Showing Posts For AveryFarman.2973:

Tequatl is Elite Content

in Tequatl Rising

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Elite content should be instanced, not open world.

World events = Open world.

Elite World events = still open world

And im saying the 2nd one shouldn’t exist. Elite content belongs in an instance where you have control over who you bring and the content is not leechable, gated by overflows or having immense server lag with 100+ ppl.

And then GW2 will become like every other MMO with class/build/guild exclusion. I can just see it now, nothing but mesmers eles guards and wars in this instance all having to show their ascendeds at the door. I came to GW2 from other games SPECIFICALLY to avoid content exclusion. I’ve had enough of it. There is nothing in this game that is out of reach to me. I can join anything I want without being excluded. This is the game they presented and hope they continue to build toward.

This, too, is my core issue with the new Tequatl encounter. It didn’t take long for the elitists to crawl out of the woodwork, start telling everyone else what builds, weapons, and play styles they must have, and exclaim that anyone who didn’t follow those specific instructions are somehow inept.

The encounter seems to further this kind of play, which is what drove many of us from other games to this game – a game that promised, as part of its own marketing, to do away with the rigid roles, tiered gear requirements, and forced play styles that made “Tank, DPS, Heals” practically an axiom. But, I don’t think that’s the fault of the encounter itself.

The sad part about this “elitist” nonsense is that, so far, the “elitists” on all but two servers have failed to kill Tequatl. It takes more than just the “elitists” to do the job, and those “elitists” will figure it out when they’re the only ones standing in front of Tequatl in two weeks, puzzled as to why the 30 or 40 of them that showed up couldn’t take him down.

The worst part about this “elitist” nonsense is that Tequatl is actually a fairly engaging, interesting fight. (It does tend to screw melee classes, but that’s been a trend for a while now.) All in all, it’s a large-scale, optional raid encounter that requires some degree of coordination, and that’s not a bad idea – it’s not the encounter itself ruining the entertainment value, it’s the “elitists” screaming at each other and at everyone else, intent on using this encounter to reinstill the stupidity that has halted the growth of many other games.

(edited by AveryFarman.2973)

Tequatl fight two weeks from now.....

in Tequatl Rising

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Tequatl in 2 weeks will be like the Karka Queen fight.
Deserted and forgotten…

Exactly. Southsun Cove is a frustrating waste of time if you’re a solo player. Groups fare better, but because it’s largely optional content, there’s no reason to return there except when ANet holds an event. I can’t remember the last time I did the Karka Queen fight, personally, and I can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone from my prior or current guild try to round up a group for it.

Tequatl fight two weeks from now.....

in Tequatl Rising

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I like the idea that the dragon events fail most of the time. Isn’t that how dragons work? They show up and terrorize an area and then leave… until a group of adventurers brave and powerful enough to take them on show up and slay them.

I see it as an improvement, to be honest.

I do, as well, but that doesn’t invalidate the fact that this event will be rarely, if ever, attended, never mind completed, after the initial novelty wears off – especially after everyone completes their “9 attempts” achievement. At best, you’ll see an occasional turnout as a large guild tries to motivate a coordinated group of guildies, along with a minority of PUGgers, but I doubt it’ll be an event that’s completed by such a group on a regular basis.

Great Fight - DO NOT NERF IT

in Tequatl Rising

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Excellent. Yet another encounter in this game that’s pointless for melee.
Getting close enough to Teq to melee him is a fool’s errand. If you do succeed, you can’t crit him. I’m relegated to keeping mobs off the turrets, and repairing them whenever possible. Can’t DPS, can’t tank, and the current attitude of the folks trying to do Teq is “don’t heal or rez”, so this should be… fun.

This is going to be another “do once, then never do again once successful” encounter for many folks, I’m guessing, as I’m betting my server won’t bother mustering 80+ folks in the same place again once the hardcore folks get their one-and-out.

Endless for Five Minutes...

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

My main complaint is the lack of an Endless Rodent Tonic.

Endless Skritt Tonic. “You smell… different.”

Bloodstone dust

in Crafting

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I am a tailor and a chef. Is there anything I can do with these other than destroy them?

