While I appreciate the fact that you want to "belong" to a faction, I am ok with sacrificing that so I can play with friends and teammates that dont happen to choose whatever faction I do. Its just another barrier to playing with others.

Originally posted by Macecard

Bored of these

"So I have heard GW doesn't have (insert feature not present or vastly different from norm in GW2) Can someone confirm"

1 or 2 would be fine. but since we are up to like 10 now, do all these ppl fail at google? or reading these forums?

Then stop reading and posting in these types of threads. /problemsolved

To OP, I can sympathize with wanting to belong to a faction and have a reason already set up for why you're fighting those two other servers. But I like that the servers themselves aren't split into separate segregated factions. That means that there aren't areas, events, dialogues, etc. that you'll never be able to see without creating another character.

It reminds me of the old days of EQ1 actually. There are races that may not necessarily get along in the lore, but you're not prohibited from interacting with them by an artificial barrier mechanic. It makes for interesting role play.

Factions in an MMO never really work well and I believe its a horrible mechanic. While I love the concept of it, it just never seem to work out as well as anticipated. The problem with faction base games are that usually they have to be cosmetic at best which entirely defeats the purpose of having factions in the first place, But at the same time they cannot give special benefits for being part of a faction, cuz it usually leads to people picking on another. A critical problem with faction based game is that developer generally don't have the guts to restrict certain factions to prevent an in balance since players will QQ and developer generally listen to dumb players.

And players generally only care about short term, not the long term health of the game.

ADDED: during bwe 1&2 when I played on fort aspenwood, It felt like it was a faction on itself. The was a lot of server pride which pretty felt exactly like faction pride.

Originally posted by Impeator101

I like feeling that I am part of a faction with a specific goal and I have an enemy faction when I play a MMORPG. Guild Wars 2 doesn't have this does it? The World vs Word is simply different servers fighting, does you're server at least have a certain color? I do not wanna change colors after a World vs World game ends. 

I find it ironic that people complain about the lack of certain aspects in a new game because they enjoyed them in another game, all the while people are also complaining about games being clones.  (not the OP as such, just an ongoing trend)

Factions, and faction pride is fine and I'm sure that server pride will do more than enough to compensate, if not exceed, but why the concern about the color?  Would you pick a specific color because they were red? Or are you just wanting to indentify with a specific color, and then never lose it? You do realize these events last 2 weeks? I does pose a thought though, that Anet could make (or even have player competitions to design) a flag that would represent each server for WvW.  Interesting possibility...

I was never a fan of "hard" factions in MMORPGs where you pick your faction and character creation, and are stuck with it forever.

I feel like it means that half of the game world is always closed off to you.  It also means that devs have to generate almost double the content, and I feel like the quality suffers because of this sometimes.

There are in fact factions within this game that you're able to pick.  They will alter your storyline when you're roughly midlevel or so (presumably).

These factions are the following:

The Vigil:

"The Vigil is a military order dedicated to fighting the Elder Dragons and their minions by force of arms. They believe that the only way to defeat the Elder Dragons is to unite the races of Tyria and to face the minions of the Elder Dragons wherever they appear. The Vigil wants to face the Elder Dragons directly, testing Zhaitan's power in the hope that such methods can one day be used against the dragon itself. They believe that the Elder Dragons grow more powerful as each day passes, and that those who do not fight now are giving the world away by standing passively aside. They intend to be an army of light against the onslaught of darkness.^[1]

Players may join the Vigil during their personal story."  - Guild Wars 2 Wiki

Durmand Priory:

"Durmand Priory, established in 1105 AE, is a scholarly order dedicated to protecting knowledge and lore. Named for the monastery which houses their archives, and in turn for the monastery's founder Durmand, members of the Durmand Priory offer services as advisors, tutors and chroniclers across Tyria. They are willing to share their gathered knowledge but do so cautiously. Durmand Priory is one of three major multi-racial orders who are looking for ways to combat the Elder Dragons. They hope that intellect, or some lost piece of knowledge, can save the world from the rise of the dragons.

