Guild Wars 2

so far, there are no jumping puzzles with actually moving platforms in gw2. wherever it might have seemed like that, it was always just the background moving or the platforms being set up in a way, so that they’re either there and active, or deactivated and not currently there. don’t let the animations fool you.

I hope will be nothing neither similar to the boring , stressful kind of jp we had during halloween.

To clarify things, as the original poster, I absolutely LOVE jumping puzzles and their difficulty/challenge.

During BW#3, the EB dungeon dark-room jumping puzzle was broken and none of the light sources were properly providing lighting. Did the entire thing pitch black, twice.

As for this jumping puzzle, I’m really hoping that the Snowmen do as I’d speculated in either giving a frost aura or throw snowballs at players. This adds additional elements that give to the challenge another step. However, I must as new speculation.

From the new screenshots and description given, I’m seeing something like players carrying a stack of wrapped presents as they jump in an attempt to no drop any. Not sure how that will play out, or if that interpretation is correct, but it sounds wickedly fun.

OmniPotentes.4817:

Looks like a lot of jumps with definitely some chill effect to slow you down; make you fall and hinder progression. Maybe timed.

Ooo, I’d love that.

I think if there would be an “easy mode” added to jump puzzles, then people who do the easy mode shouldn’t get any reward or achievement period. Yes, I understand that some people aren’t able to do jump puzzles very well from medical conditions or just plain not being good at jump puzzles, but making a rewarded easy mode is just a horrible idea. The chest at the end of the jump puzzles are a PRIZE, this isn’t kindergarden where the fat kid get a medal in Phys Ed class for participation. And if “easy mode” gave out the achievement for finishing the jump puzzle, you wouldn’t of really achieved anything.

I’m not skilled enough at my job (PHP/C++) but i’m not asking for a higher salary am i?
Learn2play, come on. Learn from your mistakes and use those frustrating moments to get better.

Trust me, there is not anyone who completes it at their first try.

it takes practice. i used to be terrible at jumping in general in this game. let alone jumping puzzles. in the end, i made it to the top of the clock tower. it took a LOT of practice though. and not once during trying did i tell myself, “i’m never gonna make it” or “i suck at jumping”. i just put those negative thoughts aside and kept practicing.

why do you say you’re not good at it? or what are some things you feel you could work on? and then tackle those aspects.

plus, the best bit of the jumping puzzles for me, at least, is the process. or figuring out where to go. and enjoying every jump and making certain jumps that seem impossible. the rewards, i really don’t care for too much.

so would you really want to finish a super 2 step jumping puzzle at get a little reward? or be abel to improve your jumping and then be able to master any jp anet ever decides to throw at us again?

Here’s some tips for jumping puzzles. I’m no pro (didn’t have the opportunity to try the Halloween one), but I find these helpful.

1) If there are a lot of tight corners which mess with the camera, zoom all the way in. This reduces the amount of camera shaking that occurs.
2)Rotate the camera above so that it is above your head, looking down (unless you’re caught in a tight area, like described above). This makes it much easier to jump, as you can judge the distances a bit easier.
3)Commit to the jump. Often times people think “I won’t make it” or “I’ll over jump it” and they make a split-second decision to run for an instant longer, or jump an instant sooner, or try to adjust the trajectory mid-air. And most of the time, it will land you on the ground. Decide when you’re going to jump, then run, and stick to it. Likewise, do not adjust your camera mid-air.
4)Most platforms extend a VERY tiny bit beyond the texture. You can essentially “stand on air” with very precise button pressing. Practice it with some ledges outside of jumping puzzles. It gives you a bit of space for a running start
5) Crank down your graphics as low as possible. Timing is everything, and you want as many frames per second as you can get.
6)Practice jumping on the ground. See how long your character spends in the air, and how fast he jumps in response to your keyboard.
7)Be careful with swiftness. Swiftness can make it easier to straddle big jumps, but it can also send you over the edge.
8)Practice jumping puzzles. Only way to get better at them.
And finally, if you keep on failing over and over
9)Walk away. It’s a game. You’re supposed to have fun. Go watch youtube or something for a few mins, or sign onto an alt and kill some time. I find this is a great way to keep my frustration down after I’ve fallen right before that last jump, and makes the puzzles more enjoyable. Once you’ve cooled a little, go back to it.

