Showing Posts For Blaeys.3102:

Guild Missions need a refresh

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

On May 28, it will have been four years since the last new guild missions were added to the game, despite the new system added with HOT designed to make them “easier to implement” and the following from the (at the time) game’s director -

https://youtu.be/W1WBYEfJVb4?t=336

I think the big problem is there is no one at the helm with the time to properly lead game direction – across the board. Afaik, they still havent replaced Colin – and the game is probably suffering from that lack of dedicated leadership.

Things they (and many players) once considered very important are slipping through the cracks or have just been completely forgotten.

I think it far more likely that they have a new direction, rather than that they have no direction at all. People may not like the new direction, but I’m fairly certain that that was accounted for and accepted.

Mike O stepped in to replace Colin for the foreseeable future. While he did state that he would have to hire someone eventually, he did also state that he would be laying down the path that “he” believed in. I think it safe to say that once Mike has the game going in the direction he thinks it should, he would hire someone to continue it in that direction.

Here is the announcement from Mike on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/48zlyd/im_mike_obrien_here_with_gw2_dev_team_ama/

CEO is a considerably different role than game director. You can’t manage the business aspects of a complex company like ANET and expect to be able to adequately manage creative teams and keep them on track at the same time.

Were seeing the game fracture as it is. Players don’t have a cohesive game that fits together to give us any kind of “living world” any longer. People log on in separate little pods, do that one thing they had in mind and then log out as fast as they can. The game’s big picture is fuzzy at best – and non-existent at worst.

That is, imo, probably a direct result of no vision and direction from the top.

Guild missions are an unfortunate casualty of allowing the ship to drift – hoping these separate independent teams somehow all row in the same direction without letting them know which way they should be facing.

My guild still does missions every Monday night – it is pretty much what keeps us together and sets the tone for the rest of the week. Pretty much the only reason we do them is so we have an excuse to come together – not because we find them engaging or interesting. I know we arent the only ones for which this applies. Anet needs to fix that issue – and I think that requires some actual direction from the top.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think there has been some good content developed in the past year, but it just doesn’t fit together the way the game used to – and, even worse in pretty much every area, what we are getting is very “thin” and sporadic.

They need to either bring in new resources to ensure everything is done right or they need to abandon some of their current initiatives, consolidate teams and focus on punching out high quality content on a more consistent basis in fewer areas.

In my opinion, without additional assets, that focus (in PVE) needs to be on four areas – living story (which includes instances and open world), guilds (which includes missions and guild hall assets), fractals and rewards (skins, minis, armor/weapons, etc). Interestingly enough, this pretty much falls in line with the team based approach they talked about pre HOT.

I would love to see all of the things they are doing continued, but they have clearly proven this past year that they just dont have the assets to do it all properly.

I think if there was dedicated leadership at the top (afaik, Colin still hasnt been replaced), they would see this more clearly and realize changes have to be made.

Guild Missions need a refresh

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

On May 28, it will have been four years since the last new guild missions were added to the game, despite the new system added with HOT designed to make them “easier to implement” and the following from the (at the time) game’s director -

https://youtu.be/W1WBYEfJVb4?t=336

I think the big problem is there is no one at the helm with the time to properly lead game direction – across the board. Afaik, they still havent replaced Colin – and the game is probably suffering from that lack of dedicated leadership.

Things they (and many players) once considered very important are slipping through the cracks or have just been completely forgotten.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

It’s still going because it is still a significant concern for many people – and rather than start a dozen new threads, they searched and found one on the topic to post in, as directed by the forum conduct code (or Anet merged their thread into this one).

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I have zero interest in legendary armor, so I can see both sides of that argument.

There is a deeper question related to Legendary Armor though – and that is, what comes after raiders start getting it.

If things go as planned, legendary armor will be coming around the time of the next living story update. I suspect, not long after that, you will start to see quite a few people in it.

And once that carrot has been eaten, what will happen to raids? Not only will it become the exclusive playground of the players conforming to build wars, but it will most likely lose the percentage of that subset that tires of killing everything every week once they get their reward.

That will leave Anet with a pretty serious quandary – either come up with something else ultra nice to offer as an exclusive reward or watch raid participation dwindle considerably. If they choose the prior, the more they offer those ultra nice rewards, the wider the gap between raiders and non-raiders in terms of prestige and recognition by the devs.

Surely even the strongest opponents of story modes can see the problem with this and the potential negative long term impact it could have.

The answer, imo, is to forego additional ultra nice rewards and open the experience to more people – use tiered difficulty to keep the game mode active and alive instead. Still reserve the current set of legendary weapons and future weapon skins, minis and titles for those doing the harder version, but use tiered difficulty to keep the number of people enjoying the content up.

Again, the alternative to that solution is not healthy for the game long term.

To reinforce, I have no issue whatsoever with the current one time legendary armor reward as a symbol of achievement for those completing the first raids at the hardest difficulty – but beyond that I firmly believe Anet will hurt the game without making some kind of compromises on the this issue.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Thank you for linking my thread, I’m glad that was considered a legitimate option by some one at least.

I’ve read this whole thread and I’ve got to say Blaze championed the positions of my faction quite strongly.

Unfortunately I’ve moved on for the foreseeable future. I can not see my self financially supporting a company that has no place for my Great Sword Reaper in the only End Game that matters now that it’s the only place you can hope to work toward Legendary Armor. ESO is a breath of fresh air, the pace is a bit slower and it’s refreshing to switch to a game controller for a change after almost 20 years of PC MMOs. Well good luck, I’m sure my $50 a month plus I used to spend on this game in gems won’t be missed.

If a player is leaving a game because his special snowflake build isn’t viable in one particular niche of game mode while it is in the overall majority of the game content, it really doesn’t matter because it shows that there is no addiction to the game at all. A company can easily compensate such hoppers and is right if it won’t commit to that player.

Just move on and have fun with your new adventure.

Except we aren’t talking about hoppers. Were seeing die hard fans, like Dirtbeard, Vayne, etc, questioning the direction of the game – and even discussing leaving. In some cases, were talking about people (like myself) who have put $1000+ into supporting the game – and played so many hours Im half ashamed to post my /age in game anymore. And while Im not ready to throw in the towel on GW2 yet, I am obviously displeased with what they are doing to the game I loved.

Were talking about a fundamental shift in how the game feels and plays that, imo, can be attributed directly to raids. You can disagree with that all you want – as long as that perception exists (and it very much does), it is a real issue.

The thing to keep in mind – the die hard fans are the ones that keep the game alive through lulls in content drops. They are the ones that lead Dragonstand or Drytop maps a few years after it came out – keeping the game feeling alive. They are the ones that help drive new content and financially back the game even when no one else does. This isn’t a group Anet wants to brush aside that simply.

He is not a “die hard fan” with that attitude. Nuff said.

Doesnt change the fact that a lot of players like him are becoming disillusioned with the game because of this issue (some faster than others).

