Guild Wars 2

I would agree…provided there is a clear differentiation between using the LFG tool and using a completely pre-made group. If you form your own complete group before going in, I agree that you should have a fair amount of control. If, however, you are forming a group and then using LFG to fill it out, the players that come through that process should also be protected from arbitrary actions by the leader.

The issues that I have are not generally related to extended play in the zones…as I tend to “work my way around” (largely because I am cheap). My issue…and it is a huge one for me…is that in my play I very frequently tend to go to a particular place in the world for a very particular purpose and do not want to spend vast amounts of time getting there. Example…I like to go buy eggplant down in Mount Maelstrom. I go down there when I need it…and don’t want to traverse the entire zone to get it. I go in…get what I want…get out. Another example…I like to go farm artichokes in Straits of Devastation and Mount Maelstrom. Again…I want to get in…get what I want…and get out.

Occasionally, a guild member will want help with something out in the world. I enjoy going out to help them but really do not want a lot of travel time involved. I travel to a WP close to where I need to be…help the player…and WP out. Within the zones, I will often respond to a request for help from random players trying to do a particular skill point or something of that nature. If I can WP in close to them…help them out…and then go about my business, that is great. Otherwise, I am not likely to spend ten minutes traveling through a zone to help someone for 15 seconds or so.

These are my concerns. I don’t care much about mounts one way or the other…but I like having the ability to travel to where I want to be. Just as an aside…since the waypoints have been here since the beginning of GW2 (I did not spend much time in GW1), they are “part of the game” for me and using them does not break my “immersion”…at least as I understand it.

Not to say your points are wrong…I just look at it a bit differently.

IPhyton.2348:

Direwolf.8796:

I appreciate the value of constructive feedback but the online GW2 community just seems so ungrateful and unappreciative Just think of the negative image you are portraying for new/potential players. I think more people should know how great this game really is.

If I was Anet and I read all the crap people complain about I would find it a little disheartening. So I’m posting for the first and only time to say the following:

Anet, I love this game and I think you guys have done a fantastic job. Thank you for all your hard work! Dont forget there are people that really appreciate this game and work thats gone in to it.

New & Potential players, come and give this game a shot and decide for yourself if you like it Don’t get caught up in the negativity of some people . The complainers are the loudest voices but there is a great community in this game if you give it a try.

-happy GW2 player

Well I’m glad you are happy with the game. That being said how long have you played the game actively? My point is the game is amazing for new players because that’s who they cater to. Being that MMO’s are long term games gw2 does very little to keep veterans engaged. So please do not discredit the opinions from others specially from those who have been around prob much longer than you and have suggested fixes that you enjoy so much today.

Your points are well taken…to some extent. You do, however, leap to a conclusion that OP is a new player and that is the reason for his satisfaction. I have no idea how long he has played…but I have played since the very first beta weekend continually and share his satisfaction. This is not meant to say that your opinions and suggestions are not valid or needed…just that you leap to some unwarranted assumptions that color your post.

Honestly would not matter to me. I play the way that I want and if others want to level their characters a different way, I do not care.

I tend to select zones to work in based on…well…whatever I happen to feel like at the time. What I find, though, is that by the time I hit 80, I am not done with the map (not including WvW). I don’t do WvW and I don’t do dungeons…so world activities in the zones provide plenty of XP if (as others have said), you take a broader look at the zones available.

Subscription versus no subscription is a secondary issue to me and is only relevant when I consider the enjoyment I get from the game. If I enjoy and look forward to logging in, then I am not averse to a subscription. When the game begins to feel like “work” then I refuse to pay for the opportunity to do something that feels more like a job.

GW2 happens to have no subscription, which is good, I guess. I play, though, because I truly enjoy the game. I look forward to logging in and I find that I have fun when I play.

I had some extra gems left in my account with nothing much on the horizon…so I bought one. I kinda like it. My Asura engineer has gained new status in the world riding around standing up on the rug…which, by the way, has my guild logo on it.

As others have said, it doesn’t affect movement, although if you try to activate a command to increase your speed while on it (such as an elixir), it will dismount you. I wonder…if I put my clumsy, gawking Norn on one…will it make him graceful and sleek? Alas…probably not. All in all…kinda fun.

