Showing Posts For Labjax.2465:

Let's talk about it: DPS Meters

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

DPS meters made WoW a static game. People would reject you because your class would pull as little as 2% less damage than another class, so they wouldn’t take you.

I’m pretty sure you never played WoW and pulled that out of your kitten . In WoW no one discriminates based on classes they do it based on logs and meters unless they’re a moron. If rogue 99th percentile does 10% less DPS than druid but rogue 95th percentile does 5% more than druid 90th percentile and you have 95th percentile logs you will get takes over a 90th percentile druid. So much comes down to execution and basically every class is good if you can do 95th percentile or higher.

In GW2 people currently discriminate based on classes for raids. For the 2nd boss Guardians/Necros/Thieves have no place and will never get into a serious group because they are perceived to have lower DPS (and afaik they do) and there is no way to prove differently.

Keep in mind a lot of the DPS meter hate is probably coming from people who left games with them feeling disenfranchised and came to GW2 in part to avoid them. So the irrational hatred is going to be strong in those people.

I don’t know that it’s actually possible to reason with such people, meaning no offense to their intelligence. Just that if the hatred is strong enough, there may be no room for consideration of other possibilities.

Somehow people turn a blind eye to the fact that GW2 already had, and has, toxic people in it, who act elitist with very poor justification for it. The only thing that would change with meters in terms of toxicity (in content where they matter / would be useful) is that people would be toxic with accurate information, instead of with inaccurate information.

But try to sell that to someone who hates meters. They will just tell you that meters are the herald of armageddon because they had a few bad experiences with them. Meanwhile they’re getting kicked out of a group for reasons that aren’t even grounded in solid evidence.

Makes my head spin. O.o

Or words to that effect.

too many transmutation charges

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I wish you could trade them. To me. For free.

Lol.

I have 9 characters and I’m always running out.

Or words to that effect.

So what IS the point of precursor crafting

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Apparently, the point is the trick people into thinking that they have some semblance of personal control over acquisition of a precursor, when the market and design are such that it actually makes a difference only in spirit.

Or words to that effect.

Gliders in Tyria .. will it ever happen ? [Merged]

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Knowing Anet it will probably take another year and it’ll be part of a mini expansion pack called “Heart of Nostalgia” that disables Heart of Thorns content and forces you to glide in old zones. It’ll also feature a return to the old trait system and the old legendaries will be removed from production to create scarcity.

They’ll also add a new legendary called “Sword” that requires you to swing at a wall 500,000 times to obtain it. But you’ll get banned if you try to AFK the process. Also, it will be soulbound because oops.

Also, they’ll have a gliding mastery track for each zone to glide in that zone and it will be a character bound mastery.

Or words to that effect.

GW2 is No Longer a Refuge :(

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I always see the “make the Guild Hall Upgrades scale with the number of members the guild has” FIX. What can stop me from kicking all my guild members,get the mats i need from them,get the upgrade and then invite them again…?!

It might be hard for small guilds to do stuff…but as many people said if you create a guild and you are 2-3 members…let’s be honest,how can you expect to do any content with that guild?
I am a guild leader since 14 november 2013 we had many members now we don’t …let’s say 10-15 daily online members,that is a small guild,yet we don’t complain about the upgrades and we work hard to get our amazing guild hall in a nice shape.
We got all the buildings (tents for now) available and many of the upgrades.
And we are working constantly on it.

What’s to stop people from mass inviting and acting like a big guild to get donations and then kicking half the members, for that matter?

If you reject every QOL fix that has the possibility of exploitation and loopholes, you’d end up with a game that is largely exploit free and chock full of irritating features.

Or words to that effect.

Let's talk about it: DPS Meters

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

The answer does not have to be complicated. Build meters into raids – meters that give information on basically everything the UI can get you relevant information on. Damage, healing, heck number of dodges if possible, number of utility skills used.

Put it all in there, make it something exclusive to raids, and let the community do the rest. There are people who are afraid of GW2 being too complicated for a DPS meter to reflect combat accurately… so give lots of information in addition to damage. Problem solved.

This doesn’t have to be one of those “all or nothing” situations, where meters have to proliferate across every facet of the game or they must never exist. The main need for them is in hair-trigger content (e.g. raids) and I’m sorry but if you want to attract any serious raiders from other games, none of them are going to come over to a game where meters are nonexistent, if not a bannable offense, when they can easily play tons of other games that endorse them readily.

Or words to that effect.

As your average casual player........

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Casual doesn’t mean unskilled.

Casual players are immensely hindered by the ridiculously long meta event cycles tied to the real-world clock. Casual players don’t plan their playing hours. They log in, and play.

Some of them are skilled enough to deal with any challenge in the new maps, except the challenge of needing to be online at specific times to participate in the only significant content on offer in the new maps.

Well, to be clear, since this is a thing that people often get confused… there are two main types of casual players:

  • Casual 1: Doesn’t have much time to play.
  • Casual 2: Isn’t interested in thinking too hard about game mechanics. Basically wants to kitten around all the time when playing.

(obviously one can be both, but not all are)

Same with “hardcore” players. There are those who call themselves hardcore because they invest a lot of time, but in reality, their mindset is more like Casual 2.

This is why I refer to myself as having a “hardcore mindset.” I could be playing one hour a week or 60 and I’d still be taking the mechanics seriously and thinking fairly hard about how stuff works.

