Guild Wars

[Edge]

I'm wondering, since GW2 is looking to have much more importance with lore, if the actual title of the game will play a part into it. You know, the Guild Wars. One of my friends asked me some time ago why infact the game is called Guild Wars, well I could only explain that the background to the story was that there was a period where guilds fought massive wars over Tyria, and caused widespread chaos. In my opinion, it was covered pretty badly in the original GW, and always made me wonder where the title really came from.

Do you think Guild Wars 2 will actually put more emphasis on the origin here? I think its harder to fit in with GW2 because you have the elder dragon's as a rather main theme. But maybe someone can speculate if they were to add this, how would they do it?

Maybe the world PvP setting will have more of this. Where guilds of players own their own territory over Tyria and fight for them?

[Abbadon]

First off like everything else lore can change at a drop of a hat so I wouldn't pay to much attention to it. As for the GvG, they won't allow it to play to much of an important part of game, look at what happened with HA when it determined which region would have favour.

Guildwars has a great world/lore but Anet hasn't been able to implement it right, so don't expect too much from guilds in Guildwars2.

[Al_Capowned]

Guild Wars was a PvP game. GvG....Guild Vs Guild...Hence the title Guild Wars. It's the same "you're playing the wrong game" argument I've made in numerous threads on this board. They put just the right amount of thought into the title. You simply didn't put any thought into playing it.

[Edge]

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

Guild Wars was a PvP game. GvG....Guild Vs Guild...Hence the title Guild Wars. It's the same "you're playing the wrong game" argument I've made in numerous threads on this board. They put just the right amount of thought into the title. You simply didn't put any thought into playing it.

Well, I'm specifically referencing the actual Guild Wars. I'm presuming that's what the original game was named after. Not after a PvP format. If it was named after the PvP format I think we would have seen much more emphasis in it, and in the actual guild system.

[raspberry jam]

Originally Posted by Edge

Well, I'm specifically referencing the actual Guild Wars. I'm presuming that's what the original game was named after. Not after a PvP format. If it was named after the PvP format I think we would have seen much more emphasis in it, and in the actual guild system.

Well I'd think that the name definitely existed before they came up with the backstory for the game, and also that they had the idea of GvG before they even decided on a name, but I could be wrong huh.

That said the guild wars (in-game, historical lore event) was put in as the motivation for why guilds right now have their own islands and why they formally meet and fight each other. So it's connected to GvG in more than one way.

[Whisper]

The name refers to a period of war happening prior to the events of the game (not guild vs guild) that lasted 57 years, but was ended due to the Charr invasion from the north. The fact that the guild wars were so devastating is what made guilds illegal in Tyria.

[Konig Des Todes]

Originally Posted by Abbadon

First off like everything else lore can change at a drop of a hat so I wouldn't pay to much attention to it. As for the GvG, they won't allow it to play to much of an important part of game, look at what happened with HA when it determined which region would have favour.

Guildwars has a great world/lore but Anet hasn't been able to implement it right, so don't expect too much from guilds in Guildwars2.

Originally Posted by Al_Capowned

Guild Wars was a PvP game. GvG....Guild Vs Guild...Hence the title Guild Wars. It's the same "you're playing the wrong game" argument I've made in numerous threads on this board. They put just the right amount of thought into the title. You simply didn't put any thought into playing it.

Anet developers would disagree with you, as they point blank stated that lore is important to the game, and that the game is not just a PvP game.

Anyways, the term Guild Wars comes from a few things: Firstly, as Whisper stated, in lore there were a series of various battles, enough to make wars, between independent guilds. Along with that, in the main storylines of Guild Wars 1, we can see guilds battling still: White Mantle vs Shining Blade, Am Fah vs Jade Brotherhood are two examples. Along with the Guild vs Guild in lore, there are guilds who are seen fighting in lore: Ascalon's Vanguard, Ebon Vanguard, Order of the Sunspears, and Order of Whispers.

Of course, many of the later guilds are not confirmed to be guilds, but instead organizations that act like guilds.


I also think that, originally, Guild Wars was focused around the lore event of the Guild Wars (meaning that, I think, the game was originally to take place before the Searing).

[Abbadon]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Anet developers would disagree with you, as they point blank stated that lore is important to the game, and that the game is not just a PvP game.

Anyways, the term Guild Wars comes from a few things: Firstly, as Whisper stated, in lore there were a series of various battles, enough to make wars, between independent guilds. Along with that, in the main storylines of Guild Wars 1, we can see guilds battling still: White Mantle vs Shining Blade, Am Fah vs Jade Brotherhood are two examples. Along with the Guild vs Guild in lore, there are guilds who are seen fighting in lore: Ascalon's Vanguard, Ebon Vanguard, Order of the Sunspears, and Order of Whispers.

Of course, many of the later guilds are not confirmed to be guilds, but instead organizations that act like guilds.


I also think that, originally, Guild Wars was focused around the lore event of the Guild Wars (meaning that, I think, the game was originally to take place before the Searing).

Anet can say whatever they wish, anyone with common sense knows that lore will change to fit whatever design they have for their game.