And, yes, you can be huge fan of the game and still hate the direction is going in. It is important for Anet to see posts like his – and understand the potential long term damage this direction is doing to the game.

Well I'm finally leaving Guild Wars 2

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Now that April Fools is over, we’re glad to have you back, Vayne.

Seemed like forever.

What was GW2 April Fools?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

It is the same as they did last year too.

Unfortunately, silly forum rage over aviator’s kit and bobbleheads killed Anet’s sense of humor.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Thank you for linking my thread, I’m glad that was considered a legitimate option by some one at least.

I’ve read this whole thread and I’ve got to say Blaze championed the positions of my faction quite strongly.

Unfortunately I’ve moved on for the foreseeable future. I can not see my self financially supporting a company that has no place for my Great Sword Reaper in the only End Game that matters now that it’s the only place you can hope to work toward Legendary Armor. ESO is a breath of fresh air, the pace is a bit slower and it’s refreshing to switch to a game controller for a change after almost 20 years of PC MMOs. Well good luck, I’m sure my $50 a month plus I used to spend on this game in gems won’t be missed.

If a player is leaving a game because his special snowflake build isn’t viable in one particular niche of game mode while it is in the overall majority of the game content, it really doesn’t matter because it shows that there is no addiction to the game at all. A company can easily compensate such hoppers and is right if it won’t commit to that player.

Just move on and have fun with your new adventure.

Except we aren’t talking about hoppers. Were seeing die hard fans, like Dirtbeard, Vayne, etc, questioning the direction of the game – and even discussing leaving. In some cases, were talking about people (like myself) who have put $1000+ into supporting the game – and played so many hours Im half ashamed to post my /age in game anymore. And while Im not ready to throw in the towel on GW2 yet, I am obviously displeased with what they are doing to the game I loved.

Were talking about a fundamental shift in how the game feels and plays that, imo, can be attributed directly to raids. You can disagree with that all you want – as long as that perception exists (and it very much does), it is a real issue.

The thing to keep in mind – the die hard fans are the ones that keep the game alive through lulls in content drops. They are the ones that lead Dragonstand or Drytop maps a few years after it came out – keeping the game feeling alive. They are the ones that help drive new content and financially back the game even when no one else does. This isn’t a group Anet wants to brush aside that simply.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

As a-net showed in the april fool patch note they know that the complaints and even for then having a infatile raid mode where you just reduce the hp and damage is a joke.

Please don’t tell me you’re making an argument based on an April Fools Day joke. That is tunnel vision at its most extreme.

At this point, I have to believe that Anet sees they have a problem with raids and accessibility, and that they need to do something to fix it before it has a detrimental impact on the game.

And of course the answer isn’t simply to reduce everything by half. That would be arbitrary, poorly thought out and worthy of a little April 1 humor.

And you made arguments based in what you believe without any data to back it up. Claiming that something need to be fixed, something that are working better then intended, as anet stated when they got the first raid data.

So you are the one that make doom calls based only in your beliefe and claim that as hard truth, which clearly isnt.

I state my opinion based on personal experience and discussions with other players – here, on reddit, on fansites and, most importantly ingame/in guild. It is no more devious or complicated than that. I never claim to have insight into how many people are raiding, how many favor a story mode vs the people who are opposed to one, etc. And it definitely isnt a doom call. I simply believe that the way they are implementing raids represents a significant shift from the rest of the game – a shift that many, like myself, find offputting.

An April Fools Day joke, by definition, is meant to whimsical, meaning it is literally done on a whim (most likely by a single writer – and definitely with little thought toward anything serious). To try and equate that to the development team taking a stance on a topic is beyond silly.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

As a-net showed in the april fool patch note they know that the complaints and even for then having a infatile raid mode where you just reduce the hp and damage is a joke.

Please don’t tell me you’re making an argument based on an April Fools Day joke. That is tunnel vision at its most extreme.

At this point, I have to believe that Anet sees they have a problem with raids and accessibility, and that they need to do something to fix it before it has a detrimental impact on the game.

And of course the answer isn’t simply to reduce everything by half. That would be arbitrary, poorly thought out and worthy of a little April 1 humor.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

You don’t have to even change the damage numbers, or a single one of the mechanics, to make a story mode. The only numbers you have to change are max HP and maybe toughness. Every enemy and boss can still hit exactly as hard as they do, just make it less of a DPS check to complete so that you don’t have to grind for best gear and practice to optimize DPS to complete the story mode, and it can serve as training for mechanics if people might want to get in to the raids later. No reason to nerf everything, just make the amount of DPS you have to hit as a group more in line with an average five man dungeon group.

you can complete raids in exotics i think ppl have done it with yellows and greens too…

Of course people can and have done exactly that, but those people were – most probably – people who had already done the fight in ascended and mastered every aspect of the fight. It’s the same concept that applies to groups that have done it with 8 people or killed it in half the time. Those are the exceptions – not the rule.

More importantly, trying to compare those situations to average players – and especially to players looking to just enjoy the content without the build and composition micromanagement – is disingenuous at best.

The issue isnt about gear. It isnt even really about hard versus easy. It is about providing a realistically fun experience for a wider range of PVE players – so they can enjoy the story (even if it is a “side story” or minimal) and the experience of the raid. That is very much lacking from the current raid model – and needs to be remedied.

Thank you for Caladbolg quest

in Living World

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think this is a nice compromise between the new style and the old living world model.

Anet should do this kind of thing much more often.

And it would be a great (fun and widely accessible) way to continue or finalize stories from GW1 as well.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

MMOs are like homes. We live in them. We spend hours, days, weeks and months in these places. We adopt them to become ours. This game used to be “my game”. That is, the decisions the devs made in releasing the game on launch was about 90% of everything I wanted in an MMO (with a few small omissions).

But as time goes on and the game starts to drift from that initial game, this game becomes less my home. I’m no longer the guy who does everything in the game, I do less. And as they add more and provide less of the other stuff, I do even less.

As there’s less for me to do, I’ll just move to the next game that comes out,. eventually, when I’ve done everything I want to do. For me that won’t be this year, or next year. Hell it might be never.

But I’ve moved on from MMOs before and I move on from them because their focus changes. What they offer changes.

And I’m a guy that puts up with a lot of change before I move. I promise you there are a lot of people who walked away from the game because it’s become less casual than it was…probably more people than people who are raiding now…in my opinion.

Games like this are a comfort zone for some people. You take them too far out of their comfort zone and you force them to rethink their bound with the game.

This isn’t about raids being too difficult. I CAN do raids. I can join a raiding guild and beat every boss, just like I beat every elite area in Guild Wars 1. Being a raid isn’t my issue.

Not enjoying raids, and seeing rewards I want locked behind them, that’s my issue.

110% this

Yes, so much this! I wrote about a year ago much too succinctly to explain the issues with HoT to as adequately convey this very message. Way to go Vayne!