Furthermore, casual and hardcore come with a lot of assumptions that simply aren’t true. For instance, people often act like hardcore players are the ones who are cool with grinding all day and casuals are the ones who want things handed to them. But casual players can like or not like a particular grind, same as hardcore players. The only real difference is in how they approach the grind.

People with a casual mindset actually seem to be more likely to enjoy grinds because they are so casual about it that it virtually never feels like one. While hardcore players, due to their focus on the mechanics, may at times be more efficient, but are actually more likely to hate grinds because their mindset means that it’s nearly impossible NOT to notice the grind while it’s happening.

Someone with a hardcore mindset who doesn’t have much time to play is probably the most likely to get upset about a lengthy grind for something they want.

The kneejerk place people go with this is to think that when the hardcore mind doesn’t like something, or vice-versa, it is their responsibility to come over to the casual side (or vice-versa). Nothing could be more absurd. Most of us think the way we do from genes and/or years of social conditioning. We don’t change overnight.

Or words to that effect.

Question :) HoT Key-Line Armor!

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

For crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (2 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch) crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For filling
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh or bottled Key lime juice (if using bottled, preferably Manhattan brand)
For topping
3/4 cup chilled heavy cream

(do not try this in game)

Omg dude… I needed that laugh. Thank you.

Or words to that effect.

HoT maps getting empty ?

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

LFG: “60% of the time, it works every time.”

Or words to that effect.

Unsustainable map design

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Those cooldowns actually have a point. The one between the breach and Vinewrath is very short and allows people to get themselves where they need to be and communicate a little to make sure all lanes are populated. The second one is actually a functioning phase by itself: the labyrinth. (That no one still plays because of map hopping and chest running being the more lucrative options.)

True dat.

Or words to that effect.

Unsustainable map design

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

If you are worried about reward/mat glutting due to farming specific event chains, I’m sure you can think of a better way than kittenblocking timers.

That way is already in place, oddly enough. Personal participation level will easily deal with map hopping to farm quick, easy and lucrative events.

Ah, fair point.

Oh and a clarification for my post (nothing to do with what you said Manasa): I realize SW already has a few cooldowns. They are, however, visible and not that long.

Or words to that effect.

Dear Anet: why i leave the game

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Everything revolves around money. The game is structured to encourage you to spend money in the gem store, because money is required to produce such an elaborate virtual world.

If it wasn’t for money more games would be just as creative and unique and fun as the games of old. But that’s the current system.

You said:
“Where the hell do people get off with this notion that it’s the player’s responsibility to figure out how to enjoy the game. How far have we fallen from classic video games?”

At this current state of the game market, it unfortunately IS the player’s responsibility to not go along with the guidance the corporate hands that are perpetually resting their palms on our wallets. It’s the players responsibility to resist the urge to be a rampant consumer and play the game like it’s a job, because the producers who have a leash around creativity’s neck sure aren’t going to take responsibility.

It’s the state of the world. People have to make a conscious choice about what and how to actually enjoy their free time, because modern society’s values are entrenched in capital gain and productivity, and if anyone goes with that mechanical flow they’re just going to keep falling into the grind mentality that makes them tend to treat even their leisure time like a full-time job. Happens to me sometimes. Happens to most of us.

If you want your classic games without all the stress and brimming with fun, you’ll have to wait for artists and creative minds to escape out from under the weight of the imaginary numbers MMOG we call “the economy”. :P

lol it’s late at night.

I call bull tho. Not only can you vote with your wallet, you can vote with your voice. Being defeatist and hoping that the artsy types will one day break free of corporate greed is wishful thinking. If you see the problem and agree there is one, you can make your voice heard on it.

It’s sort of like voting… if half the people assume their votes are useless and don’t bother, then the other half’s votes actually do become kinda useless. Every additional vote is another step closer to them being meaningful.

Or words to that effect.

Unsustainable map design

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I am noticing that things seem distinctly more deserted now that raids are out. Not really a surprise though. It’s one reason why the vanilla GW2 team never would have supported the idea of raids. Instancing people means there are less to play with each other in open world cooperative content.

Same thing with fractals and dungeons to a point (at least they are smaller and generally less of an ongoing time sink though).

Some will probably trickle back when the hype dies down, but it’s hard to say. It could actually get worse over time as the details of legendary armor come to the forefront, the jealousy sets in, and people start flooding raids with “I want that too” syndrome.

That said, I agree with the others that SW’s model was great (so why break it?). The only reason a decent SW map goes by so fast now is because people have sorted out the mechanics and the teamwork and largely don’t make big blunders (like losing a fort or two). This whole thing about timers and cooldowns needs to go. All you are doing is taking choice out of the equation, discouraging efficient gameplay, and putting half the PvE playerbase in a perpetual state of “wrong place at the wrong time.”

If you are worried about reward/mat glutting due to farming specific event chains, I’m sure you can think of a better way than kittenblocking timers.

Oh and yea, categories for Open World PvE in LFG. Kthnx.

Or words to that effect.

Dear Anet: why i leave the game

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

forum page bug………….

Or words to that effect.

Dear Anet: why i leave the game

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

HoT is not a grind, you made it by wanting everything immediately.
Instead why woudln’t you just explore, do stuff and events, clear achievements and do story? I’m 1 month in, basically al masteries unlocked and never felt the grind.

Also: can i haz ur stuff plz?

