I did. It’s a spear, not a random line.

maybe this will help:

Given how much of it obviously stems from CDI discussion late 2013/early 2014, I’m 100% certain they weren’t working on it since launch. Why? Was there a point you were trying to make?

I’m confident ArenaNet will set a mutually agreeable price point. And then oh yes, the new shinies will be mine.

SHINIES!!!

Incidentally – since you can SEE the haft of the spear above the shield where it extends past the charr’s back and comes back into view, that’s very definitely not a sword in that art.

Interesting. It sounds like people are thinking ArenaNet went with something like This Suggestion from the discussion of sub-classes a year ago.

People will still be complete indifferent (if not outright hostile) to healers in most gameplay modes.

The Druid still has a huge chunk of their expected value tied up in a dumb-as-rocks AI pet.

I’m glad to have the variety, but I just don’t see Druids as being much of a thing when compared to the pre-existing list of Ranger problems they stand to inherit.

Deliriously happy the level cap will remain 80.

Today’s forecast calls for 96% chance of the sky is falling.

I want exactly zero outfits in Heart of Thorns.

Then I want to go back in time and recover the man-hours that have already be WASTED on outfits and divert them into armor skins.

In my universe you’re not getting specializations until you buy the new box.

Next!

You go right on fantasizing. But no one paying attention to what ArenaNet is actually saying thinks its coming as part of HoT.

If we could expect a race, they would have been mentioned. ArenaNet would not be hiding such a desirable feature when trying to stir up interest.

In other words: No.

The word you are looking for is Apophenia

Its nature’s way of making you think you’re clever… When you’re not.

yanipheonu.5798:

This may be the biggest logical fallacy I’ve seen in a long time.

I’m just hoping that poster sticks to their guns and doesn’t buy it so I never have to see them in the new zone.

Nightfox.2789:

hope you wont pay for the expansion

Because really, when people do tons of work, they should get nothing for it.

Well, somebody knows – we had some earning projections charts for NCSoft make the rounds on the Wildstar boards a few weeks back and GW2 was expected to make an (at the time) inexplicable giant leap in income 3rd quarter.

Proof? No. Suggestive? Very.

Vayne.8563:

Stuff like this always annoys me.

I suggest you don’t do the personal story with your Revenant.

No one will make you, not even the game itself.

Just three months ago NCSoft butchered the staff at Wildstar – the price they payed for some gross mismanagement. Other studios also got a shave. At the same time ArenaNet lost exactly zero staff. NCSoft has expressed satisfaction with Guild Wars 1&2 in the most tangible manner possible: they left them alone.

The reason not to become a druid could be the costs – off the top of my head -20% HP would be a reason to think twice about grabbing the new shiny.

It is possible to do game design and balancing NOT wrong .

Seriously – spend some time reading this thread. It’s pretty much their road map.

You can just browse the last few pages to get the Studio Design Director’s take-away.

Renkencen.6127:

Err how do you know that it’s only one weapon per secondary profession?

‘Cause that’s what it says right on the info page?

There is a functional difference between “unlock access to a weapon previously unavailable to your profession” and “unlock access to weapons previously unavailable to your profession”.

Yes, but now we can wave it around an make the ground tell time with it .

I think you are WAY overestimating how much specializations alter the base class.

Rich Fuel.7253:

i think he is holding a bow in this pic

Whereas I think he’s plainly holding a sword with a long hilt (katana-like), since I can see the texturing on the hilt, the lack of a lower arm for a bow, and no bowstring anywhere in evidence below the arm .

I’m sure there are folks at ArenaNet who live in stark terror that someone on the internet will declare ‘hey, this bundle is not big enough’.

But they’re gonna release what they’re planning to release anyway.

Maybe they aren’t that terrified .

And again, just having a staff and its 5 skills will “fundamentally change” how a ranger plays. New ‘profession mechanics’ does seem promising, but the Ranger in particular is an example of how “profession mechanics” can be something you’d rather not have .

There’s what the words mean, and then there’s people projecting their all their hopes into them.

I’m sure it will be cool. I’m also sure people are building expectations completely unsupported by the information at hand.

Dagger?

Come on, it’s not that hard.

lordkrall.7241:

We also don’t have any official statement that there will indeed only be one specialization per profession.

On the other hand I can look at a Class Team that can’t even manage one balance pass every six months and pretty much know that 1 specialization per class is all I should be expecting at HoT’s launch.

They may surprise us, but misplaced optimism is misplaced.

I don’t see the words “completely different” on the Heart of Thorns info page.

In fact I see “transform your profession into something new” which is a claim that has a pretty low threshold to justify – since just having a new weapon meets that criteria.

