Showing Highly Rated Posts By Gulesave.5073:

Is the LS reverting us to a quest log?

in Living World

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

One of the main boasts of GW2’s PvE design was the death of the classic quest system. I mean the quest log that told you to kill ten rats, fetch a dozen hides, and take down the big bad ogre in the middle of the map.

That quest log was replaced with a combination of the public event system, renown hearts, and the personal story. What happened?

We’re not likely to see hearts on any new maps, as they’ve reportedly lost favor with the devs. They have expressed interest in potentially growing the personal story, but nothing has been added since launch. Events, at least, are still all the rage.

The achievement system started off simple, and built up promise over the last year. But since ramping up the Living Story, it has become more and more like a quest log, albeit one linked to seasonal public events.

We’re right back to a checklist of killing ten rats, collecting a dozen hides, and taking down the big bad ogre.

Thoughts?

The princess kissed the frog to make him a prince. After looking upon him a minute, she shrugged her shoulders and waggled a finger. He was abruptly turned into a hylek.

I should be writing.

The Mounts are Useless

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Honestly we already have lots of masteries that do exactly the same stuff as them i.e. jumping over gaps, reaching high places: Updrafts, Leylines, Bouncing Mushrooms, Nuhoch Wallows, Rift Traveler, Explosive Launch, Thermal Propulsion, Oakheart’s Reach. We can already do all that the mounts can do ok?

This is all you had to say.
Now go read how folks do not want to take the time to unlock these features that you and I took the time to do.

They are leveling the playing field once again.

However, blood vessels will burst out of foreheads when they realize they have to unlock mounts with masteries as well.

It will be fast and easy for folks like us because we know how all this works.
We will then squeal like a couple teenage girls at a New Kids on the Block concert in excitement only to be resented all over again.

Updrafts, mushrooms, etc. are all HoT masteries. Players who do not to buy HoT won’t have access to them at all. Each expansion is depending only on its own masteries. I think this is a smart business decision to not alienate new players, and also to make each expansion feel unique.

Also, the top argument is kind of like saying, “We already have specs that can deal damage, why introduce more?”

I should be writing.

(edited by Gulesave.5073)

Cultural Armor t4

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I would much rather see profession-specific equipment. Also, a set that changes with the wearer’s personality.

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New World Bosses

in The Origins of Madness

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I am little worried this will be like Teq. where you have to be in a special guild and basically glitch (create a overflow for just certain people to join) the game to be able to complete the content.

They didn’t create the overflow so only certain people could fight Tequatl. They overflowed the normal server to create the overflow and then ferried people into that overflow. In doing this, they could avoid afk players taking up slots so that they would have more people fighting Tequatl.

It also makes the fight invite-only. And I’m sorry to inform you, but it is certainly not only AFK players being excluded.

A group of players should never be able to determine whether or not other players can experience content that was designed for everyone.

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Scarlet =/= The Joker

in Living World

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

The comparisons between Scarlet and the Joker deflate as soon as you look past the laughter.

The only trait they share is the characteristic detached mania: the heightened emotional state leading to frequent cackling murder. Whereas this is all we see of Scarlet, the Joker is bi-polar, regularly flipping into depressions as low as his manias are high.

Mr. J has a limited personal skillset, refined through practice into expertise in leadership and strategic planning. While he does fiddle with simple toys, he leaves the real engineering to others. He uses his capacity for strategy like a military general, applying immense pressure on a single, small goal.

All of his resources – from personnel to money and materials – are acquired with some believable difficulty and tenacity. Everybody throws everything they have into fighting him. Yet his thugs have genuine reasons to believe that the rewards of joining and staying on his side are worth the risks.

He is a character of obsession. Most of his jokes arise from a compulsion for the ritual of the gag. Everything he does is expressly for the attention of the person whose visage consumes his mind.

Scarlet is an attention-deficient, antisocial sadist whose entire franchise of influence is handed to her on golden platters of deus ex machina.

