Guild Wars 2 MMO News, Guides, and Features at Ten Ton Hammer

It’s no secret that ArenaNet has stressed how much it’s iterated content and features for Guild Wars 2. Even this late in development the devs have iterated major features such as energy for skills and the ranger class. This week Guild Wars 2 Lead Designer Eric Flannum took some time to speak with Kill Ten Rats and explain why the devs make such changes this late in the game's development and why.

The first step to fixing something is always identifying the problem. That being said, we always need a viable alternative before we remove or rework a mechanic; otherwise we’re just doing work blindly which is never a good idea. Most often we just need to find some time to sit down and discuss alternatives, but in some cases (as with energy) a solution doesn’t present itself or seem viable until we’ve developed other parts of the game. Every system in the game affects every other system in a variety of ways.

Flannum discusses at some length ArenaNet’s philosophy to approaching the design of Guild Wars 2 and their stringent belief in the iteration process for every aspect of the game. It’s an approach that is quite flexible and allows for some flexibility in the development of content even when everyone may feel that something is ready.

You can read Flannum's full interview at Kill Ten Rats.

Source: [GW2] Interview with ArenaNet’s Eric Flannum