Guild Wars 2

Well done!!!!

Will spend some loot on them even if I don’t like the skins to encourage more of this from ANET!

WOOOOT!!!!

An Siorai Tharian.4516:

ThiBash.5634:

As you can tell, I like the system as it is now…which is also why I still don’t get why Ascended gear had to be implemented.

Ascended Gear was implemented (if I am correct on this) for those of us without a spare 520 USD to drop on the Gem to Gold Conversion system so that we would have enough to buy a Legendary Weapon. They are essentially the Poor Man’s Legendary Weapons. They allow people to have the ability to compete on an even footing with those people who own Legendary Weapons in events such as World Vs. World, or High Level Fractals and Dungeons, without actually having to spend the massive amounts of money needed in order to buy a Legendary Weapon.

Unlike popular opinion, when compared to a person wielding a Legendary Weapon (especially in a WvW scenario) a simple Exotic Weapon is just not going to cut it.

What are you talking about? Before ascended crap, exotics had the same stats as legendary weapons,. so people already had the ability to compete on an even field against Legendary owners. The addition of ascended gear only raised the grind necessary to be competitive.

There are three sides to the tower. Half Life 3 confirmed.

If you’re talking end game as it exists in games like WoW…. 0 / 10 (-10 /10!) .

I have no desire to repeatedly grind a dungeon for a single armor piece, to go repeat it on the next dungeon to get the next armor piece, just to do it again in raids once I have the armor rating to do the raid. This is no less a hamster wheel than the zerg in QD. No different than running CoF1 a dozen times day.

I much prefer just being able to go anywhere, and do anything, without having to worry about gearing up first. All the gear I need, to pretty much anything I want, is readily available.

“End Game” for me means and has always meant nothing for me. What I would like to see is more of a real “living world”. By that statement I don’t mean living story updates which are small mini stories that are forgotton some 2 weeks later….

I mean look at the real world, our real world and see what makes it a “living world”. People have jobs right? People have all sorts of hobbies and fun things to do to distract themselves from the sad reality it is. Things such as “fishing” etc which yes, yes has been suggested tons already I know. But still you get my point.

Summary: give us content that is fun, playable at ANY level that is not always story driven or based around “saving the world or someone’s life”. And you know what? It does not even have to involve ANY sort of combat at all!? Odd concept to some I am sure but it had to be said……

I want Wintersday to not be interfered by LS stuff like what they did with Halloween. Wintersday was my favorite holiday event last year and I’d be disappointed if they clutter it with LS crap.

I wish they’d focus solely on big holiday events, I don’t mind LS on other days.

I would enjoy that, too. One of my favorite things in the game is exploring new places. The artwork for the game is beautiful.

I want to see more of Tyria.

Would you please open up some more of the map to explore and a deluge of new dynamic events in new territories and new cities?

Thanks

In a game promoted around dragons we rarely see them around and for a new player they don’t even seem like a threat to the world. The road to reach them is long and boring so many heroes quit the journey and satisfy their fighting needs killing the trolls and boars and occasionally some grawls or Sons of swanirs

let the Dragons be the main actors let them threaten the world everywhere and without a dragon timer

Seras.5702:

I will concede that the game can broaden itself if properly implemented, not trying to be everything to everyone but simply offering a wider range of tasks other than “go forth hero & slay stuff!” However, a primary concern I have (and Brimwald touched on it) is Anet’s resource allocation. They have a finite number of man-hours and dollars to work with, and broadening the scope of the game too much (subjective, I know) could water down the time and money spent on each facet of the game. Every 2 week releases is quite fast, but if a large chunk of Anet’s available resources are allocated for player housing and the like, then will balance, traits, new gear, LS events, new zones, gem store get less attention as a result? Will we see balance/skill/trait updates less often? Will we see LS patches every 4 weeks because the other weeks are reserved for updating the array of vegetables to plant in your farm?

