Guild Wars 2

Alga.6498:

Olvendred.3027:

13 exactly? I did hear of an old ritual where if you sacrifice 13 royal monarchs by the full moon, Abaddon will return…

Ohh, then I gotta try that out then!

But you have to find seven royal protectors also.

Tachenon.5270:

I remember my level 5 mesmer fighting level 7 centaur vets along with a herd of other centaurs in a personal story mission and finishing the mission in her undies. And now, thanks to the magic of screenshots, you can, too!

From September 3rd, 2012 (happy anniversary):

Is that on the Noble path for humans? Because I might know that mission, and my mesmer got her . . . dress really and truly scuffed. I think my ranger could have handled it. Mesmer didn’t work so well.

This wasn’t the first case, either. Elementalist sylvari in almost the same point ran into serious problems with defending This is the part in question . . . and it took a while to finish having trouble with groupings.

It’s fair to say some personal story steps have it easier for some classes and harder for others. (Thief, human, street rat . . . was remarkably easy when you knew what you were in for. And my ranger had a relatively easy time pushing through the story.)

I don’t think adding tutorials are the answer . . . those who need it the most often aren’t going to suffer through the tutorials and will try to learn it on the fly.

It is known.

On the same side of the coin, slowing down Trait acquisition to try to get people to use them more isn’t quite the answer I think. At least the Trait resets shook out much like the old “Refund Point” system did in GW1 for Attributes.

Do not bring the eyesore which was Primeval armor back. Not even as a joke.

Shadelang.3012:

Gotta say I wouldnt mind a bit more chaotic approach. My favorite character is my ranger. An entity in which (in my mind atleast) shouldn’t give much of a kitten about other people in general. Oh if he sees a little girl about to be killed by a bandit sure hel put an arrow in his face and take her home. But he wont stay for dinner and he certainly wont decline the reward for finding her before going off to collect the bounty on the bandit head he has tied to his belt.

He won’t even hide it when getting the little girl safely home?

On my side, I play my ranger more as a scout, or someone who is more comfortable acting alone or with a smaller group than as a soldier in a strictly regimented arrangement. That’s why he told the Vigil to go jump off a bridge when they tried recruitment

So when I see him say some of the lines he does in the game its kinda… well it kinda feels like. “This is NOT the character I raised from level one”

I got over it when I facepalmed hard several times during Prophecies. “Put an arrow in Markis’ back now . . . now . . . NOW . . . aw darnit, you know he’s going to betray you later.”

VergilDeZaniah.3295:

Nope, you’ll get a mini Logan stabbing your calves!

And then he runs away.

(Sorry.)

What did I find hard, hmm.

- Playing Elementalist. I just can’t get the hang of it properly.

- Playing Necro. Two hours of play and decided ‘no thanks’.

- Soloing champions in Queensdale events before the Train existed. As it would sometimes be necessary to hit map completion.

- Risen Priest of Grenth.

- Doing anywhere near decent in sPvP.

- Mad King’s Clock Tower and Winter Wonderland. (Timed JPs can go to Grenth.)

- Five-man Claw of Jormag.

Devata.6589:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

Devata.6589:

As an example the back-pack should addition should not be much more as configuration and adding some files one would think.

It should be, but it’s probably also one of those things which seems like it’s simple and couldn’t mess up . . . and then it does. Especially if those backpacks are meant to “evolve” through the crafting profession progress.

Honestly I think most of the feature pack work is more along the line of optimizations and work on the back-end we don’t see . . . and we get this stuff so we have something we can see.

“Especially if those backpacks are meant to “evolve” through the crafting profession progress “ Yeah maybe but that back-end work has in this case already been done for Chinese client.

Besides it does not have to be so hard. Simply use the lower level item as an ingredient for the higher level item and there you have your evolving item. Then it should not require any additional code. But yeah without seeing the code we can never be 100% sure.

