June 8th beta weekend

[Furiously]

They just announced the next beta weekend. Keep your old chars.

http://www.arena.net/blog/announcing-the-next-guild-wars-2-beta-weekend

[Tmon]

Nice timing for me since I get back from an extended trip for work on the 8th.  I suppose I'll keep plugging away on my Charr ranger, he should be able to hit the dungeon before the weekend ends if I don't dink around too much.

[murdoc]

Nice, been itching to get my hands back on this.

[Nebu]

Bah... I'll be traveling that weekend.

[tazelbain]

I won't be on til about 3pm PDT for invites.

Things to remember:
Hit 'g' to get the guild menu.
Anybody should be able to invite.
You don't automatically represent a guild when you make an alt, so you have to go in to the guild menu and hit represent.

This is based on the last beta.  Hopefully, it'll be updated and little less cumbersome.

[Chimpy]

I would like to try this out. But I did not get a beta key before so I doubt I will get one this time.

[kildorn]

Here's hoping my patcher issues are fixed and I can actually play without hitting corrupt files constantly!

[Furiously]

I would like to try this out. But I did not get a beta key before so I doubt I will get one this time.

These weekends are for people that have pre-ordered the game. So yea... unlikely you will get a key unless you purchase the game.

[Riggswolfe]

I got a key through Massively as advertised on the GW2 Facebook page. Oddly enough it said I had pre-ordered the game after I entered it yet did not ask for any CC information. So, I guess we'll see what's what. I am hoping that's just the generic text you see. Anyway, I'm wondering what my thoughts are going to be. I am expecting great game play but a boring ass world or in other worlds the exact opposite of the Secret World.

[Mavor]

It's a good game. No empty world here TBH. Just non-grindy fairly balanced fun without having to worry about lives-in-basement grinderKid1008 with his elite DIKU equipment one shotting you.

[Hawkbit]

I'm not proclaiming it roboticus jesusitus or anything, but of all the MMO-like games launched since WoW, it will be the first to have the real potential to compete with it.  After seeing what Blizzard has become since 2008, I think Anet is poised to claim their throne.  Over time, not simply when GW2 launches. 

[Evildrider]

I think people are just into the "different" of GW2.  The game just didn't grab my attention in any significant way during the first beta weekend.
I plan on trying again, but I don't know if anything will change my impression of the game so far.  

This is coming from someone on the outside who has not followed the game in any depth.

[Kageru]

Saying the game is going to compete with WoW is probably not too likely. The mass crowd, the "leet" types chasing their next purple or server first aren't likely to leave WoW for GW2. However it's the first MMO in a while that's tried to do something new and may carve out it's own niche, especially at the more casual end of the player curve.

So yeah, I'm into the difference. It's been too long since we've had a MMO that isn't fatally flawed or WoW re-skinned.

[Lantyssa]

It's not going to be everything to everyone and there are still reasons to play other games.  Maybe even other MMOs.  The important thing to me is that it is a good game in its own right.  I never found myself thinking, "X did this so much better" or "I wish it had this feature from X".

[Tmon]

It's a nice upgrade from GW1 and I enjoy that it is very accommodating of my highly unfocused and DIKU unfriendly style of play, I don't see it as a serious competitor with WoW but it will definitely have an impact on the market.  I hope it makes big enough money hats for the devs that we get a few more MMOs that aren't just WoW in xxx or WoW with story or just WoW with different art.

[01101010]

It's not going to be everything to everyone and there are still reasons to play other games.  Maybe even other MMOs.  The important thing to me is that it is a good game in its own right.  I never found myself thinking, "X did this so much better" or "I wish it had this feature from X".

Well of course not. X was a shitty game in its own right and had no redeeming qualities outside of the short name. 

[Lantyssa]

I enjoyed the third one though.

[kildorn]

So I decided to get a jump on the download drama I had last time. Opened up a new client installation instance, BOOM download failed after 200m. Repeatedly happened.

Wandered around the internets, found someone who said it was probably a firewall issue (nope.jpg) but said at the end if you're really bored, try this other akamai IP in your host file. I'm now at 11G without failure. Dear akamai: Fix whatever shit is between your distribution node and comcast.

[Evildrider]

I have Comcast and there was no issue with my download. 

[Tmon]

same, I just patched the client from the last beta though.

[kildorn]

I have Comcast and there was no issue with my download. 

I had no issue with comcast, I had issues with comcast + a very specific akamai edge server. If I static a different one, it's fine. I could barely play the first beta weekend because I had to download eight separate clients to be able to have some copies without corrupt data for specific models :(

There's another huge issue that the gw2 client lacks gw1's validate function, too.

[kildorn]

ANet's bloggers have ruined this BWE:

http://www.arena.net/blog/were-ready-for-this-weekends-beta

Do not taunt the happy fun fates, ANet!

(on a more content oriented note: I suspect we're going to see the preorder system revamp in the next few weeks, Amazon is supposedly handing out BWE keys to preorders as well as prepurchases now)

[Tyrnan]

There's a new blog about the upcoming beta weekend.

Key points:

• Explorable mode Catacombs (35+)
• New map, Gendarran Fields (25-35)
• Mystic Forge - trade in unwanted items for random rewards
• Expanded WvW - there's now a "mini-dungeon" below the central map to fight in. They've also added skill challenges, DEs, jumping puzzles etc to the WvW maps
• Automated PvP tournaments - 8 teams, 3 rounds, single elimination. Plus a new PvP rewards structure
• Improved combat feel - better timing, enhanced sounds
• Chat - Chat bubbles, map chat and revamped local chat
• Keybinding - New interface and we can now use modifier keys 
• UI Improvements - Resizable minimap, dodge meter merged with health meter
• New skill tiers - Elites and Utility skills are now arranged into 3 seperate tiers. Getting a certain amount of skills in one tier will unlock the next
• Gem Store - redesigned interface and new items added

The only one that gives me pause is the new skill tiers but I'll reserve judgement until I see it in action.

[Segoris]

• Expanded WvW - there's now a "mini-dungeon" below the central map to fight in.
• Keybinding - New interface and we can now use modifier keys 

 

[kildorn]

Skill tiers seem odd, I'll be curious to see it.

The WvW dungeon is kind of a test run of an idea as I understand it: no mobs, just traps and the idea is multiple groups enter, one group gets to the treasure at the end over the corpses of their enemies. Not really a DF-alike at the moment for DAOC fans.

I'm hesitant on the pve stuff being added to wvw areas. But amused that I will soon see videos of a zerg fail jumping puzzles.

[Hawkbit]

Apparently they've added a 'visceral' feel to combat, possibly in response to TERA. 

[kildorn]

The new patch is up, by the way. So if you have a slow connection or just some time, pre-patch. It's a few gigs of shit.

[Draegan]

I'm curious about the visceral combat as well.

[Paelos]

You can only get in this by pre-ordering yes? I was wondering if there was a referral system or something.

[Segoris]

No referrals, there are some giveaways going on in some places.

One of the forums I go to has this Gamespot link where they are giving away things. May be able to search around elsewhere for stuff of this sort.

[Threash]

You can only get in this by pre-ordering yes? I was wondering if there was a referral system or something.

No pre ordering, pre buying.  Unless something's changed.

[Paelos]

Prebuying meaning money goes out the door?

That's too rich for my blood.

[Threash]

Yeah they charge you for the full game already.

[Kageru]

I imagine "visceral" just means tying the animations together better. The last beta did feel a little "floaty" and like you were just sort of waving your weapon at the foe.

[Nightblade]

Yeah they charge you for the full game already.

When I preordered the CE from gamestop they only charged me a small portion.