Guardian: Paragon – Terrestrial Spear

The rest of your list looks sound.

So, ArenaNet went with shield for Mesmer, which makes sense in light of Alexandra Duet already being in game, but quite few of the others are lining up (not surprising – they were culled from a lot of popular requests from the boards at that time). There was a lot of good discussion in that CDI – it’ll be interesting to see how much influence it has had on the expansion and specialization in particular.

Master kitten-Li (Elementalist)
While the lands of the Tengu remain shrouded behind secrecy and vast stony walls, there are still those who feel wisdom must be shared or it is not wisdom. Meet Master kitten-Li a Tengu elementalist who needs your help finding a scroll lost since the Rise of Orr…
Weapon Granted: Main-hand Sword
Skills Revealed: Conjure Night’s Sword, Riddle of Silence (cantrip), Signet of the Starry Heavens

Centurion Crushstone (Engineer)
Looking for special detached duty, Legionnaire? Word’s come down from HQ that Centurion Crushstone needs support at the Nolan Hatchery. An infestation of spiders threatens to cut off this crucial component of the Black Citadel’s supply chain. If an old hand like Crushstone can’t handle it alone, you know something’s up…
Weapon Granted: Hammer
Skills Revealed: Signet of Progress, Signet of Synchronicity, Signet of the Forge

Roabb the Sunchaser (Guardian)
The ancient Way of the Paragons has not been forgotten! Help this traveler from afar fulfill his ancient oath and bring lasting peace to the tortured spirit of another age…
Weapon Granted: Terrestrial Spear (2-handed)
Skills Revealed: “For Honor, Forever!”, Sunshield Signet, Welcome the Dawn (meditation)

Singing Crystal of Marith (Mesmer)
Come, listen to the mysterious music that pours from this recently uneathed stone. If you listen closely, you might even begin to hear words…
Weapon Granted: Main-hand Pistol
Skills Revealed: Double Trouble (phantasm), Rippling Shock (glamour), Who-What-Where? (clone)

Ogenvar Ravensbite (Necromancer)
Come swiftly! Raven has discerned the form of Jormag’s next scheme to consume the spirit world. Where Wolf might rush in to face the Serpent of Black Ice head-on, Raven speaks to me of a more indirect solution. Why just beat a foe when you can play him for a fool? But first, we’ll need some feathers…
Weapon Granted: Greatsword
Skills Revealed: Spectral Voices, Succumb to Despair (corruption), Summon Blood-haze (minion)

Anne Ocke-Linn, 3rd Lionguard Skirmishers (Ranger)
“Bows aren’t for me. Too much twanging and thwiping. But rifles? After a few rounds of being shot up by Skritt, I thought ‘hey now’…” Help Anne clear out a little Skritt problem and she’d be happy to show you some durn-fine shootin’!
Weapon Granted: Rifle
Skills Revealed: “Brace for it!”, Deadly Aim (survival), Hunter’s Blind (trap)

Maintainer Tassi (Thief)
It started out as a little bet to see who could clear more elemental parasites from Rata Sum’s core… And nobody said she couldn’t get help! Meet Tassi, but don’t be fooled. Under her sweet demeanor, this Asuran thief has ruthless moves that more than make up for her… absolutely perfect size.
Weapon Granted: Off-Hand Mace
Skills Revealed: Mirror Trap, Revealing Dust (trick), Two-Man Job (deception)

Sashean the Black Arrow (Warrior)
There is no blade so sharp it couldn’t benefit from a little natural augmentation. Sashean is determined to combine Sylvarii arts with martial prowess to bring something new into Tyria. Here’s what he needs from you…
Weapon Granted: Shortbow
Skills Revealed: Banner of Serenity, “I will have Revenge!”, Venomous Pouch (physical)

Does this look familiar in light of the news from Pax South?

The New Masters
“I haven’t seen that trick before!” — famous last words

The fighting spirit of Tyria has lead to countless styles and techniques, handed down through the centuries like ten-thousand streams of courage. Its time for you to drink of these waters. Welcome as Guildwars 2 reveals the next level of horizontal gameplay in this permanent Living World release.

Just Something I Picked Up
‘Class Mentors’ have been added to the world. Each of these masters belongs an existing Profession but has their own unique take on what that means. They may hold lost arts, be privy to the secrets of foreign lands, or simply picked up ‘a little something special’ along the way. Each mentor offers players a series of tasks throughout their zone, culminating in a new mini-dungeon. Characters of any class can answer these challenges and collect the new instance rewards… But for characters whose class matches that of the mentor, there are even greater benefits.