Where the hell do people get off with this notion that it’s the player’s responsibility to figure out how to enjoy the game. How far have we fallen from classic video games?

Ocarina of Time isn’t one of my favorite games because I played it the right way, or changed my mindset so that I would enjoy it. It’s one of my favorite games because from start to finish, it exuded playful joy at every turn.

But these modern games, they condition you to focus on the grind. You try to put it on this guy, but the game pulls your eyes to the numbers at every turn. Pulls your eyes to the currency costs and coin gain and mat requirements. I don’t know how anyone “ignores the grind” in a game like GW2 other than through active forgetfulness. Like self-induced memory loss or something.

I can only assume it’s a matter of playing with other people in such a way that the presence of those people distracts you from the gameplay. Because if you pay full attention to the gameplay, the numbers are in your face all the time. They call that “good UI design,” ha.

Seems like nowadays the average consumer of video games wouldn’t know quality if it bit them in the neck and stayed there. Somehow people have been hoodwinked into believing that it’s their responsibility (and by extension, other peoples’ responsibility) to enjoy the product, and not the product’s responsibility to deliver.

I feel old talking about this, even though I’m not. It feels like there’s a generation of gamers that has replaced the one I was once a part of. Some of them even people who played back in the day, but have forgotten what it was like. The new generation is desperate to prove to themselves and everybody else that games are amazing right now. Because they so want to believe it, in the way that the guy who paid $20 for a theater ticket wants to believe that what they just watched was good, even if it was crap.

Some days, I really feel like a stranger here.

Or words to that effect.

Dear Anet: why i leave the game

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Love some of the comments blaming the user for his broken product.

It’s truly mind-blowing the lengths people will go to deny that their choice of game could possibly be at fault sometimes. It’s almost like there are people roving the forums just looking for someone to jump on and say, “Gotch you! It’s all your fault!”

Probably projection, I’m guessing. Lot of guilt-ridden people browsing the forums. In my experience, those who simply take responsibility for their actions aren’t much the type to preach at others to do the same. They are more concerned with the dirt on their own porch. It’s the ones who secretly don’t take responsibility who are looking for someone to project their own problems onto.

Or words to that effect.

GW2 is No Longer a Refuge :(

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Small guilds do small guild things. From the perspective of the game, I don’t really see it making much sense to have a guild hall if you have a 3 person guild in the first place. based on the requirements, I don’t think Anet does either, though I don’t believe anything stops you from trying, which is really the point. You aren’t blocked from getting the mats needed for whatever upgrades you’re after.

If everything in game design “made sense,” there wouldn’t be things like scantily clad characters taking 14k damage in a single hit and staying alive.

These sort of arguments invariably devolve into a level of examination that does not hold up under scrutiny.

That said, the prevailing question should always be something along the lines of, “Are players going to enjoy this?” And then if you want to get a bit more specific, you can ask things like, “What player demographic will most enjoy this?” or “How do we market this?”

I still think Guild Hall design was a marketing decision, which would fit with the direction of stuff like the NPE. Streamlining and simplifying. It allows them to put across the message of what the game is in a simpler way. Openly supporting micro guilds makes it sound like they’re cool with people playing by themselves, which goes against their cooperative design mantra.

I seriously doubt it has anything to do with it “making sense” for a few people to own and maintain a Guild Hall (as it is, it’s already possible – just not easy).

I’m pretty sure most of their recent design decisions have been market-driven more than anything. They want a game that they can spoon-feed to the masses and GW2 has never been that game. It’s a little late for them to be doing such a shift in focus, but then, look at what happened with SWG of old. First the CU and then the NGE. Why? Because they were hemorrhaging players and losing out horribly to games like WoW.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar mindset is at play here. Some parallels are certainly present. SWG was very sandbox, which has been proven time and time again to not have mass appeal when mixed with MMOs (which annoys the heck out of me, but whatever). GW2 is nowhere near as sandbox as SWG was, but it’s definitely on the cusp.

Honestly, I think WoW is one of the worst things that ever happened to the MMO market. Since its success, everybody wants WoW numbers and seems to consider their game an utter failure if they don’t come close. And of course there’s the fact that due to WoW’s monstrous success, it drains the market of players. Makes it so there’s less to go around, concentrates them all in one spot. Not a good thing for us players.

Anyway, I digress…

Or words to that effect.

The great achievement point depression

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

It’s not just AP though. They introduce these awesome systems and then never develop them into something robust.

  • The old guild system was never iterated on past its initial design. Bosses in bounty missions are still bugged to this day.
  • AP rewards. Look at the laurels. The laurel rewards were great back in the day. Now they are a pittance compared to the login laurel rewards.
  • Fractal improvements that were supposed to come in the “Fractured” update took 2 more years before they came out and rewards and high-end Fractals are hidden behind HoT’s paywall. Fractals are NOT HoT content. Period.
  • SAB and the Infinite coin debacle.
  • Dungeons could have been improved, instead they were gutted and left by the side of the road to rot.
  • 2+ years after the blog post, we are still waiting on proper PvP ladders and leagues.
  • The Legendary system was supposed to be released almost 3 years ago. What we got seems like what they had intended to give us 3 years ago. I guess they just wanted to hide that behind the HoT paywall too and use it as a bullet point on the box of “features”.

I have always been impressed with ArenaNet’s QoL updates. They are great. The issue I have is they introduce systems and then leave them as is or overhaul them and remove some form of progress and make you do it over again.

