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Guild Wars 2 |OT2| Funding An MMO Entirely On Quaggan Backpacks
- Thread starter Teknopathetic
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- Server Guesting isn't really a big deal now (when we had free transfers not that long ago), but it will be when you bump into another player who isn't on the same server as you. In other MMOs, you'd be unable to play together unless somebody left their server (usually for a real money transaction too). That's not the case in GW2, and it IS a big deal, but not necessarily something everyone will use. The bottom line is that it lets you play with anyone you want to, at any time, in everything but WvW. For MMOs, that's a really big deal.
- Achievements went from "do the same thing every day" to "do different things on different days". This is an improvement. They are also implementing choose-your-own-dailies on Tuesday. Laurels are a big deal because they allow for an additional reward path. Lots of people already have picked up ascended items they wouldn't have gotten otherwise, so I wouldn't say the rewards are pointless or the system broken.
- Living Story in January was described as a "Prelude", exciting things don't usually happen in preludes (or at least, until the end, which is exactly what we're hearing will happen on Monday). January update established the framework for things to come.
Also, if you listened to the Podcast (/shameless plug), there was a comment the lead developer made in an interview recently that heavily implies updates will be coming every week rather than every month.
January was establishing the framework for the "Living Story", not an example of how it will work from here on out.
- I do agree that burying Guild Missions in the WvW-tree is a problem, hopefully that's changed. But Guild Missions themselves are not inherently bad, and people shouldn't be dinking around in Guilds that are smaller than a group anyways.
I find it ironic that all of the things you're complaining about (Guesting, Achievements, Living Story, Guild Missions) are all from a single update cycle, and one which they said in advance would be 'small'. These are literally items in transition or establishing the framework for bigger things to come. Any other MMO and these sort of things would have taken months to add. Meanwhile, October added 4 JPs, 2 mini-dungeons and Halloween, November added a whole zone, Fractals, 2 JPs and a new PVP map and December added Wintersday.
So your complaint is basically "They are not adding things fast enough" even though the rate at which ArenaNet puts in content is absurd compared to not just other MMOs, but other games in general. And you say this the weekend before the next update which adds another PVP map, tons of new content for large groups which has been lacking (in the podcast, I refer to them as "Raids done right", which is exactly what they are), and fixes your complaint with Dailies. Not to mention what else might be added in there.
Go ahead and uninstall it... Maybe getting a ton of content for free just isn't for you?
Well, guesting lets you more or less exist in all servers simultaneously. It lets you hunt for event chains or states if your server is at the "wrong" time. I've already found this useful multiple times... the achievements system and the first arc of living story are expanding in three days... and you don't need a big guild or a guild at all to participate in guild missions, just to start them. I'm not sure what you meant about needing a huge WvW guild either, GAF certainly isn't that, and we gots the upgrades. Plus you can belong to more than one guild!
Anyway what Retro expressed maybe a little less diplomatically that I would have is that all these updates have been free:-[ If they've been angering you that much there's certainly nothing wrong with taking a break.
Anyway what Retro expressed maybe a little less diplomatically that I would have is that all these updates have been free:-[ If they've been angering you that much there's certainly nothing wrong with taking a break.
Complistic
Member
Guild event was great fun.
Retro's just grumpy because he's still kinda sick.
Nothing wrong with taking a break, or saying that GW2's current crop of updates are just not interesting right now. Play something else and then come back to it if an update looks interesting. There's no sub!
Suuuuch a great turnout for the event, guys! Awesome stuff. Wish I hadn't hard crashed before we killed the Demagogue, but c'est la vie.
If you hear of any other hidden secret things like that, tell an officer and maybe it'd make a good event!
For those that missed it, the area Aurora's Remains is a named area that shows up on your map once you get there, but you could get 100% World Complete without ever seeing it.
If you hear of any other hidden secret things like that, tell an officer and maybe it'd make a good event!
For those that missed it, the area Aurora's Remains is a named area that shows up on your map once you get there, but you could get 100% World Complete without ever seeing it.
I thought it was diplomatic until the end, and even then it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sorry, I have no patience for people who complain that the sun isn't out all the time, the moon has craters (what kind of podunk busted-ass moon got craters?) and the stars twinkle instead of being constant.
Retro's grumpy whether he's sick or not and you should know better than most
D
Deleted member 10571
Unconfirmed Member
Except it doesn't. It lets you play on all Servers in your region, not on all Servers period. I know, technical problems, databases, blah blah. Still pissed about that, 'cause it's ruining the game for me now, since 99% of my guild left the game at this point and I'm not yet ready to change servers permanently to the US from Europe (and would have to pay quite a bit to do so).