It’s worth noting that ArenaNet has more teams than we regularly see the work of doing things we haven’t gotten any information on. I do think resource allocation is an important consideration, but ideally the sort of living world content I’m advocating would be helpful in forestalling complaints of “nothing to do.” When I refer to it as an investment, I mean that content of that kind typically has a longer shelf life than a boss fight or dungeon, when done well; I won’t claim that people who enjoy it would never want to see updates to it once it’s in, but they’re things that tend to be a little bit fiddly and investment of time is part of the charm.

There are people who still play EverQuest II and Rift solely for the housing, and have spent months or years creating fantastic things with the tools they were given. During a dry spell between WoW expansions, I roleplayed and leveled up my fishing (a fairly difficult feat at the time) to tide me over. Long after I’d burned out on endgame in Final Fantasy XI, I gardened and raised chocobos and collected things for my house, and all of that maintained my love for those games and kept me in the community and let me find a social niche (as the Chocobo Information Guy, but c’est la vie). That’s why I think adding sandbox and player generated content elements to themepark games will catch on in the near future; when your players have at least a few tools to use to entertain themselves and each other, it gives developers a bit of breathing room.

You can see where ArenaNet has taken steps to give themselves that breathing room when it comes to combat-oriented players. They’re developing ways to keep that type of player engaged over longer-periods of time without having to constantly throw exhaustible content at them. I personally could not be less interested in Ascended gear, but for some people that was apparently exactly what they needed to stay engaged. Similarly, the fact that my attention can be held by repeatedly pretending to cast a line is going to sound nuts to pure power gamers, but it works.

The final thing I’d like to make note of is that this variety wouldn’t be nearly as important if there weren’t crossover between fans of fighting dragons and fans of smelling the virtual roses. I’m very much in favor of fighting dragons, and running dungeons, and being a hero on an epic adventure. I also find it very engaging to have places for my hero to kick back and simply do something interactive and gentle while enjoying the lovely scenery. Having both extends the life of gameplay for people who fall under varied gaming types.

I’d class jumping puzzles as an example of non-combat gameplay activities that make the world richer and more three-dimensional, actually; they’re not required, and their appeal is somewhat specialized, but the people who love them really love them and it increases their affection for this particular game world.

DOCTOR ORWEN’S THEATER OF THE AGES!
Two shows nightly. Additional performances by special arrangement!
Special Thanks to Professor Moto for technical support!
Bring the kids early to see Lady Kappa’s amazing dancing pygmy-moas!

Hear ye, hear ye! As a gesture of Councilor Kiel’s unending support for the cultural advancement of Lion’s Arch, the Captain’s Council is proud to announce the opening of the Stage of Marvels. This new facility offers entertainment and joy to the citizens of Lion’s Arch and its many esteemed visitors. Join us as GuildWars 2 raises the curtain on a new window in to the incredible richness that is the Lore of Tyria in this permanent Living World release!

TWO SHOWS NIGHTLY!
The Stage of Marvels is a masterpiece of theatrical production, using the latest in mini-pet production and holographic sets and special effect to bring you incredible recreations of moment’s in Tyria’s history. Twice each night the theater gives free live performance of up to 5 ‘acts’ run sequentially to educate and entertain you about recent events or Tyria’s most ancient struggles. During the day, the theater is available for special requests – pay just a few silver and see our talented mini-pet performers act out the slices of history. While mini-pets can’t talk, our expert crew of stage hands will hold up holo-banners throughout the presentation illuminating the action on stage. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, just don’t throw rotten fruit – the inner mechanism of these dedicated little automatons are delicate! Just interact with our Stage Master to select from a growing library of past events and fill the days of Lion’s Arch with lore!

Our scribes are always working to expand our portfolio of ‘acts’ so that you can stay in the know about the latest twists in the War against the Elder dragons or other up-to-the-moment happenings. Tell them about your own progress in the Personal Story to unlock additional shows you may then request for performance. Relive your favorite moments in miniature! Our squad of imbedded ‘field-playwrights’ can also be found all across Tyria. Leave the comforts of town behind and help them in their research into lost history to add even more choices to your library of shows!

