Guild Wars 2

lordkrall.7241:

They have never claimed there would be no grind.
They have claimed there would be no REQUIRED grind. Which is still very much true. You can experience every single piece of content in the game without ever grinding anything.

They have added rather much real content since release, but for some reason people seems to ignore that.
But I suppose Fractals, new dungeon path, Southsun and Edge of the Mists (to name a few) doesn’t count for some reason?

You can’t really blame the game for a bunch of elitists either. It is the players, not the game that creates elitism. And that will happen in every game that require some sort of skill and/or gear.

Fractals, a new dungeon path, a few pvp maps, and a new area that is always empty ? In 2 years ? I wouldn’t say that’s a lot. And as for the grind, I really think that everything in this game requires some form of grinding.

All I saw since launch was some temporary content that you could pretty much do in 2 hours. And now that the LS is over, nothing is really different…

There is no real reason to log in to the game once you’ve reached level cap except maybe PvP and even that gets boring after a while… I know you’re gonna say that I just like to complain and that if I don’t like the game I shouldn’t play, but the truth is that I like the game and I want to keep playing but I don’t have an incentive to actually play…

Ladyhellfire.1368:

Those of us that are altoholics can clear the zone for the umpteenth time with none of the debilitating lag that has been there, especially since the megaserver.

Your lag isn’t necessarily related to the train. If you can’t handle QD without lag then I bet you lag like crazy in WvW. The lag is probably more on your end. But if you want to justify the change by screaming lag, go for it.

Haha, personally receive many more lewd/crude remarks when in WF, not QD over the last few weeks.
Well, a new champ farm train will be up and running no doubt. Anet wants us to grind yet punishes us for doing so. Good luck to the newbies trying to get the Champ Bandit vista and that bugger of a Skill Challenge there.
The game has changed for the worse, IMO. At least they fixed (sort of) the Adept traits this patch, making new toons do 100% on a level 60-70 area when they are most likely lvl 30-35 was ridiculous. Thank the Six that winter is over, and summer is here. Love the sunshine!!!!!

• Starter zones are where you are supposed to learn the game.
• The game’s largely a zergfest.
• Thus, having a train in the starter zone is actually good: it teaches players how to properly zerg.

jheryn.8390:

Good. Now maybe that zone will be more civil.

No, it will probably be pretty dead now and all those L10 new players asking questions probably won’t get a response.

So, the low level map populations just died.

Welcome to EoTM.

Nerfing reward systems is not always a good thing. Sure in Queensdale things sometimes got ugly in chat. However, taking away rewards is a slippery slope. Perhaps your favorite farming area will be next.

I have not run the train in about a month. I’m just not a big fan of reward nerfs. Rewards in this game are already skimpy at best. Just look over the forum and see.

Vesuvius.9874:

New players that didn’t know of the existence of the train would kill a champ “out of order” and that annoyed the train. The train then went on this non-stop verbal spree abusing the new players. Definitely don’t want that happening.

New players in Queesndale would be hard pressed to take down a champ on their own. Very hard pressed. From my experience the verbal arguments came from experienced players purposely disrupting the train. Even then, most train regulars just ignored them.

Gentlemen, it’s been an honour farming with you.

Every time anet says that they are improving rewards, it often means the exact opposite. See the March fractal update that significantly nerfed ascended boxes and fractal weapon drop rates.

God, someone give OP a gift or something!!.

I come from GW1 and I gotta say, this new GW2 Anet feels like a different Anet from GW1. I know they have to earn money but it seems that’s all they think about now . In GW1 we had a lot of lore wich I loved about GW now its just like they are saying “heres this new patch, with new stuff to buy and yeah, another zerg event” no lore, no explanation about nothing and I want to add something, there were A LOT of thing they could do better with the transition between GW1 and 2 but there is one thing that I will never forgive and thats Gwen’s grave. She was the pillar and at least for me, the center of GW1 universe and they forgot about her not even a big statue in Divinity’s, nothing, just a poor forgoten grave…

Can this guy be on the Living Story team please?

