Guild Wars 2

Which ever kind of pet you can keep alive for 19 seconds.

I wish I knew what the heck they did all day that makes them seemingly so busy all the time, yet so little in terms of changes and results.

OGDeadHead.8326:

Then again, why even bother asking for feedback in the first place? Just for show, or?

Like I said, once in a blue moon, a developer type person will see feedback and go “hunh, that really is a good idea” and go with it. It’s rare, but it does happen.

In the grand scheme of it all though, it’s ANET looking at a barometer. Seeking validation of sorts.

Like, no dev can behold themselves to us (the players). We are too many and too varied… but if enough of us give something the thumbs up, there’s a sort of comfort in knowing people agree with you.

It’s also far far superior to the random changes in a silent black vacuum where we all shout at the darkness without even an echo as a response.

Miflett.3472:

Once again, with all due respect:

I’m questioning just how collaborative all these changes are, when we bring up so so very many suggestions on the forums just to have one voice tell us how it’s not going to happen because it goes against some vision.

That’s the way I feel; no ill-harm meant to anyone. The whole process just seems so inflexible and predetermined.

You’ve learned the not-so-secret secret of MMO Development! Shhh

Despite all the talk about metrics and numbers and whatnot, a great great deal of class design is subjective and opinion based. It comes down to things like ‘flow’ and ‘feelings’. Ultimately, the only gut feelings that actually matter are ANET’s. Very specifically, whoever at ANET gets the final say on implementing changes to the game.

Every single MMO ever made has operated the same way in this regard. Design is not a democracy, not even remotely. Your best case scenario is that someone with actual power to change things agrees with your suggestion and/or isn’t afraid to “kill their own baby” when it comes to game ideas.

Like, I really really like that ANET is posting some justification on their class changes, I find the insight fascinating. Yet, if ANET thinks X is good for the game, it doesn’t matter how many of us might think X is bad. X is going to happen.

The only real agency players have is their ability to play/pay, or their choice not to. The rest is a lot of hope vs. whelp.

The 1h Sword thing is like the perfect example of that. It is what it is because that’s what ANET wants, the end. There’s no argument to be had anymore, the want it that way, done.

/shrug

Whirl finishers are kinda butt. There’s a reason people go “BLAST BLAST BLAST” and not “WHIRL WHIRL WHIRL”.

They are also quite inconsistent in what their various whirl bolts do, who they hit (if anyone) and the number of bolts fired off.

The idea of having an auto-attack finisher chain has its appeal, but I’m not sold on Whirl finishers in general, let alone removing one of our most powerful weapon effects for one.

You’re not going to find a matching look sadly.

Eggyokeo.9705:

What ever profession you can survive the longest on, as you will be targeted by the enemy, don’t think in terms of party support put your own survivability.

Yea, whatever keeps you alive. I’d rather follow a bad pin over a dead pin :P

Phaeton.9582:

Can anyone link a video of a high level huttball match that could really demonstrate the orb passing mechanic, for those people not familiar with it?

Also I’ll just link this thread to the game type discussion post so the devs can note it.

No idea if this is really top tier, but it has commentary and is a rated match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GNSTqWvvbQ

The other big bonus to a huttball style of map, would be from a spectator’s end. It’s MUCH easier to follow the flow of the game when there is a single central objective, aka: the huttball itself.

ItIsFinished.9462:

You know, when they introduce independent Sigil cool downs, and the ability to put two Sigils on 2H weapons, it will introduce a whole new world of build options for us and for other classes.

When are they doing this? I haven’t seen any mention of that.

Bredin.5368:

But I’ve found the real weak link is the way our condition clears work. Empathic bond shifts conditions to our pets! That seems like an extremely poor design decision—what other class has their only viable condition clear (or any other defensive mechanic) that disables their class mechanic?

Our current condition removal makes a lot more sense if you assume we would have access to that old version of evasive purity.

We don’t, so it’s not really relevant, but I enjoy seeing where design assumptions were made.

BlackenX.7386:

Ages ago, Ranger’s trait:
Evasive Purity – Remove condition from you and nearby allies on dodge roll

But Now,
Evasive Purity – Dodging removes blindness and poison from you. (10s CD)
LOL!!!

When did the old trait exist?