Another part of the problem is that MMOs, by their very nature, must satisfy the needs of hundreds of thousands…even millions…of players. It is inevitable that something in a game that is spot on for one player will be “broken” for another player. One of the hardest lessons that I had to learn with MMOs was that just because I felt something was wrong did not make it wrong. In many cases, things I absolutely hated were absolutely loved by other players. Getting that balance right for a wide diversity of play styles and preferences is…as others have noted…very complex.

I have had the same problem the last few times I have been roaming around Orr. That is the only event that I had problems with…but have had the same problems with it multiple times.

I agree with some other posters here that the appropriateness of the comment is tied necessarily to context. If I were to state a preference for a game that employs the trinity, has constantly increasing tiers of content with related gear, has flying mounts, and open world PVP, then likely someone would observe that this game is probably not for me…and they would be correct.

If, on the other hand, I say that Arenanet should do something about the condition damage cap issue or that some type of guild housing should be explored, that (at least in my opinion) should not draw a “not the game for you” response. In other words…there are a number of improvements, bug fixes, additions, etc. that could be made to the game and still remain within the overall identity of GW2. There are, however, things that clearly are outside that vision…well outside the vision…and those who desperately desire those things would be better off looking at other games.

BTW…I just came from WoW because, after a lot of years of watching the changes, I decided it was “not the game for me.”

My opinion…nothing more….nothing less. I find that my five weapon skills unlocked by 10 with my utility skills coming later worked okay for me. As I said…perhaps not others.

And, yes, I “tried playing World of Warcraft”…for seven years…raiding, dungeons, etc. But even WoW does not start you out with that bloat. In fact, in the first ten levels you have typically only two or three truly useful, active skills.

My point was that…for a truly new player, it was more helpful to me (my opinion…my preferences) to get my skills and abilities at a slower pace than perhaps others might. I learn them better…and appreciate them more.

As I said, though…others will feel differently and that is fine.

I have been following the threads related to the new system…although I have not posted before now because all of my characters were higher level. So, last night I decided to “give it a shot” just to see for myself. I started with the idea that the changes were largely targeted mostly to"new players" rather than veteran players starting new alts. I realize this creates a bit of a disconnect since I have been around since the first beta weekend…but I tried to mentally transport myself back to when I first “stepped into the world.” That said, I did come away with perhaps a slightly different take.

First, I did find that…or at least it seemed to me…that leveling 1-15 was much faster than before. I did not use any boosts at all. I did a starting zone (Wayfarer Foothills) and my personal story at level 10 and was level 17 when I graduated to Snowden Drifts. I admit I did a few vistas, WPs, and POIs in Hoelbrak as I came across them but did not go out of my way to get any. That seems pretty fast compared to pre-patch experiences.

Second, I found, with the gating of abilities, that I focused a lot more attention on the abilities I had. Yes…I had to spam “1” for a level but after that, I carefully considered each new skill I received and, most importantly, I made a use of them as I got them because I was not inundated with new abilities all at one time. Now…this is where I am likely to concede that these changes, while great for a brand new player, may not be to the liking of a veteran starting a new alt. But…from my recollections of being new, this seemed much better paced to me and I did not in any way feel “kitten.”

New mapping stuff…I really do like. I had not really noticed on my high level characters but when starting the new guy…the stuff was really helpful…again, trying to look through the eyes of a new player.

I was generally okay with waiting until level 10 for the PS. Again…as a brand new player, there is a lot to absorb and my perspective is that waiting until level 10 brought that new piece of the game at just about the right time. I did all of the level ten chapter in one sitting…and found it slightly challenging at times (not overly so) and fun. I also concede that, for a veteran player…this may not come across as well.

So, these are just a few of my observations…based solely on my own opinions and preferences. Clearly…others will disagree and that is fine. At least now I have given it a shot and can at least relate to what everyone is saying.

Having trouble on them as well…on my level 80 characters. Says that I am unable to use the item at the particular time. Am out of combat…and do no see any other conditions that might be causing this. Hopefully, just a bug and will be fixed.

