Guild Wars 2

Hi everyone. I wanted to extend the invitation to add questions to our list for the upcoming AMA with Chris Whiteside on Monday. We’ve got a few days to prepare for it this time around, so we’re looking at having a larger list this time around.

Feel free to add your questions here, send me a PM, or just add it directly to the thread on Reddit if you feel like it. Oh, and please reference the thread when submitting questions so you know the kinds of things we don’t want to see!

Link for the Reddit thread

Link for the Google Docs Version

Thanks for contributing!
-LoreChief

EDIT: I’ve finalized the edits and additions to the original reddit thread. I’ve also created a google docs version with the same questions on it. Thank you everyone for your support – I’ll make sure this finds its way to ANet as well as the AMA on Monday. Again, thanks everyone

-LoreChief

The question I want to ask is:
What is the current state of the guesting service, and should we expect to see it implemented any time in the near future?

One thing about the wardrobe/transmutation thing:
Fine Transmutation Stones are required to transmute level 80 gear (which are really rare and generally a pay-for item). If we’ve already used this to transmute the look of gear to an exotic… What happens when Ascended armor comes out?

Also, I’d recommend asking about weapons:
Will there be any additional weapon types added? (Which would thus introduce new weapon skills.)

What other ways will we be able to get ascended gear and will they require just as much grind as the current ascended items?

As a follow up question: what are the chances of lessening the grind on everything across the board?

Can we get a direct and unambiguous response about the direction this game is going to take with regards to vertical progression and grind (especially grinders being statistically more powerful than other players), gated content, gear checks, and if the gem store is going to tie into ascended gear somehow? I know ANet doesn’t like to talk about things that are still cooking but it can’t really be denied that there has been an incredible paradigm shift from what many of us expected and clarity on this issue is important.

My question: will there ever be an actual dungeon finder/looking for dungeon feature in this game? (Follow up: will that feature include cool things like incentives <aka - daily quests>, porting people right to the instances, replacing people who drop group <including a small bonus for people successfully replacing the droppers> and other information you may have about it?)

Will anything be done about making the crafting professions worth while again after the introduction of ascended gear?

Will ascended armour still be able to slot runes in it? A lot of interesting PvE builds rely on ruins and they will be killed if ascended armour pieces have the same ‘inbuilt upgrades’ as the accessories. Due to the higher stats of ascended people will just go to the builds that work without runes especially in dungeons where they are needed.

Similarly if ascended armour doesn’t allow upgrades what will be done about runes/crests/orbs as for the most part they will be useless?

Was the november update designed to lessen server loads in the future?

Another question I want to ask:
What are they doing to make sure that the types of bugs we saw during the November event don’t happen with the future one-time events?

Minos.5168:

One thing about the wardrobe/transmutation thing:
Fine Transmutation Stones are required to transmute level 80 gear (which are really rare and generally a pay-for item). If we’ve already used this to transmute the look of gear to an exotic… What happens when Ascended armor comes out?
…

It has been done, and passed, are you skirting around the topic of wanting refunds for your Fine Transmutation Stones, bearing in mind the fact their revenue model is based on these transactions instead of a flat subscription?

Okay I’ve updated the thread with the questions you guys have provided so far! Please don’t use this as a way to tar/feather the company though~

Link for those who missed it: http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/13lio6/prepare_for_the_chris_whiteside_ama_here/

Keep asking questions. I’ll keep writing them down!

ProphetSword.5427:

Another question I want to ask:
What are they doing to make sure that the types of bugs we saw during the November event don’t happen with the future one-time events?

Improving code and database stability based on the data gathered in the pilot event, then using that same data to model/simulate future events more accurately? Seriously man – do you want the change committee’s minutes/review their diagrams and code?

Hello Chris. Thank you very much for conducting an AMA. We’re very excited to hear from you!

I would be honored if you could please answer some of my questions:

o 1) Can we expect to see more on the Tengu in the future?
o 2) What did Koss write about himself in his autobiography? (“Koss on Koss” backpiece)
o 3) Is Karka meat edible?

Thank you!

Q……Anet lied, or at the very best totally misled its customers…does Anet plan on continuing down this path of deceit, or can we expect some integrity from Anet in the future ?

