User talk:John Stumme/Temp

Welcome

Welcome Spooky!!, I like your userpage, inspiring story :)~ Kurd 10:00, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Hello, and welcome : ) Were you the writer of the Messages, Messages Everywhere quest? It feels a bit like the text in your user page. Erasculio 05:01, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Ah, sorry for the belated reply, things have been a bit hectic as we're getting closer to GW:EN being shipped. But thanks for the welcomes! As for the quest, I'm not sure whose that is offhand, but it isn't one of mine - I didn't start writing quests until near the end of Nightfall, so most of my quests are in Abaddon's domain. I also did a bunch of stuff for the Lunar Festival, but GW:EN will be the first title that I'm all over the place on. Thanks for asking though, it's kind of cool to have people be interested in the things we do ^^; John Stumme 04:51, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

...

"Being mauled to death by feral bears." Why? Readem Sorry, I'll stop trolling now. 20:40, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

I think if ever you had been mauled to death by a feral bear, you would understand. It happened to me once back in 1926 in upstate New York. Those were not good times. John Stumme 18:16, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

"Oh! You also liked Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu? That's so amazing!"

You are my new hero. I just thought you should know. Now, carry on then! *hmph* ^_^ --Blobulator 11:05, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

I do try to be a good role model for the masses, and watching good anime (as well as not getting arrested for steroid abuse, bum fighting scandals, or stealing babies) is part of that positive image. John Stumme 18:16, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

"and watching good anime" - That's a plus point in my book! ^^ So, you practicing Haruhiism in your spare time? :P -- Karuro 22:09, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

The giant Haruhi wallscroll over my desk at work seems to believe that is the case, yes. XD John Stumme 01:46, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

...upstate NewYork, great times there. In fact, best place on Earth cause its where I live^^--'ÑöẊĭƑý 20:30, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

It's a pretty area, I'm originally a Lawn Guylander, myself. John Stumme 21:58, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

The Path to Revelations

Here we go, rabid fans poking the quest designer for clues : D We have been poking Linsey a lot, I think it's more than fair if we spread the pokage a bit. She mentioned that you were the one behind this serie of quests - and those were a really great work, the quests are fun and the mysteries they have are very thought provoking. There is one doubt lingering over our heads, though - the text at the very end had its cryptogram figured out, but is it talking about something in GW1, or something in GW2? We have players ready to check the entirety of the 3 continents with Light of Deldrimor every three steps, but it would be good to know if what they are seeking is there or if it's a future feature (and I loved the X-Files reference : ) Erasculio 04:27, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Revelations is a lot like the Mursaat chain in that they both build up the stories and lore of our world - EotN is a link to GW2 in more ways than just "These are the Asura, and these *points upwards* are the Norn!" I'd rather not have people LoD'ing the entirety of the game (unless they're trying to get their Cartography titles in a really unusual manner) for these quests. It's really awesome that people are curious and care enough about this that they'd go that far, though. I'll say this instead: there are questions to be answered in the future, but I think at the moment, maybe people aren't focusing on the right questions. What if it isn't so much "Where?" as it is "Why?" and "What then?"

That's probably about as much as I can say about it. Speculation is an interesting beast... it's frustrating and intriguing all at the same time. It would be easier if people asked me questions that I could answer without dodging, such as "Why is Hayda so awesome?" or "Who is the best character in Guilty Gear?" ... just so long as no one asks me why it is that kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I still haven't figured that one out. John Stumme 22:48, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

I see, interesting reply. Thank you : ) Erasculio 02:05, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Ah pooey. I thought it would be a huge scavenger hunt that revealed something insane, like the ultimate egg salad recipe. BTW, I don't think anyone who knows Guilty Gear has to ask as Venom is the bestest. And I want to know why kids like Apple Jacks. --Redfeather 05:03, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Kids liking Apple Jacks is easy - they're orange, and they taste nothing like apples - or jacks (which I assume would taste like metal.) They are drawn to them through curiousity of the unknown, the desire to understand, and the lure of something inside of the box. I miss the days when they gave out Wacky Wall Crawlers in cereal boxes. John Stumme 17:04, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

So, in relation to your reply..We should do the quests (of course) and analyze the dialogue like the FBI and CIA analyze the Kennedy tapes? In other words..The why and what then will possibly be answered by examining what occurs in the quest chain? Gmr Leon 18:36, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I think the answer for the "Why" is there, and "What" is the "What happens because of this?" ... it will make sense someday. I don't want to give answers, just say that there are ones to come, because it's a little disheartening to read comments on the lore forums where people say "They have no idea, they're making it up as they go along!" ^^; ... However, I do fully approve of the concept of treating things like a government investigation, because it makes me read threads with the mental image of watching an episode of Alias. John Stumme 19:16, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

