Guild Wars 2

I’m so old, I knew the insect BEFORE it was fossilized.

Aberrant.6749:

This is very grindy content indeed. Part 1 was as well. It’s there to give the illusion that there is more content than there actually is… but most players see right through this tatic. Please sthap with the grindyness. Thanks.

It’s only grindy if you want it to be.

Of course, if you don’t want to grind, the current content only last a few hours. A great few hours, but…

75 chests, and still no bug (I have the flu, so I’m playing GW2 as a distraction)…

KarateKid.5648:

Sytherek.7689:

KarateKid.5648:

Sytherek.7689:

Marcus Greythorne.6843:

Sytherek.7689:

I don’t need gold, so it just uses up bank space.

Sorry for being rude, but this seems just stupid. If you don’t want it, why do you keep it, when you can turn it into money (even if you don’t need money).

…Fortunately, I’ve been on the Internet since before it was called “the Internet”, so my skin’s pretty thick…

OMG old DARPA people lurking on the forum!

Yup. I’m too old for this kitten. 75 chests, still no bug.

I was fully expecting a counter-post like “when we were online gaming, we had to manually CARRY the packets UPSTREAM… through 4 Barrel Connectors… both ways!”

Ok, enough derailing the topic for me

We used to store our data on stone tablets, and we liked it that way!

I’m so old, I beta tested the real original Wolfenstein, before it was 3D! Character-based on an Apple II….

I’m so old, I remember when Guild Wars 1 was announced!

I’m going to die of old age before I get a @!%&!! fossilized bug.

KarateKid.5648:

Sytherek.7689:

Marcus Greythorne.6843:

Sytherek.7689:

I don’t need gold, so it just uses up bank space.

Sorry for being rude, but this seems just stupid. If you don’t want it, why do you keep it, when you can turn it into money (even if you don’t need money).

…Fortunately, I’ve been on the Internet since before it was called “the Internet”, so my skin’s pretty thick…

OMG old DARPA people lurking on the forum!

Yup. I’m too old for this kitten. 75 chests, still no bug.

Marcus Greythorne.6843:

Sytherek.7689:

I don’t need gold, so it just uses up bank space.

Sorry for being rude, but this seems just stupid. If you don’t want it, why do you keep it, when you can turn it into money (even if you don’t need money).

I keep it to give someone else who wants it.

I’m not going to throw away something relatively rare someone else might want, just because I I don’t want it.

And yes, calling someone “stupid” is rude. Fortunately, I’ve been on the Internet since before it was called “the Internet”, so my skin’s pretty thick. Continue to be rude if you find it therapeutic.

Brother Grimm.5176:

You complaining about how this process has no guarantee of reward is just bunk…you get plenty of rewards….maybe just not the one you WANT. BIG difference.

It’s not a reward if I don’t want it.

Like, say, my 5th scarf.

I don’t need gold, so it just uses up bank space.

Maybe I should ask about the fossilized insect in the bug forums?

:)

Brother Grimm.5176:

Axelwarrior.9084:

…..To purchase a Legendary, someone had to craft it with the precursor, which he looted or bought from someone who looted it, therefore RNG is involved in the making of EVERY Legendary.

You’re just being obtuse rather than admit there is an option that does not depend on YOUR RNG…..it’s impossible to have an intelligent conversation in this place.

Can you find me a place on the Internet to have an intelligent conversation?

That said, most people think a 1/3 pound burger is SMALLER than a 1/4 one (google it, news today). Numbers and mathematical concepts are beyond many people.

Maybe we’ll get “lucky”, and ANet will decide to give us a deterministic way (even a slow one) of getting the bug.

Interesting read.

tigirius.9014:

Still waiting on that. You see for most new players who don’t know, there was supposed to be a rewards revamp according to the devs 7 months ago. Not seen a single thing. In a game where they are supposedly making tons of money off the players but they can’t code a simple checkbox for Engineers to hide their backpacks permanently I wouldn’t hold my breath.

(I thought the stormboxes would be a nice touch even wrote a thank you for it but sadly even that wasn’t a fix)

Even if they did come to their senses briefly and do something about this problem, I think they’d follow the same pattern they’ve had since launch. Exclude the largest portion of the population on every game out since 2005 (casual open world players) and make these rewards either only available in PVP zones or on dungeons and if that’s the sad case of it they need to stop pretending that they care about the open world.

I’m not sure they’re thinking that way.