Her skillset is simultaneously diverse and deep. She somehow attains mastery of every subject she touches, even though she gets bored right after starting them. Tinkerer, chemist, mystic, fighter, leader: Scarlet does it all herself, and supposedly better than anyone else. Then she goes on and does something else.

For Ms. Briar, resources jump out the air like sparkles ‘round a unicorn. Most of her minions have little if any reason to follow her, but by now it feels like a quarter of Tyria’s population has happily fallen in line to suffer under her pigtails. Troves of materials that would make a nation blush get tossed around the continent like confetti, and we have no idea how she got them. Or where she keeps them. Her incessant raids around the world expend much, but acquire nothing. Although her enterprises bleed assets at a horrific rate, they miraculously keep getting bigger.

The opposition is hardly stacked against her, though. She took over half of Kessex, and the only forces that responded were a handful of outsiders. Not a single fart against her from the Queen, centaurs, or bandits affected by the incursion. This is the red carpet Scarlet can expect everywhere she goes.

She has a goal, but it is expansive and seems more reactive than active. Her designs result from a destructive defense mechanism against the unpleasantness of existing in the world as it is, with the people that are in it. Her grand plan is to push everyone and everything away, to break every system and bone and rock that offends her. It’s a sort of reverse suicide of the present life by destroying all that is outside instead of inside.

The Joker is almost all focus and cathexis, embracing his life and the world around him as tools for his obsession with playing the game against his chosen opponent. Scarlet has none of this, and that void is just another thing she has in spades.

I should be writing.

Game Updates: Traits

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Why don’t we keep traits unlockable from exploration and events as they are currently, but let the player choose which traits they get each time?

It could be as broad as a challenge unlocking “any Adept trait of your choice,” or a little tighter by specifying both tier and line, such as “any Adept trait in the Power line.”

This would give players a little leeway in choosing their own content and builds, instead of having one railroad the other.

I should be writing.

Time to refocus and clarify GW2's goals?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Personally, I’m less concerned with learning what is coming, so much as how much and approximately when. LW episodes through the next quarter? Fine. Huge chunk of content coming after a possible break later in the year? Great. Something of undetermined size coming at some undetermined point? Less great.

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CDI- Character Progression-Horizontal

in CDI

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Archetypes (SubClasses)

Archetypes beyond the default can be unlocked after level 80 by completing difficult profession-specific challenges. Once unlocked, archetypes can be changed at the expense of some skillpoints. Each archetype for a profession has a distinct visual theme and variation of their F1-4 primary mechanic. Traits, weapons, and other skills would be unaffected.

The examples below try to introduce more control and support.

Example 1: Mesmer

  • The Tragedian’s Monarch (default)
    • Theme: Lavender phantasms & butterflies
    • Mechanic: Shatter illusions for damage and conditions
  • The Comedian’s Pariah
    • Theme: Red-violet phantasms & bats
    • Mechanic: Shatter illusions for area healing, boons, and fear

Example 2: Necromancer

  • The Mortician (default)
    • Theme: Fleshy minions
    • Mechanic: Attacks during Death Shroud
  • The Ritualist
    • Theme: Spirit minions (they function the same, but look different)
    • Mechanic: Reflects attacks, buffs minions, and heals allies during Death Shroud
I should be writing.

Map Currency (again)

in Living World

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I would rather see it treated as an exotic crafting material, like globs of ectoplasm. Surely this could be used in some interesting recipes.

There happens to one collector who wants it, but that doesn’t make it a currency.

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Archaist (combo field soldier)

in Suggestions

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Theme
Ancient magic, dug up and heavily re-purposed from Jotun, Mursaat, Forgotten, and Seers.

Mechanics
Creates a durable and mobile combo field that remains centered on the player. Each field has its own short durability gauge that charges conditionally and only when not in use, and only one field can be active at a time. While a field is active, its durability gauge goes down over time, when the player takes damage, and whenever the field is triggered by a combo finisher. If a field is destroyed before the player swaps it out, it goes on a longer cooldown.

Heavy armor, high health, weak healing skills.