And then they add more new systems on top of the existing ones, in ways that aren’t very future proof…

  • Masteries that are entirely zone-specific
  • Elite specs that can only be chosen in one specialization slot (e.g. don’t have a slot of their own) and are obtained via hero points, which are basically worthless once you have elite spec unlocked
  • New class weapons that can only be used through use of the elite spec

What else am I forgetting? I’m almost certain there was at least one more.

They really need to take some time to work on improving the systems they have, without doing the whole “we’re going to do a major overhaul that no one asked for or wanted.”

They seem to have two speeds when it comes to systems. Speed one is “add new” and speed two is “complete overhaul.” More middle ground would be nice.

Or words to that effect.

About how "not casual" this game is.

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Tl:dr shave yourself and get a job. Dont complain about stuff u never get anyway. And enjoy The gsmr, dont think about The skins you Never need..

Wut…

Casual gamers are usually the ones who have jobs, families, busy lives… you have your disparaging stereotype backwards.

Or words to that effect.

Raids = good, Timers = bad

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I see what you’re saying Labjax but I can’t really agree.

I doubt most players are motivated by this PvEvPvE mentality – very few people who play the game even care about the forums and very few of those on the forums care about world first and best all time records.

People are doing GW2 raids because of the rewards – Raids would have probably been a flop in this game if they weren’t tied to legendary armor.
I mean – without the reward incentive there I would have done them – but not on day 1 – I would have done them when the meta was well established, when groups consistently beat them – because there would have been no rush.

With Legendary armor as a means to motivate me however – I’ve been trying over and over in order to get close and have my reward.

Since this reward is the primary motivator – its scarcity is one of the biggest reasons it has value.
At the start of the game legendary weapons were rare – and thus desirable. They were a status symbol – they meant something.
Now – since legendary weapons have become easy to get – and since it’s become apparent to everyone that you can just buy them with cash – that has disappeared. Likewise my desire to make new legendary weapons of the old Generation 1 type has disappeared – and while I could easily afford 2-3 more I’ve decided to not go for it and just go with the new ones or the armor – because it’s the prestige that I’m after.

If people can just do raids slowly with little threat it becomes a farm – it becomes a “who’s got 4 hours on hand to slowly grind the boss down” contest. It wouldn’t be about skill – and the prestige would be gone.

I’m not sure which part you’re agreeing with or disagreeing with. It seems like you’re in favor of timers, but for different reasons?

Or words to that effect.

Arenanet's failing ESports ideologies.

in PvP

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

They could try focusing on the visualization of objectives. Make things like point gain bigger and more attention-grabbing. Make the result of a kill more visually exciting. Allow people to do stuff like zoom in on a kill animation, or run an instant replay.

I mean, some people watch football and understand it, but let’s be real, there are those who like the visual appeal of the rough and tumble, or the guys who gloat after a touchdown.

Make it staggeringly obvious when somebody gets a gain or loss, both with visuals and auditory, and I think they will be making strong strides toward interesting content for spectators. So that the game doesn’t get loaded down with effects, these could be notifications that only trigger while in spectator mode.

These guys need to hire a good cinematographer and get his input. You make the sport fun to watch and people won’t care a whole lot about how much they understand it. There are universal concepts that people understand and they can take advantage of them with some doing.

Or words to that effect.

Visual nerfs [Merged]

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I must admit I’m disappointed about the pitiful “fireball” that Ele has now. One of my quiet joys of playing Ele was casting that crazy animation. It just makes your character feel powerful. Such a simple thing and yet it matters.

I’m not sure I understand how this helps Esports anyway. If you reduce animations too much, all that will be left is a bunch of costumed characters running around, whacking at each other. I would have thought that watching what skills people use (from their bar) and seeing flashy things happening is part of the appeal of Esports, but I guess I don’t understand the market.

Or words to that effect.

Raids = good, Timers = bad

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

They are just doing what ever other raid in MMO history has done. Or at least, modern raids (I haven’t fact-checked the mechanics of every single raid in a game :P).

Enrage timers (as they are usually called) are there to make people think hard about group composition. In trinity-based games, this usually means “no stacking 50 healers and negating all damage/mechanics.”

They (enrage timers) make sense if you imagine the following scenario: A new wing has just been released and five guilds are all vying for world first completion. Guilds 1 through 4 spend time working out group comp and start banging their heads against the boss. With no enrage timers, Guild 5 could say “screw strategy, we’re just going to outheal the damage.” Guild 1 spends 6 hours on boss one and finally beats him. Guild 5 spends 30 minutes on a single attempt, but kills boss one on the first try.

In theory, in this scenario, Guilds 1 through 5 could all stack healers and cheese boss one. But then it’s a competition of who starts first, rather than who uses better skill and strategy.

If all you’re thinking about is Guilds 50-100 who came late to the party, then timers seem kind of inconsequential. After all, the raids have long been cleared and the competitive part doesn’t matter a whole lot. But in terms of competition, it’s important to ensure that guilds have as few ways as possible to get an unfair advantage.

The thing about raids is, despite technically being Player versus Environment, the reality is that they are more like Player versus Environment vs. Player versus Environment. In other words, they are an indirect competition between groups, rather than the direct competition that is PvP.

Or words to that effect.

Legendary precursor journey is a joke....[Merged]

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

You’re so wrong, it’s not even funny. I’ve talked with hundreds of people over the years, and just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong. I feel this way, my wife feels this way, other people who’ve posted in other threads feel this way. You don’t get it so it’s wrong.