Completing the tasks of your class mentor will immediately unlock a new weapon type for you to use. It will also reveal three new utility skills (listed on a line between the 6-point utilities and the elite skills). These skills typically cost 15 skill points to access and often share tags with existing skills allowing you to blend them into and enhance many existing builds or combine them to unleash entirely new creations!

Now I am the Master…
Once a mentor’s tasks are complete, they will also become a karma vendor offering three new weapons skins for the weapon type they teach and specifically themed to go with the skills they reveal. Show off your new moves in style!

Did people here just not read the Horizontal Progression CDI? It was a year ago so I linked it. Here, I’ll link it again. We’ve talked about this AT LENGTH (some 67 PAGES at the time). You can see the blueprints for specialization in there pretty clearly.

ZudetGambeous.9573:

So your choice is to either advance your class or not advance your class?

That isn’t a specialization choice, that is a forced decision.

It is if becoming a Druid costs you 25% of your health.

You might choose to remain a Ranger.

Everyone will choose to become the specialization because it will be better. If it isn’t better then no one will become the specialization and it was a waste of time.

There will need to be a minimum of 2 choices so you can have 2 distinct play styles that are both better than not specializing.

Even if there are 2 (or 12, or 25…) some groupthink-mouthbreathers will insist one is better and the others should either be buffed or not exist. That’s the Game Designer’s day job. Nothing new there.

Turn around time of some (big) stuff is going to be right around a year, so seeing a bunch of stuff from that thread get announced this week makes perfect sense .

The thing that will determine the significance of the [not specialize/do specialize] choice is how much the specialist LOSES in the process of gaining a new weapon and new options. If the choice is between [Ranger/Ranger+more] then there will be no meaningful choice.

So there’s one Mesmer already rocking the new specialty. Alexandra Duet has been sparing with heroes using her sword-&-shield Mesmer-moves since the Pact first got to Orr, mocking the rest of us mesmers with her shieldy shieldness of shieldery.

Well no more.

I’m unlocking shields for my mesmers, and then I’m going back to her little Order of Whispers hidey-hole and sticking my tongue out at her. SO THERE!

Only if you think thieves will be wearing heavy armor in HoT…

A lot of the goodies in Heart of Thorns look like the results of the Horizontal Progression discussion about this time last year.

Its a ton of reading, but might give new folks few insights on ArenaNet’s thinking.

Thief – without trenchcoat (finally!!)

Malchior.5732:

No matter what you guys suggest, the meta will always be the fastest and most efficient way to beat something, which will always be the point where you no longer need more defense and can focus everything else into offense; Zerker gear falls into this category.

I can snap the ‘zerker meta’s neck in one step:

• All self-heals base value has been decreased by 15%. The contribution of healing power to these skill has been increased such that at 400 healing power you will see healing results equivalent to their current value with healing power zero. character with healing power greater than 550 will see a slight increase in the effectiveness of these abilities.

Done. Zerker for everyone from the hardest of the hard to the sloppiest of the sloppy is dead. After that it becomes a matter of skill and taste how you want to roll on the spectrum between offense and survivability, but glass cannons (which is a joke, there are NO glass cannons in this game because of the frequency of absolute invulnerability dodging) will actually have a risk great enough to consider backing off on pure DPS stats.

Don’t think for a moment it “can’t be done”. The question is actually does ArenaNet have the desire and the will to implement this or any of the half dozen other ways that come readily to mind to strangling the ‘lone wolf’ meta to death? For the most part they seem happy with a game that lets middling skill players think they are wildly expert through deliberate, deeply entrenched lack of challenge in most content.

For the Ten Millionth Time: If you want something nerfed, PLAY IT. The only way to build a case the Devs can see and care about is to contribute to that class/build’s reign of terror by adding to its impossible to ignore track record in the metrics they collect every minute, every hour, every day.

Of course, if you don’t become an unstoppable juggernaut with that perfect win/loss record you imagine others had while beating you down with it, well maybe you just got outplayed in the first place.

Ensign.2189:

You’re thinking along the right track, trouble is that this would cause a huge problem in the high velocity markets. What is the proper increment in the ectoplasm market? Almost certainly 1c.

Research would suggest that higher velocity markets would need smaller bid increments, while lower velocity markets would benefit from higher bid increments – basically, from a price discovery standpoint, there’s a trade-off between time (the number of bids) and the precision of the ultimate price.

…

So what’s an intuitive, consistent system that puts a minuscule increment on Ectoplasm but a higher increment on, say, rare weapons (which have a much lower velocity but a comparable price)?

Easy enough – use time since last sale to scale the bidding increment.