Retro, I see you like the game, so do I, I'm just not at all happy about how the last updates turned out compared to what was the advertising before said updates. I'm not sure how I was offensive in any of my points, but well, that's my opinion and your points don't really address the problems I'm having with the game these days. Or at least I don't really see how they would.
Whatevs, more time to do productive stuff, and I just wait until Anet delivers content that is in some way useful or for me. Right now, it isn't, and if I wouldn't like the game at it's core, I wouldn't waste time complaining about it.
Complistic
Member
That's the ARAH I know.
I don't believe ArenaNet ever said Guesting would work cross-region, but if it had to be cut and that negatively impacts your personal experience, I can understand your feelings.
But I do know that the updates were not 'advertised' by ArenaNet as more than they were. They said the early part of this year would be "Expansion-sized", but clarified that to mean mechanical upgrades and improvements that are usually put off until an expansion. Even the most zealous of us knew the January update wouldn't be packed with sweeping changes when they cleared things up.
I just don't see how the game is 'kicking you in the balls' when the previous month has just been system / quality of life changes in preparation for bigger things to come. I know Guild Missions may not be your cup of tea, but lots of people have been clamoring for large-scale content for a while now. We already know March is the big "WvW" update and will continue the Frost and Fire story.
Everybody is getting a little love at some point, it just may not be your turn yet. But that doesn't diminish the value of the features you rattled off as 'boring, unobtainable or useless.' For most of us, those negatives do not apply (i.e. most of us in the guild are looking forward to Tuesday, especially the guild missions).
I'm just saying, if January and February are 'misses' for you, you'd still be 3-2 for updates, but your tone suggests the game is a complete failure and you'd have been better off if you had just uninstalled.
There is nothing wrong with that!
I love this game to death, but there are lots of things that really annoy me. I'm big on cosmetic stuff, and I have so much trouble finding armor I like. Literally EVERY SINGLE ARMOR SET has SOME flaw that just looks out of place in my mind that it turns me off. It's either the design of the armor, or pervasive clipping issues with the character models.
I finally finished buying the Norn tier 3 cultural armor for my guardian, and it looks absolutely AMAZING except for some Quasimodo looking hunchback thing going on with the back part of the chest. I get it's supposed to look like a bear (I think) but it clips into her hair and just looks silly. ARGH.
January was a pretty awesome update to me personally. It had a lot of small changes that made the experience of the overall game much better. As much as I enjoy the game, I have a number of issues with it, but the past few updates make me confident that Arena.net is completely aware of what they "are" and they're doing a damn good job of it so far, and achieving it in a very timely manner too.
You don't get to complain about norn cultural armor when it kicks the shit out of the other cultural armors so handily >
I can complain about what I want, sir!
It is the best cultural set, I agree. IF NOT FOR THE HUNCHBACK UGH
Also what's with the human light pants? Looks like a tarp with holes cut out of it.
And the Whispers light tunic would be PERFECT if not for the spines coming out of the sides. I'm a Mesmer, not a lionfish!
They make blizz look like a bunch of lazy layabouts...
I wish they did more for wvwvw. As it is, its kinda slow to lvl up there, and also, the 'power boost' to lvl 80 is pretty ineffectual. I get 2 shot sometimes by stupid thieves and what nots.
Also, thieves, they are annoying, too many stealth abilities, its like whackamole when you go up against them >.<
I saw one thief take out one of those veteran flag guards (Sure not super powerful) but they didnt get hit once, they just stealthed after like every hit, and his out of combat regen wasnt quick enough, and it was weird to watch....
I hate thieves and mesmers cause they are too hard to get a hold of.
Also, they still have the stupid bag drop for pvp rewards, and they are just an awful method.
Also they should constantly have those events like halloween up and running, they were a fun way to lvl alts! (And get some nice stuffs)
I wish they did more for wvwvw. As it is, its kinda slow to lvl up there, and also, the 'power boost' to lvl 80 is pretty ineffectual. I get 2 shot sometimes by stupid thieves and what nots.
Also, thieves, they are annoying, too many stealth abilities, its like whackamole when you go up against them >.<
I saw one thief take out one of those veteran flag guards (Sure not super powerful) but they didnt get hit once, they just stealthed after like every hit, and his out of combat regen wasnt quick enough, and it was weird to watch....
I hate thieves and mesmers cause they are too hard to get a hold of.