Like I said, for some reason I get the impression the back-end optimization and work on that stuff is the bulk of the work in the Feature Pack and this stuff is just to:

A: Put us in the same vicinity as the Chinese clients’ features so to simplify things when they need to go look at things – everything’s mostly normalized, so no need to worry about stuff we have and China doesn’t or things they have which NA/EU doesn’t.

B: Give us something we can see as having been done, as opposed to merely a patch reading “worked on code optimization and fixed tooltips from the list”.

I just want to note, Week 3 isn’t over yet . . . not that I can guess anything which will cause the people currently complaining to drop to their knees and shower praise on the devs.

Vayne, I like you . . . but you and I both know ANet can’t dispense with the PR speak, and they probably can’t tone down the marketing. Both of which probably lie higher above the food chain than the people who come here to talk with us.

On the positive side, it feels like there are red-posters trying to actually engage even if people want to heap rocks on them until they confess.

Vayne.8563:

Who says you can’t critique and be happy? Why do people feel that’s mutually exclusive?

I make suggestions sometimes, but I’m still mostly happy.

Some people just don’t get it. Of course, having watched the SF Debris videos for a few years now, I really do get how someone can critique, mock, deride, disassemble, and discuss without being really strongly incensed by the source material.

I do highly recommend viewing Chuck’s videos if you want to start deconstructing fictional works.

Devata.6589:

As an example the back-pack should addition should not be much more as configuration and adding some files one would think.

It should be, but it’s probably also one of those things which seems like it’s simple and couldn’t mess up . . . and then it does. Especially if those backpacks are meant to “evolve” through the crafting profession progress.

Honestly I think most of the feature pack work is more along the line of optimizations and work on the back-end we don’t see . . . and we get this stuff so we have something we can see.

Baldrick.8967:

Elsdragon.5109:

The day/night bit with night having very low visibility (somewhat like the dark room in OS) in WvW would make for interesting plays. There’d be torch piles by the keeps and towers, and camps and sentries would be carrying torches too. There could even be some raiding parties (with elites or something) that spawn from Keeps and targets nearby enemy camps.

Visibility is already shockingly bad in wvw- there should be a detection radius around every structure that shows enemies passing/attacking.

Wait, visibility is bad? I haven’t noticed so much . . .

As for NPC’s wandering around the map, no thanks, we don’t want any more pve creeping in to wvw- but feel free to throw them in the karma train EoTM arena.

We do have the Mercenary camps . . . just adjust those if you must but if they are too effective then it takes some of the fun away.

MrIllusion.5304:

JonPeters.5630:

TLDR;
We added this system as a direct result from the horizontal progression CDI. We are always reading your feedback, however, we don’t always have time to respond right away or action it quickly. We updated some trait unlocks in the past but we can do more. How can you help?
1) Give us a list of the most offensive trait unlock locations.
2) Keep giving feedback and be patient as this is a big ship and it takes time to steer it.

Instead of picking obscure Champions in areas, why not use the World Bosses instead?

There are far more people doing those.

In a half-hearted attempt to get people to travel to obscure areas, obviously.

gobax.6185:

Awww how cute <3 you believe everything people tell you? Such a gullible fellow youre really suited for gw2 if youre this easy to fool

So, we’re supposed to believe you telling us not to believe everyone, so does that mean we shouldn’t believe what you say?

First of all there are no proof on their statement.

I’ve had it proven.

2nd if you see the changes they are doing, majority are irrelevant and doesnt not fix the issues majority are talking about in game.

Probably because it looks a lot like the two clients are being brought closer to each other in terms of content after it was used in the China launch and it didn’t explode. OF course, no, I don’t have proof of that either but it’s been noticed more than a few of the features are essentially localized out of the China launch with one notable (and thankful) exception.

If they do play the game, it is pretty easy to see whats wrong and what should be done. Heck! They dont even have to play the game, they just need to read the forums. This topic alone gives many ideas on what the players want.

I suppose it does.

But is what the players want good for the game?