After just reading his diagrams, I feel more passion for what happens/could happen in GW2. Than the ENTIRE STORYLINE OF SCARLET could ever hope to make me feel.

Why couldn’t we get some of that for the last fifteen months?

Excellent post. Best post on these forums up to date, by far.

One thing I’d add to story and lore as a whole:

Please don’t recycle very important pieces of GW1 in Guild Wars 2 because you lack on ideas. Few examples:

-Staff of the Mists – It’s said that this thing is as important and value, unique as Scepter of Orr and together they make a very dangerous weapon. This Staff in second game is exotic staff with “mist” theme and can be obtained on Trading Post… Really? It’s like selling the Breachmaker in full size in gemstore as mining pick or using Abbadon’s model for a spider pet.
- Vision Crystals – Players who know the first game will see the difference. From one of the most important things in GW storyline to a mere crafting component…. Again, wth ?
-Tome of Rubicon – A backpack. This is ridiculous considering it’s the very foundament to GW:EotN.
-Ascended/Infused – GW1 had whole story for these things. Infusion was something rare, a gift from an ancient rivals of the Mursaat, unique. Now something sold by a vendor.
Ascended? Ascension was a huge chunk of storyline of Prophecies and Factions. To be Weh No Su you had to pass the trial, meet Celestials… Now you can craft Ascended armor and in fact be ascended by farming and crafting. Ekhm.

Tom Gore.4035:

True, but if we are talking about storytelling “plotholes”, what could be more immersion-breaking than lifting the player on a pedestal, with 2 million other players? That would be one helluva crowded pedestal. This is a problem with MMOs and while I agree with you that ANet dug this “personal story” hole for themselves, I think it’s good that they are now steering a bit off that course – or at least I hope so. In my opinion, in MMOs the players should always be just that – a side character who helps the heroes get the job done. Otherwise it makes absolutely no sense having 2 million “main characters” in the story.

Hmm, perhaps there is a compromise to be made. I think you make a very fair point, but there is still something to be said for letting the player feel like a mover and shaker of the world.

If they focused less on a single group of characters such as the current Scooby Gang and let the player meet and interact with many heroes in many smaller stories, they could combine it with a few Personal Story missions that allow the main characters to get their time in the spotlight. A journey home would be an excellent start, returning the player to their city of origin as a triumphant hero, and all the horrible guilt-tripped jobs that entails. Likewise, more Order storylines would be an interesting way to delve into new tales. The Living Story could spend its time allowing Tyria to grow and thrive, and a few segments of Personal Story per year could let the player keep center stage in their own saga.

panzer.6034:

I’m no video game developer but i’ve run tabletop rpgs (like D&D) for years and the one huge lesson i’ve learned as a gamemaster/storyteller is related to that #1 point: you can’t beat around the bush trying to lead your players along with subtle hints and obscure clues with the promise of a shocking reveal down the line. It simply needs to be interesting and engaging right off the bat. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of handing out tiny morsels of info or foreshadowing without giving enough to really allow the players to infer anything relevant because you, as the writer/gamemaster, are the only one who sees the bigger picture and knows it all leads to something big.

Well said. One should never take the audience’s attention for granted, and the initial hook should be baited with the juiciest intrigue possible. Tyria is full of amazing story potential, and any new tale is directly competing with all those exciting possibilities for the players’ attention. Hook ’em early, and reel ’em in.

iplayBANJO.9543:

You wouldn’t, by chance, happen to be a writer in need of a job would you?

I’m actually a geologist. Stories are just my passionate hobby in all their forms, be it reading books, paging through webcomics, listening to short story podcasts, engaging in tabletop RPGs, or binge watching television series. It just seemed like a better thing to use as a constructive criticism avenue than “Shriketalon Reviews Tyrian Geology. Today’s Episode: Southsun Cove’s Travertine Deposits.”

But thank you for the compliment.

