Scarlett is so bad that in a lesser game, I would just quit playing.
Totally. If this was a TV show, it would’ve been cancelled several months ago. Or at least, the studio would’ve fired the director and bought in someone new.
I think perhaps the most telling thing about this thread is how little anyone defends Scarlet in it. Anything else about this is obviously subjective – but nobody is defending her.
Nobody, not a single person I’ve seen in this thread, is speaking up to say “Hey, I like her.”
If that isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what is.
I’m so glad Kiel won now
I’m not even sure if I’m happy or kittening kitten ed off now. They butchered every lore they’ve implemented since the living story update. Watch, in the next halloween update, we’ll find out that Scarlet IS the Mad King Thorn, and that Traherne is an elder dragon, and gw2 never really happened (our gw1 characters got into a coma and this is his/her dream/nightmare). At this point, I’m not even going to bother paying attention to lore anymore.
Sanctum of Rall
New Namek [Kami]
Guardian/Ele/Warrior/Engi/Mes/Necro/Ranger
I honestly hope that if any person in charge of the development of the future LS updates reads this they decide to destroy any upcoming updates about Scarlet and just make the next one be: Kill Scarlet, and finally b done with it :/
I love this game, it’s my only game for now. Perusing my post history will show my complaints have been few and far between. But Scarlet just isn’t exciting as presented. I want a villain with depth, one we can root for even as we work to undo them. I don’t want this game to die off because the story failed to grip the minds and hearts of all involved.
I think perhaps the most telling thing about this thread is how little anyone defends Scarlet in it. Anything else about this is obviously subjective – but nobody is defending her.
Nobody, not a single person I’ve seen in this thread, is speaking up to say “Hey, I like her.”
If that isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what is.
… doesn’t mean anything really. I’m one of those who kind of like her – it’s bad vilain, it’s simply so bad that I’m kind of intrigued of what could be hided with ArenaNet motive , it doesn’t mean I will “defend” her. Not in a thread like this. And certainly not in my second language.
I am utterly disgusted with Arena Net’s writers at the moment.
I voted for Evon, but I was able to see the great idea behind Thaumanova so I was fine to have it as a fractal. Unfortunately instead of great lore and clever writing, we get Scarlet. I completely detest Scarlet, not because she is a great villain but because she is utter trash ruining a game I enjoy, Arena Net seriously needs to rethink including her, every person I talk to in game has had enough of her.
Her inclusion in the Thaumanova story felt like Arena Nets writers took offence to everyone’s general dislike to her and her, so they included her in hateful spite.
I love Guild Wars and have no intention of quitting but as punishment for including her I shall not buy anything from the Black Lion Trading Company for this month. Or any other months that she makes an appearance in the Living Story. This may not mean much being only one person but at least I am making a stand that affects you as a company.
“I am Evon Gnashblade and this message is acceptable to me.”
Do they understand that when people used to talk about adding Scarlet into Thaumanova, it was a hyperbolic remark about their overuse of the character, and not something they should actually even remotely entertain the idea of doing?
About the only way they can salvage the lore at this point is to 1) sack everyone on the writing team that doesn’t understand how terrible Scarlet is as a “character” or even as a plot device, and 2) have your Order mentor wake you up and tell you that you got a terrible concussion in the middle of the first battle at Claw Island and hallucinated the rest of the Personal Story and Living Story.
2) have your Order mentor wake you up and tell you that you got a terrible concussion in the middle of the first battle at Claw Island and hallucinated the rest of the Personal Story and Living Story.
As big a leap that would be I would take such a story in a heartbeat.
“I am Evon Gnashblade and this message is acceptable to me.”
I thought there was going to be a story! There would be Asuran scientists who went too far and unleashed something they couldn’t control. There would be cutscenes with them talking to each other. First with their exciting, groundbreaking idea, with maybe some dissension. Then it starts to unravel. They start to panic. They are arguing what to do as it comes unglued around them. And either is all comes apart or they are forced to explode the building to fend off something even worse. Either dying because of their hubris or dying nobly to save everyone else.
Instead
Went inside. Killed some stuff. Killed some more stuff. Found a panel that had buttons that had to be pushed. Pushed them. Killed more stuff. Scarlet appeared. She said some stuff (which I admit I sort of didn’t watch cuz I was annoyed to see her there). A boss appeared. We killed it. A chest appeared. We looted it.
The end.
THIS is the mysterious, interesting Thaumanova Reactor explanation? Scarlet did it? Maaannn, you could have emailed me that sentence.
Edit: ANet, if 4 months isn’t enough time to make an interesting story then please, take more time. Or hire a writer. Someone who can tell a story.
I thought there was going to be a story! There would be Asuran scientists who went too far and unleashed something they couldn’t control. There would be cutscenes with them talking to each other. First with their exciting, groundbreaking idea, with maybe some dissension. Then it starts to unravel. They start to panic. They are arguing what to do as it comes unglued around them. And either is all comes apart or they are forced to explode the building to fend off something even worse. Either dying because of their hubris or dying nobly to save everyone else.
Yes, do something original like put you right in the middle of the disaster as it happens. You’re a lowly Asuran scientist, tasked with equipping a Hazmat Suit and delivering a sample of chaos material to a test chamber. Upon placing it into the test apparatus, everything goes haywire, you’re briefly teleported to a variety of locales inside and outside of Tyria, and then returned to a facility in chaos.
