Guild Wars 2

+1 for mounts.

People say they would make the world smaller. I am not sure how. It would take far longer to ‘ride’ from DR to Kessex hills than it would to get there via WP.

Would they break immersion? They might break yours if you are predisposed to hating the idea but then your massive physics defying greatsword may break mine. MMO’s are generally not designed for the individual. You get to see my ‘coolness’ and I get to see yours and we learn to compromise. Fun times are had by all.

Go play wow is not even worth arguing against. It is a tired trope peddled by people too lazy to present a reasonable objection.

Server breaking may have some traction. I am not tech enough to argue against it but from a layman’s perspective it seems that a server that is robust enough to handle a multitude of peeps firing zillions of effects at a world boss can handle a few horses and goats. Feel free to disabuse me of that notion if I am wrong though.

Do we need mounts? Of course not but it seems to me that lots of people want them. Lots of people don’t want them either and that is cool by me. Neither camp dictates what does or does not appear in game so we can rest easy knowing that we are at the mercy of the gods. (or at least the devs). You don’t have to hate me because I want a horse and I don’t have to hate you because you want to kill my dream.

Given that people throw money at stuff like cosmetics and mounts the only mystery for me is why they are not in game already. If there is a reason (and there must be) then we are not privy to it and maybe that is how it should be. We can all cling onto hope whichever side we are on and until we get to look inside the box we can both be right.

Wow thanks for all the welcome messages and the helpful advice. …. especially Purple Miku for taking the time to put that extensive list together.

I spent a brilliant night in world last night with Garambola who was so kind and tolerated my inability to stay focused and my excitement whenever I came across something or somewhere I had never seen before. Thanks for putting up with me it was a blast!…… also for explaining things as they came up like the fact that I don’t in fact have a ’ miniature demon’ but that I have a miniature hero called Rytlock. I won’t be making that faux pas again!

Thanks again everyone. It is really cool to feel so welcome.

Thanks for the welcomes and yes, I say I never group and ordinarily I don’t but I have grouped more in the past week than I ever have in years of playing mmos. It’s just that here it does not feel so formal, totally natural that a big beastie appears on the landscape and anyone who may be in the area merge on it and send it back whence it came. Then they all disperse just as quickly. I think that alone is a reason to play, for me at least. No need for me to apologise in advance, no need to worry folks will blame me for a fail …… just join in, do what I can and then go back to doing my thing. So inclusive and fun. Love it.

So yes hi!
I bought the game about a week ago because I noticed it was on sale and I was looking about for something a bit different but familiar enough that I would not be all at sea wondering what I was meant to do. I kind of installed the game with the premise that expectations ought to be low and it would probably turn out to be the same old fetch me carry me but with a different bag.

On my first foray into Divinity’s Reach my reaction was …. well it would be against the T&C to write what I said because heck does it look good. I mean REALLY good. I have a decent puter with a funky GPU but still, most parts of the game (that I have seen) look amazing and some areas simply take my breath away. For an mmo it is amazing. I have played a good few mmo’s (that I understand it is against forum policy to mention) including a rather recent and hyped paid alpha and I can honestly say that this game holds its own against any of them graphically. Subjective I know but it has my vote.

Of course there is still fetch me carry me but strangely I don’t notice it and I really don’t care on the odd occasion that I do. The fact that for the most part I can choose what to do to fill up the progress bar is simply brilliant and on top of that to have something else like an event trigger on the side and have that impact the progress of what I was doing in a positive way is excellent. Before I know it I have achieved whatever it was I was supposed to whilst interacting with the world in a natural way. It is so simple and yet so innovative. I am hooked.

Forgive my enthusiasm, I know you all probably felt this way when you were new but I am so jaded by the same old tired mechanics that I simply was not expecting it to be so different. Of course there will be things that bug me …. I am not green enough to expect otherwise. I might get to a point where those things bug me more that the wonder and excitement I feel as a noob but for now I am going to enjoy it. I could kick myself for not trying it sooner.

Anyway I am happy to meet you all and to be here. I am a bit of a loner in game and tend not to group, not at all because I am antisocial but rather that I am really a terrible gamer. I have MS and do sometimes find things difficult but honestly I was just as sucky before I got sick so I can’t use that as an excuse. However I play to have fun and in my own funky, frustratingly inept way probably have just as much fun as the most uber elite among you and that is what gaming should be about imho. Still, if this were high school I would be the kid whose only responsibility was putting the gym mats and basketballs away. (But I do like the fact that I can just wander into a big boss fight, try my best and then toddle off again. How cool is that! ) Do say hi though if you see me in world.

Also I just previewed this post and realised what a wall of text there was. Sorry about that but did I mention I was excited?