Also, while I don’t know how this one will compare to the Halloween one, it sounds like that this jumping puzzle is available for the entirety of Wintersday (since its through the Mystic Forge), and that it is not central to the Wintersday Storyline (since most things seem to be happening with Tixx in each major city).

Good luck!

I hope it’s like clock tower, or even harder

I simply don’t have time. My brother claimed he played the tower for 5 hours straight to get the reward. Truth is harsh, I didn’t even play 5 hours during Halloween. You know…. life, work, Halloween coinciding with All Saints Day. I’m not wasting a rest day on this game.

That’s all… yes repetition will solve the puzzle… if only I had the time… if only regular human beings with a hint of real life had a moderate chance to get the Tower, I would have gotten it.

If it wasn’t an achievement, I wouldn’t have cared. That alone fixes it. I didn’t get the full mad king book either, only the first part.

marnick.4305:

if only regular human beings with a hint of real life had a moderate chance to get the Tower, I would have gotten it.

I usually play 3 to 4 hours a week (including weekends) and i managed to do it multiple times.
I don’t see your problem to be honest.

Clock Tower wasn’t that hard. Took me about 1 hour to do it the first time, then later on I even made it three times in a row. I am probably good at it, but clearly not a video game hero.

I really hope for something along the same lines, or bigger with multiple “steps”.

Wesley.4590:

Garacaius.6105:

I hope it’s not timed for pure point of fact that there were a number of people, myself included, who were unable to do the Clock Tower due to the fact that we were underwater by the time we loaded in and were immediately sent back to the lobby before we even got a chance to do the puzzle.

Didn’t have lag or slow loading times at all inside, because there were only a few people allowed per Overflow. Couldn’t this have something to do with your internet connection? However even if this was Anet’s fault this can also be fixed easily by adding a short countdown once people can enter the JP instead of completely removing the timed element.

I had the same problem as Garacaius, except possibly a stranger error. I’d see the cut scene, then it’d cut to everyones characters clustered on the roof of the lobby building and unable to move with the ‘viewing a cutscene’ film symbol over their heads. Then the group would be dropped into empty water a few times, then finally appear on the cog just in time to be kicked back to the lobby.

Sometimes it’d go even stranger, I’d land in water on my own and be able to swim around. I could go to the base of the lobby building, follow the bridge across to the base of the clock tower with the rotating platforms or swim out to the base of the ‘real’ clock tower (which was off to one side, not visible from inside the lobby). Sooner or later I’d get a loading screen and end up back in the lobby, but I was there for a good 10 minutes sometimes, long enough that I’d start worrying I was stuck in that map.

I don’t think it was anything to do with lag. Normally I play with graphics on maximum and don’t have any problems, I’m usually the first or second in my party to appear after loading screens or cut scenes. This time even when I turned graphics right down to minimum I was getting the same problem.

I did once do the puzzle with a friend who told me she saw my character standing on the cog at the start while everyone else did the puzzle, while I was seeing the whole group standing on the roof of the lobby. I never found out what everyone else saw when I got stuck swimming around.

Zaxares.5419:

The most frustrating JP I’ve done so far would actually have to be Dark Reverie, just because of that one unforgiving jump that kills you if you miss or overshoot. Even worse, if you’re attempting the JP alone, you’ll have to WP out and go through Morgan’s Leap all over again just for a second opportunity. I can’t stress enough how essential it is to do Dark Reverie with a few other players just so somebody can res you if you fall.

Thee’s actually a few in there which kill you if you miss. But I agree that has to be the worst one. Very long and difficult path back to it if you die and can’t get ressurected. Even worse if no one else has been there in a while and you have to fight your way through all the enemies just to get to the start.

