Guild Wars 2

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

Don’t mean to burst bubbles here but… if this is true, the people who inserted these clues are gonna get struck down hard. Studios have their stuff logged and ID tagged so.. I am certain that with further deciphering of these “hidden messages”, innocent people from Anet are gonna have targets painted on their heads as a result of our public conversations on their forums.

Just saying.

not really. They wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t know they would be caught. That just means there are people at Arena net that already know this change means most if not ALL of their studio will be looking for jobs if this ascended gear is not removed
Plus if you are fired collecting unemployment is alot easier then if you quit, they probably have families and bills to pay

You actually have a point, security through self destruction.

From what I see there’s only a few options that us players have that can help them in their goals but at the expense of their own well being.

- refund requests
- continue to play and enjoy the game but don’t purchase gems and stay away from anything that is not in line with the manifesto
- bad word of mouth
- complete smear jobs on blogs and articles

Sounds crazy but this might be what they want.

I’m gonna continue playing after all, but I won’t be touching flavor of the month anytime soon or any ascended items for that matter. Gonna have to hold off on gem purchases and sit tight until things start going where they need to.

IllegalChocolate.6938:

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

Don’t mean to burst bubbles here but… if this is true, the people who inserted these clues are gonna get struck down hard. Studios have their stuff logged and ID tagged so.. I am certain that with further deciphering of these “hidden messages”, innocent people from Anet are gonna have targets painted on their heads as a result of our public conversations on their forums.

Just saying.

not really. They wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t know they would be caught. That just means there are people at Arena net that already know this change means most if not ALL of their studio will be looking for jobs if this ascended gear is not removed
Plus if you are fired collecting unemployment is alot easier then if you quit, they probably have families and bills to pay

You actually have a point, security through self destruction.

From what I see there’s only a few options that us players have that can help them in their goals but at the expense of their own well being.

- refund requests
- continue to play and enjoy the game but don’t purchase gems and stay away from anything that is not in line with the manifesto
- bad word of mouth
- complete smear jobs on blogs and articles

Sounds crazy but this might be what they want.

I’m gonna continue playing after all, but I won’t be touching flavor of the month anytime soon or any ascended items for that matter. Gonna have to hold off on gem purchases and sit tight until things start going where they need to.

Same. I only do wvwvw, and that is mainly what I bought the game for, once I start seeing the new gear sets effecting fights there, I will be quitting and charging back any and all purchases made for the game, my bank covers me for a very long time thankfully.

Crater.1625:

Daemon.6514:

Ok im not trying to be the dark horse in this conversation, BUT I do think exotic gear level was TO easy to obtain. I think they should continue to add ascended items but then Stop and ensure that this is the highest gear tier forever (a LONG time). This certainly gives those that want more to do some content and doesnt affect those who dont <— This is because anyone with exotics can easily make it to lvl 10 of the fractals.

Exotic items were “easy to obtain” if, and only if, you:

1) Refuse to play more than one character.
2) Refuse to play more than one build on each character.
3) Refuse to use anything other than the cheapest (profession-crafted) Exotics in the game.

For players who have a lot of time to play the game and still want advancement, there are release valves built into the game’s design everywhere. It’s like that old joke about a slowly drowning man, only in this case the punchline is replaced with “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll fix that for you.”

For the rest of us, it is not easy to outfit yourself with the Exotics you need. I play four characters at level 80, and two of them have two completely separate builds that require two completely separate sets of gear. I also like to use moderately nice looking gear, instead of awful looking Pearl weapons. That means it costs at least 200g to 250g to be outfitted in Exotic equipment. That is one hell of a grind to max out, with “easy to get” Exotics.

It will be impossible for me to max out with Ascended equipment, unless I stop playing everything except one build, on one character. Ascended equipment eliminates 83% of the game for me, in one fell swoop.

Catering to players who refuse to play the game except in one specific way, forever, should not be a priority.

Precisely. In addition, nearly all content has been rendered obsolete. Sure, I can go there… but dungeon groups will be hard to find, and maps emptier than ever. What fun. Now we have one dungeon that is itself super stratified so good luck organizing a group at your level.

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

Don’t mean to burst bubbles here but… if this is true, the people who inserted these clues are gonna get struck down hard. Studios have their stuff logged and ID tagged so.. I am certain that with further deciphering of these “hidden messages”, innocent people from Anet are gonna have targets painted on their heads as a result of our public conversations on their forums.

Just saying.

not really. They wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t know they would be caught. That just means there are people at Arena net that already know this change means most if not ALL of their studio will be looking for jobs if this ascended gear is not removed
Plus if you are fired collecting unemployment is alot easier then if you quit, they probably have families and bills to pay

You actually have a point, security through self destruction.

From what I see there’s only a few options that us players have that can help them in their goals but at the expense of their own well being.

