Saturday, August 20, 2011

Structured PvP in GW2: Conquest Mode

It seems that the structured 5v5 PvP in GW2 is going to feature conquest mode as the only gametype available at launch. The developer's intention is that each map will have a unique mechanic, or secondary objective that will shape the gameplay of that map.

The only example of a special mechanic we have so far is the inclusion of two trebuchets that can be used by players of the appropriate team to bombard enemies around the map, or destroy parts of the environment, opening up or closing off potential paths around the map. Players can also destroy the enemies trebuchet, and repair friendly trebs that have been destroyed. It remains to be seen how varied the unique mechanics will be across each map, and how much impact they will have on the way each map plays.

Ok, now that that's out of the way...

I have one major gripe with conquest mode as a competitive gametype, or any mode that uses a slow ticket bleed or gradual point accumulation to determine victory:

Defeat is a slow, gradual bleed-out. Something about it just feels like I'm fighting the clock, not the players. Aside from the rare game that comes down to just a few tickets or seconds, victory usually feels anti-climactic.

Instead of awarding points every time you complete an activity, points are awarded based on the passage of time. The whole game type is about gaining an advantage and then running out the clock. It's more about stalling than working to accomplish a final goal.

Ultimately game types like CTF, Sudden Death, Plant/Diffuse, or some kind of boss assault mode all produce more nail-biters, comebacks and satisfying games in general than gradual ticket/timer modes in my personal experience.

Conquest can be fun to mess around in solo, but if I'm playing with a real team and serious about winning, I'd definitely prefer to play some other game type. At least in other games I've played.

Hopefully Arenanet finds ways to make their version of conquest really exciting and competitive, but it has never been my favorite game type.

1 comment:

  1. I agree that conquest isn't the best in most games. In GW2, however, it was a lot of fun playing it. The ways that skills are setup makes it more interesting then FPS and other MMO conquest games. There are a lot skills that cause knockback & things like guardian walls & engineer turrets that just give conquest a whole new feel in GW2. GTFO my control point (stomp!)

    It's also not 100% confirmed that it's the only playstyle for structured at release. One developer said it was, and another said the exact opposite (on the same day).

    Plus, WvWvW, but I know that was implicit since it's not "structured" :)

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