Guild Wars 2

Some more thoughts to some of the reworked maps.

Skyhammer:
You removed some of the jump pads but can we have stairs there instead? exspecially if you go from an outer point to mid on th elower level there used to be jumppads so you can get up and take the stairs up to mid. Currently there is nothing. Can we have stairs there to get up so we have the option to take the covered way?

Spririt Watch:
Maybe it is more a problem of not equally balanced teams but if you won the first teamfight you have a free view from nearly anywhere on the map to the other points, the orb spawn, the enemy respawn. This leads that you can tell exactly were the enemy is going and react to it making it very hard for the team who has lost map dominance to have a come back. Some more obstacles that prevent the free line of sight would be nice.
Also all ways feel forced towards orb spawn. Can we have some sort of tunnels below the capture points to allow movement while avoiding the orb spawn?

I actually don’t feel like Skyhammer favors ranged classes, there are so many places where you can play around with the LoS. It has however become boring.

I find the main issue I have with Skyhammer is that the map is very small, the distance between A and C is only around 3000 units, of almost completely open ground no less. The small nature of the map forces 1v1s and teamfights in unfavorable places. I think a basement level would add a lot of depth to the map. Especially if you could move around the map by using the basement level. That links to my 2nd point about the layout.

With a basement, you could reapply the breakable floors. It could do some dmg to fall down but not enough to instakill(or even close to it). It would be an element of the map but not enough to decide matches. It would restore the uniqueness of the map, give additional play options and give more ground for team play instead of forcing it. There could even be a small sub-mechanic to power up the cannon faster.

I see people saying Skyhammer is playable, it absolutely is not. Not unless you do something with the camera angles on the side points. You’re constantly obstructed with the pillars, it’s impossible to put this map in the rotation until that is fixed.

Skyhammer

Overall a very good improvement. The map is compact enough but still has some great potential to hide from projectiles etc.

Improvements:
- The “underground” areas near the bases seem to have their jump pads removed. The only way out of these now is the hole near the side points. Adding a jump pad again at the end of these pathways again would improve this.
- Skyhammer mechanic: A huge improvement compared to the original but still can see some improvement. It adds tactic to the whole map. One problem in my eyes is that there is one entrances but two exits. I suggest making 2 entrances too, to prevent trapping at the entrance.
- Remove the flat parts on the pillars on the sidepoints. This way there is still enough cover while narrowing down problems with the camera.

Conclusion: Overall very strong improvement. I believe that with some slight tweaks the map would be ready for ranked.

Spirit Watch

Seperating skills on the orb mechanic were a good choice in the right direction. The map layout offers good escape routes and cover. The orb mechanic has some more tactic to is now (captured point vs enemy point).

Improvements:
- Picking up the orb is a transformation. While in this transformation every classes base armor and health pool is scaled up towards a certain point. On top of that will be a formula for toughness and vitality. Reason: Classes with low health pool or armor currently have a disadventage —> Berserker warriors are just as survivable as paladin eles for example. This change would allow any bunker spec to have adventage which would be justified.
- The routes you can take from the spawn are almost every time very visible for the enemy. Adding some structures near the spawn or even a tunnel could improve this.

Conclusion: This map needs some harder fixes but definetly has a future. The orb mechanic feels more worthwhile now while not being very deciding for the whole match.

And last I am still going to try it…

Raid on the Capricorn

A map I always loved.

Improvements:
- Reskin the map to be an Aetherblade Airship harbor. This way you can thematicly remove the water and make the middle point in a cave.
- Changed map mechanic: On the deck of the ship is an electric shield device. Just like on skyhammer this can be captured as a capture point. Once captured it creates a bubble over two out of three points, tho middle one and the closest one to your base. This bubble will knock enemies on that point off it. It absorbs projectiles from the outside. Enemies inside the bubble will receive a debuff that increases their incoming damage by 25% (including condition damage) while allies within the bubble will receive a buff that increases their damage by 25%. These buffs are unique buffs and thus stack with boons and conditions like vulnerability and might. These bubbles stay for 15s(?).

