I dont understand the fascination with Cantha

[Sobx.1758]

12 minutes ago, witcher.3197 said:

Enjoy moving forward into maintenance mode while getting ripped off   🤷‍♂️

Releasing another expansion = maintenance mode, you've heard it here first 🤷‍♂️ 

And "ripped off" how? 😄

Edited February 3, 2022 by Sobx.1758

[Kaizen.3804]

13 minutes ago, witcher.3197 said:

Enjoy moving forward into maintenance mode while getting ripped off   🤷‍♂️

If I had a dime for every "the end is nigh" post ever made on these forums, I could afford to buy a summer home in Hawaii. 🙄

Edited February 3, 2022 by Keitaro Dragonheart.9047

[witcher.3197]

2 minutes ago, Sobx.1758 said:

Releasing another expansion = maintenance mode, you've heard it here first 🤷‍♂️ 

Maintenance is the end goal, EoD is part of the journey. Remember you need to get ripped off along the way 🤷‍♂️

[Sobx.1758]

2 minutes ago, witcher.3197 said:

Maintenance is the end goal, EoD is part of the journey. Remember you need to get ripped off along the way 🤷‍♂️

Every game has an end, what point are you even trying to make here? Gw2 won't be forever? Uh... you don't say?! It still has no relevance to anything said here, especially in a situation where another expansion is released in less than a month 🤷‍♂️

 

...and again, ripped off how? $30 for an expansion, where we know what we're getting? 🤦‍♂️

Edited February 3, 2022 by Sobx.1758

[Kaizen.3804]

Just now, Sobx.1758 said:

Every game has an end, what point are you even trying to make here? Gw2 won't be forever? Uh... you don't say?! It still has no relevance to anything said here, especially in a situation where another expansion is released in less than a month 🤷‍♂️

Apparently, throwing a fit because "I didn't get what I wanted" is the adult thing to do these days.

[Kaizen.3804]

2 minutes ago, witcher.3197 said:

The very creators of Cantha are long gone or don't care.

Oh they know Cantha no question, they need to have an indepth knowledge of what they want to remove to make sure none of its essence makes it into EoD, not even by accident.

Right, they don't care, because it's not what you wanted. We've already established that, mate. 

[Tukaram.8256]

Ah, the old 'how can someone like something I do not like?' argument.  Well... I counter that with 'how can people not like something I like?'. But seriously, catering to China? Ten years after launch?  Doubtful. An Asian expansion is far more likely to upset China, if it is done wrong.  This expansion is certainly for old GW players that want to go back to Cantha. 

Like many people here, I have been asking for a Cantha expansion. So I, and many others, are glad to see it.  Sorry if it offends your sensibilities... 

[Sugar Min.5834]

From the pictures and trailers, I think i will like Cantha very much 💗

I love that futuristic Metropolis theme with colourful neon lights, big flashing screens and those holographic whales swimming around the tall buildings. Majestic 🥰 It's a good break from all that dull, gloomy medivial themes.

The wonders of Jade Magic!

Edited February 4, 2022 by Mil.3562

[Klowdy.3126]

9 hours ago, EpicName.4523 said:

In a traditional fantasy setting you have some form of medieval society (more or less). You have dragons, spells, wizards, oversized swords and etc. Yes, there are deviations and even despite that it can get somewhat stale and boring after awhile. However, you just know what to expect and you expect that everything fits together nicely in this world.

 

Recently, I was looking at the last trailer released and all I saw was some depressing steampunk metropolis. It looked completely out place and tbh - kind of ugly. An overcrowded dumpster of gray concrete. 

 

I also remember the weapons that came with the purchase of EoD. All of them had a distinct...Chinese look. Call it Cantha or Cathay, it is China. Of course it will look Chinese, but that's not the point. Point is the association I had - these bamboo weapons reminded me of a cheap Chinese souvenir, the type they sell to gullible tourists in discount shops.

 

And I suddenly came to the conclusion that there will be an entire expansion dedicated to a culture that is kind of out of place in a typical power fantasy with an art style on armor and weapons that I will dislike aesthetically. I remember Mists of Pandaria in WoW and when they announced the pandas I was like - I AM OUT. The areas, the music, the entire setting was just trying too much to be China without really being one. And that was everywhere, it was almost impossible to escape. In a world with orcs, goblins elves and undead there were also the fat pandas. The former April's fools joke that came to be for real.

