Those of you who have been playing this game a while know that ANet loves this concept of open world “chests.”
So far, there have been ones for almost all the major events, and almost every time they result in the same problem for players. What is normally a friendly, helpful, and chatty community, suddenly turns into a competitive, greedy, foul-mouthed, bunch of jerky-jerks.
Ironically, this happens during festivals which should be full of cheer and joy. :/
The problem is that these spawning nodes of “fun” have mechanics that promote greed, instead of cooperation. For example:
1. They usually drop something that players want badly (ie. Weapons, minis, tickets)
This means that players are encouraged to farm them fast, and farm them as often as possible. Waiting for players, or helping them kill the mobs does nothing but slow you down.
2. They typically have an achievement attached to them.
If loot wasn’t enough of an incentive to rush from node to node, the fact that if players want to get the achievement before the event is over (usually some stupidly high number of nodes found is the goal), then you need to maximize your runs.
3. Players are required to “tag” mobs for credit.
If you want that loot, you better be the first one there, and you better be able to hit as many things as fast, and as much as you can. Risking losing a drop, or credit because you decided to wait for other players to show up is not the best strategy.
4. These things are predicable.
They spawn in the same spots, at the same times. Nothing encourages camping/speed farming more than knowing where something is going to be, and when. Geez, we now have API’s in the game that will tell where to be and when. Everyone just blasts around the map, trying to out run, and out gun everyone.
5. They show up on the main map.
Somehow every player in Tyria becomes clairvoyant because they can see every node pop up on the map. These are not, “oh cool, I came across a node,” it’s, stare at the map, finger ready to pounce so you can get the jump on everyone else.
The reality is that these things are ridiculous. They are a bad way to make up for the fact that ANet loves RNG, but has to cater to the players who generally find it to be terrible. They know players will fit over them, which encourages them to spend gems and buy BL chests to avoid all the frustration.
But, is there another way? I believe so.
Here is what I would do to bring back the spirit of GW2, while still allowing players an alternative to being forced to buy RNG boxes.
1. Make them truly random.
First, these should spawn randomly everywhere in Tyria. Yes, I mean randomly. That way, they aren’t able to be camped, or speed farmed by players. When one pops up, and players are by it, it becomes a dynamic event.
2. Treat them like dynamic events.
Have them scale, and allow players who participate to get event credit. This would help eliminate this mad rush, where low level players are screwed over because they don’t have the strength or speed to beat high level players to the nodes. Of they scale, then it would give more time for everyone to get there.
3. You participate, you get a drop.
If a player helps, they get loot. Just like the Maw, or dragons, or whatever. You don’t have to compete for how many you can tag, because once the last enemy is gone, everyone gets the loot.
4. Less drops, more chance.
This whole RNG idea of opening thousands of chests and getting nothing is going to drive most casuals away, and leave this game with a few very broke players who, when aren’t gaming, are in gamblers anonymous. Make chests that drop less frequent, but with a higher chance. This means that working for them requires less grind, and less frustration.
5. Sell the sought after items.
There are three kinds of players (for sake of this argument). Those who are broke, and must resort to farming RNG boxes. Those who will spend a little, to absurd amounts of real money for a chance at a rare item. And finally, those who will outright spend money to just buy the thing they want.
ANet seems to think they can “persuade” people to buy RNG boxes by making it so time consuming and frustrating to get them for free. This is unfortunately the same backwards thinking the music/movie industry has.
Instead of just offering players what they what, at a reasonable price and selling a huge amount, they feel its better to get a lot of money from those who have the money, or can’t help themselves spending it, and making everyone else cranky, tired, and broke.
Anyway, RNG sucks.
Either way, I wish ANet would keep the concept, but refine it so players enjoy working together and feel good about the time they’re spending in game. Humans can only endure so much frustration for little reward before they go find positive things to spend their time and money on.
