Guild Wars 2

As a “New Player” and I do come from Guild Wars 1 when I met this content; (I’ve thought or typed the following commonly in LA)

• (people complaining about LA) … “What is wrong with it?” ; having utterly no idea what-so-ever that it had ever been destroyed at all, I simply thought this was just how things where after 250 years.

• “Who is Scarlet?” … (oh, you want me to read ‘ahem’ this is the 21st Century we’re in right?)

• I keep expecting an attack on Lions Arch, and it simply never happens unless you count the mad king.

I think using phasing would be a great way to have our cake and eat it too with regard to the LS, in more or less the same way they did with Ascalon in GW1. They could use it on zones like Kessex Hills and LA, where everyone pre-80 has the version of it from before the LS events that changed them. As they play through the LS episodes, the version of the zone changes. The resources already exist, it’s just a matter of using them.

This would also allow them to merge the formats from LS 1 and 2 going forward.

I know the technology doesn’t exist, but the best way would be to just have a separate map for pre- and post-(event).

For example, after WoC in GW1, you could talk to an NPC in Kaineng and your maps would change between Afflicted and MoP mobs. You could do the same thing in GW2. You talk to an NPC to choose between pre-destruction or post-destruction LA and it puts you in the correct map. Then you can always go back to get it changed to the other map.

Likely scenario to new players that jump head first into Season 2 and didn’t have a chance to play Season 1 and may or may not know a written recap it exists.

Player: What’s going on? You keep saying I did something before this that I didn’t do or don’t remember doing. Where am I now?
NPC: Now. You are looking at now. Everything that is happening now is happening now.
Player: What happened to then?
NPC: We passed then.
Player: When?
NPC: Just now. We’re at now now.
Player: Go back to then.
NPC: When?
Player: Now.
NPC: I can’t.
Player: Why?
NPC: We just missed it.
Player: When?
NPC: Just now.
Player: When will then be now?
NPC: Soon.
Player: How soon?
2nd NPC: Sir we found Mordremoth.
Player: Where?
NPC 2: East of the Maguuma Wastes.
NPC: Good work gather everyone and prepare an assault
Player: When?
2nd NPC: 1900 hours.
NPC: By high noon we will have slain it!
Player: WHO?!?!?

narwhalsbend.7059:

I know the technology doesn’t exist, but the best way would be to just have a separate map for pre- and post-(event).

For example, after WoC in GW1, you could talk to an NPC in Kaineng and your maps would change between Afflicted and MoP mobs. You could do the same thing in GW2. You talk to an NPC to choose between pre-destruction or post-destruction LA and it puts you in the correct map. Then you can always go back to get it changed to the other map.

The technology does exist, though, as do the maps. This is clearly how it needs to be done. Although, you shouldn’t have the choice prior to level 80 when you can start playing through the Living World content.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

It is no more (or less) possible, than playing through personal story now, after those very same changes. In fact, second season faces the same problem, it’s just not so apparent. Basically, if the answer is “no”, then any changes that happened during second season for the sake of the story will become set in stone – something that no future event will be able to affect again.

If so, it would be really nice to be able to earn some of the missed season one living story achievements, such as candidate trials.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

I think it would require support from the system in the form of “historical instancing”.

By this I mean being able to have old versions of the maps when we enter a personal story instance; such as having the old Fort Concordia when doing “Forging the Pact” in the Personal Story or having an instance of Lion’s Arch as it was during Scarlet’s attack for those who would be doing that chapter.

I believe someone from Anet once said the system could not support this as it is now so, the first step to allow season 1 to be brought back would be to find out how to do so.

The next problem would be how to support parts of the story that were meant for more than 5 people. Some ideas include :

• Rewrite those parts as 1 to 5 player story instances with NPCs playing the parts of other players and proper scaling down of the monsters. It wont be exactly how it was on release but, new players could at least relive it.
• Code a way to do matchmaking of entire parties entering the story instance so they share the same map. However, there still might not be enough players doing that part at the same time as you.
• A bit of both: make it possible to solo but, as more people fill the map it would trigger the events as they were for large groups.

For the 3rd option here is an example of how you could segment the final assault on the Breachmaker:

• 5 players or less: Fight your way to the cliff side teleporter (near the Tegnu door). Once through, you have to fight the Hologram and then the final instance with the wounded Scarlet.
• Between 6 and 14: Fight one randomly selected Assault Knight before you can use a teleporter.
• 15 and more: Fight all 3 Assault knights as it was during season 1 (with proper scaling of course).

Of course, you could segment it more but, I’m just trying to explain the concept here. Besides, there are probably other ways this could be done.

I honestly think the fights should be split off from “reliving” season 1. I know people will say “but the fights are what season one was about!” But I think, if people just want to learn the story of what happened, having a recap in the form of story based instances, with maybe a BIT of fighting, along with guild raids that reuse the actual fights, would be better. I mean, how do you get a feel for the marionette fight if it’s just you reliving the living story season 1.