- refund requests
- continue to play and enjoy the game but don’t purchase gems and stay away from anything that is not in line with the manifesto
- bad word of mouth
- complete smear jobs on blogs and articles

Sounds crazy but this might be what they want.

I’m gonna continue playing after all, but I won’t be touching flavor of the month anytime soon or any ascended items for that matter. Gonna have to hold off on gem purchases and sit tight until things start going where they need to.

Same. I only do wvwvw, and that is mainly what I bought the game for, once I start seeing the new gear sets effecting fights there, I will be quitting and charging back any and all purchases made for the game, my bank covers me for a very long time thankfully. If only a group like Anonymous would step in and make it hell for them we’d have a real gaming revolution on our hands.

Anon? salvation through cyber terrorism, for the sake of the integrity of a corporation.. does that even make sense?

IllegalChocolate.6938:

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

John Lucier.5486:

IllegalChocolate.6938:

Don’t mean to burst bubbles here but… if this is true, the people who inserted these clues are gonna get struck down hard. Studios have their stuff logged and ID tagged so.. I am certain that with further deciphering of these “hidden messages”, innocent people from Anet are gonna have targets painted on their heads as a result of our public conversations on their forums.

Just saying.

not really. They wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t know they would be caught. That just means there are people at Arena net that already know this change means most if not ALL of their studio will be looking for jobs if this ascended gear is not removed
Plus if you are fired collecting unemployment is alot easier then if you quit, they probably have families and bills to pay

You actually have a point, security through self destruction.

From what I see there’s only a few options that us players have that can help them in their goals but at the expense of their own well being.

- refund requests
- continue to play and enjoy the game but don’t purchase gems and stay away from anything that is not in line with the manifesto
- bad word of mouth
- complete smear jobs on blogs and articles

Sounds crazy but this might be what they want.

I’m gonna continue playing after all, but I won’t be touching flavor of the month anytime soon or any ascended items for that matter. Gonna have to hold off on gem purchases and sit tight until things start going where they need to.

Same. I only do wvwvw, and that is mainly what I bought the game for, once I start seeing the new gear sets effecting fights there, I will be quitting and charging back any and all purchases made for the game, my bank covers me for a very long time thankfully. If only a group like Anonymous would step in and make it hell for them we’d have a real gaming revolution on our hands.

Anon? salvation through cyber terrorism, for the sake of the integrity of a corporation.. does that even make sense?

Wasn’t thinking about it like that, you are just letting your imagination get away from you. I said Like them, not exactly them. I would personally find it comedic if you went to the website one day and it was scribbled on badmouthing the Ascended gear, not that I would ever do something like that myself. It is not for the sake of Arena-net, its just a game. It would be more for gamers anyway, the ones that don’t want to be WoW drones and want to have an option in their entertainment choices not this monopolizing.

Uhh, guys, I’m as unhappy as anyone here but let’s not start advocating illegal kitten and actual attacks on ArenaNet based on a conspiracy theory hatched from a few vaguely related quest and character names. That’s pushing well past ‘intensely dissatisfied customer’ and well into ‘crazy reactionary nutso’ territory.

Crater.1625:

Uhh, guys, I’m as unhappy as anyone here but let’s not start advocating illegal kitten and actual attacks on ArenaNet based on a conspiracy theory hatched from a few vaguely related quest and character names. That’s pushing well past ‘intensely dissatisfied customer’ and well into ‘crazy reactionary nutso’ territory.

… no advocacy at all… I just said it would be something that, and I can guarentee I wouldn’t be the only one, who would giggle at if I saw it

If people are keen at twisting my words then I might as well delete it

I actually agree Crater. This is bringing out some very bad things in some very good people. Myself included. I am definitely getting close to my complete troll phase which has not made an appearance since Shadowbane days.

This change of ideals in Anet that I knew for many years is simply sickening. BUT, I truly think they did not have a choice.

I will voice my opinion on these stupid ideas in multiple ways… but advocating illigal activities or violence on someone I (at least once and may still) respect is simply too much.

Ostra.3927:

I actually agree Crater. This is bringing out some very bad things in some very good people. Myself included. I am definitely getting close to my complete troll phase which has not made an appearance since Shadowbane days.

This change of ideals in Anet that I knew for many years is simply sickening. BUT, I truly think they did not have a choice.

I will voice my opinion on these stupid ideas in multiple ways… but advocating illigal activities or violence on someone I (at least once and may still) respect is simply too much.

Keep on twisting my words

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

John Lucier.5486:

Ostra.3927:

I actually agree Crater. This is bringing out some very bad things in some very good people. Myself included. I am definitely getting close to my complete troll phase which has not made an appearance since Shadowbane days.

This change of ideals in Anet that I knew for many years is simply sickening. BUT, I truly think they did not have a choice.

I will voice my opinion on these stupid ideas in multiple ways… but advocating illigal activities or violence on someone I (at least once and may still) respect is simply too much.