FOR THE MORE DISTINGUISHING PATRON…
Not willing to rub elbows with the rough masses? Tired of jostling in line to request the next daytime showing? Feel the urge to put on a special presentation for your friends and guildmates? Look no further! Doctor Orwen’s theater troupe is yours to command! For a one-time contribution of only 5 gold coins, you can become a “Patron of the Stage”! In addition to this attractive title, showing your inestimable refinement and wit, you ALSO gain a permanent stage added to your Home instance, where the players of the Theater of the Ages will take your requests at your leisure and at no additional cost, ever. Make your neighborhood the place to go to look into the mysteries of GuildWars!

((Coming Soon to a game that brings lore to life! …Tiny, comedic life, but life all the same!))

((P.S. It still breaks my soul that I’d probably get banned for formatting this they way I’d like to. PLEASE consider ‘Rule #7’ and allow us to converse like adults.))

Seras.5702:

It’s a personal opinion, but I’m just so against things like player housing and farms and fishing in a game like GW2. Just because it’s a Living World doesn’t mean we have to do all the menial things in the world. I’m supposed to be a hero, a slayer of beasts, defender of Tyria, commander of the Pact…and I’m going to manage a farm??!? I don’t want to be a shop keeper or farmer or zookeeper or fisherman. Am I retired? What’s next? Laundering my armor? Vacuuming my player housing? Entertaining small parties with hors d’oeuvres?

Personalization of the Home Instance is fine, if it shows my progression as a hero. But I don’t want to manage shops or go to market. That’s not what this game is about to me.

As for Player Initiated Events (PIE), I’m all for it. But I’d rather them be adventure based rather than defending a market-bound cart of radishes I grew. Can’t I challenge new hunters to a great hunt? Or spread the tale of a lurking evil in a cave? Or challenge others to a contest of _.

This is a good example of how different activities appeal to different types of players. The goal of the sort of thing I outlined in my previous post would be to provide a range of gameplay types; even if they don’t appeal to you personally, they appeal to others. When you and other players with your taste in gameplay are between dragons to slay and wrongs to right and you take a break from the game for a few days, the people who do enjoy “menial things” might find the downtime enjoyable instead of boring because they always have things to tinker with. This keeps the activity level of players in the game relatively high instead of rolling in and out in waves without the developers needing to frantically push out content even faster than they do now.

Appealing to different types of players is an investment in the game’s health. I have little to no interest in sPvP, but I recognize that resources put into it to make people happy with it and keep them playing are not wasted.

Nike.2631:

Elbegast.6970:

For the Player-Generated Dynamic Events, for example:

Okay, lets say I own a farm and have saved enough grateful NPCs around the world to hire some farm hands. How would my goods get to market?

From a drop-down menu or from a quick chat with my Farm Boss NPC, I send out some pack Dolyaks to carry my goods to town. This would start a scripted dynamic event. Other players could jump right in and help guard my caravan. If the goods make it to town, I get gold and the players get a standard reward of karma, xp, gold, random chest, etc. If the event fails, they get a little xp and I lose my goods to bandits.

This right here is GOOD STUFF. It’s almost entirely composed of parts we have and can see in the game right now.

Although, I think to keep from confusing people, you may want to call them “Player-triggered Events”. Just so readers know the Devs have to do all the set-up, but control over their use and activation is then in player hands.

’ P layer I nitiated E vents’ ; D

But in seriousness, they could scale with the number of defensive players to include champion mob spawns. If I were a bandit and saw a large entourage guarding a simple goods caravan, I would probably call in some backup in anticipation of a valuable haul.

And on a side note, trophies could be utilized, graphically, as decoration for player owned properties rather than being relegated to simple vendor trash. I would love to tell a troll that I’m going to turn his rib cage into a coffee table.

Elbegast.6970:

For the Player-Generated Dynamic Events, for example:

Okay, lets say I own a farm and have saved enough grateful NPCs around the world to hire some farm hands. How would my goods get to market?

From a drop-down menu or from a quick chat with my Farm Boss NPC, I send out some pack Dolyaks to carry my goods to town. This would start a scripted dynamic event. Other players could jump right in and help guard my caravan. If the goods make it to town, I get gold and the players get a standard reward of karma, xp, gold, random chest, etc. If the event fails, they get a little xp and I lose my goods to bandits.

