PoF versus HoT?
I’M with you my friend. I hope its more like it was at launch. I hated HOT.
Personally I hope the maps are more like core and a lot less like HoT. I’d prefer maps that are not dense in annoying trash mobs (at least Anet toned that down a bit in the HoT revamp, but pocket raptors, blah), and are not in my opinion, map wide jump puzzles. However, they mentioned the word puzzle several times during the announcement especially when discussing the use of mounts so I’m a bit concerned that full map exploration will be more like HoT. Many people stated they really like the Hot style maps. So maybe PoF maps will be a bit of a compromise and a hybrid of HoT and core. I’ll wait until the open beta to have a look before I consider purchasing.
The Burninator
(edited by JustTrogdor.7892)
I highly doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for in any deliberate fashion. Aside from towns being bigger (as a by product of map size increases), most of the interesting content is hinting at group comp rather then pug coalescence.
Also….. what game are you remembering? Core Tyria was always chaos, and most of the events are Group oriented….. we just figured out how to cheese them.
Nothing can be worse than hots. Overly complicated maps, overpowered mobs,a constant hustle to rush from event to event and getting frustrated when it is on a different floor and you dont know how to get there,to few maps and meta events based on map wide teamwork. All these maps are gonna die and people wont be able to get tier 5 in verdant brink anymore to have a chance at bladed armor chest piece. Also all map besides auric basin where boring
That’s pretty much my whole thing with PoF and the reason I won’t pre-purchase. Does it stand on the shoulders of GW2 and extend it or does it take us down the path of Dry Top and HoT. I won’t buy PoF if platforming and puzzles are required to advance the core game.
Edit: Yes, JustTrogdor, forgot to mention I’ll be looking for the absence of densely packed, annoying mobs as well in making my purchasing decision.
(edited by Raine.1394)
That’s pretty much my whole thing with PoF and the reason I won’t pre-purchase. Does it stand on the shoulders of GW2 and extend it or does it take us down the path of Dry Top and HoT. I won’t buy PoF if platforming and puzzles are required to advance the core game.
Edit: Yes, JustTrogdor, forgot to mention I’ll be looking for the absence of densely packed, annoying mobs as well in making my purchasing decision.
Yes, let’s just hand players everything on a silver platter without effort, what an awesome game design idea. Let’s make open world open plain without any challenge, that seems a great idea.
Dude, a game without difficulty and challenge is not a game, that’s called an interactable tour/visual novel.
Some must fight so that all may be free.
Well, no one knows. However, my guess is neither. Most living story maps were kind of a blend between the two. In addition, we are going to a desert like area. Therefore, I can’t see the landscape being too stacked. I want to see the maps more flat because I know a lot of players enjoy that. I also want there to be some stacking because I know a lot of players, including myself, like that as well. I am guessing and hoping it is a blend. If you ever saw leaks of the maps, they are huge and cover a lot of distance. My guess is that each map will have a lot of flat areas for people who like that, along with stacked areas, maybe like pyramids, for those who like stacked maps as well, all in the same map just since the maps are sooo huge.
Lägertha Lothbrök: PvE Mesmer
Schrödingers Clone: PvP Mesmer
Schrödingers Clone: PvP Mesmer
Get used to the new direction.
.. and join me on occasion wondering though the core game. Great memories, Great plan, unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it.
That’s pretty much my whole thing with PoF and the reason I won’t pre-purchase. Does it stand on the shoulders of GW2 and extend it or does it take us down the path of Dry Top and HoT. I won’t buy PoF if platforming and puzzles are required to advance the core game.
Edit: Yes, JustTrogdor, forgot to mention I’ll be looking for the absence of densely packed, annoying mobs as well in making my purchasing decision.
Yes, let’s just hand players everything on a silver platter without effort, what an awesome game design idea. Let’s make open world open plain without any challenge, that seems a great idea.
Dude, a game without difficulty and challenge is not a game, that’s called an interactable tour/visual novel.
Better yet, let’s just make up imaginary straw men to argue against so we don’t have to pay attention to what other players actually say. Not intellectually lazy nor creepy at all.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, it is indeed possible for players to dislike the designs of Dry Top and Heart of Thorns while still desiring content that’s challenging and entertaining.
Whether Path of Fire will offer that or not remains an open question, but the answer to that question will never come to those unwilling to ask questions at all.
“Not the same, real and true. True you feel inside.
Always follow what is true.” — Sentry-skritt Bordekka
Always follow what is true.” — Sentry-skritt Bordekka
That’s pretty much my whole thing with PoF and the reason I won’t pre-purchase. Does it stand on the shoulders of GW2 and extend it or does it take us down the path of Dry Top and HoT. I won’t buy PoF if platforming and puzzles are required to advance the core game.
Edit: Yes, JustTrogdor, forgot to mention I’ll be looking for the absence of densely packed, annoying mobs as well in making my purchasing decision.
Yes, let’s just hand players everything on a silver platter without effort, what an awesome game design idea. Let’s make open world open plain without any challenge, that seems a great idea.
Dude, a game without difficulty and challenge is not a game, that’s called an interactable tour/visual novel.
