I did a little searching, and while I suspect that the topic already exists somewhere, I couldn’t find it. So I apologize for any redundancy between this topic and a topic I couldn’t find, that you might have already read.
Let me start by saying I adore fishing mechanics in MMOs. It was my #1 pastime in World of Warcraft before I quit. Having said that, it would be wrong of me to ask GW2 to be like any other game. I do think that fishing as a gathering skill has its place, however. And I’d like to share with you my vision for it.
My idea for Fishing as a gathering profession is pretty simple, but… hopefully different enough that you’ll enjoy it. You know how we have gathering nodes we can see on the map: rocks for ore, leaves for plants, and logs for wood. Imagine little fish on that map, marking docks.
Docks could be placed along rivers and shorelines all over the world with… well, not what I’d call serious difficulty. You model it, you set up points for it in any map that has major bodies of water (so, virtually every map), you place it, and you assign it to be a fishing node.
From there, you make it “minable” like any other node. You go to the place, you press your activation key, and you Begin Fishing. That’s your basic interaction. What comes next is where things get a little hairier.
My idea is, what if interacting with a fishing node put a bundle in your hand, based on a piece of equipment? A [Fishing Net] or [Crab Pot] or [Flyfishing Rod] or [Hand Harpoon], that slots in next to your other gathering equipment. Based on that piece of equipment, the bundle in your hand would have different functions, and maybe enable you to catch different fish at a node.
For example, you could cast your net in Bloodtide Coast and catch shrimp. (I’ll get into how it could tie into the Cooking profession shortly, don’t worry.) Let’s say that these Shrimp function like some special food, in that you can eat them basically right away, and get a tiny buff. Like +3% Magic Find or “Gain Health on Kill.”
What this would mean is, let’s say you’re level 45, and you’re down in Bloodtide. You don’t have any food on you, you’re not even a Chef, but you stop and fish, and you can buff yourself a little. It’s something extra to do in the zone, that rewards you for participating in its function.
Similarly, let’s say your gathering tool is a crab trap. What if when you recovered a crab with it, it was a living, hostile NPC? So you fight it, and your reward, along with the gray item [Crab Meat], is a nice blue [Crab Claw], which you can use in a Cooking recipe. (Along with some nice butter, garlic, and salt.)
Everyone can gather, and I know how Arenanet likes to gamify their video game, for obvious reasons. In my mind, this would be a really fun way to do it. You choose how you want to fish, and on some level, that lets you determine the kind of loot you receive from fishing. It gives the player a level of agency and choice, which is always nice.
Now, on to cooking. I’m sure we’ve all had an interest at one time or another of how to get Cooking from 400 to 500. Fish, to some, seemed like a great option. And I absolutely agree! However, I don’t think “you start using fish at 401” is very fun for new players, especially the kind that’ll be traveling all over Tyria to explore maps and enjoy the different fishing nodes. For that reason, I present the following idea:
The Surf and Turf Update!
Imagine a patch in which Fishing and the update to Cooking is introduced. Heck, imagine it comes out with HoT or it’s part of a mastery track if that helps you imagine. Distributed throughout your typical Cookbook are new recipes at all levels, making use of different fish that can be found at different places all over the world. (Further encouraging the continued exploration and interaction with Tyria in HoT, of course).
But then you get to 400. As you do. And you see that [Cup of Potato Fries] has been relabeled an Ingredient. In addition, you have a recipe for [Tempura Batter] and some [Trout Filets] you’ve been saving up. Suddenly you can make a [Plate of Fish & Chips]!
And it goes on like that. Turn your [Boiled Shrimp] into a [Plate of Avocado Shrimp Tartare] with the appropriate ingredients. Make yourself a big protein-rich [Platter of Steak & Lobster] for the whole dungeon-running squad. You get the idea.
I really, honestly adore the creativity of the Cooking profession, and of course Fishing seems like the most reasonable way to carry it forward, but the point I want to make most of all is that Fishing can (and I think should!) be a lot of fun for everyone, even the non-Chefs. To me, this whole process would be a pretty cool way of achieving that.
Let me know what you think, if you could! And if any devs are watching, you’re welcome.
(edited by Robotmoxie.4025)