Yes, it is another one of these as I am sure there are others about this topic.
I’m sorry, this post might sound a bit salty, but I have had it with the shovel maps in the Silverwastes.
Story
I really like the design of the Silverwaste Map. The entire map working and communicating to get all the fortresses covered and ensure supply transports between them. We all work together.
But in the last few days all the maps I played in became shovel maps after a while.
Starting at 0% from a reset working slowly to get a foothold with a few roamers, taking forts and escorting supply, and then suddenly someone shouts in map chat: “shovel time! come join on tag at Camp!” and then you are basically done… That map is doomed to be tediously slow and not enjoyable as almost no one there wants to help.
Shovelers only care for 1 thing: getting loot without any effort other than pressing WASD and F.
The rest of us who actually want to push for Breach and Vinewrath are screwed. All we can do it politely ask for the train to disband but no one ever does that…
Resulting in salty chat and players.
The Breach players don`t want to play in a map with a shovel train in it and shovel trains want to be left alone.
Solution proposals
Some possible solutions? (as this is the discussion section)
The Silverwastes map is already out there and finished, so changing it isn`t in the cards anymore as far as I know, but for future maps with similar map objective designs please put in safe-guards that will minimize these incidents.
In GW1 we could choose our own channels, and the community made agreements on what goes on where.
Like the Wintersday Dwaya VS Grenth events where even channels were Dwayna and uneven represented Grenth. Players could join on what they wished, get the items they wanted and everyone was happy.
GW2 has the main map and shards, but we have no clue on which one we are. there are no commands for it as far as I know. We cannot organize something like this.
“But this will split the player base” Yes, but now with Silverwastes you have 2 types of players who want nothing to do with each other and rather not be where the other group is.
A different solution I could think of would be like it was in Dry Top. multiple stages (2 in that maps’ case). One where everyone works together and pushes the map to completion and then a 2nd stage where chests became visible and trains could be formed where it would not clash with the PvE group that enjoys the earlier successfully completed stage.
This might even motivate the chest farmers to push the map event so they can get to their chests sooner. (Actually working instead of just walking around and pressing F)
I`m going to use Silverwastes as an example even though I know it`s unchangeable:
stage 1- Foothold, capture Fortresses and get the preparations to 100%, no chests at this stage, players do objectives to get crests for keys and other loot.
stage 2- Breach and Vinewrath, kill the bosses, get rewards.
stage 3- Time Out, the battles are at a stand-off and the dust is settling, chests are appearing and trains can be formed to loot them until the 1st stage begins again.
Something like this could solve the clash of PvE breachers and Train farmers.
Ending
A-net map/mission designers, could you please consider some of this for future group map based objectives?
Thank you for reading, typing this out made me feel a tad better.
If you have your own story or suggestion for this, feel free to reply.
edit: just noticed I typed Silverwaster shovel maps. I meant normal Silverwaste. not trying to make any puns on the word waste.
(edited by Kenyon.6150)