Agree completely.

Hopefully Anet is paying attention to the community’s concerns and seeing posts like this one. I don’t want to look for a new MMO. My friends and I have put a lot of work into making this one our home.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

You try to speak for the whole community. You can only speak for yourself.

When I use phrases like “I think” it denotes opinion. These are my opinions, the same way your post is your opinion.

I think that the team approach they are using is a good idea, but that kind of approach only really works when there is strong leadership keeping all of the parts on track and on vision. I think that, without a strong dedicated development lead, the teams have lost track of that. Take the inclusion of the Saul storyline in the latest wing. While that may seem like a good and fun idea at the team level, it really isnt from a big picture perspective (in my opinion). A strong leader would have seen that where the team – which is focused on a sole part of the game – didn’t.

The same is true for the general direction of raids (I believe) and the impact they are having on the direction of the game.

I think as soon as the teams have dedicated developmental leadership, these issues will be more evident to them and they will have to address them.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think I understand what you are saying.

Raid is inherently exclusive and not inclusive. Raid doesn’t sit well with guilds that focus on community as community consist of everybody regardless good or bad that is why we have raid guilds. Raid and community just don’t go well with one another.

Thank you.

The issue is obviously more complex, but your one short paragraph sums the issue up pretty well.

And, I know many will disagree with it – but, again, that is because they play the game for different reasons than I – and other like me – do.

For us, GW2 was an oasis in a desert of MMOs that cared little for guilds built around friendship and community. I dont want to see that aspect of the game go away.

Yes, the complexity involve how it may or may not change the mentality of certain percentage of the players for the better or for the worse in long term. It is common in real life, government or companies decide on policies that may or may not change and shape the society.

Personally, I am not so optimistic about the long term effects of raid on players towards community as I can’t see the direction anet is heading.

Im definitely not optimistic. Raids, in the manner they chose to introduce them, have already started taking the game in a direction many players would rather not follow.

I think it is, at least partially, a result of lack of leadership at the top. They need a new game director. O’Brian, as good as he is at his job as CEO, probably doesn’t have the time or resources to fill that role – and the result is that the game is fairly direction-less. I dont mean that as an insult against Anet or anyone there – just as an observation.

When teams design in vacuums – as it seems the raid team is, with divergent (and, in this case, polarized) goals they lose sight of what is best for the game and its community. A ship needs a captain with a clear idea of where it is going – and then structure to make sure all of the teams stay on course. I truly believe that the ship is lost and in desparate need of that direction.

Lore and mechanics for next elite spec

in Lore

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I’m inclined to disagree on both points. For the latter, Engineers already ARE medics, they have multiple ally healing abilities. Maybe they aren’t as strong as druids, but that kind of thing is subject to change as skills get buffed and nerfed.
As for guardians…unlikely. For one thing, Garm has been sticking with Rox so far, not Braham (iirc). So no direct foreshadowing within the lore as of yet. But more importantly, I find unlikely that Anet will give Guardians a second Ranger based elite specialization, and honestly even the idea is a fair bit perturbing as well. You’d effectively replace regular rangers with a heavy armored type of ranger that has all these party buffing abilities. Also, we’re talking about a class mechanic, not just a weapon skill set or a type of skills like traps. These are supposed to remain mostly unique to their respective class. While almost all of the classes have summons or “pets” of some kind (including the ones guardians all ready have) animal companions should remain something exclusive to rangers.

Youre probably right. My track record on these kind of things isnt very good.

(slight spoiler)

However, to the point about Garm. At the end of the Bitterfrost story arc, Braham says “come on Garm, let’s go” or something to that effect and the two leave together to head to Hoelbrak.

that said, again – Im probably wrong.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think I understand what you are saying.

Raid is inherently exclusive and not inclusive. Raid doesn’t sit well with guilds that focus on community as community consist of everybody regardless good or bad that is why we have raid guilds. Raid and community just don’t go well with one another.

Thank you.

The issue is obviously more complex, but your one short paragraph sums the issue up pretty well.

And, I know many will disagree with it – but, again, that is because they play the game for different reasons than I – and other like me – do.

For us, GW2 was an oasis in a desert of MMOs that cared little for guilds built around friendship and community. I dont want to see that aspect of the game go away.

[Poll] How popular are raids at the moment

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

My opinion is that the outcry about raids will eventually fade away.

Even though this poll isn’t really representative about the whole community it kinda reasurse what i was thinking.

The majority of players oppused to raids have a problem with the jump of difficulty in PvE which hinders them to play this new shiny shiny content and also blocks them away from the shiny shiny reward(s).

As a pretty casual player – If i compare the raid wings my rating is kinda like:

Wing 1 – mix of easy and mid range hard
Wing 2 – mix of easy and super hard
Wing 3 – mix of super easy and mid range hard
Wing 4 – mix of super super easy and super hard

For me that concludes that there will be more and more raid wings and bosses that are doable for more casual groups and easier stepping stones for beginners. What do you think?

How does the question you posed have anything to do with difficulty?

I think you might be reading something into the (probably limited) data you received from this that isnt actually there.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Youre making assumptions and arguing against based on what people might ask for next. That isnt really a logical argument against anything as it is simply assuming the worst of people.

It’s naive to think that these kinds of threads won’t come out. We have that ‘Fish’ thread on the General Discussion, or ‘Can we nerf the HoT Metas’ in the Expansion Subforum. The extent of what players might ask for is ANYTHING. Heck there’s been a couple threads asking for making something of a ‘Pay to Win’ option for GW2.

I would wager between both our ‘guesses’ about half or more would be correct, I would wager gems on it.

None of these things preclude the desire for this change – and, if it came to it, I would be the first in line to argue against LI rewards (or anything else substantially close to what the top difficulty offers) in a story mode version of the raid.

Almost no one is asking for that. I know it would be much easier to argue against easy modes if they were, but it just isnt the case.

I know you do realize that there is a substantial voice for the easy-modes being an alternative for these rewards. For instance, Raiders have given their opinion a while ago about not being opposed to having Legendary Armor being made available in another area of the game (a different skin though) and that simply isn’t enough apparently.

You might have a good intention for this mode, but like a line of dominoes if easy-mode comes down, everything else starts to as well and while you might immediately oppose giving out said rewards…

There will be dozens more coming out of the woodwork using the opportunity to demand more.

It’s kind of how these forums work. The bar is set that low because the threads that are made are that low.

If they had to worry about what the community might ask for next, nothing would ever get changed.

And, so what if those threads come out. It doesnt mean we can’t argue the pros and cons of this change now.

And, AGAIN, if they ever did implement story modes and people started crying for LIs or other raid exclusive rewards in the mode, I can promise I will be right there with you explaining why it is a bad idea – a stance many I know in favor of story modes would agree with. This is about opening the experience – possibly with some minor reward to justify time away from open world (champ bag and, at most, maybe a magnetite shard or two to help players gear for the more difficult versions). It is not about getting access to legendary armor or unique raid related skins.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

And we’ve come back full circle.

