Guild Wars 2

I can not tell you how ridiculous it looks not just to a veteran but, most importantly, new players coming into a pvp match and there is 5-6 or 7 players of one prof. and 2 of another prof for the daily in ONE game of pvp. Remove the profession pvp daily. It adds NOTHING to the variety of the game. It does the exact opposite. I just came out of a PVP match that had SEVEN RANGERS because they were one of the professions for the daily. It’s beyond stupid.

Fluffball.8307:

It’s not a new combo though. The downsides of this build are… basically everything that isn’t quickness.

You could make it work with other builds, but then people have been doing that for a very long time.

Okay, I’ll take your word for it. At the moment, there is a lot of QQing about rangers. A lot of players would have Anet reverse the buff if they could. I, for one, am happy about the changes. We need more profs in pugs. The dynamics of pve groups were lopsided and becoming very stale. Previously, apart from organized dungeon runs, utilizing the rangers strengths, the ranger was largely overlooked (among other professions). I would like to see more profs get buffs, for at least their role in pve groups, so that dungeon runs aren’t so boring. The ranger buff enhanced the overall game, imho.

Fluffball.8307:

That definitely doesn’t need a nerf. View the build as a whole and not just the high amount of quickness.

When you come onto a forum posting potential exploits, it makes a fella wonder.

Solandri.9640:

McFribble.2349:

The difference here is that Condition cleanse helps against almost every class in the game. Reflect works well against LB Rangers. If you can’t see the differences here, I don’t know what to tell you. The ENTIRE kittenING GAME shouldn’t have to adapt itself around one class. That is a sign that one class is doing something it probably shouldn’t be doing.

Sigh. This is why we can’t have good things.

The problem isn’t everyone having to adapt themselves around one class. The problem is everyone has been able to ignore that one class for so long. Suddenly that class is buffed so that the abilities it brings to the game now make a difference, and people are in shock because they can’t ignore it anymore.

Basically, anything added to a game which forces you to adapt is a good thing. That’s telling you Anet has successfully added a new and different challenge or mechanic for you learn to overcome. It’s increased the breadth of the game.

You complain that Reflect only works well against LB rangers. That’s probably a valid complaint, but then you incorrectly conclude that it’s a reason to nerf rangers. The correct conclusion is that Anet needs to add more skills to other classes which require reflect to defend against, thus making it equally as important to carry reflect as it is to carry a condition cleanse. That is balance. What’s the point of even having reflect in the game if you never need to carry it because all builds vulnerable to it are non-threatening and thus can be ignored?

As I said in another thread, balance isn’t “I can run around with my preferred build and not have to worry about anything because my build can defend against anything.” That is horribly unbalanced. Balance is “My build has strong defense against certain things but not others, so I have to be careful to play to my strengths and avoid situations which exploit my weaknesses.” Rock, paper, scissors would be a stupid game if scissors were so weak paper could always ignore them.

Great post. Sums up the ignorance of the QQing that’s been going on about Rangers, as of late.

Hey, rangers are something worth playing now, get over it.

OP, L2D. I wouldn’t want to be on your arena team if you can’t even do that.

Bottom line, the ranger is now almost on the level of other profs, the buff is new and players don’t know or don’t want to learn how to deal with it. I guess they want to nerf rangers back into obscurity. RF is not even OP, its just fun. Get over it and l2d.

I guess you want something to get nerfed…

Etien.4601:

siralius.9517:

Etien.4601:

Sure the megaserver system (with some flaws) gave this issue a solution. But seriously they had to stop there and not push this new leveling nonsense.

I’m a qqer. I’m open to the qq. But I fail to understand what the problem is. If you’re a vet you should know the game by now, you should know the world, you should know how to level your toon quick. It should literally take you but a few hours, at max, to hit lvl 15 (from mapping). At this point, what is locked, other than skills, that doesn’t allow you to explore? I’m not for or against the leveling rework this feature patch; I can’t be either or because I haven’t leveled a new toon since it’s been implemented. Only thing I know is, the maps and the stuff inside them are being used more than what they used to be. This is what I think Anet needs to continue to elaborate on.

You know I came to this game because I got hooked with the “vast exploration” of Tyria and the manifesto as a whole during the PR campaign. So before the release of GW2 I sat down and read trough the lore ( cause I missed GW1). I made my own walktrough for it with videos and infos and such. I’ve never been a key farmer. I’ve never been a fast roller. I just made 3 characters and all leveled them up to 100% map. 1 year later after release I made my first legendary. Since then I still make new characters I haven’t played just because of the exploration and fresh feels. I did all this till yesteday.

Yes I am a veteran player and I still love to play like a noob when making a new character. But this change dumbs me down so hard I don’t even find the will to even log in right now. And you know why? Because I AM A kitten VETERAN PLAYER.

Fair enough. My misunderstanding is coming from someone who’s had about 15+80s. At this point, all of my slots are maxed out with 80s and I don’t think I’ll be leveling another toon in the near future.

I watched that video someone has posted in their thread pertaining to the changes and it does, indeed, look as though not just the leveling system but the entire introduction to GW2 has been fouled up. I’m not going to defend that. It was a horrible move by Anet. I’m not sure what they were thinking.

Etien.4601:

Sure the megaserver system (with some flaws) gave this issue a solution. But seriously they had to stop there and not push this new leveling nonsense.

I’m a qqer. I’m open to the qq. But I fail to understand what the problem is. If you’re a vet you should know the game by now, you should know the world, you should know how to level your toon quick. It should literally take you but a few hours, at max, to hit lvl 15 (from mapping). At this point, what is locked, other than skills, that doesn’t allow you to explore? I’m not for or against the leveling rework this feature patch; I can’t be either or because I haven’t leveled a new toon since it’s been implemented. Only thing I know is, the maps and the stuff inside them are being used more than what they used to be. This is what I think Anet needs to continue to elaborate on.

