Guild Wars 2

I’ve been trying to put my finger on what’s troubling me the most about the current implementation of ascended gear and daily/weeklies. I’ve realized that its how you are rewarded for days logged in and not time spent playing.

This has several implications, but the most important is that you are actively punished each day you don’t log in. I prefer to play on my own time. Some days I play for a long time, some days I’m busy and don’t play at all. With the current system, each day I don’t log in puts me one day behind.

One of the great things about GW2 is the ability to take a break and when you come back you can pick up right where you left off. I just recently returned after several months away from the game. I was lucky enough to come back just as laurels were introduced (by sheer luck). If I had instead taken a few months off after the introduction of laurels to the game I would have returned months behind the general playerbase with no hope of ever catching up.

The worst part of this is that players who don’t log in every day or take breaks will never ever catch up to their peers. This means you will always be at a slight disadvantage. You could play for 10 hours a day every day and you will still be behind because you missed your daily/weekly’s while you were gone. Returning to the game only to find out you’ve been left behind and there is no way to catch up will only result in frustration and the loss of players.

Think about what it will be like 6 months from now when most players are finishing their ascended jewelry. Currently for a full set of ascended jewelry you’re looking at at least 6 months of daily’s (assuming you log in every day). For a newly returning player or someone who only plays a few days a week that is an almost insurmountable amount of time to make up.

Some of you will say “but you don’t need ascended gear.” You’re right, you don’t, but consider what it would be like when everyone is in full ascended jewelry and you aren’t and you know that you will never be as optimal as your peers and have no chance of catching up. Try playing WvW with a stat disadvantage. Don’t think it matters? Try playing WvW in a set of greens…sure you can still kill people and run with the zerg but you are at a distinct disadvantage stat-wise. Consider the implications of, lets say, a 20 man group in full ascended jewelry vs a 20 man guild that took time off and is still in only exotics. The stat increase multiplied by 20 is huge.

Please, please, please consider the implementation of a reward system based on time spent playing not on how many days you logged in to do your daily. A great way to do this would be to offer laurels in exchange for current in game currencies in addition to the current daily system. Make it as expensive and time consuming as you want. As long as time played will get you laurels you are able to progress at your own pace and missing a daily or two would no longer be a permanent setback.

TLDR:
-Rewards for days logged in not time played means you are punished for every day you don’t play.

-The current system requires months of daily’s for gear. This unavoidable time requirement means returning and casual players have no hope of catching up.

-Implement a reward system based on time played in addition to the current daily/weeklies.

I feel you. I also returned to gw2 after months of absence. And saw so many currancy and felt so colorful. I have been playing 2 months since then trying to feel the game. Like OP suggested, this daily thing is forcing people to login everyday.

Like the Op said, ““but you don’t need ascended gear.” You’re right, you don’t”. I don’t think one would play a game for long if he/she is undergear to general public after they invest some amount of time. I do feel there is a big gap in gear in between HC players and late comers. And the chances that the late comers will catch up to HC players are low if they don’t get ascended gear fast from FOTM, which requires a lot of time farming there to be good.

I feel the current trend of new patches are to satisfy HC players more than new comers. The daily thing was ok before this lastest patch since most can be done in WvW. But the new daily is actually forcing people to do something in somewhere, which costs transportation fee a lot I feel :P I am sure some people like me don’t like to spend fee using long range wp XD.

The advantage of this is that casual players can keep up more easily since they only need a couple of hours of playtime a day to get a laurel and won’t fall too far behind the folks that play for hours and hours, it also rewards people that stays playing the game (even if only for a short time daily) versus people that leaves for 6 months and then comes back burns through content in 2 weeks then leaves again.

I understand why some might be upset but the pros outweigh the cons in my view.

Yea… I actually logged in today feeling productive, “Yeaaa let’s do it! Gonna get me some Ascended stuff! Ite how do I get started… oh I have to do a daily.. or a monthly. Well, ok then :/” log off

The WvW update will partially fix this, but leave PvE people out of the loop (odd turn of events here! o.o)

SouthernCross.5286:

The advantage of this is that casual players can keep up more easily since they only need a couple of hours of playtime a day to get a laurel and won’t fall too far behind the folks that play for hours and hours, it also rewards people that stays playing the game (even if only for a short time daily) versus people that leaves for 6 months and then comes back burns through content in 2 weeks then leaves again.