I suspect a lot of people haven’t done that one though. I’ve had arguments with people standing on the rock with the spiders insisting that there is no second puzzle after Morgan’s Leap and refusing to walk around the corner and look at the entrance. Or they go in, drop to the bottom, see the regular chest by the start and assume that’s it.

it better NOT have that glitchy time race again, that thing was so buggy and lagging. I agree that it should be difficult, but still fun and not reliant on time that much (i finished the tower once, mostly it randomly kicked me even if i was ahead of people, not to mention other lags and problems)

Being someone who has finished all the jump puzzles, I am really looking forward for this one. The clock tower puzzle was the best bit in the game imho. Please make more of them. Excitement is all I am hoping for. I cannot find much of an excitement in the game nowadays

So looking forward to this!!! I hope it’s so hard I smash up my monitor

Well, the designer of the Clocktower responded to feedback regarding the difficulty of it at the end of Halloween… And he basically said that event JPs would not be as difficult going forward because they want more people to be able to complete them.

I get that the hardcore JPers want a challenge… But should one-time-only(or annual)content ever be designed for a small segment of the playerbase? Seems like timed content should be doable by as many players as possible. Make the extremely hard stuff part of the world permanently instead.

Rookni.2469:

Lets hope they enable pvp in it. Oooh the christmas grief would be splendid <3

What is it about you griefers (in general)? Is it a character trait (of the player) that you generally like to see people suffer or to torment them? Or is it purely an in-game personality disorder?

I truly wonder what kind of people griefers are in real life. Never met one so far.

My Big McLargehuge charr is ready.

I HATE jumping puzzles. I’m horrible at them, but I wish everyone who is better than me with this stuff alot of fun and good luck.

I hopelessly sux at jumping puzzles, nonetheless I am against the “easy mode” because many ppl have fun with this kind of challenges and I am ok with it.
I will try this JP, as I tried (and failed, of course xD) the clocktower: hopefully I will have fun as I did during mad king event, ’cause even if I failed I laughed for other ppl fails and mine too

I love JP’s ive done every one in the entire game including the event ones.. Love em love em love em... I even wish there were jump puzzles at the end of the old dungeons with chests at the end.. Anyway, I just hope they have learned fromn previous evwents and that there are no exploits

Just to confirm, the JP is available right from the beginning, correct? Its under the 14th on the event page, but there’s always a chance for something else to happen/be true.

Rookni.2469:

Lets hope they enable pvp in it. Oooh the christmas grief would be splendid <3

Oh man this could be fun. Like a snow ball ability to knock eachother around and off the puzzle, and an achievement for how many people you knock off. If they add this I guarantee everyone one asking for a harder jumping puzzle will get it! I would definitely participate in that event!

Lokki.1092:

Rookni.2469:

Lets hope they enable pvp in it. Oooh the christmas grief would be splendid <3

Oh man this could be fun. Like a snow ball ability to knock eachother around and off the puzzle, and an achievement for how many people you knock off. If they add this I guarantee everyone one asking for a harder jumping puzzle will get it! I would definitely participate in that event!

I would not participate in that at all. >:( And I loved the MK JP! I did it several times on different races because I loved the challenge but PvP would ruin it for me. Now if a snowball fight was separate I’d be all over both. :D

@Op I can’t wait to see the JP for Wintersday! I hope it’s as hard as the MK one if not harder. :) I never had a problem with other people blocking my paths and I did it twice on my asura with norns and charrs alike. It was my favorite thing in the Halloween event so I hope this one turns out just as cool and as challenging!

RoChan.1926:

I would not participate in that at all. >:( And I loved the MK JP! I did it several times on different races because I loved the challenge but PvP would ruin it for me. Now if a snowball fight was separate I’d be all over both.

@Op I can’t wait to see the JP for Wintersday! I hope it’s as hard as the MK one if not harder. I never had a problem with other people blocking my paths and I did it twice on my asura with norns and charrs alike. It was my favorite thing in the Halloween event so I hope this one turns out just as cool and as challenging!

I’m just saying that other players knocking you off the puzzle would literally be the pinnacle of challenge. If you want hard, challenge, achievement that IMHO is the way to go especially if there is also incentive to not allow others to reach the top (besides griefing, griefing is stupid). People who made it to the top would have some serious bragging rights and I would salute them right before hitting them with another snowball to the face >:)

It would be cool to have different levels within the puzzle. Make it up the first level, get a little chest with a decent reward. The next level would be more difficult with a bigger chest and nicer reward. The last level would be hard with the biggest chest and nicest reward. Everyone could participate and get something.