Possibly an Asuran/Charr/(insert) War Academy could take new players through an initiation into the current situation. Showing them the previous arena of war and allowing them to experience it first hand, to allow greater insight into the current LS.

Basically, allow new players a “Hindsight Wargame Arena” to appreciate the current emergency. Like a Star Trek academy holo-suite test.

I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just use a form of phasing. How it worked for Ascalon in GW1 was perfect. Until you complete the PS you should see all of the original versions of all of the maps, then as you progress the LS the maps update for you and for you and you only see other players who are at the same story stage.

The maps all already exist, it’s just a matter of implementing them, which shouldn’t be that hard. It would honestly make the narrative of the game feel much more coherent and compelling to individual players.

I’d love at least a recap of all parts of season 1. At the end of the last season, at that party, where you met Canach, I was like, who was he again? I have absolutely no clue, except that he had something to do with Southsun….

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

First off I was under the assumption that at some time before LS2 was coming that there was some official word on that they were working on bring back LS1. it wasn’t high priority, but it would comeback like the LS2 format. I don’t remember where I read this, but I do believe it’s out there.

Second, why the heck not? I don’t believe that those old maps have been deleted, and that it would be a simple matter to make them a new instance. I think that most players are intelligent enough to realize that these events, if played again happened in the past and are not part of the current LS. Isn’t that the same philosophy when we are playing LS3 and someone goes back to replay a LS2 episode?

Regarding major changes to places like LA. Wouldn’t it be better for the overall story-telling experience to have those accessible again. With all this talk these days about “new player experience” hasn’t anyone considered that they will not see LA back in it’s heyday? They will never have seen it in it’s original splendor and have no idea the significance of LS1.

Speaking of which on the flip side, won’t the new player be confused when they are kicked pack to a destroyed LA during their PS. Wouldn’t it make much more sense to have new players playing their PS have maps pre LS1. It brings a lot more significance to the Claw Island chapter. It also helps to establish continuity which is the number one thing that has been lost (the Fear plot line of the PS) of late. Wouldn’t it just make much more sense to add instances of old maps and events to emphasize how much of a “living” world that Anet is striving for?

TL;DR: Not making LS1, or even original maps of the world like LA accessible again degrades the overall quality and significance of the story you are trying to tell especially for new players.

PS. I almost forgot. It also offers an excellent opportunity to sell gems.

The Story Journal is allready a great tool. I imagin my character writing down a diary of what have happened during a the last two weeks in the LWs2 (And doesnt when we have a hollyday or other event happening because my Ele is just to busy doing other stuff).

Using the story journal to access the LWs1 content is the way to go imo, but how we handle the big parts of LWs1 is a whole other topic which I dont have a good solution to other than, scale it all down to complete solo, with help from NPCs that always wins at whatever they are doing

The Marionett battle, have your character go between lanes and help the NPCs there to get access to the platforms and then you kill the mob there with the help from the NPCs with you, and the other 4 platforms always win.

This keeps it feeling like a epic battle with lots of “players” helping you
Repeat for all LA parts.
Tower of Nightmare, well your character climbs to the top with Marj and Kass and you end it there and the next is enter the boss battle with the Corrupted Krait thingy.
(Turned out I had a pretty good idea if I have to say so myself :b)

Becka Williams.4978:

I honestly think the fights should be split off from “reliving” season 1. I know people will say “but the fights are what season one was about!” But I think, if people just want to learn the story of what happened, having a recap in the form of story based instances, with maybe a BIT of fighting, along with guild raids that reuse the actual fights, would be better. I mean, how do you get a feel for the marionette fight if it’s just you reliving the living story season 1.

I agree, fights like the Marionette are meant to be open world bosses.

But while that particular case did serve to show the progression of Scarlet’s power, it is not required to understand the plot. You could easily bring it back on it’s own – like I suggested here – and cut the need to fight it from an instanced story line meant for the Story Journal.

However, the attack on Lion’s Arch and the final fight against the hologram and Scarlet are very important to the story and should be – in my opinion – included in a potential story chapter in the journal. And since you can replay the chapters, I’m sure there would be plenty of people to relive this part with (especially if something like my party matchmaking suggestion is used).

If Season 1 ever makes it into the Story Journal, it needs to be coherent on its own without the need of a Guild to start an instance. It may mean cutting some parts but, having the opportunity for new players to live that story is what is important.

Einlanzer.1627:

I don’t understand why they wouldn’t just use a form of phasing. How it worked for Ascalon in GW1 was perfect. Until you complete the PS you should see all of the original versions of all of the maps, then as you progress the LS the maps update for you and for you and you only see other players who are at the same story stage.

The maps all already exist, it’s just a matter of implementing them, which shouldn’t be that hard. It would honestly make the narrative of the game feel much more coherent and compelling to individual players.

Much like in GW1, we already have some instancing for new players with the introduction mission of each race. You can’t stay in there forever but, the system IS there to make an instance for players that are starting up.