The answer for the why may be there..Thank you! I don't like to get answers for things such as this, I just like to know that they're present and just take a bit of thought to explain. I suppose it's just part of my scientific nature, to have the fact that there is an answer reaffirmed, but it just takes that little bit of research to elaborate on. Oh, and nice quick response, I didn't expect that to be honest. Gmr Leon 21:14, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I keep a watch on the page, and I do like to talk to people (I used to be one of the founders of GWG before starting here!) just so long as it's something that I can talk about. Otherwise I'll just say something random and dodge the issue, which is helped by my inherent bonus to dexterity. John Stumme 21:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

(Reset Indent)I'm coming accross this conversation a very long time after the last post, but I'm hoping that John will answer my own speculation. John: The feeling I got from the deciphered cryptogram was that in GW2, the players would have a very difficult choice to make: die permanently and save the world, or let the bad guys win. I say that because my immediate response to this was that the player would have to join the dead ('beyond The Mists' would seem obvious, 'Beyond the dreams' is mere speculation that the dead don't dream). If this is so, then the answers (the answers to life, the universe, and everything?) can only be known by the permanently dead? Will we, as players have to join the spirits of the dead (or undead, for that matter)? To go through my whole thought process on this:

"An offering to those who seek" - Indicates that those looking for answers have the choice whether or not to accept a certain offering. Choices, choices.

"Beyond the mists beyond the dreams" - The offering is to die permanently, that you may learn the answers. Perhaps dying before your time?

"On distant shores of a land unwaking" - Death being known as the 'big sleep,' the Underworld might be called a land unwaking. Thus, the seeker of truths will find her answers there.

"Answers there lie in waiting" - The answers and the truth belong only to the dead. Make the choice.

I realize that you can't answer my questions directly, but I'm hoping I will be able to figure out whether or not I'm anywhere close based on how much you dance around the issue. The question in a nutshell would be: Will we have the choice to sacrifice our characters' lives permanently to seek the answers we have been asking for?

With respect, - Ara ~ A R A ~ 05:16, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Some easy questions for you, then

Why is Hayda so awesome? Who is the best character in Guilty Gear? (You probably saw these questions coming) Do you have a quest in the game that you consider to be really über special fun times? And finally, which dungeon is your favorite? --Nkuvu 00:52, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

A) Hayda is awesome because she's such ridiculous. That's probably the most fun I've had writing gain Hero quests since Zenmai. I enjoyed writing the dialogue for these quests, though I was a little sad to see the only thing I've heard about either of them was someone saying that they disliked predictable setups as in "Give Peace a Chance." I figured that was the entire point of the joke, though. The situation is so obvious to everyone except Hayda, and everything pokes fun at that. Ahh well... can't win them all.

B) The answer is clearly Jam Kuradoberi. There's something unusually awesome about a hot chef that kicks people as a means of getting them to come to her restaurant. I do, however, still have love for May and Dizzy as well.

C) The Norn Fighting Tournament. It took a bunch of people to make that tournament what it is, and in the end, it is just a shining beacon of personality in Guild Wars. I pretty much knew it was going to be awesome as soon as I saw that Hamstorm was one of the builds Linsey and Freyas had put together for this. I mean, seriously. Come on. Hamstorm. So awesome.

D) I don't think I can answer that until I've finished playing through all of them on Live (My character's already "finished" EotN, I'm just preoccupied with getting her all pimped out with Elite armor from Cantha at the moment.) I did the initial designs for several of the dungeons before moving over to focus entirely on quests, so it's interesting to see how a lot of them have changed. I can at least say that I had a good deal of fun testing out Slaver's Exile, everyone gathered up into our room to run through it together. Or rather, numerous attempts at running through it together. Hooray for Rebirth! John Stumme 06:03, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Regarding A, I liked Hayda's quest, but not as much for the initial dialogue or the main idea of the quest or the gameplay itself, but rather thanks to what she says when she realizes that the White Mantle deceived her. Hayda could have become sad to see that she was lied to and that she fell on their trap, but no - she goes into a "Zomg you noobs, you couldn't even jump me to glory properly! Ok, that's it, you all die now" (of course, much better written than that : P) mode that, in my opinion, really showed her character : D Erasculio 18:01, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

In regards to B, you rock! Though I like Chipp because he's a ninja lol, and also Sol Badguy. Because he is badass. DarkNecrid 08:34, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Regarding Give Peace a Chance being so obvious... one of these days I'd like to get a full human group together, each with Ebon Vanguard Assassin, Ebon Vanguard Sniper and an Asura summon (favouring Mursaat for the irony factor). Counter-ambush! :P Draxynnic 02:55, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

I heard Jam is the sister of Fei Long from SSF2. It could be true. You don't know. BTW, if Little Thom uses Hamstorm it can't be all bad. Little Thom is bleeding edge personified. --Redfeather 08:31, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Come on people, we all know that while Jam may be cool, Axle is the coolest character. I mean restraunt owner with a genderly challenge yo-yo wielding waitress versus a guy who travels through time but has NO control over it? No contest Kumlekar 06:52, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Lobster driving a van to Vegas