Keep on twisting my words

loling right now, you’re like

“omg what did I just start, next thing you know someone is gonna drive a car into their building”

John that wasnt really ment towards you. Yours was just a lightbulb in my head that sparked the revelation. Sorry was not trying to mean YOU are acting like a bad person.

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

Yea heh, I didn’t mean it that way, and IllegalChocolate pretty much just nailed it on the head haha

Fortuna.7259:

I care nothing for a festering industry that wantonly refuses to provide a service that I’m willing to purchase.

Best post in this thread.

Lothair.8942:

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

The over-reaction to this gear is hilarious. The stat difference between Exotics and Ascended is pretty darn small and will make next to no difference in regards to WvW or content already released.

The big thing here is the Infusion Slots, which are not so much gear progression as they are an additional mechanic being implemented into PvE. While these can act as a gear gate, it seems that Anet realizes that Ascended gear need to come from all types of gameplay in order to avoid the “gear-treadmill”.

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

I can see how that’s not very fair. What happened to this game being casual player friendly. Are we not allowed to have a social life any more. The weekend is my busiest time socially. I usually only play weekday evenings.

Fundayz.6185:

Lothair.8942:

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

The over-reaction to this gear is hilarious. The stat difference between Exotics and Ascended is pretty darn small and will make next to no difference in regards to WvW or content already released.

The big thing here is the Infusion Slots, which are not so much gear progression as they are an additional mechanic being implemented into PvE. While these can act as a gear gate, it seems that Anet realizes that Ascended gear need to come from all types of gameplay in order to avoid the “gear-treadmill”.

The difference is 20+%!!!! not small, lol. if it’s so “small” why have it at all? lol

Fundayz.6185:

Lothair.8942:

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

The over-reaction to this gear is hilarious. The stat difference between Exotics and Ascended is pretty darn small and will make next to no difference in regards to WvW or content already released.

The big thing here is the Infusion Slots, which are not so much gear progression as they are an additional mechanic being implemented into PvE. While these can act as a gear gate, it seems that Anet realizes that Ascended gear need to come from all types of gameplay in order to avoid the “gear-treadmill”.

You know what’s really hilarious? How bad you are at math.

Fortuna.7259:

Crater.1625:

Daemon.6514:

Ok im not trying to be the dark horse in this conversation, BUT I do think exotic gear level was TO easy to obtain. I think they should continue to add ascended items but then Stop and ensure that this is the highest gear tier forever (a LONG time). This certainly gives those that want more to do some content and doesnt affect those who dont <— This is because anyone with exotics can easily make it to lvl 10 of the fractals.

Exotic items were “easy to obtain” if, and only if, you:

1) Refuse to play more than one character.
2) Refuse to play more than one build on each character.
3) Refuse to use anything other than the cheapest (profession-crafted) Exotics in the game.

For players who have a lot of time to play the game and still want advancement, there are release valves built into the game’s design everywhere. It’s like that old joke about a slowly drowning man, only in this case the punchline is replaced with “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll fix that for you.”

For the rest of us, it is not easy to outfit yourself with the Exotics you need. I play four characters at level 80, and two of them have two completely separate builds that require two completely separate sets of gear. I also like to use moderately nice looking gear, instead of awful looking Pearl weapons. That means it costs at least 200g to 250g to be outfitted in Exotic equipment. That is one hell of a grind to max out, with “easy to get” Exotics.

It will be impossible for me to max out with Ascended equipment, unless I stop playing everything except one build, on one character. Ascended equipment eliminates 83% of the game for me, in one fell swoop.

Catering to players who refuse to play the game except in one specific way, forever, should not be a priority.

Precisely. In addition, nearly all content has been rendered obsolete. Sure, I can go there… but dungeon groups will be hard to find, and maps emptier than ever. What fun. Now we have one dungeon that is itself super stratified so good luck organizing a group at your level.

so I guess the question is what is Anet going to do?
I personally have no idea why they didn’t consult with us the players? The logic kitten is begging to be put down.

Crater.1625:

Daemon.6514:

Ok im not trying to be the dark horse in this conversation, BUT I do think exotic gear level was TO easy to obtain. I think they should continue to add ascended items but then Stop and ensure that this is the highest gear tier forever (a LONG time). This certainly gives those that want more to do some content and doesnt affect those who dont <— This is because anyone with exotics can easily make it to lvl 10 of the fractals.

Exotic items were “easy to obtain” if, and only if, you:

1) Refuse to play more than one character.
2) Refuse to play more than one build on each character.
3) Refuse to use anything other than the cheapest (profession-crafted) Exotics in the game.

For players who have a lot of time to play the game and still want advancement, there are release valves built into the game’s design everywhere. It’s like that old joke about a slowly drowning man, only in this case the punchline is replaced with “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll fix that for you.”