Quite simply, players are out in the world. And they are doing events and killing mobs that were, previously ignored. And players are playing with other players. And I believe ppl are having fun.

I go anywhere in the world now and engage map chat and find myself neck deep in a conversation followed by ppl randomly getting together for an event and enjoying themselves. The lack of this is what was KILLING this game for me.

The last time ppl were upset about the leveling system I went out and made myself a new toon and lvl’d it purely by mapping. I enjoyed it and I assume if I were to do it again after this fp, I would enjoy it again. Before, this wasn’t the case. Pre megaserver, pre lvling system rework, maps used to be bare, boring and depressing. However, now, the leveling system, megaservers, LS, crafting and trait system are RECONNECTING PLAYERS WITH THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF MAJOR CITIES. This is what Anet needed to do and fast. (They have not fully done this but they are on their way to, I believe.)

Dear Anet.

Stop with the skirts, skirts on coats, tail coats, coats that have tails, long coats that come with tails, skirts on the coats, coats that come out to below the knee because they are a skirt, trench coats that come down below the knee like a skirt would, skirts that are attached to coats forming a tail coat, medium armor with tail coats and skirts, mail armor with tail coats, armor for males that have skirts, tail coats on medium female armor that cover skirts. Stop with the skirts. Stop with the tail coats. Stop.

Yours truly.

Obtena.7952:

siralius.9517:

Everything you mentioned are bare minimums…mere maintenance…fluff. Including the “economy”. My post said “meaningful content”. And what is your infatuation with this John Smith character. Geez, the way you go on about that guy…CONSTANTLY; the idolatry. Well, to be completely honest, it’s strange.

Living world is just ‘maintenance and fluff’? … someone should start making a wall of shame, we got some gems in this thread.

Just because you don’t feel the content is meaningful doesn’t make that a universal truth. I guess your going to tell me that the number of people participating, completing and acquiring said content has nothing to do with making it ‘meaningful’?

Obtena. I didn’t create this thread… Either way, we should stop back and forthing, lest Anet should shut it down for it being “stagnate”; ironically enough.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

When are we going to start seeing the money made from selling stuff in the gemstore put back into the game? When sub based games make their money, they eventually put that money back into the game by creating meaningful content. When is Anet going to start doing this with their gemstore profits? You seem to have all the answers penguin. Answer that question.

You keep talking about business this and business that. Look at the forums, my friend. People are getting sick of this business of gemstore profits and nothing going back into the game. Which business tactic is that modeled after?

This is the nature of business. Anet is owned by NCSoft. Every single cent of sales goes to the mother company, and they in turn give back the subsidiary funding to continue creating content.

You want to know where they put all the stuff back into the game? Look at the Living Story. Look at World Boss revamps. Look at the new voice actors/actresses for the new characters. Look at the new cinematic. Look at the bug fixes. Look at the Customer Support staff who undo hacker damages. Look at John Smith for keeping our economy is tip top shape.

Everything you mentioned are bare minimums…mere maintenance…fluff. Including the “economy”. My post said “meaningful content”. And what is your infatuation with this John Smith character. Geez, the way you go on about that guy…CONSTANTLY; the idolatry. Well, to be completely honest, it’s strange.

Obtena.7952:

I can assure you … your implication that Anet isn’t funding GW2 development with gemstore sales is obtuse to more than just myself. If you aren’t aware of all the content that has been released on a very consistent and frequent basis over the last 2 years, then I think obtuse really was the correct description. How can you even be qualified to ask such a question when the continued development of the game is actually one of it’s strong selling points? I have to ask myself if you even play this game for claiming a lack of development in it. I can imagine even the most unreasonable person would acknowledge the amount and frequency of content that’s added to this game, even if they didn’t like it.

Surely you jest, Obtena. How long have you been perusing this forum? Did you even read the title of the thread you’re posting in? Content? The content that revolves around getting ppl into the gemstore? I guess to make profit to further develop more content that revolves around getting ppl into the gemstore? Is that the “content” you’re speaking of? Living Story, they call it. C’mon, Obtena lol. I mean, no offense to Anet. If it’s working for them then that’s great. It’s just not working for me and judging by this thread and others like it, it’s not working for other ppl either.

Anyway, Obtena. I really don’t care. I’ve been told the best way to vote is with your feet and that’s what I’ve done. Enjoy the rest of your night.

Obtena.7952:

siralius.9517:

When are we going to start seeing the money made from selling stuff in the gemstore put back into the game? When sub based games make their money, they eventually put that money back into the game by creating meaningful content. When is Anet going to start doing this with their gemstore profits? You seem to have all the answers penguin. Answer that question.

You keep talking about business this and business that. Look at the forums, my friend. People are getting sick of this business of gemstore profits and nothing going back into the game. Which business tactic is that modeled after?

That’s an obtuse point of view … you see it all the time. GW2 content doesn’t create itself you know.

It’s obtuse to you. That is your opinion. However, I find your opinion and viewpoint, obtuse. Preposterous? Okay, Obtena, it is year 2, where is this “further development” you speak of?

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

“The mistake you’re making is that it’s your personal feeling towards this game is purely aesthetic after you ate up all the content.”
…..
“As you can see, aesthetics is very important for a lot of players.”

You do realize you’re arguing yourself, right?

It’s not just important to a lot of players. It is the only thing to strive for at “end game” in GW2. The Living Stories are hardly what I would (and a great deal of other players) would consider “content”. Basically, at this point, GW2 has become a vicious recycling motion of trying to make money off the gemstore with little in the way of “content” or any addition thereof.

