Guild Wars 2

From the Guildwars2 web page about personal stories:

“When you create your character, you’ll choose from a range of biographical options that develop your character’s personality, their history, and their hopes and dreams. The choices you make in your character’s biography set you down a particular story path which branches off into new directions with every fateful decision you make.”

Really? Ok, you basically get to pick which racial quest line you start on. Yes, there is some variation after that, but it’s tepid at best. It’s not like your personality type (charming, fierce, dignified, etc.) even has an influence on the story line or the way the NPCs interact with you. Countess Anise is ALWAYS going to be a little flirtatious and light-hearted to the human regardless of whether you are a fierce street rat thief or a charming noble guardian. Also, the outcome you achieve at the end of a given quest line has ZERO to do with the decisions you make along the way. The “fateful” decisions you make along the way in no way affect the fate of any one or any thing, except that you decide which branch you want to take next. If you choose to help the quaggan at one point, does that mean the skritt all freeze and die? Newp. It just means you get stuck with annoying pidgin falsetto dialogue from some NPCs for a few instances.

“Your personal story is told through private, instanced chapters that are specific to your character. If you need a little help, you can always invite friends along to experience your personal story with you. As “guest stars” these players can help you, but it’s still your story and key decisions are yours to make. These key decisions not only determine the story’s direction, they also change and update your home instance, a personalized home area located in your character’s racial capital.”

I won’t even go into the whole difficulty issue. That’s been discussed ad infinitum.

Again… “Key Decisions”? Really? ‘So Commander, do you want to do mission a, or mission b?" That’s about as much input as I recall having.

As far as I am aware, my home instance played no role whatsoever after serving as the back drop for some of my very first story parts. I went back just now to check after going through all the personal story through level 80. The only thing that is different is that there are now a group of quaggan standing inexplicably in the fountain (all of whom give generic responses) and two minor NPC’s that I met along my story line, both of whom give standard generic responses when you talk to them.

“Guild Wars 2 provides players both the social, fully interactive feeling of a multiplayer game as well as the customized, choice-based story one expects from a personal role-playing game. Whether the stakes are epic or personal, we want players to tell their own story within the game environment, so we’ve provided them the tools to do just that.”

I really wish this were true. At any point through the game, what is the difference in game experience between a charismatic Order of Whispers Asuran Engineer and a fierce Durmand Priory Charr Necromancer?

I’m an old school gamer. Played PnP years before they dreamed of computers being in everyone’s homes, much less MMO’s. For all the world, the feeling I get in my ‘Personal Story’ is like the feeling I used to get when one DM in particular would insist on playing a character (as an NPC) in the group. Basically, every adventure was a highlight reel of how awesome his character was and allowing we players to roll the dice for our own characters but make no real decision about the game.

I feel like I am back at that table and the DM’s character is Traehern.

I would dearly love to have a home instance that grew with my character. Maybe where merchants and vendors became available depending on what I’d done in the world. I would dearly love to make fateful decisions in my personal story. I would dearly love to have the tools to tell epic and personal stories in the game. Any chance we could have those, please?

Yep, I think it’s fair to say they talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk. Which would be okay if the talk had been a little more down-to-earth. They should’ve just said: personal stories … go at your own pace … choice of missions … some missions depend on your chosen character biography.

Thank you for bringing up the blog posts Anet has posted, I totally forgot about it! I remember reading that and seeing that it would be so much fun to go through difrent storys and have a compleatly difrent one on each race, yet still keep alot of options for one race. When that idea comes into reality that would literilly take so much time it would be like multible storys from other games in one single game. That post seemed to come when they were dreaming big about the story and im sad that they did not follow that dream closely like they have done with the combat, bringing players to atchually be able to play together without getting frustraited with others around, being able to have fun. I was looking forward to doing the story like I would be able to shape the story like writing a book but only changing what happens to the lead up with killing the main threat, the Elder Dragon. It would be compleatly baffleing if that was possible, an amazeing way to tell so many storys with the same ending with personal things the player has done. But I guess the thought of it not really having a main plot up to Zhaitan being weakened and Killed, made that dream slowly fade, to make a player matter in a story. Not having a exstreamly personal story seemed to make more sence to Anet on how to Kill Zhaitan… And invalve other Players.

I feel that the story after the three Orders became ok, it would of been good if we knew it would just be a story and not really personal as Anet said it would be. I see that it just slowly became less and less about being personal and more about a group of players getting togeather to Kill Zhaitan.

