Guild Wars 2

Kraggy.4169:

Souto.2716:

Now with the full core game being free there needs to be a way to limit what the P4F players can do and to entice them to buy the game.

The game Rift shows you a different model is possible, it isn’t a ‘given’ that F2P players need to be limited in order to coerce them to buy the game.

True, all other hybrid games (like DDO, LoTRO, ESO, SWTOR, etc.) limit in some way, and LoTRO F2P players are severely crippled, but Trion went a different route and as a F2P player you have access to the entire game (bar new ‘classes’, which even subscribers have to pay for).

Except GW2 is closer to the Hybrid(specially ones like LoTRO) games than games like Rift that are actually f2p games, which are focused around being f2p games. I know because they phrase it as p4f it might make some people think that it’s f2p but it’s not and this is really Anet’s fault for trying to coin a new phrase. GW2 is not a f2p game though and hence why they put the limits on the old content which they made free to entice the new player base to buy HoT.

I do wonder though if in the future with each expansion they’ll keep extending what is free. Having a model like EQ where you have to buy the newest expansion but get the old content for free, or decide to keep the original released content free and just keep bundling the expansions together. Making the second expansion unlock both it and HoT, the 3rd unlocking the 2nd expansion plus HoT, etc.

I don’t think I’ve read the biggest and most obvious (at least to me) reason to nerf the core game. Play for free

Now with the full core game being free there needs to be a way to limit what the P4F players can do and to entice them to buy the game. So some of these limits become basic things that are part of the game, making the core game feel what it really is which is a demo(a pretty kitten good one if you’re barely trying it out compared to other style of demos).

The issue though, is that not every player who paid for the game back when core was b2p is willing to pay for the expansion for whatever personal reason they may have(the decision is on them whether HoT and the future content pertaining to it are worth it).

However, Anet has done something really smart(from a business point of view) and accepted the loss of those that will refuse to buy HoT, gaining the money from those that will buy/have bought HoT, and by going P4F have pretty much ensured that a new player base will offset the loss of those that bought the core game but won’t buy HoT.

So in the end we essentially have a 3 tiered system where HoT players get every benefit, P4F players get to play a bunch of content for free while being limited, and players that bought the core game are glorified P4F players(sorry).

In my opinion it’s not really so bad as those that bought the game have time over the P4F players and the majority have gotten their moneys worth as they have enjoyed lots of free content as that is a lot of content for such a cheap price. Though of course that depends on your on opinion as to how much your money is worth.

As a final opinion, it feels pretty suitable to move any guild centered activities and bonuses to HoT as they seem to be making everything guild related tie into Guild Housing. Which while in this transition into selling expansions seems to be a major problem to players, in the future(possibly even next year depending on their scheduling for expansion releases) this will all be pretty much a non-issue.

Thanks guys for the help. Found one that will do the job.

Making a long story short, my wife’s laptop broke and now we’re looking into getting a new one.

However, I don’t have the knowledge on laptops in the market and was wondering if any of you used or knew about any laptops that would be able to handle this game in the range of mid to high graphic settings.

Any type of help is appreciated

dietzero.3514:

Souto.2716:

dietzero.3514:

RoseofGilead.8907:

I just don’t get the big deal about the animations being removed. Nor do I see a double standard or feel the need to feign rage about said double standard.

It is the very definition of double standard…

Except it’s not?…

In one hand you have a being capable of expressing any range of emotion. Someone who feels pain, is able to die, and is eventually a leader of people.

On the other you have a toy whose purpose is to be goofy.

So this is not about scenes being ruined then?

Nope, as Gaile said here:

Some time ago, it was noticed and reported as a “bug” that during cinematics, the “fidget” animations continued. So you’re seeing this exciting story bit about a dragon attack and, behind the scenes, your character is yawning and toeing the sand. It just didn’t fit.

It wasn’t about the scene but the reaction of your character and the fact that it wasn’t reacting to a specific situation as it should have been reacting. Toys on the other hand can’t react.

Hamfast.8719:

And I am using this fortuitous mini pet thread as a prod to remind ANet of the issue, and let them know there are still people who care. (5 months is quite a lot of consumed time for something that needn’t have been removed in the first place).

What do you say, Gaile? Can we please get an update? A little reassurance that this hasn’t been swept under the rug?