Obtena.7952:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

Obtena.7952:

You want to argue semantics but the reality is that the game content is simply a delivery vehicle for the gemstore. Therefore, as the OP thoughlessly QQ’s about it, fails to realize it’s the only reason the game exists. That’s why his suggestions for bigger and less frequent expansions simply don’t work to do that.

The game content is a delivery vehicle for the Gem Store?

Time for a reality check.

If that seems like a crazy statement to you, you don’t get what’s going on here. Think about it … this is a BUSINESS. It’s not philanthropy that we get the opportunity to play this game. The game and it’s content is the lure to get you to buy gems. Now ask yourself if this business makes profit selling gems to players in GW2 … It must because Anet or its parent company answers to investors that expect ROI.

Okay, yes all of that makes sense mostly . . .

And yet, the phrasing “simply” in regards to the game is like saying Mass Effect was simply an attempt to get people to preorder the next game.

Zaxares.5419:

Thanks for the link, Tobias! I’ve come across this archetype before, but I never knew there was an actual term for it.

It’s not commonly used, most people tend to lump them into “anti hero” which is . . . not the same.

Also not the same as “designated protagonist” which is something else – not that it’s a bad thing. There was a series on TNT I enjoyed where the group involved were definitely “designated protagonists” – “Leverage”.

I’m not even sure what the OP exactly is asking about. If they’re talking about having “kill this kitty or kick the puppy” choices getting added to the game? I think that’s a completely unnecessary and bad choice to drop into the game. (Much less the traditional “good as harp-playing, tree-hugging angels while evil are puppy-murdering, candy-stealing, shortsighted thugs”).

Or as we call it around the tabletop: “Paladin vs Chaotic Stupid”.

Stormcrow.7513:

WTS stack of Otik’s spicey potatoes 100k+10e

http://www.dlnexus.com/fan/recipes/11897.aspx

Actually a plate of those right now might make me happy!

. . . is it weird I looked at that recipe and said “oh my god, that’s practically how my family makes ‘home fries’, except with some vegetable oil instead of butter”.

Still think I want omnomberry chocolate cake more. Just need to get the materials . . . the local grocery store doesn’t have omnomberries but I think I can substitute.

Stormcrow.7513:

I would play a Dragonlance MMO anyday lol TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I wouldn’t.

. . . stupid ninja-looting kender. A pox on their lands, a pox I say! The red dragon wasn’t enough of a curse to level on Kenderhome!

kta.6502:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

@kta:

You need to look a bit better at people’s writing records if you’re that familiar with them.

Jeff Grubb isn’t responsible for Caramon & Raistlin.

Calm down. I was only implying that Braham and Taimi were Majere brothers clones. LOL. As I carefully observed the relationship between the Norn and the half-pint during LS1, I thought to myself, “This relationship seems familiar. Where have I seen it before?” I made the connection after another player in Shirkleton’s biconics thread mentioned GW2’s Dragonlance connection.

Except that’s not what came to mind for me, probably because that dynamic isn’t anything invented when the Majere brothers were put to writing. It’s older than that, and others have used similar things in the same timeframe.

Further, it just . . . there are too many extra parts which make it dissimilar for me to just agree “yup, this is what this reminds me of”. Because really, it winds up reminding me more of other things first. Probably because Raistlin wasn’t just intelligent and sometimes condescending on top of having a handicap . . . he was downright evil.

Taimi . . . isn’t.

You want to know what it reminds me of, in a more recent vein? In the most serious manner of comparison? Finch and Reese . . .

Tachenon.5270:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

Especially the Caramon/Raistlin dynamic. Which is not really how Braham/Taimi ring to me . . . more Bronn/Tyrion. Or “Sergeant Bothari/Miles Vorkosigan” . . . (more people need to read those novels, seriously).

I was thinking more Bamm-Bamm/Great Gazoo.

So long as it’s not Elroy/Gizmo . . .

Obtena.7952:

You want to argue semantics but the reality is that the game content is simply a delivery vehicle for the gemstore. Therefore, as the OP thoughlessly QQ’s about it, fails to realize it’s the only reason the game exists. That’s why his suggestions for bigger and less frequent expansions simply don’t work to do that.