The biggest problem for something like this for the living story is SCALE. Not only having all “pre-scarlet” maps up and running would be a huge drain on servers, it would also mean splitting off your new players from the old one for a large amount of time.

Since GW2 is all about playing together and easily finding others to help you, splitting off your player base is something you want to avoid; that is why they made mega-servers after all!

;)

I was just hoping for a chance at getting that anti toxin backpack.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Astraea.2981:

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

Well, one thing we now know for certain. There has actually been zero internal discussion on the subject, if an ANet employee came into the thread thinking this.

Please don’t make that assumption. For if you do, you will be very, very wrong.

I am the lead of the Forum Communications Team. I am not a game designer, writer, or programmer. I don’t think I can say that more clearly, but I’ll also add that I have not asked a single team member about this internally. I’ve simply asked the forum members in this thread a general “something to think about” question that occurred to me in the context of this discussion.

I’m sorry if my question was confusing, but please know that it does not in any way mean that this matter is off the table or has not been discussed. It simply indicates my curiosity about the subject, and the fact that I ponder how you can have a battle in a city that is already in post-battle ruins. (And as you can see, folks in this thread have added several ideas of their own about how they feel it could be done.)

Don’t take this the wrong way, Gaile, but doesn’t this seem like a problem to you? Anytime a simple, direct question is asked, we get musings and “keep up the discussion!” What we never get is an actual answer — actual information.

You’re the designated person who communicates with the players, and you don’t have information on what’s in the works, and if you do, you are forbidden to share it! Why can’t we have someone who is more “in-the-loop” on these forums? What would the harm be in answering the simple question in this thread?

You know our frustration. You’ve heard it all everyday, and I’m sure you understand why we’re fed up with the communication policies.

I’m truly sorry that you have to deal with the fallout of management’s paranoia, and I hope that you’re pushing back on them to change their policies so that harmless, simple questions can receive the simple answers they deserve.

tigirius.9014:

I was just hoping for a chance at getting that anti toxin backpack.

Can’t you buy that for laurels from a vendor?

Yoroiookami.3485:

tigirius.9014:

I was just hoping for a chance at getting that anti toxin backpack.

Can’t you buy that for laurels from a vendor?

Unfortunately, it is not part of the offered list.

This thread is pretty old, but I’m going to post here anyways.

TBH, I don’t know what could or could not be implemented to allow us to play Season One, but I do know that the Living World stuff is by far the most depressing thing I’ve ever seen in an MMO. ESPECIALLY Season one, where you can’t even buy the chapters and play out what happened. I missed both seasons but at least I can pretend to have been able to participate for Season 2.

Like some other players, I had Real Life stuff happening during times I could have been playing. I think I got to see a whole one event of Season One: the bar party after everything was all over. I could log in sporadically during those times, but it was never enough to see or understand what was really going on. I’d get a notice about this event happening, play for a couple hours, then have to log off for ages because of school+life.

Coming back to the game now that I have time to play? There’s nothing for me. I can play the main campaign, run around the world… but everywhere I see evidence of great story moments. World changing events. And all I can think is that I missed out on some of the most interesting, exciting parts of the game, and they’re gone forever.

All that’s left is a game that’s missing a quarter of it’s content. A party that’s finished, and I came in just in time to see everyone passed out on the floor. “Thanks guys, this looked awesome, too bad I wasn’t there. Are you ever going to do this again? Maybe I can catch the next party.” And the answer? “NO. NEVER. Go hang out in the stuff we left behind.”

Would it be so terrible to repeat the seasons as a kind of semi-annual event? Put the world back to launch date zones, leave it for a bit so we can enjoy the zones as they were, and then restart Season One. Play through to the end, start Season Two immediately. Or don’t do Season Two at all, since we CAN access those as buyable chapters. Leave the resulting zones and areas for the next few months to give the impression that “yeah, all that stuff happened.”

It’s not perfect. The whole point of Living World is, of course, to have a changing and evolving story and world. Taking it back to the start is not that. But it’s still better than leaving all the new players and people who couldn’t make it to rot.

Pandaman.4758:

I think the biggest obstacle to making S1 repeatable is GW2’s current instancing system; it uses the current map rather than a completely separate instance (which is why our personal stories keep dropping us in ruined LA despite being in the past)

They’re going to fix this soon though. Now PS instances will use the old map. The only thing that was preventing this was the fear of bloating the dat file.

Valento.9852:

Phasing.

/15charrs

Elaborate? I understand phasing to work primarily in the open world where individuals are placed in separate instances (in the extreme) or show different NPC / Textures / Models for players in the same instance (in the minor).

Brother Grimm.5176:

Certainly the party instanced stuff can be done like “flashback” type missions (similar to the historic missions from GW1), but the open world stuff presents a bigger issue.

Don’t really need this since we’re already time traveling from map to map or from PS to open world.

