Guild wars2 story designer talk about the emotional connection to MMO world

What makes a game attractive and let people betting emotion? The answer may be due to players vary, but to game design for, whether there is a so-called core principles can make the core players in the game?
We put the question to ask GW2 story with designer Ree Soesbee and Jeff Grubb, to see what they say.

Jeff: I think the emotional connection to the game is a hard question to answer. How can we avoid the people like Alice in wonderland says in the thought, "what you are not, it is only a stack of CARDS just". Then completely reject the this game. How do we draw players and let them care about the world?

Ree: I think in any game is the most important player in the game to with the embodiment of links in do. This is to allow the player to investment in the game world, and think NPC is attractive character to let players think they own role is interesting, and willing to take some time with his own role in together.

Jeff: yes, and his incarnation in the game start is very important. In order to like the wide world, players must enjoy your role. In the MMO, I saw for producers is a pick for war, is the producer will want to game role was to make the majority of players can be made, and make the role is not bland and easy to forget.
All the players were those without substance, and with the gradual expansion of the map defeated by the important people. Players and not in multiple games under way to play.

Ree: so must furthermore the balance between them.

Jeff: so I think we in the original place of Angle GW2 found the balance point. We give the players in addition to race, professional outside of the options, and we let the selection in the game experience is meaningful. If you are a ashes legion broken, you are experiencing story will be different from the steel corp. If you are a from of Synergetics college o l.sylla, that you may be different to the story from Dynamics college Ursula o.

Ree: of course, in the selection after autobiography, there are still a lot of things to do-when the player is not very immersed in the game world, in order to let players persistent investment, and has been for his role to remind them of the choice.
Role players to the character creation is training of connections between very important part of it, but not all parts of creation by role to support. More players in the game in the choices, can make the game more and the embodiment of the players as one.
From personal story line to the world the choice of guidance by the formation of the events, give players affiliated feeling. Players can cognition to "such things" is occurring is come from their role or to the game is's choice. This means that, you are on the game world is important, and the game world also will decide your choice.

Jeff: here are some we in the design of the basic hypothesis: we think the player's character is a kind person and is a hero. Ignore the racial factor, the first time players into the game, players can heroic action, and for players to lower levels you should be more powerful hero from the attention of teachers. Players have some would not known in the past, but the player character action was positive. You to the people you are with to solve a great thing, so you in this vast world has had its initial investment.

Ree: in the early stages of GW2, and we talked about what we would like to give role of choice. We allow "evil" action? Or rogue role? Or is the hero? Finally, we decided to follow the most primitive GW1 mode. Like Je ff said: the player's character is a hero.

Now, in some cases, the player's hero will face some difficult decisions, or is not caused a perfect victory decision " Kobayashi Maru "scene, but we never want to let the player's character into a bad guy. This may in other game for granted, but GW2 is good and evil is particular in both parties in order to strive for terry and the mainland and ShaFa newly-won control each other. We are willing to promote all kinds of "different" forms of goodwill for example: o sura against hill stradivari, but we hope our players is located in good party side.

The other thing is, we let players into account can glimpse their role. Although all people know that human long how, but we can let the players into is a hairy and strong in the shire? Or is diminutive Ursula o? Or are looks like pirates of grace's not two? The most important is, how do we make a plant race for players to produce affiliated feeling, and also obviously differences to the area lies between players own race? Our art is to let a person feel jing is colourful, but I have to admit, in order to today can see to race, ArenaNet in face, customized, details and part of the silhouette, experienced many audit and error.

Jeff: role of incarnation of players betting emotion to identify the important key. In order to the formation of such links, players must send ideas from the "this is my role" into "this is what I am". By customized appearance with equipment, which have part has to reach through image. But the most important still is creating a character of options, those who can inspire players and identify their role. When we started to "I am a hero" the basic assumptions, we provide enough change to give different style of game players. In addition, these choices that will affect, the scope of the affected people in the story may be a story, or at home in the special copy items, even is a dialogue or scene to boost your choice.

Among other things, we also have to consider the role of in the world. Don't just let role can be made, and let the role in the world for players to have an emotional bets. In the game of the world every race desirable qualities, and these can help players to identify them. Others are fierce soldiers, but they are pragmatic and thought comprehensive. Grace's a spirit is rich life. Hill watts may is terry adah land new neighbor, but they have a strong first heaven high sense. Not every one of you meet NPC will be give their ethnic advantages, but they all that exists in the society. Conversely, it will bring you more deeply into the game events and deepen you to you contact people's emotion betting.

Ree: the next challenge is, let the game world remain vigorous and attractive, and to allow players play continuously invest emotions. Provide a truly attractive content, the content of the players will be really let to focus on what they found things or is on their events the influence of this is we the challenges of the next year. In some game, you can create you like role, but role surroundings still let you feel boring, so we will make every effort to make the game world has been fun and full of vigor. We will continue to take back the autobiography, through dialogue and earlier NPCS returns, if the player will continue to devote the emotion.

Make the NPC vivid rise, and to attract gamers to pay attention to what they are in the world, fundamentally keep players long-term interest. Skilled real machine will play from the help, just like a beautiful art for help. But, in fact, make MMO emotionally don't in the the movie, because the player can interact with the world, you can make your own choices and change you in world. These will be our last return to create the power of the game.

Jeff: I think in this way can make a summary, because you to your character, and character in the world have fun, so you will spend your emotion in the game. And the really important is, you can get by on to make a decision, and see your decision to the influence of the world. This is our declare GW2 at this story in one of the targets.

Tag: Guild Wars2