One day, I want a jump puzzle so mind-numbingly hard that less than 1% of the population can succeed at it with a reward, like a title, that clearly indicates your mastery over it. Maybe that isn’t for this event, but I want that at some point. Jump puzzles are basically like the greatest part of this game for me, and none of them are hard enough (not even the clocktower could stop me for more than a couple tries).

“Make it harder so people who can’t complete it know how awesome I am when I brag that I did it and found it too easy.”

The obnoxious in this thread, over something happening during Christmas is disgusting.

If a JP is easy and fun for me, cool. I don’t need to make things harder for others to rub their face in it. If someone wants a super-hard platformer to challenge themselves with, then they should go look for games designed for that purpose. They exist. Stop trying to use difficulty as a way to make yourself feel ‘special’ or ‘superior’ to others. Its a game. Meant for fun . Grow the hell up.

arjeidi.2690:

Stop trying to use difficulty as a way to make yourself feel ‘special’ or ‘superior’ to others. Its a game. Meant for fun . Grow the hell up.

Yes, and for me and many others, difficulty is what we find fun! The clocktower is up there on my list of most memorable GW2 experiences; I had such a blast. I want more JPs that difficult (and beyond), JPs that force me to think outside of the box, JPs that take a ton of practice and thought, JPs that have a huge sense of urgency, etc. And yeah, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that once we finish said epic adventure, we get a little something to show for it!

Don’t assume that just because we want something really tough that we’re trying to be elitist or act superior to others or whatever. It’s unnecessarily hurtful, and makes you out to be the very thing you claim to hate.

The clocktower was way too difficulty, the Lost Shores JP was about right – it was fun jumping the steam vents, sure it was frustrating at first but once you figured it out, it wasn’t too bad at all.

The worst JPs are the ones which are very long and one mis-jump or failure and you either 1) Die or 2) Have to restart the entire puzzle again.

I just want to say, I don’t see anyone asking for 0 challenge as some seem to think.
I for one do like a challenge, I like jumping puzzles that provide a challenge of some sort. What I hate. Really really hate. Is them being timed. Timing is not the only way to make it a challenge. Any other way to make it challenging is cool with me.

Is it timed, well then I will try it, do my best. But likely wont be able to complete it. I will be frustrated and annoyed, but will not whine. It is what it is and I don’t have to be able to complete every single aspect of the game to enjoy it.

Don’t think different modes of the puzzles is that good an idea, they are optional content as they are and there are tons of other achievements. Not being able to get all achievements is what it is.

Btw loved the Dark Reverie. It was a challenge without being timed. I also spend some hours at the bottom there farming the courtier and never felt more appreciated by other players lol

Zeefa.3915:

Btw loved the Dark Reverie. It was a challenge without being timed. I also spend some hours at the bottom there farming the courtier and never felt more appreciated by other players lol

You should be a Mesmer in the EB JP then! There’s so much love and appreciation that goes into being portaled from the bottom to the top that it’s crazy! It’s like the easiest way to make friends ever.

Risingashes.8694:

Unfortunately ANet will of inevtiably given in to the whiners, well represented in this thread, and will of turned this JP in to a baby mode challenge.

Because everyone deserves to complete all ‘challenges’ otherwise they’re unfair and mean.

God forbid people actually need to anything other than spend time in order to complete something.

There is a difference between not wanting to spend time and practice, and not being able to physically do it.

No matter how much we practice and spend time, we will never be able to complete, because we are just not as talented as you are. You can practice swimming all you want, but unless you’ve got the genes and you’re born with long limbs like Michael Phelps, you will never get the gold medal.

All I’m saying is that introducing easy modes would not hurt all of you that are able to do it on expert mode or normal mode.

If not, then does it mean we cannot enjoy the rewards from the jumping puzzle activities?

Hycinthus.6483:

There is a difference between not wanting to spend time and practice, and not being able to physically do it.