Players may join the Priory during their personal story."  - Guild wars 2 Wiki

The Order of Whispers:

"The Order of Whispers is a secretive ancient Elonian order. They work behind the scenes to safeguard the world against the rise of the Elder Dragons and free and restore the troubled Elona. Its members, often spies, thieves and agents, operate within every Tyrian nation sometimes to the highest levels. Their extensive network is able to gather information from everywhere, even areas blocked to travel, such as Elona which has long since been isolated under Palawa Joko's rule.

The Order of Whispers is one of three multi-racial orders which players join as part of their personal story. They believe there is no way to physically destroy or negotiate with the Elder Dragons so the only way to counter them is to find a way to send them back to sleep.

Like the other orders, it has a base inside each major city, including in the sewers of Lion's Arch."  - Guild Wars 2 Wiki

When you pick which side you want to join, your story will branch out for their specific questlines and you will try to address problems in the manner they are accustomed to.

Originally posted by Yaevindusk

 

There are in fact factions within this game that you're able to pick.  They will alter your storyline when you're roughly midlevel or so (presumably).

These factions are the following:

 

The Vigil:

"The Vigil is a military order dedicated to fighting the Elder Dragons and their minions by force of arms. They believe that the only way to defeat the Elder Dragons is to unite the races of Tyria and to face the minions of the Elder Dragons wherever they appear. The Vigil wants to face the Elder Dragons directly, testing Zhaitan's power in the hope that such methods can one day be used against the dragon itself. They believe that the Elder Dragons grow more powerful as each day passes, and that those who do not fight now are giving the world away by standing passively aside. They intend to be an army of light against the onslaught of darkness.^[1]

Players may join the Vigil during their personal story."  - Guild Wars 2 Wiki

 

Durmand Priory:

"Durmand Priory, established in 1105 AE, is a scholarly order dedicated to protecting knowledge and lore. Named for the monastery which houses their archives, and in turn for the monastery's founder Durmand, members of the Durmand Priory offer services as advisors, tutors and chroniclers across Tyria. They are willing to share their gathered knowledge but do so cautiously. Durmand Priory is one of three major multi-racial orders who are looking for ways to combat the Elder Dragons. They hope that intellect, or some lost piece of knowledge, can save the world from the rise of the dragons.

Players may join the Priory during their personal story."  - Guild wars 2 Wiki

 

The Order of Whispers: 

"The Order of Whispers is a secretive ancient Elonian order. They work behind the scenes to safeguard the world against the rise of the Elder Dragons and free and restore the troubled Elona. Its members, often spies, thieves and agents, operate within every Tyrian nation sometimes to the highest levels. Their extensive network is able to gather information from everywhere, even areas blocked to travel, such as Elona which has long since been isolated under Palawa Joko's rule.

The Order of Whispers is one of three multi-racial orders which players join as part of their personal story. They believe there is no way to physically destroy or negotiate with the Elder Dragons so the only way to counter them is to find a way to send them back to sleep.

Like the other orders, it has a base inside each major city, including in the sewers of Lion's Arch."  - Guild Wars 2 Wiki

 

When you pick which side you want to join, your story will branch out for their specific questlines and you will try to address problems in the manner they are accustomed to.

So far these 3 factions are PvE only..

However i would not be surprised if one day in the far future there would be a PvP battlefield where these factions can fight eachother.   Maybe a  Dynamic event (like the final events we have seen at the end of BWE)

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

So far these 3 factions are PvE only..

 

However i would not be surprised if one day in the far future there would be a PvP battlefield where these factions can fight eachother.   Maybe a  Dynamic event (like the final events we have seen at the end of BWE)

Indeed.  Though they are factions within the game that have conflictions with one another, and an overall enemy to fight.  It's also a faction based system that's intertwined with your personal story, and you don't get to pick it at the character creation.