Abilities

  • F1 Veil of the Stricken
    • Dark combo field; gain occasional Retaliation
    • Charges when player takes direct damage from attacks
  • F2 Veil of the Unseen
    • Ethereal combo field; gain occasional Determination (new boon: +Healing Power and -Condition Damage rec’d)
    • Charges when player takes condition damage
  • F3 Veil of the Fallen
    • Lightning combo field; gain occasional Stability and Vigor
    • Charges when player is hit by control effects, crippled, or immobilized
  • F4 Veil of the Forgotten
    • Poison combo field; gain occasional Fury
    • Charges when player evades or heals

Weapons (all have a combo finisher)

  • Two-handed
    • Staff (used melee, control & interrupts)
    • Shortbow (mixed boons & conditions)
  • Main-hand
    • Dagger (confusion & torment)
    • Scepter (used close-range, control & poison)
    • Axe (mobility)
  • Off-hand
    • Axe (teleport)
    • Warhorn (interrupt & fear)
  • Underwater
    • Spear (mobility & torment)
    • Trident (mixed boons & conditions)

Traits

  • Stargazing (Precision, Critical Damage)
  • Influence (Condition Duration, Condition Damage)
  • Warding (Toughness, Boon Duration)
  • Sacrifice (Vitality, Healing Power)
  • Ancient Power (Veil Recharge, Power)

Skill Types

  • Revenant (brief summon of ancient race spirit)
  • Echo (immediate effect, then becomes a trap to trigger same effect again)
  • Rift (teleport + combo finisher)
  • Signet
  • Memory (pulsing combo finisher)
I should be writing.

weapon set switching for elementals?

in Suggestions

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

If 4 skill bars aren’t enough for you to find something useful, I just don’t know what to say.

I should be writing.

Bring on Santa Briar!

in A Very Merry Wintersday

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Devs gave a loud NO! during the livestream. Scarlet will not be appearing during Wintersday.

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Collaborative Development: Ranger Profession

in CDI

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

(Dons flame-proof suit)

If you want Allie to respond to what you’re saying: say something she hasn’t already responded to.

Some people are doing a good job of that. However, much of the last umpteen pages is criticism stuck on repeat. They’ve already heard that, and it isn’t helping us move toward solutions.

I should be writing.

Stop Unisexing Charr and Asura

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I do NOT want my asura and charr females to dress up according to human standards of a specific culture.

They. Already. Are.

Masculine =/= neutral. Masculine = masculine. Your asura and charr females are dressing according to human standards specifically set on males.

If folks could take a pause from thinking of cultural masculinity as default, and cultural femininity as “other,” this discussion, (and SO many others), could take a huge step forward.

I should be writing.

carapace / luminescent Jerkin

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I think it’s supposed to be a gorget. A very dangerous gorget that should only be worn for ceremony, and even then with great care.

This one is not secured properly, and the spade shape creates a weapon that can only be used against your own face. It would quickly maim you the moment it took a blow, or if your head suddenly tilted forward for some reason, (such as tucking and rolling to dodge, for example). I hope you weren’t planning on keeping your teeth and/or nose.

But don’t worry, those mordrem wolves will probably go for the arteries in your exposed thighs and armpits first.

I should be writing.

New race

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I’m not a lore buff so forgive any ignorance here but:
Cat people (ala FFXIV)?
Something like the Castanic or Aman from Tera would be very cool!

We have cat people. While developing the charr, (especially the females), the devs decidedly went as far as they could from the stereotypical human who just happens to have cat ears and tail.

The races in Guild Wars use archetypes, but avoid stereotypes.

I should be writing.

(edited by Gulesave.5073)

The red "Ctrl+T" target cross

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I’d be happy enough if it actually went away when the target died.

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How do I melee in HoT?

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

When it comes to melee in HoT, you just can’t expect to use it all the time. Many mobs are either highly mobile or too dangerous up close. Also, the heavy AoE spreads will often force you to be mobile yourself.

The answer? Bring a ranged option and swap as needed. Use melee when you can, and don’t use it when you can’t. That’s the best advice I can give.