I am sad about not really being a hero or feeling like one, nor any NPC seeing me as the one who helped made this possible. Sure the NPC’s could have said something about me, but I heard so much about Trahearne, thats all I can hear out of the story…

Honestly I find that bad when Anet wanted the story Personal. Im not even really interested in playing the game, I honestly loved it but I’ll only really want to play when my friend can join me…

It’s just marketing talk. How can you take that so literally?
If all products were to change to match their marketing, seriously not a single product would be the same as it currently is.

Nycthemeron.7690 i believe the term your looking for in your description of the gm’s pet character is Marty Stu or Gmpc both describe a character thats supposed to be there to aid the players but ends up taking over the storyline because the gm is to much of a ctonrol freak to let players be the focal point of the story, i wouldnt call trehern a gmpc exactly but he’s pretty close to one which considering Jeff grubb used to work for TSR on D&D campaign settings i would have expected him to have seen this and stopped it happening, i guess he missed it though.

Logan and the other heroes though are just pointlessly useless in most of the storyline and sometimes actually get in the way so they could use a tweak ai wise to make them more like big kitten heroes instead of just some random npc we’re forced to drag along, also why arent they taking part in the Orr missions directly or helping the pact? arent they the big heroes who took down dragons? plus surely treherne is good friends with them aswell (or maybe they got sick of him overshadowing their fame aswell)

I should’ve read this thread first.
I made a thread seeing if anyone had put together a list of any of our choices that actually affected the overall story rather than simply giving us mission forks, and it sounds like from this thread the answer is as I feared -- no, they don’t have any effect.

That’s how it’s felt while going through my characters’ stories, but I thought maybe I was overlooking something.

I’m really sad that the Personal Story didn’t live up to the expectations we were given by Anet. :/ It happens though and I really can’t blame them. To be fair, GW2 is basically one of the first MMOs to use this type of “single-player in an MMO” system and they did well for it being one of the first of it’s kind. Looking at it from that point of view it’s not so bad, but overall how they made it out to sound and how it’s came out, the Personal Story system was one of the big failures of Guild Wars 2 in my opinion. I absolutely love ArenaNet and I understand how hard it is to really make a system like this work, but man for the future they really need to put more effort into the story writing. Seems like they kitten it towards the end, since there were so many branches of stories and I would honestly rather have quality than quantity. I don’t understand how they didn’t at least get it satisfyingly right after so many years of working on the game but hey I won’t question it and all I can say is I really hope they do better with these personal stories in the future or in their next game if they can’t change anything now with Guild Wars 2. Sad to say it really was a disappointment. :/

Other than that, bump. This post (OP’s, not my rant) is basically beautiful and I hope Anet reads it for reference to walk the walk next time they talk the talk.

Milennin.4825:

It’s just marketing talk. How can you take that so literally?
If all products were to change to match their marketing, seriously not a single product would be the same as it currently is.

There is a difference between “puffery” (i.e. the best coffee in the world, the coldest beer in town, etc.) and specific statements of performance ("Guild Wars 2 provides players both the social, fully interactive feeling of a multiplayer game as well as the customized, choice-based story one expects from a personal role-playing game. ") We weren’t promised “the most up-to-date” or “the latest and greatest”. We were promised, specifically, a customized choice-based story one expects from a personal role-playing game." The personal story, such as it is, in no way meets this billing.

You embellished a bit Nycthemeron, though your do still have many valid points.

But your embellishment is no worse than what Arena Net did for the sake of PR. One can say that they did in fact deliver on all the things they said. But only when taking the most minimalistic and narrow point of view. Which obviously will not satisfy the majority.

I essentially agree with you, they talked big but what they delivered was a lot less. Still I am optimistic that given time Arena Net will deliver in more substantial ways, if not with improvements in the present personal story then most likely with any following.

Embellished? I quoted the Guild Wars 2 website as it is today.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/personal-story/

Totally Agree, these things said are just totally not true and at best, very watered down versions of what they told us, to say i’m very disappointed in Arenanet is mildly putting it.

The PR definitely was just that PR, no real substance in the story (its not our personal story at all) or character creation…(try making a non ugly Asura, its hard) and the home instance is just part of a map completion and 1 or 2 story quests..

I would give up all of this — variety, choices, whatever — to have a wonderful story like GW Prophecies. I remember thinking so many times that I wish the game was made into a movie because it’s pretty good.

In GW2 I don’t feel… “oh no..!” or “hell yeah!” or “we got you good!” or anything really. I don’t feel excited about it, I just do it bbecause I’m supposed to.

I am not a good write, but I swear, I feel like i could write a better story than GW2.

IMHO the story (on its own) should be able to take you from 1-80 with no pause in between, except, maybe, to travel (maybe unlock hearts along the way, if you so choose) and your VERY first choice is if you want to aid the garrison (tutorial) or not. If not, you STORY ENDS!! You don’t have this annoying story hanging over your head. Should you say yes, then you can start pick up and drop the story as you please (i.e. if you’d rather explore a few areas rather than lock yourself in a sotry line, then just pick up your story when ready).