Also, they still have the stupid bag drop for pvp rewards, and they are just an awful method.
Also they should constantly have those events like halloween up and running, they were a fun way to lvl alts! (And get some nice stuffs)
- WvW update is coming in March.
- Next event should be April Fools, not sure how long it will be running for.
It may surprise some of you to learn that I adore this game, but there are plenty of issues and things that bug me about it too. And really, there always will be. I believe both that the game needs a lot of work to reach its full potential, and that there will absolutely never be a point where we're all like, "welp, it's finally done! Nothing left for anyone to complain about!"
I don't know. I empathize with a lot of the most common complaints I see, while others I find beyond ludicrous or even contradictory. I think I'm probably out of step both with the silent majority and the vocal minority on some things. For example, if I had to pick one thing I wanted ANet to change it would be to fix the "try to pick something up and keep running forward" bug. Maybe it's cause I'm using a gamepad, but it yanks me all the way out of the experience every time. Suddenly, I'm thinking "oh right, I'm at the mercy of someone's flawed lines of programming code," rather than "I'm playing a fun game" or at its best, "I'm inhabiting this character in Tyria." The more opaque, high profile complaints tend to roll off my back, and I find it pretty difficult to be disappointed by patches or content updates, too.
I don't talk about it much, and I tend to try to debate issues of the game at face value without including it in the discussion, but really I think my attitude about this game (and GW1 before it) comes down to the way I feel about paying a subscription for a game in the first place. I mean absolutely no disrespect to those who have paid subscriptions and am not commenting at all on the quality of games that have then, but I just can't imagine what it would feel like to have the same complaints one might have about GW2 but also be paying $10/month for the privelege. I mean, christ. I get pissed enough at Comcast for the handful of interruptions in my internet every month, and they're just providing a simple service where 100% of their users are looking for the same thing. Imagine if every one of their subscribers wanted a slightly different kind of internet connection...
I guess it's just easy for me to "take what I get," in this case. All my complaints really seem to pale in comparison to the value I've got from the investment.
Eventually I'll get tired of it and move on, and then maybe come back one day, none the worse for wear. Until then, let the ball-kicking continue.
I don't know. I empathize with a lot of the most common complaints I see, while others I find beyond ludicrous or even contradictory. I think I'm probably out of step both with the silent majority and the vocal minority on some things. For example, if I had to pick one thing I wanted ANet to change it would be to fix the "try to pick something up and keep running forward" bug. Maybe it's cause I'm using a gamepad, but it yanks me all the way out of the experience every time. Suddenly, I'm thinking "oh right, I'm at the mercy of someone's flawed lines of programming code," rather than "I'm playing a fun game" or at its best, "I'm inhabiting this character in Tyria." The more opaque, high profile complaints tend to roll off my back, and I find it pretty difficult to be disappointed by patches or content updates, too.
I don't talk about it much, and I tend to try to debate issues of the game at face value without including it in the discussion, but really I think my attitude about this game (and GW1 before it) comes down to the way I feel about paying a subscription for a game in the first place. I mean absolutely no disrespect to those who have paid subscriptions and am not commenting at all on the quality of games that have then, but I just can't imagine what it would feel like to have the same complaints one might have about GW2 but also be paying $10/month for the privelege. I mean, christ. I get pissed enough at Comcast for the handful of interruptions in my internet every month, and they're just providing a simple service where 100% of their users are looking for the same thing. Imagine if every one of their subscribers wanted a slightly different kind of internet connection...
I guess it's just easy for me to "take what I get," in this case. All my complaints really seem to pale in comparison to the value I've got from the investment.
Eventually I'll get tired of it and move on, and then maybe come back one day, none the worse for wear. Until then, let the ball-kicking continue.
Ran Sorrow's Embrace story mode with some GAFers, and it was AWESOME!
Took the time to watch the cutscenes, one of which was an actual animated thing and not just the talking heads. So I got some context. But the dungeon itself just had a super cool aesthetic. Underground Dredge fortress. and the final boss was a giant demon fueled robot in a room full of lava! It was a really cool experience, and easily the most enjoyable dungeon run I've been on.
Took the time to watch the cutscenes, one of which was an actual animated thing and not just the talking heads. So I got some context. But the dungeon itself just had a super cool aesthetic. Underground Dredge fortress. and the final boss was a giant demon fueled robot in a room full of lava! It was a really cool experience, and easily the most enjoyable dungeon run I've been on.
I really liked SE story mode because the demon robot boss is a throw back to a GW1 area. Plucked those nostalgia strings.