For the rest of us, it is not easy to outfit yourself with the Exotics you need. I play four characters at level 80, and two of them have two completely separate builds that require two completely separate sets of gear. I also like to use moderately nice looking gear, instead of awful looking Pearl weapons. That means it costs at least 200g to 250g to be outfitted in Exotic equipment. That is one hell of a grind to max out, with “easy to get” Exotics.

It will be impossible for me to max out with Ascended equipment, unless I stop playing everything except one build, on one character. Ascended equipment eliminates 83% of the game for me, in one fell swoop.

Catering to players who refuse to play the game except in one specific way, forever, should not be a priority.

I cant agree more with your answer.

I myself gave up the idea of lvling other class to lvl 80, and i gave up the idea of doing serval build ( if i can really call that like that because of the weak possibilities of GW2 ) on my “main” because of the awfull farm needed to get a exotic set.
I hate the actual GW2 dungeon, and getting money is really too slow.

Which is totaly the opposite of what is supposed to be GW2.
I’am saying that after beeing a GW1 fan since 2005, and since they said they took the best part of GW1 ( liar )

Columba.9730:

Fundayz.6185:

Lothair.8942:

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

The over-reaction to this gear is hilarious. The stat difference between Exotics and Ascended is pretty darn small and will make next to no difference in regards to WvW or content already released.

The big thing here is the Infusion Slots, which are not so much gear progression as they are an additional mechanic being implemented into PvE. While these can act as a gear gate, it seems that Anet realizes that Ascended gear need to come from all types of gameplay in order to avoid the “gear-treadmill”.

The difference is 20+%!!!! not small, lol. if it’s so “small” why have it at all? lol

They only see the small numbers and do not want to notice how much it could change the game. It could really unbalance wvwvw not to mention make doing old instances pointless. I have 5 sets of exotic gear and I still love to run instances, i have no need to but I like to.

Crater.1625:

It will be impossible for me to max out with Ascended equipment, unless I stop playing everything except one build, on one character. Ascended equipment eliminates 83% of the game for me, in one fell swoop.

As someone with three 80s one almost 80 toon, I wholeheartedly agree. This forces us to go one build on one character. I would have approached the game in a completely different way had I known it was going to move in this direction.

If you can get a refund, get it. If not, don’t quit. All that does is make them run less hardware and save money. No, instead you need to be a leech. You need to make them pay money to support you, the players who won’t open up their wallets for this kittenpoop. They can’t target players who refuse to use the cash shop. The outcry from their cash cows would be bad, as it shows the callous moneygrubbing side that is taking over. No just login, force them to spend electricity and hardware to support you.

Just another disappointed voice here.
I liked GuildWars2 because it promised to be different from the majority of MMOs out there. If I had wanted new gear and new “challenges” in my end game, there would have been plenty of other games out there that offer more of that.
I bought (pre-ordered) this game because based on what the developers communicated, it would be similar to GuildWars1 in many ways, e.g. you can play it on and off, don’t need to keep your gear and progress up-to-date with other people or keep falling behind.
Maybe for hardcore players, collecting their exotic dungeon gear was easy and not a difficult task. For me it is rather tedious and I still don’t even have my first set completed! It makes me really angry to think that all of the effort in getting those pieces was more or less obsolete in the end because now all of a sudden it isn’t going to be the final set you can wear.
Sorry, but there are enough other games with this philosophy out there already, I don’t need or want to waste my time on just another one.

This gear grind makes me feel like playing only 1 character. I alreayd have 3 lvl 80’s and bought multiple chararacter slots. Love to level up alts. Now when I log on I feel I dont want to be left behind. I only really have time to gear up 1 character. Especially if they decide to also increase the level cap in the future.
Less people will be buying the character expansion slots. These are probabably not big money makers for you guys anwyas

MrLee.6892:

phooka.4295:

Aaaaand…

…Credit Card information deleted.

LOL you don’t even know the facts yet. kitten

How are people like you not embarrassed for repeating a completely ridiculous phrase like ‘kitten’ just because someone else did it first? The magnitude of the lemming mentality among gamers these days is astonishing.

For those complaining that first, people were upset that there wasn’t a grind, and now they’re upset that their isn’t, please try to keep a little perspective and ~common sense~ when you post. Just the tiniest bit would suggest that these are two different schools of thought complaining, not the same people contradicting themselves. It’s a little boggling that something so obvious needs explaining in the first place.

Nate Gray.9241:

How are people like you not embarrassed for repeating a completely ridiculous phrase like ‘kitten’ just because someone else did it first? The magnitude of the lemming mentality among gamers these days is astonishing.

There’s no new fad. It’s just the forum’s automatic censoring software. Nobody’s actually using the word “kitten” all the time; that’s just what you see when folks curse.

I’m probably in the agree to disagree crowd, but I cannot understand how this can cause this much vitriol, anger, negativity etc. They’ve added a single gear level, three months into the life of the game where most fundamental changes will have to occur, with no further plans (which they have said explicitly, you can hold them to that) to do so in the near future.