Item has sold in the last 5 minute: 1c increment
Item has sold in the last 2 hours: 1% increment
Item has sold in the last 24 hours: 2% increment
Item has not sold in the last 24 hours: 5% increment.

This would actually increase the efficiency of the market by driving low velocity items toward equilibrium in fewer increments/overbids.

John Smith.4610:

I understand the frustration that may arise in some of these situations. I haven’t yet read a suggestion that I think is a great solution. That being said, I do read the suggestions and am always interested in finding outcomes that make everyone better, so keep them coming!

I’ll mention the same alternative control variable as I did with the undercutting thread:

Time

What if after a bid goes up there is a minimum threshold required to bid over it, which decays over time.

Example only (values purely for discussion)~

After I place a valid bid, for the next 120 seconds you have to over bid by 10%.
After that for the next 6 hours you have to bid at least 5% over.
After that and up to 12 hours after my bid you can bid 1% over.
Beyond 12 hours you can bid 1 copper over.

Essentially it punishes haste — the bot’s principle weapon. If a bot or another person really wants to step on you instantly, they can but they pay a premium for doing so. If that particular market is even slightly stagnant the enforced gap rapidly declines to our current condition.

I would test any individual element for “baseline fun” using two metrics~

“How much does this effect make me feel like I’m bringing something unique to the field” Players want to stand out. Example: Quite a few ranger weapon attacks are incredibly fun not by being the mathematically most optimum but because the glowing animal FX surrounding you as you strike sets you apart from all other (non-Ranger) players. Fun is closely tied to identity.

“How well does this this effect allow me to feel like I am mimicking my idol/inspiration for this character.” This one is where you tap into strong archetypes to shorthand. Whan a character can kick another character in the balls and hold up his weapons in an obvious “Are you not entertained” pose and a thousand different player all simultaneously squee “dude! I’m Maximus from Gladiator!” you’ve connected without having to pile some grossly out of line damage on the button like tying a pork chop around it’s neck to get the dog to play with it. Players will build their own identity as they gain experience with the game but they generally start from very recognizable archetypes (and frequently from pop culture icons).

“Does this effect synergize?” is a decent second tier hook for fun, but understand rewarding system mastery only appeals to players who seek out system mastery…

There are some tricks of the trade that you could use to compact the workload considerably.

Make your problems fight each other: most elegant solutions make themselves known by solving 2-4 issues simultaneously. There are ten ways to solve problem A, there are 4 ways to solve problem B, and 5 that solve problem C. Recognize only 2 things solve all three at the same time and you can kill off a lot of faulty solutions fast.

Solutions that you can iterate are solutions to more than one problem. Linked attributes are a simple, incredibly powerful solution: “N% of Stat A is added to Stat B.” Once you have the tech once, you have the solution to all kinds of situations. By extension, THE first place to look for a new mechanic is to review what you already have in the tool box, applying only the smallest of twists when possible.

The deep dark secret of game design is you want everyone to Be AVERAGE while Feeling AWESOME. Nineteen times out of twenty the way you achieve that is with a quirky corner-case touch of the unique rather than raw power.

Multiple designers with different outlooks is high speed error checking. I have a friend who designs new effects very slowly… but he can see how to weasel-bust almost anything instantly. I run everything past him and its amazing how often things I think are innocuous turn into smoldering nuclear craters in his hands. Build a team that has that kind of multi-axis raport and respect rather than a squad of group thinkers, because the old saw “you are your own worst critic” is bullkitten where game design is concerned – its very hard to proof your own work.

And Now a Word from the Other Half (or more)…
I’m going to play Devils Advocate for a moment. If you’re reading this thread you’ll probably hate me long before I’m done… But keep reading: there IS a punch line.

Adding Guild Halls is the Worst Possible Use of Developer Time.
Guild Halls represent the worst of the worst in content design Return-on-Investment (RoI). Lets look at why:

1. Few people get to benefit from it. Guilds are hugely self-selecting, believing the majority contributing to the game’s income must also be in guilds. We’re not. Lots of people don’t join guilds, will never see guild halls, and get absolutely NOTHING from this use of Developer time. If other games’ publicized figures hold true, around half of all MMO players run solo. Even the players who are in guilds will only ever see an extremely limited sub-set of the Guild Halls that are created. A fraction of a fraction seeing a fraction of the results = terrible RoI.

2. Even fewer actually get to have fun with the system. Not everyone in a guild can have the privilege of designing the Guild Hall. Take that previous fraction of the players being served and move the decimal point again to get the number of people who will ever seriously get to look at the guildhall construction screen and spend time playing this most exclusive of mini-games. Systematic exclusion = terrible RoI.

