Guild Wars 2

zomgbuffalo.5276:

I didn’t even read it, but I have to ask: why are you even bothering to share this here? I am sure no-one cares besides you. Either leave or stop pretending please.

This kind of behaviour why you can’t discuss anything online if it involves saying something remotely negative about something somebody loves.

I discuss these things in the hope that future decisions around map instances change and perhaps in future, features be added or changed to prevent dead (unpopulated) zones.

Complaints and criticisms are everywhere, but without it things wouldn’t change for the better, whether that be a game, bug fixes in software, changes in design in hardware, etc, so you should be grateful because where it may not have much impact here, you can bet that someone’s criticisms of something has shaped a product that you actively today. What I post about is feedback with hope thrown in. Mindless comments and complete disregard from people who just want to hate on the OP, for the sake of doing so (or for the sake of the game they justify spending much time and money on) isn’t helpful in the slightest.

DeanBB.4268:

I don’t understand, either. I see people everywhere I go, whether that be new or old maps.

Are you in an active guild? (sorry if you mentioned that in your wall of text) Regardless of map populations, an active guild makes a huge difference for socially-minded people, or those seeking help with content.

Then perhaps this is the problem with instancing? Shoving people into maps where people are around and then some unfortunate people end up in maps with people off doing certain things away from your intent or are afk?

I honestly don’t know, but my major concerns are with unpopulated maps and it has nearly always been an issue for me and a very negative experience. It is why I don’t want to put money down for PoF, as tempting as it is.

If only we could pick instances from a list based on its popularity, directly.

Just sharing my opinion, so bear with me. Before anyone says, yes I can afford it.

My experience with GW2: Late comer. HoT: Late comer. Overall experience of GW2: unpopulated maps.

I’ve never liked map instances – I’ve always had negative experiences with it and always thought it was a bad idea. Some times there are busy maps but often times, even during weekend or so-called peak-times, I end up on a largely unpopulated map with no ability to pick for myself what map instance I want to go to. If LFG isn’t used (and it’s mostly barren for what I want) then you have no way of switching, UNLESS the game detects that the map is empty and asks you if you would like to switch. Sadly it appears that detection either sucks or doesn’t take into account AFKers and botters.

Understandably much of the early game content is lacking in players. Dungeons from years back have been pretty dead for a long time, but I find it most disappointing that much of HoT is unpopulated.

I’ve done everything everyone has ever suggested: Peak times, weekends, LFG. There comes a point where there is TOO much reliance on other people to complete content and not many people want to help others out. Map instances split a potentially huge number of players, a ridiculous amount and if you happen to be on a UNPOPULATED map, then you’re not going to have much fun (especially if you’re at the mercy of the horrible map population detector) – contrary to what the server population indicator says.

My dilemma, since I’ve embraced the differences of GW2 as a MMO different from others, is that while I understand it is a glorified collection game and has much to do in that regard, is that much of it cannot be obtained without other people and due to instances, it is a huge block on newcomers to the game or those going back to earlier content to achieve and collect such things. I am one of those people who went back to go collect earlier gear and most of the experience has been horrible. Do I abandon early core GW2 content and HoT and jump straight to Path of Fire when it first releases because a lack of popularity on older content makes it harder for me to find someone to play such content? Do I then return to HoT later, only to find it double dead because even more time has passed? OR do I stick with HoT and hope the few people (thanks to instances and a crummy LFG system) still playing HoT content are around on my map or using LFG so I can actually complete stuff, only to go to Path of Fire content way way down the line and HOPE that it hasn’t become barren like much of the core content and HoT? Breathes

Now I understand a lot of people love GW2 and may not have had the problems I have had, but it does occur. I’ve spoken to many people in game who agree that instances are to blame and I’ve been on the end of failed events countless times because of a lack of players. I specifically remember one time a couple months ago when my map in Silverwastes was mostly empty, so I used LFG only to join a Bandit Chest train map that had LOTS of people in a squad, but of course none of which were defending the fortresses – little example of a big problem.

I know having everyone in the same map (like traditional MMOs) is not a good way of approaching this issue, but there must be a better way of addressing dead content. Is the map number simply too small? Having tiny numbers of players per map, which is then filled with higher levels not interested in aged content is not going to help when there are people looking for help.

I don’t want to buy Path of Fire unless I know that crap map populations aren’t going to be a problem a couple of years down the line. Yeah… a couple of years. Remember not everybody gets the content and plays it right away or at a rate that gets them so far so quickly. I’m still doing SW stuff and I’ve had HoT a few months (and though HoT has been out a while, there are tons of unpopulated areas).

There’s a lot of people playing GW2 and it sucks so much that map instances are the sole reason for limiting player experience – especially those who are trying to get the most out of earlier content before moving on to the later stuff.