The game content is a delivery vehicle for the Gem Store?

. . . sure, okay. In other news, it’s been announced the Pokemon games are simply a delivery vehicle for the anime.

@kta:

You need to look a bit better at people’s writing records if you’re that familiar with them.

Jeff Grubb isn’t responsible for Caramon & Raistlin. He’s responsible for one book out of the Dragonlance line (about a nobody villain which was thrown away and he dusted off to expand on). Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are the ones who wrote Dragonlance together, and quite possibly the ones responsible for more of the development of that storyline. Especially the Caramon/Raistlin dynamic. Which is not really how Braham/Taimi ring to me . . . more Bronn/Tyrion. Or “Sergeant Bothari/Miles Vorkosigan” . . . (more people need to read those novels, seriously).

(Note: If Taimi turns evil and tries to conquer Tyria, I will concede the point on their similarities though.)

He is responsible, on the other hand, for getting Ed Greenwood to put together the Forgotten Realms. (Given the track record of Faerun, I really am able to look at Tyria and go “this won’t end well”.)

Angel McCoy is less instrumental in Forgotten Realms and didn’t shape it as much as, oh, R.A. Salvatore or the aforementioned Jeff Grubb. (I think the novels did more to shape FR than the splatbooks did, honestly.) It looks like a lot of her RPG work was over at White Wolf . . . which explains why I never heard of her RPG work before

Palador.2170:

JonPeters.5630:

Cross.6437:

JonPeters.5630:

Lazuli.2098:

ozmaniandevil.6805:

JonPeters.5630:

Thanks. I’ll pass this on.

So, this is how it works? Cherry pick ONE PERSON’s “list of things I don’t like”, while ignoring 40 pages of really good feedback and ideas? OK. I’m done with this thread.

From this response from JonPeters and his initial post it is obvious that Anet is not going to fix their new leveling process or trait system except the individual tasks themselves.

I’m discouraged since I used to like leveling new alts but can live with just playing my level 80s instead.

To be clear we are looking at the system as a whole but recognize that changing that will take longer than is satisfying and are looking for ways to improve the current system until a time at which we can make a better overall system from the ground up. Specific suggestions on what traits are poorly placed are helpful for #1, specific suggestions on #2 are also welcome but are going to be read but not responded too right now.

So, if I’m reading this right, are you saying, you’re looking for quick changes to make the system more bearable while not confirming or denying the possibility of a holistic revamp at some point in the indeterminate future?

Because knowing that would really settle some of my anxiety about the existence of this request for feedback.

Yup. and I would replace the word possibility with the word probability…

This is where I remind everyone that they’ve not said they’ll do anything. No “We will”, only “probability”, “consider”, and “discuss”.

We’ve all heard this kind of talk from ANet before, so don’t get your hopes up. Advise and suggest as you will, but remember their track record.

Possibility and probability are two distinct words with different meanings.

And given how much we love to harp on semantics around here when discussing back and forth about topics . . . I think it’s important to note when semantics are being trotted out on their part.

When he said “probability” he basically said without saying outright they are indeed considering it more seriously than shooting theoreticals around on the forums.

Though he’s still not confirming or denying the existence of any actual work. Which is to say there’s . . . probably . . . some guy in a converted broom closet office looking over the old and current trait systems and trying to figure out another potential replacement which won’t end in blood and tears.

laokoko.7403:

I told people on the forum before the game is out, that it’ll end this way. And everyone bashed me.

Put yourself on the Anet Staff’s shoe, you’ll do the same thing to make more money.

It’s kind of hard for me to put myself in their shoes. I’m even cognizant of the numerous issues they have to try to think of even on top of delivering a game to people who hate me

Honestly, if it weren’t for being tightly held in Java, I think Minecraft has a better chance at sandbox-MMO

Yeah, given the posts from JP recently, it seems they’re aware it’s flawed and are thinking on how to replace it while also making it more comfortable for the shorter term.