Essentially what I am getting at is that probably the hardest thing Arenanet can figure out is how many players who aren’t raiding are genuinely interested in the story, compared to those wanting an easy-mode to have a better track at getting rewards. It’s not hard for the devs to figure out how many are raiding, but they need to value their time with such a development.

The worst case would be that they create this story-mode that serves a purpose of delivering Story to the more general audience, and there’s maybe a thread or two from players who really liked the story instance and saw it as a positive…while the following shows up on this sub-forum and maybe General Discussion for weeks:

- “Story-Mode is still too hard!”
- “WTF Story Mode doesn’t give real loot?”
- “Now that you gave us story mode, give us Legendary Armor!”
- “Another broken promise, Raids no longer the most difficult content.”

Just as a flow, Devs get backlash not just from players who expected to be rewarded something akin to what the current raids reward, but current raiders who feel like the identity of raids is scarred permanently.

Does that make sense?

I agree. A lot of players already pointed it out. Creating an easy mode will not solve a problem, will damage the content that is in a really good place, and open a can of worms with a lot of new problems, as when its easy enough? There a lot of players that cant even complete Hearts and Minds solo or T3 Fractals.

There will be topics like :
“Why casuals get scraps of rewards and hardcore players get full rewards? Isnt the challenge enought for them?”
“Can we get shard of LI rewards from story mode that you mystic forge to full LI?”
“Where is the epic raid story i was told about? Its boring”
“GW2 is just a raid centric game now, stop raids!”

Youre making assumptions and arguing against based on what people might ask for next. That isnt really a logical argument against anything as it is simply assuming the worst of people.

None of these things preclude the desire for this change – and, if it came to it, I would be the first in line to argue against LI rewards (or anything else substantially close to what the top difficulty offers) in a story mode version of the raid.

Almost no one is asking for that. I know it would be much easier to argue against easy modes if they were, but it just isnt the case.

Lore and mechanics for next elite spec

in Lore

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think at least one profession will become a new pet training class – most likely Guardian, with Braham/Garm being the catalyst/story justification.

I also expect engineers to be the next healer class given how little they are played in higher end pve (the same reason rangers got the druid spec last expansion). Not sure the lore tie in, but a “medic” would make sense as an engineer elite.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I believe an ANet dev said recently that they were looking at ways to offer the lore in raids to players who don’t/can’t raid in some other fashion. I’d say, let’s see what they do before demanding a story mode, unless of course the real reason is the prize, not the packaging.

Yes that’s true.
Link: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/dungeons/A-Plea-for-a-Raid-Story-Mode/first#post6416831

They should make it a sticky or something so threads discussing an easy mode can stop and wait for the actual release announcement.

They are “exploring potential solutions,” one of which is most likely a story mode of some kind (would be a disservice if they weren’t at least considering it at this point – after the interest shown here, on reddit, fansites and in media like massivelyop).

There is nothing wrong with continuing the discussion so that – among others – the developers can see the continued community interest and pros and cons of this direction.

If they come up with a better solution – one that offers the story experience (and not just a secondhand retelling through video, cleared instances, etc) – then we will obviously take that into account as part of this ongoing discussion.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Its sole purpose was to give players that want a challenge just that. Raids entire existence is for those that wanted a challenge. Adding a story mode changes that purpose.

It’s time to be realistic, however. They have already expressed an interest to get more people into raids or to “ease people into them.” The first three fights in wing 4 are the early, half attempts at making that happen. The path forward, if they stick with what they are doing now, will pretty much beone compromising that purpose you talk about – in the attempt to expand the appeal of raids.

It won’t be either/or – it will be a watering down for everyone.

And, I strongly disagree that ADDING a story mode changes the purpose of the actually challenging mode. That really is just common sense.

In fact, for the very reason I list above, the additional mode would give them more developmental freedom to adhere to that original purpose. It would allow them to design truly challenging encounters without having to worry about these other issues and criticisms.

As strange as it sounds, staying on the course they are on now will be exactly what kills their ability to offer that challenge so many (including myself) want to see thrive in the game.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

No need for a raid story mode … i think removing boss enrage timer on old wings should be enough.
People could use any build and enjoy old raids encounters while PvE focused guild still have challenges on new raid wings.

Which defeats the whole purpose of why raids were created in the first place.

Which is part of the reason why story mode is needed – to preserve the integrity of the hard mode. In fact, the existence of greater accessibility would most likely give the devs freer rein to make more difficult encounters moving forward.

There are two real solutions to this issue, imo – tiered levels or a gradual compromising/watering down of the content to the point where it doesn’t really meet anyone’s needs.

We are already starting to see the second make its way into the game in some of the wing 4 fights. Is that really the direction anyone wants to see them take raids?

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

Did GW2 lose its identity?

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

People like to latch onto a single word or phrase and base silly arguments on something that wasnt actually said or meant. No on is talking about a boycott. And I doubt very many, if any left over raiding. People are reading too much into a single sentence.

It’s about the shift in the game’s focus and whether or not that is good for the game’s future. I personally believe it is not. I don’t want to see anyone leave – and a boycott over the content would just be silly. The comment was more about retaining players who rely on what they perceived as an important tenant of the game.

Adding raids was a marketing ploy to bring new blood into the game. I think we can all agree on that. I doubt that Anet wants it to push others away though. There is an old adage in marketing communication (an industry I have been in for 20+ years, btw) – its easier to retain existing customers than it is to bring in new ones. Your brand champions and advocates are the core of your business.

With the implementation of this kind of raiding, Anet – whether they believe it or not – are shifting their brand away from some core tenants that brought people into the game. That will be off putting to many. Now, I accept that some may see that as a positive move. I do not.

And current profitability mean nothing. It’s year to year revenue that matters – long term viability. That is going to be affected by a lot more than what is in the game.

So again, it isnt about a boycott or some doomsday prediction. Please stop the hyperbole and exaggeration based on a simple statement meant more as support of a bigger picture than as any kind of alarmist proclamation or threat.

useless xp

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Solution: nearly every major MMO offers difficulty levels. It’s totally normal. As typical as for Anet of course they don’t offer them and that’s why we all have all those little annoying things. There are easy tasks in the raid you can do, but I still understand all the people who don’t want to do it and even can’t fill their mastery level. It’s not really customer friendly.

Difficulty levels would solve so many raid-related problems – it is baffling that the devs have been so resistant to implementing them.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Enrage timers have a specific peurpose that is necessary which has been discussed to death already. You’re free to feel that they’re lazy mechanics.

Undoubtably with enrage timers, there is some math and minimum DPS that must be done before the timer ends. When groups fail, what percentage of the time is it because they reached the enrage timer?

Perhaps lazy was a bit harsh.