The only time I’ve not seen a lack of population, is with dailies. Perhaps this can be expanded on in future? There needs to be more incentive to return to varying areas in GW2.

Please do not confuse this rambling as me saying GW2 sucks, because I didn’t say or imply it. I’m merely expressing my view and my experience of player population on certain maps and content (especially with collections). I like the game, a lot and wished I’d joined it when it first released, but sadly that was not the case.

(Edit for grammar and clarity)

You know, it’s been 2 years. Just wondering. Or is it a case of, this engine sucks so it cannot be done?

I wouldn’t recommend any laptop, but if it must be one, I wouldn’t recommend any Toshiba or Sony, as they don’t allow you to kitten around with driver updates for graphics, which is a major downer if you plan on playing games here and there. Driver updates for such things are down to them and they mostly rely on certified Windows drivers. However this is no guarantee of them pushing the latest graphic drivers to your device, they may just stick with a tried and tested, stable bunch of certified drivers and leave you to it.

For your money, a small PC with an upgrade path in future is a much better investment. PCs don’t have to be massive things any more.

I’ve lost about 15-20 fps as well. Would rather have more than less, considering my rig.

I wondered why things seemed worse than before. Things weren’t great before any of the patches because the game is just massively unoptimised, but whatever the patch did I’m glad I’m not imagining the extra frame loss.

The memory isn’t 800mhz. It’s working at double data rates but the utility doesn’t take that into account. Double it: 1600Mhz.

I myself have a i5-2500K at 4Ghz an overclocked ASUS DCII 290 and 8GB of DDR3 at 1600Mhz. I get 60fps mostly, with dips into the low 40s. With Vsync off I get 80-110 in some places, but in areas where FPS tumbles low, it makes zero difference if Vsync is on or off. Basically for me, Vsync does not “artificially” lower FPS. With Vsync off and everything set to low I still get awful FPS in big events. In fact, on medium settings, events like Ulgoth or Golem Mark II are so crappy I get FPS in low 20s. Some events I drop into low teens, which is frankly ridiculous (and this is on medium by the way) whilst playing at my native resolution – 1920×1080.

If I play on high settings (not ubersampled though), my FPS still tumbles in towns even if there are only a few real world players around. On medium this’ll recover it to 30-45, but it’s still massively disappointing. Lowering the settings further makes little difference, if any, in those situations.

Taking into account that this game is like 2+ years old and Intel’s 4th Gen i5s , AMD’s later FX CPUs weren’t around then and tons of people have been complaining for ages about a complete lack of optimisation, and of course taking into account your rig, it’s just further proof to the claims. There are rigs out there far greater than yours that get similar/worse FPS and other rigs that are weaker that meet the same sorts of frame rates. This all points to a drastic lack of optimisation and reminds me horribly of the lack of optimisation that Bohemia Interactive failed to do on ARMA 3 (where weak hardware would somehow beat beasty rigs and everyone complained both nothing was ever done) – though fanboys would do as fanboys do any other game and claim that X developer is great and the game is fine.

I don’t play GW2 a huge amount and I may of ended up getting HoT. However given how crappy the core game runs and how little effect lowering settings has (which is basically inexcusable in itself given that we should be able to run at high settings with respectable frame rates), I don’t think I’ll bother with the expansion. I don’t dislike the game, but there are so many games coming out soon that interests me, I’ll just end up forgetting about this if I can’t properly enjoy it.

There are lots of people who want and feel that optimisation is long over due. It’s either that or the engine is so crappy that no amount of optimisation can save it or it just inherently runs bad. To me it’d be another ARMA 3 situation and another game I won’t bother with.

(This post was unbelievably difficult to construct given how low my glucose is LOL – I’m so deserving of 1 copper right now).

cranked.3812:

DaveGan.8065:

OP

• writes giant ranting essay

Ironically, he wrote another long essay ranting at your post that accused him of writing a long ranting essay. Good times!

That’s not irony. And DaveGanElitist… I’m not playing the victim at all. Anyway, since you’re about as blind as can be, and I’m done “stalking” your posts (playing the victim there?), I’ll leave it be.

Have a nice WintersDay wiping the dribble off your chin.

/Leavespostsconsistingofpeopleplayingthegamefor2years.

DaveGan.8065:

OP

• writes giant ranting essay
• passes knee-jerk—and unnecessary—judgment about unrelated issue (dungeon sellers)
• claims to be unbiased and unprovoking he is
• immediately calls any and all dissent biased, abusive, and flaming
• fails to heed (or even acknowledge) most advice given out in this thread
• refuses to join a guild

Nope, it’s certainly not you at all. Definitely us. Definitely…Yep…

Most of us here would and do help newer players. But we will help them on our terms, not theirs. The way you try to guilt trip or demand something you are not at all entitled to…

No offense, but I don’t think you would be missed by many if you erased Windows and never came back here.

