This is part two of PC Zone's reveal of Star Wars: The Old Republic. For the first part of the preview click here, or buy PC Zone issue 200 in shops now.
From Baldur's Gate right through to Mass Effect, companion characters have been a staple of BioWare's games. The expertly constructed NPCs (from sassy assassin droids to intemperate hulking aliens) will fight alongside you, offering a helping hand when it's needed and engaging in awkward elevator conversations while the game loads the next area. They act as conduits for relating story too, at any point you can strike up a chat with a companion and they'll have at least a snippet of character-infused narrative to fire at you.
Nothing's changing with The Old Republic. "Companion characters are a big part of how we do our storytelling," claims Erickson. "There'll be a very large variety and amount of companion characters that are available for all of the different classes. Everybody will be adventuring with companions. They won't be like World of Warcraft pets - they'll be people you interact with, like in a typical BioWare game."
A writing team four times larger than BioWare's standard (which is already significantly girthier than your typical game writing team, being in the "double figures") drawing from all of the developer's past titles ensures there'll be wealth of different characters in The Old Republic. Though how you'll meet them and how they'll stay unique to you is unclear. "We had a challenge when we realised that players running about in a public world will eventually see their companion running about with another player," admits Ohlen. "Athough we've solved it." How? Procedurally generated party hats? He laughs: "I can't tell you how, but we've solved it."
If you think this is sounding more like a single player RPG than a persistent online game, that's because it really does, The Old Republic is deeply rooted in BioWare's experience in offline adventuring. Even the company's morality system has survived the genre transition, pegging you as a light or dark character based on your actions, regardless of your chosen faction. Even in the first few hours of the game the quests will have multiple outcomes based on player choice. Those outcomes will impact on the story, something no popular MMO has ever attempted.
The delineation of sides won't be as neat as your usual Alliance and Horde division. As in KOTOR, you'll find Dark Jedi trying to spoil their faction's well-preened image. Similarly, Sith characters can do good deeds like any other, even if they'll presumably have less lightning at their fingertips.
Whether or not BioWare will employ KOTOR's sliding scale of morality (in which good deeds negate bad) or Mass Effect's cumulative one (in which both good and bad deeds aggregate) isn't known. Fans seem to have favoured Mass Effect's system, as it made a great deal more sense, so it seems a safe bet that it'll reappear in The Old Republic.
A fog of rude mystery currently hangs over the specifics of The Old Republic's more traditional MMO features. Crafting will be in there, as well as PvP, with ongoing battles of an unknown scale taking place between the Sith Empire and the Old Republic.
Character development will be "familiar to BioWare fans and MMO fans alike", and when pressed for information on how classes will differ in terms of skills and abilities, BioWare simply nod and say, "Have we told you about our companion characters yet?"
Clearly it's early days for The Old Republic, and the company's priority is placating an already vocal crowd of fans who think KOTOR's about to be diluted in the vast lake of Worlds of Warcrafts, Warhammer Onlines and Ages of Conans.
"We'll have thousands of players in a persistent world," assures Ohlen. "We're building an MMO for MMO players, but we're also appealing to BioWare fans through the story systems we've built.
"We're giving you the Hero's Journey. We're creating an MMO that will be able to do everything you can do in other MMOs." So there'll be no skimping on the essentials then? "No way, if you come to The Old Republic looking for Star Wars, you'll get it," adds Erickson. "If you come looking for an MMO, you'll get that too."
Going hand-in-hand with character progression are the ways in which it is rendered visually. You only have to look at the recent Warhammer Online to see how precious and particular players can be when it comes to the look of their characters - it's important to have an avatar that reflects not only the time you've spent playing, but the choices you've made along the way.
"We spent a lot of time ensuring that progression is rewarded visually," explains art director, Jeff Dobson. "A level one guy lends himself well to a simpler outfit, regardless of your background. "As you progress you'll recover things or find loot, that sort of thing - you'll basically look flashier and cooler. We take characters from the movie and think, what level is that guy? And that becomes the target: Darth Vader is your top level Sith dude. Luke on Tatooine, he's a level one anything, you know? He's just getting started!"
