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Setting

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''[[Guild Wars Utopia]]'' was the cancelled fourth stand-alone ''[[Guild Wars]]'' [[campaign]], following ''[[Guild Wars Nightfall]]''.

== Gameplay ==
{{quotation|[[Mike Zadorojny]], [https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/531062/#Comment_531062 Utopia brainstorming that lead to GW2 — Guild Wars 2 Forums]|The core feature that Utopia was being built around was giving players choices through the form of [[quest]]s and having consequences for the collective choices made by the community. Imagine a story line that branched every couple of weeks/months based on the total number of completions of one set of quests vs another. Which group of people did you choose to provide assistence to? ([[gw2:Infiltration|Did you focus your efforts on the hospital or the orphanage?]])

While we were building out the story and associated characters, we started playing with the in-game tech more and more. It got to the point where we started to ask questions about things fundamentally associated with Guild Wars as a whole. I think the big turning point came when we essentially created a prototype for something like [[gw2:Village of Shaemoor|Shaemoor]], that was a persistent map that had 50+ people running (and jumping) around. Like [[Joe Kimmes|Joe]] mentioned some of the foundational code work was built around [[instance]]s being the core [[PvE]] content and as we started to try to break that mold the tech hurdles started becoming larger. I know the engine programmers were also trying to push the boundaries on the quality of assets we were creating, but I don't remember the specifics there. Ultimately it wasn't a single idea that pushed us over, but enough things popped up that we decided our efforts would be better spent moving our designs into a new game.}}

In the interest of offering more variety with an efficient use of existing models, ArenaNet played around with the idea of texture alternatives.<ref>[http://www.merekatcreations.com/mere_html/htmlport/GWXtras.html Enter the Lair of Mere...], Merekatcreations.com, [[Kristen Perry]]</ref>

=== Professions ===
[[File:"Chronomancer" concept art 4.jpg|right|200px]]
{{quotation|[[Joe Kimmes]], [https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/530500/#Comment_530500 Utopia classes — Guild Wars 2 Forums]|I remember a little about this, but most of it was only in very early prototyping so please take this with a grain of salt! None of the content for Utopia ever reached a true playable state, so this is very much my speculation from early designs that were sent to content programming for feedback.

There was an iteration of Summoner that would have been about quickly cycling their [[summon]]ed creatures - compared to [[Necromancer]]s who try to keep their [[minion]] flock going, Summoners would be using up or combining their summons to bring out stronger or alternate versions to suit the situation.

A gimmick for [[Chronomancer]] that made it to prototype was that they would have very long [[activation time|cast time]] [[spell]]s, but instant casts that affected a spell while it was casting. So, you might start warming up a 4 second spell but then use a second skill before it activated to modify its effect.

Unfortunately I don't know much about the class lore or if any other classes were considered. Both classes tied into some of the themes for Utopia (time, beings lost in the Mists) but I'm not familiar enough with the design to elaborate there.}}

{{quotation|[[Linsey Murdock]], [https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/531856/#Comment_531856 Utopia classes — Guild Wars 2 Forums]|I don't believe we got to the point of really developing class lore for Utopia. Most of it was still in early paper design when we cancelled the project. I don't recall us ever really considering any other classes than Summoner and Chronomancer.}}

== Setting ==
[[File:"The Hub of Time" concept art.jpg|thumb|"The Hub of Time" by [[Daniel Dociu]].]]
''Utopia'' was to be set in [[Xotecha]], not a [[continent]] in the [[Tyria (world)|world of Tyria]] (as with the other campaigns), but an island of reality in [[the Mists]], the multiverse of the ''Guild Wars'' setting.<ref>[[The Complete Art of Guild Wars: ArenaNet 20th Anniversary Edition‎]]</ref> According to [[Linsey Murdock]], Xotecha was a sort of home or playground of the [[Gods of Tyria]], and was to feature an expanded pantheon of the gods, such as [[Dwayna]]'s father. It would also feature characters from across the [[timeline]], and both [[Gwen]] and [[Mordakai]], [[Devona]]'s father, were to be main characters.<ref name="Lore AFC, Linsey" /> ''Utopia'' concept art also features [[Saul D'Alessio]] and [[Lady Glaive]]'s [[corsair]]s. [[Joe Kimmes]] later said that the line about the playground of the gods "doesn't sound accurate".<ref name="GW1 AFC, Joe">[https://web.archive.org/web/20190720190902/https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/532386/#Comment_532386 Where do you go after Utopia? — Guild Wars 2 Forums] (archived)</ref>

Just as [[Elona]] has an African theme, and [[Cantha]] has an Asian theme, Xotecha was to have a [[w:Mesoamerica|Mesoamerican]] aesthetic, with occasional elements from South America. Among the most recognizable elements depicted in the concept art are architecture from [[w:Mitla|Mitla]], [[w:El Tajín|El Tajín]], and [[w:Chichen Itza|Chichen Itza]] reoccurring [[w:Xicalcoliuhqui|Xicalcoliuhqui]] motifs, [[w:Mesoamerican literature|codex art]], statues from [[w:Tula (Mesoamerican site)|Tula]], an [[w:Olmec colossal heads|Olmec colossal head]], [[w:Ancient Maya art|Mayan stone carvings]] and [[w:Mayan script|script]], a [[w:Feathered Serpent|Teotihuacano-style feathered serpent]], and [[w:Inca architecture|Inca stonework]].