Better yet, let’s just make up imaginary straw men to argue against so we don’t have to pay attention to what other players actually say. Not intellectually lazy nor creepy at all.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, it is indeed possible for players to dislike the designs of Dry Top and Heart of Thorns while still desiring content that’s challenging and entertaining.
Whether Path of Fire will offer that or not remains an open question, but the answer to that question will never come to those unwilling to ask questions at all.
Oh, really now? He’s arguing against difficult mobs and platforming, which are literally the only two aspect that makes open world challenging. Without them, imagine on your way to this epic journey, stands nothing but flat plain and mobs that pose no real threat to you. It’s so awesome and epic.
If Anet did not make the open world of PoF at least as challenging as HoT, it will kitten me off. Not mentioning HoT wasn’t even that hard in the first place. And from the footage of the demo, im glad that’s not the case.
Some must fight so that all may be free.
Personally I hope the maps are more like core and a lot less like HoT. I’d prefer maps that are not dense in annoying trash mobs (at least Anet toned that down a bit in the HoT revamp, but pocket raptors, blah), and are not in my opinion, map wide jump puzzles. However, they mentioned the word puzzle several times during the announcement especially when discussing the use of mounts so I’m a bit concerned that full map exploration will be more like HoT. Many people stated they really like the Hot style maps. So maybe PoF maps will be a bit of a compromise and a hybrid of HoT and core. I’ll wait until the open beta to have a look before I consider purchasing.
“Annoying Trash mobs”
So you reather want blant and weak trash mobs like vanilla did alright. I prefer enemies with atleast some sort of variety.
“map wide jump puzzles”
Alright let’s have another flat and boring maps again like Lake Doric, Vanilla etc.
HoT atleast gave some variety and I wish people would atleast try instead of blaming Anet like they usually do.
I hope like core GW2. HoT had MAJOR problems, some of which still haven’t been corrected.
In particular, the maps (Tangled Depths in particular) are horrible to navigate. There needs to be an accurate way of knowing where you are, vertically. As it is, it is unacceptable.
The strength and overlap of mobs was way too high in HoT zones. They’ve toned it down a little, and even more so in Season 3 zones.
Gating has to make sense. To gate simply to slow down players is disgusting, and should never have happened.
I just don’t want PoF maps full of annoying mobs like HoT maps have…
I hope like core GW2. HoT had MAJOR problems, some of which still haven’t been corrected.
In particular, the maps (Tangled Depths in particular) are horrible to navigate. There needs to be an accurate way of knowing where you are, vertically. As it is, it is unacceptable.
The strength and overlap of mobs was way too high in HoT zones. They’ve toned it down a little, and even more so in Season 3 zones.
Gating has to make sense. To gate simply to slow down players is disgusting, and should never have happened.
Yet those were among the most requested things leading up to the expansion, as part of a list of reasons vanilla GW2 became “too boring” and “lacked replay value”. The remaining player base wanted more challenge, but didn’t know how to accomplish it within the game’s framework at the time. All we knew was HP/Damage scaling wasn’t working, as evidenced in fractals.
In fact, a lot of things that drove HOT’s design is based on what people liked or didn’t like from Fractal level design. More focused encounters, more variation in mob skills, enemy team compositions, a desire to see CC skills being more impactful to game play, environmental hazards, bundle tools that actually assist/help players during events, a better use of space, less dead zones, coherent map design, and fights that don’t simply boil down to standing there and spamming 1.
In fact, a lot of things that drove HOT’s design is based on what people liked or didn’t like from Fractal level design. More focused encounters, more variation in mob skills, enemy team compositions, a desire to see CC skills being more impactful to game play, environmental hazards, bundle tools that actually assist/help players during events, a better use of space, less dead zones, coherent map design, and fights that don’t simply boil down to standing there and spamming 1.
While most of what you’ve said is correct, they overdid it (and later admitted their mistakes and corrected some of the worst ones).
But, “coherent map design” never occurred. The verticality isn’t the problem. The problem is that navigation of those verticality areas is very bad. VERY bad.
Now, they tried one thing to correct this: adding the up/down blue/green arrows. This was a great start, but not a complete fix. You can still stand in places in Tangled Depths or Draconis Mons, where you are exactly at the North/East/South/West location of a target — but you still can’t find it, because it’s above or below you, and there’s no way to get there from where you are.
I mean, seriously, find Kodama if you’ve never been there. Even with a picture of the map, you can’t get there without knowing how. Why isn’t his/her level a level? S/he is almost underneath the waypoint, but you would never know that without researching it on the Internet. And, even then, you need a video of someone else finding it to succeed, because s/he is not “just” underneath; s/he is two “levels” underneath. Except, they aren’t levels; they’re just … I’m not sure what to call them.
Make them levels of their own. Does it really cost that much to draw two more maps?
Maybe it really does cost too much. If so, why not show the green pathing arrows you get when you’re in a town for one of the core storyline missions?
Or, even show a phantom (see-through) image, along with multi-level arrows showing up or down. (Multi-level arrowing means some way of telling how FAR up or down you need to go. Like is currently done for POIs and waypoints and their up/down arrows.)