Guild Wars 2

Hirosama Nadasaki.6792:

Still no word on the impact of Colin’s leave in the visual nerf matter. Anet I’m begging you, I truly, honestly can’t play my elementalist in this situation, it’s pathetically lackluster without the original effects!

Wait for it..

Coming soon to a BLTP near you! The Colin Johanson Fireball and Aura Remembrance Package. There will be sweet dreams in Tyria once more.. Soon™

Though isn’t the mini-banner I made just lovely!

That should be the background image on a new legendary.

LOL ! that banner is hilarious. On topic : I sure hope it doesn’t take till the next AMA, since you know… they haven’t announced they will do one again in the nearby future

Unless i missed something?

Siobhan.5273:

Hirosama Nadasaki.6792:

Still no word on the impact of Colin’s leave in the visual nerf matter. Anet I’m begging you, I truly, honestly can’t play my elementalist in this situation, it’s pathetically lackluster without the original effects!

Wait for it..

Coming soon to a BLTP near you! The Colin Johanson Fireball and Aura Remembrance Package. There will be sweet dreams in Tyria once more.. Soon™

Though isn’t the mini-banner I made just lovely!

Omfg I’m literally going through the Kübler-Ross model over here. That banner sums up my arrival to the bargaining stage just perfectly.

Hirosama Nadasaki.6792:

Still no word on the impact of Colin’s leave in the visual nerf matter. Anet I’m begging you, I truly, honestly can’t play my elementalist in this situation, it’s pathetically lackluster without the original effects!

I really, really hate my fire pea shooter animation still. I want the old animation back. I am hoping whoever steps into Colin’s position gets this fixed.

fyi – the ‘comments about communication’ thread today has some relevant information on the visual nerfs/options issue:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Comments-about-Communications-1/page/5#post6058959

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

fyi – the ‘comments about communication’ thread today has some relevant information on the visual nerfs/options issue:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Comments-about-Communications-1/page/5#post6058959

Thank you for the heads-up Zoltar! I’ve been wanting Gaile specifically to make statement on this matter, because I always found her to be reasonable and, compared to Colin’s tantrum on Reddit, more considerate towards the community. It saddens me though to see her also involved in the “I can neither confirm nor deny that this may or may not ever happen some day some time in an undetermined state of stuff” scheme.

Soooo…. It’s getting close to April. I’ve been watching the calendar and hoping to see the visual nerfs un-nerfed as promised. ~fingers crossed~

And btw, Hirosama, I don’t necessarily think Gaile is wrapped in up the “neither confirm nor deny” scheme, I think she just doesn’t know. Which is what she said. So, given that she is usually one of the most considerate and rational official voices on this forum, let’s give her the credit she deserves and trust that she’ll advocate on our behalf to the right people and bring back word when she has it.

I started to like the game less when more of these visual changes came into place. Everything has just started to look so anaemic now. The game is losing its flare on the visual front.

Since this thread is..well.

HERE is a link to a Reddit thread where people are asking if they can get our visuals back.

What is this? Why my fireball looks like a hot needle? Why did you butcher the animation of elementalists so much? God, it feels so awful now.

This is supposed to be the mage class of this mmo, super fragile yet very rewarding damage-wise with flashy OP-looking skills. I mean, just look at FFXIV and BD mage spells, they look like they are going to ruin the world.

This looks completely terrible. Why did you do that? Was it to reduce the clutter and to avoid world/dungeon bosses to look like giant balls of lightning? Well, let me enlighten you: they still look like giant lightning bombs and it’s not going to change. So just give me the OP-flashy skills, I’m not going to see the boss anyways.

Or at least, give me the option to enable super flashy animation graphics for spells. I don’t care about whether I can see the boss. kitten , there is already an option to reduce the clutter and lightning, the ones who want to use it can just check the box, but why do you have to ruin it for everyone else?

kitten

Yes, we know and a big thread on it was around last year. It will return, but not until they implement a toggle feature for visual clutter. It should also return auras to their original state.

This was the last we heard, we just do not know when it will be going in game.

They changed some animations a while ago “to reduce visual clutter,” the idea being, as you guessed, that it would make it easier to see what’s going on without so many large effects going on. You can give your feedback on it in this thread:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Visual-nerfs-Merged

I think there’s been some talk about implementing a “special effects intensity” setting to deal with the issue, although I don’t think anything is set in stone yet, at least publicly. I’m hoping it’ll be in the April update, but we’ll have to wait and see. Can’t hurt to add your voice to those giving feedback about it!

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/How-to-Give-Good-Feedback/first#post3383470

Some of the visual noise reduction didn’t make much sense imo. I’d love to see this get another pass with some more consideration given to the strength/dmg of the skill.