I would go see that movie. I have been waiting for a lobster movie for a very long time and I really enjoyed Fear and Loathing. It could have Rock Lobster for the opening credits music. --Redfeather 23:33, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

Production on the movie is proving more problematic than anticipated. I had a deal all worked out, and Sir Ian McKellen had accepted the offer to play the part of the lobster (How does he act... so well?) and then all of the backing fell through. Something about "This movie would simply be too awesome. We can't release it to the public, or they'd have no reason to watch any of the other tripe we're going to put out this year." John Stumme 20:39, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

Auauu~

You gotta have at least one mention of psycho-lolis before the end of the season. =D --24.179.151.252 00:06, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni is the story of my life. It always seems to go that whenever I meet some cute girl that seems like she's nice and fun to be around, she turns out to be a killer loli, and we end up having a battle of metal bat vs. cleaver on top of the nearest quaint school house. I'm hoping to someday graduate to Elfen Lied status, wherein girls are more interested in killing everyone else instead of me. Nii~pa★! John Stumme 03:18, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

You're rising on the ladder of favorite dev if you keep this up! Loved the Higurashi anime, just too bad there's no current translation for the actual visual novel. Have you heard of Higurashi Daybreak? It's a fun lil' (Well, not in filesize. It matches the gw.dat :P) Doujin Game using a Gundam-engine (So I've heard) which can kill some time. When playing as Chie-sensei you can even pick the Executioners outfit from her original-design from Tsukihime. The Daybreak Kai expansion even has Hanyuu and Natsumi in it :) Was fun seeing the gang in Lion's Arch again during the Canthan New Year. You had any influence in it last year? Karuro 19:13, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

Yep - I was one of the people that did the first year of the Lunar Festival, and I also snuck in some NPCs as reference to other people working on it - like the festival coordinator Johai Sohn is Colin, since he was organizing that stuff. But yeah, I've heard of the game of which you speak - I'm a preeeetty big fan of Higurashi. I've been getting the manga at the Kinnokuniya in Seattle, and translating them in my free time. Thanks to Onikakushi-hen, I now know more kanji that express apology/apologizing/being sorry than ever I thought I would. XD John Stumme 00:10, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Haha, well if you ever get past the Onikakushi-hen with translating, give me a yell :P Only read up to Onikakushi-hen chap 06 and Watanagashi-hen chap 03 so far. It's hard when you're depending on people to translate for you, especially since there aren't any English-released versions in stores :x Karuro 16:11, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

I could probably make it through the rest of the translations quickly... if I just start making stuff up. The question is really whether or not people would be interested in reading a version of Higurashi that involves K1 and company trying to come up with Japan's national bread ... and eventually murdering each other as a result of disagreements. John Stumme 21:59, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Keiichi Maebara, the one who has obtained the Solar Hands to create a #1 bread to represent Hinamizawa and thereafter, Japan! An epic tale of curses, divine retribution, Breads with needle's in them and a researcher who seriously needs to see a psychiatrist. I'd read it. Managed to scramble up a few of the other Higurashi mangas, though not all were translated. The extra one, Onisarashi-hen, was quite interesting, though not as horrible (in a good way) as the other volumes turn out. Kinda like how a few of them take place in the past, the future and outside of Hinamizawa. Karuro 21:50, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps someday we'll get the Astro City equivalent for Higurashi - the stories that are going on in and around Hinamizawa that, until now, had gone untold. Examples might be the story of how a Colonel Sanders statue ended up in the junkyard, or what a day in the life is like for the guy that ends up dredging parts of bodies out of the river. Fun fact: Keiichi is also considered to be the one closest to obtaining The Hand of God. John Stumme 22:04, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

So! I figured out the release dates of the five Higurashi Rei OVA's. Let's just say that the first one is around Christmas and the last one this month, NEXT YEAR. Auauau~ ;_; Karuro 20:06, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

The wait for Higurashi stuff is pretty bad - I got bored and started designing a card game based around it. I feel like it's got some interesting things to it, even though I can't do anything with someone else's IP. Maybe I'll repurpose the mechanics onto a theme of my own. I'm such a fanboy sometimes. Blaaah. John Stumme 18:43, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

You stole my bat

I still can't believe that you ended up with a bat and I ended up with a star. Granted, I like my star. I do think I'm much more suited to being represented with a bat, though :-p -- Emily Diehl (talk) 00:27, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

I'll surrender the bat if you can find me a ghost! John Stumme 03:19, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

I think you should use a van. A big, red van. That way, it'll represent your whole lobster-in-a-van concept, although red may imply that there's a cooked lobster inside. Or maybe that the lobster got cooked IN the van. I'm going to stop now, because this whole train of thought is boggling my mind. -- Emily Diehl (talk) 03:35, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