Valento.9852:

Why not just load that instance’s version of the map? It’s not really any different from any instance, they’ll be just using old terrain/assets, and we always download tons of GB’s of data that stay there but aren’t used afterwards anyways. Just a matter of instance terrain/asset check (just map corresponding data?).

With the streaming client this is now less of an issue (theoretically).

Thia.4891:

Replay Season 1 of the Living Story? We can’t even replay the original Personal Story!

Valid issue, maybe the wrong discussion to bring it up in.

Kurogami.9210:

Well, I don’t think that all of Season 1 needs to be replayable. One of the more important things would be the events when our characters met Rox, Braham, Marjory etc.
I could imagine that new players want to know how we became the leader of this merry band of misfits and only being able to find out about this by reading through the living story recap seems a little bit dissatisfying.

This is why I am all for releasing S1 over a period of time and not necessarily sequentially. At the very least they can provide us with these simply story instances that existed in S1 if only to provide some background to new players with a “coming soon” clearly splashed about to inform people that these story instances aren’t the entirety of S1.

Orangensaft.7139:

You are about to experience things that happened before your arrival in Elona now

A significantly easier solution than time-travel, historians or flash-backs.

Einlanzer.1627:

I think using phasing would be a great way to have our cake and eat it too with regard to the LS, in more or less the same way they did with Ascalon in GW1.

That was more instancing than phasing, and ANet has previously stated they don’t want to separate their player base like that.

narwhalsbend.7059:

I know the technology doesn’t exist, but the best way would be to just have a separate map for pre- and post-(event).

It does exists, or at least ANet shoudl be able to cobble it together rather easily, the problem comes with separating the player base. A minor version of phasing could work, but that would require a lot more work than simply throwing people in different instances.

Manifibel.8420:

The Story Journal is allready a great tool.

Yeah but the UI needs to be updated a bit, it doesn’t do a good job of showing a time-line of event.

But think about it, one day there will be Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and it’s going to just get harder and harder for Anet to allow players to experience them all. Its just part of GW2, and the story isn’t hard to catch up on. Ask some guildies or look on YouTube.

Michael Walker.8150:

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

as (instanced) raid content perhaps? as some people asked for similar content when it comes to large group coordination.

Oh how I wish for this…

They are already going to use the old versions of maps for the instances of the personal story that happen back in 1325AE.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Timeline

But even if they kept backups of all the old stuff, converting LS1 content to journal and open world will still require lots of work.

Hopefully they’ll make up some explanation to bring back some of the old events so they make sense both while playing season 1 and at the current stage of the story.

For example

• Some of the spores could have survived and ended up in some remote unreachable island, so when winds blow strong enough karka go mad again and start appearing at Kessex and other areas around southsun.
• The molten alliance could have been kicked from the flame legion and the dredge moletariat after their failure, and decide to take revenge by working together again.
• The aetherblades get a new leather after several internal conflicts and eventually reorganize themselves, take over the Bazaar and make it their ‘secret’ base, and start raids again, randomly on a different map every week.
• The steam creatures analyze the watchwork creatures and start making them too in addition to their other steam brethren, and even try to rebuild the marionette.
• The toxic alliance eventually tries to rebuild their tower, but this time it’s underground in a massive system of caverns under kessex, to hide it better. To enter, players must go to Kessex Haven and use the gate there. Which takes them under the mountain to a tunnel that leads to the interior of the tower.
  http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Kessex_Haven

make marionnete fight a guild event that only members of said guild can contribute towards once they activate it? (so character limits, etc. are attached only to that guild and not random people).

Maybe we can ‘revisit’ Living Story 1, like a memory. Sort of like a flashback sequence, or sequences. Retell the story of Flame and Frost. Retell the story of the battle at Lornar’s Pass against the giant clockwork Twisted Marionette.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

I have thought it through personally, and the only “problem” I can see with converting the content would be Bazaar of the Four Winds/Cutthroat Politics since that deals with the voting thing and little actual new content, and the Tower of Nightmares arc since so much of that focused on a zerg going through the unique zone.