Not that I’ve seen. If you don’t have a weapon-making profession (Weaponsmith, Artificer, Huntsman), they’re useless. Can’t sell them, can’t refine them, can’t do anything with them but destroy them.

ANet, please, at least let us sell them to vendors – I’ve at least 10 stacks, and that’s after refining another dozen stacks into bricks.

2 Whirling Axe Skills Bug?

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I, also, have two boxes for that skill, and both are unlocked. I also noticed that these skills have different levels of damage, and that the lower-damaging of the two is what’s on my warrior’s toolbar. Given the placement of the UI, I’m unsure if this is intentional – if it’s intentional, and there are two “versions” of the Whirling Axe attack, when does the higher-damaging of the two occur?

Flames of Kryta doesn't shed light?

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I was initially excited about receiving the Flames of Kryta item – a torch for dark places – except it doesn’t seem to shed any light at all when brought into dark places?
Take, for example, the Weyandt’s Revenge jumping puzzle in Lion’s Arch – I thought that the Flames of Kryta would be ideal for navigating the dark room within that puzzle, but, alas, it sheds no light at all, except the pinprick that identifies the actual “flame.”
Is this working as intended? If so, what point does that item serve, except as yet another piece of costume?

Unlimited salvage kit and future magic find

in Black Lion Trading Co

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I typically keep 4 Basic, 1 Black Lion, and 1 Master’s Salvage kit on my main at all times. A Basic Salvage Kit runs 88cp for 25 uses, while this thing would run 75cp for 25 uses. I’d gain 3 bag spaces, but lose ten bucks in RMT to gain them – or, I could spend that ten bucks to gain a whole bag slot instead. If I went by the description, this unlimited kit doesn’t salvage rare materials or upgrades, while my Basic Salvage Kits have at least a small chance.

This doesn’t seem useful to me. Am I missing something? The gathering tools were useful – they were replacements for orichalcum tools, and work the same way. This? This seems like a money grab to me, and given that I’m addicted to the Gem Store, that’s saying something.

Magic Find users: What would you like to see?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I can’t imagine how they’re going to do this while ensuring that no undue burden is placed on folks, like myself, who spent a lot of time constructing MF gear. I’m also used to running around with 160+% MF, with about half that coming from consumables, and I’ve two suits of armor (one for MF, one for groups.)

Magic Find [merged]

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

- lowbie open world farmer
(wearing mainly masterwork. And my two candy corn amulets which are the most expensive piece of equipment I think I own. If nothing else, feel free to mourn my candy corn amulets with me. I dread to think what the MF might be replaced with.)

You think you feel bad? I’ve two full sets of armor – one for MF, when I’m solo, and one for combat, when I’m grouped. My MF suit is six pieces with MF bonuses, touting six MF bonus runes. All of it useless once this happens, I expect.

Meh. I’ll worry more about it once we actually get details.

GW2 Wiki just crashed...?

in Forum and Website Bugs

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

As of a few minutes ago, getting HTTP 503 (“Service Unavailable”) errors when attempting to retrieve GW2 wiki pages. Anyone else experiencing this?

In my opinion GW2 is turning into a C rated platformer

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Finished the achievement for the Quartz node last night, and did so by going after the kites in the jumping puzzles. Jumping puzzles I had no idea existed. At all. To be honest, I was blown away. What an absolute blast it was! You don’t even need to finish some of them to get to the kite, but I have to admit I’m tempted now to take some time in the future and try to visit all the known jumping puzzles.

You see what they’re doing? They’re getting people into the world to places they’ve never visited before. It was like playing new zones again for the first time. Definitely fun.

No, they’re getting folks like us, who knew about and have already completed this content, to re-run existing content. They’re getting folks like me, a dedicated PvE RPGer, to force themselves into WvW and PvP content for achievements required to complete a non-PvP event. They’re introducing encapsulated hamster wheels to keep us occupied while they try to fix some of the larger game issues.