You can argue this all you want but when the content being released is completed within a few hours, tops, one has to take a step back and ask themselves what exactly are they logging in for. You’re playing a game to spend money on “skins”. That’s all. There are no new dungeons, no new zones to do things of any importance to your character or over all lore and as we have admitted to in the other thread, there is no gear treadmill. So what are you playing GW2 for? To pay to look pretty?

Not exactly. There are a LOT of players who view aesthetics to be important. But just because a lot of people may feel this way, doesn’t mean it’s the only thing in the game to do. They can do Dungeons, Fractals, SPvP, WvW, and even new LS content.

Here’s where you need to understand the businessman’s perspective. Because Anet knows a lot of players like to look good, they put really nice looking skins in the Gem Store. I rarely buy armor sets, but when the Assassin one came out, I knew that I just had to have it. Anet/NCSoft profits off of my personal desire to look like an awesome ninja. If they sold a consumable that allowed me to gender-swap the clothes my male norn wears, I’d buy that too. If they sold me exclusive access to Cantha, I would drop hundreds of dollars for that.

Anyways, there are players who feel like this game is a “play to look pretty”. I’m one of them, and my spending behaviors dictate that I’ll drop real money for fancy virtual skins.

When are we going to start seeing the money made from selling stuff in the gemstore put back into the game? When sub based games make their money, they eventually put that money back into the game by creating meaningful content. When is Anet going to start doing this with their gemstore profits? You seem to have all the answers penguin. Answer that question.

You keep talking about business this and business that. Look at the forums, my friend. People are getting sick of this business of gemstore profits and nothing going back into the game. Which business tactic is that modeled after?

Smooth Penguin.5294:

“The mistake you’re making is that it’s your personal feeling towards this game is purely aesthetic after you ate up all the content.”
…..
“As you can see, aesthetics is very important for a lot of players.”

You do realize you’re arguing yourself, right?

It’s not just important to a lot of players. It is the only thing to strive for at “end game” in GW2. The Living Stories are hardly what I would (and a great deal of other players) would consider “content”. Basically, at this point, GW2 has become a vicious recycling motion of trying to make money off the gemstore with little in the way of “content” or any addition thereof.

You can argue this all you want but when the content being released is completed within a few hours, tops, one has to take a step back and ask themselves what exactly are they logging in for. You’re playing a game to spend money on “skins”. That’s all. There are no new dungeons, no new zones to do things of any importance to your character or over all lore and as we have admitted to in the other thread, there is no gear treadmill. So what are you playing GW2 for? To pay to look pretty?

MRA.4758:

Is this here some kind of social experiment of how long a single person can keep a forum thread alive without advancing the discussion by even a single nanometer?

~MRA

No, there is not

~siralius

Obtena.7952:

siralius.9517:

Ayrilana.1396:

What competition? We’re all competing to get skins? How did this even come to being P2W? Are we playing an RPG or virtual Barbie?

Great question but are you asking me? Because I’m not the one who developed a game where there is nothing to strive for other than how your character looks. So, yes, I would like to know, as well, if we are playing an RPG or virtual Barbie.

It’s not a great question … it’s rhetorical. No one ‘competes’ to get skins, therefore, there is no ‘win’ when you pay to get one. The game is sandbox … it’s what you WANT to make it. You can do virtual Barbie, RPG OR BOTH. It’s up to you.

Yes, exactly my point! No one competes to get skins because you can pay to get a skin! Thank you for seeing the light! Finally! Good day to you, Obtena.

Obtena.7952:

If it’s the word of an educated person speaking in a position of authority to their speciality over some random forum lurker …. always.

You know, they’ve done social experiments with ppl that have a similar rationale as you. Scary and dangerous stuff, indeed.

However, I wouldn’t exactly call me a “forum lurker”. I consider myself more, an active forum user/participant. Thanks for your input, though! Have a great day!

Calae.1738:

And as I stated previously, since gw2 does not have a gear/stat treadmill, the carrot on the stick is “skins”. Being able to purchase skins, therefor, makes it pay to win.

I was unable to find in game achievements attractive enough to be worth my time either. Even though I knew that item skins were the end game, acquiring them with money instead of skill did make it feel like pay to win. In a sinister and twisted way.

Yes. We have a bad case of denial going on here in this thread, sir. But I do hope we won’t be seeing achievement titles being paraded on the gemstore any time soon :P Haha. Good day to you, Calae!

Ayrilana.1396:

What competition? We’re all competing to get skins? How did this even come to being P2W? Are we playing an RPG or virtual Barbie?

Great question but are you asking me? Because I’m not the one who developed a game where there is nothing to strive for other than how your character looks. So, yes, I would like to know, as well, if we are playing an RPG or virtual Barbie.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

No, your understanding of pay to win is flawed. In what pay to win game are you required to do anything?

Pay to Win means “Paying for a competitive advantage to winning the game”. This is an advantage not available to non-paying players. Your understanding of what “P2W” is inherently flawed, because nothing in GW2 falls in this category.

There is a competitive advantage in PVE? Tell me, in PVE WHO are you competing against? Pay to Win was derived from a player being able to pay to win the GAME. And though this, pay to win term, is largely metaphorical it was meant to describe the ability for a player to pay to get to the end achievement of the game. And as I stated previously, since gw2 does not have a gear/stat treadmill, the carrot on the stick is “skins”. Being able to purchase skins, therefor, makes it pay to win.

Wrong again. Pay to Win was derived from free to play MMOs that allowed paying players to have statistical advantages over non-paying players, thus where the “win” term comes into play. in GW2, all players are on even ground. Each can win the game with or without Gems. In a P2W game, non-paying customers cannot win against paying customers.