We clearly have a theme, runny jumpy nature people. :P hehe

MH axe is ranged because ANET wants Rangers to have a ranged 1h weapon and doesn’t like Rangers with guns. Which is why we probably won’t be getting rifle any time soon either.

The only thing that would actually ‘fix’ power builds is if our weapon scaling was brought up to snuff.

Though I would not cry if we got a little more condition removal ;P

No thanks, I like Hunter’s shot at it’s current cool down :P

I really do not understand why these patches take so long.

Wells have like, actual utility too though, on top of their attack functions. Heck one of them is an actual stun breaker if I remember right. Like, a friendly well will get people to huddle around it for it’s effects. When was the last time you’ve seen people gather around a frost trap for safety.

You know as well as I do that ANET doesn’t roll that way with changes. There are dozens of things that could be changed with a number fix in the database, but haven’t been touched since release, because… /shrug

Like, look how long it took to get proper tool tips on trait lines. Not functional mechanical changes, tool tips. There is some major traffic jam road block when it comes to changing stuff in the game. Don’t know where/who/why, but it’s there.

That’s sorta the thing though, neither are actually utilities really. They are weapon attacks disguised as utilities, just ours are horribly inefficient on slot usage :P

Like I said before, I’m totally fine with making trap power scaling actually worth something… I just don’t think it would actually do anything in the grand scheme of things.

Like power scaling or not, a trapper build is still a build without stunbreakers and immunities and junk. It’s a build without utility slots. Even with power scaling, I don’t think it would be enough to make traps outweigh that downside.

Really, the more I look at traps and how skills are setup in GW2, the more I think they should just all be on their own weapon or kit or whatever, like Necro staff or Engie Grenades.

Atherakhia.4086:

The only enjoyment I get out of LB anymore is knocking people off cliffs. I’d prefer to keep that move

100% with yea on that one. Knocking people off ledges is keen.

I doubt so very much we’ll ever get a teleport. We are in the runny, jumpy group of movement themes and I don’t see Anet doing away with that.

While I wouldn’t cry if traps got better power scaling, I have a hard time envisioning a power trap build.

Make the max range shot damage the default damage at all ranges. Even without anything else, that would increase the weapons viability significantly against everything that isn’t a target dummy. Anything else is bonus, sure I’ll take it, but not strictly necessary.

Cut Barrage’s cool down in like half. Leave it as is, just let me do it more often, a lot more often. I feel that’s the real issue with Barrage, it has a pretty good effect to drawback in it’s usage, except for it’s cool down.

Rapid fire, I’m not really sure what to do with it. It basically exists to give Longbow a short range damage option but when we default the 1 to any range, Rapid fire becomes sorta moot. I guess you can troll thieves with it once in awhile. Dunno!

Really, I think a lot of LB’s issues for us are tied to all it’s support traits. Too many, impossible to pick them all up yet the weapon seems to assume you have them all anyways.

Turn Remorseless into the 25 point minor in marks. Put precise strikes at 15 in marks, roll Alpha training into the 5. I’ve never liked Remorseless as a 30 pointer, it’s just not that strong to justify a 30 pointer AND without it the entire Opening Strike minor trait line is virtually useless without Remorseless.

Eagle eye is the other one I really feel should just be innate to the weapon. LB default 1500 and get rid of this one. Roll the 5% damage into spotter or piercing or whatever.

Really, I think what bothers me the most about our LB…

So like, I’m sure you’ve ridden a zerg or two, you’re taking a keep, keeping people off the walls. The Blue Dorito asks the DPS to clear out some siege on the wall, like a mortar or AC or something. Something you can’t hit with direct fire.

So you toss you’re barrage up there, get some numbers, hurrah! Then you wait, and you wait, and you get bored and try to manually aim some auto’s high enough to get past obstructed but low enough to actually hit anything, then you wait some more when that doesn’t really work.

Meanwhile, the Ele’s are cycling through their fields, the Necro’s are dropping their circles, the Thieves and Warriors are dropping bombs with their bows… while we sorta just linger around till that 24/30 reuse on Barrage is off CD.

Like just that feeling of doing nothing, when all the other ranged people seem to be able to dump loads up and over the LoS barrier. That bothers me, just this annoying little pin prick telling me yet again, something isn’t right here.

