Guild Wars 2

Every Wintersday something is not working with this game. This year, it seems that almost every time I try and join, it sticks me in a game that is almost finished, and then we have to sit around for 3-4 minutes before the thing reloads (and even then, it often just kicks you back out). I just spent 10 minutes trying to get into one, and finally just quit in disgust.

Also, you used to be able to join games that were moving along at the end of a song, but that seems to be no longer the case, and the same with Toypocalypse insofar as you never come into one more than a couple of minutes old, and nobody can join an undermanned group after a couple of minutes either. My wife has the same issues as I also, so it isn’t lag, machine quirks, etc.

This is most annoying, and if the goal here is to have fun, then getting to ACTUALLY PLAY THE EVENTS WITHOUT NEEDLESS HASSLES would help a lot..

And spare me the fanboi “it works fine for me” stuff; point is, it needs to work for everyone, all the time. Of course, they could always break down and put in some new content, too.

It works the same as it’s always done. All three years, I sometimes end up in an instance that is on “free play” and I’ve never been in an instance where I could join a song mid-way.

What changed this year is that people are more avidly farming for Wintersday Gifts, since a lot of folks decided that’s a good way to farm drinks (whether it is or not is a different topic). Consequently, this year Choir Bells instances are more consistently populated, whereas in previous years they tended to be empty outside of near reset (and then only on days when it was a daily).

tl;dr you are probably having more trouble than you expected, but it’s not due to ANet changing the mechanics.

I enjoy Bell Choir, but these events really need to be redesigned as it is clear they are outdated and do not fit well in the game right now; one example being parties being unable to join toypaclypse because of changes to the game since, and it’s always the same excuse. Every Year. While the game is still being changed. Meaning it can only get worse. This is basically like when I refuse to clean up my room.

The again, I have no idea why these things are even based on a pvp platform, but what do I know?

Yeah I used to be able to join in between songs but it doesn’t let me anymore. Waiting around till the entire game finishes simply isn’t fun.

Yah. Poor design. I’m zoning in and out repeatedly trying to get in to one. It seems like each one I get in is on the last song. Maybe it should stop accepting people once it begins and make new instances instead.

Odd, it lets me join in-between songs. Just yesterday I started with the last two five-present (Hard) songs, then did another round starting at the beginning.

To add insult to injury my friend was able to get into a new instance where there were no other people for 3 rounds. I tried to Join and kept getting stuffed into other instances that were either full or had no songs left.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

It works the same as it’s always done. All three years, I sometimes end up in an instance that is on “free play” and I’ve never been in an instance where I could join a song mid-way.

What changed this year is that people are more avidly farming for Wintersday Gifts, since a lot of folks decided that’s a good way to farm drinks (whether it is or not is a different topic). Consequently, this year Choir Bells instances are more consistently populated, whereas in previous years they tended to be empty outside of near reset (and then only on days when it was a daily).

tl;dr you are probably having more trouble than you expected, but it’s not due to ANet changing the mechanics.

All of this

Doggie.3184:

Yeah I used to be able to join in between songs but it doesn’t let me anymore. Waiting around till the entire game finishes simply isn’t fun.

You can join in between songs. I did it today.

The only time you can’t join in between songs is if all the places are already filled.