What if the reason that the van is red is because it's owned by an Orc, who understands that clearly red things go faster? Then the story of the lobster becomes less about wandering around the country trying to find Las Vegas - and more of a race. Perhaps populated by various other bizarre teams, such as an owl, Sir Ian McKellan, and a bonsai tree driving around in a Winnebago, or six lemurs with Tori Amos in a monster truck? John Stumme 03:41, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Ah, the woes of bat-stealing, otherwise I just felt like commenting... *flails*. I also need to get myself some sort of mini image that's original. Cheesecake 10:36, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

I was really confused for a moment there. I believe that's the first time someone other than Kim has *flailed* at me. John Stumme 18:44, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday : ) ~Enar. hello. 14:57, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy B-day :) what's the age?--Fox007 14:58, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm 27 today, so I'm thinking that means it's almost time for me to start looking into a nice retirement community somewhere down in Florida. The kind of place where I can quietly spend out the rest of my days playing badminton, and trying not to get eaten by alligators. I imagine it will be just like playing a game of Pitfall! John Stumme 15:43, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Also planning to leave like Gaile and Andrew dis O.o? --Fox007 15:50, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

No, no, I'm quite happy where I am - to the point where they have to kick me out of the office when I'm sick, because I don't go home. People are still going to have to suffer through dealing with me. XP John Stumme 16:35, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday ^^ - anja 16:36, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy Birthday!-- Wynthyst 16:37, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy Birthday! --Myria83 16:38, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy Birthday :) --Kakarot 16:46, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday John!!!--The Forsaken One 21:17, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday to yOOOoooUUU!!!11!!! -- Emily Diehl (talk) 21:25, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for not killing me today, Emily! XD John Stumme 22:24, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday! -- Melliechick 22:42, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy Birthday! Mrs Kuan 22:57, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome. I actually got us lost on the way to lunch on purpose, but my nefarious plans to steal your identity and infiltrate the design pod in your place were foiled. I can't have Regina learning my true colors too soon. Us changelings have to hide our identities as much as we can. XD -- Emily Diehl (talk) 23:10, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Wait a second. If you're a changeling, and you need to keep that fact a secret... is that something you should be admitting to, here? XD John Stumme 23:32, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Aha! I knew something wasn't quite right! Oh and happy birthday, Stumme! --Regina Buenaobra 02:20, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday! (Better a day late than never :P) Karuro 19:30, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy birthday!!! ^(What he said :P)^ -- TERO talk 19:55, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Happy belated birthday. Sorry, couldn't get on to post a birthday message. — ク Eloc 貢 19:37, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Sig icon

Hi, your signature icon has been renamed to Image:User John Stumme sig.gif to conform to the naming convention. Please update your preferences accordingly. Thanks. All previous uses of the original icon has been replaced with the new name. -- ab.er.rant 05:13, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Age of Conan

Hello! What do you think of Age of Conan? That looks a bit like a random question (and indeed it is one), but, after hearing a lot about how that game is selling wonders, despite how it looks like just one more MMORPG to me, I'm curious about an educated opinion of the game. And hey, what opinion could be more educated than one from an Arena Net's designer who happens to play AoC? <- obligatory suck-up line. I would be very happy if you could share a few thoughts on what you think Age of Conan did right...If that's not possible (I have no idea if you would be frowned upon for talking about the competition, especially in a positive light, or if you're just too busy with the GW2 work, etc), just pretending I never asked this, throwing amnesia dust around and quietly archiving it works, too : D Thanks! Erasculio 23:19, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

As a general rule of thumb, I try not to comment on games that would be considered competition, because it can only end in tears. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where your personal opinions end up being quoted as "Some guy from ArenaNet said this about..." because regardless of what you said (positive/negative), it can turn out bad, one way or the other. That's not to say that I think any of the folks that come talk on the Wiki would do such a thing, it's just that you don't have to worry about a situation happening if you never put yourself into it. If it's any consolation prize, I can say that I am very much enjoying Arcana Heart! John Stumme 23:41, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

It's ok, I was kinda expecting something like that. Thanks for the amazingly quick reply and for the sincerity : ) (and Marvel vs Capcom FTW!) Erasculio 23:52, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I do like the second entry of that series for the fact that Jill Valentine is a playable character. (I have quite the fondness for survival horror games, Resident Evil in particular.) But then again, I just like fighting games in general. When I did the text for the Norn Fighting Tournament, I slipped in somewhere in the neighborhood of triple-digit fighting game references. Maybe one of these days I should actually go and point them out on the trivia section. Some long, lonely day. XD John Stumme 00:02, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Tycho had an interesting idea of how far to play a game (link). Since you can't say whether AoC is good or bad, etc., how important is it for devs to experience the game, and how far to play it. Is it required that you get to the point Tycho talked about? Does it help to know the other games at design meetings? Danke! --Ravious 18:17, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