In full meta builds and comps (or builds and comps close to it) – other than fights like Gorseval, you are right – the enrage is rarely a big issue. Once you start talking about different types of players and playstyles, however, they definitely come into play.

But, that isnt really my point, anyway. My point is the math provides a limiting factor that makes raids a different animal than dungeons. You cannot compare where dungeons are now with where raids may be in the future – there are just too many differences in design based on mathematical walls.

The inclusion of story (any story – but especially GW1 lore), unique mechanics and boss models may all seem like small things now – when we only have 4 wings, but in years to come, when we have a dozen or more wings, were going to end up with a game where large chunks of the experience are limited heavily based on playstyle and build choices. That is a major shift from the game we had for the first 4 years.

It will essentially be a segmentation of the PVE community in a way that has never existed in the game. That is the identity change I dread most. ArenaNet needs to address this problem now – before it creates a game where the experience is so divided and many of the initial core supporters of the game decide the frustration and limitations make it no longer worth it to log in.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

The “meta” part sounds like a balance team problem then?

Without completely watering down and homogenizing every profession and build (which we should never want), balance in a game like this is a pipe dream. It will never happen.

That is why the solution has to come from the other side of the equation – the encounters. And, imo, the only real way to do that and still hope to retain any kind of difficulty for min/maxers is through tiers.

The Samarog point – if that encounter is part of the story/experience/etc of the raid, then radically changing difficulty or not offering an option at that fight is probably even worse than 3 easy + 1 difficult fights. It’s basically a big tease saying, you made it this far, but we dont want you to see the end.

No…its saying “You’ve made it this far and we want to see you adapt/improve/change to see the end”. This is exactly what ANET wants, but isn’t what the easy mode crowd wants, which is the disconnect.

Again, it is a matter of perception.

You could just as easily word it “You’ve made it this far, but we want you to change the nature of your character and stop playing the way you most enjoy to see the end.”

Neither is wrong – again, just a matter of your perception and why you play GW2.

Which again, is an argument in favor of multiple difficulty tiers. It is impossible to offer a full and fun experience for such divergent groups in a single game mode. You end up having to water down the content to the level it is no longer challenging for the people looking for challenge (which is the direction they seem to have started toward with the last wing).

Where is the Uproar?

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

The devs have danced around the issue and tried to justify this in many ways.

The reality is it remains a VERY poor decision and one that has hurt them in the eyes of many players.

My biggest worry is what happens now. If they continue down this path, the GW2 story will be even more fragmented in years to come – with raiders always getting access to interesting and darker stories that others do not.

The result will be a very fractured experience with a very haves/have nots mentality.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

The “meta” part sounds like a balance team problem then?

Without completely watering down and homogenizing every profession and build (which we should never want), balance in a game like this is a pipe dream. It will never happen.

That is why the solution has to come from the other side of the equation – the encounters. And, imo, the only real way to do that and still hope to retain any kind of difficulty for min/maxers is through tiers.

The Samarog point – if that encounter is part of the story/experience/etc of the raid, then radically changing difficulty or not offering an option at that fight is probably even worse than 3 easy + 1 difficult fights. It’s basically a big tease saying, you made it this far, but we dont want you to see the end.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

When the game first launched, Dungeons were seen as stupidly hard, and required specific builds to beat until players figured them out, several got nerfed, and player skill in general increased. I bet in a year or two, several Raids will be seen as ’Playhowyouwant" in terms of difficulty – not from the power creep, but from improved skill at the game from experienced players being able to carry the newer ones even in mixed parties.

Even at their worst, masteries were never as bad as The Time We Had To Unlock Traits.

There are huge differences between dungeons and raids that will keep this from happening. Raid encounters, due to lazy mechanics like enrage timers and “kill fast” elements, are more math based than dungeons. If the math isnt there in a dungeon, the fight takes longer (which is fine). If the math isnt there in a raid, the fight fails. Second, raids are considerably more punishing to builds and compositions that are far from the “meta.” (I know highly experienced players can do the raids on just about anything, but that isnt the group we are talking about here). That was also less of an issue in dungeons. That isn’t going to change either.

I also think people overstate the difficulty of dungeons at launch. I dont remember failing many dungeons for any reason other than just running out of time (and that was mostly in early runs in Arah where we thought it made sense to kill all the mobs) – even with fairly inexperienced and casual guild members.

This is a pervasive issue that will only worsen as time goes on rather than improve. As more and more raids are added with more and more “side” stories/interesting bosses/other experiences, the rift between raiders and non-raiders will only widen.

They need to address and fix the issue now – before it gets any worse.

useless xp

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I really think this is just one more example of how poorly raids were thought out before and during their implementation into this game.

This issue is particularly puzzling. They try to pass raids off as niche and then block XP/shard acquisition. If shards end up being important in any way with the next expansion, it will put non-raiders at a significant disadvantage.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

The pure existence of challenge motes has already solved the problem. Whether or not the “activation” of a mote makes the base fight harder, or a hard fight easier is irrelevant.

In fact, the current implementation is actually better for crowd looking for an “easy mote”, where as the motes being shifted to make the fight easier benefits the current raiding community.

If you are going to argue anything, it would be that the normal mode isn’t easy enough, which is clearly an opinion that can’t really be measured by the community.

First, for this to be true, it would need to apply to all bosses in a wing. With the 4th still significantly harder, the story and experience accessibility remain problematic.

Second, as I’ve said before, it isn’t as much about easy as it is about development around – or close to – the meta.

yes the first three are pretty easy if you adhere to the meta – or some facsimile. But, there are still far too many builds and group compositions that have no realistic way to enjoy the content.

Providing the lower difficulty mode isnt about faceroll as much as it is about letting people experience the content without compromising how they love to play their characters.

And again – I realize that experienced raiders can defeat almost any boss on any profession and most builds. That obviously isnt the player group we are talking about here.

So, it isnt quite as simple as you try to make it sound.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

…Despite a bunch of what I saw, there were a few solutions I was in favor of. The issue would be the amount of work involved, they can’t impede their already slow Raid Teams by forcing them to develop something like a Solo-Mode with NPCs. They would have to bring in other resources, maybe even Expansion or Living Story crews to help develop these rewardless ‘Story-Modes’.

I dont think this is necessarily true.

They proved that they can implement multiple versions fairly easily with the last raid in the form of the challenge motes.

I may be wrong, but it seems like it would be simple enough to make the regular version the harder mode and then use the mote system (or resources that would have gone into it) to offer “story motes” or “training motes.”

Voila – the answer to the issue for what would probably be the same effort put into the last raid wing.

Given that most raiders I know didnt like the mote system anyway, it seems like a MUCH better use of those resources.

Whether you agree with the article or not, I think it shows what weve been seeing here and on reddit for a while now – there is a clear community outcry for some kind of solution, something I’m personally glad to see.