This right here is GOOD STUFF. It’s almost entirely composed of parts we have and can see in the game right now.

Although, I think to keep from confusing people, you may want to call them “Player-triggered Events”. Just so readers know the Devs have to do all the set-up, but control over their use and activation is then in player hands.

Seras.5702:

Elbegast.6970:

For a Living World, we need:
Seasons
Better Weather Effects
Dark Nights (no, not Christian Bale)

• yes to the above *

Purchasable Real Estate
Player Owned Shops
Player Owned Farms (for Livestock and Produce)
Fishing, Hunting & Farming Professions

• no to the above. this isn’t The Sims or an RTS *

Player-Generated Dynamic Events

• explain *

For the Player-Generated Dynamic Events, for example:

Okay, lets say I own a farm and have saved enough grateful NPCs around the world to hire some farm hands. How would my goods get to market?

From a drop-down menu or from a quick chat with my Farm Boss NPC, I send out some pack Dolyaks to carry my goods to town. This would start a scripted dynamic event. Other players could jump right in and help guard my caravan. If the goods make it to town, I get gold and the players get a standard reward of karma, xp, gold, random chest, etc. If the event fails, they get a little xp and I lose my goods to bandits.

I’m no fan of the SIMS but a living world has far more to do than simply running around killing things over and over again. Some people enjoy farming. Some people enjoy fishing. And I know many people who would be content to sit and play ‘Big Game Hunter’ for months on end.

My new sylvari engi is my current favorite. I tried to give her a destroyerish look!

In my opinion, you should try to keep the Living Story as the driving force behind Living World. What I mean by this is that Living Story should direct our focus to specific areas of the game (much like how it does currently) ultimately leading to changes in the open world itself. Most significant change to current system would be that more time is given for each story step to play out. I don’t mean slower releases I mean longer storylines and more individual releases within them. You shouldn’t rush story, ever.

How this translates into releases is that anything major happening in the world is first introduced in living story instances. Lets say we have a Living World storyline involving the brand. To keep this short we fast forward to the point where we have a release that reworks Shatterer. When we first enter the zone we will be put into Story instance with Rox and Braham, for example. To flesh out things a little let’s say that we’ve given a mission to secure a supply line to the Steeleye Span. We start working our way through branded from the Span to nearby village. When we get to the village we might have to defend a packdolyak while the villagers pack the supplies. After defeating the larger wave of branded everything seems fine and we’re starting to move back to Span. Before we get to leave however, lighting clouds start to gather and from the clouds comes the Shatterer. This is the first time ever where we’ve seen Shatterer attacking something outside the brand and the NPCs also show their surprise yelling and screaming that this isn’t normal. So we gather the troops we can and start to fight back. As the leader of the pact me, the player, is given the task to lead this assault (together with Rox and Braham). And so we fight, shoot the dragon with cannons, dodge his deadly breath and force him to eventually retreat. But he won’t go peacefully. As he rises to the sky he wipes the village to the ground with his tail. Many die and my group is mortified by this sudden attack. After a while we get a messenger to told us that Shatterer is seen flying all around the Ascalon and we eventually leave the instance.

Now when we return to the open world the things we’ve learned from the story instance can be seen. Shatterer is attacking villages around Ascalon, branded are continuing their spread from the brand. Steeleye Span is desperately trying to fight back but is in constant need of supplies which are brought with caravans that need defending, the destroyed village from the instance remains destroyed in the open world and has some DEs happening around it. All over Ascalon villages are being reinforced so that something as horrible what had happened wouldn’t have to happen again.

The thing I’m trying to tell here is that even after the Living Story moves on, we are still left with the story instance. This instance holds everything we have to know about what have happened and making it replayable allows people who missed the event to still experience that. I think we should have more of these instances per release so that the story is properly fleshed out. In this context it would be nice to see another instance about Steeleye Span and maybe even something tying things back to older GW1 lore with an instance about Searing Crystal. Key here is that everything of importance (especially things that aren’t left behind when the story moves on) are told in these instances.