 

I don't have anything against China, but I am afraid most developers have the tendency to glorify the culture they want to portray, maybe out of respect or maybe because they think it will attract audience in said country. (Probably the latter)

 

Question is, why do people want to see China so much in this game? Am I the only one to fear the setting will be a turn off?

Hover bikes, and stuffed mounts, but this is the line. Also, steampunk fits the theme of this game very well. We literally have an engineer class that makes gadgets to toss around in combat. It has also been a theme in MMOs to have a "china" to use as the base for an expansion. 

 

To answer the question, GW1 had a great story take place in Cantha, and people want to see that place in 4k, and to get some answers. Revisiting old places is also very common now. Just ask WoW.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Klowdy.3126

[Harak.8397]

1 hour ago, Klowdy.3126 said:

Hover bikes, and stuffed mounts

Nitpicking here but those are in the gem shop to make you spend cash, nothing to do with world building.

[Adah.8371]

Personally it's definitely the nostalgia. I can't wait to come back in Cantha again. And I'm eager to see what the territory has became and more importantly, to understand why it took this way.

[Alcatraznc.3869]

To me it sounds like my feelings when I see new games taking place during WW2 or WW1. Having played more than enough WW2/WW1 game on PS1-PS2, it kind of becomes redundant. 

 

Now as far as GW2 comes, Cantha is a place GW1 vet knew so I guess Anet wanted to attract some old player back. Personnally I just want more content, spec and maps to play around so it could have been a new place in Tyria or I dont know, they discovered a portal to the shadow realm of Tyria with new people living in that place. As long as they can make a somewhat credible story explaining how and why you get there, I would be fine. 

[The Greyhawk.9107]

Well this thread is kittenous on all sides, which mean it'll either be locked by the weekend or will go on for several dozen pages.

[draxynnic.3719]

It's one part of the world. If the game continues, maybe the next region will be more to your liking.

[Danikat.8537]

I've heard that even before Factions added Cantha to GW1 a lot of players wanted to see it. There were various mentions of it in Prophecies (the most obvious probably being the Xunlai Guild agents who give you storage access saying they're from Cantha) so it was already a place that players heard about and some wanted to go. (It was the same with Elona, there were a lot of mentions of it, particularly in the Crystal Desert, which built up interest before Nightfall was even in development.)

So I think for a lot of people the interest isn't because they want a place inspired by Asia specifically but just because they want more of Tyria. It's a place they can hear a lot about but cannot go - of course people are going to want to go there. There's currently similar interest in places like the Kodan homelands, the lands beyond Maguuma and Malyck's Tree, even the Largos cities in the deep ocean (even though that would probably be an entire underwater map and a lot of players don't like that idea). For a lot of people part of the appeal of any fantasy game is seeing the world the developers have created, so if we hear about a part of that world it makes sense players would want to go there.

(I actually take it a step further - the places which are most exciting to me are the distant and unmarked areas of the map which we currently know nothing about. I have no idea what's there, I'm not even sure if Anet knows, but because I can see areas on the map I haven't heard about I really want to go there and find out what it's like.

[Klowdy.3126]

8 hours ago, Harak.8397 said:

Nitpicking here but those are in the gem shop to make you spend cash, nothing to do with world building.

That is irrelevant. OP is speaking of the theme of Cantha not fitting into the game. My point was there are many, many things that do not fit the game, but the OP chose to complain about a common theme in modern MMOs.

[Toast.6459]

Tell me you didn't play the original GW without telling me you didn't play the original GW.

 

Quote

I don't have anything against China

Gonna press F to doubt there chief, considering you mentioned it 7 times in your post, I think you might be either lying to us, or to yourself.

[Omega.6801]

What's the appeal for Cantha....