This game is, for lack of a better term, a giant hug-fest.  We're all buddies in this game right down to the fact that there are no world PvP servers.

Originally posted by Lord.Bachus

So far these 3 factions are PvE only..

 

However i would not be surprised if one day in the far future there would be a PvP battlefield where these factions can fight eachother.   Maybe a  Dynamic event (like the final events we have seen at the end of BWE)

 

Keeping spoilers to myself. All I'm going to say is it's not likely.

Originally posted by Magnetia

Server pride > faction pride

The point of people being cooperative on the server is the quote above.^^^

I've been pleasantly surprised by the 'server is a faction' approach they took. I wasn't sure at first because I was so used to other games but, it seems like it offers the same pride/teamwork experience while also providing several advantages in terms of full content exposure to the entire playerbase and not just a subset of them. Knowing that every time something gets added to the game I will get to experience it and everyone will get to experience it equally  (not just because i happen to be in the right faction at the time) is a big plus for me.

And consequently they will have eliminated the faction balance whines with the same change (why did horde get this but alliance didnt?! Devs are favoring horde!!! rabble rabble rabble)

Originally posted by MindTrigger

This game is, for lack of a better term, a giant hug-fest.  We're all buddies in this game right down to the fact that there are no world PvP servers.

World pvp doesnt work unless the game is designed with world pvp in mind from day 1.  You cant just flip a switch and expect a game thats designed around pve, mechanics designed around pve, to have meaningful open world pvp beyond ganking and zerging. 

And yes, I did play a real pvp game before, Shadowbane had some of the greatest pvp in any game ive played, if only the rest of the game wasnt completly horrible.

Originally posted by Derros

Originally posted by MindTrigger

This game is, for lack of a better term, a giant hug-fest.  We're all buddies in this game right down to the fact that there are no world PvP servers.

World pvp doesnt work unless the game is designed with world pvp in mind from day 1.  You cant just flip a switch and expect a game thats designed around pve, mechanics designed around pve, to have meaningful open world pvp beyond ganking and zerging. 

 

And yes, I did play a real pvp game before, Shadowbane had some of the greatest pvp in any game ive played, if only the rest of the game wasnt completly horrible.

If only world PvP would have atleast the objectives GW2 has in WvWvW, it could be fun... but none of those other MMO even remotely seems to grab that players need other objectives in World PvP then just killing other players. 

Originally posted by Impeator101

I don't see why you're server can't stay one color, I know certain colors may have designated start locations but they can just rotate them after a game is over. 

They should add some made up lore based on the server you are on with some exclusive ingame gear associated with your server, only changing the aesthetics of you're character, like a server emblem. To bad, seems like I will have to make something up myself, like my team are the good guys and the others are from an evil mirror universe that was already suggested. I could pretend all my enemies are from the Plane of Oblivion (Elder Scrolls). 

Sounds to me like you are overly focused on this "Color" concept.  Step back from that and just see it as a server name.

If the concept must be color faction for you to play a game and if this game doesn't meet your requirements and you are unwilling to be flexible about it, then this game might not be for you.

No factions? I say AMEN! I have my concerns about what ANet is doing different in GW2 but this is one thing that I am 110% ok with. For once we don't have to choose between good (Alliance, Republic, etc.) and evil (Horde, Sith, etc.). This is such a breath of fresh air it makes me giddy!

But don't worry. I suspect that eventually there will be servers that specialize in pvp. You will soon see the forums advertising "x server is the uber pvp server".  When the fallout is over you will see the same thing happen to GW2 that happened to every other aaa mmo - clusters of population. As there were/are Horde dominate servers in WOW you will see pvp dominate servers in GW2. New game - same results.

Originally posted by tordurbar

No factions? I say AMEN! I have my concerns about what ANet is doing different in GW2 but this is one thing that I am 110% ok with. For once we don't have to choose between good (Alliance, Republic, etc.) and evil (Horde, Sith, etc.). This is such a breath of fresh air it makes me giddy!