As a general rule of thumb, Game Designers should be playing a lot of games - especially ones that are relevant to what they're working on. It's important to be able to look at something and say "What did I like about this? What didn't I like?" and learn from that. In that sense, it's no different from other creative endeavors - for example, if you wanted to write a haunted house story, you'd probably read other books of that genre first. It's not to copy what has come before, but to experience it, see what you felt worked about it, and then apply those lessons through your own vision and voice. John Stumme 19:56, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

WEWY Madness

See you popped into the World Ends With You. Awesome :) What's your progress at the moment? I'm currently somewhere in week two figuring out how the Scratching Pins work. Since scratching with the stylus ain't working (Or I'm doing it wrong). Also have yet to get accustomed to the whole trend clothing mechanic. Have the tendacy not to buy clothes unless I know the bonuses they give :x On a side note, I guess you can't shove off the cover a bit from the GW2 Box of Mystery? ;) Karuro 16:46, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

(In DM'ing voice) "The cover is shoved off of the box of mystery. Within it lies another box, fastened securely by a variety of locking mechanisms. The box gives off an unusual aura, suggesting that, perhaps, it also warded. (/DM'ing voice.)

As for TWEWY - I'm currently on Day 5 of Week 2. My current task is to make D+B the hottest fashion around, and since D+B pins all seem to be the kind that are "throw cars / bikes / street signs / etc. around" (and I've never used them) it seemed like a good place to stop for the night. It's a nice feature that I can equip those pins and shut the game off, only to come back the next day and have them a level or two higher. I tend to use the kind of pins that are either "slash across the enemy," "slash upwards," or "tap this space to shoot things there." I've found some combos that work pretty well together, although the names of the pins escapes me at the moment. It's a fun game overall, I find the "bigger" story interesting now that I've got some idea of what's going on, and I kind of dig the overall aesthetics of it. I just wish the shopkeepers would stop making me feel bad when I leave without buying anything! John Stumme 00:37, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Haha, I'm right at the same spot XD Since it's the second time you actually have to make a brand popular, I didn't feel like doing it. Another reason might be because the shopkeeper of D+B acts angry towards me (Never buy there) :( At the moment, I'm using.. *Checks* Purity Launcher (Evolved right after my non-playing time X_x), Tin Pin Golem for maxing's sake (IT's a scratch one, still can't get it to work), Kanesada (maxed slash pin) and "I Live for Food"/Cure Drink (Heals can be handy!!). Also collecting the CD Tracks on the way. Love the OST. Did you also know Higurashi is coming for the DS soon (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna)? Though I doubt an english version will ever come, it might be something to look forward to, alongside the Higurashi Rei OVA. Karuro 14:07, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Hmm... I was not aware of that! I will consult the intarwebs, and it will provide me with the answers that I seek. I finished TWEWY on Saturday - the whole ending sequence is pretty cool, and there's good stuff in the "Secret Reports" that you can collect afterwards. I always appreciate when a game's world is well thought out, and there's more lore lying around for players that are willing to look for it. Now that that's out of the way... I think I need to finish Crisis Core (got towards the end, and then got caught up in doing side missions that never seem to stop coming...) and after that, I think I'll go back to my stack of games that I bought but haven't played yet. Probably going to go for Rogue Galaxy first. That should take up a better portion of my time until Izuna 2 comes out. XD John Stumme 18:04, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

'lo

That was an epic update on the spectator page. Couldn't let all those refs go unnoticed?

Anyway, about the Anet portal, I'm wondering if you're serious, 'cause noone else gets a link either. They're all on ArenaNet:Staff presence. Backsword 03:50, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

That's only a partial update. I still have a ton more that I have to add, just more work stuff came up and it got cut short. As for the portal, I was just being facetious. I do that sometimes. XD John Stumme 04:00, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

Facetious? How uncouth. On a related note: what does a worshiper think about the Kyonko phenomena? Backsword 10:07, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

It's sort of interesting to me that the anime subculture as a whole is so used to the concepts of first androgyny, but then traps, that it doesn't feel out of place when someone says "I really like this show. I wonder what it would be like if all of the character's genders were swapped?" Which is not really something you see often anywhere else. At least as of the last time that I checked, there wasn't any Guild Wars fan fiction/art of Man-Cynn and M-Lo. Although that being said, people are welcome to take that as a challenge to the fan forums, that could be amusing.

However, I'm sidetracking myself a bit... Kyonko's character design is pretty cute. And it is a separate world/character from Kyon himself, so I don't feel too bad about that. At least it isn't like my younger days, watching Ranma 1/2 and thinking "Ranma-chan is super cute! But... it's really a guy. ;.;" John Stumme 19:01, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

You are like a dark gift from the Night Mother

"What is it that keeps her coming back? It can only be... Bahltek's Secret."