3. Everything being discussed is ‘Temporary Content’. We just spent all of Living Story Season One relentlessly hammering home that temporary content sucks. I’m sorry but guilds fold. All that energy put into a great hall occasionally turns to dust without contributing to attracting or retaining new customers afterwards. Temporary content = terrible RoI.

So Why are You Smiling?
These three concerns can be countered, but they must be countered deliberately.
Examples follow~

1. Showcase, not Lockbox. Guildhalls must be visible to more than guild members. While they can have private spaces, non-guild players should be able and even encouraged to tour guild hall ‘common areas’. Offer interactive guest books and readable plaques for rules or contact/application info so guilds can passively promote themselves to visitors. Or a “Candy Bowl” item that the guild can pay some currency (coin or influence) to charge up, and non-guild visitors can click on it once per day to receive a treat, draining 1 charge. The possibilities for promoting “Guild Hall Trick or Treating” and getting the broader community involved are essential to driving up RoI.

2. Integrated Personal Spaces. Along with or preceding Guild Halls, we would benefit from players being able to craft their own personal chambers. Such spaces would go directly into the hands of a much broader number of users while providing an opportunity to test-bed construction systems for larger spaces. Once you have them, Guild Halls can incorporate them by placing doors in the shared space that lead to personal spaces, allowing EVERY member of the guild a sense of presence and an opportunity to contribute to the whole. Don’t make design of the Guild Hall the sole province of the Executive Council of Executiveness. Maximum inclusiveness = better RoI.

3. Competitive & Permanent Modules. ArenaNet needs to be able to tap the energy and enthusiasm of the best designers to build a growing library of Permanent content. A full Guild Hall will only resonate with its original occupants, but elements can be extracted to be enshrined as permanent canon. Allow Guild Halls to incorporate instances within the larger structure – let guilds buy a designated “Jump-Puzzle Lot” where they have optimized tools to create a challenge complete with starting and finish lines and recording best times, all within a detachable space. When the guild is happy with their creation they can submit it for review (using a very limited number of submission slips per year to ensure only best efforts are pushed forward). Submissions that meet with ArenaNet approval are copied into a permanent record and become part of the game forever, something for all future players to enjoy. As the tools evolve other ‘kits’ become possible, until we might see a “mini-fractal/dungeon builder box” that populates the Fractals of the Mist with new challenges. Permanent content = better RoI.

Wait, You Said You Don’t Even Like Guilds!
It’s true. Its also no accident every one of these things gives non-guild players things to do alongside their more social comrades under the banner of ‘Adding Guild Halls’.
Win-Win = Best RoI.

Brutal Augus.5917:

First off, I’m a little late to the “party” here, am I to assume by the existence of this CDI that guild halls WILL exist in gw2, as they did in gw1?

Nothing of the kind is certain. CDIs make no promises, they simply provide inspiration (and sometimes problem solving when we really get a rhythm going).

It took me 8 months of scrimping, saving, and playing A LOT to make my Infinite light.

Low level fractals are decent – more lodestones drop in the 4-9 range than above or below that in my experience.

Crucible of Eternity any time and every time you can.

You WILL be on a first name basis with every Spark in Orr from all the lodestone farming you’re going to have to do. Grab Orichalcum nodes while you’re there too, though that’s a relatively minor requirement in comparison.

Lodestones are almost always over priced – buy the next tier down and combine them yourself.

I also found it handy to have a Harpy Warrior mini… that way I could summon it at any time, look at Infinite Light’s shimmering awesomeness, and remind myself why I was jumping though these hoops.

I tend to think this falls under quality of life for the smaller guilds that can’t participate in the Guild missions.

Goal
Close the gap between the rewards available to large guilds and smaller family guilds by opening up a slow but achievable alternative means of earning guild commendations through open-world play.

Proposal Overview
Players now receive 1 guild commendation for every 800 influence they earn through events.

Proposal
Each character gains a counter on the guild page that tracks how much influence they have earned by participating in events. Each time this counter reaches 800 or more, 800 is subtracted from the counter (so overflow caries over) and that character receives 1 guild commendation. This counter tracks this contribution regardless of which guild you were representing at the time, to avoid penalizing players who have obligations to more than one guild. 800 was chosen to be a substantial number without triggering the sense of ‘endless grind’ that a four-digit threshold might provoke.

Reputation bought with coin from the Guild promoters does not advance this counter – you must adventure to earn. This also avoid creating a hard gold-to-commendations relationship and turning the guild vendors into just another playground for the super-wealthy.

Potential Risks
UI work and establishing a properly incrementing counter will require coding time. Rewards from guild vendors will no longer be the exclusive province of larger guilds (I see this as a plus, others… maybe not).