Guild Wars 2

I get why watching cutscenes in explorable dungeons with pugs is frowned on. They’re not your friends, and they are taking up your time so they can watch a movie. I don’t feel that way myself, but I do understand it. That said, I was in a run this weekend that I don’t understand.

I was running around Ascalon, mostly looking for the elusive chili peppers, when someone was calling for more for AC story. I decided to go, even though the rewards are garbage, since I hadn’t seen it since the recent revamp. The party consisted of 4 level 80s, whom I’ll call guildguy1, guildguy2, movieguy, and myself, as well as a mid 40s whom I’ll call otherguy. Guildguy1 and guildguy2 are in the same guild, and movieguy, otherguy, and I are all in different guilds.

I wondered why all these 80s are running AC story — do they not all have their fabulous hats already? I’ve been wearing my fabulous pirate hat since I did AC story at level 34… Are they all bored too?

We get in, and the group is a bit uncoordinated in propping the door open with the boulder, but we got through. We find Eir, fight some ghosts on the central platform, and it’s time for the movie where Rytlock and Eir argue over her quest to find the sword. I’ve seen it too many times to want to see it again, but right after I stop it, the guild guys are talking:

Guildguy1: LOL! He’s watching the movie.
Guildguy2: That’s OK, we’ll mess him up later.

Looking around, I see that movieguy, the other 80, is watching the cutscene. I don’t know why — maybe it’s his first time or maybe he just likes Eir’s hot figure. Don’t know, don’t care. On the other hand, I will not be a party to whatever the guild guys were plotting. I dropped group without a word, and have no idea what happened after.

Apart from the obvious issue that 2 coordinated party members can spoil everyone else’s work, and how irritating that is, I just don’t understand the motivations. I’d get it if this was a CoF ’zerker grindfest. But this?

You’re doing several boss fights. The lovers, at least, are a bit tricky — I’ve seen groups fail. You’re getting hardly any rewards for doing it, apart from the fabulous hat and the explorable mode unlock, and those only if it’s your first time.

Why would you do it, other than curiosity, helpfulness, or boredom? And how does that line up with getting mad over the cutscenes? And why, if you were planning on being a jerk, would you plot it openly in party chat?

Ideas, anyone?

I have an idea…

You left the party just because they were making fun of the guy watching the movie?
You didn’t even know if they were serious or not.

Best you don’t join any of my parties then; We have guildies in our team that will intentionally resurrect their afk team mate until his armor is completely ruined, just as a mean prank. Or joke about leaving each other to die in the lava. And its hilarious.

But yeah, don’t just leave a party mid dungeon! Apart from the obvious issue that one player breaking the party can spoil everyone elses work, and how irritating that is, I just don’t understand your motivation. I’d get it if they were trying to scam the guy, or were being rude to you personally, or throwing out offensive slurs. But this? Why would you do it, other than that you suspect they might be making fun of the guy watching the cut scene? And why, if you were planning on doing a dungeon, would you just leave without asking further questions, or knowing for sure? I’m sure these guys must have been pretty upset that you ruined their run. I know I would have been.

Yeah, it does sound like they were simply joking, and you could’ve made it sure by simply asking. Instead, you left the party, leaving everyone hanging without an explanation given.

That’s fair criticism. Thank you. In retrospect, I wish I had talked to the group before leaving. I’m not sure it would have made a difference but it would have been more polite, especially to the innocents involved. I regret how I left.

About my motivation, I didn’t leave because they were making fun of the guy watching the movie. I don’t think watching movies in story mode is funny, but laughing about it isn’t offensive, and my skin isn’t that thin, even if it had been directed at me personally.

I left because I suspected the guild guys of ill intent towards the guy watching the movie. One of them said they were going to “mess him up”. Together, they have the means to kick whomever they want out of the party, whenever they want.

ANet has built a griefing tool with the party kick system. One of the things I liked about GW1 was how hard it was to grief people, apart from minion master suicide. However, the game mechanics are what they are, and two coordinated party members have easy means of griefing at hand.

I would have read the situation differently, had the guy watching movies been in their guild. I would have read it differently, had the group demonstrated any kind of camaraderie or cooperation. There seemed to be no social barrier to griefing.

Given that I thought they were planning to grief the guy, I don’t know how to ask questions that would settle the issue. If they were the sort of people who would find humor in kicking him in the middle of the final fight, they would also be the sort of people who would deny that plan, and find extra humor in doing it anyway. How would you approach that, Malefide?

Daemon Hawk.9406:

How would you approach that, Malafide?

Well, I think I might simply ask them what they are talking about. Don’t assume right away they are serious. It is often best to assume there is no ill intend, until you actually see them doing something harmful. Not until they actually do something, should you leave the party… and when you do, you can report them for griefing (but only if they actually do it).

I’ll try that, in the unlikely and unlucky event that there is ever need. Thanks!

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

I have an idea…

You left the party just because they were making fun of the guy watching the movie?
You didn’t even know if they were serious or not.

Best you don’t join any of my parties then; We have guildies in our team that will intentionally resurrect their afk team mate until his armor is completely ruined, just as a mean prank. Or joke about leaving each other to die in the lava. And its hilarious.

But yeah, don’t just leave a party mid dungeon! Apart from the obvious issue that one player breaking the party can spoil everyone elses work, and how irritating that is, I just don’t understand your motivation. I’d get it if they were trying to scam the guy, or were being rude to you personally, or throwing out offensive slurs. But this? Why would you do it, other than that you suspect they might be making fun of the guy watching the cut scene? And why, if you were planning on doing a dungeon, would you just leave without asking further questions, or knowing for sure? I’m sure these guys must have been pretty upset that you ruined their run. I know I would have been.

