Interview With GW2 Dungeon Designer Robert Hrouda

We were lucky adequate to snag quite a few time with 1 of ArenaNet's Dungeon Content Designers, Robert Hrouda.

How do you feel concerning the existing state of dungeons? Do you think that they are in a excellent spot in terms of what they provide for PvE players? Or do you think that they could provide a bit more?

We're working on dungeons, and coming out with new stuff for them that we hope will be entertaining and tricky. There is a lot that goes into what we're doing, though suffice to express we are browsing encounters and such and modifying them.

What are your thoughts on the current dungeon token procedure? Is it too burdensome, or are you guys pretty okay with how it has played out?
The token process is something we are thinking of. It serves its purpose, although we feel there is more we can do. As constantly we're modifying & adjusting our reward scheme for dungeons to try and hit the sweet spot.

At the moment, the person that enters a group into the dungeon is in complete control of the entire party. They can try to kick others without fear of retaliation just because if they're kicked, the whole group loses their progress. Can we as players anticipate a fix on this soon?

We are drawn to the dungeon instance owner complications, and developing solutions. It will take time to get right, & I can not answer anything about dates and tech for that - it goes a bit above my head.

Have you reviewed & considered any of the suggestions from the "Community's Voice: Dungeons" thread from a number of months ago?

We read the thread. I won't point out the suggestions we took, but we did take a lot of from it. 1 of my assignments is to look at that feedback & figure out what the actual desire of the Guild Wars 2 gold player is. Decreasing mob HP i.e., is not just a call for lower HP... it is for a quicker less grindy Mob experience. It's my duty to take that feedback & do something with it.

Also you are compelled to understand that forums can't dictate what we do. The individuals that go to forums are quite a nominal percentage, & ordinarily they're going there to talk about a challenge. Otherwise the 50 people that post in a popular thread would dictate the direction of the game, & we cannot have that.

Have you guys thought about maybe adding some sort of side-bonuses to dungeons before? Something comparable to the additional points you might do in GW1 in Missions to get bonuses. It could be something very uncomplicated, like perform X volume of combos on bosses, or trying to survive the dungeon without dying once. This may be used to reward players for better gameplay, and you might give them things such as more tokens, or even particular rewards for that dungeon.

I would LOVE to add more content to dungeons. Random events, bonus events, amazing puzzles - you name it, I need more in it. There's only loads of hours in a day that two folks can devote however, and right now we are doing many pretty substantial work that our subsequent content patch will have. When we get time however, you bet I need to add more.

Have you guys considered potentially that not every dungeon desires to be based around killing bosses? It could be fun to have a dungeon that's chock full of puzzles. & I mean actual puzzles, not mini-laser hop "puzzles". Something to the effect of Zelda dungeon puzzles?

Whats incorrect with mini-laser hop puzzles? :three

Yes, I would love to do a dungeon that is just puzzles. It wasn't in the scope for our launch, but it is surely on my mind.

Have you thought about maybe adding Lodestones as a reward for Dungeon Tokens? It would help bring their charges more in line & obtainable for Legendaries, in addition to get more individuals running Dungeons they have already completed before.

We are at all times looking into rewards for dungeons and attempting to enhance them. Trust me I know how you feel concerning the lodestone issue, yet my hands are tied a bit on the matter. It is something I routinely bring up to the those who have the responsibility, even so you are obliged to grasp that they have an overall Guild Wars 2 item game's balance and economy on their hands.

Thanks a ton to Robert Hrouda for sharing his time with us to answer a range of questions!

Recommended Reading:


http://www.surgerychat.org/general-discussion/ten-hints-for-acquiring-a-legendary-weapon/

http://sb1.fastmogul.com/article.php?id=165348

http://www.gctribe.net/index.php?do=/Jane_Gregson/blog/combat-mode-2-0-preview/

http://younive.com/blog/511/combat-mode-2-0-preview/

http://kurd-book.com/index.php?do=/blog/221723/combat-mode-2-0-preview/