Guild Wars 2

It’s nice that you tried to give people a possibility to stop a note from playing. But to do that by simply pressing the same note again wasn’t the best idea to do so. I’m not sure if those changes have been tested before going live, but I highly doubt it.

Due to that change, it is nearly impossible to play any of the songs I previously recorded. You can’t play the same note twice in a row, due to the second key press interrupting the note, and therefore the flute can be considered broken.

If it’s not possible to implement the note interruption via key release, then please at least roll back the changes. I bought the flute in order to play songs with it (what I recently did a lot) and because it doesn’t have the poor reaction time of the Marriner’s horn.

Please fix this.

They really need to test this at least once before rolling out these updates.
I’m thankful that they want to improve the instruments, but for Grenth’s sake, test it first!

Now the flute is even worst than the Marriner’s horn.

How about this ? Remove the last skill “Return”, replace it with “Pause.” And to unequip the flute: Switch Weapon button. I think my idea is perfect.

I agree with Kirnale. Allow us to repeat the same note, and replace that return skill with a pause skill. It seems weird to have two buttons (The return button and the switch weapons button) that do the same thing anyway.

I was having so much fun learning songs on the flute this past week until the recent patch. Please revert the changes and leave it be.

Yea, you really broke the flute. I was really mad that I bought it after this update. I would have rathered you not do anything than to stop us from playing the same note back to back.

A better solution might be to allow us to hold a button to hold the note or leave to 0(elite skill) to stop notes.

i cant play zelda song of storms now anymore :…(

24(2) 24(2) (343431)
6 2456
6 2453

the (2) and 2 dont work anymore together..

Cody Crichton.7516:

We’re looking into potential solutions to smooth out the responsiveness of the flute even more while also maintaining the functionality that was added in today.

Apologies for those who are having trouble playing the songs that were previously playable. However being able to add pauses (rests) to your songs and all the expressiveness that comes with that is very important. I assure you all that this was thoroughly tested, though there is always room for further improvement and refinement.

Please hang on to those instruments and continue to provide us with feedback!

Please change the key to pause to the Esc key (Escape). Using Esc while playing already stops the flute animation so why not the sound? A much better and intuitive solution replacing this one introduced this patch

Swap weapons is already there to leave the form.

Just use the slot 0 to stop the current note.

Here, someone else though the same:

Kirnale.5914:

How about this ? Remove the last skill “Return”, replace it with “Pause.” And to unequip the flute: Switch Weapon button. I think my idea is perfect.

Exactly.

It’s the obvious answer.

Slot 0 having Return it’s not only unnecessary, it’s also annoying, as you’ll stop using the flute if you press it accidentally.

Kirnale.5914:

How about this ? Remove the last skill “Return”, replace it with “Pause.” And to unequip the flute: Switch Weapon button. I think my idea is perfect.

THIS, please. I just want to be able to play my flute again!

-Madeline Davenport, Angry Musicians Guild

Kirnale.5914:

How about this ? Remove the last skill “Return”, replace it with “Pause.” And to unequip the flute: Switch Weapon button. I think my idea is perfect.

Gm Cody please listen to this guys post that would be a wonderful way to solve this problem i mean think about it do we really need 2 ways to quit using the flute?

This change to the flute is completely unnecessary and not an improvement. Please revert it back to its former playability.

Cody Crichton.7516:

We’re looking into potential solutions to smooth out the responsiveness of the flute even more while also maintaining the functionality that was added in today.

Apologies for those who are having trouble playing the songs that were previously playable. However being able to add pauses (rests) to your songs and all the expressiveness that comes with that is very important. I assure you all that this was thoroughly tested, though there is always room for further improvement and refinement.

Please hang on to those instruments and continue to provide us with feedback!

Thanks for your very quick response and for caring for problems with something like these fun items. My apologies too for me being so harsh in my first post, claiming you are not testing your changes. I’m sure you did, for single notes being playable.
But I’m also sure, noone ever tried to play a song with it (you coud let some of your musically gifted employees test these things instead of a developer randomly pressing 1-9).

I found the bug in a few seconds: Picking up the flute, start playing, and about the 7th note already caused problems. I was playing Fear Not This Night btw. -> That’s how it worked pre patch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWGomBoq6NY

Notice how often there is the same note to play several times in a row? Same goes for rapidly changing the octave playing the same note. All of this is not possible anymore!