You’re right, it does sound rude. And you’re still wrong. This for many people is their truth. Sorry you don’t get it, but it doesn’t stop it from being true.

Wrong about what exactly? I said more than one thing…

Or words to that effect.

Legendary precursor journey is a joke....[Merged]

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

The precursor crafting is about the journey, not the destination. Yes, I could buy and have bought precursors off the trading post. The experience cheapened the experience of making a legendary. I didn’t own that experience.

There have always been two types of players who play MMOs. Or rather two poles of players. Those who play for immersion and those who focus on mechanics. Most of us are somewhere in between, but many of us lean to one pole or another. And these poles are mutually exclusive. If you’re focused on numbers and mechanics you’re looking for the most efficient way to do something. Where as an immersion player cares more about what fits their character’s style. A greatsword might be a better weapon but my character is definitely an axe man…well plant.

The point is if you’re a mechanics focused player, buy it from the TP and don’t craft it. There’s no reason to. But as a immersion focused player, I’m happy to be able to craft it, and making the journey cost more takes nothing away from it for me.

I apologize in advance for how rude this is going to sound.

What you’ve just said is absolute nonsense. It’s a complete BS dichotomy that wouldn’t hold up for a second outside the magical land of theory. I do plenty of “journeying” in MMOs, and have done in GW2. That doesn’t stop me from thinking the entire legendary system is a convoluted mess that only resembles a journey if you consider a journey to be “actively ignore the legendary system until the pieces fall into your lap.”

If you don’t ignore the system, it’s a convoluted process of numbers (yes, numbers, you can’t wave them away and pretend they don’t matter), RNG, and exceedingly complex time investment so that you can make a single sparkly item.

A single. Sparkly item. In a video game.

And if that just happens to be the kind of thing that gets your rocks off. If that’s what you call a “journey,” then fine. More power to you. But don’t sit there on your crystal tower and talk down to people who are willing to acknowledge the numbers sitting in front of them. I expect you’ll give me some BS line about how you’re not talking down and you’re just explaining how it works.

Just don’t. The tone of your post is clear: If you don’t like the system, then take your lumps and deal with it in the way that fits your special little box.

I’ve had about enough of peoples’ haughty behavior toward other players. If you disagree, just say it, for the love of Mordremoth. Drop the gold paint and say the words. I’ll take a blatant insult over a sneaky one any day.

Or words to that effect.

Legendary crafting advice (bolt)

in Players Helping Players

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

So… out of all the legendaries, Bolt is the only one I really see myself wanting right now. Most of them aren’t appealing to me in the looks department.

However, I’m having trouble seriously considering the “journey” at all. I have some of the components (haven’t forged Gift of Mastery, but I have the resources to make it). I probably have the components for Clovers (haven’t checked the details for sure, but from the look of it, I wouldn’t be too far off). I have a stack of Ectos and a stack of Ori. I don’t quite have the coin for runestones, I’m not that far off from it and they wouldn’t be a big hurdle.

But my t6 mats are anywhere from 20-60 of each. I have 21 charged cores, but 0 lodestones. And I don’t even want to think about Zap. Oh and I don’t look forward to finding people for dungeons to bang out currency for Gift of Ascalon, especially now that they’re nerfed.

If you took Zap out of that equation, I’d probably be a little less wanting to throw up in my mouth at the thought of it all.

Anyway, the reason I’m making this thread is not to complain. I wanted to know if you guys have any advice for how to handle this absurd crafting process? Preferably things that will make it seem more like a game and less like a job. Anything from farming strategies to names of therapists for when I lose my mind (ok, maybe I’m joking about the whole therapist thing).

But seriously, the complexity of this whole thing makes me want to just farm gold and sell everything I own to help (my excess mats, not my RL possessions LOL). That would probably cost me way more time and effort in the long run though and 3-4k gold is pretty overwhelming itself. I’m not an economist. U.U

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

It’s obvious that some people don’t want ANY new direction. But a game can’t stay the same and survive. For anyone that doesn’t care for the new zones you have Silverwastes.

To stay the same was to die out. Just ask the dinosaurs. Now that they’ve upped the challenge they’ll surely lose a chunk of casuals, but it will be better for the long haul.

That only applies when the existing direction isn’t working. Whether the existing one wasn’t working is pretty much impossible to know, without being the powerpoint guy for GW2’s profit margins.

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I believe casual players had enough content in the past three years. On top of it that very content they enjoyed so far is still out there. I think it’s a good move from Arenanet to cater towards people who want something more challenging. That is not a selfish point of view. I simply welcome the bigger variety when it comes to difficulty that is now present in the game thanks to HoT and wasn’t there prior to HoT.

I’m getting what your point of view is, but it is selfish and from a profit standpoint, makes no sense.

You are literally saying that casual players have been given enough over the past 3 years. I don’t know what I can say that I haven’t already said that would explain to you how nonsensical that is. This. Is. A. Paid. Expansion. For. The. Game. Not. A. Content. Patch. That means it’s supposed to sell and sell well, which is not something you can do very well by making a patch that is made almost entirely for a niche (albeit passionate) subset of gamers.

Also, Anet has never catered to casual play exclusively – just in large part. Tequatl, pre-nerf Orr (from what I hear, though I wasn’t playing during that time), Jungle Wurm. Heck, legendary weapons and ascended gear can hardly be called casual content.

