I told you so...

[Ashantara.8731]

Cyber-this, and cyber-that... Now they've even replaced the old Watchknights statues in Divinity's Reach. No classic hunter's cape or tea set can make up for this crap. (They think they can fool the people who dislike the design direction the game is taking?) 😡

I think EoD will be my last dive into GW2, if its future content means Tyria will turn into a futuristic world (like cyberpunk) rather than stay on the track of classic fantasy. 😥

Edit - final thoughts:

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Ashantara.8731

[Jilora.9524]

Sometimes you should just type it out and not hit send

[AgentMoore.9453]

Shifting art direction aside, I believe the change made today is actually just using the Watchknight MK II, which is a model that was added to the game several years ago because of feedback that the old one had her bits hanging out. The Watchknights aren't hyperfuturistic in design - think more clockwork/steampunk if anything - so if your concern is that DR is about to turn into a digital nightmare, you can rest easy. For now, anyway.

[Randulf.7614]

It’s the newer version of the Watchknight that’s been in game for years

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Randulf.7614

[Gibson.4036]

A discussion from the past about the differences.

 

[ProtoGunner.4953]

How do people even notice such stuff? I would not know where to look what you mean. It's so irrelevant. 

[Randulf.7614]

1 hour ago, ProtoGunner.4953 said:

How do people even notice such stuff? I would not know where to look what you mean. It's so irrelevant. 

It’s in the patch notes

[Ashantara.8731]

I apologize for the initial overly emotional reaction of my OP. It happens at times. 😉
 

My point is: cyberpunk is a completely different genre than classic fantasy.
 

GW2 started out as the latter (though it had its own atmosphere from the start), and I would perceive a jump, as gradually as it might have been "prepared", from the latter to the former as (excuse the dramatic wording again) a "betrayal" as I didn't start plaiyng GW2 to play a cyberpunk game. I don't want it to take that direction. If I wanted cyberpunk, I would be playing a different game altogether, not Guild Wars.

I sincerely hope we will return to classic fantasy themes again after Cantha. I really do. 😐

 

 

P.S. in regard of the new Watchknights: at least don't have their arms stuck in the wall! 😂 Create a couple of posture variations, not the exact same one at all locations.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Ashantara.8731

[Tails.9372]

10 minutes ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

GW2 started out as the latter

Not really, the charr have always been steampunk and asura have always been straight-up SiFi.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Tails.9372

[Ashantara.8731]

1 minute ago, Tails.9372 said:

Not really, the charr have always been steampunk and asura have always been straight-up SiFi.

The Asuran magi-tech and the Charr steampunk elements were modest at first. As I mentioned in other threads on the topic, I had to get used to those two factors as well, but they were implemented in a believable and acceptable way at the beginning.

Then, the magi-tech got out of hand and became downright "modern Earth technology", and the steampunk also became too dominant over time (see Drizzlewood Coast, for instance). And that's too much for my taste, especially with the prospect of a full cyberpunk Cantha at hand.

[Gibson.4036]

Aetherblades are Steampunk. 
 

Charr are Dieselpunk.

I love that fantasy has expanded in the past few decades past being so rigidly Tolkien-derivative.

[lezbefriends.7516]

Cyber does not mean "cyberpunk."

[AgentMoore.9453]

1 hour ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

someone obviously got offended by curves on a robot in a game

Well, considering the MKI looks like a naked woman and the MKII looks like an armored woman prepared for battle, maybe they decided the second look worked better for machines meant to be activated in times of war to defend Kryta's interests. MKI has a lot of artistic embellishments in her design that aren't particularly sturdy or functional which to me makes a worse machine if its purpose is combat-oriented. I find the MKII more aesthetically pleasing because of her well-fitted practical parts and sleek, aerodynamic design, and (at least in my case) that preference has nothing to do with sexuality.

Don't worry though, if you miss the old curves we'll always have tonics and MAMA. You can even take her with you using this mini that was updated as recently as 2018!

[Jukhy.2431]

"The College of Synergetics is an asuran scholarly society. The members of this college study magical metaphysics, cybernetic systems, and the theory of abstract structures."

"Definition of cybernetics: the science of communication and control theory that is concerned especially with the comparative study of automatic control systems (such as the nervous system and brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems)."

"Examples of cybernetic systems are various kinds of automatic control devices in engineering (for example, an automatic pilot or a controller that maintains a constant temperature in a room), electronic computers, the human brain, biological populations, and human society."

[Batel.9206]

1 hour ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

It's just woke american censoring. 

No really, that's all it is and it's sad. The old watchnight is beautiful but someone obviously got offended by curves on a robot in a game.

I'd agree with you, but I thought it was because, in-universe, everyone was getting a little freaked out at the gutted old watchknights - those things Scarlet took hold of and turned into horrific monstrosities. Maybe a lot of people didn't want a reminder of that every time they walked past an old watchknight.

"Oh yeah, see that statue on the wall? That's not a statue, that's the shell of one of those twisted horrors that rampaged through Divinity's Reach and Lion's Arch, killing untold scores of people. We have mounted its corpse on the wall as a reminder of...uh...Krytan solidarity. Yeah. Something like that."