No you aren’t… You’re using the fact that people find the topic in that thread funny to say that anet have a double standard when deciding what is kept and what is taken out of the game…

Although having said that, I too would like an update from someone about whether or not this issue has gained any sort of priority. Enough to have at least one guy turn on one animation, or if for some reason they all have to be put in at the same time

Hamfast.8719:

And the female Sylvari, waving her hands around and grinning like she just told herself a funny joke? Why is that still in the cutscenes?

If my character is capable of expressing any range of emotion, then how come the only thing she can express is that her hair needs to be brushed back out of my eyes? It’s pretty boring.

Well then, looks like THAT should have been your topic. Not that goofballs are being, well, goofballs…

So besides editing your original post to compare the female human and sylvari(which then I’ll actually be on your side because you are indeed right about why the female human was the only one to get the axe on some animations that were inappropriate) this point unfortunately does not support the topic of this thread which is comparing a sentient being with… Toys

Hamfast.8719:

I am asking them to “flip a switch” and restore the animations exactly as they were before. (Hopefully it’s that easy). I do not want to wait another 5 months for them to be “fixed” in cutscenes that make up less than 1% of our everyday play.

If they still want to fix the animations for cutscenes, fine! But there is ZERO necessity to remove them completely from the game in the meantime.

-Fro what I understand, the team has the tools to reconfigure and re-enable the animations, but the team lead told me that naturally they’ll need to figure out when someone (or maybe more than one person) can be assigned the task. As it turns out, each animation bit needs to be reconfigured individually.-

You said it in your first post man… The problem isn’t that a switch doesn’t exist, it’s that it is a multitude of switches that are time consuming to turn on.

dietzero.3514:

RoseofGilead.8907:

I just don’t get the big deal about the animations being removed. Nor do I see a double standard or feel the need to feign rage about said double standard.

It is the very definition of double standard…

Except it’s not?…

In one hand you have a being capable of expressing any range of emotion. Someone who feels pain, is able to die, and is eventually a leader of people.

On the other you have a toy whose purpose is to be goofy.

lordkrall.7241:

Which is silly.
You should be able to know what the enemy will be able throw at you before you get hit by a massively hitting AoE or Condition bomb.

What do you mean? It shows you what class the enemy is when you click on them up besides their health ._.

(Grammar)

jia li ng.8415:

So, we go on accepting wildly loose interpretations of words and meanings to suit others whims .. It’s not like we have any choice in the matter. Stuck as we are, aware but made out to be unaware, uninformed, in a blissful state of ignorance … What a joy it is …

What are you talking about man… It’s not ignorance that leads people to have lose interpretations of a word’s meaning to fit their purpose… It’s the basic way language has evolved since mankind stated giving nonsensical sounds meanings. (though I’ll agree at times it feels like a devolution)

Hell, even the most formal way of speaking English isn’t the same as it was centuries ago. So I really don’t see what point you’re trying to make here when as a species we can literally give meaning to any sound as long as we want to.

Hell, if you really have a beef with anet’s use of the word you should have a word with Shakespeare. The man literally invented words for his own purpose and everyone praises him for it

Holy crap, people not knowing how words (or any language for that matter) work is astonishing ._.

Words have any meaning we choose to give them if enough people agree or accept the definition, as well as being able to alter said definition to suit a purpose. Humankind has been doing this since the beginning of or existence and based on how many words have been modified/ created since the dawn of the internet it doesn’t seem like we’ll be stopping.

Obviously, anet has taken inspiration from the definition of the word. Though (unless I skipped someone here) am I really the only one that sees the name coming from the players bringing the dead (legends) back to life to use their powers?

Edit: apparently I did missed some people. Sorry people ._.

Okay guys, thanks for all the feedback. I think I’ve come up with a build I feel suits what I’m after here. Thanks for your advice all and hope to see you all down the line when I then focus on a useful build haha.

Tron.3471:

You can shine a kitten but at the end of the day, its still a kitten . Its as futile as trying to make a bad thing work.

I really like that analogy XD

I realize this, I’m in no way Lying to myself or thinking I’ll make shield work in it’s current state. I’m aware there are better choices to mitigate damage And that serve the purpose that I’m trying to fill with aegis.