Do you still adhere to your manifesto of default max stat items being easy to obtain?
If so how do you reconcile this with the long grind to obtain current ascended items?

When will other ascended items be made available?
Will specific world vs world ascended items be made available?

What are your plans to attract players to keep playing other explorable mode dungeons apart from fractals of the mist given the rewards from fractals will see players giving preference to playing it over other dungeons?

Since the event Southsun Cove doesn’t have much to attract lvl 80 players from Fractals or Orr, will you be adding more dynamic events to Southsun Cove?

You have created a beautiful world and its a shame to have lvl 80 players shut off by playing fractals. Do you want lvl 80 players to keep playing open world dynamic events as an alternative to fractals?
If so how do plan to keep genuine lvl 80 players doing dynamic events?
Can you see yourselves relaxing the anti DE farming mechanisms to allow players to get equal rewards to fractals?

What are your future plans to improve staff and scepter elementalists?

Given that Oceanic players were unable to participate in the Lost Shores finale, is Arenanet planning to allow us to join in future “one-time-only” events?

Why the reversal of the game outlined in your manifesto?

1. FotM & Ascended Gear: Will future content be a similar grind or was this just and “accident” and you are going to keep the token system that is used in the other dungeons?
2. This is a simple yes or no question: Will there ever be gear that is better than ascended gear is now?
3. Will there be Infusions with better stats?

Any plans to have some sort of open group option in WvWvW where you can open your party and random people entering WvWvW can open a window and just join one that has been opened? Maybe only let commanders do it? Will help clear up map chat for tactics and encourage team work for people new to WvWvW.

Galen.9042:

Given that Oceanic players were unable to participate in the Lost Shores finale, is Arenanet planning to allow us to join in future “one-time-only” events?

Sorry – I was under the impression that were were able to participate (I am Oceanic based also) however we just needed to identify which was of greater importance to us – sleeping and working, or taking some time off to play the game.

Sounds like sleeping and working was your decision, shame it is so hard to accept the decision you made.

thisolderhead.5127:

Robbyx.1284:

Q……Anet lied, or at the very best totally misled its customers…does Anet plan on continuing down this path of deceit, or can we expect some integrity from Anet in the future ?

Oh this is especially adorable – you tried to load your question, so cute – almost like a real trap…

What do you expect – a public and streamed confession of deceipt followed up by a ritual sword dive, or for them to just ignore your asanine and unproductive question?

No, how about one of them justs mans up and says “we know what we said in the manifesto, and how we marketed the game…but that was untenable and we couldn’t see much future in it…sorry guys but this is the new direction of the game and we hope you stick with us”.

Anything would be better than silence, or more ambiguous PR nonsense.

thisolderhead.5127:

Galen.9042:

Given that Oceanic players were unable to participate in the Lost Shores finale, is Arenanet planning to allow us to join in future “one-time-only” events?

Sorry – I was under the impression that were were able to participate (I am Oceanic based also) however we just needed to identify which was of greater importance to us – sleeping and working, or taking some time off to play the game.

Sounds like sleeping and working was your decision, shame it is so hard to accept the decision you made.

In the interest of fairness, the next one time event with huge rewards should be held on a Monday at 2am PST

This is more a question for anyone here: what is an “AMA”? :/

Anywho, if we can put questions to this guy sure, here are some I’d like answered:
1 – Are there any plans to run any more one time events?
2 – If so are the crew considering running each of them for different timezones? Like, maybe the next one should run for Oceania time so other people (namely the ones who got to participate in the previous one-time event) get to “get the chance to identify what’s important to them” – participation or sleeping/working etc
3 – Can we delete items from the Investigation stages of Lost Shores and Halloween now?
4 – Any plans on making respawn times in WvW only possible once per score calculation to actually have a semblance of requirement for tactics instead of just a steady stream of who has the most people?
5 – Can we expect more tiers of items to “bridge” the gap to legendary or beyond?
6 – Thoughts on open world dungeons (zone for everyone) and adding more mini-ones?
7 – Are there plans for new ascended pieces to randomly drop from overland PvE zones?
8 – How are you reworking the old dungeons to become more attractive to run again? Especially story mode.

In the interest of fairness, the next one time event with huge rewards should be held on a Monday at 2am PST

Equality does not make for equity, and there are other threads out there where the hurt are still hurt, and the reasonable people have lost interest.