I think it is just a matter of time before Anet finally realizes this is needed.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

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Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Its time for Anet to look at history and understand the mistakes already made and solved by the 800lb. gorilla, WoW. WoW’s implementation of LFR has been very successful, and there is absolutely no reason why Anet has not yet implemented an LFR system with easier raids that give reduced rewards (ie: less Ascended currency and no path to Legendary Armor through the LFR). That way, casual players are more likely to complete the content, get something for their effort AND see the story. The only argument against this is some weird elitist mental block… which makes no sense since those that complete the real raid will be rewarded more, and have the opportunity for prestigious legendary armor.

WoW’s LFR was and still is very flawed. It’s initial lead developer Ghostcrawler even said as much.

Did it solve some problems, sure. But it isn’t a tool worth of the pedestal you’re hoisting it upon.

I actually agree. Not sure the LFR model was one worth emulating. The LFG system in WoW, in general, is (or was when I played) pretty sketchy – but not for difficulty reasons. The forced grouping took some of the camaraderie out of the game (which I believe was GCs primary issue with it as well). I like the group finder tool in GW2 much better – it allows players to retain more control over the kind of group they get – or get into.

Again, it wasnt about the difficulty level as much as it was about the forced grouping aspect.

As far as sytems to emulate, a friend recently told me about flex raiding in WoW (something obviously inspired by GW2, ironically enough). Basically it is an easier mode that scales based on the number of people in the raid squad (so 11, 13, 16, etc people groups would be possible). I know it is probably not possible with the game engine, but it seems like something that would work very well in this game.

Not saying that either is the answer, just options. The easiest approach is probably just a straight nerf of some kind (basically the inverse of what they did with challenge motes in wing 4)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

A really good overview of the issues with raids and possible fixes on MassivelyOP today -

http://massivelyop.com/2017/03/21/flameseeker-chronicles-creating-a-better-balance-in-guild-wars-2-raiding/

Definitely worth a read.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I think part of the issue is that ArenaNet has always been a little loose and lackadaisical when it comes to game direction. Just go to Divinity’s Reach and try to find the archery range the NPC has been giving us direction to for four and a half years now (not only did they never put the content in, but they have somehow – for the life of the game – forgotten about the characters – and even directional star – leading us to content that has never been there).

I’ve always been okay with that approach, because despite the ADHD style, they produced a game (in PVE) that I could enjoy with my entire guild – all of my friends – without worrying about playstyle, time commitment, etc.

I even loved HOT. The huge open world challenges were just right for me and my guild. We had a ton of hours having fun there (and still do every Sunday night as part of an organized effort to revisit group areas of the game).

The one PVE game mode that changed that was raids. And I truly believe that, because of the loose development style I talk about above, they didn’t stop to think about how this kind of content model would change the game.

I realize a lot of people don’t see it – but I firmly believe that is because they approach the game differently than those who do. They base their in game friendships/guilds/etc on skill at the game and a willingness to sacrifice form for function – and that is fine. For those people, raids are a good fit.

It isnt, however, how many formed their guilds/communities in the first years of the game. For us, raids represent a break from the core purpose of the game in PVE – to offer a fun place for us all to play together. And while some can argue that the rest of the game hasnt changed, I think that argument is shortsighted – raids in their current form have had a real impact on how many approach the game – through the “stepford wife” syndrome created by meta gameplay, a feeling of being left out of part of the story/experience/etc, through false airs of superiority emerging across both game chat and various forums, and so on.

That is the identity I feel has changed. And, while that is a personal definition of the term, I think it is one many share with me.

For us, the game is changing in a very negative way – but one that they could rectify very easily. How we identify (and identify with) the game is changing – and not for the better.

As a side note, I am glad Gaile took a critical look at this thread to keep it on track – and I like the idea that the developers recognize the importance of this conversation to many of us.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

I agree with you except that sounds like you don’t believe this has already happened. Its impossible to measure, but just based on my play through I would put the first 3 bosses in w4 around a tier 2-tier 3 fractal difficulty. By “difficulty” I mean the mechanical skill of the player required to complete the content and the amount of room for error based on enrage timers and enrage mechanics.

I also don’t think it is unreasonable for the last boss to be more difficult, even in the “easy mode”. Getting “new blood” into the game mode doesn’t mean catering all encounters so that person with “new blood” can change nothing about their build, playstyle, group comp, player skill, etc and still succeed indefinitely. Getting “new blood” into the game mode simply means having enough of a “hook” for the more casual audience to retain and increase their interest in the content. If they have that “hook” down to retain casual players interest and then future encounters are more tightly tuned to require a better group comp, player skill, build, etc…then the “easy mode” was a success.

If the idea of an easy mode were just to ease people into raids, I would agree, but I think the need is deeper than that. It is about opening the experience to a greater variety of playstyles/builds etc.

And, yes, a big part of it is degrees. I do not feel the first three fights work to open raiding to more people. For a good example, I would look instead at the difficulty of the escort event starting wing three. I know it isnt a proper boss fight (even though there is a sort of boss at the end), but it still works for what I’m discussing.

For the system to work however, it needs to be across the board. Otherwise, the story and experience is still very limited in terms of target audience – and I dont believe that will be healthy for the future of raiding in general.

GW2 needs finally a REAL class balance!

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Guys, this argument is as old as MMOs. Any MMO worth playing has been imbalanced – some way worse than what we have now.

The only way to balance – at the level everyone seems to want – is to make every single profession/build/stat set play the exact same way. That is it. And that is something we should never want to happen.

All they can do is try to get it close – while always keeping build diversity and unique ways to play top of mind. I would much rather have 100 unique and fun professions/builds/ways to play than 5 that all play the same.

The balance needs to come on the gameplay side. Tiered difficulties and experiences throughout the game (ESPECIALLY in end game content like raids) to ensure that, even if you play a sub optimal build, you can still enjoy the content.

That doesnt mean balance isnt still important. They still need to strive for better balance every day they develop the game. But the game needs to play in such a way that they are still free to make fun and divergent builds for everyone to play.

Otherwise, the game will (and in my opinion is, because of the lack of divergent play styles in raids) get very stale.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Interesting points. Being an engineer in real life, my brain is hardwired to always think about the math and the optimization. In reality. All PVE is math. PVE is simply “kill the creature before it kills you.” The bigger damage numbers you do, the more quickly that happens.

To me, the problem with the “bring whatever play style you want” is that those tend to error on the side of builds where the computer cannot kill you. You rarely hear about folks who never look up a meta build but just happen to pick Zerk/Scholar. More often they want their full solider/rabid builds to be viable (and in reality they are, but like you mentioned I’m not going to really consider what gear qT could use lol).

I can imagine as a developer it is very difficult to design an encounter that is challenging for those who play builds that are offensive and those who want to play builds where you are invincible. Can every fight just have 1 shot mechanics so invincible builds arent invincible? Why even take defensive stats then?

