Guild Wars 2

Hello all! I would like to share another form of insight of the NPE from the perspective of a ‘newer’ player who has been around from before the NPE.

My fiance and I bought the game about a year ago. At first, we both really loved the game. Exploration was/still is a blast, the lore was waaaayyy ahead of any other MMO, the classes were innovative, and gameplay is stellar. We played for a few days but ran into some problems that were very overwhelming. I’ve played MMO’s for roughly 11 years, however the downed state was new. I’d never encountered something like this in MMO’s and I was very clueless on how to react. This coupled with the fact that I was given a ton of freedom slightly overwhelmed me and made me think twice about playing.

My fiance on the other hand is what ANet caters more to: a casual player who has never played a MMO in his life. His kind of games are the old PlayStation Spyro and racing games. I had to beg him to even try a fantasy game. Needless to say, the freedom, downed state, inventory system, lack of a real quest system (one of my favorite parts of GW2), underwater mechanics, lack of guidance, the fact that he didn’t know how to get passed lv9, AND the Halloween Event that just so happened to be running when we started scared him away very quickly.

We both decided to stop playing the game as school was also happening at the time. I picked up the game again in late May and its been the best decision of my life ever since. My fiance did not. I learned how to play the game. I learned how to use my traits, I learned how not to have a panic attack in the downed state and rally, I learned that this game is SO. MUCH. BETTER when you have a community to play with (Guild Wars 2).

Just this weekend, I finally talked my fiance into playing again as now he would have an entire guild backing his adventures. Thanks to the NPE guiding him along and telling him how to dodge, manage his inventory by selling things, guiding him on the downed state, giving him hints as to where to go, and pretty much making this game less of a sandbox, he had a much better time playing. Its not so much of a chore to learn the game now!

I would like to thank Arena Net to really catering to the casual player who may not be as seasoned in MMOs like the rest of us. Those are the kind of players who really appreciate the NPE. Keep doing what you’re doing

Huh. how about that.

And here I thought “entertaining cows” was the silliest thin- ahem.

I guess the NPE is kind of an adapter for people who come from different mmo playstyles and non-mmo backgrounds to get acclimated to the game without being choked on gallons of lore and new and what-is-this.

Glad it helped you guys. some of us who had gone through it already were pretty ticked off to find portions of it removed, but if it works; it works.
I’d rather new blood than old lore.

Simple question. Did he play on his old char, or did he create a new one? I’m asking because the most problematic part of the whole NPE is the trait change from the previous feature pack. If he made his character before that was introduced, or didn’t get to the levels where traits start to get important, then he really didn’t experience that problem yet.

Astralporing.1957:

Simple question. Did he play on his old char, or did he create a new one? I’m asking because the most problematic part of the whole NPE is the trait change from the previous feature pack. If he made his character before that was introduced, or didn’t get to the levels where traits start to get important, then he really didn’t experience that problem yet.

Neither of us got to the point to earn trait points or skill points when we quit the first time. By the time I started playing again without my fiance, the trait revamp had already happened so it didn’t affect either one of us in the slightest luckily. I have heard that the trait system kinda put a lot of veterans in a weird position, and I would like to hear more about that.

Orpheal.8263:

Angry, unimportant snip

I’m sorry that you are so angry that ANet is sticking to their business model of catering to players who may have never had to deal with general MMO settings, but that is more of a you problem than theirs. Every casual player that I’ve talked to that started after the NPE was introduced has had no problems with the NPE. Every player that is still low leveled that I’ve talked to after the NPE had only one complaint within the first few days; there was a very sudden jolt of pace in gameplay. None of the newer players that I have talked to have complained about the game being too easy. None of them are offended that ANet is teaching newer players how to dodge.

Quite frankly, I don’t think GW2 is for the players who say that a little help in gameplay is ‘brain dead’. Your angry rant will go on deaf ears because the NPE isn’t for you. It doesn’t need to help you, nor does it owe you anything. The NPE is for the people who actually have a life outside of gaming and play the MMO because (surprise, surprise) they just want to have fun for a couple of hours. Because they only want to spend a few hours gaming, they are not going to have the skill that we veteran MMO players have. Does this mean they shouldn’t play a game that was basically made for them? Absolutely not.