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Completely Pointless Revamps?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

These changes don’t fix what I view as the biggest problem with GW2 leveling: most of the time, it makes you feel weaker. Not stronger – weaker.

The scaling systems is great for pooling together players who normally wouldn’t be on the same map in other MMO’s, but there are serious flaws in the math. Most egregious is equipment. Unless you buy new gear every level, you rapidly feel weaker and weaker as you level, even if the level of the enemies you’re facing doesn’t change.

If you watch your attributes when you gain a level in many zones, you can actually see your stats go down – sometimes sharply. It’s depressing and contradictory to the purpose of leveling up in the first place.

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Proposal: Steal 3 Items, Use 1

in Thief

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

The Steal mechanic is underused by many players due to the lack of control over the results. My proposal is to update the mechanic to let thieves steal 3 items, and choose which one they want to use.

  • F1: Steal
    • This immediately gives you 3 items, filling the F2-4 slots.
    • Press again to drop all items and reduce cooldown by a few seconds. Sometimes you just need access to the Steal command again, for its stun break or other properties.
  • F2-4: Use item
    • The items stolen would still be semi-random based on enemy type, except that you get a handful, (literally), to choose from. When you use one of them, the others are immediately tossed aside.

This change would have a relatively small impact on balance. The goal is to give players some choice and control, making Steal more tactical, practical, and desirable.

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Imperial Outfit!!!!!!!

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Ah, yes, horrible, horrible. It’s so awful that outfits can be worn by every profession, provide looks not possible with piecemeal armor, have minimal clipping problems, and enable you to change your whole look on the fly without having to stock multiple sets of equipment. Just… disgusting, aren’t they?

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[Feedback]Path of Fire Preview - August 11 - 13

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I’m so sick to death of this obsession with having so few waypoints on maps. Don’t you understand that was one of the great things about gw2! Being able to quickly jump to events on the map.

I don’t know why ANET ask for feedback they barely act on it.

The feedback over the last couple years has overwhelmingly been “We want fewer waypoints on new maps.” So, I would say they have acted on it pretty well.

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Hero Points & old characters: breach of trust

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

It should be easy. The game knows which skill challenges you have and haven’t completed. Our unlocks will likely be reset to zero, but we’ll be given all the hero points for a level 80 character that has completed all the skill challenges we’ve completed. If you’ve done at least a few, you should have enough points for all the core stuff as soon as you log in. Well-mapped characters should even be able unlock everything, including the full elite spec, on day one.

You will probably have to go through and spend your new hero points to re-unlock everything the first time you log into a character after this gets patched in, but I seriously doubt you will be missing much, if anything. In fact, if you’re like me and have alts that have only unlocked a handful of traits – you will probably suddenly have enough hero points to buy most, if not all of what you’ve been missing under the current system.

I expect most characters will actually have more available to them after the change than they do currently. We are much more likely to gain than to lose, here.

I should be writing.

The Cantha Thread [Merged]

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

It wasn’t the mere presence of Asian content that would have been offensive. It was the juxtaposition against other cultures, such as in the prototype Divinity’s Reach. Consumers in their Asian markets would have been disgusted at seeing their culture “dirtied” by being muddled with Western and African elements.

Keep in mind that racism is still pretty well tolerated in most of Asia.

The irony, of course, is that GW2 isn’t even out in any Asian markets.

I should be writing.

(edited by Gulesave.5073)

Completely Pointless Revamps?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I really wish they just get it done and over with and drop the level cap to 20. Then every level could matter and give you something interesting. Final stats and the total experience needed to get there can be the same as now.

They could even break the experience bar up a little so you get certain rewards (i.e. skill points) at multiple points in a level.

I should be writing.

CDI- Character Progression- Vertical

in CDI

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

When this thread opened to discuss progression, ascended gear was the last thing that came to my mind. Most playtime next year will not be on characters wearing ascended gear, and most of those who do will not notice it, (outside of Fractals).

To me, progression for my characters after 80 is much more about maximizing their potential by finding fun, efficient builds. Finding the right set of traits, skills, and upgrade components will dramatically influence your desired statistics throughout every variety of content. That cannot be said for ascended equipment.