You manage to arm yourself with a simple “The Fixer” wrench to fend off the karka hatchlings now infesting the facility, along with strange creatures from outside Tyria. When Asuran Peacekeepers arrive, you’re overjoyed — only to find that they are eliminating any trace of the incident, including the surviving Thaumanova research staff. Then a bunch of stuff happens, you go to the Mists and complete an obnoxious JP and fight a Karka Queen and a giant baby that controls the invading creatures, and finally Scarlet shows up and puts you in stasis.
Did she create Scarlet? I’d like to know which one of the writers did come up with this character.
From what I read on Bobby Stein Wiki page: Ree Soesbee and Jeff Grubb take turns crafting the world setting and story arc for each Guild Wars campaign. I’d really like to hear their explanation on why Scarlet is such a good villain.
Almost ALL interviews that involves Scarlet was done by Angel McCoy. It doesn’t help that every interview ends with “and I’ll see you in my Dream!” I do not think Ree or Jeff was involve with this particular LS, all thing consider. “Thumbing up” the project doesn’t count.
Went inside. Killed some stuff. Killed some more stuff. Found a panel that had buttons that had to be pushed. Pushed them. Killed more stuff. Scarlet appeared. She said some stuff (which I admit I sort of didn’t watch cuz I was annoyed to see her there). A boss appeared. We killed it. A chest appeared. We looted it.
The end.
Great summary of my experience…I came out of there going huh? What just happened? That’s it?
I thought there was going to be a story! There would be Asuran scientists who went too far and unleashed something they couldn’t control. There would be cutscenes with them talking to each other. First with their exciting, groundbreaking idea, with maybe some dissension. Then it starts to unravel. They start to panic. They are arguing what to do as it comes unglued around them. And either is all comes apart or they are forced to explode the building to fend off something even worse. Either dying because of their hubris or dying nobly to save everyone else.
Yes, do something original like put you right in the middle of the disaster as it happens. You’re a lowly Asuran scientist, tasked with equipping a Hazmat Suit and delivering a sample of chaos material to a test chamber. Upon placing it into the test apparatus, everything goes haywire, you’re briefly teleported to a variety of locales inside and outside of Tyria, and then returned to a facility in chaos.
You manage to arm yourself with a simple “The Fixer” wrench to fend off the karka hatchlings now infesting the facility, along with strange creatures from outside Tyria. When Asuran Peacekeepers arrive, you’re overjoyed — only to find that they are eliminating any trace of the incident, including the surviving Thaumanova research staff. Then a bunch of stuff happens, you go to the Mists and complete an obnoxious JP and fight a Karka Queen and a giant baby that controls the invading creatures, and finally Scarlet shows up and puts you in stasis.
Can we just get another expansion having to do with the dragons instead of another Scarlet LS or well… anything with Scarlet? I liked her at first, but this is redonk.
have your Order mentor wake you up and tell you that you got a terrible concussion in the middle of the first battle at Claw Island and hallucinated the rest of the Personal Story and Living Story.
As much as I like some of the lore that was added in the Fractal (the fact that the inquest seemed to try to prevent the explosion)…
The reveal of Scarlet being behind it made me wish the Inquest had deliberately destroyed Thaumanova for some non-sensical reason. It would have been a less depressing reveal.
When it comes to RP, I’m going to assume that the Fractal was affected by a Mistlock instability and therefore cannot be considered a “true” representation of what happened that day, just so that I can ignore having Scarlet as a part of my character history for as long as Asuranly possible… I’d rather still be thinking “So, did the inquest really try to save the reactor?” than saying “Well, Scarlet did it so… Well.. What now?”
I’ve personally taken up pen and paper and wrote up an alternate version of the Thaumanova explosion.
Call it “over-reacting” if you want. I call it “reasonable reaction to continuous disappointment.”
I had high hopes for GW2’s writing before launch. Hell, Personal Story and the open world still have a few neat gems in them. It was promising. It never delivered on that front, alright, so be it.
But did we really need the Scarlet Poison after all our hopes and dreams were already crushed upon the Cliffs of Trahearne? What cruel fate do writers have in store for us all? It brings but a gloomy frown to what used to be my face.
Yes, do something original like put you right in the middle of the disaster as it happens. You’re a lowly Asuran scientist, tasked with equipping a Hazmat Suit and delivering a sample of chaos material to a test chamber. Upon placing it into the test apparatus, everything goes haywire, you’re briefly teleported to a variety of locales inside and outside of Tyria, and then returned to a facility in chaos.
You manage to arm yourself with a simple “The Fixer” wrench to fend off the karka hatchlings now infesting the facility, along with strange creatures from outside Tyria. When Asuran Peacekeepers arrive, you’re overjoyed — only to find that they are eliminating any trace of the incident, including the surviving Thaumanova research staff. Then a bunch of stuff happens, you go to the Mists and complete an obnoxious JP and fight a Karka Queen and a giant baby that controls the invading creatures, and finally Scarlet shows up and puts you in stasis.
Just hire this guy, I don’t know.
Anyone who’s well-versed enough in interactive storytelling to recognize the parallels between Thaumanova and Black Mesa would do a much better job at it than what we got.
I’m an avid player. Played GW1 for 7 years and loved the lore and storytelling. Bought the game early to participate in beta, and when it went live, I didn’t miss a day of logging in and doing my daily, DE’s, world bosses, and even some WvW. Didn’t miss a SINGLE day.
I agree with the many posts on why Scarlet is a poorly written character. I don’t dislike her because she is a villian, but because she’s poorly implimented. When I read here on the forums that Scarlet was responsible for the reactor meltdown, I was so disappointed that I didn’t log in for 3 whole days.
Three. Whole. Days.
Anet, please can the story, and bring Jeff Grubb back to craft the kind of story (or stories) that made Nightfall and GW:EN so enjoyable.