1) Panderiung to the nostalgia of GW1 players... "Oh I know this place/name/thing! Wow, my brain bombards me with chemicals because I feel like I'm "in on it" or because I remember playing a game twelve years ago!!!! Yay!!!!"
2) Pandering to "afficionados of east asian culture"... "I can finally be a honorabru catgirl samurai, nyanya, very desu, much kawaii, wow!!"
3) Pandering to the chinese market... Maybe this one applies the least. GW2 is handled by a different publisher in China, so I'm not even sure if they will get EoD. If at all, it would be pandering to the korean market, but I'm not sure how making a very strongly china themed expansion(Names and Optics are mostly chinese, aside from a few hairstiles that seem to be korean or japanese) will work for that. It's just above the average mishmash of southasian cultures I am sadly expecting when "westeners" do the "asia" theme. Yes the same critizism applies to Elona. The middle east is a culturally rich and diverse environment that gets boiled down to deserts, tents, flatbread and pharaos.

[Jianyu.7065]

Maybe....just maybe, you're looking a little too deeply into it.

[Harak.8397]

24 minutes ago, lokh.2695 said:

It's just above the average mishmash of southasian cultures I am sadly expecting when "westeners" do the "asia" theme. Yes the same critizism applies to Elona. The middle east is a culturally rich and diverse environment that gets boiled down to deserts, tents, flatbread and pharaos.

That's quite true. We have a tendency to approach "Asia", "Africa" and  "Middle Eastern" like monolithic blocks when depicting them in media ( such as video games ) and GW2 is no exception. There is no love lost in East Asia between China, Vietnam, Cambodia Korea and Japan for instance. Seeing their cultural markers mishmashed  together into "fantasy China" is likely to be more insulting than endearing.

It's likely much easier to borrow aspects of different cultures and splice them together to give an illusion of coherence to the unaware than it is to come up with something truly unique but those who know cannot unsee the mismatched parts in the whole.

[The Boz.2038]

Just now, Harak.8397 said:

That's quite true. We have a tendency to approach "Asia", "Africa" and  "Middle Eastern" like monolithic blocks when depicting them in media ( such as video games ) and GW2 is no exception. There is no love lost in East Asia between China, Vietnam, Cambodia Korea and Japan for instance. Seeing their cultural markers mishmashed  together into "fantasy China" is likely to be more insulting than endearing.

It's likely much easier to borrow aspects of different cultures and splice them together to give an illusion of coherence to the unaware than it is to come up with something truly unique but those who know cannot unsee the mismatched parts in the whole.

And yet, somehow, through a conscious blindness of the mind, mashing together germanic, nordic, slavic, and celtic ideas into Norn is not at all insulting and entirely endearing. Right?

[Harak.8397]

1 minute ago, The Boz.2038 said:

And yet, somehow, through a conscious blindness of the mind, mashing together germanic, nordic, slavic, and celtic ideas into Norn is not at all insulting and entirely endearing. Right?

Don't put words into my mouth. The Norns are a farce... but you already knew that right ?

[The Boz.2038]

Not putting words into your mouth.

Offering contrast to your "we have a tendency to" by showing that the "tendency" is present with pretty much all cultures and races. There is no difference between "let's combine some themes from Africa and call it Istan" and "let's combine some themes from Europe and call it Norn", and there is no need to specifically point out that an implied "we" have this or that tendency which may or may not be racist wink wink nudge nudge.

[mercury ranique.2170]

20 hours ago, EpicName.4523 said:

In a traditional fantasy setting you have some form of medieval society (more or less). You have dragons, spells, wizards, oversized swords and etc..........

 

And I suddenly came to the conclusion that there will be an entire expansion dedicated to a culture that is kind of out of place in a typical power fantasy with an art style on armor and weapons that I will dislike aesthetically.

I quoted two elements here where you actually pinpoint the issue.
You have a specific assumption about what is in or out of place in a typical fantasy setting. But in the end this is wrong. As it is a fantasy setting, it is up to the creator's fantasy what is typical in place. it is up to us wether or not we like it or not.

Another important remark is that you can't cather all.
The question is if one should be selfish to demand they will always be cathered.

Core game has the medival theme you prefer. It also has the winter mountain wonderland I personally prefer. HoT has a jungle theme (not really my thing) and PoF an african them (not really my thing either). But I do understand that the world can't be a full winter wonderland. I got what I wanted early on, so it is now someone elses turn.

Cantha was very heavy demanded and by the looks of those asking for it get cathered very well this time. This is totally fine with me!

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

I wonder if the OP is/was outraged regarding the Labyrinthine Cliffs? All those bamboo weapons and such. Doesn't seem to fit the 'traditional medieval fantasy society'.  🤷‍♂️