Seera.5916:

Crossplay.2067:

bradldz.3728:

Well, tbh, a lot of map completionists dont understand this one thing, wvw is not a solo game. Join a group/commander and take objectives, and you will get most of the things you need in a couple of days, maybe in a server that doesnt do well you have to wait for colours to rotate… But wvw map completion isn’t supposed to be like regular map completion, so removing other borderlands or eb makes no sense, where is the challenge if you just visit places you own? Objective of wvw is to take objectives.

The problem I have with your reasoning is that map completion is a personal achievement. What sense does it make to need a group in order to obtain a personal achievement? That’s like gathering 30 people to help you pick out a new car.

I did WvW maps 99.9% solo. It was not 100% because I saw map chat pop up that they were headed to take a place I needed. I never once asked for help. It’s possible to do solo. It just takes a lot more patience to do so.

Although it has taken me “forever,” I am two POIs away from my map completion and it has all been solo. But…and this has made all the difference…I am patient. It is not a major thing for me. I plunk around at it from time to time when the mood strikes. Am currently just waiting the WvW reset that puts my realm in the right place…and I am done.

So, although I am not a PVP person at all, I am okay with this the way it is.

Thanks for the compliment…but I am not that quick-witted. But thanks for thinking the best of me…

Was playing my ranger tonight…but didn’t try this out. Definitely gonna give that a shot. Thanks.

Proposal Overview: An in-game guild calendar system that would allow for posting notices of events as well as for guild members to respond (will attend….will not attend…tentative…unsure…etc.)

Goal of Proposal: To allow for scheduling diverse guild events that might not be recurring events in a way that will allow guild members to quickly see “what is going on.” It can also help event planners to gauge interest in an event so that they do not plan to do something and then have no one show up.

Functionality: I envision this as a calendar format accessible from within the guild panel. By clicking on a day, an initiator could bring up a dialogue window that would allow them to create an event, set criteria or parameters for participation, and create a sign-up list based on the guild roster that would allow a person to accept, decline, tentative accept, etc.

Associated Risks: The two big things that I see as risks are (1) having a large number of members that do not check the guild panel and (2) having the inevitable problem of people who sign up but do not show up at events. Both of these situations, which do not seem unlikely at all, could render this less effective.

I can’t say that enjoy it but I do tolerate it well. My biggest single complaint is what I consider “severe” restrictions on the utility skills, especially the elite skills. If they could come up with a set of exciting, effective utility skills that didn’t make me feel like I was being punished for fighting underwater, I might feel differently.

Welcome to the game! Lots to see and do. Enjoy…

I also get pretty much all I need by running the world boss train maybe a three or four times per week. On the other hand, I am pretty patient when crafting ascended gear so I am never in really big hurry.

I agree with Miku. It was not a positive change for me but certainly not anything that rises to the level of a game changer.

Nicely done. A good read.

I want mounts that we can duel and they will drop precursors.

We can ride to the duels on our mounts since all of the WPs will be gone.

Teofa Tsavo.9863:

Update: The Road Goes On and On.

“In order to let each player further explore and experience YOUR story in the world of GW2 we will be removing a number of waypoints from the game. The thrill and community building aspect of simply traveling the world in huge, angry mobs is an experience we know you will come to value.

To enhance this “Comraderie of The Road” we will be introducing two new Companion NPCs, a feature often asked for. Players will have a choice of recruiting either Jar Jar Quaggan or Adoring Fan Quaggan. Jar Jar will provide endless hours of comedic relief, and AF will regale you with constant gushing adoration of every move you make. (in keeping with our philosophy on Heroes, neither will be combat capable, but there will be a movement debuff if the Road Companion is dismissed or dies)

See you on the Road!!!"

Two enthusiastic thumbs up!!!

Teon.5168:

This is already in game with consummables/trinkets/rewards that provide xp, magic find, karma, and such bonuses for limited amounts of times. They show up as drops, rewards, and are also buyable on the TP and in the gem store……can also be had in guilds with certain guild bonuses.