Vertical progression in GW2 needs to come from horizontal progression: increasing synergy between the pillars of what makes a character tick. For one recent example, the new Skelk Venom makes a venom specialist distinctly stronger than when they were stuck with healing skills that didn’t synergize with their traits. Changes like this add up, moreso than a 5% increase on armor stats.

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To all the Verucas in this subform

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

(in walk a group of quaggans with orange skin and green wigs)

Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-dee-dooo
I have a jumpless puzzle for you
Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-da-dee
The deep dives will come when they’re ready
Who do you blame when your players can’t wait?
Pampered and spoiled like an Orrian krait
Blaming the players is a lie and a shame
You know exactly who’s to blame

The college and the fahrar

Ooompa Looompa dooom-pa-dee-da
If you are patient, then you will learn all
You will play in happiness tooo
Like the Quaggan Looompa dooom-pa-dee-dooo

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"DragonHunter" name feedback [merged]

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

The Euro-centric perception of mythology in this thread is incredibly depressing. There are quite a lot of legends with knight-like figures using bows or traps and mystical energy.

Yes, the name takes a little getting used to in the context of existing lore. I, for one, am going to get used to it and get on with enjoying the game. I invite you join me.

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I've redesigned the UI & the official website

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Very nice panel designs, although they hardly look like they belong to the same game as one another. Sticking to the style book is a big deal. In this case, I would say either stick entirely to the existing GW2 style guide, define some specific alterations to it, or create your own new guide from scratch – and then make sure you follow whatever you pick, in every panel you design.

Aside from that, I think your Hero panel can be slimmed down.

The section headers just distract the user, and can be removed. Guild is a similar concept to an order, and they should be represented side-by-side, and in a matching style. Clicking the guild banner should open the Guild panel, and clicking the order banner should redirect to the story journal. You could even throw in a PvP rank emblem with similar functionality, if desired. Similarly, clicking the character’s title could redirect to the Achievements tab instead of directly offering a drop-down.

All the visual customization options can be moved into a single style/customization subtab; you don’t need the drop-down here. Dyes and wardrobe can share screen space. Minipets, couriers, and finishers can be wardrobe slots like equipment, and don’t need their own screens.

As for lore, ArenaNet has a strong preference for letting the wiki handle it. Instead of creating a whole new shebang that has to be re-filled with data by a writer, how about designing an in-game panel for the wiki itself? It could port in the body data from the wiki site, but use the same web display tech as the Black Lion?

Altogether, you have some nice concepts. Keep it up.

I should be writing.

teleport dodge

in Suggestions

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Thieves get a displacement effect, so I don’t see why they can’t do something for other professions. The big question is whether it’s worth the time it would take to implement.

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Suggestion: Blade Shard Collector?

in Battle for Lion’s Arch - Aftermath

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Honest, I’d be happy if I could just sell them for 1c a piece. Or better yet: consume for luck.

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"Butcher what isn't us."

in Battle for Lion’s Arch - Aftermath

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

“Butcher what isn’t us.” ~Magnus the Bloody-Handed

When he said this during the evacuation of Lion’s Arch, the history buff in me bolted awake and shivered. If human history had a coat of arms, this motto would be at the bottom.¹

I would like to extend kudos to the writer for getting that reaction out of me.

¹Applies to both Earth and Tyria.

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Is lion's arch getting fixed in the xpac?

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Not sure if many of you have noticed, but the denizens of LA have indeed been making gradual progress. Not so much on the clearing of rubble, strangely, but they have been at work putting up some new structures here and there. There are new bridges and ramps popping up, a new hidden bar, and other little tidbits. You just have to go out of your way to explore occasionally to spot what they’re doing.

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"DragonHunter" name feedback [merged]

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Slayer
Keeper
Overseer
Babysitter

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Please do not have Ele specialise as a healer

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

There is absolutely nothing pointing toward a healer spec. Try not to pull your worries out of left field.

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Colored Bags from Queensdale

in Suggestions

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I assume you’re running the train. There’s a merchant in the lodge between spider and boar. By chance, that’s also when you have ample time to make use of it.