Cormac.3871:

You guys do know that Lord of the Rings broke a lot of these rules. Just setting forth a set of things that you think make for interesting story telling doesn’t necessarily mean that anything that doesn’t adhere to them will be bad.

These narrative lessons are more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.

There are many different kinds of stories, and a golden rule for one may be a preposterous pyrite for another. For example, Lord of the Rings faced the heroes off against an Ancient Doom sort of opponent, an opponent who is more metaphor than flesh and blood, the living embodiment of doom for their entire world. The struggle against The End is not necessarily meant to have a human component to the harbinger of ragnarok. But by choosing to make the corruption of Scarlet’s mind a key component of the plot, Arenanet chose a more personable sort of antagonist and must be reviewed accordingly. A more metaphysical opponent such as Sauron requires a different set of standards, as do living hurricanes such as the Elder Dragons. There are many different paths to brilliant characterization, for all that is gold does not glitter, and not all who wander are lost.

Wow! just wow… nearly every point stuck a chord with me. Which is alarming since you you are highlighting so many reasons why the Scarlet story was so poorly written. This looks like a lesson in fantasy writing 101, so why did the writers make so many glaring rookie mistakes?

Thank you for the kind words and constructive criticism thus far, it is appreciated.

Tom Gore.4035:

#14

You do have dialogue with the NPCs. It just isn’t voiced.

Indeed, but the problem is the weight we hold in the story. With so much of the narrative driven by those cutscenes of dialogue, our character’s silence sequesters us away from being a driving force behind the action. Right now, characters keep referring to us as a part of the team and an honored friend, but the bulk of the story content’s cutscenes treat us as a common flunkie on the side bench.

For Dwayna’s delightful derriere’s sake, Frostbite has more spoken dialogue than we do! We’re not even in Snarf territory, and if we weren’t paying customers I’d but us front and center on the “dies horribly in the first act” category of minions.

Freeelancer.2860:

Nicely put and made with allot of care, OP. +1

However, there are several things I disagree with. For example I’d like that player character is moved back completely and serve as a witness (or a grunt) to the events, especially considering the complexities and effort of making PC into one of the main protagonists, but I’m sure my opinion is in minority (and even devs stated they’ll strive to improve communication between PC and NPCs), so instead I’d be content if ANet put more time in exploring the ways to improve that part of LS… and fast… because those scenes in Aftermath made me literary sweat from awkwardness (partly from implementation partly because of feeling they were forced)..

Perhaps, perhaps. However, we’re currently caught up in a weird situation where we are included as a valued member of the Scooby Gang, constantly interacting with them throughout the latter half of the Season. This is a very odd dynamic for a silent character with no major story impetus, and further highlights our lack of voice.

If they had a much broader cast and we bounced around from tale to tale, silence would suit us just fine. But to be “good friends” with five companions to the point of being included in their little guild without getting a single word in edgewise is very jarring.

DarcShriek.5829:

I disagree with point #13. Not entirely though. You see, game designers are constantly trying to push the boundaries of what a game is and where is the game space. Personally, I think articles on an official site is well within limits, as long as players are made aware of this.

To clarify point #13, the articles such as What Scarlet Saw aren’t the bone I am particularly picking here. I’m more irritated with things like this thread. The short version is that it is Angel McCoy giving the entire list of reasons why every race in Scarlet’s alliance works for her and continues to do so. While I don’t think that all of them fit (and I’d really like to see an explanation for how Scarlet found krait obelisks in the first place), it is a decent attempt to explain the motivations of each factions and what they get out of the entire endeavor. I would normally have kudos for such an effort, but there’s one major problem.

None of those cultural trends are part of the story Anet wrote. There is no discussion among Flame Legionnaires about why they are sticking with the band, Krait dialogue about a transformative experience, or anything else but blind obedience. It does not matter if the author knows the answer to a major plot hole. If they fail to address it in the story, that hole forms a massive blemish in the grand tale’s tapestry regardless of intent or introspection. As written, none of the alliances present any compelling reason why they stick with Scarlet Briar until the end, and the story they delivered is worse off as a result.