I understand why some might be upset but the pros outweigh the cons in my view.

It is actually just the opposite. You are rewarded for the number of days you log in and nothing else. I would define casual as someone who doesn’t play 7 days a week. No matter how long you play, you are punished for every day you don’t log in. There is no way a casual player who only plays a few days a week could ever catch someone who plays every day, even if they play for long periods of time.

Why should returning players be punished for returning to the game. I get that not playing means you will be behind but the current system makes it so you have no chance to catch up even if you play many hours a day.

Burning through content? We’re looking at 1 month+ per piece as a flat requirement. Nothing you can do will speed it up. Not logging in every day will just slow you down. All ascended jewelry alone will take a very dedicated player 6 months, and who knows what other new gear is coming.

They’re going to keep adding new ways to get this stuff. It’s highly likely that stuff I buy with laurels will be available with some new non laurel method for the guy that takes a 4 month break or something.

In fact other than the amulet, the other stuff is already acquirable via non laurel methods. Expect that to increase with more methods over time. ANET has said as much.

Either way, I’m hoarding resources until they add Magi gear…!

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

Rewards for time played? Great, I can log on and go afk all day and get loot while I play Farmville.

Thing is, someone who plays for six hours a day every day is still going to be way ahead of someone who only plays for four hours on weekends. So people will complain about that and demand they get rewards every time they log in. Then people will spend all day logging in and out…

In most activities, you improve your skills by practicing. In MMOs, you improve your character by playing. Dailies are just one way to improve your character, and it’s neither difficult to do nor game breaking to skip.

I play casually, and I don’t get bent out of shape about missing a daily. It doesn’t take long and they are even easier to do now that you can pick which ones to go for. I don’t care about gear and neither does almost any casual player because there are other goals to go for. Being OCD about rewards and achievements is not being a casual player.

Orion the Cursed.1206:

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

Wow…ok.

I don’t agree with your idea of what “punishment” is, but I’ll work with it. Take player A and player B.

• Player A plays 20 hours a week; all primarily on weekends. He completes 3 dailies total: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

• Player B plays for 10 hours a week. Player B logs on for about half an hour every day to complete dailies and does FotM 3 times a week.

As far as ascended gear goes, Player A will always be behind Player B even though Player A puts forth more effort.

That is where many people are getting upset. They want to work towards something, but with the time gates on amulets, accessories, and even rings with FotM dailies, time is the greatest obstacle. It doesn’t matter if you are super fast at clearing dungeons, it doesn’t matter that you are a Master Crafter and like making your own gear, and it doesn’t matter if you prefer simply hanging out in WvW.

If you don’t do your daily, FotM, and now Guild Missions, you will be behind. Period. They are taking away our ability to play the way we prefer and still be rewarded.

That’s punishment.

ADDENDUM: I am not asking to be rewarded simply for killing a rat once every two weeks. I’m asking for the ability to put forth effort on my own time, on my own schedule, and the way that I want. It used to be like that…

Orion the Cursed.1206:

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

I wouldn’t call it a punishment, but it is a bad mechanic..

If you do miss a few months and come back to these Guild commendations and Laurels its really in your favor to just quit the game outright and uninstall than to try and keep up with the non leavers, personally wonder if Anet thinks these things through properly..

As people who quit give zero money.

Dante.1508:

If you do miss a few months and come back to these Guild commendations and Laurels its really in your favor to just quit the game outright and uninstall than to try and keep up with the non leavers, personally wonder if Anet thinks these things through properly..

As people who quit give zero money.

So what about someone who starts playing six months from now? Did he waste his money because he will never catch up? Nonsense. You don’t have to play continuously from the moment the game went live to enjoy it.

People on these forums just have a really messed up sense of fairness and priorities…

Vorch.2985:

Orion the Cursed.1206:

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

Wow…ok.

I don’t agree with your idea of what “punishment” is, but I’ll work with it. Take player A and player B.

• Player A plays 20 hours a week; all primarily on weekends. He completes 3 dailies total: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

• Player B plays for 10 hours a week. Player B logs on for about half an hour every day to complete dailies and does FotM 3 times a week.

As far as ascended gear goes, Player A will always be behind Player B even though Player A puts forth more effort.