AMA = Ask Me Anything

As for my questions:

-Why the sudden 180 on the original vision of Guild Wars 2?
-When are we going to see new town clothing? (Not costumes, but actual clothing. Like the ones the NPCs wear)
-Are lotteries going to be a constant thing?
-Will we be able to dye weapons in the future?
-Will their be more tiers after Ascended and why?
-Will we need multiple Ascended sets for each type of Infusion in the future, or will a swappable method be released?
-What do you have to say to the players who think you pulled a “bait and switch” and have lied/deceived them by going a complete opposite direction of your original vision (the main selling point of Guild Wars 2)?

Thanks SpyderArachnid! It really bugs me when people use abbreviations. Must be getting old…

Joseph Skyrim.2470:

Thanks SpyderArachnid! It really bugs me when people use abbreviations. Must be getting old…

Sadly, I used Google to find the answer cause I had no idea myself. lol

Can we get some servers without ascended stat increase?

Most of my questions have already been noted above. My only preference would be to have any discussion of Ascended gear and the manifesto first be prefaced by an actual reading of the manifesto. I noticed in discussions on the forums the well-defined beliefs and values of the manifesto seem to get swept under the rug all too quickly. I would like the discussion of implications around the manifesto to take place within the context of the manifesto as much as possible.

The one question I would like to ask is how he defines the word “manifesto” and how should a manifesto function in the life of a company.

Aradian.9086:

Can we get some servers without ascended stat increase?

I was waiting for this, lol. We could call them the “Classic” servers in allusion to Coke Classic.

Does ANET believe in their own manifesto anymore? If so why did they introduce a vertical treadmill?

-Will drop rates get increased in PVE. To drop more coin and better loot then trash?
-Will PVE NPC seiege equipment, and AoE skills be looked into. Right now the targeting is off and when I am not in the red circle I still get hit hard like I was?
-Will PVE mobs ever stop going invulnerable for them to wander off to regen full health to turn around and re-attack you?
-Will the laundry list of coin, mats, and karma be reduced for legendaries?
-Will the Relentless snares ever get toned down?
-Will there be other ways to obtain Ascended gear through PVE only?
-If so will it be less grindy?
-Will there be easier ways to get ledgendary components beside the overpriced TP?
-Will dailies award more Karma rewards? Right now a gold medal for an event to succeed is only 378 Karma. That seems a little to much on the low side compaired to all the Karma vendors in game + Gear+Mats+Recipes and the big one Legendaries.
-Will Cultural gear give a Karma Price as well as the coin Price? Right now people that earn gold legitly through the TP, drops, hearts, and event awards only, the Cultural Price’s are a bit on the high side.
-Will waypoint costs be lowered?
-Will it take less of one thing to make another thing in crafting?
-Will there be a lesser grind then there is ever again?
-Will aNet stop telling us lies?(Manifesto)
-Will there be less invisible NPC’s and players when in a large group?
-What is going on with all the botters and Gold Sellers still in game?
-Will there be no more of whoever tags a mob first gets better loots?
For jewelers- and slotting-Will there be more gems to drop from specific nodes?
-Will there ever be more Rare, and Exotic drops?

Its been mooted on the forums that there will be some sort of scavenger hunt for precursor weapons. Is this going to occur and when?

They already have the questions they are going to answer unfortunately.

Q: “Will we have any more amazing events like the latest Karka one in up coming releases?!!!”
A: “Of course we will, more of these genre changing massive events will be coming in the future!!”

Standard junk like that I would imagine ><
I hope they prove me wrong for sure though =D

So many questions to ask and suggestions to suggest in question format!

1) If the Fractals are fragments of history, is it possible that you could implement these one time events into the Fractals?

2) Do you have any current plans on a new game mode for SPvP?

3) Is it possible to add more to the collections tab such as cultural weapons and armor; fragments, cores, and lodestones; and boosters?

4) Should I just junk my rare and exotic backpieces or will they forever be unsalvageable?

5) How did a ship become the ceiling of the Karkas’ nest? Did they lug it there or was the water level just really high at the time?

thisolderhead.5127:

Galen.9042:

Given that Oceanic players were unable to participate in the Lost Shores finale, is Arenanet planning to allow us to join in future “one-time-only” events?