Haven’t you noticed that each event brings with it an event-specific currency, which can’t really be used for anything outside the event and which typically doesn’t do much but purchase cosmetic or inconsequential items? Or that your benefit for completing the event has little or no actual impact on the world or your game? Or that many folks can simply buy what they want from the event by using RMTs, because the regularly-released events have with them a revenue bump?

Stop the Cheating and Match Fixing in Races!

in Bazaar of the Four Winds

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I gave up. I got the other “real” PvE achievments, but I was unable to find anyone willing to help me get first by standing at the line. So I haven’t cheated at all, I did however feel cheated by ANet for once again including a PvP matchup within what is once again an otherwise a friendly environment.

If your idea of competition is in making others have to earn their achievements when most are only there for friendly competition then congratulations you are first in many many ways.

This, exactly.

Stop the Cheating and Match Fixing in Races!

in Bazaar of the Four Winds

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Perhaps all of these minigames should come with two “speeds”. Call it “beer league” and “major league” (:P).

Seriously – sometimes people play games with other people just for fun. They don’t keep score, they don’t measure appendages, they just do it for the sake of hanging out with friends.

Other folks are cut-throat competitors all the time, no matter what. They are always looking to measure their prowess.

Create two leagues. Same achievements for both, much better rewards (and scaled from first to last) for the competitive side. Everyone is happy.

That’s the problem, though. PvP, WvW, and PvE were largely separate. These events are forcibly combining such folks together, and it’s the PvE folks that pay for it. It doesn’t require a separate “league” – just an understanding that they need to stop forcing us together to get achievements. I also dislike the idea that, somehow, PvE folks are “less” than PvP folks – they’re different play styles, not rankings. I PvP on console games. I PvE on MMORPGs.

I don’t want to have to put up with the type of crap you normally see in PvP areas. Heck, I get tired of all the ranting by the competitive chuckleheads in WvW, never mind PvP. I’m big on the “RPG” side of the “MMORPG”. I don’t want to have to smack other players around to get a bennie, nor do I want other players smacking me around to get their bennies.

Stop the Cheating and Match Fixing in Races!

in Bazaar of the Four Winds

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’ve largely given up on the race. I’m looking for completion achievements, but the very idea that this “race” has PvP elements is annoying. Increasingly, these events are pushing players into WvW and PvP scenarios.

Not all of us are interested in spending our days futilely trying to get an achievement, only to be griefed by folks hiding in Obsidian Sanctum, or ganging up on non-guildmembers in Sanctum Sprint.

Obsidian Sanctum for achievement, really? [merged]

in Sky Pirates of Tyria

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’d be fine if they were actually, y’know, fighting me in Obsidian Sanctum. Instead, we get parties of three, whose sole purpose is to fear you off the edge of ledges. That’s it. No actual fighting involved. The idea that my knockbacks can’t force someone off a ledge, but their fear can, seems somehow unbalanced.

Not So Secret JP

in Sky Pirates of Tyria

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m just irritated that I “lost” a completed achievement, Dive Master, and that the only way to re-complete it is to run a complex, risky jumping puzzle without a single waypoint within it, only to jump largely blind (I haven’t tried the last poster’s hint yet) into a bucket of water.

Bugs Bunny got a better deal when it comes to diving contests.

No more aetherblades in nodes

in Sky Pirates of Tyria

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m also having the same issue. Even after spending hours triggering (and killing the spawns from) hologram nodes, Aetherblades aren’t reappearing. I spent some time at Vexa’s Lab grinding, but given that the J/P throws you out after a while if you’re not in the final room, it’s a pain to repeatedly run most of the J/P only to kill 6 of them – especially if you’re the only one there.

I’ve only Ascalon to complete before I close this event down, but at the rate I’m going, I’ve a better chance of diving successfully in the new J/P than I do finishing this grind.

Gendarran Fields completion?

in Players Helping Players

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Thanks for following up – I was wondering about that new POI, as well. As an aside, there’s an interesting phenomenon in that area right now. If you try to get close to the POI, you’ll get teleported to a spot just ENE of the POI – and, near that spot, you’ll see a jumping pad (similar to those in the Dragon Ball game.)

Should be fun once it opens up.

