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The Vocal Minority

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Equanim.5471

The forums are not a cross section of the player base because you can’t assign multiple opinions to one post and expect to be accurate. Just because the crazy homeless guy at the bus station rambles about being a dentist does not mean 1% of all dentists are crazy homeless guys.

Most of the “suggestions”/demands posted here are actually under the wrong forum, which tells you how well thought out they are.

The most reliable data is gathered by directly monitoring player habits. Everything from how many fractals are run a day and at which levels, to who participates in them, to general account activity is easily track-able. This information is completely void of opinion or speculation, the numbers are what they are.

The proof that it is a vocal minority can be seen by testing what you read on the forums. Servers are populated, I’ve seen virtually no complaints about gear in LA chat, and it’s still easy to find a group. Sorry guys, you are indeed a vocal minority.

(edited by Equanim.5471)

So apparently, we like the new gear...

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Equanim.5471

Dude it totally is! ANet is secretly owned by Nintendo who’s trying to bring down the MMO genre so we buy the Wii U!

So apparently, we like the new gear...

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Posted by: Equanim.5471

Equanim.5471

Real data is gained by monitoring actual player habits, not by listening to a series of whiny self entitled idiots posting under the wrong forum.

So whose actually having fun?

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Equanim.5471

I’m having a blast. I’ve been taking my time with a few different characters, playing whichever i feel like. I’ve done a bit of everything, including running fractals on sub 20 characters and it’s all been great.

Players enjoying, forum go-ers whining?

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Equanim.5471

If the forums were representative of the player base, no one would be playing.

Who am I to say this...Great Work!

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Equanim.5471

I can safely say that most people who work in the industry develop thick skin. Professionals actually seek out critiques on their work, it’s one of the best ways to improve. That being said, you also learn to take a crit with a grain of salt.

Community critiques are all over the board. Some are VERY well thought out and others aren’t.

I think overall, the industry’s appreciation for a game isn’t quite the same as the audience’s appreciation. A lot of games that “fail” financially are praised within the industry if they try something new. The indie scene is prime example of this right now.

They’re all human though, and harsh critiques can take their tole. It’s speculated that two co-founders of Bioware recently left for that exact reason. In the end, the devs know what the MMO scene is like and that some people are just never satisfied.

(edited by Equanim.5471)

What is there for non-casual players?

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Posted by: Equanim.5471

Equanim.5471

Some people want to raid, sure.

Lets continue your sporting reference.

If an NFL (American football) fan buys a FIFA (soccer) game, should they be demanding in the forums that they should be allowed to pick up the ball?

Certain games are designed for certain audiences. Trying to make a game to suit everyone is certain to fail. For example, you cannot please people who want to always be aiming for the next tier of gear at the same time as pleasing the people who want skill to be the decider instead of time invested in gear farming.

I agree, if the game doesn’t offer what he’s looking for, he should find another one.

If PvP were jazz though, than raiding would be classical. Both require skill and (should) require teamwork. So why is everyone attacking him?

What is there for non-casual players?

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Equanim.5471

If you’re looking for raids, they’re not here, yet.

Wanting to raid isn’t a crime. Some people play sports, some play cards, some people raid. It’s a social activity.

ANet is hinting at establishing some form of progression with the next patch, albeit PvP based.

You can compare the legitimacy of raiding vs pvp all you like, but ultimately it’s what you as a player want from the game and weather or not the game accommodates. My cup of tea has no bearing on yours.

Loving the Endgame, Anyone Else?

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Equanim.5471

I think what people are asking for is a series of difficult PvP content pieces, preferably dungeons, with a formidable requirement to participate. Gear just happens to be the easiest way to set milestones on an individual player basis, which is why so many developers use the gear system.

PvP is fun (a lot of fun imo) but it’s also the cheap way out for the dev because they don’t need to add new content for the game’s challenge to persist. Since GW2 has no sub, I kind of think that’s fair.

However, a lot of people love raiding. Many of my best MMO experiences are based around endgame and for me, that’s where the real meat of the genre is. It’s coming together with circa 19 other people and playing as a tightly knit team.

ANet needs to get more of that going for the 80 folks.

The Female Human epidemic

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Equanim.5471

I play a bit of both.

Males in most MMOs are designed more like walking gorillas than people, while the women are more or less proportionate. That’s why many players feel that the women look better.

That being said, the male humans in this game are the best I’ve seen. The human females all look like barbie dolls to me.

End game (you must unlearn what you have learned)

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Equanim.5471

They just need to add some large, difficult dungeons for people to run and they’d be fine. Many MMO’s add this kind of thing after release, including vanilla WoW.