No matter how much we practice and spend time, we will never be able to complete, because we are just not as talented as you are. You can practice swimming all you want, but unless you’ve got the genes and you’re born with long limbs like Michael Phelps, you will never get the gold medal.

All I’m saying is that introducing easy modes would not hurt all of you that are able to do it on expert mode or normal mode.

If not, then does it mean we cannot enjoy the rewards from the jumping puzzle activities?

It doesn’t hurt the harder modes directly, but indirectly it does in some ways.

For one thing, if an easier difficulty exists, than why even try the harder one? Sure, there are some people who want the difficulty for the sake of difficulty and will do it just for that reason, but if you give the full reward out for the easiest difficulty then it gives little actual incentive to go harder.

Yes, there may be some people who will just plain never finish a difficult jumping puzzle, but there are others who may not do it right away, but will get it after some practice. But if you provide an easy mode, there’s no reason for those people who just need practice to even try the harder modes.

There’s also the fact that doing 2-3 different difficulty modes takes away from the development time for all of them. Rather than spending 100% of the time making the one single jumping puzzle, now you’ve got the development time split 50/50 (or 33/33/33). Thats much less time to polish up each puzzle, and the quality migh suffer for it.

But anyway, my own feelings for the JP are that I hope its as engaging / difficult as the Clock Tower. It was hugely enjoyable for me, and I’m not even one of the “difficulty gluttons” that just failure and death over and over or anything. I died plenty, certainly, but thats not why I enjoyed it (nor did I enjoy it because it made me feel superior to others because I finished it and others didn’t). I just found it really fun, the fast pace and constant danger was a pretty good change from many of the other JP’s in the game and overall a lot of fun.

I really don’t see what the big deal is if people can’t do it anyway. All you got for the Clock Tower was a meaningless achievement (didn’t count toward any other achievement nor a title, its just a few standalone points), some random loot, and one single Exotic item that could be gotten from random loot as well. And said item wasn’t even special or anything either, no unique model or anything. I mean, if they were giving a special Legendary weapon or something, then I can see why people would complain about not being able to get them. But nothing given out from the Clock Tower was so huge that missing out on it is a big deal.

And considering the backlash from Clock Tower as it is, I wouldn’t be suprised if the reward for this new JP is even less.

I’m colorblind.

Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes ledges blend with backgrounds or characters blend with platforms and mess up my jumps. And I also sometimes have the same problems normal players mention too, of being bodyblocked, or being glitch/lag killed.

But honestly, I put that stuff aside and have fun. I learn where the ledges are and jump blind if I have to, especially when I’m being rushed (like in the Clocktower).

Yeah, it’s hard. Yeah, I die sometimes when I probably shouldn’t have. Yeah, it’s frustrating. But that frustration gives me drive to complete the challenge, so I try harder, and I succeed. I’ve yelled at my screen, I’ve probably thrown something at some point, but when all is said and done, I completed the puzzles that I tried, and I had fun doing it.

I earned that achievement, and I will do my darndest to earn any other achievement they offer me for doing something out of the ordinary.

I wish everyone luck on this new puzzle, and I suggest against wearing light colors if possible (because you might blend in with platforms). And if you have trouble, just keep trying, and just keep having fun. That’s what it’s really about.

Rising Dusk.2408:

I hope it’s harder than the Clocktower so that I can have as much, if not more, fun as I did with that. The hours I spent on the Clocktower are the most memorable for me in years; it was such a blast. I also loved how people complained about the Norn/Charr scaling, yet I succeeded repeatedly and reliably despite it.

It’s so satisfying being able to do the hardest jumping puzzles in the game while others fail and complain about the difficulty on the forums. Call me sadistic, but I think it’s a good thing that only the top X% of the population can succeed at certain content!

I’m not quite sure why difficulty is a priority. As much fun as “I” have farming Orr or doing w3, hard isn’t what attracts people to the game. I understand a challenge is necessary for a lot of people to enjoy the game, but making something super hard so that only a few can do it, is just silly. There are a lot of people that can’t devote the time to being the top 1% of anything in GW2. I’m not fighting here, but pointing out that the more friendly content is, the higher the population will grow. I’d rather not play guild wars if it is going to feel like a 4 player game. (In terms of server pop.)

