Guild Wars 2

I’ve noticed this a couple times while browsing the wiki.
The initial release of The Lost Shores included a shortcut that allowed you to jump onto some barrels and reach the rafters easily from a broken pillar; the barrels were removed shortly after.
Another shortcut was removed by the May 14th 2013 update. This one made use of a half-constructed building & tent near the main building.

And this one, which I had used once or twice before the update:
The January 28th, 2013 update removed a third shortcut that allowed you to jump to the pillars that come just before the first boardwalk.

I argue that shortcuts like the above are not exploits and thus shouldn’t be removed. Why? Because finding and using a shortcut can take longer than the planned path and successfully implementing a shortcut will usually involve some tricky (and sometimes risky) maneuvers.
And while the end chest is still the ultimate goal; a shortcut is its own reward. It’s potential time saved and 1 set of jumps traded for another. The possibility for a shortcut encourages exploration and jump-thinking.

In fact, we could probably use MORE shortcuts, not less. Not completely bypassing a puzzle of course but short alternate routes to liven things up a bit. Just enough to put the “Puzzle” back in “Jumping Puzzle”.

My 2 cents.

The shortcuts is not intended. The things that make up the shortcuts is there for decorative purpose, not for players to cut the difficulty and time of the jumping puzzle by half. thats why they got removed.
The chest reward at the end of the jumping puzzles is the reward for going trough the whole thing.

Personally I dont mind shortcuts, especially when it comes to the EB jumping puzzle.

Black Wolf.7348:

The shortcuts is not intended. The things that make up the shortcuts is there for decorative purpose, not for players to cut the difficulty and time of the jumping puzzle by half. thats why they got removed.
The chest reward at the end of the jumping puzzles is the reward for going trough the whole thing.

Personally I dont mind shortcuts, especially when it comes to the EB jumping puzzle.

Whether a shortcut is intended or not, why not roll with it? Particularly with shorter, low-level-chest JPs.

I have to say, if they are going to take shortcuts we may stumble across out, they should stop mesmer ports as well.

Players helping players in both cases

Player A uses mesmer port provided by player B

Player C uses shortcut knowledge provided by player D.

Chrury.4627:

Black Wolf.7348:

The shortcuts is not intended. The things that make up the shortcuts is there for decorative purpose, not for players to cut the difficulty and time of the jumping puzzle by half. thats why they got removed.
The chest reward at the end of the jumping puzzles is the reward for going trough the whole thing.

Personally I dont mind shortcuts, especially when it comes to the EB jumping puzzle.

Whether a shortcut is intended or not, why not roll with it? Particularly with shorter, low-level-chest JPs.

lol why shouldnt they remove them? Fixing mistakes is what you do. First you argue that they arent exploits then you just argue that they should just leave them in regardless.

Black Wolf.7348:

The shortcuts is not intended.

Not many people care about that argument – for example mesmers porting people so they don’t have to do the puzzle.

Well, I care about that, too :P

For what it’s worth: I don’t care much if mesmers portal people up to chests, be they at the end of jumping puzzles or not. What bothers me is getting achievements this way.

I think for the jumping puzzle achievements, people should actually achieve to complete the jumping puzzles. And if it was my own game, I would implement several secret “pit stops” along a jumping puzzle and only hand out the achievement if a player went past all of those.
You would still be able to apply the portal skill for our own benefit (as a “save point”) as a mesmer or help another player with a particularly evil jump they can’t make, but at least players would actually have to go through the puzzle itself instead of bypassing it entirely.

Another reason is that the puzzles were designed with so much love and care (occasional annoying bugs aside) and it doesn’t feel fair to me that people bypass them without really looking at the designed landscapes, trying to figure out the mechanics, taking in the lighting and atmosphere and the funny little stories that the puzzles sometimes tell.

So, yeah, I am aware of a few shortcuts (and of course mesmer portals) and I’m not a fan of them. But it depends on the context (chest or achievement).