Some notable skills that are poorly represented graphically:
- Shocking Aura — nearly invisible
- Dragon’s Maw — no area of effect indicator, ward ring nearly invisible. The 15’ tall snapping dragon animation untouched…
- Acid Bomb – no area of effect indicator, only aftercast of acid gurgling at the final pulse renders
- Hunter’s Ward – no area of effect indicator, chains often culled out leaving invisible wards

A spammable auto attack like ele fireball was a good candidate for a trim on the animation, where as invisble wards that are 4 or 6s in duration probably not the best choice to make invisible.

Yep, you are a bit late noticing it but I still yearn for my formerly boooom-bastic fireball.

I just got linked to this thread….

Please give us options back to have good visuals again, I bought a really nice computer after a year of this game because the visuals were stunning and the combat felt “Explosive”.

sephiroth.4217:

I just got linked to this thread….

Please give us options back to have good visuals again, I bought a really nice computer after a year of this game because the visuals were stunning and the combat felt “Explosive”.

I hear you.

My husband and I joined the game 3 years ago at the urging of our son who has (now HAD he has finished reinstalling ESO on his systems, and we have finished doing so on both ours. I think it’s about time for us start wrapping things up in this world) played since headstart. He had, and still has a very nice system. Liquid cooling, Sapphire graphics card.. some stupid expensive techie man stuff while me and the husband had mediocre systems. Ours could run the game, but not super great and only on low settings.

We left the game not too long after evolved jungle wurm came out and we beat that, and got all the titles (what a nightmare with all those bugs..) and the LA events with halo/horn stuff.. Content was being released on a rigid time schedule, and it seemed, with very little QA. I remember Battle for Lion’s Arch issue thread that was just ridiculous, and that’s about where we threw in the towel.

Fast forward to this past September. I start digging into the expansion more as I’d been hearing about it. Sounds nice. In October, we built 2 new systems, ground up, very nice.. one for me, one for my husband. Both more than capable of playing this game, or anything else we might be interested in. We purchase the game in time to participate in the last beta weekend before HoT goes live.

The graphics kicked booootay. We were just thrilled. BAITED!

November 17, 2015 we got this update which did this to Elementalists:

• Fireball: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• Overload Air: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.

Don’t worry, other folks got nailed too.

Then, on Dec. 1, 2015 we all got hit again:

• “Wash the Pain Away!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• “Flash-Freeze!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• “Feel the Burn!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• The following skills have had their effects replaced with a new version to reduce visual noise: Frost Aura, Magnetic Aura, Shocking Aura, and Fire Shield.

We got an egg-line. A barely visible egg-line This affects other professions that use aura’s too.

So… that was the SWITCH!

Since then, we’ve all been very vocal in trying to get our graphics reverted, but this thread is a ghost town and to be honest, the last issue that had been brought up in it, hadn’t even been read by the folks that are charged with reading it. Lost my warm and fuzzies. So, I linked that Reddit thread for those wanting to get some interaction, because at least the Devs post more there than here.

Was a somewhat good run.. and we loved SAB when it launched, but I just don’t think I’m down for the rude CS (we’ll answer when we answer doesn’t make me want to whip out my credit card anytime soon) and dismissive attitude of the man at the wheel (Colin was dismissive and smug too, and I find that a repulsive quality). I don’t enjoy seeing some dudes named (lets say wet panties and manjunk -both gross) in game with all the others I reported 16 days ago via a regular ticket because the in-game tool reports yielded no results for well over a month. I was beside myself to see the ticket simply closed with no action taken, yet giggling, because I see the threads on Reddit constantly about my very same issue, and the excuse is always “we didn’t see that” “that shouldn’t have happened” “our system was backed up/or down” (that was a recent excuse), yet on it goes.

So! While word on the street is we should hear word soon that our stuff is coming back, don’t hold your breath, because you need to take many breathes to live… and it takes a long time get information around here… and content..paid for content. /sigh

Ahh.. I miss the good ole’ days..

Siobhan.5273:

Since then, we’ve all been very vocal in trying to get our graphics reverted, but this thread is a ghost town and to be honest, the last issue that had been brought up in it, hadn’t even been read by the folks that are charged with reading it.

It may look like a ghost town now, but just you wait when the April’s patch fails to deliver a fix to this, we’ll reach SAB proportions! (And of course Anet will continue to not read it).

Well I was right about the first part, april patch is here and visual fixes are not. I’m truly happy for the people in the SAB thread though, enjoy!

So it’s even long since it happened?

I picked up my ele the other day after having played my remaining 6 characters for the past months so I noticed only now.

And now that you mention auras, Chaos Armor looks horrible too. From that very cool looking purple spectral bubble it turned to a barely visible eggline. That was messed up. Revert it back to how it was (which was similar to shield 4th skill)

It looks cute on my Asura

Visual Nerf thread where we’re all sent to our little visual nerf purgatory and tossed scraps from Reddit, and nothing is ever actually communicated with us and/or changed for us.