I don’t really understand people’s outlook on this though.

If it’s too hard for them, but not too hard for other people, how is that “broken” or “too hard”. There is no challenge or diversity in a game if everything is “push button, recieve muffin”. They even made the Clocktower with an easy and a hard mode, most people just didn’t catch on. The first chest was easy mode. You make it there, you get the candy corn, you rejoice at doing the easy mode, you leave. If you wanted more of a challenge, you did the rest of the puzzle and got the achievement.

A game needs to have challenges for players that want harder challenges. I can’t understand why the players who can’t complete these challenges think they are being left out. You’re not being left out. You have the same opportunity as everyone else who is able to complete the puzzles.

It’s called an achievement for a reason, because you are achieving something. It may be difficult. It certainly was for me. And that difficulty gives me pride for completing it, and a sense that my hours spent doing so were really worth it. Why is it fair for people to spit on that achievement by calling it “broken”? It’s hard. Yes. That’s the point of a puzzle. It’s not just intended to take “blank” amount of your time, it’s intended to take “blank” amount of your skill or practice.

This is coming from someone who is certainly not an elitist. I spent hours doing the last puzzle, I will likely spend hours doing this puzzle, and I had/will have fun doing it. If you don’t want to spend hours doing it, then don’t. It means you don’t want the achievment, and that’s fine. Every aspect of a game isn’t designed for every player. Every aspect of an event isn’t designed for every player. They try to please everyone, by making content that is set up for different types of players.

I know this will be one of the first things I will be tackling after the Wintersday patch is out. I also think that balance is required and it involves bringing a stack of presents to the other side, should be fun.

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

They even made the Clocktower with an easy and a hard mode, most people just didn’t catch on. The first chest was easy mode. You make it there, you get the candy corn, you rejoice at doing the easy mode, you leave. If you wanted more of a challenge, you did the rest of the puzzle and got the achievement.

Not quite true. The real “reward” from the Clock Tower was the Mad King’s Slippers, which were obtainable nowhere else. (They do not drop from the chests in the Labyrinth.) While I eventually had no problem completing the Clock Tower, I agree that for future event jumping puzzles, there shouldn’t be a unique item like that as a reward (although there certainly can be a reward chest which gives out festival items). An achievement (which doesn’t count towards a title) is a fine and perfectly acceptable reward for an event jumping puzzle.

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

I don’t really understand people’s outlook on this though.

If it’s too hard for them, but not too hard for other people, how is that “broken” or “too hard”. There is no challenge or diversity in a game if everything is “push button, recieve muffin”. They even made the Clocktower with an easy and a hard mode, most people just didn’t catch on. The first chest was easy mode. You make it there, you get the candy corn, you rejoice at doing the easy mode, you leave. If you wanted more of a challenge, you did the rest of the puzzle and got the achievement.

A game needs to have challenges for players that want harder challenges. I can’t understand why the players who can’t complete these challenges think they are being left out. You’re not being left out. You have the same opportunity as everyone else who is able to complete the puzzles.

It’s called an achievement for a reason, because you are achieving something. It may be difficult. It certainly was for me. And that difficulty gives me pride for completing it, and a sense that my hours spent doing so were really worth it. Why is it fair for people to spit on that achievement by calling it “broken”? It’s hard. Yes. That’s the point of a puzzle. It’s not just intended to take “blank” amount of your time, it’s intended to take “blank” amount of your skill or practice.

This is coming from someone who is certainly not an elitist. I spent hours doing the last puzzle, I will likely spend hours doing this puzzle, and I had/will have fun doing it. If you don’t want to spend hours doing it, then don’t. It means you don’t want the achievment, and that’s fine. Every aspect of a game isn’t designed for every player. Every aspect of an event isn’t designed for every player. They try to please everyone, by making content that is set up for different types of players.

The main question is: is it fair?

Zaxares.5419:

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

They even made the Clocktower with an easy and a hard mode, most people just didn’t catch on. The first chest was easy mode. You make it there, you get the candy corn, you rejoice at doing the easy mode, you leave. If you wanted more of a challenge, you did the rest of the puzzle and got the achievement.