The simplest solution to this problem is already in place.

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Zodiac Armors Feeback

in Black Lion Trading Co

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

On the male-vs-female discussion: yes, they show skin on guys, but not in areas that are popularly eroticized like a woman’s chest is. Male characters are deliberately desexualized in a jarring and downright surgical way, (their entire pelvic area is emasculated more than a Ken doll’s).

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Targeting Still Broken Please Fix It!

in Bugs: Game, Forum, Website

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Also: that feeling when you’re fighting a world boss, and have to re-target every fifteen seconds. Grr.

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Can Scarlet finally die

in Tower of Nightmares

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I don’t think she’s going to be connected with this update. She’s more akin to the Soundless than the Nightmare Court.

Also, the krait and NC are both serious, religious groups, and the building of the tower seems to have much deeper significance to its makers than Scarlet’s trite M.O. of “OMG POWER, DESTROY ALL THE THINGS LOL.”

Ugh. So glad to be free of her taint so we can focus on real story for a couple weeks.

I should be writing.

Racial Skills in HoT

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I would be fine with them having their own type. Unlocking would be another issue, since we don’t know of any racial reward tracks. Assuming they’re not removed, maybe they’ll just be free for new characters.

My honest ideal would be for brand new characters to not have a profession at all.

Spend the first few levels with just racial skills, as you go through your racial story. Then you choose a profession around level 10, and go through a profession story arc, (which I feel is a dreadful omission from the current game). Then your order, and so on.

It would even be neat to have a “personal” elite spec line, with traits unlocked according the various choices you make. It wouldn’t have to be strong, merely full of flavor, just like racial skills.

But I’m just dreaming…

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(edited by Gulesave.5073)

Scarlets tormentor: Dhuum & Menzies' theory.

in Lore

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Fun theories, but I wouldn’t expect anything gods-related as a major arc in the Living Story. They’re trying to focus on themes connecting all the races.

On the other hand, Scarlet’s vision has also been theoretically linked to the Eternal Alchemy, Elder Dragons, and the Dream, so maybe Tyria will see some sort of spiritual Unified Theory of Everything that brings the gods back for a mention.

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[Speculation] If chronomancer gets traps...

in Mesmer

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

We have no trap traits. I don’t even know where that speculation came from. It’s either Ranger or Thief spec.

This would be for the elite chronomancer spec. Any traits for it would be in that line, not the core ones they just showed off. The devs have stated that elite specs would spread around skill types like traps and shouts, which are currently only on a couple professions.

Ranger and thief have enough traps already, so giving them six more would be overkill. Since mesmer has always been a rogue-ish profession, it is a logical choice for a skill type currently belonging to the other two rogues. Lastly, the ability we saw the chronomancer use in the trailer looks very much like a trap, and it would neatly tackle the oft-cited issue of mesmers not being able to fight more than one foe at a time.

Altogether, I’d guess the likelyhood of us getting traps in HoT is pretty high.

I should be writing.

(edited by Gulesave.5073)

Lion's Arch Model

in Battle for Lion’s Arch - Aftermath

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

If those items let you explore a model, that would make them valuable. I don’t need to use up inventory slots to play videos I can pull up on YouTube.

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The new Portal item.

in Queen's Jubilee

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I’m hoping it functions similar to the mesmer portal. Dependency on mesmers for transport is a problem the devs are aware of, and this could be a great fix.

I should be writing.

NPE Feedback [Merged] - Please read 1st post

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I would love it if the level cap were reduced to 20, but that might be an unnecessary amount of coding.

The problems currently are that not every level is genuinely rewarding, and we don’t really know when we will get each reward.

Firstly, “unlocking” aspects of the game such as BLTC and vistas should never take up a reward slot. We should never get nothing instead of something.

Secondly, divide up the real rewards in a sensible way. Instead of giving a huge chunk of all primary attributes every few levels, give a moderate bonus to just 1 attribute per level, and throw in skill and trait points in between where appropriate. Make the pattern repeat as neatly as possible, preferably every 10 levels.