When WoW expands, it focuses ONLY on ten new levels (which are funneled) and raids. ANet just built a whole new game with a larger world than most MMOs at release. Give them a break and hopefully they roll something out soon.

How long is a reasonable time to evaluate game developement?

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Equanim.5471

If you’re considering class imbalances a bug, then the answer is never. No game is ever completely balanced.

For actual bugs, my hope would be a few months max, once the game is established. We’re still in the first year and have a while to go. From what I’ve seen, MMOs don’t usually “mature” until their one year mark. By that time, the really glaring flaws, bugs, and mechanics should have been addressed and the newer technical issues should be much smaller in scale.

Advice about server transfer

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Equanim.5471

I’m pretty sure sPvP is completely random to avoid one server demographic from completely dominating all others.

So when is the character recustomization coming in?

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Equanim.5471

They’re working on it. GW1 as well as most other MMOs have some feature along those lines, they definitely know people want it, and it’s a great way to bring in extra revenue. You usually don’t get an ETA on something like this until just before it’s delivered though.

Shut down the free server transfers already!

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Equanim.5471

Free server transfers are one of the smartest things ANet can do to increase the longevity of this game. I’m never worried about logging in one day and finding myself on a dead/limp server. I can always switch quickly and painlessly. There’s really no need to worry about this MMO’s lifespan until the very last server starts to dull.

As for WvW, my hope is that there will always be ebbs and flows. PvP experiences are insanely boring if the other side always wins. In terms of WvW, one player, or even a small group, will never carry a match that size and scope. WvW takes a collective effort to make work. If people are willing to swap servers because they want to play strategically instead of “lukin 4 peeps 2 kill”, your server will probably be better for it.

How does aggro work?

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Equanim.5471

The problem might be that no one else WANTS aggro. I’ve seen a few dedicated “tanks” around, but they’re definitely few and far between compared to people focused on dps.

I can usually grab aggro fairly quickly on my guardian by using a shield, even if I show up late, and there’s no way I’m doing the damage of a caster.

I've come to dislike waypoints.

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Equanim.5471

Just walk. You’ll run into more people and gather more crafting supplies anyway.

I only use waypoints as check marks for where I’ve been or if I need to meet up with people.

Age of GW2 Players

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Equanim.5471

28, loving it.

The vast majority of the game industry aims itself specifically at age nineteen. (Seriously, it’s a marketing thing.) They’re subjected to a lot of grabbing of attention by new releases. If a developer doesn’t match the flow of market releases with more of their own content, which is impossible, that audience tends to move on.

MMOs are especially vulnerable to this because you don’t “beat” them. They cater to an audience that’s looking for a break from reality. “You mean after work I can go throw fireballs at a troll and my wife wants to come? KITTEN YEAH!”

(edited by Equanim.5471)

Are all MMO forums like this?

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Equanim.5471

The happier players don’t post as much because they’re off playing the game.

You should also consider the mindset of the person writing a complaint. Are they inserting consumer jargon, e.g. “I payed for x product!” Are they writing an exit review for a game with no subscription model? (I wonder if they do the same for Halo) Is the complaint nine pages long? Odds are these complaints are more egocentric than anything.

This forum is actually the most positive I’ve seen in a while. The worst I’ve seen was SWTOR. The game had flaws, but the community was absolutely vile.

Anyway yes, it’s very common.

Why is the camera so focused on the floor???

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Equanim.5471

+1 for a higher pivot point. The FOV doesn’t really bother me as much though it does feel a tad narrow.

One possible explanation for ANet’s persistence on this issue is that, in some areas, there actually isn’t much of a horizon and what is there often gets blown out if you play with post processing on high. (I turned it off.)

ANet’s argument for art style does hold weight, but in the professional art/design world you have to be open to critiques. The community has been very constructive thus far in stating their opinion. They love what’s already there and they want to see more of it. They want to absorb Tyria in the same substance, breadth and scope with which ANet created it.

Just tweak those few lines of code already!

elementarist vs mesmer

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Equanim.5471

Esya pretty much nailed it. IMO the elementalist feel much more active than the mesmer because of attunement dancing. In large encounters, you really feel like you’re single handedly whipping up a storm and throwing fireballs everywhere.

Mesmers are very unique to GW2. I started one because I like their weapon types (swords, pistol, torch) but it does feel a bit static compared to my ele.

In a game like this though, there’s NO reason not to start one of both. Even if you make them both the same race you can have a different storyline and gameplay experience.

You may also want to jump into structured pvp as one of the first things you do in world. It bumps you up to 80 and unlocks all of your skills so you’ll get a taste of what’s to come if you develop that profession.