Not quite true. The real “reward” from the Clock Tower was the Mad King’s Slippers, which were obtainable nowhere else. (They do not drop from the chests in the Labyrinth.) While I eventually had no problem completing the Clock Tower, I agree that for future event jumping puzzles, there shouldn’t be a unique item like that as a reward (although there certainly can be a reward chest which gives out festival items). An achievement (which doesn’t count towards a title) is a fine and perfectly acceptable reward for an event jumping puzzle.

I was going to snap back at you about taking rewards away from people for doing challenging events…

But you know what? Okay! A random chest with random loot drops is fine. I didn’t want the slippers, have never equipped them, and would sell them if I could. I agree that the achievement is reward enough. Maybe then it would be repeatable daily, and give the same chance of loot each time.

In all honesty, especially since the designer of the Clocktower said it was harder than he intended, I think they will be making this one easier, possibly including multiple paths in order to avoid bodyblocking, or making it an instanced area for small groups.

I don’t think they should make puzzles “less difficult”. I think they should resolve “issues” that players have with the puzzles such as the “Norn Zerg”.

Hycinthus.6483:

The main question is: is it fair?

That either seems like a trolling post, or possibly a way of insulting me by mocking the time I put into my post by responding with a post which would not even meet normal minimum post requirements without quoting my previous post.

But I’ll answer you anyway.

Is it fair? Yes. It’s fair for a game company to design content that is intended to challenge their players, especially when they intend specifically to design a puzzle that only a certain percentage of the population will be able to complete. The designer specifically made note of this.

Is it fair that I’m colorblind? No.

There is a guy out there who cannot use his hands, and plays games using his face(Askacapper. Look him up, it is awesome what he has done considering what lengths he has to go to). Is that fair? No.

I saw your earlier post.

“There is a difference between not wanting to spend time and practice, and not being able to physically do it.

No matter how much we practice and spend time, we will never be able to complete, because we are just not as talented as you are."

Listen. I have dealt with a lot of people in my life with this kind of outlook, many of which who have suffered through depression of some kind. And with the right motivation, I have seen them overcome any obstacle put before them. You can physically do this. You can mentally do this. You can do this! I believe in you! You might have to work a little harder than others, but don’t let that discourage you, because when the day is over, and you have suceeded, you will feel a much greater sense of accomplishment than those people who did something with natural raw talent. Hard work can supercede talent, and when it does, it’s inspiring.

Don’t be a minority. Be extraordinary.

I have to admit, I’m fairly confused about some of the replies in this thread. It would almost seem like a decent number of people are under the impression that the only two difficulties a jumping puzzle, or anything else can have is an absolute binary set. Maybe I’m misreading something but apparently something must exist as either a “1-Jump Baby Steps Puzzle” or an “Uber-Challenge, Harder Than Clocktower” puzzle.

I will admit I didn’t get passed the first chest in the Clocktower. I have done the EB puzzle, the Skipping Stones, and a number of others and there are places with ‘in-between’ difficulty, I’m quite sure. There are many reasons a person might attempt a such a puzzle, but is it strictly necessary that every event jumping puzzle is created specifically for the ‘Uber-Challenge’ crowd?

Far as I see it The Clocktower was fine for what it was, and I have no issue with there being puzzled added that are as difficult or more difficult than that; during an event or otherwise. However I don’t think it would be unreasonable to have some of the event puzzles be a bit less taxing than that one was.

At least in respect to event-related jumping puzzles, is a bit of moderation/variation in them in regards to difficulty that much of a big deal?

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

But you know what? Okay! A random chest with random loot drops is fine. I didn’t want the slippers, have never equipped them, and would sell them if I could. I agree that the achievement is reward enough. Maybe then it would be repeatable daily, and give the same chance of loot each time.

I actually would have preferred it if the Mad King’s Slippers were tradable too. While I liked getting them on all my characters, it would have been nice for people who aren’t good at jumping puzzles to be able to collect a full Mad King’s armor set too.

