A cyberpunk-style city in Cantha

[Substance E.4852]

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:As much as I'd love to see that, in this game it would feel very much out of place. The Asura are already banging on the limits of fantasy, I think.

Asura are one giant sci-fi reference after another and it get grating after a while

Cantha should be some grungy, industrial punk style mixed with serene traditional asian aesthetics

Basically the island and city we explored in Factions but with pipes and charr-style machinery everywhere

But Charr are more steampunk, not cyberpunk, like OP would like to see. Steampunk should work, but we have already seen it. I don't think ANet will rehash such a distinct old idea, unless they want to tie Cantha to the Charr.

Everything's been done before and Kainang was already medieval fantasy Hong Kong anyway

250 years later and it's going to look like medieval fantasy hong kong but with steam engine era tech assuming they kept up with the rest of tyria

They already even had some elements of this in factions when you went to the city sewers

[The Greyhawk.9107]

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:As much as I'd love to see that, in this game it would feel very much out of place. The Asura are already banging on the limits of fantasy, I think.

Asura are one giant sci-fi reference after another and it get grating after a while

Cantha should be some grungy, industrial punk style mixed with serene traditional asian aesthetics

Basically the island and city we explored in Factions but with pipes and charr-style machinery everywhere

But Charr are more steampunk, not cyberpunk, like OP would like to see. Steampunk should work, but we have already seen it. I don't think ANet will rehash such a distinct old idea, unless they want to tie Cantha to the Charr.

Everything's been done before and Kainang was already medieval fantasy Hong Kong anyway

250 years later and it's going to look like medieval fantasy hong kong but with steam engine era tech assuming they kept up with the rest of tyria

They already even had some elements of this in factions when you went to the city sewers

Well, here's the thing, Cantha might not have kept up. While Kryta has become a cultural melting pot that trades with other nations/races whereas Cantha is an isolationist, resource starved, authoritarian nation...I don't know how they could have kept up technologically.

[Hoover.6394]

@The Greyhawk.9107 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:As much as I'd love to see that, in this game it would feel very much out of place. The Asura are already banging on the limits of fantasy, I think.

Asura are one giant sci-fi reference after another and it get grating after a while

Cantha should be some grungy, industrial punk style mixed with serene traditional asian aesthetics

Basically the island and city we explored in Factions but with pipes and charr-style machinery everywhere

But Charr are more steampunk, not cyberpunk, like OP would like to see. Steampunk should work, but we have already seen it. I don't think ANet will rehash such a distinct old idea, unless they want to tie Cantha to the Charr.

Everything's been done before and Kainang was already medieval fantasy Hong Kong anyway

250 years later and it's going to look like medieval fantasy hong kong but with steam engine era tech assuming they kept up with the rest of tyria

They already even had some elements of this in factions when you went to the city sewers

Well, here's the thing, Cantha might not have kept up. While Kryta has become a cultural melting pot that trades with other nations/races whereas Cantha is an isolationist, resource starved, authoritarian nation...I don't know how they could have kept up technologically.

It only take a few genius to advance technology, and they could have discovered a special energy resource, or even, had connection with another 3rd big continent that we don’t know yet.

[kharmin.7683]

Voting "NO" on the cyberpunk idea.

[Malavian.4695]

I think trying a new architectural style rather than offending Korean, Chinese, Japanese customers is wise. Personally, what I absolutely want is for them to move were Cantha originally was. Put it on the back of all the Luxons turtles and have it being towed across the endless ocean towards the north. It's a magical world, enjoy. Hmmm...I wonder if it could all be on the back of the great Sea Dragon coming north? That would be a plot complication...kill the dragon and everyone in Cantha dies...hmmmm….

[The Greyhawk.9107]

@Hoover.6394 said:

@The Greyhawk.9107 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:

@Substance E.4852 said:

@MikeG.6389 said:As much as I'd love to see that, in this game it would feel very much out of place. The Asura are already banging on the limits of fantasy, I think.

Asura are one giant sci-fi reference after another and it get grating after a while

Cantha should be some grungy, industrial punk style mixed with serene traditional asian aesthetics

Basically the island and city we explored in Factions but with pipes and charr-style machinery everywhere

But Charr are more steampunk, not cyberpunk, like OP would like to see. Steampunk should work, but we have already seen it. I don't think ANet will rehash such a distinct old idea, unless they want to tie Cantha to the Charr.

Everything's been done before and Kainang was already medieval fantasy Hong Kong anyway

250 years later and it's going to look like medieval fantasy hong kong but with steam engine era tech assuming they kept up with the rest of tyria

They already even had some elements of this in factions when you went to the city sewers

Well, here's the thing, Cantha might not have kept up. While Kryta has become a cultural melting pot that trades with other nations/races whereas Cantha is an isolationist, resource starved, authoritarian nation...I don't know how they could have kept up technologically.