The thing is i actually like the shield skills which is why I’m so determined to use it. Specially since I’ll be using it in situations where being efficient isn’t an issue. But, seeing how i do have access to aegis as a block and various sources to increase my accessibility to it, I’d like to maximize that as much as i can.

As i said, I’m not trying to turn shield into something it’s not, and once i reach cap and i have less chances to play with my friends I’ll more than likely switch out shield so i can synergies better with random people/guild mates and just better place traits without wasting any potential.

But as of now, I’m just wondering what more experienced guardian players think would be a good setup to have better aegis accessibility with the weapons I’ve decided to use.

Having said all that, i must say it is disheartening that focus gets the block And hope it’ll get reworked… either i know i just sounds like a broken record by now but i really do appreciate all your help guysd

Yeah. Those will probably be the build i use in group content when I’m outside of my group of friends. My reason for wanting to focus on aegis is for the lack of shields having a block. This way, in essence, i would have a “block” with shield.

I’m aware that there are better ways to mitigate damage and better setups. I’m just looking for the best build i can get, with the weapon setup i have, to get as many aegis as i can possibly get.

Again, thanks for the advice and taking the time out to reply. I will be using a lot of the advice you guys are giving me when thinking of a different group build as I’m aware certain tasks need certain things to be met(reflections, might, etc). So while i may be turning it down now, i really appreciate all the feedback

I was going scepter/focus as second weapon at first to initiate but found things died before they got close enough to switch to sword.

Seeing how this is for open world pve only, i want to have sword be my main source of dps since i do like the sword and shields idea. Aegis is to make up for shield’s lack of a block(and for when I’m too lazy to actively dodge, etc).The focus is mainly just as a last resort block in case I’m out of endurance or aegis(And, again, I’m too lazy to actively respond to an enemy’s attack)

To clarify just in case i misworded, by uptime i mean how readily available i can access aegis from procs or by activating it like retreat.

Hope that helps clear a few things, and again, thanks for the input =D

So, I’m currently leveling my guardian and am looking into focusing on a build using sword and shield with just a focus on my alt weapon. I realize it’s not optimal weapon choice in any way, but it’s just to use when I’m soloing or playing with my friends who don’t really care about such things.

My question is: with this weapon setup, what traits/ util skills would you advice me to use in order to maximize aegis usage/proc rate?

Thanks in advance for your help

The biggest problem with “getting your money’s worth” is the fact that, while it is subjective, it is irrelevant to what you’re buying. When you paid the $60 you paid for the content that is in the game when you bought the game. Same as if you were buying a console game, when you buy a cod game you get the game.

I don’t see why there’s this separation of mmos where people treat them as if they are outside of the whole gaming landscape instead of what they really are, a subgenre. Just like fps, just like platformers.

While you may not like what you bought for any variety of reasons, it does not make you entitled to anything. Players can voice their opinions and hope things can change, but only to a certain degree and about certain things. If what you don’t like about the game are things the game and the developers are centered on(ls as an example) it’s time to leave the game.

The fact you spent whatever amount on a game doesn’t mean anything in relation to how much enjoyment you’ll get from it. And no matter how much you try to justify the purchase by playing, the fact is you bought the game and you’re never going to get it back.

The only other analogy i can think of in my sleep deprive state is food. Not every one likes the same food, some people will get diarrhea from eating something. Some people will absolutely love the food they bought and others will want to throw up. But no matter how much you like or dislike the food the fact remains that you got what you ordered.

Wether or not you like how it tasted is completely and utterly irrelevant.

Eirdyne.9843:

Yep, you’re a troll. Have fun.

I’m inclined to agree with him though. Unfortunately you are comparing apples and oranges based on your own assumptions. The only things gw1 and 2 share are lore and developer. So going to the fruit example, is like wanting an orange to taste like an Apple because they come from the same farm. It’s just not going to happen.

So, while i think he was trying to sound smart, you can’t compare how each game’s content is released when they both have a very different take on how they were designed.

I feel like farmers in this game are people who miss the purpose gear grinding gave them so they fill that void. Because in all seriousness, objectively, what point is there to farming gold in this game outside of diminishing the value of 1g?

That said, it is based purely on what I’ve read on forums as i have not reached end game to come across. I did however, come across a group that yelled at me to no end when my party didn’t let an event fail that we had started…

As a side note, this is why a lot of mmos lock the best rewards to instanced dungeons. So as not to make farmers/speed runners/ and people enjoying the dungeon cross paths.