Sorry – I was under the impression that were were able to participate (I am Oceanic based also) however we just needed to identify which was of greater importance to us – sleeping and working, or taking some time off to play the game.

Sounds like sleeping and working was your decision, shame it is so hard to accept the decision you made.

Keep in mind that a lot of Asia/Oceanic players made that decision under the assumption that the reward for attending the one-time event would be something similar to Mad King Thorn’s appearance in LA; you get a special commerative hat that says “I was there!” and doesn’t provide any real benefit. Waking up or coming back from work to find out that you missed out on a 20 slot bag, an extra-powerful level 80 Exotic accessory, and two chances to get a Precursor hurts. A lot.

And just to clarify that I’m not some person angry over missing out, I’m saying this as someone who made the decision to wake up extra early and attend the event too. That doesn’t make it any less unfair for people from our region.

So yes, I would like to echo Galen’s question. “Will ANet look at adjusting their schedules or setups for future one-time events so that players from all timezones have a fair chance to participate?”

LoreChief.8391:

Okay I’ve updated the thread with the questions you guys have provided so far! Please don’t use this as a way to tar/feather the company though~

Link for those who missed it: http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/13lio6/prepare_for_the_chris_whiteside_ama_here/

Keep asking questions. I’ll keep writing them down!

Not sure if this is a good way to make us feel like ALL of our questions will be asked, if we the player feel that Anet needs to be held accountable then you the person submitting our questions should be objective, not subjective.

As fun as FOTM are, the recent update has pretty much broken open world – entire level 80 zones (at least on my server) that used to be full of people and couldn’t go more than a minute without running into another player, and had a lively and vibrant map chat, are all but empty. I assume this is mainly because players are being funneled into FOTM, as it’s the only place to get the new top gear and because it seems to be a better place to farm. What changes are in store to make “old” content relevant again and to spread the server population out so that open world isn’t a dead zone anymore?

On another note, FOTM has also killed the in game community. It is impossible to hold large community conversations anymore in LA because the chat is full of “LFG FOTM”. Is there any plans to address this issue?

I like to explore the world, farm crafting material, and craft… i dont pvp wvw or run dungeons.. I bought the game partly due to the statement that end game gear would be available to everyone regardless of their gaming preferences will this still be the case

Nice write up OP, good job. I commented on your questions and also suggested a few myself; see here.

Two questions.

Firstly, there’s been a lot of complaints about Orr having little challenge other than being an annoyance. There’s been mention of old content being updated as new content is released. What is planned for Orr in the future.

Secondly, after weapon skills are unlocked at low levels, it becomes quite static, and people have mentioned that they feel limited by it. Are there plans to bring even a small level of customization to weapon skills? For instance, perhaps the ability to unlock new variations of existing weapon skills with skill points, or being able to switch a weapon skill out with new skills that are implemented.

If I need to choose between the two, I’ll definitely want the first question answered over the second.

thisolderhead.5127:

In the interest of fairness, the next one time event with huge rewards should be held on a Monday at 2am PST

Equality does not make for equity, and there are other threads out there where the hurt are still hurt, and the reasonable people have lost interest.

From this and other posts I am guessing you vote conservative?

Please feel free to answer in my other thread about how your values translate to the game https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/This-isn-t-about-gear-but-human-nature/first#post830579

Question #1:

Is ascended gear the final tier, forever? Yes or no. Straight answer, please.

Question #2:

Will you keep infusions strictly as a means to combat a specific mechanic, or will you start adding stat bonuses?

Hi,

Thanks for collating the AMA questions it’ll make it a lot easier to see and respond.

If I might suggest a slight re-org of the list to help players and Anet to get the most out of it. Personally I would move all questions regarding Ascended weapons, player progression and stats increases to the top of the list. For a lot of players this is the elephant in the room. Also perhaps create a new category called player progression so as to bring out these questions and give Chris chance to talk about the future of the game.

Anyway, Please consider the questions below for inclusion

•It seems the controversy over the ascended items has unfortunately swamped the news about the new content. Has the community’s reaction surprised you and has the reaction in the community given you pause?

•To many people it seems Arenanet has gone back on it’s no gear. horizontal progression promises.