It only take a few genius to advance technology, and they could have discovered a special energy resource, or even, had connection with another 3rd big continent that we don’t know yet.

Lot of 'ifs' there, my dude.

[Hoover.6394]

@Malavian.4695 said:I think trying a new architectural style rather than offending Korean, Chinese, Japanese customers is wise. Personally, what I absolutely want is for them to move were Cantha originally was. Put it on the back of all the Luxons turtles and have it being towed across the endless ocean towards the north. It's a magical world, enjoy. Hmmm...I wonder if it could all be on the back of the great Sea Dragon coming north? That would be a plot complication...kill the dragon and everyone in Cantha dies...hmmmm….

Omg that’s perfect!

[aspirine.6852]

Seeing the concept or preview picture on the official page it looks like they got the style I would love to see. Cyberpunk city sounds a bit modern to me.

[Tekoneiric.6817]

I have a mixed opinion on this. While I like cyberpunk I hated Kaineng City. It looked like a claustrophobic fire hazard. I can imagine that after GW1 a fire swept through it leaving only ruins creating a phobia of building close together like that causing the general population of Cantha to build more spread out seeing the ruins as cursed. I can also imagine that the Tengu occupied the area helping feed the paranoia that it's cursed by pretending to be nature spirits, tree demons or some sort of magical creatures. In that vein I'd like to see a variation of the Tengu that have gliding capability through either a change to their biology via magic or some kind of outfit that gives them a flying squirrel like appearance when gliding. I really hope we get at least one dense forest map with large trees the ones on Bitterfrost Frontier but with bigger limbs occupied by Tengu villages.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

@"Tekoneiric.6817" said:I have a mixed opinion on this. While I like cyberpunk I hated Kaineng City. It looked like a claustrophobic fire hazard. I can imagine that after GW1 a fire swept through it leaving only ruins creating a phobia of building close together like that causing the general population of Cantha to build more spread out seeing the ruins as cursed. I can also imagine that the Tengu occupied the area helping feed the paranoia that it's cursed by pretending to be nature spirits, tree demons or some sort of magical creatures. In that vein I'd like to see a variation of the Tengu that have gliding capability through either a change to their biology via magic or some kind of outfit that gives them a flying squirrel like appearance when gliding. I really hope we get at least one dense forest map with large trees the ones on Bitterfrost Frontier but with bigger limbs occupied by Tengu villages.

Hey, umm, maybe you should take a few minutes to read up on the post-GW1 Cathan lore: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Cantha#Contact_lost_with_the_other_continents

[ChronosCosmos.9450]

@"Hoover.6394" said:Throwing some crazy idea here... don’t get mad if this is not what u like, just imagining this for fun....

so we know that Cantha has been isolated from the rest of the Tyria for centuries, technology has evolved in Tyria as Asura invest a ton to develop new technology and the other races can take advantage of it. As a isolated and independent land, Cantha would also have a need for tech development and they were already a massive developed city with complicated structures hundreds years ago.

Kaineng City is a huge city in Cantha, wouldn't it be cool that when we revisiting Cantha, this area is already partially evolving into a place that adopts new technology?

Imaging Tokyo or Hongkong with crazy cyberpunk style architecture in one area, and ancient palace and temple in other areas. This will make Cantha both familiar and new for players, also adding some totally cool features to the game.

Here's some inpirations:

In my opinion, Cyberpunk doesn't fit Cantha lore. That's a huge problem. Cantha is more traditional. I just can't see the Emperor or Togo in a cyberpunk setting.

[Algreg.3629]

that does not make a whole lot of sense for various reasons:

• You bring up isolation as a driver, when in fact isolation is rather detrimental for technological progress.
• Asura have changed the GW world from fantasy to an arcanotech setting. Without them, where would the technology suddenly come from?
• Cyberspace is a visual/tactile extension of an internet. What is a single Canthan big city connecting to? Seems strange to jump from no computers at all to virtual reality suddenly. If anything, some "interconnecting astral plane" setting would seem more appropriate for GW's arcanotech world.
• and last, while Cyberspace is certainly a key element to a Cyberpunk setting, it is not the defining one. Corporate plutocracy and social decline are.

[vandrefalk.6823]

What if we return and find that Cantha has hardly evolved? The xenophobic emperor exiled the Tengu and quelled any rebelling factions. Plus the few Canthan npcs you do encounter in gw2 say it has been closed off to outsiders, meaning Asura tech and Charr steam tech has likely not made it there. As such, could we return to a Cantha that has not seen much technological innovation?