I was disappointed when picking up the flute post patch and seing it does not work any more as it used to. I really love playing your instruments and loved the flute how it was before.

The missing possibility to cancle a note was a bit annoying but not that big a problem like not being able to play the very same note a few times in a row. In this thread, there are good suggestions on how both functionalities could be provided at the same time. Maybe it is even possible, to cancle the notes on key release (that would be really great).

However I’m really glad to know you are working on it and are waiting for the fix with anticipation

Sad and unhappy I found out I can’t play some of the songs properly by the change. It gets interrupted and mute out as soon I tab the same key again and hold.

I was wondering why I couldn’t play certain songs now.
And now I know why no one is playing the flute anymore in Lion’s Arch.
I kinda feel cheated.
I paid 800 gems for a flute so I can play songs and have fun, and was enjoying myself and acting all “suave” when I was like “Hey, check this out… it’s Temple of Time” and people oooed and aahhed.
But now I can’t do anything with it.
If it’s not fixed to where we can play the same note twice again, I’m asking for a refund.
This is not the product I purchased.

The flute is broken!!
I am a musician and fell in love with the flute, but now we are not able to repeat the same note right after one another.
In music notes are repeating all the time, so this patch for the flute makes no sense!
We can not play songs/ melodies this way….
Patch it back to the sustaining notes, it was perfect before.
Please do fix!!!

PS Please continue adding more instruments!

I also think, that this was a very quick response for the issue not being a game breaking one. I was positively surprised and it shows that they actually care.

Given the fact, that we paid money for those instruments, I really count on ANet offering a fix for this soon. I don’t want to know how many people bought the flute and became “unhappy customers” due to this newly introduced “feature” (not all of them complain in the forums).

I’m quite sure, that exactly this customer base would be lost for the next few instruments (or even for the gem store in general if annoyed enough), if ANet ignored the complaints (what they certainly didn’t do – at least feedbackwise).

I really hope that ANet will offer a fix soon. I support them with gem purchases whenever I can because I like the game a lot and I’m really planning on buying all the instruments offered in future, but I certainly won’t do that any more in case I never know what I end up with in the end for my money (like a bugged flute that worked fine when I purchased it)…

I think I’m not the only one thinking this way but I’m also quite sure ANet will offer a fix, not just for the reasons mentioned above but for the enjoyment

Cody Crichton.7516:

… while also maintaining the functionality that was added in today.

Thanks for your prompt reply.
However, I seriously think the added functionality of ‘press the same key again to cancel the note’ should be removed completely. It single-handedly destroys the flow of music on the flute.

I just wanted to add my 2 cents, This “feature” should be rethought. I thought the idea of turning the 0 (elite skill) key into an option to stop the note from playing was a good one. I doubt this update was actually tested befor going live as you would have noticed you can’t even hit a low then high octave of the same note, e.g (h)12 (L) 5 (H) 543, as the music stops between the low 5 and the high 5, makes it impossible to play alot of songs without it sounding like crap. Honestly I feel a little ripped off, as I was extremely happy with my purchase, then from no where you guys (in my eyes) completely broke it. I’m not so happy now and will most likely avoid any musical instruments from the gem store in the future. UNLESS Anet shows that they care for their customers, Take some advice and find a work around for this issue.

Please change this or refund my gems.

Jumping in here to say that this is not a fix. Either revert the change, take peoples’ MULTITUDES of suggestions of changing the “0” key to a note stop, OR refund people’s gems, OR face the possibility of about 60% of the people who enjoy these instruments never to buy another instrument from the BLTC again, effectively cutting that cash grab, and maybe losing another 2-3% of the playerbase all together. You screwed up on going back to the RNG crap. Carelessly breaking things people paid money for and not fixing it would be a really unintelligent move.

Kirnale.5914:

How about this ? Remove the last skill “Return”, replace it with “Pause.” And to unequip the flute: Switch Weapon button. I think my idea is perfect.

I really love this idea. The flute was once really fun to play, but sadly, it has lost most of it’s capabilities with the recent patch. If something isn’t changed to allow easier repetition of notes, I’d seriously like a refund-as many others apparently do too.