Please, help with Canach: too hard for me

in Last Stand at Southsun

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’ve basically given up – he’s just been running through green, disarmed mines without detonating them. The event’s bugged.

In theory, it should be simple – disarm mines, drag him through disarmed mines (so that he, rather than you, detonates them), repeat until he starts to blow them all up. Run to a safe part of the cave, wait for the mines to reset, and repeat until done.

Instead, he’s largely ignoring disarmed mines, and has reset at least three times in a single run because he gets “stuck” trying to run to you while you’re in a safe part of the cave. The event, frankly, sucks.

UPDATE: He’s not “ignoring” disarmed mines – he only detonates them on contact, while you detonate them by proximity, apparently. Again, that sucks – it means you have to ensure that he runs right on top of the mine, instead of just pulling him within the mine’s circle.

(edited by AveryFarman.2973)

balista spread shot

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’d just be grateful if Spread Shot worked in more than two dimensions. Pointless skill for wall-mounted ballista, as far as I can tell – it’s only useful in one situation, in which you’ve put a ballista on the ground and you’ve folks in melee range. Great for a lord room, lousy pretty much anywhere else.

It’s an expensive way to waste 5 points.

This has been going on for WEEKS. Nothing?

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Too busy ignoring the multiboxing robot zergs to ignore the saboteurs, apparently.

4/19 AR/BP/EB

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’d just be happy if the multiboxers wouldn’t keep unbalancing things.

How do YOU pronounce Orichalcum? ^_^

in Crafting

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

awr-i-kal-kuhm

As others have noted, it’s a “real word”, not made up for the game, and so can be looked up easily enough in a good dictionary.

Really bad lines you've grown fond of

in Audio

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

“By the power of ME! Heh, heh, heh.”

No rewards from Tixx in LA

in Wintersday

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Filed a bug, as well – no gift, in inventory or chest, from Tixx. Relogged, but nothing.

Connection error(s) detected. Retrying...

in Account & Technical Support

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Stuck here as well. This does not bode well for this evening’s gaming…

New bug, or new exploit?

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m in Sparkfly Fen, southwest of the Saltflood waypoint, and I just observed the weirdest thing while gathering a rich platinum vein.

A ranger (female, with bear) with a nonsense name appeared – just appeared, as if she teleported there – on top of the rich platinum vein while I was standing there. She took one “swing” at it, and then she and her bear (“poof!”) disappeared. No running, no anything. Didn’t even have time to target her to report what appeared to be an exploit.

Is this, indeed, an exploit, or is there just some odd bug that prevented showing her running to or from the location?

Tactics and the best class for each one

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

If I’m missing anything lemme know, I’m not a master at each class, but I have a basic understanding of what happens during WvW.

The amusing part, and you’re spot-on with the clear omission, is that warriors are clearly a waste of time at WvW in this game, second only to necromancers.

Ironic, given that the very name, ‘warrior’, implies ‘one who wages war’ – should’ve named us ‘fodder’ or ‘siege engine operator’ or something, as we’re regularly outclassed in melee and ranged combat, especially in groups. If you want to WvW, apparently, playing a ranger or elementalist is where it’s at for combat & support, playing a mesmer is great if you want to feel needed for that one useful ability. If you want to be a jerk during WvW, play a thief (at least while permastealth allows capping.) Guardians are OK for combat, and are nice for support. Warriors? Feh. Don’t bother.

If you’re not interested in WvW, play a warrior or necromancer.

Question to Devs

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m grateful for one-week fights – I’m not terribly interested in WvW, but I really want to obtain my world map completion achievement, and three weeks of waiting for WvW fights to “cycle” is a heck of a lot better than waiting a month and a half.

Perma Stealth thieves are ruining WVW.

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

In an upcoming patch the WvW capture points will be updated to follow the same rules as the PvP capture points with respect to invisibility & invulnerability. As a result invisible & invulnerable players will no longer contest capture points.

This will help somewhat – thanks!

Perma Stealth thieves are ruining WVW.

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’ve seen it a few times already – what’s irritating is that you have to target someone to report them, and permastealth ensures not only that they can exploit with impunity, but that no one will find out about it through normal means.