Yes, sir, we understand that GW2 must be viewed under a different light. THIS is why we must apply the meaning of “pay to win” differently in the case of gw2. I’ve already stated that there is no gear treadmill and so have you by your, “in GW2, all players are on even ground” comment. In MMO’s where the “pay to win” term is applied, those are MMO’s that have gear treadmills. We have agreed that GW2 does not have one (something I stated in my other post). The “skins” are the end game achievements. If you can purchase stats in a gear treadmill MMO, it is pay to win. If you can purchase skins in no gear treadmill GW2, it is pay to win.

pdavis.8031:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

No, your understanding of pay to win is flawed. In what pay to win game are you required to do anything?

Pay to Win means “Paying for a competitive advantage to winning the game”. This is an advantage not available to non-paying players. Your understanding of what “P2W” is inherently flawed, because nothing in GW2 falls in this category.

There is a competitive advantage in PVE? Tell me, in PVE WHO are you competing against? Pay to Win was derived from a player being able to pay to win the GAME. And though this, pay to win term, is largely metaphorical it was meant to describe the ability for a player to pay to get to the end achievement of the game. And as I stated previously, since gw2 does not have a gear/stat treadmill, the carrot on the stick is “skins”. Being able to purchase skins, therefor, makes it pay to win.

So you’re saying that skins are the ultimate “end-game” (which offer no competitive edge whatsoever), and that being able to buy them makes this game pay-to-win? If skin collection is the whole of the game, then PvE, PvP, and WvW doesn’t matter. And thus, by that logic, those game modes only serve as a way to get skins, which can be bypassed with a valid credit card.

If skins are your end-game, you might want to look into doing someting else. MMOs in general aren’t about the end game, it’s about the journey your character takes in an ever changing and interactive world. It’s about the story and the game play. It’s basically a 3D computerized version of a table top RPG.

Purchasing the skins completely bypasses the need for any competition. So, in essence, brings the term “pay to win” to a whole new level. Furthermore, the journey in GW2 is for a WHOLE other thread, entirely. Let’s avoid going down that road, shall we?

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

No, your understanding of pay to win is flawed. In what pay to win game are you required to do anything?

Pay to Win means “Paying for a competitive advantage to winning the game”. This is an advantage not available to non-paying players. Your understanding of what “P2W” is inherently flawed, because nothing in GW2 falls in this category.

There is a competitive advantage in PVE? Tell me, in PVE WHO are you competing against? Pay to Win was derived from a player being able to pay to win the GAME. And though this, pay to win term, is largely metaphorical it was meant to describe the ability for a player to pay to get to the end achievement of the game. And as I stated previously, since gw2 does not have a gear/stat treadmill, the carrot on the stick is “skins”. Being able to purchase skins, therefor, makes it pay to win.

Lonewolf Kai.3682:

siralius.9517:

Ayrilana.1396:

It’s working as intended via the posts from a dev explaining how it works.

So, obtaining “skins” for your character becomes the new “treadmill”. However, Anet has not released any new “skins” for a player, actually playing the game, to obtain (outside of some new back pieces and head gear). The Living Stories do not come with new “player playing the game” achieved skins but “gemstore” purchased skins.

This makes no sense at all. Every single skin that has been released has been available through normal game play and without a single real life dollar used. If the conversion of gold to gem is too high, that’s your opinion. The option to buy gems with gold obtained in the game is still there.

Also, skins are not a requirement to play the game. The pay to win argument there is flawed. Try again.

No, your understanding of pay to win is flawed. In what pay to win game are you required to do anything?

Ayrilana.1396:

siralius.9517:

~~~ snip ~~~

I read your post. Referring back to my post where I linked the posts from John Smith showed it was working as intended. I was going to critique your post, as I saw several things wrong, but chose not to as the argument was over and I saw no point in prolonging this thread.

Tell me, Ayrilana, do you make it a habit of taking ppl at their word?

Ayrilana.1396:

It’s working as intended via the posts from a dev explaining how it works.

This is what I said. Please re read.

So the mechanism behind this “player driven” gold:gem system is that:

1. Players converting gold to gems will make it so that the cost of converting gold to gems will increase.

2. Once the cost of converting gold to gems reaches a point where the conversion cost of gold to gems outweighs the cost of simply buying gems, players will start to purchase gems with real world currency.

3. Players purchasing gems with real world currency will either plateau the ratio of gold to gems or cause it to reverse the upward trend (or so we hope); all depending on how many players choose to purchase gems at any given time.

Many individuals posting on here are claiming that the “player driven” gold:gem exchange is “working as intended”. However, they also claim that the overall upward trend that has been occurring since launch is largely due to there being more players converting gold to gems than there being players purchasing gems. Essentially, they are admitting that the “player driven” mechanism has not gone through all of the motions it is supposedly intended to (step 2 and 3 mentioned above). How is it that individuals posting on here claiming the gold:gem exchange mechanism is working as intended are, at the same time, admitting to that mechanism not having completed its intended behavior?

Furthermore, I would like to see data/spreadsheets detailing the actions occurring in the gold;gem exchange (players converting gold to gems vs. players purchasing gems w/real world currency) and how that behavior is correlating with the upward trend of the gold:gem ratio. How is it that ppl recommending me to take economics courses are the same ppl that promote something like the “player driven” gold:gem exchange mechanism with ZERO data, proof or evidence of that mechanism actually “working as intended”?

Here are some questions to consider in regards to the “player driven” gold:gem exchange:
1. At what cost of the gold to gem exchange will the players see it a better option to simply purchase gems?
2. and, at this point, will there be a large migration of players purchasing gems; reversing the upward trend of the gold to gem cost OR will there be an equal amount of players converting gold to gems vs. players purchasing gems; consequentially plateauing the upward trend (However, this brings us back to my first question, at what cost will this be?)?

You see, the underlying issue at hand here, one that must be considered, is this:
Anet has made a game where there is no, what some call, gear/stat treadmill. Once a player has procured their exotic/ascended stats (whether through pve-ing, crafting or simply buying those stats in the tp) the carrot on the stick now becomes: how your character looks (skins). So, obtaining “skins” for your character becomes the new “treadmill”. However, Anet has not released any new “skins” for a player, actually playing the game, to obtain (outside of some new back pieces and head gear). The Living Stories do not come with new “player playing the game” achieved skins but “gemstore” purchased skins.

So, herein lies the problem. Once the gold to gem conversion cost gets to a point where it is unreasonable to purchase gems with real world currency, so to will it be unreasonable to play the game (being that “skins” have replaced stats/gear), since you are better off purchasing the skins. That being said, at this point, GW2 will essentially become, technically, a pay to win game.

I am not claiming that it is not “working as intended”. I am claiming that we DON’T KNOW if it’s working as intended. Please re read my previous post.

So the mechanism behind this “player driven” gold:gem system is that:

1. Players converting gold to gems will make it so that the cost of converting gold to gems will increase.

2. Once the cost of converting gold to gems reaches a point where the conversion cost of gold to gems outweighs the cost of simply buying gems, players will start to purchase gems with real world currency.

3. Players purchasing gems with real world currency will either plateau the ratio of gold to gems or cause it to reverse the upward trend (or so we hope); all depending on how many players choose to purchase gems at any given time.

Many individuals posting on here are claiming that the “player driven” gold:gem exchange is “working as intended”. However, they also claim that the overall upward trend that has been occurring since launch is largely due to there being more players converting gold to gems than there being players purchasing gems. Essentially, they are admitting that the “player driven” mechanism has not gone through all of the motions it is supposedly intended to (step 2 and 3 mentioned above). How is it that individuals posting on here claiming the gold:gem exchange mechanism is working as intended are, at the same time, admitting to that mechanism not having completed its intended behavior?

Furthermore, I would like to see data/spreadsheets detailing the actions occurring in the gold;gem exchange (players converting gold to gems vs. players purchasing gems w/real world currency) and how that behavior is correlating with the upward trend of the gold:gem ratio. How is it that ppl recommending me to take economics courses are the same ppl that promote something like the “player driven” gold:gem exchange mechanism with ZERO data, proof or evidence of that mechanism actually “working as intended”?

Here are some questions to consider in regards to the “player driven” gold:gem exchange:
1. At what cost of the gold to gem exchange will the players see it a better option to simply purchase gems?
2. and, at this point, will there be a large migration of players purchasing gems; reversing the upward trend of the gold to gem cost OR will there be an equal amount of players converting gold to gems vs. players purchasing gems; consequentially plateauing the upward trend (However, this brings us back to my first question, at what cost will this be?)?

You see, the underlying issue at hand here, one that must be considered, is this:
Anet has made a game where there is no, what some call, gear/stat treadmill. Once a player has procured their exotic/ascended stats (whether through pve-ing, crafting or simply buying those stats in the tp) the carrot on the stick now becomes: how your character looks (skins). So, obtaining “skins” for your character becomes the new “treadmill”. However, Anet has not released any new “skins” for a player, actually playing the game, to obtain (outside of some new back pieces and head gear). The Living Stories do not come with new “player playing the game” achieved skins but “gemstore” purchased skins.

So, herein lies the problem. Once the gold to gem conversion cost gets to a point where it is unreasonable to purchase gems with real world currency, so to will it be unreasonable to play the game (being that “skins” have replaced stats/gear), since you are better off purchasing the skins. That being said, at this point, GW2 will essentially become, technically, a pay to win game.

John Smith.4610:

siralius.9517:

Yes and when it is 100g for 1 gem and say a few hundred players decide to cash in w/their credit cards and go on a shopping spree on the BL what then