The mark of a brilliant artist is not the ideas they conceive in their minds. Everyone has ideas, many of them amazing and magnificent. An artist excels at their craft by incarnating those ideas in the reality we all share, creating art that expresses those brilliant concepts and sharing them with others. It does not matter if the writers have good ideas, they have to make them part of the story for them to have any merit.

Words unwritten tell no tales.

I tried to be interested in the lore, like I was in GW1, but there’s barely any point. They tweaked/minimized (or used the infamous “No we didn’t retcon, it’s just that the NPC who told you that wasn’t all-knowing. In fact you can’t take anything we say for granted”) a lot of GW1 lore and the most interesting bits of GW2 lore aren’t even learned in the game. You learn them by reading short stories on the websites, or through interviews.

And that whole Scarlet thing is terrible. It’s like they ask us to complete a 10 000 pieces puzzle yet they only give us 1 piece every two weeks…

ozmaniandevil.6805:

I do the LS events when I can, but I have no idea what the actual story is behind Scarlet and the toxic baddies, nor do I care.

You want to know something “funny” ? Even if you paid attention you wouldn’t know that much more about Scarlet.

Greetings and salutations.

With Season 1 of the Living Story drawing to a close, it seems appropriate to offer review and reflection of everything that has come thus far. Sadly, there is much to consider, as the brand new path trod by Anet has many missteps and mishaps along the way.

Rather than talk about individual flaws, I thought it might be best to take a stab at the overall writing style of the Living Story and the narrative flaws it continues to exhibit. Plot holes come and go, individual complaints will always remain, but the best way to help Season 2 is to consider the pitfalls of Season 1 from a writing and gaming perspective. And so, I thought I would offer up a bit of constructive criticism in silly infographic format.

For your consideration, Fifteen Lessons From Fifteen Months of Scarlet Briar.

bullyrook.2165:

A lil bit off topic but.
1)Yes, the Charr and Norn get along very well.
2)Please, Anet, don’t make Braham fall for Rox. I don’t think I could take the storyline seriously anymore.

I hope Rox is forced to kill Braham and eat him. Or just chooses to do it. Or I’ll do it. Whatever. The only good Braham is a dead Braham!

Guild Wars 2: Manifesto

Contains:
Game from Manifesto trailer.

GW2 The Quest For More Money

Guild Wars 2: Fun at the Funeral with Mordremoth, Bubbles, and Jennah’s Cat.

-DRAGONS
-Jennah’s Cat, Shadow, is in fact the mastermind behind Scarlet, and has held Jennah hostage in her en-suite bathroom, and is trying to conjure Mordremoth. Tyrians are now forced to stop this imminent threat or face extinction
-Bubbles is still out to lunch
-Kralkatorrik, Primordus and Jormag are still deciding how Zhaitan’s bank account should be split between them.
-Level 500 Chef update: Use Sylvari as spices to make OP new consumables!
-Scarlet had house insurance on The Breechmaker, Ellen Kiel needs the player character’s help to pay off the debt.
-Mordremoth wakes up and still has a hangover from the last elder dragon awakening.

Guild Wars 2: The Dividening (by two)

• Features included- Abaddon returns to decimate the landscape and lay down the law
• Kormir finally gets it
• Trahearne too
• Scarlet is revived only to be immediately struck down again by Abaddon himself before being promptly erased from history
• Abaddon’s magical power has conjured guild halls in the mists for everybody, have fun with it
• Level cap lowered to 20
• Total skill count in the 1300s
• Elite skills can now only be acquired by beating down a true paragon of said elite skill’s usage.
• New Race: Margonites/Titans/Afflicted The current playable races of Tyria are driven to near extinction, thus becoming not-playable. All your Favourite bad guys return as playable agents of utter destruction who ravage the defenseless countryside
• New Region: The Crystal Desert, The Desolation, Realm of Torment, various other realms of the Gods, the Rift.
• New PVE game types: THIS IS HARD MODE
• New PvP game types: Heroes’ Frikken Ascent, Guild vs Guild
• Retconned lore gets de-retconned
• New Classes: Paragon, Ritualist, Dervish, Commando Removed classes: Engineer, Abaddon don’t need no technology