At least add a Name field to the dialog box (and populate it with the name of a targeted player, if one is targeted) so we can report such issues.

The WvW holy commandments!

in WvW

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Thou shalt chuckle when the word “truce” is mentioned, even as thy eyes watch thy supposed truce “partner” take thy towers, for ‘tis a silly word in WvW. The word is only as good as the gentle who gives it, and so many gentles either don’t give or don’t honor such a word.

Does Magic Find Set Helps In Farming

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I bought some power/precision/magic find trinkets, before then I had zero magic find.

with zero magic find I was finding rares pretty often.

with 15% magic find equipped i’m getting junk.

I think magic find is bugging out in the opposite direction.

I strongly recommend avoiding magic find at this time.

I have to agree with that assessment. I did an experiment yesterday, by buffing myself to (as far as I can tell) 104% Magic Find. I found no real difference in what I received after two hours of Cursed Shore gameplay.

Either Magic Find is not well implemented, or drops really are horrifyingly restricted, or there’s a combo platter of both situations, but Magic Find doesn’t appear to really matter at all, despite assurances to the contrary. Worry more about diminishing returns, and ensure you dodge that window, than about bumping up your Magic Find totals.

My opinion of Magic Find.

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

How does someone other than yourself having better magic find impact your gear drops though?

ANet takes into account the ability to boost magic find, and nerfs the base rate by X% to compensate.

So, what you’re saying is that magic find, in stead of being a tradeoff for core stats just shouldn’t exist? MF is a tradeoff for core stats specifically to reward the ability to perform well without them, and to be completely honest, it is really not that difficult to acquire the gear you need in this game compared to most others.

I better understand your point now but I can’t say that I agree with it.

Fair enough. I do think magic find is bugged now, though.

When I hit 80 I bought rare grade pow/prec/magic find trinkets for +15% magic find, and since then my loot quality has actually tanked. I’m thinking of removing all MF gear again.

I noticed something similar. The fun part is trying to actually see your own total Magic Find stat – I don’t know if the stat stacks, and if so, to what degree. In theory, I managed to get over 100% Magic Find yesterday (50% Black Lion one hour buff, 26% food, 15% stacked from my Superior Sigil of Luck, 13% from my armor & rifle) and, although I kept that up for two hours, I noticed almost no real difference in what I took in. After two hours, when the second 50% buff wore off, I still had 54% Magic Find (and could sustain it, as Peach Tarts are relatively cheap to produce in stacks) with no discernable difference for an hour or so afterwards.

It’d be nice if there was some way to directly quantify the effect of Magic Find without requiring months of play and statistical analysis, but there you go.

Ignoring Ascended Tier

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m ignoring it as well, as it truly violates what ArenaNet told the general public about how they “didnt write grindy games” and how they didn’t see us spending “our endgame in dungeons.” Fractals directly contradicts those quotes, and those quotes were selling points for me. I’ve gone through the “endgame dance”, or lack thereof, in at least half a dozen other games. I was in the process of doing so, yet again, for Rift when I moved to this game.

ArenaNet basically just pulled a “bait and switch”, and I’m still trying to figure out why.

Why do most of you prefer to play alone?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

People are selfish, churlish, and tiresome in games. The “screw you, got mine” attitude in society has really been ratcheted up online, and I encounter it all too often in MMOs. This MMO is no exception. It’s made me hesitant when it comes to any activity that requires a group.

I don’t even group much with my guild, and they’re more or less a nice bunch of folks – I’m not a hardcover PvPer, nor am I fond of running hamster wheels. Early on in this game, just a couple of months ago, in fact, that wouldn’t have been a problem. Now that I’m at endgame with one character, and three other alts more than halfway there, it’s a problem – the only way to continue completing achievements is to do exactly that kind of activity, and achievements are about the only incentive I have left to play this game.

Are/were bots good?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

There’s always a transition period in any economy when this occurs. The bots have flooded the market with millions, millions, of items that have artificially depressed prices. There’s little to be done but to wait until those items either fall off the market, are bought up, are actually removed by ArenaNet, and so on.