From what I gleen, the ANet team is caught between their ideal of what the game should be, and what the players actually want. There is a certain smugness among game developers that they know right, and that unhappy players are just “confused” or “not playing right”. They must walk a thin line between their “vision” and making customers happy.

As for me, the advent of luck-only items is disconcerting. Should they continue the practice, I will stop playing. I have already stopped buying things in the TP.

Perhaps they will gain more than they lose. Maybe I’m just not their demographic anymore. Time will tell.

I liked it in GW1.

Dusty Moon.4382:

You can probably also buy them as many of the skins are shared. Also, that does not change the fact that it is pure looks only, not FUNCTIONAL. If it was functional that is one thing, looks are totally subjective and a matter of preference. It has nothing to do with the game is working as intended and has everything to do with ‘Look AT Me’ syndrome.

In a game where a primary goal is cosmetic, cosmetic matters. What else beyond cosmetics and achievements does GW2 offer? The game is openly focused on appearances. So appearances matter, or the game loses one of its major goals.

Dusty Moon.4382:

Sytherek.7689:

Great suggestions in this thread.

I doubt ANet will pay any attention. “Working as intended” will be their mantra.

It is working as intended. Want a Legendary – it is an optional grind. Same with Ascended items – optional.

You can be very competitive even with Green Items in GW2, if you know how to play.

Which has nothing to do with this thread. I’m not talking about ascended items (have’em) or green items or anything you brought up. All those items are attainable via “hard” work.

The issue I raise is that a cosmetic item is ONLY available via pure, unmitigated LUCK. No matter how many chests I open, it is very possible the item will not drop. No amount of perseverance, digital sweat, or money can guarantee me the item.

I’d be glad to work for an insect. ANet won’t let me work for it.

It’s not laziness, or lack of trying, or lack of initiative, or unwillingness to spend money.

It’s a matter of LUCK only.

65 chests, no bug. I’m not willing to waste more time on luck.

Time to play something else, and spend money elsewhere.

Here’s what weirds me out: RPers are likely to spend money in the cash store, at least from my experience.

So why is ANet dismissive of RPers?

They gave "GvG"ers a special place. Why not RPers?

tigirius.9014:

It’s much much bigger than the skins. Even D3 has converted back to a better system with a 100% better chance of getting these higher end drops and removing the AHcentricness of their title.

This game could use an overhaul in the economy department which would solve many of the things they’ve done to harm not the bots mind you but the playerbase starting with getting rid of the TP entirely.

Cosmetics are just the tip of the overall iceberg of the problem here.

Their resident economist is pretty sure his ideas are perfect, at least that’s the attitude he has in other threads.

I write software for the analysis of commodity markets. So I know a bit about the topic. I take input from people on how to improve my algorithms.

In truth, the Guild Wars 2 economy is well-designed. I shouldn’t be so grouchy, I suppose. So I’ll spend my time doing something else and spending my money somewhere else, until they decide to stop hanging carrots on luck-sticks.

Case in point:

The fossilized bug just dropped for my daughter. She has no interest in any of the ambrite weapons.

I have SEVERAL heavy-armor headpieces . I have no heavy armor characters, and likely never will.

So, shouldn’t she be able to mail me the bug, since I can send her a mask?

Nope, not in ANet’s twisted logic.

I sent her the headpiece anyway.

Vlad Morbius.1759:

Vini, Vidi, Vici, Viridis…I came, I saw, I conquered…I got a green??

So true.

Guild Wars is built on a carrot-on-a-stick reward model. Now, this makes sense in a subscription-based game, keeping people grinding.

But in a store-based revenue model, teasing people is counter-productive. The goal should be to make us happy so we buy stuff in the store. Instead, ANet makes the game frustrating, and people like me stop playing and buying.

I’m not asking for freebies. I’m asking for a guaranteed way to get a desired item. Precursors, I can buy. Rare mats, I can buy. Ascended items, I can eventually make, guaranteed.

Bug bow? Luck only.

Great suggestions in this thread.

I doubt ANet will pay any attention. “Working as intended” will be their mantra.

Zaxares.5419:

Yeah, and I think that it’s stupid too. I never understood the idea of getting something just because it’s rare. If ANet released a truly unique, “only one of its kind ever dropped in the game” armor skin, but it was basically a pink, orange and green clown suit with a “I AM A NO LIFER WITH TOO MUCH CASH!” flashing neon sign mounted on the back, would you wear it just because it’s unique?

Yah know, I don’t have a legendary for that very reason — I think most of them (not all) look silly.

But ANet puts in an elegant Amber bow that fits my character’s theme — and they lock it behind pure random luck.