Guild Wars 2: Trollapalooza

• Southsun has been sunk by an earthquake and is no longer accessible!
• Level cap reduced to 60!
• Dungeons now accept parties of up to 150, difficulty has been increased accordingly.
• Hobo-Tron dies! Oh, sorry, spoiler!
• All equipment is now on loan from the Gem Store! Feel the thrill of late fees!
• New entry-level Legendaries, crafting level 50, and no corny disco skins!
• New reporting system! One report on your account, and you’re banned for life!
• New zone: The Bathroom! Experience excrement like never before!
• All heavy armor is now topless, because I guess that’s cool for some reason!
• New GW2 Manifesto: “Deal with it, son. We’re going for a drink.”

The above is meant in a satirical manner and does not reflect the opinions of HyruleanHyroe or any of his characters. Any resemblance to real world issues, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

I dunt know why noone said it but dont worry, I will:

Guild Wars 2: Factions
– you know what here could be written.

IncognitoP.1648:

Charming Rogue.8071:

Hmmm… this look photoshopped. I have seen a great number of poorly Photoshopped images in my time as a photographer and I can tell by the pixels that it is a fake.

Pfft. What is this guy saying? Using your “experience” and “facts” to back up your arguments… How naive!

Relevant: XKCD

Caveth.3268:

Leablo.2651:

Who is Mordremoth’s lieutenant and why will it be 1,000 times more powerful than Mordremoth himself?

Scarlet Briar was basically one of Mordremoth’s lieutenants and she was ten times more powerful than all of the dragons combined; she even destroyed Lion’s Arch. :p

We have no proof that Scarlet was corrupted by Mordremoth. Just sayin’.

Plus, unlike the Elder Dragons, she put all of her forces into attacking Lion’s Arch. Zhaitan just went “eh, I’ll send one of my many dozen lieutenants to take it out. Oh, he failed? Okay, I’ll wait 50 years and send another. Ah, that one failed to? Eh, who cares. I’ll send out a dragon this time. Ah, dead too? Well, I got plenty more where that came from, and oh so much time. I’ll wait for them to – OH SKRITT THEY’RE ON MY DOORSTEP! WTF HAXXORZ! WHY DO THEY HAVE ANTI-ELDER DRAGON GLITTER!? WHY DOES IT BURN!? IMBA! IMBA!”

Hmmm… this look photoshopped. I have seen a great number of poorly Photoshopped images in my time as a photographer and I can tell by the pixels that it is a fake.

Sera.6539:

Belinda doesn’t really need to have any real involvement in the plot for Marjory to get involved at this point. Even though Marjory and Kasmeer originally came involved with Scarlet due to the investigations at Dragon Bash, I’m pretty sure she feels some sort of bond with the rest of Destiny’s Edge 2.0 that she would go with them for shenanigans.

Heck aren’t we just in it for the shenanigans?

NPC recruiter: “Random Moles are attacking villages, you in?”
Protagonist: “I don’t know if I can fit you in between slaughtering zombies and spamming cannons at Zhaitan.”
NPC recruiter: “They’ll be shenanigans”
Protagonist: “Tell Trahearne he can fire his own cannons!”

…Fire and Frost in a nutshell.

Thanathos.2063:

Doesn’t matter. New maps!

Jory’s lookin’ for her sister
(Doesn’t matter. New maps! )
But she cried the whole time
(Doesn’t matter. New maps! )
I think the story’s quite contrived
(Doesn’t matter. New maps! )
It’s all part of living story
(Still counts!)

Doesn’t matter. New maps!