With that said, I’m a crafter – it’s one of my favorite things to do in any MMO – and right now, it’s a waste of time. Across my alts, I’ve maxed out five professions (weaponsmith, armorsmith, chef, jeweler, huntsman) and I’m working on the other three professions. I don’t do this because I’m making tons of gold – quite the opposite, in fact. I’m doing it because there are achievements connected to maxing out professions, and because it’s easier to make gear than to buy it at this point thanks to the skewed economy.

I don’t think this was anticipated. The most wasted profession of all, cooking, was so hyped that you were subjected to a special in-game warning before you took the profession – and yet it’s useless because none of the items produced by that profession are needed, or even desired, during normal gameplay. About the only thing I can sell are the materials for that profession – and even that’s a waste of time, given the huge volumes and depressed prices – unless I want to spend my days cranking out nothing but Omnomberry Bars, this game’s version of Mandalorian Wine, and try to somehow price them lower than the grinders that managed to stock tens of thousands of omnomberries before ArenaNet closed down the various exploits early in the game’s admittedly short history.

Lost motivation to play...

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I alternate between boredom and frustration at this point. It’s not quite “Smedley’s Folly” yet (the nickname I gave to the disastrous secret re-engineering of Star Wars Galaxies), but it’s getting close.

The game feels like a huge “bait and switch”, in that now, if I actually want gear, I’ll have to do what I’ve had to do in every other MMO for years – find a pick-up group, group with them, put up with a few rounds of verbal abuse as I memorize a dungeon, and then, finally, get gear (if I’m lucky) on subsequent, repetitive runs of that dungeon. If I want to continue getting recipes for my various professions, I have to do what I’ve had to do in every other MMO for years – grind, day after day, hoping to obtain the materials needed to get a coveted recipe.
If I want to continue to complete achivements, I have to do with I’ve had to do in every other MMO for years – find a pick-up group, and either run dungeons or PvP. (Seriously, I have to PvP to complete an exploration achievement? And not just PvP, but WvW? Might as well just tell me “don’t work for it – just wait a full round of rotations and ignore all that WvW crap.”)

I can get that experience anywhere. There’s nothing novel there. Why would I want to do it in a buggy, unbalanced, economically damaged game environment that, for an endgame, goes from being wide-open and dynamic to boxed-in and on rails once I hit max level? That hasn’t worked for most games – why do it here?

New Zone Difficulty

in The Lost Shores

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

The new zone just isn’t worth it. I’m OK with a difficult area – the creatures in that zone are somewhat overpowered compared to Cursed Shore – but not with the remarkably unbalanced “risk vs. reward” ratio.

Creatures in Southsun Cove drop next to nothing, by comparison with Cursed Shore. There are no accomplishments associated with exploring, fighting, or gathering in this area. The crafting materials unique to the area do not provide additional benefits that cannot be obtained from other crafting materials obtainable in Cursed Shore. There’s less orichalcum and ancient wood here than in Cursed Shore, as well, making it a more expensive proposition to come here for gathering purposes.

Simply put, there’s no -incentive- to be here more than once. The rough part of that lack of incentive is that it discourages group play here, which is pretty much the only way to safely explore Southsun Cove.

Skrittsburgh diving doesn't count?

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Never mind – finally managed to get it done. It’s just a bit tricker than the other dives.

Skrittsburgh diving doesn't count?

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I’m attempting to complete the Dive Master achievement – I have 36 of 37 dives – and the Skrittsburgh East End diving location is my last dive. However, I can’t get the dive to “register” – the transform caused by the diving goggles remains in place even after I dive, so I don’t think it’s registering as a valid “dive” even though I jump from the point at which I find the diving goggles and land in water deep enough to ensure that I’m swimming at the end of the dive.

Am I doing something wrong, or is this diving location bugged?

Completion Statistics for Clocktower of the Mad King

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Seriously why would they design something that they would expect only 5% to complete that is just insane!!! Why go through the effort to make content that so few will enjoy/benefit from.

