Guild Wars 2

I have been playing GW2 for almost 2 years, especially the WvW game mode and going by the information I have seen today during the stream, I cant believe that a single WvW tester didn’t red flag the content shown, during alpha, let alone beta stage of testing.

Large, open field zergplay was the one unique thing about wvw, open spaces to move around and engage multiple foes without the EoTM cannons or broken PvE bosses everywhere, as well as a place for roamers to fight without pve mobs every 2 minutes. Now, we have a Skyhammer we need to collect orbs for in order to charge, every 3 hours by killing PvE mobs, broken force fields that bounce back siege shots rendering catas and trebs useless and many EoTM like spots that knock people of with wind and other things.

The EoTM map that was introduced was, in my opinion, a disaster turned Ktrain that no self respecting WvW player enjoyed. Even now, it remains a Ktain map that guilds only go to when regular WvW is quiet to farm linen from players.

It makes me sad that this is the direction WvW is going in. I know that many of the current WvW players of the game feel as i do and WvW testers would not allow this mode to go through alpha without major changes or objections so my question remains, Where were the WvW testers when this mode was in development?

They clearly are just developing whatever they want with no regard for player input, hence the string of fails from skyhammer to bloodlusts ruins to EotM. So there’s no need for testers.

Blame the specific posters who have been spamming threads demanding map designs to eliminate zergs. You cannot reasonably suggest they hadn’t listened to anyone given the amount of threads on the topic.

OP makes a strong point. Woukd be interested in reading the developer’s response to the OP.

Ancalagon.2953:

The EoTM map that was introduced was, in my opinion, a disaster turned Ktrain that no self respecting WvW player enjoyed. Even now, it remains a Ktain map that guilds only go to when regular WvW is quiet to farm linen from players.

It makes me sad that this is the direction WvW is going in. I know that many of the current WvW players of the game feel as i do and WvW testers would not allow this mode to go through alpha without major changes or objections so my question remains, Where were the WvW testers when this mode was in development?

You do realize that EotM was publicly beta tested, right? Maybe you should do some more fact-checking before you make assertions or complaints.

Nokaru.7831:

Ancalagon.2953:

The EoTM map that was introduced was, in my opinion, a disaster turned Ktrain that no self respecting WvW player enjoyed. Even now, it remains a Ktain map that guilds only go to when regular WvW is quiet to farm linen from players.

It makes me sad that this is the direction WvW is going in. I know that many of the current WvW players of the game feel as i do and WvW testers would not allow this mode to go through alpha without major changes or objections so my question remains, Where were the WvW testers when this mode was in development?

You do realize that EotM was publicly beta tested, right? Maybe you should do some more fact-checking before you make assertions or complaints.

You do realize he never claimed EotM wasn’t publicly beta tested, right? Maybe you should read more carefully before you make assertions or complaints.

I DID test EotM for some hours before it’s release (though I think we were mostly stress testing), and at the time I loved how diverse and rich in mechanics the map was. While testing however nether did I nor ,most likely, anyone ales checked the map for exploits on the scale it’s being used now! We where mostly exited in the idea of exploring some new areas in years.

If I remember correctly, when we tested the map, we had a separate client and forum page for it. It’s been a long time, but I think we got in because my guild was in good terms with A-net or something, and handed over invitations to the guild members.

At the time, my criticism (among other minor mechanicky stuff) was the map not being part of the original 4 where we have 3 identical copy-pasted borderlands.
Now after having played it a bit more, I think it’s no-consequence nature makes players not taking the map seriously and simply use it as a farming zone, it’s labyrinthine nature makes it very hard to traverse, and it suffers pretty much from all the same problems the other maps have where there is little to no benefit to defend (or do anything ales on that map for that mater) and organize.
Sorry, but I couldn’t foresee how the map would end up in the few hours I invested on it.

Of course I’m one of those bizarre people who hate mindless Zerging from base to base, especially in WvW, and hoped that the new mechanics would encourage some people to play defensively.