Fucking LOL'd. Vael Victus 02:50, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

That's only one among many Guild Wars products that I've proposed that never really went anywhere - it's kind of sad that my "Guild Wars: The Musical Icecapades" will never see the light of day. John Stumme 18:13, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

GW2

I'd love to see some Dr. Who refrences in GW2 *wink wink* *nudge nudge* 76.188.100.220

Like a Charr wearing a flowing multi-colored scarf? Not that I could get such a thing, but it's a pretty good mental image all the same. John Stumme 18:14, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

pokemon references plz :D --Venomoth 18:43, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Throw in some Nekomimis please. prokiller88 05:13, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Why, didn't you know nekomimi was the secret reason for creating Charr? No less than four nekomimi. Each! Backsword 08:26, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Wand named Sonic Screwdriver plzkthnxbai. Paddymew 16:19, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Need informations

Hello. I would be glad to get some informations about the persons who were given the task to populate The Underworld with monsters. Serge Yseron 12:51, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

I believe Linsey would be the best person to talk to about that sort of thing! *Nods* John Stumme 07:57, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Guild Wars Anime. Now!

So we heard about the incoming Guild Wars books. But what really would take over the world is a Guild Wars anime, with Gwen wielding a big hammer and Hayda as a catgirl, so make it happen. Now. Erasculio 19:49, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Thats sick and plausiable. Do want. -- NUKLEAR IIV 20:03, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Sadly, the concept of Gwen with a giant hammer and Hayda as a catgirl is less strange than things I've actually done. I have previously written a short story that explained the reason for the animosity between humans and charr - the charr had placed an order through Ascalon.com (the web's largest retailer!) for a box set of Survivor: Marquesas but instead ended up with the vastly inferior Survivor: Pearl Islands. I would like to say that I'm just making that up, here and now, for the sake of being amusing. The sad truth is, I'm not.

In all seriousness, I'd love to see some kind of anime adaptation - there's so many ways we could go. Yeah, epic fantasy adventure is pretty much a given... but we could just as easily have a wacky harem comedy starring Mhenlo. John Stumme 07:56, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

I can see it now: Mhenlo tries to cover up is "excapedes" from cynn. -- NUKLEAR IIV 08:53, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

This is an unofficial fan art contest waiting to happen. -Kim Chase 23:19, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

What would the prize be? A restraining order? John Stumme 23:26, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

After guessing what the results would be, I'd have to say four free sessions with a shrink. But that's just a guess on a guess. calor (talk) 23:28, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

TENTACLES! -- NUKLEAR IIV 10:35, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Mind out of gutter, everyone. Seriously. Most of the ideas in this section are just plain bad and probably inappropriate. Cut it out. I'd censor it, but people would revert.

MOAR TENTACLES! Paddymew 16:18, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Mhenlo as the comic relief? I guess that makes Aiden the straight man? Kumlekar 06:58, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Deactivating R.O.X.

Congrats on the really nice quest (Linsey mentioned in her journal that you designed it). The idea of being able to choose which god to receive a blessing from really adds a lot to the quest - both in the strategic element of trying to decide which blessings would be better for each party, and also in the tactical element of deciding if it's better to leave Salma alone to save an acolyte or stay by the future's queen side and lose a blessing. It's not often we get something that really requires this kind of thinking.

What I liked the most, though, were the tiny bits of texts we get showing the acolytes' prayers. This kind of detail really shows how much attention was paid to even the little things, and it's good to see how the common people of Tyria interact with their gods. Likewise, it's nice to see a quest with Salma - for the future queen of Kryta, she had a very small role in the original Prophecies. Thanks for all this hard work! Erasculio 13:58, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm glad you enjoyed it - a big part of having the god blessings work the way that they do was that, if players try the quest and can't get through, you have different options the next time around. I feel like there's some interesting things with the shrines - players have noted the diminishing returns that you get from having multiple NPCs at one shrine, but there's also the added benefit of more NPCs at one point being easier to hold (they heal, and there's less locations to defend.) The golems will prioritize killing those NPCs over players if you let them.

The text for the prayers actually went through a few iterations. In my first pass, they were much more like a mantra - very poetic and structured. It ended up what it is now, because taking things from the approach of "I beseech you!" feels much more immediate, rather than insulated and versed. John Stumme 18:27, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Speaking of this quest, I have a very pressing hunch that accepting dialog is some sort of reference. Is this the case? -- NUKLEAR IIV 16:02, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

It's not intentionally a reference to anything, it was just the first thing that came to mind. John Stumme 18:27, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Kudos on this! This quest was very well done and an example of the high quality products that aNet has provided us with! 24.188.207.20 22:22, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

What is a day's work like for the designers?