So, I can BUY the supposed top items in the game, but I need LUCK to get an elegant skin, “less prestigious” skin?

Silly, if you ask me.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

Just found this thread, and wanted to point some things out.

First you say:

Sytherek.7689:

RNG is bad for MMOs.

Then you go on to say:

Sytherek.7689:

Here, just so it’s clear: RNG is good.

What this comes down to is, RNG is bad, when you don’t get what you want. But RNG is good, because you got what you wanted, thus won the “gamble”.

For you to claim that you were a “a developer on AAA titles and specifically, MMOs”, then you must have some basic understanding on why reward structures include RNG. Or perhaps your “AAA MMO” didn’t have a global economy to deal with? Everything is interconnected when there’s an economy involved. Currency values, item values, etc.

I was unclear.

RNG as the only way of attaining items is bad.

RNG in general is good.

172%, but I’m not trying either.

Chariot.5240:

I’m not sure why this is an issue, luck is a major part of MMO’s any drop from a boss is luck. Sure there is some statistics relevant to when you should expect to see any given drop based of the simple math of chests open vs. items acquired. What you are seeking seems to be a low % drop rate. And on top of that you seem quite unlucky. Improve your chances by opening more. You may find the nest 3 you open each contain one, increasing your % of drop back to the norm. Or, possibly you are forever doomed. However statistically, that is impossible =D

I am not playing other RPGs. I play guild Wars 2.

Actually, statistically, a purely random chance can always have only one result an infinite number of times. Just because the coin has come up heads ten times does not increase the possibility that the next flip will be tails.

The drop percentage is a constant. And I have had annoyingly “Good” bad luck, in that I’ve gotten a few rare drops from Dry Top chests that are nothing I want.

Another SOLUTION is to let me pick my rare drop, or exchange an unwanted drop for a desired one.

Axelwarrior.9084:

Brother Grimm.5176:

Why not? I would seriously like to hear your reasoning behind the logic that led you to this belief. (BTW, you can actually obtain a Legendary within minutes of completing the the tutorial if you have the gold to purchase one, so RNG is NOT the only factor).

If there’s no RNG, then how would loot be decided? And what would happen to Magic Find?
To purchase a Legendary, someone had to craft it with the precursor, which he looted or bought from someone who looted it, therefore RNG is involved in the making of EVERY Legendary.

I never once said that there should be NO rng. Not once.

I question the nature and details of RNG.

As I have said in this thread: RNG is good. Pure, unmitigated RNG as the only source of items is bad.

Lifestealer.4910:

The ratio of fat, blunt and oversized weapons is way out of hand when compared to the slim and elegant weapons. Take sword for instance, the only elegant sword are infinite light and fractal sword, both of which are insanely hard to get. I know somebody will suggest low level weapons but those weapons have other issues like being too generic.

YES!

pdavis.8031:

In any case, while RNG may be frustrating, and causing people to QQ about it, there is one thing it does well: It keeps everyone on the same level of playing field. Of course you can increase your odds with higher luck, but obtaining higher luck is something everyone can do simply playing the game. It fits in perfectly with Anets goal of horizontal progression. Adding in special items for completing special tasks, throws in vertical progression. Once something like that gets implement (if ever) it will cause even more people to QQ about that. That with “their play schedule they can’t do those events”, “it’s become a gear grind” and/or “it’s unfair that I am forced to play certain content just to get X item.”

I disagree. Random is random. It levels very little except over the extreme long term. The “luck” attribute does not apply to chests or boss drops.

Evon Skyfyre.9673:

Computers cannot randomize, they use a peusdo randomizing routine. Currently the “best” uses atmospheric noise to determine a seed number. But it still is not true randomizing. Why? Random is a concept, once you write code to emmulate it, the event is no longer random. QED.

Awfully non sequitur and pedantic of you. I could give a dissertation on psuedo-random number generation (I have, actually), a discuss the merits of KISS versus the Marsenne Twister, or the use of true stochastic sources in quantum computers, but none of that is relevant to this thread.

The algorithm is a non-issue, unless they’re using a short-period, repeating algebraic or multiplicative algorithm with a non-stochastic seed (say, the character name). If they are being so simplistic, that lends credence to folk who think their character name reflects “luck.” I assume ANet is using a reasonable yet simple (for speed) randomizer.

I could post papers and statistical studies, but that would further drag this discussion off topic.

On topic: The randomizer used is important, but I believe the problem lies in their APPLICATION of that randomizer. The problem is in usage, not algorithm.