"There's so much room for customisation," adds Erickson, "and different paths to take. Something our art team's worked really hard on is making your character not just say, 'Hey, look at me I'm really high level' but 'This is how I choose to play my guy.' If you choose to play a dark side Jedi and approach the world in that way, you'll look like somebody you shouldn't screw with."
Stylised realism is the term BioWare are using to describe their visual style, a sort of halfway house between World of Warcraft's system-friendly environments and City of Heroes' colourful characters. "We wanted to make sure we had a unique look," explains Dobson. "We didn't want to look like anything else out there. At the same time we didn't want to cross the line and become too cartoony or so stylised that people couldn't relate to it. We really strive to make our game look like our concept art. Quite often I'll walk past somebody's PC and see some nice concept art suddenly begin to move on their screen."
BioWare promise that the combat itself is being built with attention paid to that all-important authentic Star Wars feel.Lightsabers will connect properly and blaster bolts will be deflected. Steps are being taken to avoid the floatiness of animation usually associated with MMOs.
"With our combat system," explains Ohlen, "we wanted it to feel different to other MMOs, we wanted it to feel like Star Wars combat. With a lot of other games, combat is too slow-paced and non-interactive. I can't go into too much detail, but we're ensuring it looks and feels like Star Wars." "Oh, it's also real time, all the time," laughs Ohlen. "You can't pause the server to queue up moves."
With an impeccable sense of self-awareness, BioWare are carefully navigating the expectations of millions of RPG fans. The shift into a multiplayer gear will be jarring news for some, casting doubt on whether we'll ever see a 'proper' single-player KOTOR 3, but The Old Republic is already promising to deliver far more than that. Almost certainly the biggest writing team in the industry is creating a series of intertwining legends in the Star Wars universe, creating more story content than every other BioWare game combined, and what they've revealed so far is hugely exciting. But no pausing mid-battle?Pfft, not interested.
So how long until this comes to console? It won't sell on PC like WOW, so BioWare will lose many potential sales by not bringing it to 360 and possibly PS3.
@jigglybean, never heard of the redial console like they put in some rts games on consoles? 1 button opens a dial for several options, it could be applied here.
I think it would do really well if it was PC only, it has 2 huge factors going for it, an amazing developer (bioware) and a much loved and popular universe (star wars).
There's still not enough info on the combat, and that worries me. I don't want yet another MMO that has a great story (and a lot of them do) but has combat where you turn attack on and then hit an ability every time it refreshes. Yawn.
We don't necessarily need real-time FPS-style combat, but something a little more interactive would be nice.
"If you think this is sounding more like a single player RPG than a persistent online game, that's because it really does, The Old Republic is deeply rooted in BioWare's experience in offline adventuring. Even the company's morality system has survived the genre transition, pegging you as a light or dark character based on your actions, regardless of your chosen faction. Even in the first few hours of the game the quests will have multiple outcomes based on player choice. Those outcomes will impact on the story, something no popular MMO has ever attempted." - from the article part 2
If only...However, since EA and BioWare insist on making this a (subscription based?) MMO they're ensuring that they won't be receiving my money. Make it a single player KoTOR 3 without limited activations nor intrusive and damaging DRM SecuROM and I'll buy it faster than you can say "Bubba". Yet however much I might enjoy escaping into make believe worlds for periods at a time I'm not so big an escapist as to expect EA to recant on it's abhorrent march of DRM. What a waste.
If only...However, since EA and BioWare insist on making this a (subscription based?) MMO they're ensuring that they won't be receiving my money. Make it a single player KoTOR 3 without limited activations nor intrusive and damaging DRM SecuROM and I'll buy it faster than you can say "Bubba". Yet however much I might enjoy escaping into make believe worlds for periods at a time I'm not so big an escapist as to expect EA to recant on it's abhorrent march of DRM. What a waste.
This is the second time you've beaten me to a post and said exactly what I was going to say.
Have to say it's refreshing to see someone I can agree with.
Article wise, I have a sneaking suspicion that this was part of the deal involving the Bioware buyout. KOTOR 3 turning into an MMO practically stinks of EA.