But don't worry. I suspect that eventually there will be servers that specialize in pvp. You will soon see the forums advertising "x server is the uber pvp server".  When the fallout is over you will see the same thing happen to GW2 that happened to every other aaa mmo - clusters of population. As there were/are Horde dominate servers in WOW you will see pvp dominate servers in GW2. New game - same results.

You can still find huge pvp/rp-pvp realms with an almost even number of alliance/horde on them. I don't think Guild Wars 2 is for me, Lore and being part of a faction that has a purpose means a lot to me in a MMO. Guild Wars 2 has some of the most bland and boring Lore I have ever seen in an MMO, It is the most generic fantasy ever, WoW is much more apealing to me. The only the GW2 has that grabbed my attention was the huge WorldvsWorld pvp but having that while sacraficing Open World pvp, horrible, I love open-world pvp and WoW provides all that. 

Guild Wars 2 will fail against WoW and it will not attract as many people as WoW has. The Lore is crap, no Raiding and no Open World pvp. At least WoW makes you feel like you are part of a big exciting world while GW2 is boring generic fantasy crap.

Originally posted by Impeator101

Originally posted by tordurbar

No factions? I say AMEN! I have my concerns about what ANet is doing different in GW2 but this is one thing that I am 110% ok with. For once we don't have to choose between good (Alliance, Republic, etc.) and evil (Horde, Sith, etc.). This is such a breath of fresh air it makes me giddy!

But don't worry. I suspect that eventually there will be servers that specialize in pvp. You will soon see the forums advertising "x server is the uber pvp server".  When the fallout is over you will see the same thing happen to GW2 that happened to every other aaa mmo - clusters of population. As there were/are Horde dominate servers in WOW you will see pvp dominate servers in GW2. New game - same results.

You can still find huge pvp/rp-pvp realms with an almost even number of alliance/horde on them. I don't think Guild Wars 2 is for me, Lore and being part of a faction that has a purpose means a lot to me in a MMO. Guild Wars 2 has some of the most bland and boring Lore I have ever seen in an MMO, It is the most generic fantasy ever, WoW is much more apealing to me. The only the GW2 has that grabbed my attention was the huge WorldvsWorld pvp but having that while sacraficing Open World pvp, horrible, I love open-world pvp and WoW provides all that. 

Guild Wars 2 will fail against WoW and it will not attract as many people as WoW has. The Lore is crap, no Raiding and no Open World pvp. At least WoW makes you feel like you are part of a big exciting world while GW2 is boring generic fantasy crap.

Ah, your true "colors" come out now, promoting a WOW agenda in a GW2 thread.

You have the game you want, go play it.

Originally posted by BadSpock

Server pride, competing to be the top server in your region is > race locked factions.

Unless, of course, you LIKE population imbalances like you see in.. oh I don't know...

TSW, WoW, Rift, WAR, etc. etc. etc.

 

Yep exactly since every server will have the same amount of players the same amount of players actually playing the WvWvW and of course they also have the same overall gamingtimes all that to ensure that there is no possibility of imbalance....

Really??

Would it not be better to work together anyway?

I mean you have the big mean dragons you have to fight and you have nothing better to do than fighting well pretty much yourself?

Dont get me wrong i am looking forward to WvWvW and believe it will give me lots of fun but lets stay real and not try to make the lack of factions sound like its something awesome......

Speaking of the color thing, in WvW your character doesnt change a certain color or color combo, but when viewing enemies itll be pretty obvious because you wont see their names, but itll say example: "Green invader" for every person on the green team, and by "Green" team i dont mean they are colored green, but when viewing the WvW hub thing, wiuth the pie chart over who has more points, itll say their server name, then have their assigned color.

In Structured pvp you will be colored blue or red as far as i know. But back to WvW, say if you were with a guild or some big group that always sticks together, you all can change your dyes to a certain color to match each other, but that is unlikely it will happen as it is not really needed. But once you get in-game and WvW youll see its pretty easy.