• The Lost Shores can easily be turned into instances + have a few returned events (mainly speaking the events you talked to the quaggan, hylek, and largos):
  • First instance would include the dialogue between Mangus and the asura, ending with the first attack on Lion’s Arch.
  • From there, you’re sent on the two scavenger hunts – Kiel’s is focused in instances while the asura’s is focused with returned events (could also return the karka events at Morgan’s Spiral and Garrenhoff just to show a permenance as the karka are still a threat and all, and would leave new players going “wtf is that!?”).
  • Returning after the asura’s scavenger hunt, you deal with another invasion in LA, which also features the dialogues with Canach in LA.
  • Fourth step takes us to Southsun, a singular instance following the original meta from the Pride/Lion Points to Camp Karka in the original map (technology that’s being brought for PS already).
  • Fifth and final step is the fight with the Ancient Karka.
• Flame and Frost (all four in one “episode”) is a bit harder due to having to show the refugees and as such has instances from scratch.
  • First story step would be focused on showing the refugees and the attacks. A new instance in Hoelbrak and/or Black Citadel at the old refugee camps. Bringing back the open world events and having them part of the story step (ending the story step) akin to Uprooting the Iron Marches.
  • Third story step would follow Braham’s instances during part 3.
  • Fourth story step would follow Rox’s instances during part 3.
  • Fifth story step would be Molten Facility rebalanced for 1-5 players.
  • Sixth story step would be following up on Braham and Rox.
• The Secret of Southsun/Last Stand at Southsun can be a single “episode”.
  • First story step takes us to an instanced version of Kiel defending Steampipe Steading.
  • Second story step is open world, and a repeat of the achievement to investigate the spores, reduced in number and guided (could be repeated for achievement of finding all extra spores, still in the open world).
  • Third story step would be to assist the settlers. Bring back a few events that would still make sense to have, as we still see both settlers and consortium about, and have this step akin to Uprooting the Iron Marches – complete 3 or so solo events in a specific order.
  • Fourth story step is Canach’s Lair (story) made one-time. Repeating achievement for challenge mote of fighting both Canach and Subdirector NULL. (note: that area should be opened up for the open world – it’s there, but it’s blocked off by steam).
  • Fifth story step is the post-Canach’s Lair instance with blowing up the ship.
• Dragon Bash/Sky Pirates
  • First story step would be the ceremony.
  • Second story step would be meeting Marjory.
  • Third story step would be open-world finding all the NPCs like before.
  • Fourth story step would be the investiation instance.
  • And fifth story step would be Aetherblade Retreat, rebalanced for 1 to 5 players.
• Bazaar of the Four Winds/Cutthroat Politics is a bit tricky one. Going to Labyrnthine Cliffs should be akin to going to Claw Island – an instance entered at an LA dock with it all auto-explored upon zoning in. And there’s the now-no-choice decision between Kiel and Evon.
  • First story step would be the instance at Fort Marriner.
  • Second story step would be running up Labyrnthine Cliffs – all original NPCs brought back (sans Evon and Ellen) and original map used – and the Meeting the Master instance is mixed into this.
  • Third step would likely have to be from scratch or just a recreation of Candidate Trials.
  • Fourth step is the “congratulations Kiel won” instance.

This is where it gets tricky, as open world content is now designed for huge groups and not small groups like before.

• Queen’s Jubilee/Clockwork Chaos is simple: re-add the instances made; only have to make one from scratch.
  • First story step would be the Opening Ceremony.
  • Second story step would be the Closing Ceremony.
  • Third story step would be an instance in Gendarran Fields that is a miniature Scarlet’s Minions Invade! event (scaled down, ofc). If raid content ever came about, this would be an ideal “optional” raid content.
  • Fourth story step would be Scarlet’s Playhouse, featuring Faren’s Fancy Panties.

-continued in next post due to length-

Edit: Forgot Dragonbash/Sky Pirates

Some guildies and I were talking about this and you could add an NPC to LA to allow for instances of this stuff and have it on a timer like the Teq. fight etc. At certain times you could talk to an NPC and they would transport you into the LA fight with Scarlet instance of LA. It would be a ten minute window to get in the instance and then the event would start. Same for Marionette. You could do it with the open world events that happened too, like the Tower in Kessex.

This is one of the places that GW2 lacks. You guys added this amazing group content and these seasons and none of it is permanent. So when forum posters say you guys haven’t added anything, it’s not that you didn’t, it’s that so much of said content is temporary. A lot of players have never even seen some of the best content in the game simply because it isn’t available at all. It’s a shame really.

• Tequatl Rising would be hard to do, but detailing it happening is important as it gives insight on two things later on: Rox’s task to kill Tequatl and take its tail, and players thinking about why he got powerful (which may or may not tie into The All situation we got told of in S2). Perhaps an instance with a “weak” Tequatl could be done.
• Twilight Arbor’s always there. It should just be made known somehow that Aetherpath’s events happen between QJ/CC and ToN arc.
• As mentioned above, Tower of Nightmares arc could be a bit difficult to do due to the whole zerg-in-unique-instance focused content. And on top of that, there were the Nightmare Chambers and the final instances being at the top of the tower.
  • First instance would be The Nightmare Unveiled.
  • Second instance I would suggest to be a new one that focuses on the removed events and being able to get into the tower. Alternatively skip this line, go to the would-be third instance.
  • Third instance would be traveling up through the tower. I would make the Nightmare Chambers part of the same instance (move to the same map out of the tower and teleport the players when they go in) with each level blocked off and needing to enter a chamber. If raid content ever came about, this would be an ideal “optional” raid content.
  • Fourth instance would be The Nightmare Incarnate.
  • Final instance would be The Nightmare Ends.
• The Origins of Madness/Edge of the Mists.
  • First instance would be of the Twisted Marionette, rescalled for 1-5 players, with the proper before-and-after dialogues included. If raid content ever came about, this would be an ideal “optional” raid content.
  • Second instance would be The Origins of Madness: A Moment’s Peace.
  • Third instance would be Scarlet’s Lair.
  • Fourth instance would be The Dead End: Advanced Warning
  • Fifth instance would be The Dead End: A Study in Scarlet
• Escape from LA/Battle for LA
  • First instance would be the Escape from Lion’s Arch, rescaled for 1-5 players and rewards altered. The entire city would be available. If raid content ever came about, this would be an ideal “optional” raid content.
  • Second instance would be – as I envision it – via bringing back the purple teleporter that was near Lionguard Turma during BfLA which takes you directly to the old Breachmaker Platform. There you fight with all 6 NPCs from the three platforms against first the three Assault Knights (kill order/time irrelevant), then the Prime Hologram, then the three smaller Holograms (and if you don’t sync kill, the mini holograms), then Ultraviolet Hologram. No time in this unlike original.
  • Third instance would also be via the purple teleporter, this takes you to Scarlet’s End.

