will focus even more on the living story and its episodes and seasons in the future. A major addon has not been confirmed, and it seems there won’t be one in 2019, as ArenaNet is starting Season 5 immediately after Season 4 without any expansion in between.
The upcoming episodes of Seasons 4 and 5 are likely to contain a lot of story and possibly bring some significant gameplay feature. It’s quite possible that there could be a housing or fishing episode in the story.