Unfortunately if history is anything to go buy, if this game fails, then Bioware will be consumed.
So how long until this comes to console? It won't sell on PC like WOW, so BioWare will lose many potential sales by not bringing it to 360 and possibly PS3.
a born idiot...ofc it will sell. do you know how many star wars fans are out there? just because your a little cheap a$$ who cant afford a decent pc..many others can. plus..i have high doubts it will appear on x360..due to limitations and online fee's etc.
RE: subscription model. im a huge fan of paying for mmo games..basically if it has no monthly fee..you know the game is going to suck. lol simple as that
So how long until this comes to console? It won't sell on PC like WOW, so BioWare will lose many potential sales by not bringing it to 360 and possibly PS3.
a born idiot...ofc it will sell. do you know how many star wars fans are out there? just because your a little cheap a$$ who cant afford a decent pc..many others can. plus..i have high doubts it will appear on x360..due to limitations and online fee's etc.
RE: subscription model. im a huge fan of paying for mmo games..basically if it has no monthly fee..you know the game is going to suck. lol simple as that
Guild Wars doesn't suck. Though I'm sure, as is your right, that you'll disagree with the millions of people who still play it.
Regardless, GW proved that it could be done without the need for monthly fees, but of course, there's not as much money involved.
I'm hopeful that GW 2 will open enough peoples eyes and they'll finally realise that you don't need to pay Ł10 a month (average) to play a good MMO.
What is that other poster going on about? Afford a decent PC? Please! I bought a new gaming PC in August and it can handle anything on the market at high or ultra high settings at present date.
As for that incredibly ignorant comment that any online game that doesn't have a subscription fee is crap, well, as SuperCinos pointed out there may well be a number of exceptions to that unsupported claim. Regardless, people are free to have their own opinions and mine - expressed above - remains unchanged at present time.
The problem with Guild Wars is that it is not a persistent online world in the sense that the big name MMOs are. Towns are sharded experiences with small groups of players in each, and anything that takes place outside the town is restricted to the maximum party size for that game. In short, they are limited by what they can do. That's not to say they're a bad thing: they have their place and suit certain MMOs well. The sharded experience may indeed be the way to go for KOTOR online since it would give it more of an epic feel for the single player.
With a subscription based MMO game, that monthly fee pays for server maintenance costs and also the wages of the people that continue to create new content for the game many many years after it has been released. With that small monthly fee they can afford servers that can support thousands of players in the same world at once, something that none-subscription based games simply cannot do unless it's micro transaction based (which is something I strongly disagree with btw).
If only...However, since EA and BioWare insist on making this a (subscription based?) MMO they're ensuring that they won't be receiving my money.
I'm sure they'll be weeping over the loss of your Ł30 as they're raking in millions from subscribers every month... Don't think your "consumer power" will sway much when they stand to make so much money if this is successful.
And I hope it will be... while I'd love to see a proper KotOR3, I'm very interested to see how this game turns out. If all they're saying about it is true it could very well be the MMORPG I actually want to play.
So how long until this comes to console? It won't sell on PC like WOW, so BioWare will lose many potential sales by not bringing it to 360 and possibly PS3.
a born idiot...ofc it will sell. do you know how many star wars fans are out there? just because your a little cheap a$$ who cant afford a decent pc..many others can. plus..i have high doubts it will appear on x360..due to limitations and online fee's etc.
RE: subscription model. im a huge fan of paying for mmo games..basically if it has no monthly fee..you know the game is going to suck. lol simple as that
Guild Wars doesn't suck. Though I'm sure, as is your right, that you'll disagree with the millions of people who still play it.
Regardless, GW proved that it could be done without the need for monthly fees, but of course, there's not as much money involved.
I'm hopeful that GW 2 will open enough peoples eyes and they'll finally realise that you don't need to pay Ł10 a month (average) to play a good MMO.
erm dude...GW is not a "true" mmo...sorry to burst your bubble. go play wow..thats a true mmo...every aspect of the game is mmo.