And that’s Season 1, in instances with a few using the new tech that the Personal Story will be using with seeing the original LA map, and with just a few generic-to-timeline events readded. Everyone wins, it’s all good. And all the work would mainly be moving open world events/dialogues into an instance – no new VO or the like, and depending on how the programming for GW2’s design is done might even be simple copy/paste situations at times. And in the latter half, it’s literally re-using the old instances.

I like a lot of that Konig. They could cut down some of the instance stuff by reusing the fractal instances that now exist as well.

As for teq, they could keep that as is. Sure it isnt soloable, but add a bit of story to it and just have it as an optional bonus mission to complete on a tequatl kill. A lot of the scavenger bits still exist.

Its the best idea ive seen yet for re doing s1, def something for our forum specialist to put forward anyway

I’m just gonna drop this post I created for another thread here:

So I have noticed a lot of new players complaining about the absence of LS1. I have played since release and really enjoyed LS1, yet I missed out on a couple of releases including Southsun story aswell as Flame and Frost.

I do understand that remaking the whole 29 releases to fit soloplayers/small groups is too much to ask for as it would basically be like doing it all over again for Anet, but please take a moment to look at my ideas for a sollution:

1. Imagine if they made 29 additional serverlayers, one for each release, and put all the content as it was during that specific release in each specific server. Then they could add one tab for each of the 29 LS1 releases in the Hero panel just like with LS2, and each of these tabs would give you the option to travel to the specific server for the specific release, much like you can choose to travel to a specific borderland in WvW depending on what you prefer. If they had this feature, everyone could join any of the servers at any time, and replay the content like it was released years ago. The issue with much of the content being designed for larger crowds of players would be solved, as everyone from the whole game population choosing to play a specific release would gather in the same place. They could even add additional layers if one becomes too crowded. The specific content could loop in the same server forever.

Allow me to give an example: You are new to the game and you really want to play the Destruction of Lions Arch. So you open your Hero tab, enter the server that is having the Destruction of Lions Arch release, and join all of the other players who are doing the same! The world would look like it did a year ago, and every single story, every single piece of content would be available to every single player once more.

Someone who never played LS1 could begin on the first server and play as much as they liked with everyone else in the same situation, move on to the next one and so forth until they have played on all 29 servers and are done with LS1. The replay value would be incredible.

When veteran players played the LS1 in the years past, the living and frequently evolving part of the LS1 was the main reason why Anet developed it.

With my ideas, all players would be given the tool to evolve the world at their own pace once again

Randulf.7614:

I like a lot of that Konig. They could cut down some of the instance stuff by reusing the fractal instances that now exist as well.

As for teq, they could keep that as is. Sure it isnt soloable, but add a bit of story to it and just have it as an optional bonus mission to complete on a tequatl kill. A lot of the scavenger bits still exist.

Its the best idea ive seen yet for re doing s1, def something for our forum specialist to put forward anyway

The main issue with Tequatl Rising and how it is now is that Rox isn’t there now. That’s half of the (very little) story Tequatl Rising gave, and the relevant-to-Season-1 half at that.

If Rox were there – and nothing really prevents her from being there and claiming “that spot’s stuck in time” – then it can simply be a case of “participate in the Tequatl fight” much like the Marionette was for unlocking A Moment’s Peace. You didn’t have to defeat the Marionette, you just had to participate in the event.

Moldur.6275:

-snip-

Your suggestion is called phasing and divides the playerbase far too much. And in general, phasing is something ArenaNet has stated to be against – and truth be told, something I and others would prefer not to see.

Not to mention that 29 server layers isn’t necessary – you just need one per map-effected per release (e.g., The Lost Shores affected 4 maps; Flame and Frost affected 8 maps; Secret of Southsun/Last Stand at Southsun affected 1 map). And even then, for some cases, that’s pushing it because the influence was often a couple NPCs.