It is also likely that those who played the more offensive/meta builds regularly are simply better players. This is due to the core design of GW2, damage avoidance versus damage mitigation. Being a better player and never getting hit by the AI is the name of the game for gw2, and many of the raiders have been doing this for years. Where as many other games have high unavoidable damage that require a greater mathematical defense on your character in order to survive.

I also never understood the strong desire in this game to be attached to your build/gear. Whether or not you have solders or zerker is just math…It has no feelings towards you. Why have feelings towards it? Like anyone asking you “would you like $10 or $20 for free?” Of course you always pick the better one.

Kind of a scrambled rant, but even in an easy mode I personally feel like it would be a large development challenge to design content that has an appropriate amount of challenge for all of the vast build diversity in this game simply due to how strong damage avoidance is versus building for damage mitigation

First of all, thank you for being open minded and arguing the point in rational manner. That is rarer than most would think.

I understand your points but still believe it is possible. Simply experiment with removing or toning down specific mechanics (primarily any that rely on high dps) and then make that the story or training mote version. With minimal time (probably less than what went into the CM modes we have now in wing 4), I think it could be done.

To the point of watering the fight down to the point where it can’t kill you, I honestly believe that a happy medium can be found – one closer to low/mid level fractals or COE/Arah level dungeons. But even if I’m wrong – and it has be paper thin easy – it would be worth doing (even though, again, I would rather have something in the middle).

Adding to raids in such a way that brings in new blood and opens the experience/story/etc to more casual players is crucial to the success of the game mode, imo.

Hearts and Minds: Mordremoth fight :(

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

@Yozbick – For absolutely no reason at all, these aren’t normal updrafts. You can’t jump into them and open your glider, you can only get lifted into the air by walking over it, and it will shoot you up (assuming it doesn’t bug out).

Its stupid that these are the only updrafts in the entire game that work like this, and there is no explanation. But if you jump it won’t work

There actually is a reason. At one time, you had to jump and quickly hit your glider in them. This was buggy to say the least (I think even a little lag would cause it to fail) and resulted in a lot of unnecessary wipes. Their answer was the system we have now, which I saw last night while taking a new guild member through the fight.

While it may not be perfect, it is much better than it used to be. I also know a dev recently said they are looking at the fight and planning to make it a bit less frustrating.

To the OP, it sounds like you got some great advice and offers of help in this thread. Definitely take people with you through the fight. Not only is it much easier, but it is more fun, imo, as well.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Genuine question here. Do you believe that wing 4 has already done this? I do. Except that it’s reverse of what you’ve mentioned. The base difficulty is the “easy mode” and the challenge motes are more difficult.

The differences between this option and what you’ve proposed is actually better for those who want an easier raiding tier.

1. Easy mode being the “normal” versus the “click this to activate easy mode” likely results in better rewards for the easier mode. If you as to activate the easy mode, I doubt ANET would give the same rewards that it currently gives.

2. You don’t have to limit your search for “easy mode” for finding players. By nature it is more straightforward to find groups for the mode that has no additional activation requirement.

If the fights were 100% exactly the same, but the easy mode was activated and the challenge note was base, would we still be having this conversation? I personally think we would simply because I don’t believe the “pro easy mode” community feels wing 4 is easy enough, which I disagree with.

I understand your point (for 3 of the 4 fights in wing 4) – and I think for those three fights, we are close to where we should be – just not quite there. The problem is systemic rather than fight based. The raids are still balanced around the meta (as well they should be), creating a significant disparity between professions in the instance. I realize they are more forgiving, and that the meta isn’t required, but the gulf between top builds and bottom is still significant and limiting.

And, of course, there is still the last fight. Even if the first three could be considered easy mode, players would still be excluded from the story and experience of the wing because of that encounter. In order for your example to work, that fight would need an easier mode as well.

However, I still feel the issue isn’t about purely easy vs hard as much as it is about playstyle and build variety. Those players that enjoy the math of the game – or copying meta builds and rotations – enjoy raids in their current form. But, most players that don’t enjoy that kind of limiting playstyle find them tedious and frustrating.

The idea of tiered difficulty is about offering a less frustrating experience for those players who don’t enjoy min-maxing (and I realize any build can probably beat the raid in the hands of skilled players – that is not what we are talking about here – were talking about an enjoyable experience based on playstyle).

If that can be done without compromising the harder difficulties (which the challenge mote concept shows clearly they should be able to do), then it is silly not to do so.

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

There are games out there that have 2-3 times harder content than GW2 raids. On those forums usually people ask how to progress in the content. Strategies, advice, tips……
Here people asked for things to be catered to them. It’s embarassing really….

Yeah… almost like those games were targeted at different people or something…
Surprising, right?

(When i want to play a hard game, i play a hard game. GW2 i play for completely different reasons however).

So then….don’t raid. There’s still other content in the game that doesn’t offer the difficulty, dungeons, raids, open world gameplay, doing adventures, story missions, etc.

This is just a bad answer – and one we see repeated often by many arguing against tiered difficulty.

If the answer is “don’t” do the content, then there is a problem. All of those other game modes you mention – even PvP and WvW – the people who develop them all want MORE people playing them, not fewer. The idea that they developed any of those things for just a small percentage of the game population is ludicrous. It would be the sure-fire easiest way to make sure that game mode failed.

The same is true of raids. Designing it as the special snowflake mode in a game where that kind of design simply isnt the norm is just bad design.

Yes, people looking for a challenge need more content in this game – but implementing that content at expense of accessibility and player build diversity is taking the game in a new – and poorly thought out – direction. The answer is tiered difficulty across the board – making as much of the game as possible appealing to divergent playstyles without compromising on the others.

And, in raids, it is definitely possible (as illustrated by the use of challenge motes – just make the base line experience harder and use the motes to provide story or training access).

And, to the point about how people look at raids in other games. Keep in mind that, in other games (most anyway), this tiered system already exists. Believe it or not, that system gives the developers greater flexibility to make encounters in higher tiers MORE difficult, not less – because they don’t have to worry as much about how many people are playing the single mode version of the raid (as a side note, it would also open up raids as a viable storytelling tool in the game – allowing for more creative development there as well). If opponents to this idea started realizing this and were open to a little change, you might actually see raid encounters that are truly difficult.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

The raids need an easy "story mode"

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

There is a reason this thread keeps naturally reoccuring on both these forums and on Reddit.

  • A story mode would not detract from the difficulty of the experience in regular raid modes. Something you don’t see, experience or care to do does not impact what you are actually doing – common sense tells us that.
  • This would – most likely – not take away one second from the development of the regular mode or any other content in the game. We know this because of the inclusion of “challenge motes” in the last raid wing. They could have simply made the challenge encounters the baseline ones and used the motes for something people were actually asking for – story or training access (hopefully repeatable, but if not, that is at least a step in the right direction). Almost no raider I know likes the way the challenge motes work now – so why not use those resources on something people have actually been asking for?
  • (Almost) nobody is asking for the same rewards. Of course the more difficult encounters should offer greater rewards.