The expected lifetime of this game is clearly years, and no matter how buggy some people may have found the event, it is remarkable how they can scale with traffic which most would consider DDOS levels.

I for one will continue to support the work they do here, because they’ve clearly built something to last. I may drop out every once in awhile, but because of the design it’s so easy to jump back in again.

This ascended gear thing from what I’ve seen is more people concerned about the direction of new content then having this thing put in right here right now only a short time after launch. I wouldn’t be too concerned, and you’ve all made your point here which I’m sure ANet will consider, and because of how the system works, your dollars supports, or lack of it, guides the direction of development. Cheers.

Lt Latency.7415:

Yes we do.

2 million vs 10 thousand if every posters was unique (which it’s not)
keep cutting it in 1/2
1 million
500k
250k
125k
62.5k
32.25k

You have to cut the population in 1/2 7 times to even get close to 10k being the majority. If things are this bad in 2 months, Your DAM right then better start making major changes.

That 10,000 only means something if you have a pretty accurate estimate of how many of those ~2 million players are active posters on this forum. 20,000? 40,000? 100,000? in other words: if you know the total number of active posters on this forum, then you can estimate if it’s 1 out of 2, 1 out of 4 or 1 out of 10 players that are unhappy with this change. Given that we don’t even know that… those figures are completely meaningless.

This new tier is completely unnecessary. Players with the most gold have easily gotten new back pieces already, and introduces rng into dungeons, another thing they said they’d keep out pre release, another lie

Cheiron the Centaur.1829:

That 10,000 only means something if you have a pretty accurate estimate of how many of those ~2 million players are active posters on this forum. 20,000? 40,000? 100,000? in other words: if you know the total number of active posters on this forum, then you can estimate if it’s 1 out of 2, 1 out of 4 or 1 out of 10 players that are unhappy with this change. Given that we don’t even know that… those figures are completely meaningless.

It cracks me up when people try to invalidate any sort of statistics with a decent sized sample. Xfire is a good example… people try to point out how invalid it is because the majority of people do not use xfire. Yet how many times when a game’s population obviously drops is xfire saying it is in fact going up? Never. AoC, WAR, SWTOR, just to name some huge examples of games that topped the charts and then they start merging servers for the hell of it?

You can stick your head in the sand and say that unless you have 100% account of official numbers that they are meaningless… but that’s like making fun of people for bringing an umbrella to work when there are rain clouds outside. It’s the same for people teasing with comments like “haha yeah DOOOOM” or “OMG THE SKY IS FALLING LOLZ”. How many MMOs have you played where it wasn’t actually the case? WoW? Or do you consider keeping enough users to keep the lights on with a fraction of the development a game had within a year is still just fine for an MMO?

I’m not happy about these things, it just annoys me when people choose to be blindly optimistic and try to mislead other players or developers.

Darken Rahl.5824:

I’m probably in the agree to disagree crowd, but I cannot understand how this can cause this much vitriol, anger, negativity etc. They’ve added a single gear level, three months into the life of the game where most fundamental changes will have to occur, with no further plans (which they have said explicitly, you can hold them to that) to do so in the near future.

They have already explicitly stated that the power level between a casual and hardcore player was supposed to be the same, we know how that went.

The expected lifetime of this game is clearly years, and no matter how buggy some people may have found the event, it is remarkable how they can scale with traffic which most would consider DDOS levels.

It is because the expected lifetime of this game is measured in years that the gear treadmill is an ugly reality. Pandora’s box has been opened and for the long term survival of the game, they need to continue to introduce more powerful gear after gear to appease those that wants it.

Cheiron the Centaur.1829:

That 10,000 only means something if you have a pretty accurate estimate of how many of those ~2 million players are active posters on this forum. 20,000? 40,000? 100,000? in other words: if you know the total number of active posters on this forum, then you can estimate if it’s 1 out of 2, 1 out of 4 or 1 out of 10 players that are unhappy with this change. Given that we don’t even know that… those figures are completely meaningless.

Let me help you out.

The proportion of happy to angry people should be pretty similar, regardless of the absolute numbers involved. The question you need to ask is how much bias is present due to the medium (ie, happy people stay in game, unhappy people look for an outlet). Regardless, the trend is overwhelming. It would take a LOT of bias (like, say, 1/100 happy to angry) to get to a 50/50 split. I strongly doubt it’s that high.

Nate Gray.9241:

MrLee.6892:

phooka.4295:

Aaaaand…

…Credit Card information deleted.

LOL you don’t even know the facts yet. kitten

How are people like you not embarrassed for repeating a completely ridiculous phrase like ‘kitten’ just because someone else did it first? The magnitude of the lemming mentality among gamers these days is astonishing.

For those complaining that first, people were upset that there wasn’t a grind, and now they’re upset that their isn’t, please try to keep a little perspective and ~common sense~ when you post. Just the tiniest bit would suggest that these are two different schools of thought complaining, not the same people contradicting themselves. It’s a little boggling that something so obvious needs explaining in the first place.