There’s already an interface where you can only enter season II instances if you have season II’s story activated in your account map.

Why not have it such that activating a season I story chapter automatically makes a player zone into the instance where that open world content is active, and having that chapter inactive means that the instance is in its normal state?

Even if you had 7 different versions of the same map, swapping the story chapter in that interface will determine which version a player logs into, and having none of them activated will mean the player logs into the current post-LS1 state.

Not hard to do.

Edit: Moldur already said the same thing. @Konig, the number of players per instance will be small, so its overall effect on division is significantly less than the current effect of dividing the playerbase into 4-5 different full instances of Sparkfly Fen every time Tequatl comes around.

I’m not saying it doesn’t divide the playerbase because it does, but it’s just that the division already occurs in a far greater level due to technical limitations, and so it’s not a valid counterargument. It’s like saying that animal testing is bad because it kills animals (which it does), while going on to eat meat at every meal, which is worse by at least ten thousand times in terms of the number of animals killed per person.

Gaile Gray.6029

:….. I ponder how you can have a battle in a city that is already in post-battle ruins. (And as you can see, folks in this thread have added several ideas of their own about how they feel it could be done.)

Consider passing this along:

The Fractal “explaination” of re-enacting past events via entering a portal, could easily be used to “explain” you being able to enter “old” Lions Arch to participate in events there. Same with Scarlet Invasions in various zones or the Marionette event, etc.

It would seem to me all the assets for these things have already been done (obviously they need to be modified to fit the format), but unless there is a “technical” reason I can’t see, there is no reason an entire zone (or part of the zone) can’t be accessed via some “past events” explanation (that is already in permanent use within the game) as some of the instanced parts of the present game. Granted, I get that entire zones would require significantly more resources to generate and maintain, but the Megaserver system should have DRASTICALLY reduced the required resources to maintain the main game zones so additional ones added on a timer basis shouldn’t be overly difficult to pull off.

I am in no way implying this would not take tons of work, but that work would also apply to other potential uses for “alternate” map zones ( like some sort of “Hard Mode” like GW1? )

What if they have one month or two a year where they do a fast forward through the story line? They put the season one back in for that period of time with all the map wide events and everyone can play through it and see it.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Randulf.7614:

I like a lot of that Konig. They could cut down some of the instance stuff by reusing the fractal instances that now exist as well.

As for teq, they could keep that as is. Sure it isnt soloable, but add a bit of story to it and just have it as an optional bonus mission to complete on a tequatl kill. A lot of the scavenger bits still exist.

Its the best idea ive seen yet for re doing s1, def something for our forum specialist to put forward anyway

The main issue with Tequatl Rising and how it is now is that Rox isn’t there now. That’s half of the (very little) story Tequatl Rising gave, and the relevant-to-Season-1 half at that.

If Rox were there – and nothing really prevents her from being there and claiming “that spot’s stuck in time” – then it can simply be a case of “participate in the Tequatl fight” much like the Marionette was for unlocking A Moment’s Peace. You didn’t have to defeat the Marionette, you just had to participate in the event..

True. They could forgo Tequatl I guess. It isn’t wholly relevant to the main story and in essence hasn’t gone away in terms of content.

@Hayashi: The Story Journal only affects avaiable instances you can enter. It holds no effect on the open world, nor IMO should it.

Yes, player division does happen, but phasing doesn’t. And the entire purpose of the megaserver was to reduce player division in the open world. So why would they add phasing if they’ve been taking constant measures to reduce player division? Not to mention that if there’s a version of a map whenever it’s altered, that will greatly increase server stress and quickly add up over time.

@Brother Grimm:

Fractals are completely unnecessary and as recently revealed, something that Anet didn’t have when Gaile responded they now have – that is, the ability to use old maps. So the quote you pulled, about the Battle of LA happening in post-Battle map would no longer be an issue, because soon (7+ weeks), we’ll be having the personal story taking place in the original map, so if Season 1 ever becomes instanced and replayable like Season 2 (the ideal variation IMO, as it means you can solo everything so in years when no one cares about Season 1, you can still play it just like you can the Personal Story and Season 2) then Season 1 can simply use the appropriate map – pre-destruction LA or during-destruction LA.

Yes, there were variations of the maps throughout Season 1 but honestly they don’t need to store an entirely different map than the original just to have the Lion’s Court statue under construction post-Thorn breaking it, etc. – at most I see there being four LA maps in story instances: original, DragonBash, BfLA, and rebuilt… whenever that comes. Similarly, there’s no need for a pre-Tower of Nightmares map, or a copy of the map when the tower had the veil, because there’s no story instances that require that over the current version or when the Tower was up (for Season 1). Which one may consider a shame because they then can’t enjoy the lake, or Fort Salma, before they were destroyed.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

What if they have one month or two a year where they do a fast forward through the story line? They put the season one back in for that period of time with all the map wide events and everyone can play through it and see it.

