CoE: Unused rooms?

[hugo.4705]

Well did some paths those last days, when I thought I was seeing strange things on the map like very discreet elements. I've decided to play with the luminosity and the contrast to investigate the map closer. Then I wrote an interrogation point on the areas still feeling suspicious. Magenta lines on the maps are condemned passages, red lines are condemned inquest stone gates, blue lines are force fields)

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1-The link between Magimechanic Upgrade Depot and Thaumagolemic Observation Creche

The room looks like an usable one, two doors, with associated corridors. With some "tables" that for me are made to position golems and while agents configure them.But both of those tunnels end on a wall, assets added to block them, regular stone pillars. Not so far, on the map you can see a secondary tunnel linking Thaumagolemic Observation Creche to Ambulatory Preparation Facility. Same process, blocked by a normal wall or stone pillar.The south part of Ambulatory Preparation Facility is unavailable, you just see golems running around in it. But the room seems bigger than what is shown.

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2-The mysterious upper path of the aquarium.

Considering the orientation and direction, It feels like it's aimed toward the area under Ambulatory Preparation Facility, through the analysis is unclear, showing a little triangle-like shape, the whole have simply been never implemented/scrapped. Maybe it's linked to upper levels, will re-speak about that later. The rest of the aquarium is neat, just showing the aquatic lamp posts. And aquatic buildings.

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3-The Arcanic Reactor

This is the greatest anomaly, very visible, it looks like stone spires emitting lights, associated with very huge corridors/ observation platforms, that huge structure feels like the reactor in Thaumanova Fractal with the columns filled with coolant. It's evoked during dialogues that the reactor is melting down, but the area we visit during story path feels more like a control room. The power supply required to run the facility is surely bigger than that room, implying ton of whatever radioactive rods, crystals or whatever, but fusion. That discovered part seems linked to Central Data Repository and Essence Purification zone. And guess what? Both extremity are locked by stone pillars identical to the ones of the previous points.

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4-The "Warehouse"

Well that's the name coming to my mind. This is a huge space under Experimental Lab Red. That seems to have an access to the center of the crucible but also an annex room not far of Alchemic Spillway. The surface is very important and intriguing. Fun fact, we can see a "G" dunno really why.

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5-Psychoarcanic Invisible Complex

The area is again, full of strange visible tunnel-like structures. They are filling all the remaining space, I noted there is a blocked tunnel in the main room. In this case it would have lead to Independent Research Sector. At the north of Golemgate Delivery Dock, we have a huge space, similar to the Aquarium in term of texture, normal, it's filled with water, surely a way to the surface, allowing submarine to arrive.

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6-Upper levels

The most fascinating point, the upper levels are full of unreachable doors and platforms. I've represented them at the center in addition of some access platforms. Firstly, you have 3 hexagonal platforms joined together with on each side of that ensemble, 2 closed stone gates. (upper right corner of picture) Then, you have a long corridor, protected by force field (just at the bottom right of the main 6 platforms at the top-center of the picture) To continue, that rectangular platform associated with one hexagonal equipped with one stone gate. (Top left of picture). The last one is an orange lights corridor leading to a data terminal, cannot be seen cause behind me. Shown on first picture, top of essence purification zone.

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Imho, some feels more than simple map artifacts or random brushes. Arcanic Reactor and Lab Experimental Red ones are very well detailed. Why bothering so much with things outside of the map? You can't see those lights pillars in the reactor, it's for me definitely another room. Maybe the lab one was a placeholder because the lab was planned to be bigger?The last "mystery", at the right of the reactor, locked behind a gate is an emergency asura gate I guess. The anomalies of Thaumagolemic Observation Creche are visible on the map itself but also by you looking through the force fields. That Unused room exists, and is simply ignored. I should say two, because maybe the blocked corridor also have a room.

What bother me, is that as you can see, there isn't let's say false positive, on the reedited map, you clearly see where you have nothing and where there is something. Alpha Reserve, The Aquarium and the center of the Crucible are clean; even the water cave of Golemgate Delivery Dock.

[Thorstienn.1642]

So much wasted potential

[hash.8462]

I suspect the first one is the famous "cafeteria" :) .

