Guild Wars 2

I would like to suggest to the Dev’s Considering adding some sort of splash Damage Mechanic that would affect all toons standing on the same underlying “Hex” on the movement map. Splash Damage should apply to all Elemental and Most Physical Damage. After all a Blocked Arrow or Axe blade does not cease to exist. So a War might block said blade deflecting it into the squishy Ele standing right atop of them.

This and having player characters body block one an other so say each toon takes up half the available space at any given point allowing players to still move through on an other, but limiting the number of players at any given point on the map. This should break the current meta for stacking.

The combat system of this game was intended to revolve around a fluid, movement centered system, not piles of players stacking might. I believe these small changes would help move players back towards that vision; which in my humble opinion would be much better for the game.

Lastly, The human sense of smell is pretty Minimal, but most animals have far more powerful capabilities in that way, allowing non-human mobs to “smell” players hiding just beyond a corner, but well with-in agro range would again allow players a certain amount of protection from the terrain, but not allow them to spoof the AI. Where the mob should be well aware players are there, but where the LOS is broken.

My personal bias is normally strongly against punishing players for figuring out how to maximize their Toons, or Classes power in a way unanticipated by the Dev’s but personally I think the current situation is just ridiculous. C.

Problem with splash damage is that this isn’t a strategy-based game. The “weak ele behind the warrior” scenario doesn’t apply to this game. Team organization is based on player choice and what a specific build brings changes wildly regardless of class.

If you want to move away from the stacking meta (what mode are we even talking about? WvW? Fractals?), the simplest fix would be to get rid of Boon range for party members. When the majority of synergizing traits and skills work between 0 and 600 range, of course people will stack to get the most out of it. Make it so that the whole party in the instance gets the Boons or massively increase the application range and people will be more inclined to spread out.

Actively punishing players like this won’t go anywhere. Plus it opens the door for griefing by actively bodyblocking (a few people can simply bodyblock a whole area and other players can’t get in, great) and purposely deflecting blows to other players. Hence it will never happen.

One obvious issue you have ignored here is justifying why you think ranged attacks should be the only valid option. If you have multiple people using melee skills then they are naturally going to end up next to each other.

If you want better fight then design better fight mechanics. For example Mai Trin and Molten Berserker will punish you for not stacking.

Most boss fights involve plenty of AoEs from the boss already, what difference is splash damage going to make? Higher damage? Simpler to just crank up the numbers. Doesn’t make the fight any better but some people will call that more challenging.

Sourde Noire.5286:

If you want to move away from the stacking meta (what mode are we even talking about? WvW? Fractals?).

Its most obvious in Dungeons, and after that I would think Fractals, but even open world you do see it at boss events. Also I think a return to a more dynamic play style would increase the player base still participating in dungeons.

Actively punishing players like this won’t go anywhere,

I would normally agree with you, but I don’t see this as Punishing players, I do see it as presenting the players with a choice, they can pack themselves in like a Phalanx, but there is a price to be paid for that packing, or they can spread themselves out minimally, and avoid the cost.

Team organization is based on player choice …

Yes it does, I was presenting what surely is not that uncommon a hypothetical as there are only 3 Armor classes in the game, prefix aside.

Most boss fights involve plenty of AoEs from the boss already, what difference is splash damage going to make? Higher damage?

Exactly, you will amp your output by stacking might and other boons, but you will in return have to soak up a little more punishment yourself. As to Multiple Melee toons, As I said originally, this is about players occupying the same space on the map, Im sure the Devs have some Mechanism, Im guessing a hex map, that determines just where you are, on the map.

I do think that responders may be think of the AoE of the splash damage I am proposing as a good bit larger than I am thinking. Lets say a War and a Guardian are encircling a Mob, they would not be on the same space and so incure no penalty; but if your toon is overlapping his toon, then yes, IMHO, you should be risk taking damage when his toon is targeted; your right there after all. On the one hand its a pretty simple collision detection, but obviously we have a huge pool of players; so the Dev’s might test the idea in Dungeons first; where the instanced content would minimize the problem of scaling the idea up for open world.

Finally as to the concept the Change will open the door for griefing, of course it will; to an extent Im sure Im being seen as griefing here; but the player base griefs virtually every change implemented. My proposal at least would give players an incentive to move the play style back toward the fluid system the Dev’s obviously originally intended.

Splash damage isn’t what is needed. I think taking off the 3 - 5 player cap on aoe type skills should be the first step. If a 100 people want to stand in a necro well, why shouldn’t they all get hit. If I am inspiring enough to buff you just by proximity why only 5... that should be named semi inspirational.

Cleaves and piercing arrows definitely should be limited by the way they work while not all melee should have a limit on the cleave, perhaps 100 blades is an example of a pile of people that should all get destroyed for standing in such an attack.

I think there is mechanics that can be looked at and adjusted before splash damage is added.

@Deedrick.4372 All good ideas, all things I would up vote if the Devs should take a poll.

Claudia De Anar.6304:

Its most obvious in Dungeons, and after that I would think Fractals, but even open world you do see it at boss events. Also I think a return to a more dynamic play style would increase the player base still participating in dungeons.

Actively punishing players like this won’t go anywhere,

I would normally agree with you, but I don’t see this as Punishing players, I do see it as presenting the players with a choice, they can pack themselves in like a Phalanx, but there is a price to be paid for that packing, or they can spread themselves out minimally, and avoid the cost.

1. I’d go out on a limb and say the few people who still run dungeons are people who are new to the game and don’t participate in the ‘stacking meta’ anyway. That is usually for speedclear groups (on top of being the rational choice for the most part due to the game design), and those pretty much don’t exist anymore. Fractals, maybe. But even so:

2. Whether you word it differently or refuse to see it that way doesn’t change that it’s punishing players for something that is fine and largely player choice.
What you suggest, however, is not a choice anymore. You force players apart or suffer combat penalties. Not to mention that I don’t see the point of then saying ‘oh standing RIGHT next to each other is fine, but please no overlapping!’.

The ‘stacking meta’ isn’t even that much a problem, because you already have an easy and powerful tool to avoid it: Just don’t do it. The game works perfectly fine without stacking, but, as I said twice already, the game mechanics make stacking advantageous. Is it the only way to play? No. In WvW it can also serve a tactical purpose. You stack so the enemy cannot immediately see how many people are around. Does it make sense from a realism point of view? Well, does it make sense you can pet someone back to life with your bare hands?

This topic, to me, just looks like a typical ‘I don’t like how many people do X, so I think we should enforce Y so this won’t happen in the future!‘, and as such, has little value and is bolstered by personal opinion (’this would surely benefit the game’) which misses the point that it’s already very much possible to avoid X. Form your own groups, kick anyway who wants to stack and enjoy your suboptimal runs, nobody is stopping you.

Sourde Noire.5286:

enjoy your suboptimal runs, nobody is stopping you.

About 3Days ago a small group and players and I failed at JClaw. I had just got home from work 7AM or so and just jumped into game for 30 min to wind down.

Anyhow for that 30 min, we where all running, shooting, battling, Rezing one an other, we at the end got JClaw down to about 5% so we just missed.

Best Time I’ve ever had in game, just an awesome fight. Sub optimal sure we failed, but Fun. So you enjoy your Optimized Grinds, and I’ll do what I can to suggest to the Devs things to inject life and fun into the game.

Beyond that we’ll just have to agree to disagree. C.

Good for you, and that makes your thread suggestion any more valid how? It’s possible to avoid the stacking meta, no need to actively force players to do so.

Well how about we start with something simple. Give one example of a fight where this would actually improve the fight.