I think the forums automatically replace all curse words with kitten

kitten

Yup

Arenanet are playing a very dangerous game right now. They are gambling that those that want and like a gear treadmill in their MMOs are now going to flock to this game. This thread proves that they have successfully alienated a massive group of fans and players.

Some important questions that Arenanet need to ask themselves.

Are they going to do the gear treadmill/progression thing better than the competition?

How are they going to tear people away from those other games bearing in mind that many of those people are heavily invested in those games either socially or through attachments to their characters.

What happens if the people STILL don’t come? Will that mean we might see more unique features turned into other copy/paste MMO features?

My feeling is that they are not going to attract too many more players to this game, and those that already left because there was ‘nothing to do’ or ‘no progression’ aren’t likely to come back because usually once you’ve left a new MMO, you don’t return.

This could leave them in a real mess as they are obviously going to lose players over this debacle and they have no idea whether they can not only make up the shortfall, but actually build on the populations by adapting this new philosophy.

If this method fails, then the game could be in serious trouble as they would be hard pushed to get back all the players that left due to the introduction of the gear treadmill/progression. People don’t like being lied to. Especially when they have put a huge amount of faith and trust in someone.

It’s going to be an interesting few months.

I just see the process of waiting, anticipating and playing GW 2 – including the $60 I spent on cosmetic crap and magic find boosts in the Gem Store – as just another notch in the slew of over-hyped, about-faced MMORPGs to have come out in the last decade. Though this is surely the most disappointing of the bunch, considering how drastically different it promised itself to be (expect those Manifestos to be revised or removed off the web within the month).

In short, I won’t buy or support an NCSoft or ANet product ever again. Nor will I recommend such things to my friends. The good news is that I’ve gone back to check out games that have their gear-treadmill already well tuned and grinding. The Secret World has fixed their once-garbage PVP with their latest update and they are actually introducing a horizontal progression mechanic with the latest raid, so that certainly is interesting. And DCUO always has had a special place in my heart, so I’m dabbling in that. I’ll probably check out the FF XIV reboot too, when the time comes.

Good luck to those of you who stay on in GW2. Expect things to get worse, not better.

Darken Rahl.5824:

I’m probably in the agree to disagree crowd, but I cannot understand how this can cause this much vitriol, anger, negativity etc.

(…)

This ascended gear thing from what I’ve seen is more people concerned about the direction of new content then having this thing put in right here right now only a short time after launch. I wouldn’t be too concerned, and you’ve all made your point here which I’m sure ANet will consider, and because of how the system works, your dollars supports, or lack of it, guides the direction of development. Cheers.

The anger and negativity comes mostly from the fact that the game was sold as A as opposite to B, but has now changed to B.

While some people – like you, I suspect – don’t mind gear grind, others are (for many different reasons) opposed to it and bougt the game because it promised no vertical progression. This is a 180 degree switch for us that is a deal breaker.
Think of it: if you bought a fuzzy littleball of fur that was supposed to become a small dog of a social, domesticated breed only to discover when it grows up it’s big, half-feral dog, how would you feel, apart from scammed (unless it actually didn’t bother you)?

Oh, and to top that off, NCSoft has a 6-month refund policy.
Guess what that means for fans who pre-purchased in April?
And guess who was the most likely to pre-purchase in April? Would that be the most impatient fans following the development closely and hooked up on ANets promises, by any chance?
It’s just one month after we’re not able to get out money back anymore.

To make that all worse, company’s communication over this issue is scandalous.

I got my refund, I’m done here…

Thank you for contacting NCsoft Account Support.

We have processed a refund for order number xxxxxxxx. A €54.99 credit has been applied to your card. This may not appear until your next billing statement.

All serial codes associated with the transaction(s) that have been refunded are now disabled.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Well,

What happened to this game was stupid, and this thread sadly has become just as stupid. I’m pretty sure than anyone at ANet who was following this thread lost interest already.

We’ve now moved beyond the “forums are more fun than the game” phase to the “It’s time to finally let it go and do something else” phase.

Cheers, all.

(edit: fixed my own bad grammar.)

Not going to say anything that haven’t been said in the previous posts but, as a symbolic gesture, I would like to add my voice.

Anet delivered a somewhat flawed product in relation to their Manifesto. For instance, the “all the game is the endgame” concept was weakly implemented as escalation still trivialized the low level content – I think they made a fatal mistake in this sense when they nerfed the difficulty in the Betas. In essence, we were promised a persistent open world with free-form progression where Prestige was to be the indicator to measure a player’s stature – which I think is possibly the most realistic way to indicate a player’s talent in a MMORPG, as “it’s not the sword you wield but the hand that wields it”. By the way it was marketed I was expecting a sort of combination between the sandbox and themepark styles.

