At ArenaNet, the developers of the MMORPG Guild Wars 2, there is a so-called “CAT Team”. They are responsible for ensuring that events and celebrations run smoothly and that there are enough cats in the game.
Cats are the unsung stars of the internet and, thanks to a very special team at the Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet, they are also well represented in this online role-playing game. The developer employs a team, besides the large project teams, that is called “CAT”. They are actually responsible for cats among other things!
Cats, Holidays and Crazy Items
The abbreviation CAT stands for “Current Activities Team”. The tasks of this group revolve around all the “small” things in the game that happen alongside. This includes events between major releases of expansions or new story chapters.
The CAT team is currently involved in the portal invasions surrounding the latest chapter of the story. Among other things, they also create the following content in the game:
- Transitions between story elements
- Legendary weapons
- Holidays and special events
Especially the holidays require a lot of work and must be prepared months in advance. Therefore, team members Alexander Youngblood, Joe Kimmes, and Brett Nellermoe start working on the Halloween event in the summer and then immediately on Christmas.
Cats and Horses
Especially the festive decorations in the capitals are always a challenge. Recently, thanks to the expansion Path of Fire, several mounts were introduced into the game. This required a more generous design of the festive decorations.
And then there was the situation where the mount race was to be introduced into the game and suddenly it became apparent, “We don’t have any horses in the game!” A centaur was not an option. In the end, the artists created a skritt (a type of rat-person) sitting on a toy horse, carried by other skritts.
Cat Content Must be Right
The CAT team wouldn’t be called that if they weren’t all cat freaks. Therefore, the team is also responsible for the cat feeding scavenger hunt. In this mini-event, you must feed various hungry cats in Tyria. The kitties then follow you home and populate your home instance. Since then, players have consistently demanded, “Bring more cats!”
As a special joke, there was even the fat cat “Lady Glyzinia Schnurringsen” as a special raid boss. The pampered noble cat then attacks you with meowing and paw slaps. You can defend against her attacks with an “anti-cat water sprayer”.
You can find a video of the work of the sympathetic “cat team” here. Have fun!
These are the things you should keep in mind if you want to start playing Guild Wars 2 again.