I want to add my voice in, first forum post here. I bought both the flute and the horn and was disappointed with the latter and I never use it, that’s my fault for not spending my money wisely. However, this change has ruined the flute for me, especially since you cannot use higher octave notes with normal notes if they are the same number. I would really either like a fix or a refund, because this is no small amount of gems wasted. Roll back the change, it wasn’t needed.

I cant play any of the songs that i learned before the patch . I just hate my flute now please turn it back to normal .
Edit : If this it not going to change back to normal i’d like a refund. I didnt bought it for this .

Thank you for responding Cody.
I am happy to hear it is reverting back to before plus the added ability.
We hope the fix would be sooner, but I am just glad it will be fixed soon
Now I can not wait for the next living world update!

Adding instruments is by far my favorite most recent feature. Please continue adding more instruments!

Thank you Cody. I think everyone is very pleased with your response.
I second what Alexander said about adding even more instruments to the game. You have my total support.

Cody Crichton.7516:

Hello everyone.

Thank you for voicing your concerns with the flute.

Again, we apologize for your struggles with this instrument after the latest build. I would like to reconfirm that it was never our intention to negatively impact songs you’ve been previously able to play or with new performances. The scenarios described above regarding extreme difficulty playing the same note back-to-back were not reproducible in-house or reported by play testers, even those with musical talent playing popular songs discussed in many other threads.

That said, there will be a fix for the problem, one that reverts functionality to the way it was before. Additionally, by popular request, the ability to stop the currently playing note will be moved to the ‘0’ key. This fix is currently targeted for release with the next Living World update. Thank you for your patience as we address your concerns.

I’d like to add that we are committed to providing a fun experience with each of the instruments and are always open to healthy, constructive feedback.

thank you cody for the responce i did decide to buy the flute with real world monie because i love the flute and in glad to hear that you guys have found this issue and are adressing it. cant wate to see more insterments.

Like how you can use F1 and beyond for weapons, why not use that same sort of function when using an instrument for octave changes (for F1, F2 and F3), with F4 being “stop playing”?

(edit edit delete repost rinse and repeat)

Ugh. Okay.

Anyway. After reading Cody Crichton’s announcement that skill 0 will take the place of the current pause function, I’ll just say, “thanks”. That’s exactly what I would have done.

Skill 0 was annoying enough as it was…what with accidentally hitting it when going for an octave change and throwing your flute half way across Malchor’s Leap in the middle of a song…so converting it to replace the pause function actually solves two problems at once.

Simple and elegant. Taz like.

Thanks.

I’ll still continue raging at you out loud in the mean time, however. If I don’t my adrenaline will dissipate and my build won’t work anymore…so, FEAR ME!

…also. I know this thread is about the Flute.

But is there any chance you could also remove the 2 minute timer on the unbreakable choir bell? I mean…why is it even there?

Cody Crichton.7516:

Hello everyone.

Thank you for voicing your concerns with the flute.

Again, we apologize for your struggles with this instrument after the latest build. I would like to reconfirm that it was never our intention to negatively impact songs you’ve been previously able to play or with new performances. The scenarios described above regarding extreme difficulty playing the same note back-to-back were not reproducible in-house or reported by play testers, even those with musical talent playing popular songs discussed in many other threads.

That said, there will be a fix for the problem, one that reverts functionality to the way it was before. Additionally, by popular request, the ability to stop the currently playing note will be moved to the ‘0’ key. This fix is currently targeted for release with the next Living World update. Thank you for your patience as we address your concerns.

I’d like to add that we are committed to providing a fun experience with each of the instruments and are always open to healthy, constructive feedback.

First of all I would like to thank you (very very much) for addressing this issue and actually providing a fix so soon. I can’t wait to start recording songs again Ö.Ö

Metal Maniac.7435:

…also. I know this thread is about the Flute.

But is there any chance you could also remove the 2 minute timer on the unbreakable choir bell? I mean…why is it even there?

+++++

This would be very nice. I’ve lost my bell very often whilst trying to play new songs. When practicing, this is a bit annoying. But I guess with the last patch (fixes) and also the new patches coming up, this might take a while. I’m actually glad they have the time to address the flute issue.

And to also give some positive feedback.

