Guild Wars 2

Alright, now that I’ve finished Back to School, I thought I’d give Josh and the team my thoughts and feedback about the whole experience. I’ll do my best to break it down into different areas:

World 2 Level Design:

I continue to love the level design that goes into SAB during World 2. Pain Cliffs gave me a real “KungkittenMaster” NES flashback, and Storm Top’s music reminded me a lot of Ninja Gaiden. The Q-Bert puzzle with the jumping goats in Storm Top was also a lot of fun; I was really proud of myself for solving that after observing it for a while. Kudos to whoever designed that.

As you’re probably aware, World 2 had a poorer reception than World 1. But in my opinion, the biggest problem is not so much the increased difficulty, but the fact that the maps go on for too long. World 1 got it perfectly in letting players do bite-size portions of jumping (about 15 – 30 mins for a new run, and about <5 mins once you were experienced). In contrast, World 2 just seemed to keep going and going until by the end you probably were mumbling, “I’m STILL not done??”

I don’t know if you’re planning to adjust the level lengths for World 2 in future, Josh, but if you are, I’d suggest looking at the following:

W2Z1: I feel that the section with the Assassin bridge and the Rapids Raft, as awesome as it is, feels out of place with the rest of the level. I’d cut those bits out and place them into Zone 2. (The Raft part more, since it’s a unique and memorable experience.) With those 2 sections gone, the rest of the level should be appropriate in terms of length.

W2Z2: Personally I feel that the piranha pagoda section and the push block/dart trap pagoda could be removed. Both feature puzzle mechanics that are already used elsewhere in the level, and the gong run is much more memorable than pushing blocks around. I think it wouldn’t hurt to remove a few more dart traps from the pagoda too, particularly around the ramps to each level, since it really can be frustrating for players with latency like myself (more info below).

W2Z3: I felt that the ice sections were manageable, although the blowing faces can make some sections needlessly tricky for players with higher latency. I enjoyed the bit in the cave where you were jumping up the rock ledges, but if you need to cut somewhere to reduce level length, that’s a place I would consider.

Another section I’d remove would be the last puzzle with the multiple giant ice stalactites. Once again, the puzzle mechanics are used earlier in the level, so there’s really no reason to have it back again.

Visibility could also be improved just a little for the path leading to the secret room with Moto’s Finger. I had to turn down my gamma correction to minimum to be able to see the clouds properly.

W2Bonus: I LOVED this bonus round. It’s a lot more fun (and easily completed) by a solo player than just whacking a cart (which is doable if you’re in a group, but less so if you’re by yourself).

Boss Design:

Not much to say about the Glove Master. Pretty straightforward, and a good change to the pace for Zone 2.

The Yeti mini-boss could also have been removed completely, in my opinion. I’ve yet to find a good strategy of dealing with him other than rez-rushing him, and getting up the hill alone is a pain since you have to spam jump up there. (Pretty taxing on the thumb!) Not the best example of good boss design, I’m afraid, and one that I fear could lead to perceptions of “They’re doing this to make us buy the Infinite Coin!” Plus, he’s much too close to the Storm Wizard, and facing one boss after another at the end of a long and taxing level can be aggravating for some.

Overall, I liked the Storm Wizard boss battle, although his charge attack in Phase 1 is extremely annoying. I’m not sure if people have found a good strategy to countering it, but he tends to charges you 3 or 4 times in a row, leaving you unable to escape after using your dodges. I’d change him so that he only charges you once (or maybe twice) after you reflect a projectile to him, or that you can break him out of his charge by hitting him with a Whip or a Bomb, for example.

Latency:

You already addressed a lot of this with the patch (THANK YOU for adjusting the flowers and geysers!), but I just want to emphasize that players like myself would REALLY appreciate it if puzzle/jump mechanics that are heavily dependent on lag are kept to a minimum in future SAB releases. It’s no fun at all to get knocked back (or killed) by rapids, spike traps, lava or jumping rocks because the game thinks you’re somewhere else when your screen shows you in a safe spot. It’s horribly frustrating knowing that you’re failing not because you’re doing things wrong, but because you’re getting false information from the game itself to make your decisions.

Tribulation Mode:

You’re sadistic, Josh. :P But I wouldn’t want it to be nerfed, because that was the whole point. Again though, latency can make some areas needlessly aggravating, so I’d just ask you to keep this in mind when designing future TM levels.

Rewards:

Although I understand why the changes were made to the rewards for SAB, I’d ask you to reconsider them. Dig sites can be left out of Infantile Mode, but I’d like to see dig sites be made once per character so that players who want to collect all the SAB skins can do so in a reasonable amount of time. (The skins purchased from Moto, after all, are account bound and so they don’t run the risk of flooding the economy.)

I would also like it if Obsidian Shards were sold by Moto again. It provided a nice alternative for players who weren’t into the SAB skins to have something to use their Bauble Bubbles for.

On a personal level, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the original SAB skins will come back again in future releases. While I already have the ones I need, I think it’s only fair that players who are late to the game have the opportunity to acquire them too.

Overall:

Loved the SAB. Still love the SAB. As with anything in life, there are things that could have been done better, but never give up on what is a fantastic and awesome part of GW2, Josh. I appreciate all the hard work you and your team have put into World 2, and I look forward to sproinking through World 3 in the future!

P.S. Boomerang upgrade to the Whip. Make it happen.