== Development ==

Production for ''Utopia'' was "well underway" in October 2006 and cancelled in "early 2007".<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20111228084949/http://www.guildwars2guru.com/forum/speculative-release-date-part-six-t20711.html?p=905030 Post by Eric Flannum], GuildWars2Guru.com</ref> At the time, [[ArenaNet]] intended to release a new standalone ''Guild Wars'' campaign once every six months, which would have put the release date for ''Utopia'' at around April 2007.

The existence of ''Utopia'' first came to the attention of the community in December 2006, when a domain name and a trademark from June 2006 were found.<ref>[https://photics.com/guild-wars-utopia-chapter-4/ Guild Wars: Utopia – Chapter 4? – Photics.com]</ref> An [[NCsoft]] employee referred to it as a "cancelled project" at the time.<ref>[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/utopia-to-be-next-guild-wars-expansion/1100-6236066/ Utopia to be next Guild Wars expansion? - GameSpot]</ref> [[wikipedia:PC Gamer|PC Gamer magazine]] no. 161, May 2007 formally announced that 'campaign four' (as it was publicly known) had been cancelled and would be repurposed into the first ''Guild Wars'' [[expansion]] ''[[Guild Wars Eye of the North]]'', which would lead in to ''[[gw2:Guild Wars 2|Guild Wars 2]]''. A [https://web.archive.org/web/20190630224630/http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php/108591-Guild-Wars-Eye-of-the-North thread by ArenaNet concept artists] on the now-defunct conceptart.org forums containing a mixture of 'campaign four', ''Eye of the North'', and ''Guild Wars 2'' concept art provoked further community speculation.

=== Cancellation ===
[[File:PC Gamer May 2007 cover.jpg|thumb|The front cover of PC Gamer no. 161, May 2007, announcing the cancellation of campaign four.]]
{{quotation|PC Gamer no. 161, May 2007|We’re guessing you’re wondering what we’re wondering: Why mess with success? It's not as though ''[[Guild Wars]]'' isn’t a financial triumph, despite its unusual business model (it’s the only major MMO without a monthly subscription fee). It’s hardly lacking in depth (more than 1,000 skills support 10 professions, and each character has a primary and secondary profession); aesthetic appeal (lush settings recall African savannahs, ancient Asian temples, and posh Arabian castles, among other gorgeous environs); or ways for players to spend their time ([[ArenaNet]] says a “shockingly large” number of ''GW'' players have logged more than 2,000 hours of playtime). And, given that the development team has aimed to release a new campaign every six months or so (despite missing that deadline by six months for the second campaign), one might assume that every ''Guild Wars'' designer's wildest ideas have found a home somewhere between the lands of [[Tyria]] and [[Elona]].

But, in fact, the restrictions of the every-six-months model meant the team found itself perpetually wistful over what ''didn't'' make it into the game.

“We sat down to discuss what was going to go into Campaign 4 and realized we couldn't do all the things we wanted,” says Game Designer [[Eric Flannum]]. “Why? Partly because we’d need more time [than six months], and partly because some ideas wouldn't work well with things we’d done before.”

At that point, there were still no plans to fix a system that didn’t seem broken. But ArenaNet Co-Founder [[Jeff Strain]] decided to let everyone “freestyle a little bit,” he says. “And the more we talked, the more excited we got about what we ''could'' be doing.”

What the team felt it ''couldn’t'' do was implement its exciting new ideas in the game’s current campaign-every-six-months plan. While the promise of fresh standalone content twice a year sounds great to players, its requirements have actually caused ''Guild Wars'' to become somewhat convoluted from a game-design perspective.

“With each new campaign, we’ve been trying to introduce brand-new mechanics that change how the game plays. That’s led to the need for larger and larger tutorials to explain the new mechanics, and it’s made each campaign’s beginning experience much more bloated,” explains Flannum. “And since every new campaign was aiming to bring in new players—thus requiring bigger and bigger tutorials—''plus'' aiming to give stuff to older players, the list of skills just kept growing.” Each campaign that’s been added to the ''Guild Wars'' world—three in total—has added another layer of design that, in the name of making things easier for new players, has actually ended up creating barriers to entry as they try to sort through multiple training areas, increasingly intricate tutorials, and an ever-ballooning list of skills.