TL;DR – Your veteran opinion of a system that helps casual players is irrelevant.

Yes, but you’re saying he is learning about his traits now. Is he playing on a new character or one he created back then? If it is newly created, it has a whole different system than one he created prior to April of this year.

I’m not sure that anyone’s complained all that much about there being more hints/guides, and an arrow pointing you around.

Well, some have. But those are definitely not the worst aspects of the NPE.

Noah.9654:

Neither of us got to the point to earn trait points or skill points when we quit the first time. By the time I started playing again without my fiance, the trait revamp had already happened so it didn’t affect either one of us in the slightest luckily. I have heard that the trait system kinda put a lot of veterans in a weird position, and I would like to hear more about that.

If your character was created before the new trait system, it is “grandfathered in.” Meaning you don’t have to go around and individually unlock the traits by completing specific events or doing zones. All the original traits are unlocked on your character, available to be used as soon as you get to a high enough level to use them.

Orpheal.8263:

As if finding out how to dodge would have been before the NPC so freaking hard.

I took a friend who plays nearly half a year GW2 and has one 80 char to the “dodge-chest” and she asked “what key do I have to press to dodge?”

Before this, there was no real “visible” need for her to dodge. So I think yes, this part of the NPE is a good thing.

Greetings.

Noah.9654:

Astralporing.1957:

Simple question. Did he play on his old char, or did he create a new one? I’m asking because the most problematic part of the whole NPE is the trait change from the previous feature pack. If he made his character before that was introduced, or didn’t get to the levels where traits start to get important, then he really didn’t experience that problem yet.

Neither of us got to the point to earn trait points or skill points when we quit the first time. By the time I started playing again without my fiance, the trait revamp had already happened so it didn’t affect either one of us in the slightest luckily. I have heard that the trait system kinda put a lot of veterans in a weird position, and I would like to hear more about that.

Orpheal.8263:

Angry, unimportant snip

I’m sorry that you are so angry that ANet is sticking to their business model of catering to players who may have never had to deal with general MMO settings, but that is more of a you problem than theirs. Every casual player that I’ve talked to that started after the NPE was introduced has had no problems with the NPE. Every player that is still low leveled that I’ve talked to after the NPE had only one complaint within the first few days; there was a very sudden jolt of pace in gameplay. None of the newer players that I have talked to have complained about the game being too easy. None of them are offended that ANet is teaching newer players how to dodge.

Quite frankly, I don’t think GW2 is for the players who say that a little help in gameplay is ‘brain dead’. Your angry rant will go on deaf ears because the NPE isn’t for you. It doesn’t need to help you, nor does it owe you anything. The NPE is for the people who actually have a life outside of gaming and play the MMO because (surprise, surprise) they just want to have fun for a couple of hours. Because they only want to spend a few hours gaming, they are not going to have the skill that we veteran MMO players have. Does this mean they shouldn’t play a game that was basically made for them? Absolutely not.

TL;DR – Your veteran opinion of a system that helps casual players is irrelevant.

Actually it’s not irrelevant. IF there was a toggle so that veteran players could go back to the old experience that wasn’t watered down then it would be irrelevant. There isn’t though, so it’s totally understandable that people who have a firm grasp of the game mechanics would find going to this new leveling experience tedious and uninspired.

Guhracie.3419:

Yes, but you’re saying he is learning about his traits now. Is he playing on a new character or one he created back then? If it is newly created, it has a whole different system than one he created prior to April of this year.

Sorry I didn’t make that clear. He is still using the same character back then as he is now. I however, deleted my character and started a new one when I started again in May.

Orpheal.8263:

As if finding out how to dodge would have been before the NPC so freaking hard.
As if finding out how to manage your own inventory would be so freaking hard, especially how you sell something, wow, must have been really rocket science before the NPE oO
Panic Attacks from being in the downed state, rofl.
As if it would be so freaking hard to learn how this mechanic works just by doing AND READING, what the skills do, instead of wildly smashing just the buttons like crazy in hope that they miraculously make you stand up again out of a sudden…

Seriously ..any person which had real troubles of learning this game before of the NPE should rather go play games like Tetris or so, because thats the the same niveau how this game felt being dumbed down to in many cases after the release.