As for the name, Guildwars was named after the war which took place before the Charr invasion. Since then guilds have played less of a role in the lore, so with Guildwars2 I would expect guilds having even less.

[Konig Des Todes]

Originally Posted by Abbadon

Anet can say whatever they wish, anyone with common sense knows that lore will change to fit whatever design they have for their game.

If they just retconned whatever they feel like, the lore would be horrible. In other words, they can change lore, but they don't. Instead they add onto lore.

[Legion]

This is just like Elder Scrolls (Oblivion, Morowind etc.) there is one thing in the universe that is actually called "the Elder Scrolls" but rarely appear in any of the game of the series or are significant to the plot...

[Free Runner]

The term Guild Wars refers to both the event of the Guild Wars on Tyria before the Searing and the element of GvG in the game, which are much more confined smaller guild wars. Anet probably focused it more on the GvG part. The reason they have stuck with the name for the sequel is probably more to do with identity than story plot however.

[draxynnic]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

I also think that, originally, Guild Wars was focused around the lore event of the Guild Wars (meaning that, I think, the game was originally to take place before the Searing).

Certainly, the Searing came relatively late into the alpha...

The impression I've always had was that Guild Wars was made as a PvP game with a bit of PvE on the side. When they settled on a story, the name had already stuck.

Plus, we do still see the Wars continuing - they're just formally regulated contests for primacy on the Battle Isles rather than the anarchic free-for-all that devastated the human nations of the Tyrian continent.

[raspberry jam]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

If they just retconned whatever they feel like, the lore would be horrible. In other words, they can change lore, but they don't. Instead they add onto lore.

If the lore event of guilds fighting against each other had, for some lore reason, been called "The Wars of Dfnik", do you think the game would have been called that too? Lore, good or bad, is always made up post facto.

[Feathermoore]

Originally Posted by raspberry jam

If the lore event of guilds fighting against each other had, for some lore reason, been called "The Wars of Dfnik", do you think the game would have been called that too? Lore, good or bad, is always made up post facto.

As a writer, I can tell you that Lore, story, and title are all made up at the same time. Seeing as Anet most likely had a working title when they designed the game, the name Guild Wars most likely occurred after the lore (more specifically at the same time the guild wars were named thus).

[Free Runner]

I'm guessing the title was actually concieved before the full "Guild Wars" back story. The original trailers narrative indicated guilds playing a bigger part originally.

And as Draxynnic pointed out, GvGs are pretty much toned down Guild Wars - the only difference between the two lorewise is that the Guild Wars took place in the cities and were driven by greed and power while GvGs are confined to neutral soil and are for glory and honor rather than control.

[draxynnic]

Originally Posted by Feathermoore

As a writer, I can tell you that Lore, story, and title are all made up at the same time. Seeing as Anet most likely had a working title when they designed the game, the name Guild Wars most likely occurred after the lore (more specifically at the same time the guild wars were named thus).

Hi. Alpha participant here. *waves*

Unless the devs were deliberately hiding their real story from the players to begin with, there was at least one significant change in lore direction since early 2004. The game map when I started the alpha bore no resemblance to the map when the game was released, although there are some common threads (defending a village called Hakewood from undead, for instance). And believe me, the name "Guild Wars" was already in use then.

[mugyou2]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Anet developers would disagree with you, as they point blank stated that lore is important to the game, and that the game is not just a PvP game.

Anyways, the term Guild Wars comes from a few things: Firstly, as Whisper stated, in lore there were a series of various battles, enough to make wars, between independent guilds. Along with that, in the main storylines of Guild Wars 1, we can see guilds battling still: White Mantle vs Shining Blade, Am Fah vs Jade Brotherhood are two examples. Along with the Guild vs Guild in lore, there are guilds who are seen fighting in lore: Ascalon's Vanguard, Ebon Vanguard, Order of the Sunspears, and Order of Whispers.

Of course, many of the later guilds are not confirmed to be guilds, but instead organizations that act like guilds.


I also think that, originally, Guild Wars was focused around the lore event of the Guild Wars (meaning that, I think, the game was originally to take place before the Searing).

i would love to play that. not just like beginners for gw1. just all of searing that would be a great game to play. but humans only :| still great. humans V charrs but great guilds vs. guilds battles cause its before searing and the destruction of the wall. it would lead up to the destruction of the wall. which is fate. that would be great game expansion XD

[MartynThompson]

I also think that, originally, Guild Wars was focused around the lore event of the Guild Wars (meaning that, I think, the game was originally to take place before the Searing).

i would love to play that. not just like beginners for gw1. just all of searing that would be a great game to play. but humans only :| still great. humans V charrs but great guilds vs. guilds battles cause its before searing and the destruction of the wall. it would lead up to the destruction of the wall. which is fate. that would be great game expansion XD

/signed that wowuld be pwnage cool

[Sha Noran]

Yeah, it's pretty hilarious that they named the game that and then never actually put any content in that related to it.

Sure, GvG, but that... very quickly became sidelined in the game's overall focus, and definitely never came into the PvE lore much at all.