Reverting it (mostly) and keeping the new Traits requiring unlocks is probably one of the better options, I think.

Interesting proposal. However, the engine has a few things which must be addressed – notably, how CPU bound it is in performance, and at the same time trying to keep minimal system requirements stable and workable. And the whole “Conditions” thing needs to be looked at closer, since it’s really . . . concerning how limited it can be.

Also I have my suspicions this engine may be derived from something else, which means marketing it out like the Unreal engine was for a long time . . . well . . .

Sigh. Here we go.

- Blizzards sweeping through Frostgorge Sound when the Claw of Jormag flies overhead and drops its crystals. When it is defeated, the blizzards subside. If the event fails, blizzards remain in effect for another half hour before slowly clearing up. (Or add an event to destroy dragon crystals across the zone to mitigate, then remove it.)

- On a failure of the Shatterer, new events form where Branded are found near crystal formations across the Blazeridge Steppes. Until these events are cleared, hostile Branded will kill anything in the range of the events. An event of Elite Branded Lieutenants (gryphon bodytype) roaming the Lowland Burns, which persists into the next Shatterer appearance if they are left unchecked.
Potentially, Branded spawns when the Shatterer is present now can “Crystal Prison” players. The Crystal Prison now does a DoT effect until you break out. These prisons count for “Shattered”.

- During nighttime, specifically nocturnal enemies start to become more active. This comes with an overhaul to events to try to give each a “Day/night” flag so they only happen properly . . . skritt events in the open become “night” events, for instance. Daytime events can be added to zones with hylek to reinforce their connection to the sun, either hostile tribes becoming more aggressive or friendly tribes wanting to perform a rite while hostile forces try to stop it.

- A new series of events in Frostgorge Sound where the rebel dredge start throwing off their oppressors. You can slowly accumulate a bar in the area for “Rebel Presence” by completing events or killing hostile dredge. When complete, there is a champion event against a Dredge in command who is sent to quell the rebellion. When defeated all dredge in the southern caverns turn allied and you can trade with them. (Perhaps even for new weapon skins.)

- A new zone to the north where there are “crazy” norn who decide to fight Jormag’s corruption and are willing to lead willing adventurers. Of course, the weather is not too cooperative and is rather cold, limiting time of exposure outside of the safe camps. When ten people congregate at the start point, the event ticks a countdown timer (from two minutes) during which the group can get organized. The event will be a mix of escort (Keep your norn hunter safe or the event fails and you have to turn back) and scoring (accumulate points for kills, veterans and higher progressively are worth more but gain broader attack patterns/more moves). The event ends at another safe haven if successful, which means there is another leg which can begin. The “end goal” of the zone is to travel far enough north to fight another of Jormag’s chosen lieutenants, this time with only the people who could make it that far into the frozen north. (Prevents just Waypoint-zerging.) Failure to beat this event means all safe havens activated so far except the original ones will deactivate and no longer be safe, so the whole chain must begin again.

Rouven.7409:

@ Tobias: Thanks, guess I have to watch more TV in order to keep up with those references. Although I would run into the danger of becoming something park addicted.

It’s some years old by now, made a splash as the bulk of the episode was done in World of Warcraft machinima-style. I’m sorry, I should say, made a splash within a certain demographic.

I watched it because I got linked to it five times by friends and family. Kind of like how I’ve now been linked to Amy’s Baking Company four times thanks to the same people.

But by the definition of kult’s “addiction” protocols, yes, we would be addicted if we so much as kept track of these things. Or bothered to remember them after we watched. (Almost reminds me of the misguided “The West Wing” ‘trek fans are fetishists’ scene . . . but that’s another story.)

Danikat, you’re making me want to write a dissertation on how to have zone effects like the Sandstorm or how to make World Bosses leave effects on zones. In a topic I’m not sure people will really read :P

ozmaniandevil.6805:

OK, I’ve calmed down… a bit.

