Guild Wars 2

Hello every, I wanted to take the time to lay out a few key things that need to be reviewed in Guild Wars 2.

1. The Community

This game was built around the community. You told us this from day 1! You’re building the game for the players. However, let us look at this community. We can currently group up with anyone we know/see and fight together side by side while both receiving credit, awesome. We all have abilities than can help and benefit from other players abilities. We can buy and sell items on a very sophisticated auction house. Yet even with all of these parts in place to build a community we are missing the keystone. The keystone to any community, is family. There is no family in Guild Wars 2. The family should have come in with the guilds, however, players were able to join many guilds and yet only see chat from one. Our people joined many families but then felt no more like family than your distance Great Aunt Sue. We need to get our families back together, stop worrying about how many people we can call family but how close we are to those family members.

2. Scaling

Bare with me for just a moment. Say you wanted to get into better shape. You started lifting weights one day and found that you could lift a 40lbs weight 8 times but no more. You trained and you trained nearly every day, but as your body became stronger, the weights became heavier. Stronger you became, 60lbs 8 times, 80lbs 8 times, 100lbs 8 times. However you could never go back to your starting 40lbs. You could never see how much you have grow, advanced, and achieved. You were stuck just lifting a weight 8 times. Guild Wars can feel alot like this. You can get to the highest level with some of the highest level gear, but if you go back to a level 40 area, you better be careful because it is just as hard, you haven’t grown, you haven’t advanced, you haven’t achieved. While yes you don’t want people breezing through content, it can also feel good to be able to go back to an area you previously had difficulty with and see how much your character has grown since then.

3. Items

As I understand it, you want this game to be equal and far for all. Well that is great but some people put in more time and effort. I feel the rewards that these players get are sub-par. If they’re investing their time into your game they should have something to show for it. However, I’m not talking about a different colored helm I mean better stats, they should be stronger than the other people. I took a break from this game not long after release after getting the orange craftable weapons and a nice set armor. I just recently came back to see how the game was and saw an awesome purple dagger on the auction house, only to realize that it was basically the same thing. People often play MMO’s to show others what they have achieved, what they can do, and to test their skills. Yet even with all that, nothing is more rewarding than getting a new weapon to run around and kill people with because of its sheer power.

4. PVP

The PVP in this game is decent. I hate to use WoW as an example but I feel it serves a purpose here. You started GW2 with the WvW pvp and the structured pvp but you forgot the origins of many games. Just good old fashion would PVP. I’m not talking about teams or squads. I’m talking about ganking. Running into someone else that throws your current plans off and gives you a new goal, to kill them. Obviously you don’t need every server to have this enabled but it needs to be somewhere. You’re losing a large amount of players from this void in your servers.

More may come later, but I’d like to get some opinions and critics on what is here currently. I’d like to thank anyone that took the time to read this, I’m trying to better our game, just like you are.

-SE

1. agreed, preferably i would say 1 guild per account really

2. if anything scaling need to be MORE strict, if i got as condition buidl mesmer to the starter area’s i still 2-3 shot mobs even with no power from gear, only the base lvl 80 power… so yeah cant aggree here

3. this game was advertised from start to have horizontal progression ie different looks so that is what should be expanded on not some stupid vertical progression kitten

4. five words: World versus World versus World (also just know as WvWvW)

1. I agree
2. Isn’t that the point of getting stronger and leveling up?
3. Possibly a larger selection then
4. WvWvW isnt WORLD PVP…. WvWvW is a separate environment where people go to do just that, PVP. In my opinion it is no different that AV in WoW.

My only comments with your post is number 4.

I liked WoW for that aspect of the game, however, Guild wars 2 is a different beast. First off, there are no factions, all players are on the same side so there cant be any ‘ganking’ in the pve world.

Secondly, WvW serves as a purpose for you to get your thrills by killing other players.

It could easily be made into a game that is guilds fighting other guilds. Factions are not needed. They even have the name for something like that. Again not all servers, just some for those interested.

2. you ARE getting stronger as you level up, just not enough to faceroll lower content.