Let’s review what was added with HoT and where it falls on the spectrum:

- HoT mobs (distinctly non-casual… have to be on your toes to survive at all and even then, very easy to die from a single mistake)
- HoT map completion and events (requires coordinated strategy for events and numbers for HPs)
- HoT story (fairly casual, with a couple of exceptions… end boss requires some skill and build planning – can’t really be zerged cause of reset)
- Strongholds and new borderlands maps (not much of a change, I don’t think… strongholds are new gameplay, but they are probably simple if you PvP a lot.. wouldn’t really call them casual or hardcore)
- Masteries (distinctly non-casual… though most of the masteries are not needed, the effort required isn’t small for someone with few hours)
- Elite specs (would be casual, except for the champ HP aspect, putting them more in the other direction)
- Scribe (requirements are super high from what I understand and the profession is bugged – hard to say how hard it will be without bugs)
- Guild Halls (requires heavy investment from a lot of people… not really made for casual investment)

Might be forgetting a couple of things, but I think this list covers the marketed features, for sure.

The only reason I’m not personally complaining more about this stuff is because I’m experienced at playing video games and on top of that, I have a hardcore mindset. I’m a bit of an odd one because I have that mindset mixed with not really wanting to play hardcore content, due to the level of commitment it involves.

If I was in the same position, but had a casual mindset, I could see myself feeling very disenfranchised with this game right now.

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Ummmm, because people PAID for the expansion and expected the game to provide more content in line with what they’ve been enjoying for 3 years?

If they expected that then they had to do it blindly. It was well known that HoT is going to be more challenging and difficult than the core game.

With the logic you’re putting forth, there is literally no reason for a casual player to have bought the expansion in the first place, which is absolute nonsense (if casual players had followed through on this logic of yours, the purchase numbers easily would have been halved, if not more). The expansion is supposed to freshen up the game and give new stuff to do, not give new stuff to do only for one caliber of player.

Some casual players don’t shy away from challenges. Casual players already had enough content for the past three years. Arenanet decided to cater to the crowd who demanded more challenging content.

An expansion is not a free content patch. Stop trying to apply the “free content patch for a particular kind of player” logic onto “paid expansion.” It doesn’t fit.

I never said anything remotely like that. I didn’t even use these descriptions you’re trying to put into my mouth.

The logic is what you’re implying, not what you’re directly saying. Stop trying to wriggle out of it with technicalities. And see what Lanfear said above about the expansion as advertised.

You are putting forth an incredibly selfish viewpoint that makes no sense. Honestly, it just sounds like you’ve been playing this game bitterly for years waiting for challenging content and you’re spiteful towards casual-minded players because of it.

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

But HoT didn’t modify GW2. The casual Guild Wars you’re looking for didn’t vanish. It’s still out there. Go play in any of the core zones and you’ll find them as casual as ever.

Your analogy makes it look like GW2 was transformed into an entirely new game while in truth it simply added new (albeit different and less casual) zones.

Yeah, but we both know that’s a lame excuse. The discussion is about HoT content specifically, which wasn’t just a free content patch – it was an expansion.

There is no lame excuse here.

You want casual content: visit the core zones
You want something more challening: welcome to the jungle.

Both types of players are satisfied. The casuals and the ones who crave something more challenging.

I can’t deny that 90% (if not 100%) of HoT content is designed with a skilled caliber of player in mind.

Why is that a problem? There is enough content for casual players already.

Ummmm, because people PAID for the expansion and expected the game to provide more content in line with what they’ve been enjoying for 3 years?

With the logic you’re putting forth, there is literally no reason for a casual player to have bought the expansion in the first place, which is absolute nonsense (if casual players had followed through on this logic of yours, the purchase numbers easily would have been halved, if not more). The expansion is supposed to freshen up the game and give new stuff to do, not give new stuff to do only for one caliber of player.

An expansion is not a free content patch. Stop trying to apply the “free content patch for a particular kind of player” logic onto “paid expansion.” It doesn’t fit.

Or words to that effect.

So... dailies...

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I would be cool with them being an additional set, as long as there are some. It’s just sorta silly that if you’re a PvE player, you have to go play anything but HoT to get your dailies done.

While we’re on the subject, I think this would be a good time to bring up the fact that both PvPers and WvWers have generalized daily objectives (kill a guard, capture a camp, get rank points, etc.) and PvEers have highly specific objectives (view a vista in Kryta, complete four events in Snowden Drifts, forage in Orr, kill Shatterer). The only specific one for PvP is the win objective and there are two of them each day, so it spans four classes.

If PvE objectives were more generalized (view any vista, complete four zone events in any zone, forage, kill a zone boss, etc.) then this wouldn’t be an issue in the first place. I’m not asking for the dailies to become as generalized as they once were – just for the PvE ones to be general in the same way that the other categories are.

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Pretty much this. If I want raids I’ll go back to WoW, a game that was designed for raids and better raid content than anything GW2 can do with its current system.

Raids in GW2 were only added because players asked for challenging content, but the game was never designed for it. So you get this mishmash of ideas patched and stiched together to make it work somehow.

The funny part is, some people did ask for raids:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/cdi/CDI-Guilds-Raiding/first

I’d have to read the CDI thread in detail to see how much peoples’ requests match the result though. It would seem that for the most part, Anet just went over to other raiding games, played them a bit, and then copied the gist of them into GW2 (but maybe I’m being a bit presumptuous at this stage).