Other rewards, unlocks, and reveals should only be stacked on top of these rewards, never replacing them.

Finally, add a tooltip on the experience bar showing the next few levels of rewards.

I should be writing.

CDI- Character Progression-Horizontal

in CDI

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

I definitely agree with moving the condition cap from target to attacker. That would promote a lot more diversity in the direction of condition builds.

Control builds need some of that too. Extending the above change to non-damage conditions is a good start. Defiant needs to be changed so that the target still receives some penalty from being hit with control effects. Converting them to conditions like chill or vulnerability might be a reasonable exchange.

I should be writing.

Grawl refugees

in Living World

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

There have always been grawl refugees in LA. They were there before the events in Flame and Frost and those in South Sun. I remember seeing them back in October and wondering why they were there and talking to them hoping they’d say something interesting. They never did. The grawl leader saying they weren’t going was probably added to draw the line and not confuse them with the other refugees. As I recall from F&F the only races affected by the Molten Alliance were the norn and charr.

I should be writing.

Home Instance Bandit Chest

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

So now I need to have keys taking up an inventory slot for any character who wants to visit their home instance? That is not an attractive proposition.

I should be writing.

CDI- Guilds- Guild Halls

in CDI

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

It would be more feasible to just have some random airships fly across the sky, (high above, in simplified low-res). Making them match specific guild ships allegedly flying across at that time seems like a lot of unnecessary work when players won’t be able to tell the difference.

Airships don’t even have to be the standard, here. They could just as well be in addition to grounded and even underwater bases, depending on what we plan to do with them. Airships aren’t everybody’s cup of tea.

I should be writing.

<tabletop> Make-Your-Own-Profession

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Gulesave.5073

Gulesave.5073

Here’s an idea I’m toying with for some potential tabletop fun, which could also have made an interesting alternate design route for the digital game.

Instead of bundling a predetermined set of concepts in a static profession, they could have made a series of building blocks which players fit together as they desire.

Certain aspects would have to be chosen at character creation:

  • Class (Soldier, Adventurer, Scholar)
    • Determines armor type, weapon stances, and Endurance regen
  • Primary Mechanic
  • First Weapon

The universal dodge mechanic would be replaced with a pair of reaction skills determined respectively by your primary mechanic and off-hand/two-handed weapon. (e.g. Dodge, block, parry, barrier, shadowstep, etc.) Reaction skills all cost Endurance, which lighter armor classes acquire faster.

Multiple stances are available for each weapon, changing its skill bar entirely, (including the reaction skill). Each armor class has its own set of stances, for balancing purposes. Your secondary weapon set may be the same as your primary, but with a different stance, if you so desire.

Utility skills, (including healing and elite), would be divided into a number of equally broad sets, such as signet, shout, or trap. Unlocking a set lets you buy and use those skills. Each primary mechanic and race has its own unique utility set, which you start with. Instead of having specific elite skills, any utility skill can be put in the elite slot – giving it an appropriate boost, but increasing its cooldown.

A handful of additional weapons and utility sets would be unlocked during character progression. Orders could each have a utility set, but only if order selection occurred much earlier in the personal story.

Trait lines would be customizable. Each line would be bound to a primary attribute, (including one related to your chosen primary mechanic). You can choose which secondary attribute and non-racial utility set to assign to which line. These three aspects determine the minor and major traits available.

Alternately, they could have combined pre-made professions with generic skill groups as I’ve outlined here, unlocking each weapon/stance and utility set for just two or three professions. It thus becomes the mixture of skills that is unique to each profession, instead of the individual skills themselves. (Sets bound to primary mechanics, however, would be profession-specific, and racial sets would still be available to all professions.)

Random tabletop-specific notes: Utility sets should mostly be accessed one at a time and when out of aggro, as they would represent a sort of “kit” that requires hands and/or attention. Weapon stances might contain passive effects. Each order and racial subgroup, (college, legion, etc.), would have their own utility set, and these would not be excluded from trait lines. Lionguard and Zaishen would be additional orders.

I should be writing.