A new week, a new random question! No idea if you are allowed to reply to this, but if you're not it's ok (or if you just don't want to, that's ok as well : D). I'm a bit curious about how is the day to day work for you, the designers. It's easy to grasp what the programmers do (meetings, meeting, more meetings, a bit of programming, then some more meetings). Thanks to Bobby Stein, I can also understand how the writting team works. But what about the designers? Do you spend all your day on meetings with the rest of the staff, so they translate your ideas in game terms? Or do you spend a considerable amount of time on the office walking and talking to people, checking how the progress of things is going? Or are there long hours in front of a computer writting and programming? Do the designers program, too? And so on. We're so used with the idea of game designers as vague, looming entities that I don't think we (well, at least me : D) reallly understand how you guys work. Erasculio 13:26, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

I had one or two people ask me a similar question at our GameWorks party after PAX - it was kind of awesome to see the facial expressions that go along with the "Oh? Oh really?"s of understanding of what it is we actually do. There are times when the better part of your day can be spent in a meeting, but for the most part, we're usually busy with our own things. Content Designers typically come up with the story of something, the mechanics of it, they write the text for it, they script it, and then after we make QA's life miserable with our bugs, we go back and fix things (or work with the people that can fix things.)) So, we don't program per say, but we can do a lot of the implementation ourselves. Programmers only get involved when it's something difficult (for example, making the pillar gradually fall apart and kill the Devourer in Gwen's BMP mission was work done by Shana who was the coder, and Brant, who made the prop, along with me facilitating some functionality that was the go-between.)

I guess there really isn't a clean answer for what we do, except to say that we wear a lot of hats. Back before I worked in the industry, I used to have this vision of Designers as the people that said "I want to make a game about a pâtissier that fights sentient space-dogs with British accents," and then other people would go off and do the work for you. In reality, there's not a lot of telling other people "Hey, do this!" so much as there is working with other people to come up with something that's more awesome because of it.

Also, Designers make fun of each other a lot. Our room is very, very loud. John Stumme 00:41, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

That's interesting. I'd always envisioned it as each person having a list of tasks, and meeting once a week to discuss things more in deoth. But I guess not :P calor (talk) 00:53, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Nice, that's very interesting. You people ought to start doing a "The Making of Guild Wars 2" so we may see that process ourselves, it sounds like something fun. Erasculio 12:06, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

I hope the CE will have a making of DVD... if my Nightfall box wasn't in storage, I would consider watching it again this weekend. They are great, but please don't make yours as "artsy" as the TR one. --Ravious 13:16, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

I would love to see us do another making of DVD, not that I have any say in anything like that whatsoever. Maybe if I was on it, I could have my own fangirls, just like Cliffy B does! Why, that'd be creepy AND awesome. At the same time! John Stumme 04:34, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm wondering if theres any actual list/explaination of the various job positions common in development? I always hear "game designer" verus "level designer" and have very little understanding of the difference between the two. I'm a comp sci major looking at entering the video game industry, but I really don't know what job positions are availiable long term. (obviously bug testing is the short term =D) Kumlekar 07:04, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

I don't know where to post this =P

As I was going through Oola's Lab I noticed the armor that Xien was wearing. The hood but not like the dervish and the color, orange and black. Is it possible to make this armor or something close to it availble to Assasins? I just wish but what do you think? Blood 03:20, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Your best bet would probably be to ask Linsey! --The preceding unsigned comment was added by User:John Stumme (talk).

Already did, was told to use GW suggestions =\ . —Blood 02:03, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

FYI, Xien uses the model of a male Outcast, which has been arround since Factions release. Backsword 09:42, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

I didn't notice that, blah, I still like that armor skin. It would be nice if they added sin, rit, para, and derv armor in proph since they already have weapons....in Droks though. —Blood 17:17, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Do you ever think that..?

The lore community looks too deeply into certain aspects of the story? Or does it just make your job all that more satisfying, to know there's someone reading over and over and discussing the different bits? If anything, it makes the game that much more enjoyable for me. Although I wish that we could see more of the old events, like the Margonite War and the Siege on the Gates of Heaven. Ooh, and it should be interesting to see what the Mists look like in GW2, if the name and choice of area don't get changed. Speaking of which..Why was it shifted from within the Rift, to the ether of the Mists? Just a design decision to explain the different "worlds" battling it out?

Anyway, keep up the well-written quests, they're fun to derive almost too much from!Gmr Leon 22:58, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure that there is such a thing as "too much" in a case like this. Because, while someone could say "Hey, look at these guys on the intarwebs - they're debating why Mursaat have footwear, when they never actually walk!" or you could look at it and say... that the game means enough to people that they're willing to have those conversations.

It's surprising what people will latch onto sometimes, which is part of the fun in seeing how people react to the work that we do. For example, someone (I believe it was Quintus?) mentioned Justiciar Naveed being one of this favorite characters in the game, which was sort of a @.@ moment for me. As for other stuff - it would be cool if we could go back and explore some more past events like we did with the Bonus Mission Pack. I keep saying that if such a thing were to occur again, I want to write a mission centering entirely on Mad King Thorn. How awesome would that be? As for Rift/Mists - I'm not sure! John Stumme 02:57, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

I don't know if it was Quintus, but it wouldn't surprise me too much. He could, I think, justifiably be identified as a Mursaatophile or White Mantleophile. He was very, very, enthusiastic about them as a race in the game. Not that it's a bad thing, but sometimes you can be too enthusiastic about something, and miss other possible links, if you know what I mean.