...I don't know - that's just what I would think. At the very least it has a somewhat justifiable in-universe reason instead of, out of universe, ArenaNet getting all in a tizzy over something vaguely politically incorrect...that very few people ever even noticed, let alone complained about. I'd really hate that to be the reason. 😕

 

To OP - seriously, please let the world grow up. We've had asuran magitech since GW1. It's been two HUNDRED and fifty years since then. Things will have advanced worldwide, and different cultures will have different levels of technology. It's okay. And I'm glad Tyria isn't stuck in one time period - we can actually see things evolving throughout the game (from the introduction of the airships during the personal story and onward). It's neat to be in a fantasy world that actually changes instead of being permanently and artificially stuck at one technology level despite having the means to go further. Tolkien had an explanation for it in Middle-earth, but that shouldn't mean every other fantasy world has to follow his lead.

[Dantert.1803]

when you drop out can I get your stuff?

Edited December 1, 2021 by Dantert.1803

[Gibson.4036]

You can make a case either way and defend it with a 250 year gap. Our idea that 250 years needs to mean big technological change is purely an artifact of the time we're living in.

1770 to 2020 AD, massive technological change.

5000 to 4750 BC, not so much.

I don't, however, mind this game's blend of different technological levels.

 

[Randulf.7614]

GW2 was never classic fantasy even at launch. GW1 was, but GW2 firmly established itself as a hybrid of magi tech fantasy. The entire personal story has the theme of technology overcoming ancient magic and tradition as one of its underlying themes. Classic fantasy does not have helicopters for a start.

I can understand why people may dislike the increased level of tech in the game, but it’s reflecting the natural progression of the World. Better that than a Game of Thrones style World where things seem rather stuck. Sometimes it overdoes it, but I am curious to see where we go with technological progression from here. Kaineng certainly has me interested.

This is a “living world”. To be that is not about monthly episodes, but about the growth and change and evolution of the World itself.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Randulf.7614

[Pifil.5193]

6 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

The Asuran magi-tech and the Charr steampunk elements were modest at first. As I mentioned in other threads on the topic, I had to get used to those two factors as well, but they were implemented in a believable and acceptable way at the beginning.

Then, the magi-tech got out of hand and became downright "modern Earth technology", and the steampunk also became too dominant over time (see Drizzlewood Coast, for instance). And that's too much for my taste, especially with the prospect of a full cyberpunk Cantha at hand.

 

I think you remember a different launch game to the one I do so. Have you played Asura or Charr characters?

I just ran around Metrica Province and it's full of tech that's superior to modern Earth tech and that's a launch map. Advanced force fields, holographic consoles, anti-grav tech and,  of course, Golems all over the place. Same in every Asura facility throughout the game.

Similarly throughout Ascalon we saw Charr cars, massive tanks, helicopters, submarines and of course the turrets and mortars that appear again in Drizzlewood coast.

These were all there at the start of the game, throughout the maps, in the personal story and the dungeons.

[Doctor Hide.6345]

So, I have been wondering on this since I love the tech level and look of this game. I should point out I have never cared for classic fantasy since it's boring for me, but for my question, what would you call GW2 though theme wise when describing it. Is it magic Steam Punk, Magi-tech, or something else entirely when describing is a theme style.

[Randulf.7614]

1 minute ago, Doctor Hide.6345 said:

So, I have been wondering on this since I love the tech level and look of this game. I should point out I have never cared for classic fantasy since it's boring for me, but for my question, what would you call GW2 though theme wise when describing it. Is it magic Steam Punk, Magi-tech, or something else entirely when describing is a theme style.

It’s a hybrid of styles. Not sure you can really pigeon hole it. Magitech, steampunk, fantasy, mythology - all form a part of it. Magitech is closest though.

[Batel.9206]

4 hours ago, Gibson.4036 said:

You can make a case either way and defend it with a 250 year gap. Our idea that 250 years needs to mean big technological change is purely an artifact of the time we're living in.

1770 to 2020 AD, massive technological change.

5000 to 4750 BC, not so much.

I don't, however, mind this game's blend of different technological levels.

 

That's true, but there's something Tyria has that we don't have: magic. We have electricity, which since its discovery of uses has fueled our technological progress in the last 250-ish years, but magic is, obviously, nonexistent in real life. Tyria's in a state of massive magical flux right now from the Elder Dragons (and god of war) running amok, and it has been ever since Primordus started waking up wayyyyyy back in GW1. That magic, coupled with the asura coming to the surface and building their cities and labs, has arguably put Tyria's technological advancement into overdrive as people keep figuring out new ways to harness and use it. Hence...all the magitech.

[Burial.1958]

7 hours ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

It's just woke american censoring. 

No really, that's all it is and it's sad. The old watchnight is beautiful but someone obviously got offended by curves on a robot in a game.

 It is sad but yeah true.

[Linken.6345]

On 12/2/2021 at 12:05 AM, Grebcol.5984 said:

 It is sad but yeah true.

Yea we saw it happen to twisted marionette too =(

[Leo.3428]

What is unclear to me is why the asura still haven't taken control over the planet with their technology. GW2 would have been subtitled The Asura Commander Saves the Galaxy From the Zombie Borg Invasion. Maybe that's for the fourth expansion?