This! So much this!

I am not sure why the intent is to dumb this game down to a level where my cat could play it. What’s with game companies these days trying to attract non-gamers. As if these people would stick around. All it accomplishes is that dedicated gamers leave and go elsewhere. After two years of playing my entire friends list is greyed out because none of them plays anymore. I log in once a month to patch the game. Good job, NPE!

Ulalume.9584:

Orpheal.8263:

As if finding out how to dodge would have been before the NPC so freaking hard.
As if finding out how to manage your own inventory would be so freaking hard, especially how you sell something, wow, must have been really rocket science before the NPE oO
Panic Attacks from being in the downed state, rofl.
As if it would be so freaking hard to learn how this mechanic works just by doing AND READING, what the skills do, instead of wildly smashing just the buttons like crazy in hope that they miraculously make you stand up again out of a sudden…

Seriously ..any person which had real troubles of learning this game before of the NPE should rather go play games like Tetris or so, because thats the the same niveau how this game felt being dumbed down to in many cases after the release.

This! So much this!

I am not sure why the intent is to dumb this game down to a level where my cat could play it. What’s with game companies these days trying to attract non-gamers. As if these people would stick around. All it accomplishes is that dedicated gamers leave and go elsewhere. After two years of playing my entire friends list is greyed out because none of them plays anymore. I log in once a month to patch the game. Good job, NPE!

Many of those new casual players are also more likely to buy gems out of convenience and habits they formed from other casual games.

well i figured NPE might be better for a few players, the thing is, i think they may gain your BF, but lose some one else.

Numbers will tell the tale.

regardless, the npe now, isnt that bad (at low levels), though i find it less entertaining and more boring. but overall i find the road to 80 to be kind of cumbersome now, and doing it on multi charachters even more annoying.

I’ve heard good stories about the changes, and I’ve read some nightmarish experiences as well. Not everything suits everybody.

As a veteran sometimes I hate the changes, sometimes I love them. Honestly, sometimes I come across one and ask myself “Are people really this stupid?” I know it’s mean, but the honest answer is yes. I’m not referring to people that just aren’t used to certain systems, or have never played an mmo before. There are a lot of those people that figured it out among us veterans, but there do exist those that really, honestly couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag without having their hands held. It’s sad, but it is very true that many businesses have to plan for, and accommodate, the least common denominator among their customers. That’s where some of these changes come into play. (Makes you concerned for survival of our race doesn’kitten Those people breed)

Anyway, my overall view of the leveling changes is that it isn’t too bad. There are a few things I dislike (like the removal of bundles from starter zones, leveling rewards you can’t salvage or sell, etc), but overall not bad. It doesn’t hinder me in any way and I have several post trait change characters.

I decided to do some key runs and took every species up to lvl 10 at least once. No where did I see anything that made me say that this is dumb. Frankly running around a farmyard feeding cows would only have gotten the farmer drinks bought for a lifetime for the laughter the story would provoke. That is to say nothing that I saw was any sillier/dumber than what it was before. Several things on the other hand are clearer so a win for the game in my opinion.

ketchup.2783:

If young children can play and learn minecraft without one single instruction within the game, itself, how is guild wars just as hard to learn?

its not really about age, kids are smart, its just some people who when they cant figure something out completely and instantly, recoil from it. However there also people who when something looks too simple and easy lose interest.

They are more concerned with the first group, at this time. If they do tests and determine people are bored 5 months from now, they will try again. Such is the way when you choose trial and error as your main method of solving problems

ketchup.2783:

If young children can play and learn minecraft without one single instruction within the game, itself, how is guild wars just as hard to learn?