An interesting idea, but I fear it would confuse people or at least new players coming in, especially if people started halfway through or people were unable to play long enough to enjoy the whole thing in such a very short lifespan. I prefer the idea of re-playable instanced content in the journal, to be played at leisure.

Randulf.7614:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

What if they have one month or two a year where they do a fast forward through the story line? They put the season one back in for that period of time with all the map wide events and everyone can play through it and see it.

An interesting idea, but I fear it would confuse people or at least new players coming in, especially if people started halfway through or people were unable to play long enough to enjoy the whole thing in such a very short lifespan. I prefer the idea of re-playable instanced content in the journal, to be played at leisure.

Replayable instanced content has it’s advantages, for sure, but it would be hard to put the Marionette or the destruction of Lions Arch as instanced content for solo players, or even up to 5 players.

I’m not sure that confusing new players should be a big consideration. Imo, new players are almost always confused anyway. ^^ It can be in the story journal, like the other meta events and the holidays with explanations and meta event rewards there. If it happens every year and becomes a known thing, it’s easily looked up and explained as Season one replaying for all that missed it and all that want to experience it again.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Is it even possible, given the changes that came about in the world?

Anything is possible with some sort of time machine/time rift

found thread and wondering … still any news on topic …will my character ever get this major hole in memory fixed?
as far as it is … S2 especially is major plot hole due missing stuff between this and PS. so I can know with META knowledge of who is marjory, who is rox, who is taimi, who is kasmeer,who is braham and actually …who is scarlet even and what is this talk in lions arch about attack, also what is tower of nightmare that kasmeer so nicely mentions.
that all and bit more is knowledge that new character absolutely can’t know while player may or may not know

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Replayable instanced content has it’s advantages, for sure, but it would be hard to put the Marionette or the destruction of Lions Arch as instanced content for solo players, or even up to 5 players.

I know this was from 9 months ago but the Marionette is actually very easy to change.

The original was that the biconics meta up at the waypoint just south of the Marionette and when it became active had a short dialogue then go into their lanes which would one by one become open for players to go through and attack generators, and would meet back up upon success (upon failure they flee then return).

The rework would be simple: Start at the waypoint with the short dialogue, then go into Lane 1 (directed by star) to defend, it opens up, you go in and land on a specific one of the five platforms at the generators, you destroy it, move out to lane 2 (notified via dialogue of biconic shouting “I’m being overrun!” or something), defend that lane, it opens up, you go in and land on a specific one of the five platforms at generators (always different from previous ones), rinse repeat for all five lanes.

Make it more believable by slapping in some Lionguard and Seraph (to explain Logan’s sudden appearance at the end) or something to assist the Biconics/replace the players. But the idea being that you constantly move to the place most heavily attacked. Not too dissimilar to the Disturbance in Brisban Wildlands instance but five lanes instead of two.

The only truly hard to convert part would be Cutthroat Politics and the voting.

There was a reply not to long ago to this on here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/lwd/Living-World-Season-1-and-Pre-Season-Idea/first#post5933926

From what I can see of S1 becoming replayable it would definitely be a personal story type thing with your own instances. No doubt it would have to be worked on from the ground up and some things may be different and/or left out. Obviously the events such as Scarlet’s minions invading random places with the portals wouldn’t happen due to those originally being in open world but I still believe the larger events such as Tower of Nightmares itself could be a story progression type thing. Needless to say I’d love to replay S1 even if it is a watered down version.

I’d presume the obvious addition of this sort of thing, would be the way it was done in Guild Wars 1 with tombs like Gwen’s Story, you could play as Scarlet or you could choose your own character.

I just wanted Marionette back. Maybe a new map with a world boss that isn’t Marionette but has the same mechanics with some updated tech?

With the announcement of “New Fractals” being made, my guess is it will involve some of the Season 1 stuff people missed out on. I’m definately thinking something Watchwork related. Either that or a “Super Adventure Box Fractal level.. lol”

They could bring back S1 quite easily. Sure it would be a bit messy but its perfectly doable.

And they could use the mega server to do it. Anyone who has unlocked/gained access to S1 should be able to activate said events on a new underpopulated map. Open a LFG and start inviting players into the S1 map, just like we currently do for SW/meta maps to gain a higher success rate. Rewards should be the same as they were in S1 for completing an invasion map, with an added currency to buy S1 Vendor items that are now locked behind the Laurel Vendor.

S1 could have its own control board, you click a button to spawn yourself into a new map and the events start up. It could be 1 or 2, or even 3 phases to get the story/dynamic content going (such as the portals, maybe they spawn for 3 rounds, then the map completes and closes…ect)

same with Marionette and the before ruined LA.

There is no logical reason they cannot do this. The code for S1 is still around. They just need to build an interface to allow players to access the content on special spawned maps.

And this takes it away from the Personal Story idea and puts it back into a giant, 300man, global map. the way it was first experienced, the same way it should still be experienced.

that is how this could work.