The saddest thing is they had million of possibilities to build upon the “prestige based” concept, ie:

- More elaborated skins, would especial effects (fire, lighting, poison…) and rare combination of stats
- Improve on escalation (challenging combat in low level areas, especial skins for Champs, low level mats required for top lvl items…)
- Extension of current DEs, arcs and sagas quests in the open world.
- Titles, hall of heroes, statuettes of the top players in cities, special decorations once housing was implemented…Basically: mechanics to make the top players famous in the world.
- Skill based progression (i.e. the combination of some skills produce more powerful effects), more abilities that would would unlock for every weapon depending on how much you use them…

My idea was to give them time to improve on the flaws, with the hope that someday the current game would be aligned with the points stated in their Manifesto. But no…

Instead, they cater to a public the game wasn’t directed to in the first place – a public which is composed of unimaginative power creeps that think WoW is the standard MMORPGs should follow and whose impulse to play is not far too different from a junkie looking for his next fix; Skinner’s Box and, consequently, tunneled content in its maximum expression. Basically, now all the open world concept and escalation are going be trivialized, officially killing the “all the game is endgame concept”.

This is what happens when you introduce “stats addition based progression”: the persistent, open world game turns into a linear arcade. Then, it implies a change from a “I want to” mentality to a “I need to” one. Also, there is not such progression in the “stats addition based” paradigm, it’s all an illusion, smoke and mirrors. This video by “Extra Credits” explaining the fatal consequences of “power creep” implementation is a must and hasn’t been posted enough:

So, no need to say I’m done with this game. Not gonna ask for a refund as I enjoyed it for 3 months, just uninstalled it and stop playing. No need to say I won’t support ANet/NCSoft/Nexon in any way, shape or form.

For now on, my course of action is going to be to avoid linear themeparks like the pest. I look forward to World of Darkness, Arche-Age, The Re-Population and Everquest Next, they look to retake some of the complexity, free-form progression and “virtual world concept” of classics like UO and SWG. By the way, I have activated my UO online account – prefer to play a 15 year old game with realistic, freeform progression and complex mechanics than a dumbed-down, linear new MMORPG.

Just to finish, I’m gonna wear the tin-foil hat on this one: I have the suspicion that ANet is not running the show any more, my guess is that this change has been directed from the suits at NCSoft or Nexon. Wouldn’t be a surprise if there had been a lot of frustrated screaming behind the curtains this last week. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we saw Colin Johanson or Mike O’Brien leaving the company in less than 3 months from now. Their silence, the way this has been communicated and some “eastern eggs” are quite eloquent in this regard…

((Edit: Typos))

I for one like the new dungeon and ascended gear.
For the moment they dont affect wvw much, the backpack cost a fortune and the ring have random stat on it. And only 3 piece doesnt affect your overall effectiveness much. But if they add more they would have to add some ascended gear to wvw as well.

I mean its not like there isnt already different quality of gear(i pvp in mostly green and i dont mind it much), you already have to ’’grind’’ for exotic. This is just the next step and i dont expect them to add a new tier of gear before a long time.

Seems like the difference of overall effectiveness beetween ascended exotic is about 15% , so whats the big deal? I understand its only obtainable in dungeon atm but they said that will change so why so much hate. What if the game started with rare as the best quality and they added exotic later on?

Columba.9730:

Fundayz.6185:

Lothair.8942:

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

Wow. Just wow, I have no words anymore for the amount of fail I’m seeing from this company.

The over-reaction to this gear is hilarious. The stat difference between Exotics and Ascended is pretty darn small and will make next to no difference in regards to WvW or content already released.

The big thing here is the Infusion Slots, which are not so much gear progression as they are an additional mechanic being implemented into PvE. While these can act as a gear gate, it seems that Anet realizes that Ascended gear need to come from all types of gameplay in order to avoid the “gear-treadmill”.

The difference is 20+%!!!! not small, lol. if it’s so “small” why have it at all? lol

20% is a pretty huge amount; most players here probably couldn’t be bothered with numbers but honestly imo, in wvsw 20% is close to nothing just get used to the zerg parties

I just found out that in Europe, it is legal to re-sell used licenses

Oracle has found itself on the losing side of a judgement by Europe’s top court, which ruled on Tuesday that software licences can be sold on a second-hand basis, even when the software in question is downloaded rather than sold on physical media.

The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) applies to the whole of the software industry operating within the EU, not just Oracle and UsedSoft, the German reseller that Oracle sued. It follows an opinion in April by CJEU advocate-general, Yves Bot, who also said that the same resale rights should apply to downloaded software that apply to software sold on CDs or DVDs.

“Where the copyright holder makes available to his customer a copy — tangible or intangible — and at the same time concludes, in return [for] payment of a fee, a licence agreement granting the customer the right to use that copy for an unlimited period, that rightholder sells the copy to the customer and thus exhausts his exclusive distribution right. Such a transaction involves a transfer of the right of ownership of the copy,” the CJEU said in a statement (PDF).