3. Exactly what i mean we could use more different skins, but not better stats please, adding ascended imo (and in the opinion of a lot of ppl really, if you read forums and talk with ppl ingame) was already a stretch

4. You can go gank ppl at supply camps or between tower/keeps in WvW, AND while doing so you actually help your server get more points and thus better wvw bonuses so is a win – win cant see what more you would want

Shadowseclipse.5641:

It could easily be made into a game that is guilds fighting other guilds. Factions are not needed. They even have the name for something like that. Again not all servers, just some for those interested.

Except PvE is a co-operative setting. Lore wise everyone is working together to get rid of a bigger threat.

I don’t understand why WvW can’t function as your open-world PvP:

• There’s PvE elements to it (DE’s, Recruiting NPC’s)
• You can level to max in it

Lots of MMOs are build around PVE, they care called MMORPGs
It are games with an open world , where you kill stuff to get stronger and stronger, so you can do harder content with better loot and get stronger and stronger.
There are tons of games like this with as best known WoW

The problem with MMORPGs is somehow all other MMO’s are called the same and people want the same kinda game. just other graphics.
But their are more then PVE kinda MMO’s that are completely different
Resulting in game developers trying to build all these kinda types of games into one game. With as problem they are completely different, resulting in lots of problems.

Like:
- In a PVE MMO you want to grow , find better items and fight new content.
- In a WvW/RvR and PVP MMO you want to fight eachother with skill/tactics etc being the main factor of who will be the winner. So not the stats someone has.
- In a PVP (so structured) MMO you want classes to be balanced so class A is equal to class B in a duel
- In a WvW/RvR MMO you want to have good challenging group vs group fights where teamwork and tactics is most important. So classes need to be able to assist eachother and furfill somekinda role in the group. A healer or tank or CCer or whatever role dont need to be also able to do DPS also. So no Class balance but classes designed for a role.
- In a PvE MMO you want each class to be able to solo farm/level. So a support class need to be able to do some dps also.. And these will mostly always complain about their class is to slow to level.. so dps is increased.. meaning they will mostly always be overpowered in duels..
- In a WvW MMO you want as goal fighting for your country/server/guild and increase their welt/land/resources etc.. . Not lvling or doing new dungeons or getting better gear. You want to be good as a group and be in the top rankings.
- In a WvW MMO you want systems that even when 20 people target you at the same time, in a big fight, you wont insta die. And you want abilities you can use tactical , so when using it the right way, you can even win from larger groups (daoc example.. Long AOE Mezzes but breaks as soon anyone else cast something on the mezzed person , so the most powerfull ability didnt work for not well coordinated teams (the zergs))

.. probably can go on for hours about the differences

So relying to your message.. If they add stat wise improving content (like wow) it will destroy WvW as long they dont sepperate it like they did with SPVP.
They build the game for SPvP but added WvW and PVE like most other games trying to do also. And ofcourse bringing the usual problems.
Still GW2 is great and they did a nice job. But dont expect it to be great in PVE or WvW (btw a WvW only MMO is never been build so GW2 is still the best game with it at the moment on the market, even if it has it problems like classes not realy build for it stuff like zergs etc).

For why their is no PVP in the PVE area.. Its a server based game: server A fights server B. So why kill your friendlies? Also most PVEers dont like to be ganked. And real PVPers dont want to kill someone who is half down on his HP and having all kinda other advantages, they want hard challanging battles.
(But if you realy need to slaughter/bully weak opponents their are other MMO’s where you can do it… dont want you do it in real life right? Or i dont know what kinda real life problems you have so you feel like doing these things)

Shadowseclipse.5641:

It could easily be made into a game that is guilds fighting other guilds. Factions are not needed. They even have the name for something like that. Again not all servers, just some for those interested.

I have a realy great design for a Guild vs Guild kinda MMO. With class/ability design and background story etc.. worked out.
Its fighting for land and resources(also magic energy needed to umake use of some of the abilities) Where you need to protect(build) your land or expand it. Where guilds can challange other guilds and get into a higher ranking (new world)
But also a none claimable large zone between the guild lands with lots of recources.
Where you can also build defence towers etc and traps.
And a combat free main town(overlapping all servers) for trading , making alliances finding new members (every guild has its own guild house (need to build/expand decorate with own resources in town where people can sign up or you can sell stuff)etc..
The land/your resources determines howmany members/alts you guild can have.
Alts and logged off members become NPCs who you can give special orders before you log off (still need to eat etc) Or even other guild members can use your toons (give orders to them – kinda as pets) if you let them(optional friend lists).
It has solutions to all kinda WvW problems like fighting outnumbered and zergs. A bit of personal growth, next to the guild growth, without having a gap between new and old players. A solution to not having the right classes online, but still with roles (group fighting) etc..