I haven’t tested it thoroughly (was busy complaining/crying on the forums :P ), but what I saw from the changes to the Marriner’s Horn:
I like it. It seems to be much more responsive, just because you don’t have to take care not to overlap different notes anymore.

Cody, can you track to see how many people turn the new musical instrument volume slider down to zero? If this is widespread, it essentially makes playing the instruments a tad pointless for anyone other than the musician, no? I appreciate not all owners are virtuosos, but to make a dollar valued…you know..

When I see how many people use the instruments for trolling in LA (preferably with the Horn’s highest note), I totally understand that there are lots of people turning these sounds off, or at least to a very low volume so they can still hear if someone is actually playing songs or just spamming.

There are even videos about it, where more than 10 people unite to get on others nerves with the method mentioned above. So this option was more than necessary and I’m glad it has been implemented. I think all people should be able to choose whether they want to hear the instruments or not. Turning all sounds off never was a fitting solution, if you like the environmental sounds or even need them in order to play properly.

When I play the flute and intend to play specific songs for others, I normally tell them in advance so I don’t see a problem there.

The only thing getting pointless here is trolling – and it’s somehow difficult for me to feel sorry for those claiming in public, that they bought these instruments solely to troll others (yes, those people actually exist).

Fortunately the opposite also exists. I’ve been in LA with a group of dedicated flute players, taking turns in playing popular tunes, AND taking requests. Lots of people gathered, just because the flute instrument has a really nice sound. More so than the other instruments. If they also release a violin in the near future, I’m definitely getting that one as well.

It is currently nearly impossible to form an orchestra how ever. Because the flute tunes are impossible to synch up, especially with lag and such. So if the dev team has any ideas on how to make that work, that would be a great future addition. I can already imagine having a whole bunch of instruments all playing together.

I was also planning to play something together with other musicians, but the delay prevented it (at least in Lions Arch). There were some lags, but the main problem was also to start at the right time, because the first note needs some time to be cast, and it takes some time until you get a feeling for this cast time…

Thank you, it’s good to know we’ll be able to play the flute again.

I wanted to second the idea of adding F1-F4 buttons, but for another reason : the semitones. Would it be possible to add a semitone octave that way ? It would be great to be able to play many more songs !

This is the kind of responses that get you guys more support from the playerbase. Thank you for actually listening. In my case, I figured out a while back, with some help from a friend, that musical theory can actually be applied to the flute, so things like arpeggios and adagios can be done fairly easily, but the last update made it impossible to do. It was really one of the most charming aspects of the flute. Can we get a possible ETA on the fix? I’d really like to start tabbing out Bohemian Rhapsody.

I do like the implementation of the slider bar in sounds as well. Even though I would like people to hear me play, they should have the option to turn it down. What I WOULD suggest is that you allow the slider bar to be made higher. Currently at max volume, it reverts to the level it was before the patch. I think being able to make it even louder would help a lot, especially when attempting a duet and you want to be able to hear your partner over the very loud bangs and sounds of emotes from other players.

While on the topic of suggestions, I’ll be the devil’s advocate and ask this. When are we getting stringed instruments? I would absolutely love a violin or a cello with the same organization and functionality of the pre-patch flute.

Thank you again Cody.
Seeing how passionate everyone is about the flute, it really shows how many players want a great music system.
If anyone was interested in some future ideas for music instruments I made a suggestion topic here https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Musical-Instruments-4
Feel free to add your thoughts on music instruments for gw2

Nice.

I really like swift and reasonable feedback responses like this one.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Fortunately the opposite also exists. I’ve been in LA with a group of dedicated flute players, taking turns in playing popular tunes, AND taking requests. Lots of people gathered, just because the flute instrument has a really nice sound. More so than the other instruments. If they also release a violin in the near future, I’m definitely getting that one as well.

It is currently nearly impossible to form an orchestra how ever. Because the flute tunes are impossible to synch up, especially with lag and such. So if the dev team has any ideas on how to make that work, that would be a great future addition. I can already imagine having a whole bunch of instruments all playing together.

They should really look into ABC file playing and synch. People really dig that kind of stuff. I would pay for a separate UI better suited for playing and ABC file recording, saving, loading, playing and synch.

They could even have some sort of stage system that lets people rent a stage for a little time, ‘recording’ their performance so people can go there and replay that week’s performances and even vote the one they liked the most.