Yup…but still there is something intriguing and even a bit exciting in having some special in-game benefit, perk, whatever…tied to a specific weekend or holiday. I don’t have a lot of pre-conceived notions about what that might be, but I think the OP’s ideas could provide a good starting point for discussions.

I have never been one to rage quit a game and would not do so if WPs were reduced or removed. I end up leaving games as it becomes more like work at a bad job than entertainment. Routine travel, all things considered, is not fun. The first time it is exciting…lots of wondrous stuff to see…new experiences. With 11 characters…not so much. Keep in mind that while some players relish the constant combat and challenge, others just want to get from point A to point B. My classic example is occasionally I go down to Mount Maelstrom to purchase eggplant from the karma vendor. I WP down, make the purchase, WP back and do my cooking. I don’t want or need a scenic tour.

Anything that makes the game more tedious and more like a bad job than entertainment shifts the ratio of enjoyment to tedium. At some point, games really can be like going to work on Monday morning at at job you hate.

ozmaniandevil.6805:

There is a problem in that the SEARCH funtion has never worked in these forums. Add to that, that if you try to add to a thread that isn’t new, the moderators will often lock it and tell you to start a new one… but… sometimes not… ’cuz they be messing with us all the time.

I agree some things should be stickied. Then we can stop making multiple of the same thread, rehashing everything until well past dead.

Agreed….good points.

Eggman.1405:

If they were going to change anything with pets’ names, it would be nice if they persisted once a named animal goes back into your pet bank. I stopped giving my pets interesting names once I saw that functionality.

Agreed. I would be very happy if they changed this.

So…the OP, unless I am reading the post incorrectly, is not in favor of mounts. The post, though, is not so much a blatant statement against mounts as it is against threads that favor mounts. Without really passing any judgment at all on the mount issue itself, we might extend this argument to any thread that supports something that we don’t want to see in the game. So, for me:

No more threads about dueling
No more threads about removing waypoints
No more threads about player or guild housing
No more threads about GvG

I jest, I jest. No, I do not want to see those things in the game myself but I realize that those are important to other people. Part of the purpose for forums, at least for me, is to gain some insight into what is on the minds of other players, whether I agree with them or not.

So…respect that there are different opinions about some of these topics and, if we remain civil and respectful, the forums seem a good place to discuss them.

I am not an expert on this, but I believe that Arenenet has gone to transmutation charges…a form of currency of a sort. All of the stones and crystals in your inventory should have either been converted or be easily converted to these charges, which reside in your wallet. I still get the random transmutation charge, sometimes in zone completion boxes or other random rewards. You double-click to consume them and then they go into your wallet. Being in the wallet, they are account bound. When you go to transmute something, it will bring up a screen that tells you how many charges it will cost.

Again…I am not an expert in this…some others might be able to give you a better rundown but I believe this is pretty much how it works now.

chemiclord.3978:

I’m of two minds when it comes to RNG.

RNG “in game” is a fairly necessary evil in order to keep people invested, chasing that “one thing” they don’t have. Having everything a “guarantee” after X amount of hours kinda turns it into work rather than something spontaneous.

RNG in terms of “store” items is effectively gambling, and I have no taste for it. But I also know a ton of people do (casinos and state lotteries are some of the biggest money makers in the U.S.), so the only thing I can do is shake my head and not support it.

I am pretty much like this. I enjoy the in-game RNG where you have the potential to get something cool from a drop, box, or whatever. Whether I am “farming” it or just get it by surprise, it is nice. But, like Chem, I don’t enjoy the “gambling” and so my risk is limited strictly to my time and effort.

I have a Norn and an Asura warrior. They are both good but…my bias…I love the Asura. Part of it is simply the physical contradiction (if that is the right word) – tiny but powerful. And…as a race they have an attitude which I appreciate.

I agree that, compared to other MMOs that I have played, the re-spawn rates seem much faster. I have found, though, that once I acclimated to it, it is all pretty easy to deal with. For me, it gets to be kind of a rhythm in my head as a fight groups of mobs. You almost get a “sense” of when they will re-spawn.

Well….looks like the original post was deleted so post above looks kinda weird. Sorry bout that.