[Tekoneiric.6817]

@The Greyhawk.9107 said:

@"Tekoneiric.6817" said:I have a mixed opinion on this. While I like cyberpunk I hated Kaineng City. It looked like a claustrophobic fire hazard. I can imagine that after GW1 a fire swept through it leaving only ruins creating a phobia of building close together like that causing the general population of Cantha to build more spread out seeing the ruins as cursed. I can also imagine that the Tengu occupied the area helping feed the paranoia that it's cursed by pretending to be nature spirits, tree demons or some sort of magical creatures. In that vein I'd like to see a variation of the Tengu that have gliding capability through either a change to their biology via magic or some kind of outfit that gives them a flying squirrel like appearance when gliding. I really hope we get at least one dense forest map with large trees the ones on Bitterfrost Frontier but with bigger limbs occupied by Tengu villages.

Hey, umm, maybe you should take a few minutes to read up on the post-GW1 Cathan lore:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Cantha#Contact_lost_with_the_other_continents

There could have been some Tengu left behind hiding in the wild places. If they were out of sight for a few generations and they would become myths; demons or magical nature spirits to the isolated Canthan humans.

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

Technically the Humans are more steampunk and the Charr are more industrial, but they're actually very similar if you look at it; the Humans make more intricate machines like the Watchknights and the Charr make more bulky machines like tanks.

So I don't see any reason why it couldn't work, with Cantha having been isolated for so long.

[Linken.6345]

@Tekoneiric.6817 said:

@The Greyhawk.9107 said:

@Tekoneiric.6817 said:I have a mixed opinion on this. While I like cyberpunk I hated Kaineng City. It looked like a claustrophobic fire hazard. I can imagine that after GW1 a fire swept through it leaving only ruins creating a phobia of building close together like that causing the general population of Cantha to build more spread out seeing the ruins as cursed. I can also imagine that the Tengu occupied the area helping feed the paranoia that it's cursed by pretending to be nature spirits, tree demons or some sort of magical creatures. In that vein I'd like to see a variation of the Tengu that have gliding capability through either a change to their biology via magic or some kind of outfit that gives them a flying squirrel like appearance when gliding. I really hope we get at least one dense forest map with large trees the ones on Bitterfrost Frontier but with bigger limbs occupied by Tengu villages.

Hey, umm, maybe you should take a few minutes to read up on the post-GW1 Cathan lore:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Cantha#Contact_lost_with_the_other_continents

There could have been some Tengu left behind hiding in the wild places. If they were out of sight for a few generations and they would become myths; demons or magical nature spirits to the isolated Canthan humans.

Or they could have been hunted and killed off.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

@Hannelore.8153 said:Technically the Humans are more steampunk and the Charr are more industrial, but they're actually very similar if you look at it; the Humans make more intricate machines like the Watchknights and the Charr make more bulky machines like tanks.

So I don't see any reason why it couldn't work, with Cantha having been isolated for so long.

The isolation is the problem as it hampers technological progress, plus some of the Faction's lore documents imply that Cantha has been struggling with resources since the Jade Wind. Most likely Cantha will have stagnated technologically, if not in other ways as well.

[Hoover.6394]

@aspirine.6852 said:Seeing the concept or preview picture on the official page it looks like they got the style I would love to see. Cyberpunk city sounds a bit modern to me.

I’m very happy with the concept art style too, that’s only the Xing jea island though, there will be a lot of maps in Cantha, would be nice to have Contrasty variations

[Hoover.6394]

@"Algreg.3629" said:that does not make a whole lot of sense for various reasons:

• You bring up isolation as a driver, when in fact isolation is rather detrimental for technological progress.
• Asura have changed the GW world from fantasy to an arcanotech setting. Without them, where would the technology suddenly come from?
• Cyberspace is a visual/tactile extension of an internet. What is a single Canthan big city connecting to? Seems strange to jump from no computers at all to virtual reality suddenly. If anything, some "interconnecting astral plane" setting would seem more appropriate for GW's arcanotech world.
• and last, while Cyberspace is certainly a key element to a Cyberpunk setting, it is not the defining one. Corporate plutocracy and social decline are.

Cyberpunk style is just a reference, not “The Cyberpunk”, it’s more in a Gw2 way, basically I mean Kaineng City with some technology plugged into it :p

[sasya neko.1985]

cyberpunk would be way to advanced but neon tokyo is really something i like to see, it doesn't need to be the whole city but maybe the center part where the gangs and lower life live.IMO i would like some cybergoth and cyberpunk outfits/armors (with the neon gas-masks and fishnets stockings) within the boundaries of tyria, makes for an interesting experience.

[GummyBearSummoner.7941]

I hope they don’t do cyberpunk theme anytime soon. I already feel this game is out of touch when it comes to magical & fantasy/medieval things

[Fedexer.2486]

lol well in the end they tried did that, but because of engine it didn't really pushed it like cyberpunk, but still ended up being my favourite map of the expansion so

Edited May 19, 2022 by Fedexer.2486