The one gaping flaw in your line of logic being that one shouldn't attempt to change anything because surely it is doomed to fail without others joining in yet you say this before having any empirical data as to just how many others may or may not follow suit. I don't doubt that many will be interested and willing to pay for the KoTOR 3 MMO yet the question then becomes how many sales did it garner as opposed to how many sales it would have garnered as a true single player sequel? This may be offset by the monthly subscriptions (which do indeed pay for maintenance and new creativity as one poster pointed out, however that is only half the story as witnessed with WoW where there is a HUGE surplus of profit even after maintenance and new updates are taken into account).
I don't expect to stop KoTOR 3 but neither will I support it. Alone I may not topple it but I am not alone, and the only thing a negative "Oh-you/I/we-can't-do-it" attitude ever did was increase the likelihood of defeat. "Who dares wins".
With a subscription based MMO game, that monthly fee pays for server maintenance costs and also the wages of the people that continue to create new content for the game many many years after it has been released. With that small monthly fee they can afford servers that can support thousands of players in the same world at once, something that none-subscription based games simply cannot do unless it's micro transaction based (which is something I strongly disagree with btw).
You forgot about regular expansion packs. In total Ncsoft released 3 expansion packs for GW and they earned enough money from them to keep servers up and running and keep their tech drones well oiled.
If they could do it with just expansion packs, and still support millions of players. Then why do Blizzard feel the need to charge for everything, from expansion packs and subs to character transfers.
Don't believe the lies, if they wanted too they could easily adopt an expansion model and still keep their servers running with regular updates, but they won't of course because at the end of the day it's all about the moolah.
So long as people are willing to pay however much a month, they will continue to charge.
Some figures to illustrate, assuming both games were just released:
Cost of GW: Ł30 Total expansion packs: Ł45 (non collectors edition) Total for all time: Ł75
Cost of WoW: Ł30 Total expansion packs: Ł30 (non collectors edition) Cost of Subscription: Ł9/month Total for one year: Ł168
It's your choice of course, I'm just highlighting the other point of view.
erm dude...GW is not a "true" mmo...sorry to burst your bubble. go play wow..thats a true mmo...every aspect of the game is mmo.
Oh please I am getting so tired of that comment. Lets go through it shall we...
Is Guild Wars massive? Yes Is Guild Wars multiplayer? Yes Is Guild Wars online? Yes
If there are other letters that I am unaware of then please feel free to correct me, but as far as the MMO goes, Guild Wars satisfies all requirements. It's just a different way of doing it and one that has proven its success.
The one gaping flaw in your line of logic being that one shouldn't attempt to change anything because surely it is doomed to fail without others joining in yet you say this before having any empirical data as to just how many others may or may not follow suit.
Took me a while to work out what you were talking about there...
You're right of course, I can't say for certain whether KotOR3 would make more money than a KotOR MMO, but I find it much more likely that if this game is good it will make much more money as a subscription game than a singleplayer, one-off purchas KotOR3 would bring in.
You want empirical data? I'll give you empirical data. This is all about past games so it won't necessarily hold for this one, but you wanted figures so:
Star Wars Galaxies (which is widely recognised as being... not particularly good) currently has about 140,000 subscribers, and had about 300,000 at its peak. It's had a rough average of 220,000 subscribers over the course of 4.5 years. At a subscription cost of $15/month, that means it's pulled in about $178m (about Ł113m at current exchange rates) over that time - and that's ignoring the initial sales of the game.
Knights of the Old Republic had an estimated 1.95m sales on the xbox and 470,000 sales on the PC - if we average those sales at Ł30 each (ignoring the fact that many of the sales were on budget) that makes Ł72.6m.
So you see how even an MMO which many (including myself) would regard as unsuccessful can rake in much more money than a game that only has a one-off sale, even if that game is very popular? I think we can all agree it's likely that SWR will pull in the subscribers from Galaxies plus more, so I can't see it making less money than a singleplayer KotOR would.
If there are other letters that I am unaware of then please feel free to correct me, but as far as the MMO goes, Guild Wars satisfies all requirements. It's just a different way of doing it and one that has proven its success.