Most places it seems okay to me…although I think by design things re-spawn in 60-90 seconds, if memory serves. I have found that soloing areas where there are groups of mobs accompanied by one or two veterans, it can become very annoying. Last night at a skill point in Wayfarer Foothills…back in the area with the Sons of Svanir and the ice elementals…it seems like I was in one long continuous fight. Eventually finished but it was incredibly annoying. I have found a few places like that but, in most cases, it seems okay.

As for the 5-10 second re-spawns, I have not had that experience. I have gone into areas where there were only one or two mobs standing and, as I killed them, more spawned immediately. I suspect, however, that this was due to the fact that some had been killed earlier by other players and the timing was such that they “appeared” to be immediate re-spawns.

This is just my experience…I expect others have had different experiences and I look forward to hearing what they say.

There have been a lot of good posts that make sense here. I would only add that price for any particular item or service is very rarely a static, set amount. It will go up and down based on product life cycle, emerging competition, general economic trends, the cost of inputs, and demand. I have come to a point in my life where I make purchase decisions based on my desire have the object and my sense of whether its utility for me justifies its price at that point in time. If I choose to buy at that point, then anything that happens with the price after the fact is irrelevant to me (unless I want additional copies of the thing). If I choose not to buy at that point, then perhaps at some point in the future either an increased sense of utility or decreased price will inform a decision to buy. Otherwise…not much point in worrying about it.

I am sure that each of us has our own particular gearing strategy for leveling. I have leveled 10 characters to 80…at least one of each profession.

My strategy is pretty constant. I craft master (green) gear every 15 levels (20, 35, 50, and 65)…everything from weapons to armor to accessories. They do just fine with that. My only problem was with my elementalist and, to be fair, I am a lousy elementalist player.

There are other ways to be sure…getting karma gear or even buying gear from the TP but, at least for me, the current system seems to work okay.

Purple Miku.7032:

I’m honestly perplexed as I read through some of the comments here. There are people that found some of the missions in the personal story challenging…!??!

I just about nearly was AFK for the whole thing, wth. What was I missing out on that was hard? I think the strongest mob in the whole personal story was uh… a veteran.

Clearly not everyone is quite the player that you are.

My views are really totally different than any I see here.

First, I really enjoyed the personal story and did all of it (except the final dungeon piece) solo. I thought that the missions were about the right length and difficulty. I died occasionally but rarely hit a “brick wall.” In one case, I spent three days (about an hour a day) and many different skill configurations to get past a mission but that was truly the exception.

Finally…I was very disappointed that the final mission was in a dungeon where I was forced to invite four others to my “personal story.” Nothing against dungeons or other players per se…I would just prefer that they not be a part of my own personal story. There are ample opportunities to group up with others. For me, the personal story was just more of an activity I went to when I wanted to play alone for a bit.

Just my own thoughts…clearly others feel differently.

All of the MMOs that I have played have had loot that had absolutely no value other than to vendor. I suppose that they could just increase the coin drop to equate to the junk that they took out of the game, although, it seems to me that having this junk drop does force us to pay attention to inventory management, bag space, etc.

I will end this by saying that the fact that all other MMOs doing it does not make it the right thing to do in GW2. The game is certainly different in many ways so perhaps another approach to loot might work as well.

grimdwa.2461:

Taygus.4571:

putting your items at 9g, doesn’t gurantuee they’ll sell, in fact huge chance they won’t…alot of people want to sell their item first… so they place it at a lower price,
than someone else places it lower and so own.

Its very difficult to make money with crafting, however with research, it’s also very possible.

Yes I know and Im willing to risk it, and in spite of what everyone says about supply an demand, though logical, its still implying that I should sell a product for less than the cost of the bus ride I took to get to the place I want to sell it. A bussines practice such as the one stated in real life, would mean that I would willingly owe more money for each item I make and keep making them beyond bankrupcy.

The only solid plan here would be to forgoe crafting and concentrate on farming for crafting materials which retain a solid price.