The rates are dynamic, you cannot set a high price then trade at that price, the prices will change as you trade, even inside a single trade if it’s a large enough trade.

siralius.9517:

Let me make this clear for you and for Anet as well. The ppl who aren’t buying gems with money most likely aren’t going to buy gems with money. It’s a supply and demand thing. If you’re not supplying something that constitutes someone spending real life money then the demand goes down. Or something like that.

They’re curves and the at every price the demand for each side is different, as the price changes, new users enter and leave the market and trade differently. It’s not as simple as some will buy and some won’t, the curves are quite dense.

“…new users enter and leave the market and trade differently.” Ooooh. Okay, I see now. The unawares new comer will spend the dough. Gotchya. Well, thanks for addressing the topic. Good day, to you all.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

pdavis.8031:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

ITheNormalPerson.9275:

if you need a different answer, it’s “nothing”

as they have said, in anets eyes it is working as intended.

Working as intended? Only a fool would not see the impending economic disaster this will soon be (should it continue on this trajectory).

Be careful of who you call a fool, especially when you’re the one who doesn’t understand that the Gem Exchange is working as intended. What’s going on is not an economic problem, but rather your own personal one. To resolve this issue, simply purchase Gems with your creditcard, and the exchange rate no longer matters.

Edit – To add to what Zil mentioned, the ratios will self correct, as when it becomes too expensive for players to exchange Gold for Gems, it becomes very attractive for players who want to exchange their Gems for Gold.

Yes and when it is 100g for 1 gem and say a few hundred players decide to cash in w/their credit cards and go on a shopping spree on the BL what then, dear Penguin?

So a few hundred, out of millions, decide to spend a lot of money on gems and convert them to a lot of gold, and buy a bunch of stuff on the TP? Well, what they buy on the TP will make other people rich, but won’t really effect much of anything. The prices aren’t going to suddenly and dramatically increase. Even if they are listed for a ridiculous amount, they aren’t going to sell because the rest of the millions of players aren’t going to be willing to pay a stupid amount for it. And if enough people are buying so much so quickly, all that influx of gold will eventually go away due to the TP tax, so it’s not really a problem.

I disagree. You make it appear air tight but I don’t think it will be that simple.

It’s actually a simple Supply and Demand curve. The more Demand there is for Gold -> Gem exchanges, the Gem Supply lowers in the pot, and prices increase. If a player is really willing to pay 100 Gold for 1 Gem, then the system is working as intended. If no one exchanges Gold for Gems, they’ll more likely give in and buy Gems with real money. That’s also a side effect of a system that’s working as intended. And if players like me see the exchange ratios so out of whack, we’ll be buying Gems to convert into Gold. Once again, working as intended.

Every decision we make in terms of the Gem Exchange works in Anet’s favor. And in order to keep us players hungry for the next epic Gem Store item, they need to keep on bringing out stuff. Think about it. When was the last time that you didn’t see something new in the Gem Store? It seems an update of once a month is enough to keep players spending real money.

Let me make this clear for you and for Anet as well. The ppl who aren’t buying gems with money most likely aren’t going to buy gems with money. It’s a supply and demand thing. If you’re not supplying something that constitutes someone spending real life money then the demand goes down. Or something like that.

Nibelung.1407:

siralius.9517:

Anet, do you have a plan for when the gold: gem ratio gets out of control? Because it’s on its way there.

Please, define “out of control”.

Not in the parameter of reasonable regulation.

pdavis.8031:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

ITheNormalPerson.9275:

if you need a different answer, it’s “nothing”

as they have said, in anets eyes it is working as intended.

Working as intended? Only a fool would not see the impending economic disaster this will soon be (should it continue on this trajectory).

Be careful of who you call a fool, especially when you’re the one who doesn’t understand that the Gem Exchange is working as intended. What’s going on is not an economic problem, but rather your own personal one. To resolve this issue, simply purchase Gems with your creditcard, and the exchange rate no longer matters.

Edit – To add to what Zil mentioned, the ratios will self correct, as when it becomes too expensive for players to exchange Gold for Gems, it becomes very attractive for players who want to exchange their Gems for Gold.

Yes and when it is 100g for 1 gem and say a few hundred players decide to cash in w/their credit cards and go on a shopping spree on the BL what then, dear Penguin?

So a few hundred, out of millions, decide to spend a lot of money on gems and convert them to a lot of gold, and buy a bunch of stuff on the TP? Well, what they buy on the TP will make other people rich, but won’t really effect much of anything. The prices aren’t going to suddenly and dramatically increase. Even if they are listed for a ridiculous amount, they aren’t going to sell because the rest of the millions of players aren’t going to be willing to pay a stupid amount for it. And if enough people are buying so much so quickly, all that influx of gold will eventually go away due to the TP tax, so it’s not really a problem.

I disagree. You make it appear air tight but I don’t think it will be that simple.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

ITheNormalPerson.9275:

if you need a different answer, it’s “nothing”

as they have said, in anets eyes it is working as intended.

Working as intended? Only a fool would not see the impending economic disaster this will soon be (should it continue on this trajectory).

Be careful of who you call a fool, especially when you’re the one who doesn’t understand that the Gem Exchange is working as intended. What’s going on is not an economic problem, but rather your own personal one. To resolve this issue, simply purchase Gems with your creditcard, and the exchange rate no longer matters.

Edit – To add to what Zil mentioned, the ratios will self correct, as when it becomes too expensive for players to exchange Gold for Gems, it becomes very attractive for players who want to exchange their Gems for Gold.

Yes and when it is 100g for 1 gem and say a few hundred players decide to cash in w/their credit cards and go on a shopping spree on the BL what then, dear Penguin?

If that day comes, then people like me who actually buy Gems with real money will benefit greatly. At that point, I’ll be able to exchange 1 Gem for 85 Gold. Working as intended.

Me too. But until then, its gold for gems! LOL

Smooth Penguin.5294:

siralius.9517:

ITheNormalPerson.9275:

if you need a different answer, it’s “nothing”

as they have said, in anets eyes it is working as intended.

Working as intended? Only a fool would not see the impending economic disaster this will soon be (should it continue on this trajectory).

Be careful of who you call a fool, especially when you’re the one who doesn’t understand that the Gem Exchange is working as intended. What’s going on is not an economic problem, but rather your own personal one. To resolve this issue, simply purchase Gems with your creditcard, and the exchange rate no longer matters.