Totally with you there - by what nologo said he's basically saying the only games that can consider themselves MMORPGs are those that copy WoW. Just because it's the most popular it doesn't mean it's the only way of doing it, or the only "true mmo"... it wasn't even the first.
While I appreciate the effort you made in providing an illustrative example I will point out that there is simply no way for anyone at current time to empirically know how KoTOR 3 will do since it hasn't been released. Furthermore, it's somewhat of a moot point how it would have done commercially as a single player game *with a free online multiplayer mode* since that game is not to be. Cinos has already demonstrated the ability to charge less while still running a successful MMO business model. He is also correct in ascerting that it's about the money. It's that fine line of just how hard do you press the customer? Just because he/she isn't officially voicing dissent with the prices may not automatically equate him/her being content with the pricing. There is a lot of ignorance out on the markets (at least there certainly is with many of the clients I negotiate deals with in my line of work, granted it's not the gaming industry but I suspect many of the same principles apply).
To sum it up: I have not yet subjected myself to an online monthly fee to play a game and I have no intention of doing so in the forsee-able future. Games like Guild Wars - which admittedly I haven't played though I keep toying with the idea - haven shown that it can be done. I would have picked up WoW in a heartbeat if it didn't have a monthly subscription fee. The same for Star Wars Galaxies (sounds like I missed a close call based on reviews,). Heck, I might even have gone for the expansion packs as I did with Half-life 1. I'm waiting for the third and final installment of the Half-life 2 expansions before I buy all of them at once. Apropos Half-life, Valve also runs CS: Source and it's predecessors free of charge. Granted, the scale of conflict is smaller yet it relies on advertisement and a growing online catalogue of games that can be paid for and downloaded (in other words it offers ease of purchase,) to turn a profit.
While I appreciate the effort you made in providing an illustrative example I will point out that there is simply no way for anyone at current time to empirically know how KoTOR 3 will do since it hasn't been released.
I agree that I can't know for sure, I said as much... my point was that this will almost certainly make more money than KotOR3 would, thus the fact that some KotOR fans won't want to pay for a subscription game won't actually matter to Bioware. If this game is good, they'll make plenty of KotOR fans happy, and they'll (almost certainly) make more money than they would have with a non-subscription KotOR3. The fact that some KotOR fans who don't want to play a subscription MMORPG get left behind will just be an unfortunate side-effect that their large bags of cash will make up for.
Your talk of how customers feel about pricing and how other games run for free is hardly relevant... I'm sure everyone would be happier if they could get everything for free with no ill consequences. The fact is they're voting with their money - if they pay the subscription, that means they view the game as worthy of the price. If they didn't they wouldn't pay it. And if all the WoW players thought Guild Wars was as good as WoW, don't you think they'd play that instead of paying a subscription?
I'm not saying I think a subscription for SWR is a good thing, I'd certainly prefer not to pay monthly for it, but if I like it enough I will be prepared to pay the subscription to play it.
First you argue against what I said only to end up arguing for it in your second breath. While the lack of my purchase and subscription will be a drop in the ocean monetarily it is still a lost sale and a lost sale that was an almost guaranteed sale previously. There are undoubtedly others that feel the same way. Now BioWare and EA are free to choose to accept that loss and potentially gain a larger profit from adopting a different model but to say that it doesn't matter at all is false fundamentally. That they may be able to endure the loss and are willing to do so is another matter. Furthermore, pricing, market knowledge and consumer consent have everything to do with it as they are all interlinked (hint: supply & demand...and demand can be affected by any number of factors, including but not limited to pricing, product design, etc. etc.).
First you argue against what I said only to end up arguing for it in your second breath.
Erm... I'm pretty sure I never argued for it. My opinion is that this game will do well and will make far more money than a singleplayer KotOR3 would have, and thus they won't be affected if some people who would have bought KotOR3 don't buy SWR. I could turn out to be wrong, but it doesn't seem likely.