Therefore, even if the licence agreement prohibits a further transfer, the rightholder can no longer oppose the resale of that copy.

http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-cannot-block-the-resale-of-its-software-in-europe-7000000189/

I’m pretty sure NCSoft will argue this does not apply to games but really, software is software.

ledzep.9504:

I for one like the new dungeon and ascended gear.
For the moment they dont affect wvw much, the backpack cost a fortune and the ring have random stat on it. And only 3 piece doesnt affect your overall effectiveness much. But if they add more they would have to add some ascended gear to wvw as well.

I mean its not like there isnt already different quality of gear(i pvp in mostly green and i dont mind it much), you already have to ’’grind’’ for exotic. This is just the next step and i dont expect them to add a new tier of gear before a long time.

Seems like the difference of overall effectiveness beetween ascended exotic is about 15% , so whats the big deal? I understand its only obtainable in dungeon atm but they said that will change so why so much hate. What if the game started with rare as the best quality and they added exotic later on?

15% was the difference between having all three relics and having none in wvw, and you see where that ended.

I’d actually be ok with another layer of gear in the game if they didn’t break the rest of the game putting it in, going against their own ideologies, Puting systems in that players are now using to segregate others from the content. The new gear is just a symptom of the epidemic of issues they unleashed into the game. Including rendering the open world endgame areas obsolete and unplayable.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/The-New-GW2-Flavor-Rocks/page/2#post796922

I don’t see this new tier of gear as any kind of saving grace that will have players flocking back to the game. It has the same problems as the Legendary weapons where you need to assemble them in a convoluted ritual at the mystic forge, I don’t think that does much for the gear progression hungry.

If I was playing this game for gear progression I want the rush of downing the end boss and prying a Ascended item from its cold dead hands ….not get some crafting component I got to read about on the inter net to figure out what I got to combine with it to make a shiny.

That Other MMO’s is always going to do the progression game better because they’re writing the rule book. To win in this MMO game you have to write a New rule book and stick to it…..it’s the harder and longer road to hoe but doing what came before and then doing it badly is the kiss of death.

A lot of incorrect numbers being thrown around here. The difference between an exotic piece and an ascended piece is 50-60%. Remember that the % based multipliers are compounding. The back piece is it’s own animal since it not has a stat increase but adds double the stats, this % would be hard to get but alone its higher then 200% increase over backpieces that were available.

These are also NOT including the real stats on infusions

xtorma.1283:

ledzep.9504:

I for one like the new dungeon and ascended gear.
For the moment they dont affect wvw much, the backpack cost a fortune and the ring have random stat on it. And only 3 piece doesnt affect your overall effectiveness much. But if they add more they would have to add some ascended gear to wvw as well.

I mean its not like there isnt already different quality of gear(i pvp in mostly green and i dont mind it much), you already have to ’’grind’’ for exotic. This is just the next step and i dont expect them to add a new tier of gear before a long time.

Seems like the difference of overall effectiveness beetween ascended exotic is about 15% , so whats the big deal? I understand its only obtainable in dungeon atm but they said that will change so why so much hate. What if the game started with rare as the best quality and they added exotic later on?

15% was the difference between having all three relics and having none in wvw, and you see where that ended.

Give this man a medal.

Logun.2349:

I’d actually be ok with another layer of gear in the game if they didn’t break the rest of the game putting it in, going against their own ideologies, Puting systems in that players are now using to segregate others from the content. The new gear is just a symptom of the epidemic of issues they unleashed into the game. Including rendering the open world endgame areas obsolete and unplayable.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/The-New-GW2-Flavor-Rocks/page/2#post796922

I don’t see this new tier of gear as any kind of saving grace that will have players flocking back to the game. It has the same problems as the Legendary weapons where you need to assemble them in a convoluted ritual at the mystic forge, I don’t think that does much for the gear progression hungry.

If I was playing this game for gear progression I want the rush of downing the end boss and prying a Ascended item from its cold dead hands ….not get some crafting component I got to read about on the inter net to figure out what I got to combine with it to make a shiny.

That Other MMO’s is always going to do the progression game better because they’re writing the rule book. To win in this MMO game you have to write a New rule book and stick to it…..it’s the harder and longer road to hoe but doing what came before and then doing it badly is the kiss of death.

It’s hard to write a new rule book and stick to it when you have torn it up and wiped the bottom with it right infront of your audience………

Eder.9120:

Wow it keeps getting better… I just found out that because I couldn’t log in 7 hours ago for the final event, I missed out on a free, one-time uber accessory which will cost 1000 shells or about 20 gold (based on current trading post prices) otherwise.

So now, you not only have to be a “dedicated player” running FotM 24×7, you need to log in at specific times too? Seriously… what the hell happened.

It is not uber. It is an accessory with no strong point and just spread out stats all over the place.