Those are the most common, yeah. but CoE and TA groups are faily common too. CM is the one I NEVER see people do.
Those are the most common, yeah. but CoE and TA groups are faily common too. CM is the one I NEVER see people do.
I like SE story mode. I like SE in general despite some final boss issues. I think they improved the boss in story mode, but I don't know about the boss in exp 2.
I have found that the Engineer build I leveled most of the way with is actually crazy good at Orr farming.
http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mMM9omlLaMmlLaM0x0GGmRqmkom8070q7ofF70z7owZ7owX7ofF
This tags mobs like crazy. I also found that the kit refinement spells can be triggered while rezzing someone. Pretty useful.
I have found that the Engineer build I leveled most of the way with is actually crazy good at Orr farming.
http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mMM9omlLaMmlLaM0x0GGmRqmkom8070q7ofF70z7owZ7owX7ofF
This tags mobs like crazy. I also found that the kit refinement spells can be triggered while rezzing someone. Pretty useful.
irfaanator
Banned
Here are some images I took of the event
I don't think there is a single developer out there, no matter the genre, who doesn't make look Blizzard lazy at this point. Arena.net still needs to push out a dungeon finder already though. Lazy bastards!
Well, most people who own a PC are not poor and 10-15 bucks a month is all things considered very little money. The value you got out of sub was pretty big back in the day, because they offered a pretty unique multiplayer experience. Content updates, while important, were probably not the main reason why people paid for it.
But yeah, that's mostly gone and most MMOs these days are not worth a monthly sub.
Not that it matters. The sub model is dead for a while now. GW2 even arrived late to that party. *shrug*
AC and COF are the go-to explorable mode dungeons simply because they're quick and easy. SE is becoming a more common run because Explorable Path 1 was recently made into a "dungeon path of least resistance." It's faster than the AC runs, and probably about on par difficulty-wise with COF1, and doesn't have any of the coordination-requiring sections that run does.
Path 3 is also a very reliable, fairly average difficulty run with multiple approaches (the regular way, the stealthy way, and a mix).
Path 2 is very long, but I like it a lot. It's got one of the better plotlines for an exp mode dungeon, oddly enough, and a few cool fights. Unfortunately, it has a very tricky boss (especially for those who don't know its strategy) and the length leading up to it means it isn't run very commonly. But yeah, it's a great dungeon.
Yep, it's not just a reference, Sorrow's Embrace is Sorrow's Furnace, reclaimed by the dredge after the dwarves got stoned, and that robot is the same one, repurposed by Kudu.
I actually like CM a lot.
CM Story mode is probably the easiest run in the game. I find all three exp paths equally difficult, which is rare, and the aesthetic is pretty unique (not a dungeon at all, per se). Some pretty good gear stat combos available, and a good way to get magic find runes, also. I'm happy to run it anytime. Visually the gear is pretty unimpressive which I imagine has something to do with its infrequency.
br0ken_shad0w
Member
My last CM run with guildies was fucking terrible. Someone from GAF and his "friend" wanted to start CM and I (and two others) joined because why the hell not. It was the usual CM experience: Half of us didn't know the dungeon and the cheesable shortcuts (I didn't run it in months), bunch of silver trash, and dying a lot But it was doable (abeit slowly). However, the worst part was the "friend" disconnected about 2/3 of the way and the guy decided to fucking bail on us without warning because his "friend" left. And thanks to the vague party leader status, kicking him resulted in us getting booted from the dungeon. Goddamn was I pissed. Fuck that guy and fuck that dungeon.
They've already said that even though improvements to the Looking for Group system are something they want to do, they have been very clear that they will not be adding a 'dungeon finder'. They've never given a specific reason, but in my experience it breaks up the community by allowing people to automate the process. You just hit "Go" and the other people might as well be NPCs.
It gets even worse if they allow the LFD tool to work across servers, because then people start to act like idiots because the chances they'll bump into the same people again is lower.
My guess is that they'll implement an in-game version of GW2LFG.com; enter the content you want to do, a quick description, and people can pick you from the list. Automated grouping is just... ugh, no thanks.
Yeah, but it was ArenaNet's party from GW1, so...
Aw did you get hung up on shotgunface?