How are you all doing today! I missed you all! I was bored so I reinstalled and played a few matches today! Man am I rusty! Few things I noticed!

• Whoa Skyhammer and Spirit Watch are good now? Nice work Anet! I never thought I’d see the day!
• Man those Revenants are strong aren’t they! I guess it didn’t help that I had no idea what their skills do! Or any other class for that matter! Goshdarn Scrappers have so many projectile reflects! I ate more of my grenades than they did!
• Queue times didn’t go over 5 minutes! Nice work Anet!
• Magnet didn’t bug out as much! That’s good!
• Still only conquest! ResidentSleeper
• $50 for 3 skills, “new” weapon, and extra traitline! Can’t fool me with that!
• People told me Necros were severely nerfed! Thanks for that! Didn’t see many of them pooping on my poor Engi in the games I played!
• Still can’t tell which Swirling Winds belong to my team and which belong to the other team! Many grenades were wasted!

The Division patch isn’t out until tomorrow so maybe when I get off work I will play with some of you my friends! Bye!

You must be pretty sad playing the division. Isn’t it like the most boring game released this year (yet)?

Fallout 4 DLCs have more content…and they are just bunch of shelves and tables and chairs and kitten

The Division doesn’t have a lot of content it’s true! But ganking people and surviving a manhunt is pretty fun and exciting! And you get to steal their stuff too!

I’d never thought I’d say that one day, but I’ve missed you. You are probably the last player using grenades in this game though.

Like he change to Skyhammer, what Skyhammer actually did took a while to figure out since we could still see the old control platform so first bit amde us think that we needed to reach that, which couldn’t be done.

Like the new ramps and jump points. Only one that seems to an issue is the one under the B capture point. Something is off on it and often results in the player not making it back thru the opening but instead bouncing off the lower area roof.

Overall good change, +1.

I like the new skyhammer, mainly midpoint. There is a lot of complexity with knocking players down, and the platforms around the point are a fun risk/reward thing, because you risk a lot of fall damage.

As an idea for the skyhammer, what if it set down a huge field that gives any players entering it 2 stacks of burning. It is player targeted, and persists until the skyhammer becomes capture-able again. By huge, I mean like, a diameter of 1200 or 1500

<3 frand~ You going to start streaming again sometime?

I know this is off-topic, but why the kitten do you spam so many exclamation marks? It’s obnoxious.

Skyhammer is silly. Those jump pads, when your running fast sometimes you cant make the jump, you get tossed into them, you get pushed down holes. The crazy cannon isn’t a problem, its the base idea of the map. and having the catwalk things above the points is also really strange. Forces people into certain specs to use those well. Just a strange map overall. Please dont put it in ranked.

Spirit watch is okay. Wish teammates would stop rushing mid every game at the start into sloggy meaningless team fights though. Seems like a lot of them aren’t aware of the bridge gate or something. Know I didn’t for a long time. Maybe outline gates, face us a different way at spawn, idk. Doesn’t seem like a major problem on paper, but makes unranked and low MMR games pretty wonky at the start.

I didn’t miss you =.=

welcome back.

skyhammer
much better. would like to see the underneath glass platforms near a+c come back, as well as the barrier leading to a+c removed. the skyham neutralizing points might make matches last too long. maybe only neutralize if there isnt anyone on the point. lastly the skyham point feels too safe. wouldnt mind removing the disappearing barriers.

spirit watch
good job no qualms.

Still loving skyhammer, but I have one major problem with Spirit Watch: The Orb transformation:

- You’re way too vulnerable.
- It’s not fun with just 2 useless skills.
- I don’t think it’s necessary that every class/build is equally able to run the orb.

Sorel.4870:

I’d never thought I’d say that one day, but I’ve missed you. You are probably the last player using grenades in this game though.