After every act, you should get a choice to ‘end’ your story, i.e. be written out of history…like, the claw island you go instead of Forgal (or equivalent for Priory and Whisperers), ways that let you as the player decide just how much further you want to take your progress.

After all, its all about you, isn’t it?? Why not end it when you choose.

ANd every path, every decision, every detail should be focused on you, like it seems to be in the beginning, and every choice leads you down another path entirely, not this…all paths meet then you replay the same old boring story line as everyone else….

I feel like most of the personal story feels like some teenager wrote Guild Wars universe fanfiction (complete with Mary Sue protagonist and side characters that exist only to call him great and then die) and then somehow tricked Arenanet into building a gorgeous world and combat system around it.

They presumably took out all the pornographic scenes as well.

For those who may be wondering, it appears that my original title for this thread was not sufficiently descriptive. This has been remedied. No other changes have been made or requested. There are no black helicopters landing on my lawn to whisk me away for re-education. : )

Apply the lies told about the personal story onto any aspect of the game and you get the complete impression of GW2.

I kind of knew this going in, that the story was going to be terrible. A game that’s strong point is PVP was never going to have much going for it in the PVE section. Honestly, as far as I can see when you hit level 80 all you have is the WvW and sPvP. The PvE is very stale from what people are saying. The game could use a good overhaul on the PvE and the story but that won’t happen.

While I agree completely with everyone here and hate Trahearne with a passion, I do find it kinda funny people on the PvE forums are convinced ANet only cares about PvP while people on the WvW forums think ANet only cares about PvE. At least here in PvE we are getting content updates and bug fixes. WvW devs might as well be ghosts with the numerous unanswered problems over there.

Nycthemeron.7690:

For those who may be wondering, it appears that my original title for this thread was not sufficiently descriptive. This has been remedied. No other changes have been made or requested. There are no black helicopters landing on my lawn to whisk me away for re-education. : )

Thanks for the explanation. I wish it could have been provided without someone feeling it was necessary to delete the posts that prompted it.

Drede.4701:

While I agree completely with everyone here and hate Trahearne with a passion, I do find it kinda funny people on the PvE forums are convinced ANet only cares about PvP while people on the WvW forums think ANet only cares about PvE. At least here in PvE we are getting content updates and bug fixes. WvW devs might as well be ghosts with the numerous unanswered problems over there.

Really? I thought they’d made quite a number of fairly drastic changes to a rather delicate system already (Removal of orbs, addition of sentries, and significant point/reward rebalancing come to mind).

I mean there’s annoying glitchy stuff right now like catapults being the best form of gate defence (just like in medieval times!) and breaking out of the spawn being too hard, but I can’t really think of much else fundamentally wrong with WvW.

Portal bombs are easily/hilariously counterable and don’t count.

lorazcyk.8927:

I would give up all of this — variety, choices, whatever — to have a wonderful story like GW Prophecies. I remember thinking so many times that I wish the game was made into a movie because it’s pretty good.

Can you imagine what would have happened if we’d been given even this limited choice in GW1 missions? Escort Rurik through the Ruins of Surmia —- or figure out a better alternative. Clear Borliss Pass and negotiate with Ironhammer —- or make Rurik do the PR work (he gets the credit anyhow!) after you light the beacons. And maybe I didn’t want to leave Saidra behind to cover our retreat (I think we could’ve taken those Mursaat down!!).

lorazcyk.8927:

In GW2 I don’t feel… “oh no..!” or “hell yeah!” or “we got you good!” or anything really. I don’t feel excited about it, I just do it bbecause I’m supposed to.

Ditto. I’m doing it because I’m supposed to – ankittenep hoping it gets better. The ONLY time I felt engaged was when Tybalt became a martyr. I sat, stunned and, to be honest, a bit teary-eyed. That is the only time in five characters, the oldest being 70 thus far. Otherwise, it’s just another brawl. another batch of Risen, another crowd of Inquest, a pansy flippin’ magic sword wielded by an inept necro.

FalconDance.1637:

…ankittenep hoping it gets better. …

Ok, that’s weird. Somehow the filters kicked in and what I see in the post is “ankitten” when what I said was (without the apparently offending words), “and I continue hoping it gets better”. Since when is the word (k e e p) a curse word?

FalconDance.1637:

FalconDance.1637:

…ankittenep hoping it gets better. …

Ok, that’s weird. Somehow the filters kicked in and what I see in the post is “ankitten” when what I said was (without the apparently offending words), “and I continue hoping it gets better”. Since when is the word (k e e p) a curse word?