“We’re battling against complexity,” Strain adds. “We don’t want to make complicated games. We want to make fun, easy-to-grasp games that are easy to get into and not frontloaded with complexity.”

As the team considered its situation – how to uncomplicate the current campaign model and add new, cool features without making the game any more Byzantine – what began as a brainstorm about Campaign 4 evolved into the blueprint for a completely new game.

“We kept changing the scope of what we were doing, until it became ''Guild Wars 2'',” Flannum says with a shrug and a smile.

ArenaNet's abrupt about-face is a shock, but not necessarily an unpleasant one. When a dev team with a track record of doing great stuff announces it wants to focus on doing more great stuff, there's little to complain about-except that Guild Wars 2 ''won’t'' be coming out in six months, or even six months after ''that''. (More like two years, says ArenaNet—expect a beta sometime in 2008.)}}

== Legacy ==
[[File:"Interior Load Screen" concept art.jpg|thumb|Artwork that would eventually be used as the Tarnished Coast [[loading screen]].]]
Some of the assets developed for ''Utopia'' were used in ''Eye of the North''.<ref name="Lore AFC, Linsey">[https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/8f7cyy/april_2018_guild_wars_1_and_2_lore_afc_on_gw2/ April 2018: Guild Wars 1 and 2 Lore AFC on GW2 Forums! Comment by Linsey Murdock]</ref> For example, the [[Tarnished Coast]] and [[Woodland Cascades]] are built from assets originally intended to represent Xotecha. [[wikipedia:Aztec codices|Codex art]] can still be seen in [[Vlox's Falls]], and [[wikipedia:nepantla|nepantla]] motifs survived on the pyramids used throughout the region. The [[Asura]], who inhabit the Tarnished Coast, were originally a cave-dweller species in ''Utopia'' (and there is a nod to this in their ''Eye of the North'' lore). Their original aesthetic can still be seen in places such as [[Boreal Station]], and their new aesthetic in areas like [[Rata Sum]] (although in lore, the architecture there was actually built by a prior civilisation hinted to be the [[Orr]]ians, [[Mursaat]], or [[Seer]]s rather than the Asura).<ref>[https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/User_talk:Linsey_Murdock/Lore1#O_Brave_New_World User talk/Linsey Murdock/Lore1 - Guild Wars Wiki (GWW)]</ref>

The floating head that appears on the first floor of the [[Sepulchre of Dragrimmar]] was a design motif for one of the races that was a part of the ''Utopia'' campaign.<ref>[https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/User_talk:Emily_Diehl/Trivia_archive_2#Just_a_Trivia_Check User talk/Emily Diehl/Trivia archive 2 - Guild Wars Wiki (GWW)]]</ref>

[[Golem]]s also featured in ''Utopia'', although in ''Utopia'' they were created by the [[Old Gods (Utopia)|Old Gods]] rather than the Asura.

Concepts for creatures called "tanneks" evolved into the [[Destroyer]]s of ''Eye of the North'' and ''Guild Wars 2''.<ref>PC Gamer September 2007 ''Guild Wars'' Ultimate Guide, page 50</ref>

''Utopia'' concept art titled "Tower" resembles the [[Eye of the North (outpost)|Eye of the North]].

In ''[[gw2:Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns|Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns]]'', the [[gw2:Chronomancer|Chronomancer]] is an [[gw2:elite specialization|elite specialization]] for the [[Mesmer]] profession.

== Gallery ==

=== World concept art ===
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=== Character concept art ===
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== Trivia ==

* ''Nightfall'' had some foreshadowing for ''Utopia'', and ''Utopia'' would have contained foreshadowing for a future expansion.<ref name="GW1 AFC, Joe" /> The dialogue of [[Prince Mehtu the Wise]] in the [[Halls of Chokhin]] is likely such a hint, other hints may include [[Bahltek]].
{{quotation|[[Joe Kimmes]], [https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/533659/#Comment_533659 Supposed Hint to Utopia in Nightfall — Guild Wars 2 Forums]|There are a couple that I know of; the NPC dialogue above is likely such a hint, as is the [[Preserved Red Iris Flower]]. You can safely bet that at least some of the dialogue about mysterious islands, unknown waters or items seemingly displaced from their origin was plot foreshadowing for the next story. Most of it was co-opted into Eye of the North; that which remains, like Prince Mehtu's boasting, is perhaps in the realm of myth, rumor or simply interesting facets of the world that the player character was never involved in.}}
* A [[w:utopia|utopia]] is an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens.
* Plans for more expansions existed after ''Utopia''; the [[Norn]] and the [[gw2:Kodan|Kodan]] of ''Guild Wars 2'' tie back to very early ideas for a frozen-northlands styled expansion.<ref name ="GW1 AFC, Joe />

== References ==

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[[Category:Guild Wars Utopia|*]]
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Guild Wars Utopia - Revision history

self>Senti: /* Setting */