The guys from Chucklefish are making a really great job with them in Starbound.
http://www.twitch.tv/chucklefishlive/c/2509131

Since their characters speak ‘gibberish’ like Sims, they can even make voice synth:

Wow, I honestly wasn’t sure if they were going to do anything, I’m very glad that they are. Now I just need to be patient and wait for this new little revert to take place so I can go keep having some fun. Thanks to Cody and rest of team!

Lylweien.4185:

Thank you, it’s good to know we’ll be able to play the flute again.

I wanted to second the idea of adding F1-F4 buttons, but for another reason : the semitones. Would it be possible to add a semitone octave that way ? It would be great to be able to play many more songs !

I would love the ability to play semitones. This along with fixing the current issue with playing the same note twice/note interruption would really tie the flute together.

Cody Crichton.7516:

We’re looking into potential solutions to smooth out the responsiveness of the flute even more while also maintaining the functionality that was added in today.

Apologies for those who are having trouble playing the songs that were previously playable. However being able to add pauses (rests) to your songs and all the expressiveness that comes with that is very important. I assure you all that this was thoroughly tested, though there is always room for further improvement and refinement.

Please hang on to those instruments and continue to provide us with feedback!

Hello

It is simply a counter-intuitive way to play an instrument, virtually no other instrument has such a stop-note mechanic. Testers being able to learn the new mechanic doesn’t prove that it was a flawed mechanic, merely that people can force bad mechanics onto themselves. In my opinion, the community would be better served by having in-game flutes be functionally the same as real flutes.

For me to be infracted by that, is simply baffling. My words were carefully worded and included something that most people would welcome if offered by their employer. I’d accept a music course if it made me a better programmer, no questions asked. I wasn’t rude, I didn’t ask for impossible things. I merely suggested a related course which everyone would thankfully accept. I make mistakes too which sometimes means I have to educate myself on what I’m working with. No one is perfect. If that’s insulting, I’m really, really sorry.

best wishes

Mar

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

It is currently nearly impossible to form an orchestra how ever. Because the flute tunes are impossible to synch up, especially with lag and such. So if the dev team has any ideas on how to make that work, that would be a great future addition. I can already imagine having a whole bunch of instruments all playing together.

A potential solution to the synching problem is to do this:

When they update the pause function to where it is a keypress for number 0, instead of having it be an interruption of a note, it should be a note itself, which is silent. Basically, instead of a “pause” it would be a "rest’. That way, everyone with a flute who wants to play in an arrangement can all “ready their instruments” by just pressing 0 and they won’t make any noise. As long as they keey hitting 0, they will stay in the “ready” state and jumping into the song would be instantaneous.

As for lag…well. It’s the internet. Not a hell of a lot you can do about that, unfortunately.

As a side note: I find it rather annoying that as an engineer especially, pressin the notes will get kit effects like might from my Juggernaut Flamethrower, as well as heal effect like might and fury from using healing spell (Runes of altruism).
Not seeing the icons pop us as such, but hearing their effect sounds and having my character saying the lines that go with certain effects like might.

Am I really forced to play in townes clothes only?
I like my gear…

I’m not going to combat you know, just disable all of these effects please.

Other than that: the changed stop function on the same key is indeed terribly annoying, glad you’re reverting it.

Metal Maniac.7435:

A potential solution to the synching problem is to do this:

When they update the pause function to where it is a keypress for number 0, instead of having it be an interruption of a note, it should be a note itself, which is silent. Basically, instead of a “pause” it would be a "rest’. That way, everyone with a flute who wants to play in an arrangement can all “ready their instruments” by just pressing 0 and they won’t make any noise. As long as they keey hitting 0, they will stay in the “ready” state and jumping into the song would be instantaneous.

That is a great suggestion.

Metal Maniac.7435:

As for lag…well. It’s the internet. Not a hell of a lot you can do about that, unfortunately.

I made a suggestion in the suggestions forum, for a conductors baton, that would solve this issue. Basically, one player takes the role of conductor, and determines the timing of the notes. The other instruments only need to play the right notes (as indicated by the conductor) and the game synchs them up with the conductor. It would be like joining a dance, but with interaction. You still need to play the instrument.

Has the flute been fixed with this game update to how the dev stated it would be?
Functionality returned?