Purple Miku.7032:

Sytherek.7689:

3) Sell rare drops in the trading post for gems. People with money can buy the drop; people who have oodles of time/will can hunt for it. Please don’t hypocritically say rare things should be special, and then let people buy/sell “legendaries”.

This would be perfectly fine if there wasn’t a cash shop.

For people that like to play competitively (like myself), the fact that some jerk can swipe their credit card and have more ingame wealth than me is annoying to say the least.

No need to be insulting. People who use credit cards are not “jerks”. They just have a different way of acquiring items. And I don’t see those of us with credit cards insulting your choice of gameplay.

Brother Grimm.5176:

Sytherek.7689:

….
Getting a bug is pure luck. There is nothing I can do to improve my odds of getting one. That is somewhat unique in GW2.

While there might be nothing you can do to improve your odds on any SINGLE buried chest opening, there is plenty you can do to increase your chances to actually obtain one…..like opening more chests.

Opening more chests, however, does not guarantee getting a fossilize insect.

Grinding does guarantee that I can make ascended items or but a legendary or make enough gold to get something in the trading post.

There is nothing I can do to definitely attain a fossilized bug. Nothing.

Living story does bring people back. I know at least 3 players personally who came back SPECIFICALLY because they wanted to see the story.

Jski.6180:

So…. all mmorpg even all rpgs with online play are bad? Because they all have a rng of some type just because YOU are not getting what you want dose not give you more of a right to wine about it and to empower you to go on about GW2 being bad because of RNG. RNG has been in every rpg game even from the days of the first ff games there was an rng for both items and dmg.

Its like ppl have comply forgotten the last 20 years? of gaming as if nothing like rng has existed in any game from the past or the presents and only GW2 was the first game and only game to have RNG.

You didn’t read what I actually said.

Here, just so it’s clear: RNG is good. It makes games interesting. Every moment of every day, we gamble by taking chances. I cross the street, I might get hit by a car. So I look both ways to mitigate luck.

Getting a bug is pure luck. There is nothing I can do to improve my odds of getting one. That is somewhat unique in GW2.

Dusty Moon.4382:

Sytherek.7689:

Dusty Moon.4382:

Luck is not arbitrary – sorry. As Vol said behind you – it is just like gambling. Some win big others lose big. Just because you don’t get the fossilized insect does not mean it is arbitrary.

Wrong. Much gambling (poker, game bets, etc.) is actually skill, guile, knowledge, and observation. Sure, luck is still involved, but I can influence my luck and mitigate its effect.

I would love to play cards with you someday for money.

I have never gambled in my life and will never waste the money. I don’t see the point in it.

You play Guild Wars. Thus you gamble.

Dusty Moon.4382:

Luck is not arbitrary – sorry. As Vol said behind you – it is just like gambling. Some win big others lose big. Just because you don’t get the fossilized insect does not mean it is arbitrary.

Wrong. Much gambling (poker, game bets, etc.) is actually skill, guile, knowledge, and observation. Sure, luck is still involved, but I can influence my luck and mitigate its effect.

I would love to play cards with you someday for money.

Rabe.2456:

My suggestion would be to give players a second way to attain an item like this Fossilized Insect, either through Gems or some other way that rewards players dedicating their time to the game.

Which is all I ask for.

Vol.7601:

“2) RNG as implemented isn’t fair.
Nope, life ain’t fair. GW2 is not life, it is a game. It is entertainment. Frustration is not fun.”

Isn’t gambling entertainment? Casinos? Racetracks? Believe it or not, some people like gambling because it’s fun and entertaining.

Yup, gambling is entertainment. I used to card-count in black-jack though, because it allowed me some control over the odds. Poker isn’t won by luck or the quality of your hand, it’s won by guile.

Gamblers have control over their luck, if they’re at all savvy. You study the horse’s history, you analyze your cards and your opponent’s faces.

Now, slot machines are pure luck. I never put a single coin in one.

Getting a fossilized bug is a slot machine, not poker. Poker I can controll to some extent. Slot machines are pure luck.

Rauderi.8706:

Olba.5376:

…

1. The thing is, it’s not quite that simple. Keeping a log of the drop history of all items on every single character (or even account) is not a feasible solution. And you cannot just categorize things into “rare” and “common”, because then you’ll run into issues where people end up getting the rare items they don’t want, which is no different from the current situation. If anything, a token-based system like what we have in dungeons would be better.

I’d been recommending that in the various “precursor unfair” threads for a while now. By turning it into a Mystic Forge recipe, you can get players to invest in rares and exotics, instead of having these horribly inflated precursor prices.

