From the Mind of Magi - Preparing for War
Edited and Publishedby: Magi
In just a few days the Guild Wars: Factions Preview Event will be unleashed for all the fans of the title and many cannot wait for it. In this upcoming event will be many long awaited features including new storyline and competitive missions. For the lovers of PvE there could not be a more generous gift on the part of ArenaNet, and while this is true, it is certainly not the main attraction of the weekend. It goes without saying the "main event" will be the 12 vs 12 Alliance Battles.
Before Guild Wars: Factions was announced, after it was [announced] and up until now there was a lot of talk about the viability of large scale PvP encounters. Some argued that 8 vs 8 situations were well balanced and any more would throw off that [balance] completely. It was a decent argument after all: if the wheel isn't broke, why fix it? While that logic surely could be prevalent, why should ArenaNet deprive its fans of a very exciting PvP feature? Oh yes, the simple fact that there will be twelve combatants aside will make it very exciting in and of itself.
This example may not make me the most popular Guild Wars fan around, but World of Warcraft is a very good [example] of this exciting principle in practice. In that game there are battlegrounds - very similar to the arenas that are prevalent in Guild Wars - and one of them is called Alterac Valley. Without going into too much detail, this battleground allows for 40 vs 40 combat between the two competing factions. I've been through Alterac Valley a few times and the simple fact that there are so many players competing against each other is simply a thrilling experience. You're always on your toes, never knowing if an enemy force could ambush you from behind. Most importantly, however, no matter how many enemies you kill, more will always be on the way.
No one expects that kind of an epic feel to make its way into the preview event for Guild Wars: Factions - twelve versus forty combatants per side is proof of this - but some feelings could certainly be emulated. Specifically, the increased strategy and knowing that enemy forces could split up and ambush you from different angles are such examples. True, this technically could be done in 8 vs 8 scenarios, but when you add four more it gets a lot more complex and exciting. Though that is not the only end to Alliance Battles.
Unless ArenaNet's wording is incredibly deceiving, the hotly anticipated Territory Control system will be prevalent in Alliance Battles. The official website tells us that the world map will change, based on who controls what territory, that is dependent upon the success of particular alliances in battle. It is one feature that many games have dreamed of having but none so far have accomplished, that is, until Guild Wars: Factions.
One of the oldest massively multiplayer online games is Asheron's Call, nearing almost six or seven years of age. Give or take a year ago, there was serious discussion of a land control system to breathe some much needed life into their then dismal PvP system (essentially only a few were participating in it, there was no incentives). When the land control system was announced - no real details were provided mind you - there was incredible excitement and anticipation. Veterans re-activated their accounts with renewed faith in the development team. The mere idea that players would be directly responsible in determining who controlled the land was particularly appealing, as we can easily see. Unfortunately, however, the idea never materialized and the fans of Asheron's Call will never see it.
Though before I go on and endlessly praise ArenaNet for bringing territory control to Guild Wars one question should be asked: why is it such an important, significant feature? More specifically, why would players want such a feature? The answer is quite simple: the world feels more real. If you give players the ability to directly impact the world in any way - small or large - the immersion is increased ten fold and they really feel part of the [world]. In the words of one of my colleagues "I want to be a part of a world, not be reminded that I'm playing a game." This is exactly what territory control will do in alliance battles.
So at this juncture we have two very important components to the new Alliance Battles: the increased number of combatants to make for a more epic feel and the ability for players to directly impact the world. Both of these are incredibly significant and definite pros, but there is a con that could emerge and it directly relates to the two factions of Luxon and Kurzick. Interestingly enough, one of Guild Wars' primary competitors, World of Warcraft, has this same problem as well.
The problem I speak of is faction imbalance. That is, one side having significantly more then the other. In the case of World of Warcraft, on some of its servers there are as many as 75 or 80% are affiliated with one side. In the days when world PvP was evident (that is, engaging in combat with other players in the world itself) this disproportionate situation reared a very ugly head. That said, I am not suggesting that this will be a possible problem that Guild Wars will run into but it is something to watch for as the weekend unfolds. To be quite specific, I will be looking for the answer to one question in particular: how do the numbers of each faction directly impact the control of territories?
All of that said, what we will see from March 24 - 26 is not the final version that will be unveiled on April 28. So if faction imbalance becomes an issue there will be more then enough time to render a viable solution. Though I will stop there: we still do not know what impact faction imbalance will have at the end of the day. As I said, however, I will certainly be looking for the impact that it will have.
How effective these Alliance Battles are not only designed, but received, could go a long way in determining how much further ArenaNet is willing to go, as far as epic PvP is concerned. Who knows, Guild Wars fans may be completely satisfied in the 4 vs 4 and the 8 vs 8 battles that we currently have access to and find any more is a waste of time. On the other hand, said fans may want a more epic feel and hence favor this 12 vs 12 setup. If in fact this is the case one day this game may match World of Warcraft's epic feel: wouldn't a 40 vs 40 battle that is based entirely on skill be incredibly appealing? I certainly think so.
No matter what happens it will be a fun weekend for PvE and PvP fans alike. Contrary to the last event, those who love PvE will get a chance to experience the content they'll receive in Factions. As far as PvP is concerned, well, we will get an opportunity to experience a revolution perhaps. As I stated previously, if fans become attached to this 12 vs 12 setup, who knows how far it can go? Personally, I really hope it does take off: the more combatants there are the more exciting PvP becomes.
Over the course of the weekend be sure to keep your browser locked on to Guild Wars LQGaming! Our staff will be working aggressively to provide the best possible coverage of this land mark event in Guild Wars history - the last before the launch of Factions!
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