/shrug

The warrior Longbow frustrates me a fair amount, since it actually scales quite well in a power build. I don’t want to do the math on the LB F1, because then I’ll compare it to Barrage and probably be sad. Then their LB 3, that thing can drop BOMBS in a power build (and it’s a blast finisher!).

What were we talking about?

It would create a really silly scenario too, where EVERYONE brings their Eng alts to fix a keep, then switch back for the actual fighting.

I sometimes wonder if we wouldn’t be better off with Traps just on a weapon and free up those utility slots for like, a stun breaker or something.

Like, just a shameless copy of the necro staff, with our traps making the 2-5 skills in order. Flame, Viper, Spike, Frost. We could pretend we’re druids.

/shrug

As a snarky follow up, how ‘good’ of an AE is Piercing Arrows if you’ve never actually seen it in action with those abilities :P hehe.

I’m in agreement with Rym and Terkov though, we need a solution for the trait jam that is Marksmanship. Move something, merge something, make something just baseline behavior… something something something.

I am not holding my breath on that something though. :\

My most effective use of Muddy Terrain doesn’t even require me to have it on my bar. Jumping off the wall in front of keep doorways as things try to get through. :P

Chopps.5047:

ilr.9675:

Fordel.3208:

The answer is probably never, it’s a limitation of how ANET implemented the pet database.

No it’s not. My Reef Drake always retains the original name I gave it.
I’ve never had to rename it once, not even after major patches.

That’s because you also have reef drake equipped underwater.

Yea, that’s what is happening. It confused me for awhile too when I was swapping pets around, why some pets seemed to remember who they were while others didn’t.

I’ve gotten extremely lazy in my pet swapping though, I’m either just jerking around in solo pve map completion stuff, or I’m armpit deep in some mega zerg where it just doesn’t matter what pet I have, it’s dead.

So it’s drakes, drakes all the way up and down! River and Marsh, since their F2’s actually hit things sometimes and have a little range. Bozak and Kapak respectively.

The answer is probably never, it’s a limitation of how ANET implemented the pet database.

If you wanna hang around in a zerg, just find some PVT gear and grab a shortbow. On demand blast finishers are always welcome in a zerg.

boondocksaint.6529:

Thief: Mostly through blind and AoE stealth. I am not sure the best way to play support as a thief in a zerg, they seem to fit better in small fights and skirmishes.

It’s remarkably simple to support a zerg as a thief, just put on a bit of PVT gear and equip your shortbow. On demand blast finishers are always welcome in the big blobs and if the team is short on fields, you bring your own poison/weakness combo.

It’s not as glamorous or exciting as being able to weave in and out of the shadows to dismantle a small group like a ninja… but it works :p

The Fernhound thing is, like yes, it’s 100% a buff, it has more healing then it did before… but I have a hard time really getting excited by that. That’s a 1k heal on what, a 20 sec CD?

Better then not having it, sure, but otherwise /shrug

That’s how it works now?

Well that was disappointing.

I don’t understand the goal of the build to be honest? Snare Machine?

I don’t even think it will be bad (like I don’t think they will really nerf anything), I think it will be a whole lot of nothing and “what”. Where we just don’t get what they are trying to do.

The 15th patch is basically my make or break, it’s starting to make me genuinely frustrated and that’s my cut off point.

This kitten better be good, been waiting on these changes for awhile now.

CMstorm.8679:

any1 use Hide in Plain Sight + Shared Anguish?

I used to try that early on, but it usually just meant I died hidden. Maybe I could swoop away in that window, maybe.

GrandmaFunk.3052:

Fordel.3208:

Caffynated.5713:

S, SW, SE, NW, NE because… complicated.

Yea, this is what I hear most of the time. Once in awhile someone says the actual ruin name and everyone goes “buuuuuuuh?”

strangely, for the ruins I’m fine with using the names, but I’ve always had the same problem as you for the towers and camps.. and I’ve resorted to the same ‘NE, SW, etc’ nomenclature.

I’m fine with Bay, Hills, Briar, Vale, Lake, Lowlands, since they are always those things no matter which BL your in… but the names for like, the North camps and junk? Forget it, give me a NE/N/NW or prepare to see me stare at the map for a bit.

Caffynated.5713:

S, SW, SE, NW, NE because… complicated.