That is where many people are getting upset. They want to work towards something, but with the time gates on amulets, accessories, and even rings with FotM dailies, time is the greatest obstacle. It doesn’t matter if you are super fast at clearing dungeons, it doesn’t matter that you are a Master Crafter and like making your own gear, and it doesn’t matter if you prefer simply hanging out in WvW.

If you don’t do your daily, FotM, and now Guild Missions, you will be behind. Period. They are taking away our ability to play the way we prefer and still be rewarded.

That’s punishment.

No. Punishment is:

every time you post something shallow like the above, anet deducts 100g (or equivalent in experience) from your bank.

Thus you are not punished.

Also:
1. B is smarter than A, and B follows the rules. B deserves to be above A.
2. Reward comes with work. No work =/= no reward =/= punishment.
3. Ascended is not compulsory. You are not behind anything, you just have self esteem issues.
4. ‘A’ putting in more effort is YOUR opinion. Total time spent =/= more effort. Its 1 effort. Taking time everyday is also 1 effort. Thus both efforts are the same except only one is in line with the requirements.

“Many people” dont care. People who are obsessed with BiS achieved their “ascended” goal months ago. All’s left is just a bunch of whiners looking for handouts.

Orion the Cursed.1206:

Vorch.2985:

Orion the Cursed.1206:

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

Wow…ok.

I don’t agree with your idea of what “punishment” is, but I’ll work with it. Take player A and player B.

• Player A plays 20 hours a week; all primarily on weekends. He completes 3 dailies total: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

• Player B plays for 10 hours a week. Player B logs on for about half an hour every day to complete dailies and does FotM 3 times a week.

As far as ascended gear goes, Player A will always be behind Player B even though Player A puts forth more effort.

That is where many people are getting upset. They want to work towards something, but with the time gates on amulets, accessories, and even rings with FotM dailies, time is the greatest obstacle. It doesn’t matter if you are super fast at clearing dungeons, it doesn’t matter that you are a Master Crafter and like making your own gear, and it doesn’t matter if you prefer simply hanging out in WvW.

If you don’t do your daily, FotM, and now Guild Missions, you will be behind. Period. They are taking away our ability to play the way we prefer and still be rewarded.

That’s punishment.

No. Punishment is:

every time you post something shallow like the above, anet deducts 100g (or equivalent in experience) from your bank.

Thus you are not punished.

Also:
1. B is smarter than A, and B follows the rules. B deserves to be above A.
2. Reward comes with work. No work =/= no reward =/= punishment.
3. Ascended is not compulsory. You are not behind anything, you just have self esteem issues.
4. ‘A’ putting in more effort is YOUR opinion. Total time spent =/= more effort. Its 1 effort. Taking time everyday is also 1 effort. Thus both efforts are the same except only one is in line with the requirements.

“Many people” dont care. People who are obsessed with BiS achieved their “ascended” goal months ago. All’s left is just a bunch of whiners looking for handouts.

^ This.

I’m sorry but i completely agree with him, all the complaining so far is indeed a bunch of whiners that wants handouts.

If you steadily look throughout the months they’ve indeed added alternative ways to get it. Not to mention the talk about laurels going to be easier accessible by completing some of the ’’new’’ achievements which is also a bit skeptical.

But all in all, if you look throughout the past months al they’ve been doing is adding alternative ways to acheive your goal which as a ’’casual’’ wasn’t doable by just farming Fractals.

Dante.1508:

Orion the Cursed.1206:

OP needs to grow up realize that its his/her decision to either log in or not. Skipping a daily far from something that can be called a “punishment” in any sense. A punishment is when the game deducts something you earned, not denies you something you clearly dont deserve. You decide your goals and how and why you achieve them. If getting ascended gear is your obsession, FotM is clearly a better method.

I wouldn’t call it a punishment, but it is a bad mechanic..

If you do miss a few months and come back to these Guild commendations and Laurels its really in your favor to just quit the game outright and uninstall than to try and keep up with the non leavers, personally wonder if Anet thinks these things through properly..

As people who quit give zero money.

Is it wrong that people who have played longer (and consistently) to have an advantage?

in that note, with some minor effort on their part, they should be able to catch up.

As far as “bad mechanic”, i can lists its advantages & disadvantages as well. Its ultimately up to Anet and the players to decide if its worth it. Changing daily to hourly will just cause more problems as well. Honestly not having ascended gear is not the end of the world