Edit – To add to what Zil mentioned, the ratios will self correct, as when it becomes too expensive for players to exchange Gold for Gems, it becomes very attractive for players who want to exchange their Gems for Gold.

Yes and when it is 100g for 1 gem and say a few hundred players decide to cash in w/their credit cards and go on a shopping spree on the BL what then, dear Penguin?

“If the ratio gets obnoxiously bad then players will start buying more gems and the ratio will stabilize eventually. Also if it isn’t already, it will further discourage players to convert gold to gems, make the scale go back the other way.”

It appears it SHOULD work this way but I haven’t seen the scale go the other way in months. Sure, in a day it will fluctuate but in the long term, it’s an upward trend.
“Long story short, Anet does not benefit in intervening and resetting the ratio, even if they do, we will face the same problem a few months down the line unless the entire system gets an overhaul.”

Yes. This is true. Makes sense that it would just go back to where it was pre reset. Idk, I guess this is how it’s going to be from here on out. Oh well. Thanks for the response.

ITheNormalPerson.9275:

if you need a different answer, it’s “nothing”

as they have said, in anets eyes it is working as intended.

Working as intended? Only a fool would not see the impending economic disaster this will soon be (should it continue on this trajectory).

Ayrilana.1396:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/Price-of-gems/first#post4174814

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/bltc/What-s-happening-to-gems/first#post4134810

It being player driven is an answer to your question. You just don’t understand how it works is all. I believe it was explained in one of the two linked threads but I’ll try to find the dev post about it.

I’m sorry but what part of, “What is anet going to do when the gold:gem ratio gets out of control” do you not understand? Lol I mean, it’s a very simple concept. I understand that it is the players who trade gold for gems that cause the inflation but I’m asking ANET what are they going to do about it when it gets out of control. I’m feeling like there is a serious communication error here.

It being “player driven” is part of the problem, not the solution. Please, use common sense.

Ayrilana.1396:

There have been threads on this. It’s completely player driven and working as intended.

My question still stands; what is Anet going to do when the gold:gem ratio gets out of control? It being “player driven” does not answer the question.

Anet, do you have a plan for when the gold: gem ratio gets out of control? Because it’s on its way there.

Anet should have never promised anything to the casual players to begin with. MMO’s are, by design, not meant to have the challenge of a casual fps shooter (which is what GW2 felt like). The challenge of MMO’s is what used to make the genre so appealing. You made one character (for the most part) and stuck with it because developing, leveling, enhancing, molding, spending countless hours upgrading (etc etc) that toon made it yours.

Now, in comes GW2 and 15-18 80s later you’re left wondering what in the world to do. Your 15 80s mean nothing to you, you have no investment in them, you don’t cherish any of them. Why? Because getting them to 80, maxing out their gear and getting them to look how you want consisted of not very much effort. So the player gets bored, the player moves on, the game looses population, the company looses money and so the story goes. This is one of the problems Anet faces.

Console games and the companies that make them benefit the most from casuals. However, an MMO company would be best advised to chase casuals and their yearnings far from their game. They usually wreck havoc on a community and are never around long enough for the company to generate a slow but steady income from them. By catering to them, you, inevitably, take from the experience enjoyed by a loyal “dedicated” MMO player. And this is something I’m not sure is a good route for the MMO genre.

I believe this is where Anet went horribly wrong. In trying to cater to the casual, they totally ignored the endearing “trappings” of the MMO game; a well developed story, engaging/explanatory lore, memorable npcs, interesting/fun and challenging encounters. In short, it is not embellished and or lacks substance.

In particular, I would like to refer you, again, to the festival of the four winds, as a microcosm of the GW2 world and experience. The map/area is great looking, the scenes and views are awesome. However, that’s all there is to it. SO much space and area…for nothing. What do you do there exactly? There are no npc’s in four winds you engage with that truly take/bring you into what this area is really about, what it’s story is. There are no “quests” or activities that introduce you to this realm; apart from talking to the Kiel lady (sp). And why is this? Because the casual player doesn’t care about these types of things. And so the festival of the four winds is really more a pretty place and less a reason to log in. And with that I will leave you with this wise and wonderful quote:

“Pro money is slow money but its sho’ money.”

FenrirSlakt.3692:

siralius.9517:

Let me break it down for you guys, simply. Right now, I can log into GW2 but instead I’m going to read a book. Do you understand what I just wrote here? I. am. choosing. to. read. a. book. This is not good… This is not good at all…

What book is it?

“The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad

Let me break it down for you guys, simply. Right now, I can log into GW2 but instead I’m going to read a book. Do you understand what I just wrote here? I. am. choosing. to. read. a. book. This is not good… This is not good at all…

ObsidianSaint.1079:

siralius.9517:

Danikat.8537:

I remember the days when each new campaign had utterly ruined GW1 to the point where no one played it any more. Balance across all game modes was completely, irreparably ruined by new classes and skills. All the new areas were horrible to navigate, had terrible mechanisms locking you out of parts to force you to grind through the whole storyline. New PvP modes were only ever farmed by bots because no real people would ever want to play them. And then to top it off the addition of heroes killed any hope that was left by turning GW1 into a single player game that was entirely for farmers.

Good times.

I agree, I’d like to see how Anet can completely ruin GW2 forever with an expansion. (I’ve heard Blizzard have managed to drive away every single player they had 4 times and are on track to do it a 5th time. I’m sure Anet could top them if they wanted to.)

On the other hand I’ve heard Season 2 is going to include some things players have wanted for a long time like more permanent content and a new zone (not confirmed but strongly implied) and I’m looking forward to how that will ruin the game forever too, it seems unlikely given that it’s exactly what players want but they’ve pulled it off before.

Wow. Can a reason for barely chugging along get any more silly?
You: “I don’t want new content because Anet (the developer of the MMO) will mess things up”. Did this seem okay to you at the time you wrote it? Really?

If a developer can not create new content with out “ruining” the game, it might be time for that company to find a new gig.

People want more from GW2. Period. Repeating the same stuff over and over again (living story) is just not cutting it anymore. Have you even logged on lately? The festival of the four winds? Or how about that glorified mindless drone farm fest they have going on in Divinity’s Reach…AGAIN. I tremendously enjoy going to the four winds to run up and down a mountainside looking for crystals that do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