Ok, this game is going to be EPIC fail. Guild Wars is attracting alot of WoW players, and as i own both RPG's, i would say that GW pwns WoW. Guild Wars is based on pure skill, an MMORPG that you can enjoy by not having to play 24/7 like a white trash with no job and no life (basement geeks), GW is busy corroding WoW because its PvE and PvP is much better. Guild Wars 2 is coming out soon as well, and its going to be a bigger world than WoW has or ever will be, and its not going to take subscription fees either. Both this game and WoW are doomed when Guild Wars 2 comes out. I Am a big SWkotor and Star wars fan, but having to pay monthly really pi**es me off.GW 2 will run on alot of worlds, it already has a BIG span of different races and it's really balanced (oh and btw, gw2 wont be limited to a number of players that can go questing together, plus the pvp will have a new system where thousands of players from worlds can battle each other to capture castles etc... personally it will PWN WoW because it adds more functionality (ex. you will be able to swim and jump etc...) i think that TOR will be the end of bioware. and EA pi**d me off with what they did with Harry Potter 5.
There will be no monthly fee associated with Guild Wars 2 to keep up the tradition of Guild Wars. Mike O'Brien has stated that expansions or mini-expansions are more likely than standalone campaigns, but a final decision hasn't been made yet.
Guild Wars 2 will be written to run on computers with mid-range gaming specifications, but will have higher requirements than Guild Wars.
The original Guild Wars will continue to be supported after release of Guild Wars 2. This will include continued holiday events and tournaments. Controls
The control system is going to be significantly changed (in particular mouse movement in the form "click to move" will be removed from the game), however target locking will still function. Guild Wars 2 will introduce a Z-axis to the game which will allow characters to jump over obstacles. Actions which have characters interacting with the environment, such as sliding and swimming will also be introduced. Graphics
James Phinney indicated in his "Imagining Guild Wars 2" article that polygon counts and texture allowances have been increased so he expects it to look beautiful and "look like a whole new game". Gaile has indicated the game will support DirectX 10, but not require it to play. Persistence
The game will be on multiple servers or "worlds," but players will not be bound to a world and may therefore change worlds as they would districts, except that they encompass the entire game, instead of just an outpost.
There will be changes to the instancing system used. Persistent areas, similar to those traditionally used in other online multiplayer games, will be introduced to Guild Wars which may allow players to meet and interact while exploring.
Instances will still be used for missions and dungeons.
An "Event System" will be used to notify players of big events in the world: the return of a dragon, for instance. Music
Jeremy Soule, who composed the soundtracks for the original Guild Wars series, will be returning to compose the music for Guild Wars 2. Characters
A character can be used to play any game mode available in Guild Wars 2: PvE, Structured PvP and World PvP. A player may still have multiple characters.
The level cap will be raised. It has been suggested that this could be as much as 100 or even unlimited. There will be a plateau of power, where each level no longer adds as much to the power of the character. A side-kick system has been mentioned which would allow characters of a lower level to play with high level characters without disadvantage.
The skill system will be modified. There will be fewer, less complex skills which may behave differently in different situations, such as if the character is jumping or is surrounded by monsters. A system similar to the limited 8 skill system will be used.
The professions are being designed to be viable for both solo and group play. A primary and secondary profession system will be used. It is currently not known if any professions from the original Guild Wars will return, and the profession count is unknown. Races
Guild Wars 2 will introduce several new playable races. The five playable races announced so far are:
* Asura * Charr * Human * Norn * Sylvari
Different races will have different advantages and disadvantages, for example the Norn will be able to shapeshift into a half-bear half-human, with increased health and melee damage. At present it is not known what advantages other races will have. Companions
The system of companions and allies is being reworked. Companions will have customization similar to Heroes. Players will be allowed to bring a single companion with them, who will not take up a party slot and are considered an extension of the character. When a player chooses not to bring a companion, their character will instead be buffed so that they will not be disadvantaged by not bringing a companion. Original Guild Wars characters
Characters from the original Guild Wars campaign will not be migrated to play in Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2 will be a fresh start. Some items and weapons players earn in the original Guild Wars campaign may be redeemed for rewards in Guild Wars 2 through the Hall of Monuments which is available to players who have Guild Wars Eye of the North, however players will not be able to migrate the exact items or titles they obtained in Guild Wars. Names will also be reserved through this system. Setting
Main article: The Movement of the World
The Guild Wars 2 story is set about 250 years after the events in the Eye of the North expansion. The world of Tyria is drastically changed from its original form. These changes are caused by ancient dragons resurfacing after millenia of slumber. The first of the dragons, called Primordus, awoke during Eye of the North and proceeded to take over the underground network of Asuran tunnels under Tyria, driving the Asuras to the surface. Other dragons also resurfaced during the intervening centuries; one rose about the sunken holy city of Arah in the ruined kingdom of Orr, and severed the sea route between Kryta and Cantha; another arose to the south of the Crystal Desert, cutting off the link to Elona; a third dragon (known unofficially as Drakkar) arose in the Far Shiverpeaks and pushed the Norn south into land previously controlled by the Dwarves.