-*edit- Oh look, someones visual questions thread wound up merged into this one!

It’s not quite a ghost town. I think a lot of people have just gotten tired of no news, or are waiting to see if Anet delivers in April as promised (me included). But we haven’t forgotten. It’s completely baffling to think that this game company would shoot themselves in the foot by taking away awesome looking graphics that they’ve already invested the time into creating. Isn’t that one of the things that sets one game apart from another, how cool it looks? Sometimes I really think Anet is being run by their competition.

Did only Fireball get changed back in this patch? All the other effects still seem to have the nerfed animations, even with the new option turned off.

Josa.5067:

Did only Fireball get changed back in this patch? All the other effects still seem to have the nerfed animations, even with the new option turned off.

Yeah i’m seeing no effect from this setting

my hopes got broken when i thought all my skills would be back to normal /:

November 17, 2015 we got this update which did this to Elementalists:

• Fireball: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• Overload Air: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.

Then, on Dec. 1, 2015 we all got hit again:

• “Wash the Pain Away!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• “Flash-Freeze!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• “Feel the Burn!”: Reduced the visual noise on the effects associated with this skill.
• The following skills have had their effects replaced with a new version to reduce visual noise: Frost Aura, Magnetic Aura, Shocking Aura, and Fire Shield.

Then, we got Colin and his talk of return FX on Reddit before he left.

Today, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, we got, in terms of visuals:

• Fireball: The effect of this skill has been returned to its previous state. The damage of this skill has been increased by 17%.
  
  edit-
  PROFESSION SKILLS
  General

• A new option called Effect LOD has been added to the graphics options of the game. It limits the detail of allied players’ skill effects. This option has been turned on by default.
  o When toggled on, skills from allies will play a visually reduced version of their default skill effect. Additionally, ally hit effects and certain ally cast effects will be disabled.
  o When toggled off, skills from allies will play the default version of their skill effect. Allies’ cast effects as well as allies’ hit effects on foes will be visible.

• Each profession has had their default ground-target reticle interchanged with new profession-specific reticles.

• All combo fields in the game have been given a visual update to make them more distinct in combat.
  o Dark Field: A black ring with floating shadows has been added.
  o Ethereal Field: A magenta ring with floating, shattered fragments has been added.
  o Fire Field: An orange ring with rising flames has been added.
  o Ice Field: A light-blue ring with slow-moving ice has been added.
  o Light Field: A golden ring with a hovering white fog has been added.
  o Lightning Field: A purple ring with rising lightning bolts has been added.
  o Poison Field: A green ring with slowly rising bubbles has been added.
  o Smoke Field: A gray ring with rising smoke has been added.
  o Water Field: A blue ring with cascading water has been added.

Siobhan.5273:

Today, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, we got, in terms of visuals:

• Fireball: The effect of this skill has been returned to its previous state. The damage of this skill has been increased by 17%.

Literally the only effect that got changed back. They completely forgot mesmer wells and other things too.

Anet, um, thanks for fireball back. But you completely missed like everything else. What the kitten? :\

And the thread relights! My profecy is fullfilled.

What the FLYING kitten ANet?! Where the hell are my mesmer wells, where the hell are my Auras!?!?!?

What

THE

kitten!!!!

Guys, spam them like hell during the AMA today, this is outrageous!

Agreed with everyone’s after patch posts. Fireball is a good start A-net, now please continue and restore the rest, please please pretty please
There shouldn’t be any reason left now not to do it

Also “lighting surge” is still without its lightning lol…. i mean come on…

…………………………………………………………………………Why?

I’m really just about ready to just give up on this game altogether, maybe even try for the refund.

I asked on Reddit.

Hallelujah for the Effect Toggle..

Now are finally Fireballs again Fireballs

Amen!

Orpheal.8263:

Hallelujah for the Effect Toggle..

Now are finally Fireballs again Fireballs

Amen!

Yes amen, now we just need all of the chronomancer wells back, all of the auras back, ele earth staff 2, ele earth dagger 5, water blast combo and ele water dagger 5, flash freeze, feel the burn, overload air, orbital strike, dragonhunter traps, and probably many others I’m forgetting.

And they completely ignored the questions about the visual effects in reddit…

Josa.5067:

And they completely ignored the questions about the visual effects in reddit…

Are any of us really surprised?

• edit- This .gif is so much more appropriate.

The main thing is, the burning, important topic that needed discussion, was finally addressed. Phew.