Can’t have elitism without a way of dividing the elite from the carebear. At least, that’s the impression I get reading other threads on the subject. I suspect ArenaNet was actually shooting for a sense of accomplishment – the clock tower doesn’t “block” other achievements, so it’s optional in that sense – but with such a low percentage, it’s really hard to understand how ArenaNet expected most of the folks in the game to enjoy it.

If the designer’s figures are to be believed, a dev group made a deliberate decision to exclude 19 out of 20 people from one of the more touted activities in a limited time, special event. Add that to the “one-time surprise” for which anyone not in North America that wants to attend the event will have to take a couple of caffeine tablets and a sick day, and you get an impression of exclusionary thinking. European players were a treated a bit condescendingly, and Oceanic players weren’t even addressed, in the “hey, we thought it out!” announcement.

It’s a shame, as other parts of the event were actually inclusive and fun. I typically don’t PvP, but I did enjoy the mechanics surrounding Lunatic Inquisition. (I can leave Reaper’s Rumble, though – not well constructed) and the various scavenger quests & item-driven achievements. It just sucks knowing that ArenaNet will be designing other events in the future that, well, aren’t designed for me to complete – so, there’s even less incentive to attend these friggin’ lag-laden grief-fests.

(edited by AveryFarman.2973)

What do you think the "1 time surprise" will be? [spoilers]

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

The lion blows up, a wardrobe door appears, and we have to help a friendly lion & kill a witch.

Waitaminute…

What do you think the "1 time surprise" will be? [spoilers]

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Everybody gets the Clock Tower achievement automatically granted, irritating the heck out of the folks trolling the Halloween Event forum.

Seriously, I’m hoping it’s just a party.

Oakheart griefing in Clock Tower

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

Yep. Impossible to report someone once the instance starts, and more & more folks are blatantly griefing the clock tower precisely because they can’t be reported for it. Mid-jump speed buffs, obscuring small landing areas, and so on – and, thanks to the relatively short duration of such instances, there’s no easy way to monitor them in person, either, I expect.

There’s always someone who takes glee in ruining the fun of others.

In my view, Clock Tower is not fun [Merged]

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

I like…can’ turn in mid air. I have to land and turn like a kitten I watched some videos of people doing it online and it seems like they have the pathing memorized…which scares me how many times it probably took them to get like that.

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not falling, but I’m just not fast enough. That beginning part with the rubble is the hardest part of the whole thing…it’s like designed ti discourage and frustrate people!

As others have posted, the designer apparently only wanted 1 in 20 players to actually complete it. It is, in fact, specifically designed to discourage and frustrate 19 out of 20 players.

-Why- the designer thought that was a good idea for a limited-time special event, however, is a different and more puzzling question.

In my view, Clock Tower is not fun [Merged]

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

What will make you hate them more is when they start griefing people deliberately trying to keep them from seeing the jumps then laughing about how people aren’t able to finish.

I’ve been surprised over how easy it’s been for others to grief players ever since the game opened its virtual doors. Speed boosts applied mid-jump to other players on jumping puzzles, fear abilities used to run players off obstacles, pushback abilities used to make NPCs inaccessible to all other players on a server, and so on – the clock tower already has folks griefing it, too.

ArenaNet needs a “black hat” tester.

In my view, Clock Tower is not fun [Merged]

in Halloween Event

Posted by: AveryFarman.2973

AveryFarman.2973

C
I have found this Jumping Puzzle to be the best in the game!
It’s the only one I’ve encountered that has an emphasis on speed which I thoroughly enjoyed.

You should try Spekk’s Lab and the optional part of Griffonrook Run.

The sad part is that I had little difficulty with Spekk’s Laboratory – it’s a jumping puzzle, not merely a badly-designed race against time with a room full of folks.

Spekk’s Lab allows multiple restarts at your last good “save point”, so you don’t lose ground. It allows you time to examine each portion of the puzzle, figure out what’s optimal, and then go ahead & do it – and doesn’t punish you too badly for failing.

Spekk’s Lab was a challenge, but one that could be enjoyed – I liked Spekk’s Lab. The clock tower? Not so much.