I’d never thought I’d see the Engi meta shift away from Grenades! It was the meta for like 3 years! Crazy right!

The divison or guild wars 2?

Ok, so far:
Skyhammer: Great! I kind of miss the sheer silliness of old skyhammer, but this map is actually a playable and fun pvp map in all respects. I’d just keep an eye on a couple of wierd pockets made by the wall around the map. they’re unreasonably good for obstructing ranged attacks. It rarely comes up, but they are there.

Spirit Watch: Also great, feels like a different Temple of the silent storm. Did find a glitch though. If you’re in Death shroud when you pick up the orb, it will drop you into your normal skills instead of “ball mode”. Not sure if other toolkits do that too, but either way I don’t THINK that was intended.

FoN: Excellent change. It was always tough to tell what strat people were going for before, and this cleans it up nicely.

Gatvin.6510:

Ok, so far:
Skyhammer: Great! I kind of miss the sheer silliness of old skyhammer, but this map is actually a playable and fun pvp map in all respects. I’d just keep an eye on a couple of wierd pockets made by the wall around the map. they’re unreasonably good for obstructing ranged attacks. It rarely comes up, but they are there.

Spirit Watch: Also great, feels like a different Temple of the silent storm. Did find a glitch though. If you’re in Death shroud when you pick up the orb, it will drop you into your normal skills instead of “ball mode”. Not sure if other toolkits do that too, but either way I don’t THINK that was intended.

FoN: Excellent change. It was always tough to tell what strat people were going for before, and this cleans it up nicely.

On a Spirit watch I remember a warrior on the enemy team running the orb. Warrior with its healthpool and heavy armor is the best class to run the orb given the orb locks all classes out of their weapon and utility skills. On my Mender’s Tempest with soldier runes I was able to down him before he could get to a node. I would apply chill to him with all my available dagger/chill weapon skills, switched to air, used swirling winds just in case one of their ranged decides to go for a nasty sneak attack, then I overloaded to down him, but he was low enough anyway. I even baited dodges so the chill application more reliably hits.

What are we to take from this? Where were his and my teammates? They were off fighting on nodes which enabled the 1v1 obviously heavily in my favor due to the orb mechanic locking him out. I’m not even traited for damage at all and runese of the soldier gives no offensive benefit. What this experience illustrates is the orb runner needs a buff and it wasn’t fair to my opponent that he was on the best orb running class and was downed by a balanced (“balance” here referring to role rather than objective usefulness relative to other classes as I still have some decent offense but don’t specialize in it) with support emphasis Tempest.

If everything was a bullet sponge for you, then get better gear friend! Things die in a few shots for me! Boring is subjective! I have loads of fun slaying people and taking their precious loots! If anything, the game with the same PvP game mode for over 3 years is boring! Anyway here are some more things I noticed:

• Match history! Nice job Anet! Though I can’t see more detailed information about the matches! Shame shame shame!
• Loot boxes still contain loot boxes! Inside are even more loot boxes!
• You can consume all luck essences! Good change! RIP auto clicker!
• I’ve developed a big dislike for Revenants! I ported out with Flesh Wurm and the white mist evade attack that lasts forever still followed me! Who designed that skill! Roy!

And fix the jump pads. You still get immobilize bugged on them if you are casting something and the cast is interrupted by the jump pad.

the jump pads on skyhammer still suck. they should be a fixed jump no matter whichever direction you enter the pad on or press when in mid air. like the bouncing mushrooms, only faster.

here’s my feedback.

when is raid of the crapicorn coming back ?

Bring back jump pads and some of the glass floors for skyhammer I think, also the sky hammer wasn’t actually used.

I hate the new Skyhammer. The changes turned it from the most exciting map to the most boring.

Came back to say I STILL hate Skyhammer – especially as I forget and jump into the lower levels and cant get out without running all the way around the map