Are you implying that all young children play minecraft effectively without instruction? That is highly unlikely. You will be hard pressed to find a situation where all demographics learn and succeed at the same rate. Games are designed to teach players what to do in various ways but they are all conscious decisions. Whether it is through trial and error, tutorials, gating, etc. there are some people who will excel at learning in some ways and not others. Guild Wars 2 players are no different. If you don’t accept that as reality, then yeah, calling Anet silly for thinking it takes more brain power to learn Guild Wars 2 than a child needs to play minecraft makes total sense.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

…
Anyway, my overall view of the leveling changes is that it isn’t too bad. There are a few things I dislike (like the removal of bundles from starter zones,
…

This is my pet peeve with the NPE (most of it doesn’t effect me since I only have pre-April 15 level 80’s). They didn’t need to remove bundles from the game play in the starter zones. The only thing that may have been needed was an explanation of how to exit and get the weapons skills back. It could have been a pop up the first time a character used a bundled object that read something like : “This object has special skills that have replaced your normal weapon skills. To regain your weapon skills, swap weapons by hitting the ~ key or clicking the Swap Button (with a picture of the button).” Instead they removed bundled game play but did not remove all bundle objects.

For example in Metrica Province you can no longer play golem chess toward earning one of the hearts. OK fine, but they left the chess board and golems and the controls for it are still click-able. If a new player sees that it is click-able they may try it and be confused when it doesn’t do anything.

The same thing with feeding the baby bears in Wayfarer Foothills. You can no longer do that activity but you can pick up the fish and when you do it’s confusing because you can’t do anything with it. In both these instances they need to make them un-click-able or remove the objects totally from the game. As is they are more confusing than before.

The worst I’ve come across was last night in Plains of Ashford. The heart instruction says you can fire canons toward completing the heart. But if you click on the pile of canon balls you can’t do anything with them. If you click on the canons you can’t do anything with them. I watched as some poor sucker ran between the 3 canons trying to fire them, then run over to the canon balls and tried to pick them up and back to the canons. If Anet was going to remove that bundle from the game then they should have made the canons and canon balls un-clickable and definitely removed the instructions from the heart description. The only thing you can do for that heart is wait around for some skritt to spawn so you can kill them. I pitied the poor noob characters because my level 80 guardian could kill a whole group of the skritt with one swing of #2 skill on his hammer. They didn’t get much chance to get any hits in until I left.

P.S. And what did postponing encountering bundles accomplish? Nothing since Anet didn’t add any explanation or tutorial for them, that I know of. If someone was going to be confused by them in a starter zone they are going to be just as confused when encountering them in the next higher zone.

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

1) You and your fiancé played for a short time and quit.
2) You tried playing the game again (before the NPE) and got heavily invested in it.
3) You persuaded your fiancé to play the game again and he stuck it out because of you and your guild.
4) Hurrah for the NPE!

Wait, what does the NPE have to do with this? You fell in love with the old experience, and your fiancé is playing because you are. To be an NPE success story, there needs to be some connection between the NPE and new player retention. Yet it wasn’t the locked downed state that kept you playing, because you did that before it was locked. As for inventory management, is it the NPE that fixed the problem for your fiancé, or you and your guild? I think if you look at the actual changes, you’ll find it is the latter. Quite frankly, this sounds like a success for the old experience.

Noah.9654:

Guhracie.3419:

Yes, but you’re saying he is learning about his traits now. Is he playing on a new character or one he created back then? If it is newly created, it has a whole different system than one he created prior to April of this year.

Sorry I didn’t make that clear. He is still using the same character back then as he is now. I however, deleted my character and started a new one when I started again in May.

Then he is still using the old (better) trait system. Only the characters made after the new one was introduced use it – the old chars needed to unlock only number xiii traits.

And unlocking those traits on a new character is not fun.

I just had a try of Archeage and apart from it looking absolutely awful visually, what put me off it is was how little was explained to new players. Bear in mind that this was AFTER I have played and completed 14 characters on GW2.

GW2 was my first MMO’RPG’ and apart from not knowing that I could select my own traits in the (as was) 10,20,30 point trait boxes, everything else I needed to know was either obvious, or answered with a map chat query.

As a total RPG noob, and someone with Aspergers meaning I pick up new skills at a slower pace than many, I never found GW2 intimidating or confusing to the point that I wanted to quit.

I feel the NPE was totally unnecessary and is simply pandering to the Chinese market for carrot-on-a-stick progression play. It isn’t as bad as many say it is, but it shows perfectly how the EU/US player base are now very much second-class citizens to the Chinese in the minds of Anet.

As for the AprilMegaFailPatch, that was pretty much the same pandering kitten, and has really drained a lot of life and interest from the game.