Well… color me red… i uh… Ima just go play the game now and hide in my home….

Behellagh.1468:

Because vets do roll new characters from time to time and we can remember the time that …

It’s bad enough to play someone so underpowered compared to the tricked out 80 you had been playing but adding in limitations until you are level X to be able to do Y can grate a bit.

This is partly the point i was trying to make with it making it so new players have the time with each skill/util/trait to figure out it’s ins and outs. I can understand being annoying but the only argument is that it’s not what you were used to.

A more important argument is what was mentioned about the ps being changed. Which i feel wouldnt be a problem wasn’t that the cap is 80(seriously, that’s way too high…)

Off topic though… Why is everyone getting a like(+1) except my first post… even the person asking what the npe was got a like… T.T

I just don’t see why veterans are angry by this change…

In the first place it isn’t targeted towards you. It’s like pve players getting angry about spvp/wvw mode changes.

Secondly, and seriously more important, the changes make it so a player is more familiar and has more experience with how each specific skill/utility/trait work. It’s not being dumbed down, it’s being explained in better detail.

The real issue is the fact that the cap is 80 levels in a game that isn’t about finding gears to further progress. That is waaay too high a level for this type of game which makes the changes seem worse than they are.

Fernling.1729:

Souto.2716:

So… would i be correct in saying i should expect to do what I’ve already done all 79 levels prior except fractals and the explore mode of dungeons in between the LS updates (not touching wvw since it reminds me of aion and while a great game, i will not take anger management classes again…)?

That is correct. Anet even marketed it as such prior to release.
“Endgame starts at level 1.” Is a pretty common quote around here. It is actually level 2, since you level when you’re out of the starter area.

Hah, made me laugh… ._.
But okay then, i guess as long as i know what type of game it is and not thinking it’ll be something it’s not will make me think differently about leveling up and how i go about one i reach cap.

Thanks everyone for your quick replies, greatly appreciate it =)

So… would i be correct in saying i should expect to do what I’ve already done all 79 levels prior except fractals and the explore mode of dungeons, for no reason other than poops and giggles, in between the LS updates (not touching wvw since it reminds me of aion and while a great game, i will not take anger management classes again…)?

Okay then, my follow up question would then have to be what is the grind for? With the game having a horizontal progression in place the gear grind would stop fairly early as there wouldn’t be a necessity to keep upgrading.

On the topic of dungeons and fractals, i seem to recall finding that dungeons haven’t been updated since release and there doesn’t seem to be any plans for future dungeons outside the (maybe) raiding system that is being discussed. Any confirmation or clarification would certainly be appreciated. As for fractals, do they get updated or are they at least a long term commitment for the rewards.

Also, i should clarify. I don’t care for any of the vanity/achievements as i would only choose one skin I’d use and only aim for achievements if i happen to get one during normal playtime

So I’ve been playing so far and have liked the game so far, have gotten to 25 so far and haven’t yet felt bored because of the story and exploring and whatnot. But, the more i dig into it, the more i search the forums, the more i worry about endgame.

So my question is, outside of LS content, what’s the end game?

I think the only people that have an issue with this are the older players. Which really points more towards a larger end game problem than early game problem when older players feel the need to make alts for enjoyment

. Anyway, i digress. As a new player i really don’t see how this is a problem. They are the same skills you’ll have all the way to 80 in a game where you only have 10 (15 counting alt weapon)skills available at all times. If it had a larger pool of weapon skills you could switch between, i could see a reason it’d be problematic as knowing what each skill does would be more important. But as the fighting system is with how limiting skills are it’s better to spread when you unlock those out while you level or it’ll just be using the same 1-5 from level 1-80.

Also, no utility skills aren’t where the fighting system gets deeper because of their cds they get used maybe once or twice per encounter. And even then, that’s situational so they aren’t needed for a lot of pve outside of their passive effects. Even in pvp, because of lack of active blocking and only two dodges fights don’t last long enough for utilities to be used more than once or twice.

So all in all, the real fault lies in the underwhelming available skills to put in the hotbars.

Having said that, i am enjoying the combat but it’s by no means the reason why i play gw2.