It is inevitable. They can only ignore these continual requests for so long before realizing they are just pushing people away (people that were once their biggest fans/financial supporters, in fact).

Ohoni and astralporing asked for the same rewards. Way back when.

EDIT: sorry my bad, you did say almost.

I definitely do not believe lower difficulties should give the same – or anywhere near the same – reward that actual high level raids do. In fact, I would be fine with a champion bag or, at the VERY most, a magnetite shard or two. It really is just about the experience and having something fun to do with my friends.

I think you will find a lot of people actually feel this way about it.

Suggestion: Nightmare Court arc of HoT a raid

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

You know normally i’d be against this on principal because it’s main story….

However, i can see this being used to bridge the divide if executed properly.

Scale things back and make this a complete novice raid scenario (the “easy mode”) if you will. Make it strictly about telling the story while having some fun fights that aren’t completely oppressive to people who have been reluctant to raiding(For clarity sake lets say its a lane fight akin to DS or a tower defense section). Let it be as rewarding to unlock the mastery track but not so much as to hand out new/unique skins/LI.

Then everyone can have their compromise and eat it too right ?

Definitely this.

And I agree that, as long as it is tuned (or, even better, tiered) for everyone interested in the PVE story, then I think it would be a good fit for the game.

Raids should be considered another means through which developers can tell interesting and fun stories – as long as there is a way for everyone to realistically enjoy them regardless of playstyle, choice of profession, etc.

To summarize, I agree that the OP has a good idea. it would just require a little compromise in the design.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

In short, i’d love to see a LFR type of raid mode, but only if it is a reasonable request for the devs to implement.

Agreed. It really is as simple as this.

And I do think it’s reasonable.

In the last wing, they added challenge motes – something most hardcore raiders didn’t ask for and didn’t really enjoy.

For what I think would be comparable effort, they could have made the harder versions the baseline and used the time spent on the motes to implement the easier version – either through motes or a separate instance. I dont see how it would have been any more time intensive than what they spent on the CM versions (a mechanic that, again, most raiders didnt care for anyway) – and it would have met this need well.

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

You need to accept that this is what raids are.
Open world is the easiest content.
Fractals are instanced content on 4 levels ( kitten,T3,T4).
Meta Events are open world easy group content.
Raids are instance hard content.
There is nothing that its not the identity of the game, you people pull this argument off thin air.
You want to change a content to fit what you like, which is selfish.

The forums are here – in part – to discuss what we feel should be – or we would like to see – changed. That is the whole point of threads like these. And I think enough people see an issue here to warrant ongoing discussion (at the very least)

And please stop with the insulting “selfish” and “you people”-style comments. It would be just as easy to say that raiders not wanting this are being just as selfish – not wanting to see their private club opened to the unwashed public (IM NOT SAYING THIS – it is just to prove a point). The truth is the “selfish” argument – from either side, is ridiculous.

This isnt about entitlement or selfishness. It is about changes people would personally like to (or, not like to) see implemented. Leave the veiled insults out of it. They add nothing to the conversation.

You never say that this easy mode raids are what you want, you say that it what everyone wants.
You say a lot of things like:
“Its to the better of the game”
“Raids are hurting the game”
“Raids need to catter to everyone”
You are not bringing arguments, you claiming things like truth without prove to sustain it.
So with lies like that you cant have a discussion, if you want to have a discussion about something bring prove to backup your words.
Everytime I asked for prove, like when you say that raids are not acessible because of meta, then i ask you, what builds? then you say “I dont know what build my group were using”.
You like to claim a lot of things, but you never bring data to backup it up.

Ive covered all of your points many times over in this and other threads.

The reality is I’m not going to give you the data you say is critical to the argument because:

  • I don’t remember the builds of everyone in these groups because – as I stated THE FIRST TIME – we wanted to keep the game open to many different builds and playstyles, so – so, outside of making sure core roles were filled (tanks, healers, condi when needed) for the most part I never knew them (and it was almost a year ago – use some common sense).
  • It isn’t critical to the argument AT ALL. Different people play the game differently. It isnt about the numbers and builds for everyone. That is the whole point of an easier mode – so that people not obsessed with the math of the game can still enjoy it.

I know you see the issue here – even if you dont want to publicly admit it. This is common sense stuff. Not everyone plays the game with a calculator and spreadsheet to determine the most “efficient” path. Some find fun in the diverse builds, the fun (for them) mechanics, the friendships they form with their guildees, etc.

And, for the 1000th time, there is nothing wrong with wanting raids to be a part of that experience – especially (and I try really hard to always emphasize this) WHEN IT WOULDN’T TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM THE CHALLENGING PART OF THE RAID EXPERIENCE.

It may be that we are speaking two different languages here – that we will never get the point the other is trying to make because we are approaching the topic from very different perspectives. That is fine. It is also why I’m gonna bow out of this continual back and forth loop with you now.

So, please try to temper the insults – they really don’t help your case at all – and only serve to turn what should be a level headed discussion into something else entirely.

I may revisit this thread, but not this particular back and forth. It really has played out.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)

Did GW2 lose its identity?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

You need to accept that this is what raids are.
Open world is the easiest content.
Fractals are instanced content on 4 levels ( kitten,T3,T4).
Meta Events are open world easy group content.
Raids are instance hard content.
There is nothing that its not the identity of the game, you people pull this argument off thin air.
You want to change a content to fit what you like, which is selfish.

The forums are here – in part – to discuss what we feel should be – or we would like to see – changed. That is the whole point of threads like these. And I think enough people see an issue here to warrant ongoing discussion (at the very least)

And please stop with the insulting “selfish” and “you people”-style comments. It would be just as easy to say that raiders not wanting this are being just as selfish – not wanting to see their private club opened to the unwashed public (IM NOT SAYING THIS – it is just to prove a point). The truth is the “selfish” argument – from either side, is ridiculous.

This isnt about entitlement or selfishness. It is about changes people would personally like to (or, not like to) see implemented. Leave the veiled insults out of it. They add nothing to the conversation.

Blocking dps meters

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Blaeys.3102

Blaeys.3102

Silly arguments about legality and debates about whether or not meters belong in the game at all aside -

If a group or leader makes it clear they are using a tool that evaluates the group and you individually up front, then it is on the player to decide if they want to join that group.

If a leader or any other member uses a tool like this and chooses not to tell you about it until they want to criticize, then they are a toxic troll and you should leave the group and make a note not to run with them in the future. Enough people do this in Pugs and the people doing this will quickly find themselves with no one to play with.

Basically, as long as people are open about the use of these tools up front, I dont see an issue.

Maybe some industrious player could come up with a tool that told players when other players were using these tools. That would be a nice fix, imo.

or, possibly, came up with a tool that somehow blocked or misrepresented your personal data in such a way as to invalidate the use of such tools directed at you (but not other players) – as a way to combat the trolls using the tool without saying anything.

(edited by Blaeys.3102)