The "comment" feature on GW2LFG makes it very easy to avoid the kind of groups you don't want and find the ones you do. If a system that does that were implemented in-game I'd have no objection at all. I would also not like matchmaking (I think that's what you were talking about) or an auto hot join. But merely choosing from the list or posting your own on GW2LFG with the right description is pretty flawless. I'm actually putting together a brief post on how to get the most out of it.
br0ken_shad0w
Member
I will tell you I rarely get pissed off doing dungeons. Not even that Arah marathon we did where we fought Lupicus for the first time and you had internet problems fazed me. The only other one that did though which involved GAF was SE path 1 (which wasn't the fault of the players, only the shitty mechanics).
Shotgunface wasn't TOO bad. We did wipe once or twice I think, but it added on the rest of the CM run. But that guy bailing was the breaking point. The Frost guy was the last boss we had to fight and that ruined the rest of my day. The other two left in my party wanted to run other dungeons, but I just couldn't do it even with the easy ones.
Would something like this suffice?
Works for me. I just hope listings that say "first time" or "all classes welcome" still get groups with such an interface, otherwise it's all groovy.
edit: I get a couple hours free to play and use comcast in a negative analogy and now my connection is jittery as all hell. Serves me right I suppose.
edit: I get a couple hours free to play and use comcast in a negative analogy and now my connection is jittery as all hell. Serves me right I suppose.
Yep, it's not just a reference, Sorrow's Embrace is Sorrow's Furnace, reclaimed by the dredge after the dwarves got stoned, and that robot is the same one, repurposed by Kudu.
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Yep. I was just being vague because I couldn't remember if you actually fight the forgeman dude in GW1. I remember a fire elemental of sorts but that's it.
They should make it so that the instance is not reset unless everyone from the original party leaves..
I don't remember any part of any of the exp paths being terribly tough. Some timing/coordination required with some bomb things are a boss that was invulnerable half the time but no easy wipes. Haven't run it in a loooong time though
SE 1 was pretty lame before, at least the first part.
I don't really ever get discouraged doing dungeons. I joke about arah being traumatizing but I'm happy to retry again and again
You know what I want? A queensdale sized open area "dungeon" (ala FoW or UW) where you are plopped in the middle of the map and told "figure it out".
Complistic
Member
Arah is pretty close to that.
BRD was my favorite dungeon in WoW (Mara a close second) because they actually felt like DUNGEONS. Lots of paths, optional stuff, a layout that doesn't lend itself to a straight run through... quirky little things like the Grim Guzzler. GW2 isn't as bad as WoW is now (where it is literally straight hallways leading to loot pinatas) but I feel like there's room for another 'side dungeon' kind of thing, in the same way Fractals are a 'dungeon' but the whole framework is unique.
Do it just as you say; a large, more open dungeon with danger everywhere and no clear route or direction. Tons of stuff everywhere to see and do, maybe even dynamic event chains within the dungeon you can kick off.
The idea being, it's a 'long-term' dungeon you don't run with a group for 20-45 minutes, but something you commit to for a few hours and can expand to a whole day if you're so inclined. Yeah, groups will exist just to hammer out one boss, encounter or event chain, but you can just hang out and do a little of everything if you want.
Just a huge, ultra-dangerous zone with just you and 4 friends and a ton of content with no clear route or order. And puzzles. And Traps.... and whatever else would make people cry.
I know what he means, though. In those instances there weren't "paths" at all, and you could do stuff in any order. There was very little room for error if you wanted to "clear" them but not everything in them was required either.
edit:
I know how to get to the top of the lighthouse on Stormbluff Isle and youuuu doooon't...
Bonus pics from our event:
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Maybe getting this game soon.
Both the regular and Digital Deluxe (not a lot in there that I would say is worth the extra money, but your mileage may vary) are 30% off until tomorrow. Might want to get it ASAP.
Here's the link: https://buy.guildwars2.com/en/
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Do it now while it's on sale.
I bought GW2 basically on a whim when it was $30 around Christmas time. Had always wanted to try an MMO.
Well, here I am 2 months later with over 250 hours logged, and I'm still having some of the most fun I've ever had with a video game. That's something special.
And for as good as GW2 is, the GAF community around the game is even better. I really could go on for pages here, but the culture and atmosphere in the guild is spot on. Everybody is so damn helpful that I just want to be helpful in return.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
GAF plays on the Stormbluff Isle server, whisper or send an in-game mail to Gojira, Hawkian the Blade, Ashodin Venteal, Professor Retro, Katoki, Ferny or Hylia Skyloft to get an invite to the guild.
I'll post the usual 'Beginners Tips' here shortly.
Edit: Found my post faster than I thought;
I'm guessing its one of the wrong combinations for finishing the puzzle that zaps you up there then.
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