My vote would go to having the reward from the JP chest be fairly small, but repeatable, so that it can be an alternative “farming” method for festival items for people who love doing jumping puzzles. Need 250 Candy Corn for the monthly? You can go mine nodes in PvE, play the Halloween PvP mode, kill enemies in the Labyrinth, hunt for hidden ToT bags (an AWESOME activity for Halloween, I must say ), or do the Clock Tower multiple times. My philosophy is that everybody should have the same opportunity to get to the end, but how they choose to do it will depend on their personal preference and how they like to have fun.

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

In all honesty, especially since the designer of the Clocktower said it was harder than he intended, I think they will be making this one easier, possibly including multiple paths in order to avoid bodyblocking, or making it an instanced area for small groups.

I don’t think they should make puzzles “less difficult”. I think they should resolve “issues” that players have with the puzzles such as the “Norn Zerg”.

You know what? I think a co-operative jumping puzzle where players need to go to different areas to do different things would be awesome! For example, say that in the Wintersday Wonderland, players must activate three different platforms scattered across the map, each of which generates red, blue or green candy canes. Players then bring these candy canes to a central location, which fills a meter. When the meter is full, the next phase opens up (and spawns a reward chest). A player could do this all by himself, but it would take longer. It goes much faster with multiple people going to different platforms, or even by throwing the candy canes from one platform to the next.

It needs to be more difficult than the Mad King’s Clock Tower. It took me a little over an hour to make it the first time. After that I made it quite often. From the picture this one looks super easy. It needs to be more difficult now because my jumping puzzle skills have increased. I don’t want to make it on one of the first few runs or it’s too easy. The one in The Lost Shores appeared to be difficult at first but in the end it was a simple puzzle. I really hope it’s a group event and that it’s timed more quickly than the clock tower. I also hope there is an achievement for it. No kittening easy mode….ever.

Zaxares.5419:

You know what? I think a co-operative jumping puzzle where players need to go to different areas to do different things would be awesome! For example, say that in the Wintersday Wonderland, players must activate three different platforms scattered across the map, each of which generates red, blue or green candy canes. Players then bring these candy canes to a central location, which fills a meter. When the meter is full, the next phase opens up (and spawns a reward chest). A player could do this all by himself, but it would take longer. It goes much faster with multiple people going to different platforms, or even by throwing the candy canes from one platform to the next.

That sounds awesome. It would even include a way to involve the less “jump oriented” players by making “candy chains” where players throw candy back and forth until it reaches the middle.

Something in the puzzle should likely be single player based, but the majority of it requiring team work actually seems really fun, especially if it means you can help friends to earn the title or rewards.

Kudos!

Rakuren Kenshou.7689:

especially if it means you can help friends to earn the title or rewards.

And really, isn’t that what Wintersday is all about? Helping out friends or strangers and generating good cheer all around?

Lokki.1092:

RoChan.1926:

I would not participate in that at all. >:( And I loved the MK JP! I did it several times on different races because I loved the challenge but PvP would ruin it for me. Now if a snowball fight was separate I’d be all over both.

@Op I can’t wait to see the JP for Wintersday! I hope it’s as hard as the MK one if not harder. I never had a problem with other people blocking my paths and I did it twice on my asura with norns and charrs alike. It was my favorite thing in the Halloween event so I hope this one turns out just as cool and as challenging!

I’m just saying that other players knocking you off the puzzle would literally be the pinnacle of challenge. If you want hard, challenge, achievement that IMHO is the way to go especially if there is also incentive to not allow others to reach the top (besides griefing, griefing is stupid). People who made it to the top would have some serious bragging rights and I would salute them right before hitting them with another snowball to the face >:)

You’d just end up with a group of people camping a bottleneck and refusing to allow anyone through, like already happens in the WvW puzzles. We don’t need any more of that (or any of it at all, but I’m afraid the ship seems to have sailed on the wubwub puzzles).

I think having a PvP or super-hard mode for the hardcore JPers and a PvE mode for everyone else would be awesome. Have separate achievements, but the same loot rewards. That way hardcore players get the bragging rights, but casuals don’t get left out.

Easy way to achieve this…

Just put a jumping puzzle in Eternal Battlegrounds somewhere. Have Tixx make a stop in the mists to deliver some snow.