YOU COULDN’T KITTEN THE KITTEN

Nycthemeron.7690:

As far as I am aware, my home instance played no role whatsoever after serving as the back drop for some of my very first story parts. I went back just now to check after going through all the personal story through level 80. The only thing that is different is that there are now a group of quaggan standing inexplicably in the fountain (all of whom give generic responses) and two minor NPC’s that I met along my story line, both of whom give standard generic responses when you talk to them.

BEHOLD, THE TWO HEADED JOSIR.

Yea, the personal instance is very disappointing…

Ha! Love the two-faced Josir!

One thing that really flummoxes me is the lack of any sort of a faction/reputation system. This is a pretty basic staple of most ‘large world’ rpgs (stand alone and mmo) that is useful in ‘customizing’ your experience. It only stands to reason that if you gather a reputation as a ‘slayer of Skritt’ that even the most broad-minded Skritt out there won’t want a whole lot to do with you.

However, in Tyria in most areas the Skritt are attack-on-sight. But, in some areas they are merchants and allies. I can walk into the kill-on-sight areas and slaughter them gleefully, then walk into the merchant areas dripping with Skritt-gore and happily trade away. A little baffling.

Nycthemeron.7690:

Ha! Love the two-faced Josir!

One thing that really flummoxes me is the lack of any sort of a faction/reputation system. This is a pretty basic staple of most ‘large world’ rpgs (stand alone and mmo) that is useful in ‘customizing’ your experience. It only stands to reason that if you gather a reputation as a ‘slayer of Skritt’ that even the most broad-minded Skritt out there won’t want a whole lot to do with you.

However, in Tyria in most areas the Skritt are attack-on-sight. But, in some areas they are merchants and allies. I can walk into the kill-on-sight areas and slaughter them gleefully, then walk into the merchant areas dripping with Skritt-gore and happily trade away. A little baffling.

Would you rather not be able to do certain hearts/missions with your friends because you have incompatible faction allegiances?

Also even the Skritt are diverse. It’s not like they’re all allied and all have the same motivations.

Reactions can be more finessed than “attack or not” based on your relative standing. Prices can fluctuate (or trade not be offered at all). Dialogue can vary. So on.

for me the reason the personal story is such an utter failure and the most detracting unredeemable part of GW2 is because Anet has betrayed the foundations of the story they initially built.

what i mean is if you played eye of the north and followed production, you’ll know that they spent alot of time emphasising the unique aspects of each race, they then go and force you to follow a story which basically strips the identity of your race and forces you to join one of the orders (priory, vigil, whispers).

i cannot over emphasise how much i dislike these 3 orders being the representatives for all races.

the saddest thing is they had the opportunity, and the ability to hit it out the park and it seemed for a while like they were going too, they could have, they should have, but they didn’t.

I think, and sincerely hope, that we’ll have more quests to our personal story in the future. Quests that build on those you have done the first 20 levels. A fair amount of them seem rather open-ended and mainly seemed to act as an introduction to the people you would spend some time with in future quests.
But I don’t think there is any official Anet statement on possible updates/expansions of this kind, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

I am still puzzled as to why they let me choose the Infinity Ball as invention on my Asura during character creation. All it did was add a small text to my Bio? lol and here I was expecting some followup or meaning! Like:

Destiny’s Edge: Oh no! What do we do? Zheitan killed us all and we lie dead on the ship floor!
Me: Fear not! For in my youth I invented the Infinity Ball which I happen to have on me right now!
Traherne: Hope at last! What does this awesome artifact do?
Me: It….. rolls! Forever!

Come on, at least a few lines of funny dialogue? Better than nothing at all.

I remember those quotes from the manifesto. I thought it was too good to be true.
Afterall, Anet isn’t the wizard of Oz … or maybe they are, i. e. not wizards but ordinary people pulling levers (in a very clever way).

Anyway. They delivered. Poorly, with regard to what has been promised for the personal story. But they at least tried to create something new.

I now just hope that they haven’t given up on that dream and continue to work on the illusion that our actions really matter.

There are specific points in the story that are the same for everyone yes.
The rest of it is a story pyramid. I recall 2 places where the story goes into 3 tangents. When you tell the Pale Tree what your greatest fear is, this decides your 60 to 70 story and one more quest after level 70. Then there is how you choose to storm Orr, finding the missing patrol, rolling in on tanks or by navy.
AND each one of those choices has different options for you to pick at certain levels so even if you pick the same option on different characters you can do a specific part a different way and experience a new battle.

Torvarren.6295:

There are specific points in the story that are the same for everyone yes. […]

And (to me) the worst of all (so far) is “The Battle for Claw Island”.