I understand the points here…but the kicker is that the crafting of items is not done exclusively as a means of making a profit. I know that my own crafting was specifically for the purpose of leveling so, at least for me, the gold I spent was sunk costs. After the fact, I will possibly sell them for whatever I can get but making a profit..or even making my money back is not a primary concern.

If I were running a business whose sole goal was engaging in commerce for the purpose of profit…yes, you are dead on. But selling my crafted items is, for me, a secondary activity at best.

Darthaemos.6370:

If there was wear and tear in this game, then it would have been cool for our armor to get more worn out, dirty and damaged the further we progressed without repairs. Then, we could have gone to a repair vendor and our armor would be new and shiny again (or back to however it was).

As it is, we could potentially have it so that as each piece gets damaged (after each death), the damaged piece would look worn out and, well, damaged. Then, when it eventually gets destroyed, it could just disappear like it currently does.

However, this is one of those things that are just nifty and cosmetic and will take an insane amount of work by ANET for them to make damaged/dirty/worn out versions of each armor piece for each race and gender, so I’d rather they just focus on things we really need.

This.

I have nothing against the idea in general. I agree that I would prefer, however, to see the effort put into other things. If development resources were unlimited, there are a lot of things that would be cool. Given the scarcity of resources, though, things like this kind of gravitate toward the bottom of my wish list.

An enthusiastic two thumbs up.

OP – very thoughtful post…thanks.

I see a lot of good ideas and thoughts in previous posts but something that I rarely see discussed in these forums relating to more challenging or substantive (whatever that means) content…is that the nature of content has been changing over the years. No, I am not talking about casuals or hardcores or anything like that. In thinking back to my beginning years in MMOs, raids and, to some extent, dungeons were not content that was conducive to a quick 30-45 minute jaunt. Guilds took weeks (months in the case of my guild) to clear raids. I can clearly recall a dungeon taking 4-6 hours (Maruadon or Sunken Temple for WoW veterans).

Now, our attention span is measured in minutes. The problem with open world events in this changing age is that they must be designed such that you can bring a large group of diverse people to the scene with an expectation of finishing in less than an hour…usually far less than an hour. Even dungeons have evolved so that they can be done easily over a lunch break or…heck, even a coffee break for some folks.

I regret that I do not have any good ideas for solving this dilemma. The issue certain transcends this particular game…I see the same arguments and the same issues in other game forums.

jia li ng.8415:

not to say I’m old but I remember key punch operators working endlessly to build files for the 1401 or the later 360, if that don’t date me. I remember playing chess via modem on what was to become known as “the internet” back in 1975. Pong was the first video game I played and I won’t even venture to guess how many different games I have played or at least sampled since then, I stumbled upon Guild Wars in February 2005, open beta and bought the Collector’s Edition after the experience … I crunch numbers, build and test everything … between Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, I collectively have 95 characters, 65 on the former and 30 on the later, I know lore and weapons, stats and various builds as well as any of the youngsters, but I think the main reason I love Guild Wars 2 is the fluidity of the game as it grows with you, and the friendly community of players that you meet along the path.

Wow…now that takes me back. Reading this I recall in a college programming class having to punch cards to submit to the computer center…so they could run my program for me.

Asacledhae.2650:

Well my friends, video gaming has no age. We play cause we love it, and we’re proud of it. It’s a way of life, a way to get together with your kids, a way to even fight the stress of the day. For me, it’s a ticket to relaxation, an escape from my daily routine. And of course, a ticket to RP with family, and friends.

And that’s what i mostly do in-game : PvE and Role Play.

As for my age? I can give a hint : I’m amongst those who saw the original Star Wars Episode IV (not the 90’s remake) on a movie theater.

Go ya one better…I took my kids (who were old enough to enjoy it) to the original Star Wars when it was released…good times.

Trying to remember waaaayyyyyy back…when I turned 50.

Am 65 this July and going strong.

Against my better judgment, I followed this thread through all of the crap slinging that inevitably occurs with any contentious topic.

Being firmly entrenched on the non-duel side, I am nonetheless heartened that some new, constructive voices have emerged on both sides of the issue and have produced some good ideas. A bit of empathy goes a long way. Thanks to you all and I hope that your continued dialogue produces results that both sides can get behind.