Yea, this is what I hear most of the time. Once in awhile someone says the actual ruin name and everyone goes “buuuuuuuh?”

I have this love/hate relationship with the GS-4 in general.

Sometimes, it works exactly like I expect it too, where I block ranged attacks, then have someone close the distance and get to punt them away from me… but for every time that actually happens, it feels like there are half a dozen times when it fails to knock them back, or the knockback is avoided easily, or it doesn’t fire off because the attack was technically not the proper kind of attack to knockback, or a random ‘melee’ attack ruins the more important ranged block aspect etc…

There are a lot of times where I really just wish it was a plain old block attacks for it’s duration, the end.

I also have the same feeling towards the optional GS-4 throw attack. It’s so telegraphed and slow that the number of times I’ve honestly chucked it, hit someone and genuinely slowed them down with it could probably be counted on one hand.

Really, the GS-4 skill is like a microcosm of the ranger class itself. When it works right, it really works right and you feel like the best player ever… but it usually doesn’t work right and you sorta get all these half baked ideas that should in theory mesh, but in reality often come short.

/shrug

Decklan.7540:

Just a quick question, how did WoW handle hunter pets in Alterac Valley? Please note, I only got a warlock to level 30 when that game originally came out, so I have no idea.

I don’t remember when exactly, but player pets eventually became virtually immune to AE attacks in WoW. Something like 80-90% DR against AE.

A hunter/warlock wasn’t anywhere near as tied to their pets as rangers are in gw2 either way. Even if you were full Beastmastery/Demonology, you still weren’t as attached to your pet as a GW2 Ranger.

Dardamaniac.1295:

Fordel.3208:

Is this the thread where we write down dreams?

Rampage As One becomes a Signet. The Might stacking ability of the skill becomes the passive signet bonus.

:P

I think i got an orgasm..Only for Ranger in passive, whens active for both and only on pets critical…to not make it totally OP

Nah, keep the might stacking the way it is for both, that way it totally rewards the Ranger for utilizing his pet actively and junk, just like ANET wants! Also means any spec can take advantage of the signet, without a reliance on a crit centric build.

Might have to increase the duration of the stability and fury on the active really, to compensate for the dead time when the signet is recharging.

/wizard

Is this the thread where we write down dreams?

Rampage As One becomes a Signet. The Might stacking ability of the skill becomes the passive signet bonus.

:P

stale.9785:

Kilandros.2098:

I think SB should be 1200 and LB 1500 base and that the increased range trait be changed to something else. Ranger is, after all, supposed to be the ranged heavy hitter.

truth here. Also, +1 and 15 chars. rawr.

Yea, was going to post that too.

SB Default to 1200 again, LB default to 1500, and eagle eye goes bye bye. You put the 5% damage bonus onto spotter instead to justify it’s master tier.

Asuran Warrior, that would be the perfect pet.

Blaster finishers, Cleave, High armor and health, has range options and adorable with their big floppy ears.

DaveG.4253:

Guanglai Kangyi.4318:

Rangers themselves are good, objectively speaking. It’s just that 99% of rangers are garbage and do literally everything wrong, so no one wants to take their chances with them.

One of the dumbest comments I’ve seen. Why would Ranger players be worse than those that play any other class, on average? Most play multiple classes anyway. Bad players are bad, good players are good, irrespective of class.

Certain classes/themes/play-styles attract certain mindsets of players.

Population and quality is not spread equally among the classes. You can even find divides across specs inside the same class.

This has been true in like, every single class based game going back to the tabletop.

Chopps.5047:

So your logic is that because (literally) 7 people on the forums don’t mind where ranger is but 100,000 think it needs help, anet listens to the vocal 7?

Your first mistake is thinking that ANET devs seriously consider profession forums for balance. They clearly use data, watch film of pro games, and do analytics. You have to be reasonable.

You would be astounded to find out how dev’s (not just anet, pretty much any MMO dev) actually goes about game and class balance.

It’s pretty much just like the class forums, except eventually the boss has his say and that’s how it will be. It’s this way at Mythic, Bioware, CCP, Blizzard and even Anet.

Pet idea’s and Office politics don’t disappear when you become a game developer. There is no objective scientific analysis that overrides ivory tower stances, gut feelings and plain old personal preference.

/shrug