Specifically they have been quoting Colin Johanson “The rarest items in the game are not more powerful than other items, so you don’t need them to be the best. The rarest items have unique looks to help your character feel that sense of accomplishment, but it’s not required to play the game. We don’t need to make mandatory gear treadmills, we make all of it optional, so those who find it fun to chase this prestigious gear can do so, but those who don’t are just as powerful and get to have fun too.”

and Mike O’Brian

“Here’s what we believe: If someone wants to play for a thousand hours to get an item that is so rare that other players can’t realistically acquire it, that rare item should be differentiated by its visual appearance and rarity alone, not by being more powerful than everything else in the game. Otherwise, your MMO becomes all about grinding to get the best gear. We don’t make grindy games – we leave the grind to other MMOs.”

What assurances can you give them, that this is not the case and that the statements said back then still stand?

•The post by Chris Whiteside states that there was a ‘gap’ between exotic and legendary that needed to be addressed. Since the stats gap between the two is currently zero. Is there a reason for adding increased stats, rather than cosmetic/effort required to bridge the effort/time gap?

•Another common theme that this is a gear treadmill in all but name, as it includes gated content and higher than previously maximum armor and items. Would you mind outlining why these people have it all wrong?

• Will the agony mechanic be a common factor in future content, or will you introduce a new mechanic that will need new infusions to counter?

•With the increase in basic maximum stats, how will you prevent people who only log in occasionally being excluded in existing dungeons/content due to suddenly not having maxed gear?

• Will future content be balanced around exotic gear stats, or ascended gear stats in mind?

• Does the amount of segregation of players, caused by requiring different levels in fractals concern you?

•Guild Wars one is still going strong after 7 years, and had 3 chapters, 1 expansion and loads of fun new content without any increase in the maximum stats of armor or weapons. Please detail why there was a move away from this clearly successful model?

•Will there be a subsequent increase in stats or new gated content in the future?

You know I checked the reddit thread and you already covered this, so let me contribute with my two cents on other issues instead:

Question #3:

As a customer from your previous game, I am comfortable paying for expansions that come on a yearly basis and I expect most of the content to come from that. I don’t know how much ANet or NC Soft has to compromise in order to give us frequent, free content patches, but personally I would rather wait longer and pay for content updates if they are extensive and worthwhile (i.e. expansion packs).

Also, if there is at all room for suggestions on what kind of content we want:

New skills.
New weapons.
New classes.
New dungeons.
New areas.
New cosmetic grinds.
New story. Especially PERSONAL story.

My questions avoid the ascended gear thing because I believe that is all very overblown.

- Are you considering showing individual names in WvW to foster greater recognition and rivalry in WvW, and are there any technical considerations making this sort of thing difficult?

- We already enjoy WvW a lot, but do you think that siege items and golems have too great or too little an impact? In what concrete ways do you plan to add to or change WvW, and why?

- Can we get some more details on when you are adding spectator mode, ladders, matchmaking, ratings, visible leaderboards and esport support for sPVP and tPVP, with a view to be “well on the road to esports-ready” by Xmas?

- Would you consider dueling options in the Mists only, so that people can test builds and pass time while waiting for tPVP matches to start, and without impacting or spamming the PVE areas?

• What sort of mass insanity came upon the studio when you decided to add ascended gear, agony, and infusions?
• At what point did you realize adding ascended gear, agony, and infusions was a gigantic mistake?
• How soon will you be removing ascended gear, agony, and infusions from the game?

I would like to ask:
1- You have explained why you put in Ascended items, but why did you increase their stats? You (as a company) always said that legendaries are only for cosmetics, why this change?
2- Do you sleep well? Do you have a clear conscience?
3- In your opinion, why your customers should believe you ?

When will client performance problems get a fix?

How far along is the work on this?

The Tech support fora are F U L L with people getting worse performance after a patch!
H O W CAN THAT BE ? !

Kain Francois.4328:

Hello Chris. Thank you very much for conducting an AMA. We’re very excited to hear from you!

I would be honored if you could please answer some of my questions:

o 1) Can we expect to see more on the Tengu in the future?
o 2) What did Koss write about himself in his autobiography? (“Koss on Koss” backpiece)
o 3) Is Karka meat edible?

Thank you!

This is why AMA is a terrible idea from the community perspective and why it’s purely a PR-spin from Anet’s perspective.

Really, are you effing serious?