But HoT didn’t modify GW2. The casual Guild Wars you’re looking for didn’t vanish. It’s still out there. Go play in any of the core zones and you’ll find them as casual as ever.

Your analogy makes it look like GW2 was transformed into an entirely new game while in truth it simply added new (albeit different and less casual) zones.

Yeah, but we both know that’s a lame excuse. The discussion is about HoT content specifically, which wasn’t just a free content patch – it was an expansion. And while I’m a skilled enough player that some of the “new direction” type stuff doesn’t bother me a whole lot, I can’t deny that 90% (if not 100%) of HoT content is designed with a skilled caliber of player in mind.

Or words to that effect.

GW2s New Direction

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

@OP: I disagree that every raiding game gets chewed up and spit out, but I do agree that slapping raiding into a 3 year game – a game that was never designed for the tried-and-true raiding trinity design – is a bit messy, to say the least.

You said a lot of words but failed to convey what it is you are wanting? They gave more of the same stuff in the new maps you can do at your own pace (sans dungeons because they want to move away from them and Fractals is their new focus for 5-man content).

Seems obvious to me that he likes the casual design of vanilla GW2 and is afraid that HoT is taking the game in a distinctly non-casual direction.

Or words to that effect.

So freaking bored

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Going to agree with Zoltar on that – nice one, Labjax, haha.

Thanks.

Or words to that effect.

So freaking bored

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

@Labjax – how do I give you +100? Brilliant!

You gave me +100 by saying that you enjoyed it.

Or words to that effect.

So much Hate on HoT

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

I dislike parts of the game. I like other parts. When I find myself with loads of free time and nothing better to do, I sometimes turn my time studying game design, and my issues with the game, into detailed feedback.

I am the 1%. I mean, wait, crap. Uhhhhh, I am the 99%?

I don’t know. Screw the percentages. Point is, it’s not all black and white. You don’t have to love or hate all of it. And there are plenty of people who give feedback out of the self-invested kindness of their hearts (figure that one out).

The sooner people understand this, the sooner I can get back to writing detailed posts that will never be read or listened to by the developers.

Or words to that effect.

So... dailies...

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Can we get some dailies in the cycle that are relevant to HoT content? Far as I can tell, a grand total of 0 of them are possible to do in HoT maps. Even one daily that corresponds to a HoT map would be something.

Or words to that effect.

Raids (in anticipation of...)

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

GW2 players, by and large, have a problem with instant gratification. For example, the forums were chock full of people complaining HoT mobs were too hard for the first week or two after release, but they learned how to deal with them and changed their builds to be better about it. Raids will follow the same curve. Everyone will be complaining about how they are too hard, but after no more than a week or two many people will have cleared the first wing, maybe multiple times.

The best thing I can think of? Ignore them, they’ll get over it. Engaging, challenging content has finally been added to GW2 and I’m really glad that’s the case.

How am I supposed to argue with an alternate hypothetical? Darn you. Foiled again.

Or words to that effect.

So freaking bored

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Back to your regular programming….

“Logan!”

“Jennah!”

“Logan!”

“Jennah!”

“Logan!”

“Jennah!”

“Shut up both of you, I have special powers now.”

“Oh, Rytlock!”

:laugh track:

“And now a word from our sponsors:

Asureal, the Cereal tailor-made for Asurans! You don’t want to be a Bookah, do you?!? Nobody wants to be a Bookah.

The Iron Legion doesn’t just teach you the art of war. The Iron Legion teaches you the art of life. Join the Iron Legion at GoIron.charr!

In the aarrrmsss of a Quaggan, fly awayyyyyyy from hereeeeee. Did you know that many Quaggan don’t have a home? Adopt a Quaggan today.

Has you or a loved one suffered from Mordremoth’s influence? Call 1-800-Sylvari for your free consultation.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming."

“Logan!”

“Jennah!”

“This won’t end well”

:slidewhistle:

Or words to that effect.

Raids (in anticipation of...)

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

it’s supposed to be a statement of skill/wealth (in case of the legendary weapons pretty much only wealth, which is where ANet messed up). Legendary armor should stay locked behind raids and only be given to those who can reliably clear it to show that they deserve this armor and it’s not something every second person is running around with, like we have with current legendary weapons.

Ah, but this hits on the classic raid argument, which is that while some players might be skilled, it is not that hard to simply team with people who know what they’re doing and get carried by the skill of others.

The only scenario this argument does not hold in, is if a raid is so finely tuned that every single player needs to be doing an outstanding job to succeed. But when raids are tuned like that, it’s usually only a handful of guilds clearing them, with an eventual nerf an inevitable thing to avoid scaring away half the playerbase.

Or words to that effect.

Raids (in anticipation of...)

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Call this a pre-emptive discussion. (Also one induced by a certain level of boredom.)

Right now, the details on legendary armor are not that clear to my knowledge. There is a chance that the system will address most concerns and most people will love it. Stranger things have happened.

But let’s talk disaster for a moment. If the raids require heavy completion of them to make legendary armor, and are challenging content on top of that, there will be a lot of raging about legendary armor. You can expect that if the raids are particularly difficult, people will be asking for nerfs primarily because they want legendary armor.

