Guild Wars 2

Hello folks,

I know I can’t talk for every GW1 player out there, but I hope I will actually met most peoples expectations for GW2…

I like this game very much so far, it still has the normal illness of being released too early, but thats always the case… Still, I miss a few things that I wouldlike to adress here and make proposals for easy implementing, without hurting ANET money (too much) and without making the game into a direction for just one player base.
So, if I remember correctly somebody said that “GW2 is everything you love about GW1, just better and in a new scenerie”. (Not sure if it was Chris or Mike of the ANET Team)

So here are the three points I love most about GW1 and that actually defined the game for me:

1. Progression by getting new skills and harder to beat enemy skill combinations
2. Collection of Armor/Weapon skins and Titles (completion)
3. A lot of content with story and HM instances
4. PvP as main focus, PvE progged around that

So, these are the points I expected to be in GW2. They are here more or less. I actually have no “big” problem with the power creep, else then that its just a lazy method of progress that is implemented due to designers incompetence or fear of the risk management. I won’t get into this much more, it has been discussed enough. I am an ongoing project manager as well, so I know the issues behind the scenes …

So I would like to propose some changes that would make me (and hopefully a lot of the GW1 community) play on GW2 with power creep, without discouraging other communities.

1. The progression by new skills and combinations should be used as in GW1. We may have less skills atm, but that is to be expected because the game is new. Still, I would prefere to be able to equip the skills as I see fit in all slots. That also means weapons. So, implement new skills for weapons that are choosable as the ones for utility slots. Meaning, if you equip two swords, you can also equip 3 of corresponding (lets say) 10 skills that are available for this weapon as main hand and 2 of (lets say) 5 that are available for off hand.
Furthermore let us use the weapon we see fit. I still don’t understand why my Mesmer was able to equip a hammer or longbow 200 years before, but now he doesnt has the muscles? He can wear a greatsword…
I know this is hard to implement and needs a lot of thinking for new skills and so on. But to be honest, we pay you for being creative. And a lot of us won’t for minor stat increase.
Also, implement more skills for other slots. I am all right with utility skills, but 3 elite is actually not enough. 2 more per class asap and maybe one more heal and one skill per trait line. Let combinations run wild.
Please don’t worry too much about balance in PvP (read the whole sentence), there might be some combinations that are far too strong. These are identified fast and nerfed fast as it should have been in GW1. But the more skills and combinations you have, the more possibility one has to counter an enemy combination, therefore combinaions and skills are easier to balance. I know that sounds strange, but it is true. Riot has showed us that much.

2. This is simple. Increase the amount of titles you can show of and implement completion titles. Every 5 Titles one tier up in title tracking like GW1 (kittenidst mortals) and so on. Of course the game is new and you dont have yet that much content for titles. So, I guess this is worked on and I am happy with status quo atm.
More important are character armor sets. This is not working atm.
Here is my proposal:
Make dungeon armor an actual skin to unlock (nearly like PvP locker). Once you equip a piece, you unlock that part and are able to show it anytime. This means, you can wear whatever crappy looking armor, but instead show the dungeon armor. This also solves the puzzle how to store all dungeon armor sets with different attributes for different combinations of traits. (how many combinations of armor should I bring? Like 35 times 6 slots???) I will never buy that many bank upgrades…
To be honest, I dont think you make your money with transmogration stones, so please implement this feture. This would actually be the point for me that bugs me the most atm. Due to the great sidekick systems, dungeons would still be viable for everyone who doesnt have the armor yet, on every level. Even after cap increase…!
Also do this for costumes… Right now halloween costumes are filling my bank already

too long …

… getting even longer

3. So this is a no brainer. Game is new and lacks content. But I am hopefull, as Prophecies didnt have HM instances at release. But as you are already beginning nerfing dungeons to a pug level (easymode), implement a hard mode that is hardmode with full equip and needs player skill (not just ‘one hitting’ bosses and dodging, seriously guys…) but player skill buy equipping the right skills for the boss encounter. The skills are exchangeable before each encounter, please make use of this mechanic. Also let us save different trait specs + corresponding armor (possible without items in bags, but yes you want to sell the bag slots…). This way, we could come up with 3 setups to change before the encounter (For me that would be support, condition damage, melee dmg/tanky). This would make the game hard without power creep. The game has the mechanic, please do not go the lazy way with item stats increase to make things hard. Also hardmode of dungeons should give tokens for ascended equip, but I think thats the qay you go anyway.
Furthermore, bring back Story missions with friends. This was something I liked a lot. Missions can be easily solved to progressin story, but implement sidemissions that can be tracked in the personal story and are hard to achieve (achievements). Also make story quests repeatable (obviously). These sidemissions might be a group encounter for 5. Maybe even with achievement for everyone to make every sidestory fot he title. This way, we might look for players of other culture to make this specific story part for the achievement. If achievemtn done, give us a random precursor or whatever. This way we (the title tracker cracks) have the ability to get everything without grinding dungeons (which is ok for me also) but you said you want things to be available in every part of the game.

Last but not least. I don’t care that much, but a lot of people are feeling cheated in dungeons. At least one gold item (not orange) should be implemented in the last boss. Maybe you can that way solve your precurser problem with a 0,5% exo drop on end boss in dungeons (Maybe exo just HM dungeons). One Gold item or 10 rare t7 ingrediants or 1 ecto or whatever as random drop in the story end screen display(the one with money and Dungeon tokens).