I think a lot of the players who tested EOTM werent WvW players but sPvP players.

Anet would have wanted to know at least some of the people who would be testing it so they invited guilds from past sPvP tournaments they had got to know.
So they basically got people who like oranges to tell them how good an apple tastes.

If EOTM was tested by real WvW players, it would never have become the karma train ground it has become.

Ancalagon.2953:

The EoTM map that was introduced was, in my opinion, a disaster turned Ktrain that no self respecting WvW player enjoyed. Even now, it remains a Ktain map that guilds only go to when regular WvW is quiet to farm linen from players.

Sadly, people never gave a chance to EotM. True, there is way too much falling down but except for that the map is amazing. I still long to see it introduced in the WvW rotation. If you are a fan of defense, siege warfare and playing wvw like a chess game, EotM should be one of your favorite map.

The way the map is played would be drastically different if it was put into the WvW rotation instead of leaving it as the 4 hour matches waiting room you ktrain to level.

Orochimaru.4730:

If EOTM was tested by real WvW players, it would never have become the karma train ground it has become.

There were many, many WvW guilds invited to the beta for EotM.

I feel like they[ANet] used EotM and the current Alpine borderlands as their beta tests for finding what the players wanted. EotM has narrow passages, unique mechanics, destructible terrain, and an abyss you could auto-die in which favored control and supported smaller groups. The Alpines has very little environmental mechanics and little terrain differentiation. Probably ANet used the feedback of both these maps, given that there are who like and dislike EotM and Alpines for various reasons, to find out how much of each they should integrate into this new map, probably taking the mechanics they found worked and trashing the mechanics that didn’t. So, no, it isn’t catered completely to either side of the WvW community[Small-Scale Party VS. Large-Scale Party]. There will still be areas for open-field battles according to the devs, but that isn’t what WvW is all about even though many might enjoy this particular aspect of it.

So, simply put, this map is likely what they found to be the greatest compromise between the polarized WvW community’s factions, taking the best they found of both, all provided by this very forum’s feedback[from both sides of the WvW community].

Orochimaru.4730:

If EOTM was tested by real WvW players, it would never have become the karma train ground it has become.

What’s a “real” WvW player? Does one have to be in a press-one-pop-stab-crash-your-blob-into-theirs guild to be a “real” player?

WvW is more than GvG. You’re part of a (too) loud minority, to which EB and the current BL already caters: open fields, easy to take/hard to defend objectives, blob tactics. Many players would like to see some diversity in the game mode, is that to much to ask? Would you be happy to have a new map with open fields and zergs, just like the ones we’ve been playing on for years?

As for the original topic: the closed beta will come soon, followed with open betas. It has always been the case. EotM was tested by WvW players, but ended up being abused by PvE players when it went live: so be it, time to move on. The new BL will be part of the competitive side of WvW, so it is less likely to become a karma train.

Nokaru.7831:

Orochimaru.4730:

If EOTM was tested by real WvW players, it would never have become the karma train ground it has become.

There were many, many WvW guilds invited to the beta for EotM.

Obviously the wrong ones seeing what has happened to EOTM. When it went live everyone was complaining about EOTM even pugs on my server!

So why didnt these guilds see the problems which would occur when we found them within the first couple of days.

Orochimaru.4730:

Nokaru.7831:

Orochimaru.4730:

If EOTM was tested by real WvW players, it would never have become the karma train ground it has become.

There were many, many WvW guilds invited to the beta for EotM.

Obviously the wrong ones seeing what has happened to EOTM. When it went live everyone was complaining about EOTM even pugs on my server!

So why didnt these guilds see the problems which would occur when we found them within the first couple of days.

Because PvE and WvW players are not like-minded. Of course, the beta-testers were all WvW players. As such, they experimented with the map interesting mechanics, and liked them because they were actually playing as intended. Little did they know that the PvE crowd would see this as an opportunity to gain karma, badges of honor and EXP for their alts, and that’s when it all went downhill. It’s unfortunate, but the WvW population did ask for better rewards, after all.