Mad King Thorn..That would be so very insane..I imagine. It's hard to tell, when the Mad King is being serious, and when he's just telling dark jokes. Although, it's most likely with him, both. It really would be awesome to go back to a lot of those past events. It seems a shame that there are all these events in the past that the players are never actually involved in. The funniest, I think, being the Guild Wars themselves that we're never involved in. The event for which the game was named..The players never participate in. Oh, and I really enjoy the concept of the Mists and the Rift, and how they were mixed in with the sort of medieval/fantasy setting. Very fun to theorize about. In regards to being unsure, oh well. That was just a slight peculiarity that came to mind.

I suppose that's true, about whether or not it is too much, I always like to reaffirm my looking into the game with the rather scientific Half-Life 2, and how their community is much the same. If not entirely consisting of people speculating over the story. Gmr Leon 00:36, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

Clarafication Plzz

Some people seem to think that when people are blocked out in there party windows that it still adds extra drops. Can we finally get an official word that it doesnt work that way. That it works just like if they were soloing when the other members in the party list are blackend out(ie out of radar range). Manitoba1073 17:07, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Silly Question

Hey, I don't want to bother Linsey too much, and there's no SUPER UBER (NERDY) programmers or anything on the Wiki, and obviously I can't just find this out for myself so I was wondering if you could sate my incredibly humorous need to know stuff. I asked this on Linsey's page and did get an answer but it's not really the answer I'm looking for (just that INDEED damage goes up from a distance with arrows...which I already knew. ._.). Is there a hard cap to the damage an arrow/spear can do from height actually coded in-game? I know (like Shard told me) that it scales pretty poorly (at some of the highest points to lowest actually in-game it'd be a 30% increase, for example), but if theoretically (humor me here) there was a SUPER SHARP POINT about a gajillion feet up in the air, and another guy on ground level right next to it, could the arrow in theory instantly kill him from that height? If no, what's the exact hardcap on bonus that projectile weapons can gain from height? If you could answer or find someone who can give me an exact answer, I'd much appreciate it! :) (But don't stress yourself or anything, since the situation isn't possible but I rather enjoy knowing this type of stuff. :p) DarkNecrid 20:23, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

SPLASH!

Bucket of cold water reference ;) 86.157.198.75 21:07, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Please Check your

Email, and heya btw! xD -- WoB 03:57, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Getting Started in Game Design

A-hoy there John, I am just a little peon (so far) when it comes to game design. I am very inspired to get started in the game design industry and am wondering if you could share any info to help me on my ways. I am very passionate about it, as a matter of fact, I have been working 70 hour weeks for the past two years just to save up money so I can get an internship as a game designer and not have to worry about funds for a year or so.

I have graduated from ITT Tech with a degree in Game Design and am currently working with some friends trying to put a level together in Torque. I am also making my own PHP/Ajax game engine (something really small and basic - but fun to work on) to place on the web.

I don't want to take too much of your time, but if you know anyone that I could talk to PLEASE let me know.

Thanks,

Dustin Cochran dustin@digital-epiphany-designs.com

Some of my work is on my website: digital-epiphany-designs.com

Happy Birthday!

^^ :) — Jon Lupen 03:13, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Enjoy!!! |Cyan LightLive!| 06:40, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Happy birthday! --Burning Freebies 12:15, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Happy Birthday!!!--Unendingfear 12:40, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks all. I haven't had time to check here in a while, but the events following my birthday have been pretty eventful. I've spent my weekend at Sakuracon, and I'm now about to pass out from exhaustion. XD John Stumme 20:10, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

PvE Bonus Weekends.. Please?

→ moved from User talk:Linsey Murdock

Sorry people, wrong John it should have been Hargrove. ~ Kurd 09:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

← moved to User talk:John Hargrove

So...

Now that part of the Big GW2 Veil of Doom has been lifted, what can you share with us? : D Any chance we get a sneak preview about what's the Asura's favourite food? If the Charrs like fried human meat more than grilled Asuran meat? If the ruins of Lion's Arch have a huge Mhenlo statue with a small army of girls at his feet? (Also, would you mind if I archived some of the earlier sections? This page is kinda big now.) Erasculio 23:51, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

I can tell you... that I've had the swine flu. Does that count as something interesting? And if people want to archive earlier sections, sure, that's fine. Things are looking a bit cluttered. Plus I really need to update my page a bit. ^^; John Stumme 21:47, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

I highly doubt he can, that little box inside the box of mystery still seems warded off. ^^" I am very impressed though with the trailer and can't wait to see what else we learn in the next few months/years till the beta and release of the game. Btw, ignore those silly people who keep insisting that the team is late making GW2 because they thought it'd be here by now; they forgot how many times Twilight Princess was delayed and how awesome that turned out. Katherinezoltin 21:08, 24 August 2009 (UTC)