Example similar to what I posted before:

Every Level 80 weapon flush at the Mystic Forge yields a Precursor Token. (Or knowing ANet, 0-3 tokens.) I’d recommend a chance at 1 for every rare and an almost-guaranteed one for every exotic, 50% and 90% respectively. It takes 250 Precursor Tokens for the recipe.
That satisfies a financial component. Spend gold (or gems) get components.

The actual recipe is done at 500 crafting for the weapon’s type. This requires similar investment to Ascended gear, and can even use Ascended materials.

Similarly to Ascended, there is a recipe as karma-purchase item.

Recipes for Ascended Dowel and specific precursor type (karma)
Precursor Inscription (Precursor Tokens) + Ascended Dowel (Ascended materials from various game participation)
Orichalcum and Ancient Wood parts (head and handle)

Kinda shorthanded it a bit at the end, but a method like the above would give slow, but guaranteed success in building a precursor. It also uses a spread of the game’s resources.

Good ideas. I like this idea.

I don’t ask to be “given” anything in game beyond the basics. I don’t ask for freebies.

I ask for reasonable paths to attain game elements.

Dusty Moon.4382:

How is it arbitrary? Please actually give some items that are blocked arbitrarily, according to you.

Example – Celestial items cannot be traded as they are close to Ascended items and they also cannot be traded. That is not arbitrary.

Celestial items are not based on rare drops, but on time spent in game. They are, for anyone who wants them, inevitable. The required materials are not rare and can be acquired thru gameplay.

It is a CHOICE whether or not you get Ascended items. There is no in-game roadblock to their acquisition; every single component drops GUARANTEED, even the account-bound ones. Now, the number of elements may vary, but if I kill a boss or open a crate, I KNOW I will get fragments/ore/dust. Skill points can be methodically acquired. An important piece can be bought from a vendor.

And yes, I have one character fully decked-out in ascended gear, by CHOICE. My other 80s don’t have ascended, by CHOICE.

The new amber weapons are not acquired by choice; theoretically, I could open thousands of chests and never get the fossilized insect. Getting a fossilized insect is pure LUCK. Not skill, not perseverance, not money, but LUCK.

Ascended weapons are a choice. Amber weapons are luck.

Olba.5376:

First up, I’m gonna say that using the word “social game” for an MMO is horrible and you should feel bad for it. This is no farmville.

Guilds, group events, the trading post — yes, Guild Wars 2 is a social game. Quite obviously.

Olba.5376:

1. Again, I think you should watch your words. “It’s a game, not real life” is a phrase that can immediately be legitimately used to erase anything and everything about the game because there’s some demographic that finds it to be too “real”.

My words were correct and precise. It is a game. That’s a fact. It is entertainment. Like a movie or TV show, it may be “brilliant” by critical metric, but a failure if it does not entertain. RNG in excess (note that word) is not fun.

Olba.5376:

But without an RNG to determine the drops, you would have to make it fixed.

No.

There is middle ground between the extremes of all-RNG and no-RNG. RNG an be made less punitive without removing the enjoyment of chance. The existence of a “luck” attribute attests to ANet’s understanding of the issue; the fact “luck” does not apply to chests is mystifying.

Olba.5376:

1. A lot of rare items can already be sold.

ANet’s choice of what can and cannot be sold/bought is very arbitrary and very inconsistent.

Addendum:

Getting the new “Fossilized insect” is not skill-based, nor is it time-based, nor is it craftable, nor is is sellable.

It is 100% purely luck based, and that is bad for the game.

Dusty Moon.4382:

It would be nice if instead of posting what is bad, you could post suggestions as to how to improve it. Since, you are a supposed AAA developer, how can you change it?

The negativity of your post guarantees that most of the replies will be negative also. Nice way to start a pile on thread.

Learn to read. I gave three suggestions as to how to improve RNG.

Also, the post contains no complaining, no aspersions on ANet, and no begging for an item. How is it hostile in any way?

Lord Kuru.3685:

Sytherek.7689:

I’m taking a break from the bug-hunt.

I REALLY want the bug-longbow, but after opening 24 chests and no insect I’m already “bugged”.

Now, when I was in the game-programming business, we built our random-content generator to progressively increase the odds of getting a rare desired object for those who hadn’t gotten it. Worked pretty well; bad luck lead to better luck. Made players happy.

Did the players know about the increasing odds? … or did you let them feel like they finally hit the jackpot?