My issue:

I should not have to print out a 3 page list of trait unlocks and hunt them down. From a new player point of view, how does this help me? I think the old system was fine. What was missing was information about what to do with traits, why they are important, and how to use them effectively.

You think that was terrible? Try Elite Skill hunting in GW1 where you had to go to the Wiki more often than not to find the skill, then the boss which gave it. Sometimes this boss was only available in a mission, or only in a terrible place to get to.

As much as I enjoyed Signet of Capture work . . . man there was a lot of a pain in that journey. Though that does bring me to my suggestion:

Any veterans of Guild Wars 1 remember the Skill Tomes? How about that for Traits, something which drops rather than has to be bought with Gold/Gems. (Maybe it can be bought with dungeon tokens or geodes? Or Laurels since some players likely have a ton of those sitting around? Or Karma?)

I haven’t got a fresh new character, so trying to work with the new Trait system isn’t quite something I have much experience with. But I am convinced it really needs a lot of tweaking currently while something else is thought up.

The only problem is, I almost foresee this coming out like the Daily/Monthly changes over the course of last two years. More than a few changes to the system and still having something which gives players headaches from time to time.

It’d be great of the Trait to be unlocked had some sort of connection to the “unlock trigger”, in the future system to be developed. I mean, why does capturing “Inferno’s Needle” in Edge of the Mists inspire a ranger to develop the Trait “Malicious Training” (Conditions landed by pets last longer)?

I can think of several uses for the dual-mode zone design Dry Top encapsulates. But the one I’m really waiting for more is tidal-based changes.

Rouven.7409:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

kult.3465:

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

What . . . I . . . what is this I don’t even . . .

You must really have a low bar for defining “addiction” then.

Pray tell, what is this sword of light and truth and which boars do I have to kill?
Screenshots anyone?
Why is it not in the wardrobe!?! Whaaaaaa.

It’s a reference to a South Park episode lampooning WoW.

It’s also a flippant excuse for a reply just to be silly and keep the idea of all MMO players need to be addicted to the game if they play it regularly. (Because it’s completely not like coming home and indulging in your hobby over the weekend to relax.)

Tachenon.5270:

Vayne.8563:

It’s okay to admit you don’t know something.

I know my rangers would be happier if they could leave their pets at home. Or – hey! – warg into their pets like that know it all pictured below.

Lies. He knows exactly one thing and it’s not that.

“Stick them with the pointy end.”.

I know my ranger would really like to have his pet with him and have at least as much control over it as the GW1 ranger could. (Even if that’s just “lock on this target and don’t change til I tell you or it dies”.)

kult.3465:

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

What . . . I . . . what is this I don’t even . . .

You must really have a low bar for defining “addiction” then.

Spira.4578:

Exactly. I just wanted to point out that people need to build up enough tension in order to react.

I just want to point out there’s a very real danger of fumbling the catch when offered the chance to make things change for the better, and instead push it the other way.

Right now, we got some elevated attention out of the mess made over the “non-news” about SAB not returning immediately, and other announcements which didn’t go over well. Right now, the CDI process is being pushed to come back and start up topics again.

Very soon, it’s important those players who want their voices heard and to try to make a difference put down the pitchforks and instead turn to figuring out how to get their message out there. Respectfully, concisely, and without the inflammatory invective they might want to use.

You don’t get opportunities like this all that often . . . it’ll be a shame if it slips by.

And speaking of slipping by, I should find my bed soon with my face for sleeping and dreaming.

I don’t know why you think not being heroic is what you want. Perhaps you want more of a Byronic Hero rather than a non-hero?

Spira.4578:

It’s same as in a revolution It needs to build up to a point for people to react.
And believe it or not, it IS building up.

A word of caution – revolutions are never something to take lightly. There is a great amount of mess involved, and rarely do they work out exactly as the revolutionaries intended.

Vayne.8563:

So far, Guild Wars 2 has succeeded better than most of it’s contemporaries.

I . . . don’t think so. I think A Realm Reborn is doing as well. It’s just not on the radar as much.