The game needs new permanent content, asap. Now, I’m not saying it be an expansion but w/e it is, it must add to the experience of the game. Because, as of right now, when quite a few players (not everyone but quite a few) think of GW2 a big “MEH” comes to mind.

The way they do things right now is great. I enjoy the festival of four winds a hell of a lot. It was my favourite Season 1 event. The game has perma content, the first season was mostly to establish things that would return. Halloween, christmas, festivals. Now that they are basically out of the way and only need small tweaks they can focus more on the gameplay and story.

He/She’s not saying Anet will mess it up, they are simply saying that the old method was inefficient and expensive. The way they release things now is pretty fantastic and the reason I know this is because I am now craving the next update. I’m used to getting the new update every 2 weeks and now I’m suffering. Expansions would seriously suck.

No, sir/ma’am, I’m sorry but he said 2 or 3 times that Anet would mess GW2 up by creating expansions due to their inability to balance the game’s mechanics. Try reading his post.

Tell me, though, what is it you like about the festival of the four winds? I’d really love to hear what excites you about that content. The area is no doubt beautiful. However, as far as I’m concerned, it’s wasted space as there is nothing to do there. Run up and down the mountain looking for crystals? The race (if they even put it in this time)? What is it, exactly, that you find enjoyable about it?

Danikat.8537:

I remember the days when each new campaign had utterly ruined GW1 to the point where no one played it any more. Balance across all game modes was completely, irreparably ruined by new classes and skills. All the new areas were horrible to navigate, had terrible mechanisms locking you out of parts to force you to grind through the whole storyline. New PvP modes were only ever farmed by bots because no real people would ever want to play them. And then to top it off the addition of heroes killed any hope that was left by turning GW1 into a single player game that was entirely for farmers.

Good times.

I agree, I’d like to see how Anet can completely ruin GW2 forever with an expansion. (I’ve heard Blizzard have managed to drive away every single player they had 4 times and are on track to do it a 5th time. I’m sure Anet could top them if they wanted to.)

On the other hand I’ve heard Season 2 is going to include some things players have wanted for a long time like more permanent content and a new zone (not confirmed but strongly implied) and I’m looking forward to how that will ruin the game forever too, it seems unlikely given that it’s exactly what players want but they’ve pulled it off before.

Wow. Can a reason for barely chugging along get any more silly?
You: “I don’t want new content because Anet (the developer of the MMO) will mess things up”. Did this seem okay to you at the time you wrote it? Really?

If a developer can not create new content with out “ruining” the game, it might be time for that company to find a new gig.

People want more from GW2. Period. Repeating the same stuff over and over again (living story) is just not cutting it anymore. Have you even logged on lately? The festival of the four winds? Or how about that glorified mindless drone farm fest they have going on in Divinity’s Reach…AGAIN. I tremendously enjoy going to the four winds to run up and down a mountainside looking for crystals that do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

The game needs new permanent content, asap. Now, I’m not saying it be an expansion but w/e it is, it must add to the experience of the game. Because, as of right now, when quite a few players (not everyone but quite a few) think of GW2 a big “MEH” comes to mind.

Lishtenbird.2814:

siralius.9517:

Say no to welfare 80s.

They didn’t go far enough with making players earn their toon, as far as I’m concerned.

Wait, GW2 was a job? Skritt, I thought it was a game…

Yes, even games must contain a degree of challenge. However, instead of a paycheck, you get to wear a smile on your face and be consumed by a warm fuzzy feeling all over.

As much as I love dpsing my way through a dungeon, I agree with poster. The problem with this game, overall, is that players get bored rather quickly. This is due to the lack of challenge in the game.
You faceroll your way through everything. It gets to the point where you have done everything so many times simply because you can; leading to boredom. This is not in Anet’s best interest at the end of the day. I would like to see more of a risk to wearing and grouping full zerker/assassin/dps.
However, instead of looking to gear stats for the correction, anet should instead look at boss/mob mechanics for the fix. They have been trying to skirt this for far too long but it is the inevitable fix.

Gj, anet.

Say no to welfare 80s.

They didn’t go far enough with making players earn their toon, as far as I’m concerned. Unlockable traits is a step in the right direction.

Kajin.5301:

Putting lore and open world content/story continuity tied to the CoF and CoE aside;
The contested system is a relic of a time when:
- there was no guesting
- bosses dropped good silver on kill (exempt from diminishing returns)
- completing each path gave money and tokens with diminishing returns
Which led people farm CoF and/Coe back to back (charged cores/lodes in case of Coe) The contesting of the entrance to the dungeons would help to slow it down.

Seeing as the three points above changed and people no longer do more than once each path each day, they should change the duration of uncontested gates so they stay open longer AND in the case of CoF, remove that long timer on Razen escort spawn, and change his start location to that tent where the nearest alltime open waypoint to CoF.

By the way any professions with ranged targeted warping ability can bypass the CoF contested gates by running forward and warping at the right corner of gate wall meeting the mountain. Sure getting it right is a pain in the dolyak for your eyes but it works. Ps: thieves make this a cakewalk.

Thank you for summing up the outdated usefulness of this mechanic. I am a player who likes to do a round robin of most dungeons per day. CoF is not farmed any more. I would like to get into this dungeon, complete the paths I need and move on.

As I stated earlier, If this event were somehow more solo friendly, I would have no problem banging it out, as I am a player who takes initiative. For a small example, I am the player who guests to an open server and enters CoF BEFORE I spam in LFG for a party (As opposed to those players who forms a party and asks who can open); among other things. So the ppl on here trying to blast me as lazy and wanting stuff handed to me are directing their ire at the wrong guy.

There are times when these dungeon gate unlock events make sense. The event to open Arah, for instance. The battle to the gate is epic and lures the players in to a thrilling battle for access to this dungeon. However, the CoF event to unlock the gate is nothing more than a nuisance. It does nothing for the story of CoF or for the players experience in respects to the game.

I’m sorry to those that feel I am trying to nerf the game. It’s really not what I am aiming for. I just call a spade a spade. So, in conclusion, I say this, either make this dungeon gate unlock event worthwhile and interesting, rework it so it’s not so much of an “UGH” moment or get rid of it. Simple as that.