It was not documented, but players figured it out. The end result was few complaints about RNG. Happier players == paying players.

Stormcrow.7513:

GW1 had better RNG to be honest. I feel that GW2’s terrible RNG is directly tied to the gemstore. ie. Frustrate people until they cave and pull out their visas.
I couldn’t even care about getting a weapon, although they are cool.
I am at the point where I just don’t even care about the drops anymore

I worked on games before cash stores.

However, I would not be surprised if “intelligent” RNG was frowned on by cash-store game developers.

That said, I’m not against cash stores. I even spend real $$$ on GW2, because I want to. But the current cash-store mentality of many games is making me spend more time and money on other hobbies.

There is a point where frustration and excessive cash-shops drive players away, reducing revenues.

Stark.1350:

RNG has been in every MMO since the dawn of time. I killed Onyxia in WoW 50+ times and never once saw my Warlock T2 helmet. In a game that does not have a monthly subscription, RNG is a necessary evil – unfortunately it’s how it keeps the gem store going and the game funded for more releases.

Shelve this game all you want, the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

Actually, some MMOs and games DO have smarter, more player-friendly RNG. I write RNGs for a living sometimes. Wrote a high-speed one with weighted probabilities for a well-known game. As a professional, I am unimpressed with the Guild Wars RNG. They can do better.

And no, I’m not shilling for a job. I’m outa the game biz.

I’m taking a break from the bug-hunt.

I REALLY want the bug-longbow, but after opening 24 chests and no insect I’m already “bugged”.

Now, when I was in the game-programming business, we built our random-content generator to progressively increase the odds of getting a rare desired object for those who hadn’t gotten it. Worked pretty well; bad luck lead to better luck. Made players happy.

Azrael.4960:

I like…none of them. I checked them all out and I can honestly say that none of them appeal to me whatsoever. I appreciate that Anet is coming up with new weapon designs and what not, but whatever happened to sleek and elegant? There are a lot of clunky weapons already available and the newer ones are getting clunkier and clunkier.

About the flashiest weapon skins I use are the Fractal sword/axe/longbow, Bolt, Mistforged Hero sword and Cobalt. Otherwise I prefer simplicity over excessive showiness

I like subtle effects.

I don’t like the ascended skins, or most of the legendaries.

But I do like the bug-bows, and maybe the daggers. They are subtle, without weird glow effects or silly unicorn arrows. The amber color is lovely.

So, back to finding a $@!! fossilized bug in a chest.

I finished the “Entangled” storyline last night.

I found no mandatory jumping games. Or, to be more precise, in order to complete the story and mostly finish the map objectives in a few hours, I had no jumping roadblocks.

That isn’t to say the jumping puzzles are easy. I still can’t figure out that waterfall / skill point jump. Working on it…

I lost the use of my primary, right hand in January 2013. If my info is helpful…

I actively play Guild Wars 2 with my off, left hand and NO add-ons. To do so, I use a Logitech touchpad and keyboard.

This isn’t to say that a software add-on might be helpful. I just don’t use one.

I’ve also remapped my keyboard to reduce the distance my fingers must move for various actions, using the built-in GW2 key assignments.

I use GW2 as physical therapy for my damaged limb.

A few level 80s, a good set of achievements, good times with my wife and adult daughters… GW2 works fine for me.

Sephas.8793:

Huh? Ogden Stonehealer, from GW1?

He shows up in the Priory personal story.

And, apparently, in the Priory-only area.

Djinn.9245:

GW2 was not presented as a jumping game when I purchased it or when I purchased gems. Jumping is a significant part of the game, but those parts are almost entirely optional. Legendary weapons are so out of reach for me that I don’t care at all for Map Completion. Therefore I simply don’t complete the Vistas after several tries and all Jumping Puzzles.

Yes, MMOs change over time but adding jumping as a requirement to experience the general map is a huge change to mechanics that is either a physical or mental barrier for many people. It is equivalent to taking a game with optional PvP and suddenly deciding to have Open World PvP. Some of the players say “cool, a new challenge” and some say “hey, I didn’t sign up for this.”

I understand that the devs are trying to add new, fun mechanics to the game but I think they are all in the camp of the players who simply don’t understand how physically or mentally challenging constant jumping can be for some people.

Wow.

I don’t like jumping puzzles, hate’em really, but you’re making mountains out of skritt-hills.

ONE short jumping game. ONE. Four-five jumps.

Wait until today’s update. If they add another “mandatory” jump sequence, then I’ll agree with you that it’s a trend.