Its kinda a long time project of mine (for years already).. I tested lots of game engines etc, found a good engine. Now I am trying to make the first graphic models etc (still learning) But i am a software developer so this part is realy hard.

Wish i could give/sell my design to ANet , so they can make it like i designed it.
Would be nice if someone of Anet or someone else would answer this question:
Does Anet buys designs? Or willing to use designs they didnt make themselfs?

I agree with OP 100%!

Why make maps with “levels” when it is really just 10 levels max difference (15-25, 35-45, etc). It you are now stronger you should be able to blast through the lower levels easier. Ofc you dont get exp from it (or hardly) and if you got lower level friends with you they also dont recieve exp from your kills.

From day one i said that to make universal guilds is just a plain stupid mistake. It is hippie-thinking “lets all be friends”. But this is Guild WARS.. War.. you dont war on your friends.. We need tight guilds competing for honour, gold and bragging-rights (gold cape from GW was AWSOME!! MAN i even still want it lol^^) To belong to the top 10 pvp guilds or pve-raiders is something that is very cool, unless they can have 2500 members and even some people dont even care to represent^^ It is a MAJOR MISTAKE!

1. The Community

I realize that the ability to join multiple guilds is not universally liked, but restricting peoples accounts to one guild is not that common in games either. Many have where each character you have can belong to a different guild. This feature is one of the ones my group liked from the beginning. You can have your friends and family small guild, and your dungeon running guild, etc. I think the addition of chat options would help (click the guilds whose chat you want to see, for example) and guild halls will improve the community aspect.

2. Scaling

I do find lower levels easier than they were when I was at level in the zone. Armor, weapons, maxed skill points and trait points should all make a difference.

3. Items

I do think items of different types should be available to keep players interest up. However, they are trying to walk a fine line between satisfying people who want that sense of acquiring a great item versus creating a gear grind treadmill that is tedious.

4. PVP

I played on a PvP server in WoW some, though I never enjoyed WoW enough to stay on it long. I understand what you mean. I went from absolutely hating that open world pvp to feeling the excitement of the feeling of constant danger from unpredictable other players. You learn to predict mob behavior. Adding in the open world pvp changes all that.

However, they have a limited amount of time to spend on the game. Having open world pvp servers would require a huge time investment to be done right.

Some games have a pvp server or two that languish due to developers not having time to devote to both pve and pvp servers. I think that open world pvp is best left to other games unless they have the resources to handle it along with everything else in the game.

Shadowseclipse.5641:

2. Scaling

Bare with me for just a moment. Say you wanted to get into better shape. You started lifting weights one day and found that you could lift a 40lbs weight 8 times but no more. You trained and you trained nearly every day, but as your body became stronger, the weights became heavier. Stronger you became, 60lbs 8 times, 80lbs 8 times, 100lbs 8 times. However you could never go back to your starting 40lbs. You could never see how much you have grow, advanced, and achieved. You were stuck just lifting a weight 8 times. Guild Wars can feel alot like this. You can get to the highest level with some of the highest level gear, but if you go back to a level 40 area, you better be careful because it is just as hard, you haven’t grown, you haven’t advanced, you haven’t achieved. While yes you don’t want people breezing through content, it can also feel good to be able to go back to an area you previously had difficulty with and see how much your character has grown since then.

-SE

I actually don’t understand what you are talking about. When you get back to a lv 1-25 area, it’s alot easier then when you leveled up there. At later levels the difference in challenge is not that big anymore but it’s still a noticable difference. So that means you improve all the time. Just not as much as you do in the beginning, which is kind of the same with lifting weights. It’s not like you increase your bench press record 10 fold what you could lift when you tried the first time.

The level scaling is, if not the best then one of the best things about GW2. It’s truly great!