4. PvP
PvP is nicely made. For a Beta start… the Game is released guys. We need serious improvement in PvP. I guess you know that. Not just balancing but GvsG and capture the flag, or mining operations… and so on. There are so many playstyles in GW1, just copy them finally… Sorry, PvP is not released yet for me.
And please integrate PvP more into PvE. I guess thats why you have WvWvW, but still, it doesnt feel as connected as in GW1 with Factions. I actually liked to run that part to farm amber or jade for my armor, or for guildpoints. But I guess that one was pretty subjective. Also make it viable to own a castle in WvWvW, like the lock pics in Factions. Actually not very well informed, but do you get something more then fame, if you own a castle? Like 20% off of repairs for guildies or something like that. Or instead of 15% just 10% broker price?

I’d be glad to discuss implementing issues on these topics. But please no flames or whatever, we had enough of that already. If some of these implementations are not sound, please tell me, we can discuss infuence on market prices etc. Its just a proposal.
If I missed a point, that GW1 players wanted to see in GW2, please tell me.

Yours sincerely
Hoshi (Sternenstaub)

(PS please do not comment about my english, it is obviously not my mother tongue)

i would have loved that wvwvw been more integrated in the PvE.
now it feels a lot like two separate worlds..

but i guess anet made this to please the extreme pvper and extreme pver that cant stand to play both types.

the manifesto for gw2 was: get the most fantasy mmo players as possible in 1 game.

It IS two separate worlds. WvW has little to do with your own server, its for pride and fun, thats it. Are you saying you want ffa pvp?

i dont know whats FFA.

but they could have done an Mmo in which you have to go thru certain steps in wvwvw to be able to reach safe lands or dungeon etc.
maybe i want a game where pvp matters, in which players can be evil of you hang out at the wrong place.

it can be done.
with a notoriety system like UO (you get bounty put on you if you are bad, your name turns red, eventually npc attack you on sight in most place), or a faction system like WoW (horde va alliance).

but im just daydreaming, that totally wasnt the design idea of gw2 and i know it.

yeah you want FFA, free for all..means I can attack you any time and usually you drop stuff.

So why are you saying that they are making dungeons easy mode? All they’ve said is they want to make them more entertaining.

Ditton.3149:

yeah you want FFA, free for all..means I can attack you any time and usually you drop stuff.

a “controlled” FFA.
same thing as why isnt everybody killing each others in our modern world?

the game would need to make it hard on “bad guys”. but also rewarding.
maybe they couldnt go to major cities anymore or get bounties on their head or whatever.

i just find that right now, mmos are way to farmland style, in a sense that they are not dangerous.
the beast usually waits for you in the middle of the field and you can always attack it when you feel like it, or run beside. …

Avatar.1923:

Ditton.3149:

yeah you want FFA, free for all..means I can attack you any time and usually you drop stuff.

a “controlled” FFA.
same thing as why isnt everybody killing each others in our modern world?

the game would need to make it hard on “bad guys”. but also rewarding.
maybe they couldnt go to major cities anymore or get bounties on their head or whatever.

i just find that right now, mmos are way to farmland style, in a sense that they are not dangerous.
the beast usually waits for you in the middle of the field and you can always attack it when you feel like it, or run beside. …

I know what you mean, its hard to implement. In general games like that only subsist on subscription models because most people end up leaving and you’re left with only the killers be they heroes or gankers.

I don’t agree that the game lacks content. I’m 68% on map completion and have hundreds and hundreds of hours put into the game. What the game lacks is on par rewards for seeing most of that open world content. The world design and the open world content is the strength of the game’s PVE, but map completion and downleveling are not incentive enough to do them for enough of the population base.

People will go where the best stats are and the best money is to be made. That is the behavior of people. You can only design your game to account for that behavior and make sure it doesn’t hurt your game.

For them there is nothing to reconcile. This isnt an issue and they dont care at least that is how I see it anyway.

I do agree that adding extra skills and titles are a much better way to go but that costs much more $ to develop implement and balance then roll out. I dont think they have the time or resources to add horizontal progression to the desired levels so it was scrapped in favour of vertical gear stat progression.
This also appeals to the larger audience than horizontal and in turn increases revenue and viability in the long run. Those who dont want this and see it as the same as every other mmo on the market are out of luck.

indeed.

the “killers” win in that type of game.

unless, you really design a crazy system that gives a lot of power to crafters and/or other types of players, rendering them very valuable to certain player organization.

that would require implementing different gameplays in the same game to accomodate different player types.

again, EvE is quite revolutionary by having this new console game shooter tied to their online world and changing it.

Sorry, power creep has ruined this game. There is no going back now, they’ve made their bed, they must now lie in it with all the other WoW clones that have tried this and failed over the years.

we’ll see…

if they manage to reward a good majority of players at a good pace without anything feeling grindy; they win.

so far they failed only at utmost endgame, for players that have finished the story line and did all high lvl maps and dungeons.
they failed at the “ascended and legendary” stage.
the only solution they had was a “grind” for these 2 gear tier.

exotic is find, yeah its “kind of a grind” but one that happens almost naturally by just playing the game.

Im a PvP player for over than 7 years on every game I played. (Played 6 years Knight Online), and really I can say that the PvP (WvW) is very very very bad here.

Bha, would be to long to explain and would lead to nothing anyway lol.

Well hope old players of KO will understand what i mean