[hugo.4705]

Just an update, successfully made a better map after doing some runs. Updated the one in the original post. Now Light spires can also be seen near the Aquarium and Data Repository. Plus a very curious hexagonal shaped at upper-right corner.

[Zaklex.6308]

@hugo.4705 said:Just an update, successfully made a better map after doing some runs. Updated the one in the original post. Now Light spires can also be seen near the Aquarium and Data Repository. Plus a very curious hexagonal shaped at upper-right corner.

You do know there are areas like this all over GW2, don't you? Like the completely modeled room inside the mountain that is behind the bank in Lions Arch right next to the Black Lion Trading Co. . It's common when you model an area you build it out completely(at least that's what I've observed in other games), whether you're going to use all of it or not.

[hugo.4705]

Indeed, any map start as a large flat square with basic texture. Then they uses brush and tools to create the relief. After they add their assets. And yup it's common to make test with them out of bound. But there is no reasons to see them on the dungeon map.

In a "polished" final product, you make a map image file without the unavailable areas. My guess their minimap is a top view of the map, so we see everything. But my point is that is is strange to add "unreachable carrots" like the room of point 1) or the south part of Ambulatory... Even the one in aquarium, was it meant just to looks cool?

[hash.8462]

As I see it, CoE could be an excellent Guild Hall :p

[Svarty.8019]

@Thorstienn.1642 said:So much wasted potential

That's GW2's tag line.

[Omega.6801]

Might be rooms, created to look into not actually to visit. Maybe, at one point in 2012 they had plans for adding more paths to dungeons as the story of the game progresses, like Aetherpath for TA, but then they abandoned dungeons and never looked back. Sad story is sad.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Some of what you mention is part of the story instance's pathing, like the Arcanic Reactor - in the story, Zojja summons Mr. Sparkles and you have to stay near him to avoid being radiated with leaking contaminated magic. I believe "The link between Magimechanic Upgrade Depot and Thaumagolemic Observation Creche" is also used in story.

Other portions, like the "upper levels", are likely half-done decorations designed solely for the purpose of making the place look bigger than it is - I bet if you were to clip out and look on the other side of those objects, the textures are missing. This is a very common level design tactic done so that the game's world feels bigger than what we can access - especially in cases like this, where we're forced down certain pathways by objectives.

[hugo.4705]

@"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:Some of what you mention is part of the story instance's pathing, like the Arcanic Reactor - in the story, Zojja summons Mr. Sparkles and you have to stay near him to avoid being radiated with leaking contaminated magic. I believe "The link between Magimechanic Upgrade Depot and Thaumagolemic Observation Creche" is also used in story.

Other portions, like the "upper levels", are likely half-done decorations designed solely for the purpose of making the place look bigger than it is - I bet if you were to clip out and look on the other side of those objects, the textures are missing. This is a very common level design tactic done so that the game's world feels bigger than what we can access - especially in cases like this, where we're forced down certain pathways by objectives.

"Arcanic Reactor - in the story, Zojja summons Mr. Sparkles and you have to stay near him to avoid being radiated with leaking contaminated magic."Well Indeed, yes we visited Aranic Reactor in the story, but only the lower part, the one linked to Data Repository Depot and south of The Essence Purification Zone. But where the interrogation point is, nope, we haven't visited it. That area with those stone spires isn't available.

"I believe "The link between Magimechanic Upgrade Depot and Thaumagolemic Observation Creche" is also used in story."Well, the plot of story is arriving from Crucible Access Platform to end in the Eternity Focus room with Kudu.We directly pass from Golemetric Diagnostics to Magimechanic Upgrade depot ignoring Golemgate, Lab white and the creche. Through it could have been in path 1: submarine. But, there is a special detail, that link between the two room shown in point 1 is actually under the ground of Thaumagolemic Observation Creche, meaning, if I could say it, it's leading to the -4 level, same depth as the essence purification zone as comparison. Maybe the second sealed link (magenta lines near it), is also level -4.

About the last paragraph, I agree, like the Aquarium one, the sole purpose is to make the place bigger with those fakes pathways.