The human faction is much reduced. The resurfacing dragons caused massive floods that destroyed many coastal cities in Kryta, including its capital city, Lion's Arch and the PvP Battle Isles. The humans have established a new capital in Divinity's Reach after moving north from the coast. They're governed by a constitutional monarch and senate which attempts to balance all the human factions there. Many refugees flocked to Kryta from the rest of Tyria; most importantly, the humans from Ascalon. Ascalon now belongs entirely to the Charr apart from a single fortress, Ebonhawke. Ascalon City itself is a ghost town, populated by the vengeful spirits of its former citizens who slay all who dare enter.
Besides the humans, the other sentient races have a comparatively better time. The Norn and the Charr continue to honor their peace formed from a mutual respect. The Asura have spread through all cities, maintaining a network of teleportation gates but also remaining strictly neutral. The Charr achieve victory over Ascalon and settle into the former human capital of Rin. A new race, the Sylvari, appear fully formed from the mysterious tree that the centaur Ventari tended to until his death.
The Dwarves, who pursued the Destroyers deep and long at the end of Eye of the North, are now deathless creatures of stone; the few who remain watch the ages go by, interacting little with the other sentient races, if at all.
Lion's Arch has been rebuilt from the floods and is the new portal into the Mists; it takes the place of the Battle Isles.
In Cantha, the successor of emperor Kisu defeated the Kurzick and Luxon factions and reunited Cantha under one banner. Cantha then became much more isolationist; all non-human races were pushed out and the borders fortified. With the ancient dragon's undead corsair fleet disrupting travel, there has been no contact with mainland Canthans for a generation.
In Elona, Palawa Joko successfully rebuilds his undead army and lays siege to Elona. Vabbi is all but destroyed, its former splendor ruined by a famine caused by Joko diverting the river Elon. The Sunspears are broken by Joko's armies. The land bridge between Elona and the Crystal Desert is blocked by Joko's minions and the dragon, and the only news that slips through is carried by the Order of Whispers, who are now spread over all of Tyria.
Developers have stated that much of the story between Guild Wars 1 and 2 will be explained in the first novel of a three book deal with Pocket Books.
Guild Wars 2 PvE will still tell a story but will depart from a single monolithic storyline. It will instead use smaller story arcs - allowing the player more of a sandbox environment to play in. PvP
There will be two types of PvP available in Guild Wars 2; World PvP and Structured PvP. World PvP
World PvP will allow you to play characters of any level, using the skills that you have in your possession at that particular time. It is intended to be a more relaxed bridging point between PvE and structured PvP. It will be on a larger scale than the original Guild Wars PvP with large battles which could take place over a long period with people coming and going.
Each battle will have a number of different objectives which can be met such as taking guard towers or defending choke points or joining a larger battle to take a castle. Battles will take place in the Mists.
Victory in World PvP will confer benefits to your world. This may include improved drop rates, better energy regeneration or other bonuses. Structured PvP
Structured PvP is similar to today's GvG. It will allow you to enter the game at maximum level with all skills, races, items and classes automatically unlocked
Information gotten from http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_2
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R will pull in the subscribers from Galaxies plus more, so I can't see it making less money than a singleplayer KotOR would.