Because if I wasn’t playing this I’d be far more annoyed at my second choice than I am now.

To borrow a shortening of phrase: QFT.

. . . freaking chocobos . . .

Zardul.3952:

i think those are more personal traits to the person reading, when you take it at face value, the OP is just reaching out to other players that feel the same.

like i have mentioned i feel the same, i wouldnt be playing at all anymore if it wasnt for my friends that want to play now and then. and we are all 2 year Vets.

its actually became a running joke now, when we all say we are bored, we say we are Gw2. its actually quite funny amongst us

Yes, the OP is one thing, but . . .

There are people who still delight in just . . . I can’t put it any other way than this: They want to run around and find people enjoying the game, and just push their unhappiness out in the form of “if you like this game, you’re not worth talking to” more often than not. It’s not in the things they say so much as the attitude which rolls off the posts.

In that kind of conversation, it’s impossible to like the game, but hate parts of it, or hate the game and like parts of it. You’re either side wholly (a “hater” or “white knight”), and shouldn’t be listened to if you’re on the side the particular poster disagrees with.

I like the game, and I like parts of the mechanics, parts of the story, and almost all the art and music. I dislike some mechanics, some parts of the story, and a small slice of artwork. I don’t have much of an opinion on about 25% of the game, as I don’t partake in it enough to really have an opinion other than “it exists”.

And I like the people who come here and spend time talking with us through the red posts, even if they sometimes say a lot without saying anything and even if it’s just silly banter with no purpose. I like the people who show up in the game with the ANet tag and are willing to chat with people and just be candid.

At the end of the day, no matter what, I still like the passion in some of the posters/players even if they wind up disagreeing with me. If their conviction is real and not just an act for their amusement, it’s worth admiring.

This is a game, this is something meant to be entertainment. There is no shame in not being entertained, and there is no reason to shame those being entertained.

That’s all.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Eric.6109:

What OP doesn’t understand is that one time purchase MMORPG games do not exist, or die very quickly.

GW1?

Not an MMO, anymore than Diablo 2 was one.

Zardul.3952:

please dont talk for other people Vayne. you dont know how many are happy

Well, you’re right on the point of him not having an exact number, or even a poll.

I think his sentiment is notable – there’s a not-insignificant amount of people who are still happy to play the game. That’s not to say they actively agree with all the choices, but they just don’t mess up their enjoyment of the game enough to really push them to “unhappy”.

I also think topics like this one or ones basically cultivating the unhappiness are probably worse than the problems which are being cited making people unhappy. It’s one thing to be unhappy, but it’s quite another to have someone prodding you into it by shoving it in your face repeatedly.

I’m happy to let this game sit idle and poke at it on days I have off ankitten ot doing something else, such as playing MTG with my friends or catching up on my Wil Wheaton Project viewing. Or on days when Red vs Blue didn’t update.

Much like every other game on my computer, or 3DS, PSP, iPad . . . I play it when I feel like it, and am content to let it be a fun diversion rather than work. (This is why I stopped playing Civilization 5.)

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Fast forward a few years later, and we have GW2. A game in which the Gem Store has infected the game like some sort of illness. And this isn’t really about whether the store is necessary to fund the further development of the game. This is more about how deep the Gem Store’s muddy fingers reach down into the reward system of the game, and ultimately destroy it.

I’m . . . not sure if the Gem Store is to blame for what I find wrong with the game.

We first run into the problem of the store when we receive Blacklion chests. For a while we still get free keys for doing our personal story. But then we soon learn that this source of keys quickly comes to an end, and after that you have to pay. And while we may have no inclination to buy any keys, the unopened Blacklion Chests still start filling up our bank, and it doesn’t feel like we are being rewarded. Instead, it feels like every drop of a Blacklion Chest is an ad for the store, a never-ending attempt to draw us in. And still we refuse, and so the blacklion chest pile starts growing and growing. How many of us have a pile of over 250 unopened Blacklion Chests in their bank?