People asked questions about the visual issues, and were totally ignored, yet Colin dank meme got quite the bit of attention, as did the discussion on the care of sponges. Reddit is laughable for those looking for answers to questions. Heck, people were offering to send the team beer they “clearly are owed”. Yes, these are the people who bought them cupcakes. Yes, for them doing what we already pay them to do… /boggled. No wonder we go through “content droughts”. We forget to get them nummies.

Give me back my AURAS!

Electric Puha.6729:

Give me back my AURAS!

I second this!
I want my Auras and Wells back too!
I miss them sooo much T_T

On the bright side, at least we got FireBall Back on Staff! Yay!

I’ve been away for a while but I am back enjoying my guardian and buying gems. The last thing I expected to see tonight was for my symbol of faith to have the most hideous, bright orangey, colored ring replace it’s subtle yet stylish visual effects.
I went to the options to see if I can change it back and I can’t. I can have my character have high textures, reflections, everything on max, except my abilities.

Bottom line – I want an option to change the visual effects of my spells back to what I am used to and what I like. And I want it yesterday.

Jackums.3496:

Reddit thread for re-adding original FX:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/4fj7j8/can_we_get_original_aura_visuals_back_now/

Upvote/comment for visibility.

Just did! Thanks for the link! =)

I just find it incredible how this thread has almost 1000 posts now, and not a single reply from Anet.

Auras or riot

Jackums.3496:

At the least I’d hope if ANet had no plans to return any of the original visuals, they’d say it rather than leaving people hoping.

If they do have plans but don’t want to promise anything, that’s different and understandable.

I’ve come to learn that I had to lower my expectations drastically where this issue is concerned.

Many people have commented politely in this thread, and the other one you posted, and this very polite post by StinVec.3621. As a matter of fact, it was so great, I’m gonna place it here:

StinVec.3621:

As a person who absolutely loves reading every single character in patch notes, those long and detailed notes were a dream!

Thank you, ANet, for those lovely notes! I hope all future updates are as detailed and inclusive of changes implemented by the update they are for.

---

As for what those gorgeous notes detailed:
Practically the entirety of the patch notes were related to things that do not affect my playstyle or alter areas of the game that I take part. However, a lot of the update seems well-received and offered positive changes for areas of the game for other players, so that’s awesome. Though due to my not really taking part in those areas of gameplay, I have no personal opinion on them.

The only changes that really affect me would be the slight adjustments to some skills for some professions, but even those changes were not really a big deal or ‘game-changing’. Though I must admit I like the ranger sword skill no longer being animation-locked…but I rarely use that as my primary weapon on my rangers.

The Effect Quality option is nice, but it does not revert all changed skills to their former, fully graphic state and only reverts the Elementalist Fireball. It is nice to finally get that back, but what about all of the other changed skill effects that were diminished that are not reverted to their previous appearance? Seems to be barely implemented at all. Maybe down the road everything else will get included and reverted to their former glory as well, which I look forward to reading about their inclusion in some future, highly-detailed patch notes.

People posted at the appropriate time, and in the appropriate place during the “Ask Me Anything” (apparently literally meaning anything- from Colin dank meme to the care of sponges to frog inquiries) but something that has been a long standing issue players have been asking about since November 2015? Not a whisper of an answer.

Maybe an inspirational video will help us:

Jackums.3496:

At the least I’d hope if ANet had no plans to return any of the original visuals, they’d say it rather than leaving people hoping.

If they do have plans but don’t want to promise anything, that’s different and understandable.

Even if it’s the latter, I wish they’d just say it all the same, just come out and say “we may return the original visuals later, but we won’t promise anything”, even that is better than leaving us in the dark.

It would be simple to add a client slider, or tick back with options on what we do and don’t want to see.

If someone has a problem with X and X skill’s being in their way let them tone it down on their individual client.

Also, Dragon’s Maw being invisible in PvP is just ridiculous, if you don’t see the animation for it you can’t know if your trapped or if it’s still there or not, reducing visual clutter by making something invisible…..

Jackums.3496:

Exeon.4358:

It would be simple to add a client slider, or tick back with options on what we do and don’t want to see.

If someone has a problem with X and X skill’s being in their way let them tone it down on their individual client.

We have an effect toggle now, as of this week’s patch. That’s why I’m asking for them to re-add the original FX. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to have access to the old, “noisy” visual effects now that people can turn them off if they wish.

Eg. Toggle off = all the original, flashy skill visuals (ie. old auras)
Toggle on = current, toned down skill visuals (ie. current auras)

IMO, they’re only hurting their game with the visual nerfs, anyway. The flashy visuals of GW2 has always been one of its strong points. I remember convincing friends of mine to buy the game, years ago, by showing them videos of A/ the combat B/ the visuals.

haha me too!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/4g2t8r/i_think_its_time_to_bring_this_up_again_visual/

I made this little post on Reddit. Would be nice to have a few comments or something for visibility.