Instead of blaming anyone and doing what others have done in the past – which I tried suggesting people avoid in the first place – maybe try and see the popularity of dungeons first before you bash me and come out with such nonsense.

The “knee-jerk” reaction you come out with is also nonsense, since it is obvious. I’m willing to sing the praises of the game and its strengths, but people already know those, all I’m trying to do is make it easier for others.

Again, joining a guild just to get something to function properly shouldn’t be mandatory! How can you not get that?! What then if for whatever reason your guild isn’t on? Then what? Why are people always so defensive or hostile towards new suggestions? I’ve already been in another guild and the dungeon thing didn’t exactly improve. In fact I’ve been in 2 or 3. Do I have to hop to several, or be a part of multiple guilds just to be able to get something to work? Why? You’re not seeing the biggest picture but instead you’re being borderline hateful; it’s blatantly obvious in your post. Why do you think I claim people have such bias when after such discussion, this is what they revert to?

Don’t cherry pick things because it suits your view but instead try to see things from others perspectives. How is something that benefits everyone such a difficult thing for people to grasp? I’m at a loss… it’s almost like politics, where any viable point put across is fought with a counter just because they’re on the other side… no matter how reasonable it is.

I couldn’t give a crap if people cared whether or not I erased Windows and stopped playing the game. An the “no offence” thing followed by such a statement serves to help in what way?

It’s already degraded. Yes my post was massively long but I didn’t chose or force people to sit and read through the entire thing, all I asked was that people see what I see. Why should my post length have anything to do with my an issue in the game anyway?

For the record, I’m an EU player.

Why must everything be watertight before an argument, no matter how reasonable, be deemed acceptable? All I’m trying to do is help, kitten it?! It’s as if people lack the ability to understand or simply refuse to understand (and no, don’t say that I’ve resorted to name-calling instead of try things), the problem is not the way I go about things, but that the majority of people are failing to see what the problem is. If it wasn’t an issue to begin with then they would’t have needed to add LFG in the first place.

Go try non-specific routes, or early phases of dungeons, random encounters, non-elitist runs and you may see what I mean. Having to buddy up with people shouldn’t be necessary and being in guilds or starting your own is not always the perfect solution and to me it just seems like an excuse to get around the issue of a unpopulated area of the game.

:(

It’s impossible to explain. It seems some people would rather find gaps in an argument and argue than step back and try to see things as whole.

Weekend is the perfect time for this stuff and even then it shouldn’t be a requirement or a necessity for some people to see what I’m on about.

Oh well… I did try.

Well… it wasn’t a total failure. Some people see where I’m coming from. In fact I’ll see that as a plus, since it appears some folks are just plain dead against reasoning (seems folks like Dan have a Gan have a history of bashing those who want change to Dungeon / Fractals).

Anyway, peace.

Vayne.8563:

Two words. Casual guild.

There are many helpful guilds in this game. That doesn’t mean you’ll get to run whatever you want, whenever you want, but I’ve yet to see someone need something in my guild that wasn’t helped out by others.

Trying to LFG instead of joining a guild of like minded players is the problem here.

No, the problem is the lack of incentive and anti-group ideology. I’ve sent lots of invites out to people, but if I don’t know them and randomly send them out, tons of people either don’t accept or decline – does this mean that I have to work to become buddies with each person until I have some people in a guild, just so I can get a working dungeon run?

I have only a few people in my guild, lol about 4, but I’ve sent upward of 20-30 invites out and when I check the guild page, most people don’t even know they have one! The fact that invites are hidden until you open the guild panel may be part of the problem, but I don’t see why a guild must be mandatory for dungeons to be playable. I know they are playable without, but again I point to time spent in LFG, off-peak player population being an issue and of course not everyone in a guild is on at the same time, nor may they wish to all do the same thing.

The way I see it, is that incentive for other more experienced players to return can only be a benefit for everybody, whereas doing nothing and bypassing this player decline issue, isn’t going to help anyone at all and instead put people off. Right now, aside from just having to find waypoints, POI and JPs, I’m finding it quite boring trying to get groups together.

Also, shame on those selling dungeon runs to people wanting to finish them… that is ridiculous.

Part 2 – wow… sorry, had to split the message; character count.

Most people seem to be doing boss world events or champion trains. This is fair enough… but beyond that, and WvW, in PVE there is incredibly little incentive to help others or meet new people when certain aspects of the game do not scale rewards based on gear, experience, age < of character and those who aren’t flush with fancy gear and huge amounts of rare materials.