To be honest, this is probably Mann Co’s fault more.

But the problem reaches much further than this. The game seems to lack a lot of actual rewards. Most of the fun items, mini pets and cool armor skins are locked in the Gem Store, leaving the rest of the game rather barren, like a wasteland after a plague. Many of the valuable items that a player might wish to craft, require insane amounts of grinding, which is made easier with just a few purchases. There are a lot of things for which you will need to spend vast amounts of gold in other to obtain them. Many recipes seem to require such insane amounts of crafting materials, that buying them from the tradepost seems like the only option. This drives up prices, and ultimately undermines any desire to get these items.

That encapsulates my whole problem with Obsidian Armor in GW1 in a nutshell . . . except for where “it’s gods-awful ugly”. The quickest way to get it was farm Plat, buy Ecto/Shards, and farm more Plat, buy a run to activate the Forgemaster and get it done. And I have yet to do it just because it makes me sad.

There’s a valid point in the Gem Store not being necessary on one hand . . . on the other, well . . .

This is how you efficiently monetize a game these days. Microtransactions. I don’t like it, but I thank Kormir every day when I notice it’s a whole lot less intrusive than in other games . . . or that it’s not as unnecessary as its inclusion is in other games (-coughcough- Bravely Default).

As for the lack of neat/cool rewards in open world play? Yeah. I don’t lay that fault directly on the Gem Store. I lay it on the dozen backpieces I have and can still only use one at a time.

kult.3465:

Every mmo player is an addict by their very nature.

. . . what? That seems a remarkably narrow viewpoint to take of “every MMO player”.

As long as that addiction doesn’t effect your education, family, social life etc, you are just devoted to your hobby.

Well then it’s a hobby and not an addiction, isn’t that so? A hobby which may be detrimental to your wallet, but a hobby. Like LARPing. Or Warhammer.

If you can walk away from the game, and function normally for extended periods of time . . . you are probably not an addict.

. . . we need another thread about this?

Mounts are an interesting concept, however I expect there are a few thematic snags to get in the way.

First, waypoints still exist as the best form of quick-travel rather than mounts. With Taimi’s breakthrough being taken to be applied to the current network, it’s less likely there’s a lore reason to break that network down. However, it’s now lore they exist and function only where ley-line energy is strong enough to support them. This means it is likely some zones may see reduced waypoint availability if there aren’t ley lines nearby . . . and may make mounts plausible in those regions. This has been done before. (See: Requiring the Junundu in the Desolation due to terrain difficulties.)

Secondly, there is not a lot of mounts plausible for all races to use. I don’t think I’ve seen a horse (dolyaks seem to be the beast of burden here), despite there being skeletons of them in the past. Golems are generally built as asuran answers to ‘powered armor’ rather than mounts, sort of like Tony Stark’s lovely creation. While we did see dolyak mounted dwarves, I don’t think we saw humans riding anything to really tug on for letting it fit thematically.

Lastly, unless there was only one base model for a mount and customization options to let a player make it look different . . . I don’t see how the developers could get a mount to work for all five races aesthetically. Especially considering the size differential between the shortest asura and the biggest charr (probably the highest mass of the player races).

If these can get solved or just brushed aside by the developers, I see no reason for mounts to be excluded . . . if they don’t give statistic buffs beyond movement.

Skritt win, they get the shinies off the battlefield.

Rukh.9287:

Yeah I don’t quite understand the “Welp, it wasn’t completely done, scrap the whole thign!” idea. Seems like you would, you know, then finish it.

Given the state of the game when they hit the release mark . . . yeah, I’d rather they did indeed file it away under “stuff to finish later” than try to rush it. (Consider the personality system which was left in . . .)

And given what we’re discussing, I completely get why it got “lost” and hasn’t come back.

Isn’t there guild insignia armor, and banners, and shields/weapons already? I mean, I get they’re not capes and must be purchased but . . . how much of this stuff do we really need? I still have my “Guild Protector” stashed somewhere, when it dropped during a world boss.