This could very easily cause a firestorm of conflict, wherein those who mainly want challenging content are up against those who want legendary armor. If this happens, I recommend that you (Anet) look hard at the concept of divorcing legendary armor somewhat from raids, as opposed to nerfing the raid content. If legendary armor hinges too much on raids, you will essentially be turning into a raiding game, where “fashion” takes the place of “power upgrades,” and you will have to deal with the balancing of hardcore and casual that comes with the territory.

That said, this is all hypothetical at the moment. Let me know your thoughts on this subject guys. Speculation, known information, how you feel about the subject, etc.

Please keep it civil. Thanks.

Or words to that effect.

What each class feels like in GW2!

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

mesmer is always the punchline

It really is. XD

It’s one of those classes where you either get it (and learn how to be good at it) or you don’t, in which case you will fold like a deck of cards until you quit and go play a warrior.

Or words to that effect.

Guild tax idea

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Not a tax. Just make it so you get a bit extra coin when looting (say 5%) and that extra bit is distributed evenly among any guilds you’re a member of. If you are a member of no guilds, you don’t receive the extra bit at all.

As in, you don’t lose money. Your guild gains money.

Or words to that effect.

What each class feels like in GW2!

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

This was fun. Took some reflection though.

Attachments:

Or words to that effect.

Gold Farming After Dungeon nerf

in Fractals, Dungeons & Raids

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

You’re lying, I’m sure you bought gems and exchanged these for money, there’s no way you can get a legendary in a week that way and that’s not playing…

Anyone with a decent amount of motivation can make ridiculous amounts per hour. I remember my first of trading as being the best of my life : started with 200g, got to 2K and made a Sunrise. A month after I reiterated, made 2K gold again, made Twilight.

It’s not hard if you really know what you’re doing and you don’t need to spend a dime on gems, although I occasionally do it when ArenaNet releases something I like as my way to support the game.

Playing the TP is playing the game, just more efficiently. An hour of TP a day and then you never need gold again and can sincerely enjoy the game without always being worried about your gold per hour

Lmao, anyone with decent motivation. You are either trolling or vastly underrating your ability to play a market.

Not everyone is a freakin trade expert.

For all your amazing ability, you also somehow miss the fact that if most people did what you allegedly do, it would kill the majority of your profit. You’d spend your hour a day fighting with 100+ people over every market you try to work.

I don’t understand how someone can simultaneously be so good at working markets and be so ignorant of how percentages work.

Or words to that effect.

Relax folks , this is only the beginning :)

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

The almost total lack of communication on many if the most complained about issues is unbelieveable considering the radical changes that HoT has made.

Complaining on forums is our only outlet to be heard and sometimes that’s all the players want to know…… that their concerns have been heard and whether or not they are being addressed.

Almost total is a slight exaggeration. They did address Hero Points, they made a post about changes they’re working on to fix the disaster that Fractals apparently are now, and they’ve made it clear that WvW changes are in the pipeline (I think for early 2016).

Those are some fairly major communications.

If you are thinking of smaller stuff, then yeah, they’ve been pretty tight-lipped. Not that it’s a great excuse, but they’re probably afraid of making statements that sound like they will lead in a particular direction, and then realizing after the first couple of months that the criticism pertaining to the statement has died down or been accepted as part of the game.

It is something that can happen. It’s just not all that common for it to happen without some ragequitting and lost customers.

Or words to that effect.

Random thoughts: why I just can't enjoy GW2

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

the difference between gw2 and traditional mmo is that it isn’t a treadmill like WoW where you do the same level 100 content over and over for a chance at a small gear upgrade.

Heh, yeah. Instead, you do the same content over and over for a chance at a small skin unlock.

The major difference there is perception. This game’s design isn’t as special and unique as some people are prone to thinking.

Or words to that effect.

So freaking bored

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Is it sad that I’m hoping the patch tomorrow (or I guess today technically) will magically have a bunch of tweaks in it that make the game more enjoyable?

Or words to that effect.

Why Would Anyone Buy Black Lion Keys?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Totally agree.

I just don’t see it becoming an issue here. It’s too niche a game.

In saying look what happened in CS:GO with skins accessibility based on RNG. There are youtube videos of people dumping whole paychecks on that kitten. I agree the concept is horrid but in this game it’s pretty much a non-issue. I have to be subjective in that I can’t see it doing any harm to GW2 or their players and it keeps the game running. At least here it seems to be working as intended and unless I see proof of it being hugely negative or hurting players I don’t think over-generalization is accurate.

Fair enough.

Or words to that effect.

Why Would Anyone Buy Black Lion Keys?

in Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Posted by: Labjax.2465

Labjax.2465

Slight over dramatization me thinks.

As long as it’s a choice to take part or not the game devs should lose no sleep over it. I can’t see people not feeding their children or losing their house because they spent all their money on BL keys in GW2.

RL gambling is a huge issue but the rewards are RL money. In this format it’s supplementary income to help keep the game running in reward for niche in-game shinies.

Big difference.

Slight overdramatization is my middle name.

In all seriousness though, the “choice” argument is the same as it is for regulated gambling. Yeah, they’re making the choice to do it, but due to human psychology, people are prone to getting addicted to it.

The issue is that where choice ends and begins is a very thin line.

Is this a staggering moral issue in Guild Wars 2? Well no, probably not. But some games are a lot worse on the “reel you in” front and it would be downright silly to pretend like gambling is only an issue when it’s at a casino or a horse race. The psychological impact is much the same. The only real difference is whether and how much real money you’re losing.

Or words to that effect.