Aren’t you one of the ones who said you don’t enjoy dungeon runs?

I am beginning to understand…

In any case, not all of us have the time or patience to put up with people like that. I would not care if they were joking or not, just by saying what they did they were already not people I would want to party with. That said, you probably should have stayed. Perhaps it is the vindictive part of me, but I would have stuck around just to make sure nothing happened and to try to foil their plans/make them regret it. =P But it is understandable to not want to risk wasting time on what has a good chance to be a swiftly devolving dungeon run that you don’t actually have any real reason to run in the first place.

Oolune.4357:

Aren’t you one of the ones who said you don’t enjoy dungeon runs?

I am beginning to understand…

The dungeons themselves I don’t find much fun. But the run itself can be a lot less painful if you have a party full of people with a good sense of humor. I would almost call that a requirement for having any enjoyment in dungeons at all.

The other day, running a story dungeon was part of the daily achievement. Not sure if anyone has said that yet. People were running AC story quite a bit, since it tends to go by pretty fast.
We had a guildie watching the story cutscenes. Yeah, it was a bit annoying, but he hadn’t run it before. Some people just don’t run dungeons.

I would have gotten nervous as well, about what they were planning to do to that person. It only takes 2 people to kick someone. I think that you should have said something before dropping group. It probably looked like you left because that person was watching the cutscene. You probably scarred him forever! He’ll never watch a cutscene again in his gaming life for fear of a group falling apart. You are a life ruiner.

:3

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Oolune.4357:

Aren’t you one of the ones who said you don’t enjoy dungeon runs?

I am beginning to understand…

The dungeons themselves I don’t find much fun. But the run itself can be a lot less painful if you have a party full of people with a good sense of humor. I would almost call that a requirement for having any enjoyment in dungeons at all.

I would agree, though the idea that popping all of someone’s armor is in good humor is ridiculous. With people like your guild mates running around doing what you claim they do, there is more than enough reason to not take comments like that as harmless jokes.

Heylo.4938:

The other day, running a story dungeon was part of the daily achievement. Not sure if anyone has said that yet. People were running AC story quite a bit, since it tends to go by pretty fast.

Come to think of it, that might have been the reason.

Heylo.4938:

I would have gotten nervous as well, about what they were planning to do to that person. It only takes 2 people to kick someone. I think that you should have said something before dropping group. It probably looked like you left because that person was watching the cutscene. You probably scarred him forever! He’ll never watch a cutscene again in his gaming life for fear of a group falling apart. You are a life ruiner.

:3

OMG! Now I really feel like a heel!

Seriously, I would never want to contribute to someone feeling pressured not to enjoy the game’s story. Never again.

Daemon Hawk,
Don’t work yourself up that bad. There is only 50% chance that others are right and also 50% chance that you might be right that those 2 are really bad apples who think their pranks are just fun. Just ask them the next time though.

As a matter of fact, I dislike anyone who told others in their party inside a dungeon not to watch a cutscene. It’s fine if they laid out the rule before accepting a member into their party but it’s totally absurd against people watching cutscene as if it’s a default rule. So what a couple of minutes of cutscene would save them?
We normally just proceed to whack the mobs, the boss without waiting for our new member finished watching the movie. Have fun watching it and join us when you’ve done.

SkyChef.5432:

Don’t work yourself up that bad…

I fail at humor. I was matching the tone of the “life ruiner” comment, which I thought was also attempting to be overblown for humor.

SkyChef.5432:

As a matter of fact, I dislike anyone who told others in their party inside a dungeon not to watch a cutscene….. So what a couple of minutes of cutscene would save them?

… especially in a story mode. My initial question was really, “Why are people who are impatient about movies even pugging a story mode?” The answer is likely, “It was a daily” which hadn’t occurred to me, but explains everything, including why story mode groups were forming up quickly. If it had happened in explorable mode, it wouldn’t have been so puzzling.

In the process of getting to that, we kinda got sidetracked on how rude I was to just silently leave, rather than talk about why I was leaving first. Not the first time I’ve been socially inept.

SkyChef.5432:

We normally just proceed to whack the mobs, the boss without waiting for our new member finished watching the movie. Have fun watching it and join us when you’ve done.

I like your plan.

I also really hope this thread dies — it’s been as useful as it could possibly have been.

Oolune.4357:

I would agree, though the idea that popping all of someone’s armor is in good humor is ridiculous. With people like your guild mates running around doing what you claim they do, there is more than enough reason to not take comments like that as harmless jokes.

It all depends on what company you’re in. If all the people in the party know each other (even if they are not in the same guild), then anything goes. Joking about popping a friend’s armor is but one of many foul jokes my friends play on each other. Of course they would never do that to a stranger.

imo if they had ill intentions they would have kept them in private chat ;o

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

But yeah, don’t just leave a party mid dungeon! Apart from the obvious issue that one player breaking the party can spoil everyone elses work, and how irritating that is, I just don’t understand your motivation.

If you have an irritation with the players in your party, I think it’s better to just leave silently than to make a big fuss about it. Why create drama? If it’s not pressing, no point bringing it up. Only if you initiated the instance should you be concerned with dropping. They can find some other person to fill in. If you have a problem with how someone jokes or pranks, why make a fuss about it and call them out on their fun? You can, but you’ll probably just sound like a kitten before you quit/get kicked.

I understand your motives… but anybody that leaves a party without saying anything goes on my blocklist, as well as most other peoples, immediately.

I feel the same way. People leaving mid dungeon for no reason, basically waste the time of the entire party… and you’d never want to team up with them ever again.