Now I’ve probably not covered all my points well in this, so please don’t sit and do what everyone else does and pick out parts to criticise, but instead try not to be like everyone else and realise that I am just trying to make this game better for everyone… and of course easier partying with newer players. It may be easy for you guys to find people to play with, but it isn’t for everyone and spending huge chunks of time in LFG is not how this game should be played. I have spent a great deal of time in LFG and I’ve found it rather disappointing. There are plenty of players on at off-peak times, but very few wanting to do dungeons. I don’t want to overstep the mark but there have been threads on Google that I’ve read in regards to peoples’ dislike with the dungeons, the lack of incentive to return and the fact they haven’t changed since their inception.

Can something please be done to benefit the community? I’m not threatening or anything, but I get such a negative experience from this game sometimes (often times, actually) and yet I can see potentially rewarding ways that can benefit all, but I’m just left with the feeling that the only thing done on here is Gem Store items and Living Word changes – now though these are of course appreciated, apparently dungeons haven’t changed in a long time.

I want to enjoy this game more. I also want to spend those 800 gems on my acc lol, but earlier I was right on the edge of erasing Windows and installing Linux and just leaving the game (note: I only use Windows because of certain game compatibility and the fact I cannot be bothered with the hassle in getting non-compatible games to work on Linux).

For the first time ever earlier (not due to the discussions with others earlier) I felt an overwhelming feeling of being disappointed with a number of games… it’s the first time I’ve ever had a brief consideration to quit gaming. :\ Sad times.

Sorry for the wall of text and I apologise for any typos. I’d appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on the matter and consider my suggestions with openness.

Peace

I’m rather disappointed with this game and I’ll explain why in a moment. I’ve had the game since the beginning of October and initially it was all fresh and exciting. However these past couple of weeks I’ve come to release that the game is borderline unplayable in certain areas because so many vets have absolutely no incentive to run dungeons or fractals. Those who have their particular materials or dungeon sets have little reason to return. Now whenever I discuss this with ANYONE and I mean anyone, in the game, it immediately becomes a BASH THIS ONE PERSON game and for the sake of what should be considered perfectly reasonable > DISCUSSION. I never say provocative things or chastise people and I reserve my own opinions but keep them separate from my own suggestions.

After being massively disappointed by spending ludicrous amounts of times in LFG to run what I would call dead dungeons, any discussion on the matter prompts abusive response. Everyone, absolutely everyone always becomes hugely biased and sees any negatives I put up as some kind of insult to their precious game. Now the excuses for this at first are… : “Go make some friends” or “If you don’t like the game, don’t play it”. I never said at any point I didn’t dislike the game, but I don’t like how this game appears to hate new players because it doesn’t take into consideration the remaining players who have been playing for several years, who have no desire to play in those dungeons. What this ends up doing is leaving lower levels in LFG, or asking people out in the wilds to join their PT – usually using map chat. Sometimes begging helps, but unless you’re in a guild (which in my opinion, shouldn’t be mandatory to have certain aspects of the game function effectively) or on at peak time, the remaining players online are not interested in dungeons at all.

I gave a suggestion to some people who I had a discussion with earlier, before they started flaming and being abusive all because of perfectly reasonable, unprovoked questions and suggestions, that there needs to be some sort of incentive for older, more experienced players (vets, elitists, etc) to help lower levels, or level 80s who haven’t played the game for a particularly long time and are looking for certain materials, rewards and currency for certain dungeon sets. I suggested Assist Badges… some kind of currency where people who have completed dungeons (in their entirety) and have spent a good deal of time on the game, can earn said badges which could be converted into certain high tier materials or perhaps some other rewards.

Unfortunately my idea is scoffed at, because it involves helping others in what I would say is a poorly designed aspect of the game, patched up by LFG which doesn’t work unless you are on at peak time – it is still very barren late evening even on weekends, which is disappointing.

Now the point to take from this, as I tried to explain to the kids earlier on was that instead of seeing my suggestions as some kind of insult, see them for what they are: a potential improvement for least played aspects of the game, that negatively impact newer players who struggle to find groups in LFG.

People in the game suggest quitting, but I don’t want to. Why should I? Why should the game only cater, mostly, to l33ts and the longest players? Is that not unfair? Wouldn’t you think it was a reasonable suggestion to help everyone? It irritates me when people often put up silly suggestions, like “maek frendz” or join a guild or “well it is like 1am”. These may not seem like stupid suggestions to those who take other aspects of the game with complete seriousness, like WvW players, PvP players and those who often run with Guilds… but in all essence what it is doing is bypassing the issue of helping others at lower experience levels and bypassing the fact that certain areas of the game aren’t as popular as they should be.