ArenaNet Staff Rubi Bayer.8493 Posted July 16, 2020 ArenaNet Staff Share Posted July 16, 2020 On [tomorrow's Guild Chat](https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/guild-chat-working-at-home/) I'll be talking to members of our development team about what it's like developing and shipping Guild Wars 2 content in our current work-from-home world. We'll be chatting about making it work with equipment and tech, ways in which we've integrated our "home offices" into our home lives, how productivity and team interactions work, and more. Do you have questions about some of these aspects? Drop them here and I'll share some of them with the dev guests! Join us live tomorrow, July 17 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-7) on the official [Twitch](http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/arenanetofficial/live), and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/GuildWars2/live) channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgentMoore.9453 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 What (if anything) do you do inside your home office to make it feel like you're going home when the work is over? Do you have special rules you impose on yourself during "business hours" or have you completely given up on wearing real pants like the rest of us? And lastly, what are some of the things that are easier when done from home? What things are harder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excursion.9752 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 My biggest question is why the voice acting is unable to be done from home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArenaNet Staff Rubi Bayer.8493 Posted July 16, 2020 Author ArenaNet Staff Share Posted July 16, 2020 > @"AgentMoore.9453" said: > What (if anything) do you do inside your home office to make it feel like you're going home when the work is over? Do you have special rules you impose on yourself during "business hours" or have you completely given up on wearing real pants like the rest of us? > > And lastly, what are some of the things that are easier when done from home? What things are harder? Define "real pants" because I have a FANTASTIC collection of comfy leggings and yoga pants these days. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josiah.2967 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 > @"Excursion.9752" said: > My biggest question is why the voice acting is unable to be done from home? This should be done. Other companies are already having their voice actors doing their dialog from home. This is already setup and they have been using them in the latest additions/patches. As a forward thinking company, I would assume you are preparing for this. We can not assume that things will be going back to normal anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotDelirium.7984 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 -I'm sure a million people are going to ask about the "voice acting from home" so maybe address that if you can and let people know if that is/isn't an option going forward? I know other studios and films have done such a thing at their homes. -Did you guys take some equipment, software and computers from the offices in order to continue working? -Can you guys talk about Mike Z, the newest game director and what management/leadership are doing to organize everything right now and keep your morale up? -Are there some things you simply can't do remotely away from the offices that the player should know about? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okami Amaterasu.9237 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 How do the writers come together to work on future story content for, say, the Icebrood Saga and Expansion 3 when they're stuck at home? Do you have to come together in a group streaming service to talk with one another at once? I'm curious what the challenges are for writing all of the story chapters when everyone is no longer in the same room to discuss it all. Especially dialogue since there is a lot of it, even for just mere open-world npcs, that is fantastic to listen to and experience. How does that work nowadays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stelawrat.6589 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Other than the camaraderie of in person contact, what do you miss most of all from the office work experience? Also, all things considered, I think you are doing some fantastic work; much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyRhonwyn.2501 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 > @"AgentMoore.9453" said: > or have you completely given up on wearing real pants like the rest of us? Not like everybody! I still wear my kind-of normal work clothing (just slightly less picky on what I wear :p) But I too am curious how you "go to work" and "go back home after the workday is done" so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollbirtan.2915 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Did I hear someone say WVW Alliances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infusion.7149 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 1. Speaking of equipment: How much of a setback has there been working from home with respect to the legendary armory? I know for WvW players and instanced PvE players it's one of the most anticipated updates. 2. Which developers have to be physically on site : i.e. for any database restoration that can't be done remotely? --- To above posters, as I understand it the voice acting has been postponed due to the inability to to have people in a studio to record properly in a isolated room with supporting staff outside said room. I'm sure recording can be done at home, just not to the same standards (i.e. background noise or echo will be possibly present unless it's in a closet or something with sound absorbing items near the walls). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adzekul.3104 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Interested to hear how Anet folks find working from home. I have been doing this in my job since late-March and note the oscillating overload versus underload periods of work. Please find a way to give us updates on WvW Alliances and the Legendary Armoury, as these are high interest topics for me and most of my in-game friends. I am also interested to hear about the topic of voice-over for story episodes and whether or not there is a realistic alternative that can be implemented under Covid-19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Crinny.6190 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 > @"ollbirtan.2915" said: > Did I hear someone say WVW Alliances? who what where when? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenom.9457 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 > @"ollbirtan.2915" said: > Did I hear someone say WVW Alliances? Yeah it’s right up there with a new legendary armor and dungeons :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArenaNet Staff Rubi Bayer.8493 Posted July 17, 2020 Author ArenaNet Staff Share Posted July 17, 2020 Thanks for your questions, everyone! We're getting into final show prep so I've rounded up the questions related to today's topic and will be sharing them with our dev guests live in just over an hour! See you on the stream. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Pj.2193 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 It would seem to speak volumes that, in the most popular section of the forum, there were 12 posts not by Anet... in 24 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apokriphos.7042 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 My question would be how the Anet development team navigates cooperative development of new features like the changes to drizzlewood coast while working from home. Additionally, how much communication does Anet have between teams, such as the Drizzlewood team changes making it into WvW. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jishi.7568 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 The RTX Voice function from the RTX gpu's help delete background noises. So that could be used to help out for voice recording at home. As a side note, my questions are simple. What are each of your employees PC internal components (brands, models) ... PC setups? What do they each consider themselves as in-game. Based off the concepts of the community. EX: casual, elite, PvP'er ,WvW'er... Or what they consider themselves as (healer, tank etc)... Knowing full well Guild Wars 2 doesn't really run like that. Actually, what do you all think of each other in-game wise? Ex: he's rather quiet in Real life but, in-game he's quite extrovert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 > @"jishi.7568" said: > The RTX Voice function from the RTX gpu's help delete background noises. So that could be used to help out for voice recording at home. > As a side note, my questions are simple. What are each of your employees PC internal components (brands, models) ... PC setups? > What do they each consider themselves as in-game. Based off the concepts of the community. EX: casual, elite, PvP'er ,WvW'er... Or what they consider themselves as (healer, tank etc)... Knowing full well Guild Wars 2 doesn't really run like that. > Actually, what do you all think of each other in-game wise? Ex: he's rather quiet in Real life but, in-game he's quite extrovert. The Guild Chat in question has already aired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowmoon.7986 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I guess my question is, was anything of value said during this guildchat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jishi.7568 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 > @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said: > > @"jishi.7568" said: > > The RTX Voice function from the RTX gpu's help delete background noises. So that could be used to help out for voice recording at home. > > As a side note, my questions are simple. What are each of your employees PC internal components (brands, models) ... PC setups? > > What do they each consider themselves as in-game. Based off the concepts of the community. EX: casual, elite, PvP'er ,WvW'er... Or what they consider themselves as (healer, tank etc)... Knowing full well Guild Wars 2 doesn't really run like that. > > Actually, what do you all think of each other in-game wise? Ex: he's rather quiet in Real life but, in-game he's quite extrovert. > > The Guild Chat in question has already aired. Lol, yeah, after I replied I saw the date on their post and was like ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friday.7864 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Bummer, wanted to ask why they can't do any real work from home like doing something about the increasing number of bot users or focusing on the stability of the game (talking about the ever increasing lags) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excursion.9752 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I watched this episode of guild chat and was saddened that they didn't even touch on the topic of voice acting from home and why it is not doable. From what I gathered from the stream was that people were allowed to come back to the office and grab what ever resources they needed to be able to work from home. There was reference to someone taking their "whole desk" so then why are the voice actors not able to record from home? Based on the amount Microsoft Teams is being used, I am guessing most everyone has a microphone. If their microphone is not up to snuff you have had more than enough time to procure one and send it to them. I find it very hard to believe this is where ANET draws the line, Voice Acting.... I cant imagine someone is putting their foot down on this particular subject. At least not while there are other areas that this could/should be done with like bots and balancing. What does this do for the people that have dyslexia? I'll tell you what it did for me. It made me not care about the story at all because It takes me a little longer to read with comprehension. So I basically went through the motions just to unlock the content without reading much during those cut scenes. My opinion is any voice acting is better than no voice acting. Even if it was just a narrator reading the script. The decision to release a second EP without voice is worrisome because we do not get to know why. Is it that you don't want to pay them or are they not a part of your normal staff and do not have access to the same resources as everyone else? I hope this lack of quality does not show up in the next EP. At least without some good explanation to the reasons why. I don't see you all working back at the office anytime soon. So hopefully you all can find a solution. What if NCSoft decides that you all are doing such a great job working from home and decides to just close down the office, what is the back up plan for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inculpatus cedo.9234 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Voice actors are definitely not staff. You can Google what is involved in voice acting from home, learn the percentages of voice actors that own studio-quality equipment at home, how difficult is can be to direct themselves, and a myriad of other hurdles that might be presented. Perhaps, due to a desire to uphold quality standard, ArenaNet is waiting until everyone can be onboard. /shrug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylden Ar.3724 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 > @"ollbirtan.2915" said: > Did I hear someone say WVW Alliances? **You kitten well know you did not.** How would those increase the sales of Gems and plush Quaggans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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